When Da Silva Breaks the Rules (Blood Brothers 3)

‘I hadn’t even known he was married. He’d said nothing at all about his wife. Or kids.’

‘Why didn’t you defend yourself once you knew the truth?’

Because she hadn’t wanted to give the press any excuse to look into her background in case of what they might find.

A feeling of déja vu struck her. Here she was again, feeling the urge to trust, to believe. But if the last few minutes of rehashing the events of that unfortunate period told her anything it was that she couldn’t trust. Not really. So she shrugged minutely. ‘I didn’t want to add fuel to the fire...attract even more attention. And I felt sorry for his wife and kids.’

She avoided his gaze. At least that was part of the truth.

There was something achingly vulnerable about Lexie as she stood in front of Cesar with her arms crossed so tight. He might have told himself before that he couldn’t care less what she’d done, but right now he did care. And the fact that she hadn’t slept with that guy made a tightness ease in him. Even as he wanted to find him and punch him. And that surprised him. Women didn’t arouse feelings of protectiveness within him, a desire to avenge them. He shouldn’t care.

A second too late Cesar saw that her eye had caught one of the other newspapers that had been delivered. A different headline: Cesar Da Silva’s long-lost family!

Before he could stop her she’d reached out to pull the paper free. On the cover were recent photographs of all three men: Cesar, Rafaele and Alexio. And another of their beautiful mother. Shining out from all four photos was the undeniable genetic link of their green eyes.

Cesar stood up. Tense.

Lexie said slowly, ‘That’s where your green eyes come from. She was very beautiful, your mother.’

‘Yes, she was,’ Cesar said tightly, his skin prickling at having Lexie looking at the blatant evidence of his mother’s lack of love for him. It made him feel raw again when he thought of the other night—how Lexie had all but run from the table in the square. When his irrational feeling had been that she’d seen the darkness in his soul and was repulsed by it.

Lexie gazed at him now and all he could see were those blue eyes. Something in him tightened when he saw the compassion in their depths, but it didn’t make him want to run.

‘Well,’ she said a little awkwardly, dropping the paper down, ‘I should go. I have an early start again tomorrow.’

When she turned to leave Cesar rejected it with every fibre of his being. ‘Wait.’

He reached out and put his hands on her elbows, pulled her into him until their bodies were flush. The palms of her hands landed on his chest and his entire body thrummed with need.

His eyes roved over her face, as if learning every tiny detail.

‘Dios,’ he muttered. ‘You are so beautiful.’

Lexie tried to duck her face. ‘I’m not.’

‘You are...’ Cesar’s ferocity made her look up. ‘...stunning. And I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone.’

Lexie felt the excitement in her blood obliterating the scary empathy that had come as soon as she’d seen the picture of Cesar and his half-brothers and mother. She’d felt the tension in his body.

Cesar’s head dipped and his mouth found hers unerringly. She fell headlong into the flaming pit of the kiss. It burnt her up from the inside out, from the depths of her being.

This was right. She felt it in her bones. She trusted this, whether she liked to admit it or not. Her hands gripped his biceps in order to stay standing, and she came up on tiptoe, straining even closer.

Cesar undid her hair and she could feel it fall loose behi

nd her shoulders. He was backing her towards something, and when she felt something solid behind her she realised dimly it must be his desk.

Still their mouths were clinging to one another, their tongues tangling in a heady dance. Cesar lifted Lexie effortlessly until she was sitting on the desk. Instinctively she hooked a leg around one of his and heard his growl of approval as it brought his body into contact with hers.

The hard press of his arousal against her belly only set off another spasm of lust deep in her body. And between her legs. This was infinitely preferable to trying to rationalise her thoughts and feelings.

His hand was between them, unbuttoning her shirt. Lexie felt hot. Yearned for air, a breeze. His touch. When it fell open he pushed it off one shoulder, taking her bra strap with it, tugging it down her arm.

She wanted only one thing: more. When Cesar took his mouth from hers they were both breathing harshly. Somewhere she heard the ring of a phone—a mobile. She tensed.

He said gutturally, ‘It doesn’t matter.’

Lexie felt dazed, despite the intrusion of the phone. ‘I want to see you.’