One Night in Santiago

by Audra North

She had to leave now.

  She had to go, had to get back to New York and be there for her baby sister, to hug her mother and apologize for the hurtful things she’d said.

  She would probably never see Komarov again.

  Before the thought made her cry, she mustered her willpower and slid from the bed, taking care not to wake him. Last night, after they had used his last condom and brushed their teeth, side by side in the bathroom in companionable silence, he had set his alarm for an hour from now. His flight wasn’t scheduled to leave until close to noon.

  Lily had set hers, too. It would probably go off any minute now. No doubt he had been expecting it to wake them both so that he could say good-bye, then go back to sleep after she had left for the airport.

  Instead, she tiptoed to her phone and shut it off.

  She told herself it was because she felt bad about interrupting his sleep, but the truth was that she didn’t think she could bear to say good-bye.

  It was better this way.

  Merely fifteen minutes later, she stepped quietly into the hallway. She shut the heavy door softly behind her and leaned her forehead against it for a moment.

  She would not feel sorry for herself. She had learned a lot about herself this week, and was grateful, at least, for the clarity she had gained by coming here. She’d made a choice and taken a risk, and she would deal with whatever came out of it.

  Even if it was nothing.

  “Good-bye, Komarov,” she sighed, then turned and wheeled her suitcase down the hall.

  …

  Bruno woke with a start, the feeling that something was wrong propelling him out of bed before he was even fully alert.

  She was gone.

  Even if her things weren’t missing from the bedroom, he didn’t have to check the rest of the suite to know. There was something vital now lacking in the air, like there weren’t enough oxygen in it anymore to keep him from suffocating. He grabbed his phone off the bedside table, staring in frustration at the screen as though he could somehow will her cell number to appear there, angry at himself for missing his chance to tell her how he felt. He hadn’t wanted to scare her away.

  But instead, he’d said nothing, and then he’d lost her, anyway. Why hadn’t he taken the risk? Had he really been afraid that she’d reject him? He’d never hesitated on making a move when a business deal looked promising. Komarov Enterprises had grown by leaps and bounds since he had taken the helm precisely because he took bold actions on behalf of the company. Why hadn’t he realized before now that, all along, he’d been failing to take the same initiative in his personal life?

  Because you hadn’t had a reason to before now.

  Lily had given him a reason to want more than superficial relationships and professional success.

  Bruno sat down heavily on the edge of the bed, propping his elbows on his knees and dropping his chin into his hands. In one night, he had created memories with Lily that were more meaningful than any of the ones he’d had of other women. She’d fought him for the room with as much strength and confidence as he could ever hope to have. She’d shown him her vulnerability. She’d teased him, and kissed him, and made him believe that he might have a chance at deserving her. Made him want to deserve her. But now it was too late.

  No. It wasn’t too late.

  Bruno straightened. Yes, he’d missed his chance to talk to her in person. But he wasn’t about to sit back and just accept that he would never again see the one woman with whom he ever felt such a strong connection. There was contact information on her consulting company’s website, after all. He could at least start by e-mailing the corporate office.

  He stood and strode through the bedroom door, intending to power on his laptop and sending a message immediately, but he didn’t even get as far as opening it up. Instead, the sight of a white scrap of paper, torn from the hotel notepad on the desk, had him rushing forward, snatching up the sheet, and finally grinning with relief when he read the words scrawled on it.

  This time, he wasn’t going to miss his chance.

  …

  “Indeed, Miss Stanton, you are confirmed on this flight. It is completely full, but you have a window seat. And you’ll be home by this evening.”

  Bruno raced up to the counter just in time to hear the agent’s words. Lily’s shoulders sagged. With what—relief? Unexpected disappointment?

  Please let it be both.

  “I don’t suppose I can convince you to share this time.” He suppressed the urge to grab and shake her, to yell at her that she should never have left without kissing him good-bye. Without telling him what he wanted to know.

  Lily jumped in surprise and whirled around. For a brief moment, he saw the expression of unbridled joy on her face, and his chest swelled with pride.

  It was what he wanted to see.

  But the look was gone in an instant, wiped clean and replaced with the part-haughty, part-playful, devastatingly lovely Lily Stanton he had met at the front desk of the Ritz last night.

  “What are you going to do about it? Because your status might have trumped mine last night…” She stopped, blushing at the suggestive leer that he gave her. He couldn’t help seeing innuendo in everything right now, after having this woman above, below, and wrapped around him three times in the last twelve hours. “But I don’t think they’re going to let you share my seat,” she told him. “The flight is completely full and—mmrp!”

  Bruno didn’t bother listening anymore. He grabbed her and pulled her forward, slanting his lips over hers and stroking his tongue into her mouth. She responded, sucked lightly, nibbled his lips. Thank God. He hadn’t lost her, like he’d feared.

  “You didn’t say good-bye,” he growled.

  “I left you a note.”

  “Yeah. And I’m fulfilling your request. You’re lucky I didn’t sleep the extra thirty minutes until my alarm went off, or you’d already be at the gate. As it was, I think I probably set a record for speed dressing.”

  She rolled her eyes, but there was a smile on her lips. “My note said that I wanted to see you again, sure. But it also specifically said to call me, and I left you three possible phone numbers.”

  He kissed her again.

  “But I’m glad you ignored that part,” she whispered against his lips.

  “Señora, I’ve finished processing your ticket. Here is your boarding pass.” Lily turned back to take the boarding pass from the agent, who sighed. “You two are so romantic.”

  Bruno winked over Lily’s head and the agent sighed again as they walked toward the security gate.

  “I didn’t ignore that part. I’m just doing it in a different order.” He turned and hugged her, crushing her to him.

  She held him back, just as tightly.

  He released her reluctantly and leveled a serious look on her. “I want to see you again. Not just someday, or casually. Until last night…no, until I met you, I didn’t even realize how much has been missing from my life.”

  Her face softened, her lips tipping up in a wide smile.

  “I want to see you as soon as this first shipment comes in and I can get a flight out. I should be able to be there in the next three days. I know it’s fast but—hell. I will call you. As soon as I land in San Francisco. As soon as I book my tickets to New York. As soon as I reserve a hotel room—”

  At that, she interrupted him. “No need to book a room. You should know by now that I don’t mind sharing. And I thought about it, too. I can probably get some clients in California through some of my existing contacts, and then I can be there for several weeks in a row.” She stopped, smiling slyly. “Of course, if that sounds too overwhelming, we can agree to just take it one night at a time. We already know how good we are at that.”

  He rested his forehead against hers. “It doesn’t sound overwhelming at all. You’re so much more than just one night.”

  Lily melted against him. “Oh, Komarov.”

  He smiled. “Bruno,” he reminded her, before taking her lips
again.

  Acknowledgments

  Since before we were married, my husband has been my greatest source of support and encouragement. Without him, I likely would not have been able to find the confidence or time to write a single word, much less an entire book. In this and everything else, he is my champion, my friend, and I owe him more than I can convey in words.

  My children give me a purpose above all others, but they also are a reason why I write. To show them, as they have shown me, that life is full of possibility and joy, and that seizing opportunity is as much about seeing the potential for something great as it is about hard work.

  A heartfelt thank you to my editors, Tahra Seplowin and Heather Howland, for everything you put into whipping this book into shape. I consider myself blessed to work with two such brilliant and talented women.

  Romance is a beautiful genre in many ways. Not only do I love reading and writing stories of love; I have also been fortunate enough to befriend some of the most incredible women I’ve ever known because they are fellow romance authors. To the women of Wonkomance, I thank you for being people with whom I can talk about this wonderful, wacky world of writing, whose opinions I greatly value, and who are beautiful inside and out.

  Ruthie Knox, you’ve been a mentor to me, whether you know it or not, and I have nothing but the utmost respect and admiration for you. Thank you for being there when I just needed someone to listen.

  Last, but not least, to my readers…thank you. I love all of you for the support you give to the romance genre. It would not be such a gorgeous place without you.

  About the Author

  Audra North fell in love with romance at age thirteen and spent the next twenty years reading as many romance novels as she could. Even now, after having read over one thousand of them, Audra still can’t resist the lure of a happily ever after, and her collection continues to grow. She lives near Boston with her husband, three young children, and a lot of books. Visit her website at audranorth.com or find her (way too frequently) on Twitter @AudraNorth.