Kept at the Argentine's Command

It was as she raised her hand to catch his attention that a woman standing beside her with glorious sunshine-blonde hair turned to her and said, ‘Don’t even try, honey. There’s a queue for Alejandro du Crozier and the competition is fierce.’

‘Pardon?’

But the woman had already turned to her companion and forgotten about her.

Lulu blinked and swallowed.

‘Lulu!’ Alejandro had finally seen her and was shouldering his way towards her like the force of nature he was.

Somehow she’d forgotten in the last weeks who he was, his reputation, and the very public life he led.

The public life he’d sidelined her from.

Why?

What was wrong with her?

Why did that woman think she couldn’t cut it with the competition?

She looked up at him and some of her distress must have been in her eyes, because he frowned. But then he caught her around the waist and lifted her with both hands. Instinctively she put her arms around his neck and then he was kissing her—deeply, passionately—and she kissed him back—furiously, possessively.

After almost a month with Alejandro she had massive skills in kissing!

As her heels touched the ground again a little light applause broke out around them.

Lulu didn’t even care. She had her arm around him, and he was hot and sweaty, and he was hers.

‘Come on,’ he said, ‘walk me to the showers.’

*

Twilight was gathering outside. People called out to him, but apart from lifting his hand to give a brief wave he ignored them, steered her off, away from the official crowd, towards the players’ amenities.

Lulu was full of mixed emotions. She didn’t understand what had gone down today but she knew it was crucial to whatever was between them.

‘Alejandro, why did I have to arrive separately? Nobody knew who I was. One woman told me I didn’t have a chance with you.’

‘Que?’ Anger rippled across that steady surface she depended on. ‘What woman?’

‘I don’t know—some woman. Are there a lot of groupies?’

‘Sí.’ He stopped and pulled her in against him. ‘But that doesn’t affect us.’

‘Well, it does if no one knows who I am.’

He frowned. ‘It won’t happen again.’

‘It wouldn’t have happened at all if you’d let me arrive with you, like a normal couple—like everyone else,’ she finished, feeling she was whining but not knowing any other way to put it.

He studied her face. ‘Look, I’ll be honest with you. I arranged for you to enter privately because I was concerned you would have a panic attack. I didn’t want to put you through that level of anxiety.’

She shook her head. ‘But I wouldn’t—I mean I thought you understood.’

‘Understood what, Lulu?’

He looked faintly irritated. Or it might be that he was just tired. It had been a hard match, and he still had to shower and change and talk to the sponsors and the media and… And she was holding him up.

‘This is what you do, isn’t it? You fly around the world and play polo for six months of the year.’