‘Dios! If they had hurt you!’ he exclaimed. He threw his head back in anguish. ‘How cunning they were…waiting until everyone had left for the church…shooing everyone off…trying to trick Maria Teresa. All to get you alone.’ He cursed again, a short, violent outburst. ‘I’ve been out of my mind with worry. Half of our guests are out scouring the countryside.’ His eyes devoured her as if he would never trust himself to let her out of his sight again. And then he saw the state she was in—covered in mud and slime and completely naked except for a badly ripped, near-transparent underskirt and a very tiny thong. ‘Something blue, I presume?’ he murmured huskily.
‘You guessed,’ Annalisa agreed, rubbing against his naked chest.
‘Later,’ he promised, pulling away reluctantly. ‘We have a very important appointment to keep first.’ And, putting Fudge under one arm, he wrapped his other firmly around Annalisa’s waist and helped them both up the steps.
‘Is this Claudia’s work?’ he demanded when they were out.
‘She threw the ball; Fudge followed,’ Annalisa said, collapsing onto a sliver of damp sand between the rocks. ‘She wanted me to sign—’
‘You didn’t?’
‘She took the necklace instead.’
He hunkered down beside her and drew her into his arms. ‘I’m sorry, querida. I know how you loved it. But a necklace can be replaced. You can’t.’
‘I knew Claudia hated me, but I never thought—’
‘When she found out where all your father’s money had gone, on top of him leaving the finca to you, it was the last straw,’ Ramon said, holding her tight. ‘Then when Don Alfonso refused to co-operate with her scheming she brought in her lover, Rafael. And he had been my chauffeur for—’
She saw his stunning dark eyes narrow at the thought of the betrayal by a member of his own staff. ‘But why did she need Rafael?’
‘Presumably to try some strong-arm tactics on you if her bullying didn’t work.’
‘Your chauffeur was a pussycat in comparison to Claudia,’ Annalisa said, nestling against him.
‘Who knows what depths they might have sunk to when you refused to sign?’ he warned. ‘If they hadn’t decided that the necklace was more portable than a hostage—’
‘A hostage!’
‘Well, I’ve made no secret of the way I feel about you,’ he said. ‘You’re worth far more to me than everything I own. The whole world knows it.’
‘Why didn’t you get rid of your chauffeur before?’
‘I didn’t know what he was up to until now. And when I first employed him—’
‘Go on.’
‘This is a small island, Annalisa. He couldn’t find work when Claudia’s father died…he came to me.’
‘So, you didn’t know about the two of them?’
‘And neither did your father, I suspect.’
‘Of course,’ Annalisa murmured as the last piece of the jigsaw fell into place. ‘I should have known.’
For a few moments Ramon just held her. Then Fudge’s bark distracted them both.
‘There he goes,’ Ramon said, as without so much as a lick of gratitude the old dog leapt away from them and shot off towards the finca.
‘You’re covered in sand,’ Annalisa said, enjoying the view as Ramon stretched his cramped limbs and relaxed onto his back.
‘And you’re covered in mud,’ he reminded her, cupping her breasts in his hands. As she gasped with pleasure he lifted his head and began to suck each outthrust, dirt-smudged nipple clean. And then, tugging her over him, he meshed his fingers through her thick dark hair and brought her down for his kisses, penetrating her mouth with the unmistakable rhythm that always flooded her nerve-endings with fire.
She felt his erection jutting against her belly and tightened her thighs. ‘Is there time?’ she demanded huskily.
‘Sadly, our guests are waiting,’ Ramon reminded her, though it failed to stop him slipping his hand underneath her. ‘Dios, you’re wet,’ he murmured as his searching fingers found the fine fabric stretched tight between her thighs. His lips tilted down in pretended regret as he withdrew his hand, but she knew the teasing foreplay was only preparation for their wedding night.
‘Here,’ he said reaching out to grab the filthy bodice. ‘Cover yourself up, querida, before I lose control. We can’t keep our guests waiting for ever.’ And flashing her a grin he sprang to his feet.
Maria Teresa had been looking out for them, and she rushed from the finca the moment they entered the yard. She insisted on enveloping Annalisa in her own black lace shawl.