The Vows He Must Keep

‘If you’re talking about what I think you are...’

He moved close, dipping his head to speak close to her ear. ‘We are on a superyacht, filled with the most famous people in Europe. If we want news of our engagement to travel fast, then there’s no time like the present.’

Dani shook her head, hardly believing what a turn the evening had taken. ‘Okay...but there’s no need for it to be a big deal. It doesn’t have to be a spectacle.’

‘You know it does.’

He smiled, and for a moment she got a glimpse of his old self. Mischievous and eager to cause a stir.

‘I’m going to make sure the whole world knows you are about to become my wife.’

CHAPTER FOUR

‘OH, GOD...’ DANI breathed, staring up into the azure blue depths of his eyes and praying that she could maintain her composure. She looked around at the beautiful people surrounding them, oblivious to the fact that her entire world had shifted on its axis. ‘We can just make the announcement tomorrow somewhere...please.’

‘This needs to be convincing, Daniela.’

His voice was gravelly and low in her ear, making her skin prickle. She knew he was right. This was the kind of guest list, with the kind of publicity reach, that could undo every single bit of questionable press Velamar had got in the past six months. It was the perfect way to take control of the media narrative while also taking steps to secure her safety. She tried not to imagine the backlash—the sniped remarks about why a man like him would choose her.

She prided herself on being self-sufficient. On having walked away from her ex because he’d assumed that she would change her iron-clad life plan to fit around him. And now here she stood, contemplating entwining her life and everything she owned with the one person she had sworn never to trust again. This wild, reckless playboy had somehow become the only solid land within reach in a dangerous sea.

She shook her head, hardly believing what she was about to do. ‘Okay, but...but you need to get down on one knee,’ she breathed, hardly believing the words coming out of her mouth.

‘Are you organising my proposal?’ His eyes sparkled with mirth. ‘Do you have a preference for which knee I use?’

‘Be serious. Just... It’s more romantic that way.’

One dark brow rose in disbelief, and for a moment she expected him to argue. But then he raised both hands in mock surrender and took a step backwards.

A single gesture to a nearby server gave a signal that he wished to grab everyone’s attention. Somewhere nearby silverware was clinked gently against a glass and a lull fell over the party, the string quartet slowing their melody to a stop. Dani felt her heartbeat pound in her ears as Valerio met her eyes and then lowered his impressive frame gracefully down onto one knee.

Dani tried not to be hyper-aware of the dozens and dozens of stunned eyes and gasped breaths as everyone became glued to the tableau unfolding in their midst. It was one thing to be in business mode amongst them, but this was so far out of her comfort zone she almost felt like taking her chances overboard. Never mind her lifelong terror of swimming in the open sea—anything was preferable to feeling this exposed.

Valerio looked up at her, and for a moment, Dani forgot to breathe. This painfully gorgeous man was every woman’s dream. It was almost too much to take in the sincerity on his handsome features as he cleared his throat and reached for her hand. And she had never understood the term fluttering when it came to heartbeats, but there was no other way to describe the strange thrumming in her chest as Valerio gently lowered his lips and pressed a featherlight kiss against her fingers.

‘This will come as a shock to many of you, but Daniela and I have been keeping a large part of our life private for a long time now.’ Valerio’s voice sounded huskier, his accent more pronounced, and his eyes never wavered from hers as he continued. ‘Darling, I know we said we would wait, but I want to share this moment with our guests. Daniela Avelar, will you do me the honou

r of becoming my wife?’

Dani was painfully aware of the silence around them. She nodded, her chin bobbing up and down like a puppet on a string, forcing a wide smile and praying that she didn’t look as terrified as she felt. Applause began to resound around them as their guests cheered and fawned over them.

She swallowed hard, her eyes widening as she noticed the small velvet box he had produced from his coat pocket. The ring inside was an antique canary-yellow diamond that she knew instantly would match the gold heirloom wedding band she had inherited from her mother.

She tensed at the realisation that he had come so prepared for this moment. Had he been so sure that she would agree to this madness? Suddenly, the huge guest list made even more sense.

Her hand shook against Valerio’s warm skin as he slid the ring onto her third finger. It was a perfect fit.

He stood, his eyes darkening with some strange emotion as he pulled her against his hard chest and buried his face next to her ear. ‘I’m going to kiss you now, Daniela. Try to pretend you’re enjoying it.’

His arm tightened around her waist as his lips easily found hers. The kiss was initially just a gentle press of skin against skin. Dani tried to remain impartial to the searing heat of the large male hand on her hip and at the nape of her neck, but she shivered reflexively at the contact. He was so...large all around her...he somehow made her feel small.

She was being ridiculous. She needed to keep a level head here. But when the delicious scent of his cologne enveloped her, she couldn’t help her own reflexive movement and she traced her tongue along the seam of his lips. It had been so long since she’d been kissed that her body seemed to jolt with electricity as a mortifying groan emanated from deep in her throat.

Valerio seemed to stiffen at the noise, and for a moment she fully expected him to move away. He would know that she wasn’t just pretending. But instead he pulled her even tighter against his body, deepening the kiss and giving back just as good as he got. His movements were much more skilful than her own shy ones, and his lips and tongue moved slowly against hers in such a perfectly seductive rhythm she quickly lost the ability to think straight.

She had never been kissed this way. It was as if she’d spent her life believing she knew all there was to know about her own body and now he was just tearing everything down.

Her mind screamed at her to slow down, to stop falling for this act they were putting on, but her body flat-out refused to listen. Already she could feel herself become embarrassingly aroused, heat spreading through her like wildfire. She reached up and spread her fingers through his hair, down to the warmth of his nape under the collar of his shirt, needing to feel more of him under her fingertips.