Everyone had seen that article. Not long after Hector left, Gabriel’s father had called from Del Sol. Rafael was agitated about the whole thing, repeating what he’d said at the Rowling party about the Espinas. Since this time they weren’t in public where they could be overheard, Gabriel had pushed his father for more information. Arturo Espina was one of his father’s best friends. How could he turn around and be suspicious of the family?
Rafael insisted it wasn’t the truth that was the problem. It was seventy years of rumors that would taint his relationship with her. If he were to go as far as to make Serafia his queen, they would forever be dogged by those same ugly stories. Everyone had seen this article and it was just the beginning. Rafael insisted he was just trying to help Gabriel avoid all that. Being king was hard enough, he reasoned, without adding unnecessary complications.
If staying away from Serafia was the only way to save his reign from rumors, innuendo and scandal, too bad. He wasn’t going to let something like this drive a wedge between them.
“It’s so beautiful out here,” Serafia declared, pulling him from his dark thoughts.
It was beautiful. The water was an amazing mix of blues and greens; the sky was perfectly clear. Looking back to the shore, you could see the coastline dotted with marinas and tiny homes hanging on the side of the cliffs. He couldn’t imagine a more amazing place to rule over.
Before too long, he would be king of this beautiful country.
From the moment he found out, he had fought the news. He’d made a bold decision to take control of his own life after his abduction, and yet somehow fate had taken away his free will once again. Most people would probably jump at the chance to be in his shoes, but all Gabriel had been able to see were all the reasons why he was a bad choice.
But now that he was here with Serafia at his side, it seemed as though things might work out. The people were welcoming and friendly. The land was beautiful and full of natural resources that would help the country bounce back from oppression. Prime Minister Rivera was a smart man and a good leader, taking the reins on the important decisions for the management of the country. The press were the press, but once he chose a queen and married, hopefully they would settle down.
Gabriel was told that he would soon sit down with his council of advisers, a group of staffers that included Hector and others. He was certain they would have lots of opinions about whom he should choose for his queen. There were geopolitical implications that even he didn’t fully understand. Marrying a Spanish or Portuguese princess would be smart. Securing trade by marrying a Danish princess wouldn’t hurt, either. Then there were the local wealthy citizens whose support was so important to the success of the new monarchy.
But factoring in all those things would mean he was following his head, not his heart. Gabriel wasn’t exactly known for making the smart choices where women were concerned. When it came to Serafia, none of those other things mattered. The minute he saw her out on the patio in Miami, he’d wanted her. And the more he’d had of her, the more he’d wanted. He wasn’t just flattering her when he told her the other women in Alma were no competition. It was the truth.
Serafia was smart, beautiful, honest, caring...everything a good queen should be. She was from an important Alman family—one with blood ties to the throne if that article could be believed. He saw more than one sign at the parade declaring the people’s support for her as queen. She was a good choice on paper and a great choice in his heart.
He wasn’t in love with Serafia. Not yet. But he could see the potential there. In any other scenario, he would’ve anticipated months or years together before they discussed love and marriage, but as king, he saw this as an entirely different animal. He was expected to make a choice and move forward. With Serafia, he had no fears that their marriage would be a stiff, arranged situation with an awkward honeymoon night. It could be the best of both worlds if they played their cards right.
He just had to get her to stay past the end of the week. If he could do that, then maybe, just maybe, she would agree to be his queen someday soon.
“This looks like a good spot. Drop the stupid anchor and get over here. I’m lonely.”
Gabriel checked the depth sounder for a good location. They seemed to be in an area with a fairly level depth. He lowered and secured the two sails, slowing the boat. It took a few minutes to get the anchor lowered and set, but the boat finally came to a full stop.
He turned off any unnecessary equipment and made his way over to where Serafia was lying out. She was on her back, her inky black hair spilling across the sandy blond wood of the deck. She had her wide, dark sunglasses on, but the smile curling her lips indicated she was watching him as he admired her.
Gabriel dropped down onto the deck beside her. He slipped out of his shoes and pulled his polo shirt over his head, leaving on his swimming trunks.
Serafia sat up, grabbing her bottle of sunscreen and applying some to his back. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feel of her hands gliding across his bare skin. After she finished his back and arms, she placed a playful dab on his nose and cheeks. “There you go.”
He rubbed the last of the sunscreen into his face. “Thanks. Are you hungry?”
“Yes,” she said. “After everything this morning, I couldn’t stomach any breakfast.”
Gabriel reached for the picnic basket and set it closer to them on the blanket. Opening it, they uncovered a container filled with assorted slices of aged Manchego and Cabrales cheeses, and cured meats like jamón ibérico and cecina de León. Smaller containers revealed olives, grapes and cherry tomatoes dressed in olive oil and sherry vinegar. A jar of quince jam, a couple fresh, sliced baguettes and a bottle of Spanish Cava rounded out the meal. His stomach started growling at the sight of it.
Serafia started unpacking the cartons, laying out the plates and utensils Marta had also included. “Ooh,” she said, lifting out a package wrapped in foil. “This smells like cinnamon and sugar.” She unwrapped a corner to peer inside. “Looks like fruit empanadas for dessert.”
“Perfect,” Gabriel said.
They scooped various items onto their plates and dug into their meals. They took their time enjoying every bite in the slow European fashion he was becoming accustomed to. In America, eating was like a pit stop in a race—to quickly refuel and get back on the track. Now, he took the time to savor the food, to really taste it while enjoying his company. He sliced bread while Serafia slathered it with jam. She fed him olives and kissed the olive oil from his lips. By the time the jars were nearly empty, they were both full and happy, lying on the deck together and gazing up at the brilliant blue sky.
Gabriel reached out beside him and felt for Serafia’s hand. He wrapped his fingers through hers and felt a sense of calm and peace come over him. He didn’t know what he would’ve done without her these last few days. In that short time, she had become such a necessary fixture in his life. He couldn’t imagine her going back to Barcelona. He wanted her here by his side, holding his hand just as she was now.
“Serafia?” he asked, his voice quiet and serious.
“Yes?”
“Would you...consider staying here in Alma? With me?”
She turned to him and studied his face with her dark eyes. “You’re going to be fine, Gabriel. You’ve improved so much. You’re not going to need my help any longer.”
Gabriel rolled onto his side. “I don’t want you here for your help. I’m not interested in you being my employee, I want you to be my girlfriend.”
Her eyes grew wide as he spoke, her teeth drawing in her bottom lip while she considered his offer. Not exactly the enthusiastic response he was hoping for.
“You don’t want to stay,” he noted.
Serafia sat up, pulling her hand away from his to wrap her arms around her knees. “I do and I don’t. I have a life in Barcelona, Gabriel. A quiet, easy life that I love. Giving that up to come here and be with you is a big decision. Being the king’s girlfriend is no quiet, easy
life. I don’t know if I’m ready.”
Gabriel sat up beside her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. He knew he was asking a lot of her, but he couldn’t bear the idea of living in Alma without her. “You don’t have to decide right now. Just think on it.”
She looked at him with relief in her eyes. “Okay, I will.”
* * *
After a day at sea, they’d returned to the house and taken naps. They decided to dine al fresco on the patio outside his bedroom. It was just sunset as they reconvened with glasses of wine to watch the sun sink into the sea. The sky was an amazing mix of purples, oranges and reds, all overtaken by inky blackness as the night finally fell upon Alma.
It was beautifully peaceful, but Serafia felt anything but. Despite the surroundings, the wine and the company, she couldn’t get Gabriel’s offer out of her mind. To stay in Alma, to be his girlfriend publically...that would change her entire life. She wasn’t sure she was ready for that, even though her feelings for him grew every day.
The king didn’t have a girlfriend. At least not for long. Unless something went wrong pretty quickly, being his girlfriend would mean soon being his fiancée, and then his queen. That meant she would never return home to her quiet life in Barcelona.
But was that life becoming too quiet? Had she been hiding there instead of living?
The questions still plagued her as they finished the last of the roasted chicken Marta had made for dinner. She felt pleasantly full as she eased back in her chair, a sensation she wasn’t used to. She might be comfortable hiding from the world in her hacienda, but she wasn’t living her life and she wasn’t really getting better. She was managing her disease, controlling it almost to the point that she’d once let it control her. But in Alma, with Gabriel, the dark thoughts hadn’t once crept into her mind. He was good for her. And she was good for him.
Maybe coming here was the right choice. Her heart certainly wanted to stay.
She didn’t have to decide now, she reflected, and the thought soothed her nerves. To distract herself, she decided now was the right time to give Gabriel his gift. “I got you something.”
Gabriel looked at her in surprise and set down his glass of wine. “Really? You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know. But I did it, anyway.” Serafia got up and went to her room, returning a moment later with a small black box.
Gabriel accepted it and flipped open the hinged lid. She watched his face light up as he saw what was inside. “Wow!” He scooped the gift out of the box, setting it aside so he could admire his gift with both hands. “A pocket watch! That’s great. Thank you.”
Gabriel leaned in to give her a thank-you kiss before returning to admiring his gift. The pocket watch was a Patek Philippe, crafted with eighteen-karat yellow gold. It cost more than a nice BMW, but Serafia didn’t care. She wanted to buy him something nice that she knew he didn’t have. “I told you in Miami that I would find a way to get around your watch issue.”
“And you’ve done a splendid job. It’s beautiful.”
“It comes with a chain so you can attach it inside your suit coat.”
He nodded, running his fingertip along the shiny curve of the glass. Closing the box, he put it on the table and stood up. He approached her slowly, wrapping his arms around her waist and tugging her tight against him. “Thank you. That was an amazingly thoughtful gift.”
Serafia smiled, pleased that he liked it. When she bought it, she wasn’t sure if he would see it as a further criticism of his time-management issues or if he would feel it was too old-fashioned for him. She’d known it was perfect the moment she saw it, and she was pleased to finally know that he agreed.
“I feel like I need to get you something now,” he said.
“Not at all,” she insisted. “After our discussions about watches earlier and realizing why you disliked them so much, I knew this was something I wanted to do for you. There’s no need to reciprocate.”
He stared at her lips as she spoke, but shook his head ever so slightly when she was finished. “I’ll do what I like,” he insisted. “If that means buying you something beautiful and sparkly, I will. If that means taking you into that bedroom and making love to you until you’re hoarse, I will.”
“Sounds like a challenge,” she said.
When his lips met hers, the worries in her mind faded away. Serafia wrapped her arms around his neck and melted into him. The roar of the waves below was the only sound except for the pounding of her heart.
After a moment, he started backing them into the bedroom. Their lips were still pressed together as they moved across the tile to the king-size bed against the far wall. Serafia clung to him, losing herself in touching and tasting Gabriel. No matter what happened each day, she knew it was okay because she knew he would help her forget all her worries each night.
When her calves met with the bed, they stopped. Serafia tugged at his shirt, pulling it up and over his head. She ran her fingertips across his bare chest and scattered soft kisses along his collarbone. His skin was warm from a day in the sun and scented with the handmade soaps they kept in the bathrooms here.
She felt Gabriel’s fingertips on her outer thighs, slowly gathering up the fabric of her dress. Before he could pull it any higher, she turned them around so that his back was to the bed. Then she shoved, thrusting him onto the mattress, where he sprawled out and bounced.
“Are we playing rough tonight?” he asked with a laugh.
Serafia shook her head and took a few steps backward. “I just wanted you to sit back and enjoy the view.”
Pushing aside her self-consciousness, she let the straps of her sundress fall from her shoulders, the soft cotton dress pooling at her feet. She coyly turned her back to him, unfastening her bra and letting it drop to the floor. With a sly glance over her shoulder at him, she slipped her thumbs beneath her cheeky lace panties and slid them down her legs. Completely nude, she turned back to face him.
Gabriel watched from the bed with a glint of appreciation in his eyes. He really, truly thought she was beautiful, and knowing this made her feel beautiful. She lifted her arms to brush the cascading waves of her hair over her shoulders, displaying her breasts and narrow waist. He swallowed hard as he watched her, his jaw tightening.
“Come here,” he said.
Serafia took her time, despite his royal command. She sauntered over to the bed, crawling across the coverlet on all fours until she was hovering between his thighs. She reached for the fly of his jeans, but the moment she was within Gabriel’s reach, he lunged for her. Before she knew quite what had happened, she was on her back and the weight of Gabriel’s body was pressing her into the soft mattress.
He kissed her, his mouth hard and demanding against her own. His fingertips pressed into her, just as hard. She gasped for air when he pulled away to taste her throat. His teeth grazed her delicate skin, almost as though he wanted to mark her, claim her as his own.
She wanted to be his. His alone. At least for tonight. She could feel his desire against her bare thigh, the rough denim keeping them apart. She reached between them, slipping her hand beneath his waistband to grip the length of him. He growled against her throat, leaning into her for a moment, and then reluctantly pulling away before she wore out the last of his self-control.
Slipping off the edge of the bed, he removed the last of his clothes, sheathed himself in latex and returned to his home between her thighs. Without saying a word, he drove into her, stretching her body to its limit. She cried out and clung to his back, her fingernails pressing crescents into his skin.
Their lovemaking was more frantic tonight, more passionate and intense. She wasn’t sure if it was the end of their relationship looming that pushed them to a frenzy, but she happily went along for the ride. Nothing else mattered as he drove into her again and again. All she could do was give in to the pleasure, live in the moment and not let the future intrude on their night together. It wasn’t hard. Within minutes he had her gasping and on the
verge of unraveling.
That was when he stopped moving entirely.
Her eyes flew open, her breath ragged. “Is something wrong?” she asked.
“Stay with me,” he demanded.
She wanted to. She wanted to give him her body, her heart and her soul. In that moment, she knew she already had. Despite her hesitation, despite her worries, she had fallen in love with Gabriel Montoro, future king of Alma. But was she good for him? Would she be the queen the country needed?
Those critical articles were just the first of many she was sure would surface. Rumors about her family wouldn’t disappear overnight. She didn’t want to bring scandal to the new monarchy. It was too new, too fragile. She couldn’t risk that, even for love.
She also couldn’t risk herself. Would she slip back into her old habits with the eyes of an entire country on her? It was a dangerous prospect.
But when he looked at her like that, his green eyes pleading with her, how could she say no? She wanted to stay. She wanted to be with him, to help him on his new journey. If that meant she might someday be queen and take on all the pressures and joys that entailed...so be it.
“Yes,” she whispered into the darkness before she could change her mind.
Gabriel thrust hard into her and she was lost. The waves of emotions and pleasure collided inside her, making her cry out desperately. She repeated her answer again and again, encouraging him and confirming to herself that she truly meant it. She loved him and she was going to stay.
His release came quickly after hers. He groaned loud against her throat, surging into her one last time as he came undone. Serafia held him, cradling his hips between her thighs until it was over.
When he’d finally stilled, she heard him whisper almost undetectably in her ear, “Thank you.”
Seduced by the Spare Heir Page 11
