Rina forced her eyes open. This was ridiculous. She’d never been the type to be so easily swayed by a man’s appearance and presence. Passionate attraction went against every reasonable, logical instinct she had—and it scared her a little. Even at the height of her relationship with Jacob, when she’d agreed to spend the rest of her life with him, she’d never felt as drawn to him as she now did to the stranger sitting beside her.
She tried to shake it off. She was just overtired…and maybe a little emotionally vulnerable, after everything that had happened. Yes, that was definitely what was wrong with her. She’d get some sleep tonight and tell Reynard the truth tomorrow, and everything would go back to normal. She allowed her lips to part and forced herself to breathe lightly through her mouth in a vain attempt to rid herself of the disquieting sensation burgeoning to life deep inside her. Suddenly, telling him the truth tomorrow seemed a long, long time away.
When they pulled up outside the hospital, Rina alighted from the car before Reynard could come around to her side and open the door for her. He did, however, ensure her hand was tucked in the corner of his arm as they walked toward the hospital doors.
It was all too easy to see why her sister had fallen so quickly for this man. He was what they’d always referred to between them as the whole package. She was no shortie, standing at five feet ten inches in bare feet, but he topped that by almost half a foot and had an air of command intriguingly entwined with an aura of sophisticated sexuality. It was enough to make a grown woman’s mouth water.
Focus, Rina growled to herself, as they entered the pristine hospital reception area and Reynard made straight for the elevators. All the signs here were in three languages—Spanish, French and English—so she knew they were headed for the surgical floor.
Sudden nerves assailed her. What if another member of the family recognized her for a fraud? What would she do then? She forced herself to breathe calmly. Why should anyone suspect anything? she rationalized. If Reynard himself, supposedly Sara’s fiancé, didn’t immediately see the difference, then it made sense that no one else would, either.
On the surgical floor they were shown to a private waiting room. Immediately Rina spotted another handsome man who she assumed was Reynard’s elder brother, Alexander. He stood near a window, his arm around a slender woman of average height, offering her comfort even as his own face bore the ravages of the worry they were all going through. Although his hair was darker than Reynard’s, the family resemblance was still incredibly strong. On closer inspection, Rina realized that, converse to her original impression, the woman at his side was supporting him, rather than the other way around.
As soon as Alex saw his younger brother, he pulled away from his wife and came across the room. The affection the del Castillo brothers bore for each other was evident in the way they clasped in a long and silent embrace.
“Any news?” Reynard said as they pulled apart.
“Nothing,” Alex said, his voice hoarse.
“The doctor said it could be a few hours,” the other woman volunteered gently. Suddenly, she seemed to notice Rina standing near the door and crossed the room toward her. “You must be Sara. I’m so sorry our first meeting should be under these circumstances.”
First meeting? Had Sara never met Reynard’s family?
“She’s only just returned from visiting friends in France. I haven’t even given her time to take a breath yet.” Reynard turned to Rina and pulled her to his side. “Alex, Loren, this is Sara Woodville, my fiancée.”
“Welcome to the family,” Alex said, taking her hand and leaning in to kiss her on the cheeks in European fashion. “As Loren said, I’m sorry we had to meet you like this, but I am glad you are here for Reynard.”
“Thank you,” she answered, but before she could say any more a commotion outside the waiting room distracted them.
A volley of voluble Spanish rent the air as the door opened. The del Castillo imprint was obvious on the face of the elderly gentleman who pushed into the room, leaning heavily on a highly polished wooden cane, soon followed by a middle-aged man who looked both worried and apologetic at the same time.