Claimed for the De Carrillo Twins

If there’d been a grudging tone in his voice Trinity would have hated him, but there hadn’t. He’d sounded...reluctantly impressed. She desperately tried to ignore the rush of warmth inside her that signified how much she wanted his approval.

‘I love them, Cruz, even though they’re not mine.’ Impulsively she asked, ‘Why is that so hard for you to believe? Is it because of your upbringing?’

He smiled, but it wasn’t a nice smile. ‘You could say that. Rio wasn’t the only one neglected in the castillo. Once she’d had me, my mother considered her maternal duty taken care of. She didn’t love me, and she didn’t love my father either. Their marriage was a purely strategic one, bringing two powerful families together as was the tradition in my family for centuries.’

Cruz’s eyeline shifted over Trinity’s shoulder just as the car came to a smooth halt on a wide tree-lined street.

‘We’re here,’ he said, leaving Trinity’s brain buzzing with what he’d just shared.

She looked out of the window on her side, saw a scrum of men with cameras waiting for them and instantly felt nervous. She’d always hated the way Rio had wanted to court as much media attention as possible.

Cruz said tersely, ‘Wait in the car. I’ll come round to get you.’

Trinity would have been quite happy if the car had turned around and taken them straight back to the airport.

When Cruz appeared outside the car the scrum had become a sea of flashing lights and shouting. Her door was opened and his hand reached in for her. She took it like a lifeline. He hustled her into the foyer of the gleaming building and within seconds they were in the elevator and ascending with a soft whoosh.

It was the hushed silence after the cacophony of sound that registered first, and then Trinity became burningly aware that she was pressed from thigh to breast into Cruz’s body. His free arm was around her shoulder and her other hand was still in his, held over his taut belly.

She couldn’t be any closer to him if she climbed into his very skin.

She scrambled apart from him, dislodging his arm and taking her hand from his. She couldn’t look at him. For a split second before she’d come to her senses she’d loved the sensation of his strength surrounding her, and for someone who’d long ago learnt to depend on herself it was scary how easy it had felt just to...give in.

Thankfully the lift doors opened at that moment, and the sight that greeted Trinity took her breath away. She stepped out into a huge open space dominated on all sides by massive glass windows which showcased the breathtaking view of one of Europe’s most beautiful and stately cities.

She walked over to one of the windows and could see a huge cathedral soaring into the blue sky.

‘That’s the Almudena Cathedral, infamous for taking five hundred years to complete.’

Cruz’s voice was far too close, but Trinity fought the urge to move away and instead turned around to take in the penthouse apartment. It was unmistakably a bachelor pad, every inch of every surface gleaming and pristine. But it was also cultured—low tables held massive coffee table books on photography and art. Bookshelves lined one entire interior wall. Huge modern art canvases sat in the centre of the few walls not showcasing the view.

‘Let me show you around.’

Trinity followed Cruz as he guided her through a stunning modern kitchen that led into a formal dining room, and then to where a series of rooms off a long corridor revealed themselves to be sumptuous en-suite bedrooms and an office.

When they were back in the main open-plan living and dining area, she felt a little dazed. ‘Your apartment is stunning.’

‘But not exactly toddler-proof.’

She looked at Cruz, surprised that he’d articulated the very thing she’d just been thinking in her head: it was beautiful apartment but a potential death trap for small energetic boys.

He glanced at her and she quickly closed her open mouth, looking around again. ‘No. Not exactly.’

‘I will ensure this place is made child-friendly for when the boys come to visit. I intend on my nephews becoming familiar with their capital city. This is where the seat of the main De Carrillo bank has been since the Middle Ages. This is where their legacy resides, as much as it does in Seville.’

Their capital city. It had been said with such effortless arrogance. But the truth was that Cruz was right—he was undoubtedly a titan of this city. Probably owned a huge swathe of it. And the twins would one day inherit all this.

It was mind-boggling to contemplate, and for the first time Trinity felt a sense of fear for the boys and this huge responsibility they’d have one day.

She rounded on Cruz. ‘What happens if Matty and Sancho don’t want any of this?’

His gaze narrowed on her and something flashed across his face before she could decipher it. Something almost pained.

‘Believe me, I will do what’s best for my nephews. They will not be forced to take on anything they can’t handle or don’t want. I won’t let that happen to them.’

Trinity’s anger deflated. She’d heard the emotion in Cruz’s voice. Almost as if he was referring to someone who had taken on something they couldn’t handle. Was he thinking of Rio and the irresponsible and lavish way he’d lived?

Cruz looked at his watch. ‘I have to go to meetings now, but I’ll be back to get ready for the function this evening. We’ll leave at six p.m.’