Stand-In Bride's Seduction

“It will not be necessary for you to hire a vehicle. There is bound to be a spare car in one of the garages at the castillo. I’ll call Alex and see what’s available if you’re set on driving yourself.”

“I am, and I appreciate it.”

“You like your independence?” he asked.

“Within limits,” she acceded.

If she really was engaged to him, she’d have agreed to stay at his apartment in a flash, but that wasn’t the case. Besides, for whatever reason, Sara had been keeping a distance between herself and Rey, and until she came back, Rina had to work harder to maintain it.

Reynard turned to check the rice on the stove top.

“Ah, dinner is ready. Would you take the salad and the dressing in that glass cruet to the table? I’ll bring the plates.”

Rina did as she was bid and Rey followed behind her in a few moments with their meals plated up. They ate in a relatively companionable silence, given the way her mind was now racing. After their meal they watched as the sky turned myriad shades of purple before turning into a black velvet blanket peppered with golden stars.

“I see why you chose to live here,” Rina commented. “It’s as if the sky is mirroring the lights in the city below.”

Reynard nodded. “Yes, I never grow tired of the view. I wondered, at first, whether I would even notice the stars sitting here at night, but you can see everything when you look for it.”

Rina shot him a sharp look. Was there a hidden message in there, or was she simply being oversensitive? When Rey didn’t say any more, she relaxed a little.

“By the way,” Rey continued, “I took the opportunity to phone Alex while I made the coffee. He has instructed a staff member to bring a car around for you tomorrow morning. It is one of their pool cars so it won’t be missed.”

“I really appreciate that. Will you show me tonight where I will need to go, before you take me home?” she asked.

He nodded. “Sí, and we can make a quick call into my offices to get you a card for the parking garage under the building, too. Shall we be on our way then?”

“I think that’s a good idea. Wouldn’t do to keep the help up too late.” She smiled.

Rey snorted a soft laugh and shook his head. “Is that what you are to me now? The help? Is it not enough to be my fiancée?”

“I didn’t mean any offense,” Rina amended.

“No offense taken,” Rey said, reaching for her hand and leading her from the table. “But just so you know I’m clear on this, I heartily concur with office romance.”

He wrapped his arms around her and lowered his head, his lips warm and soft against hers, the lingering, slightly nut-flavored taste of their coffee on his tongue as he kissed her. Rational thought fled as he deepened the kiss and as she wound her arms around his neck, holding him close to her. Liquid heat flooded her body, curling around her like a burning silken ribbon of need which then tightened and clenched deep within her womb in an age-old response.

Moisture pooled at the apex of her thighs, her skin there sensitive, yearning for more. Yearning for his touch. Her nipples peaked against the softness of her bra, her breasts full and aching for him. When his hands skimmed up her rib cage and cupped her through the fine fabric of her dress, she moaned, a guttural sound that came from deep within. She arched her back, pressing her breasts against his palms, wanting to feel his possession without the barriers of the layers between his touch and her skin.

He shifted and his hardness pressed against her mound, drawing another moan from her as sensation spiraled with increasing demand from her core. She lifted one leg, hooking it around his, tilting her pelvis so she could flex against him again and again, slow, firm. Firmer.

He dropped one hand to clasp her thigh and the raw heat of his fingers curled around her flesh burned like a brand. He broke off the kiss, his breathing heavy, and rested his forehead against hers.

“Stay.”

His voice was thick with desire, the single word more a command than a request. But now that the moment had paused, instinct no longer drove Rina forward. With the slow consistency of molasses, awareness flowed back into her mind. What the hell was she thinking? Here she’d been only just telling herself to back off, to find that elusive level of distance she needed to be able to carry this pretense off and now she was all but plastering herself to the man.