When Da Silva Breaks the Rules (Blood Brothers 3)

His mother had come back, with his younger brother, another year after that. The shattering pain of seeing his brother’s hand in hers had been unbearable. He’d hated her—hated them both so much that he’d rejected her right back.

He’d lost his father before he’d even really known him. Then his mother had left him behind like a piece of unwanted luggage. Cesar’s grandmother and grandfather had shown nothing but disdain and faint tolerance for their grandson. Their only motivation in making him heir had been their own greed and fanatical obsession with the family name.

The past finally receded from Cesar’s head. He castigated himself for letting a woman, no matter how alluring, have this effect on him, for making him think about those things again. He wanted Lexie—pure and simple.

He was impervious to anything above and beyond sating himself with her. He would never want anything more with a woman than momentary satisfaction. And Lexie was no different.

CHAPTER SIX

TOWARDS THE END of that second week Lexie’s nerves were jagged and fraying. It was almost certainly because of the constant presence of Cesar on the set. She felt his gaze on her like a physical touch sometimes.

She wasn’t used to this. This excruciating build-up of sexual awareness and frustration. She hated Cesar for having done this to her, having this hold over her, while in the same breath she wished he would just stride across the set and take her in his arms and kiss her to make her head stop spinning.

But it wasn’t just the physical sensations. He seemed to have snuck deeper. And she couldn’t believe she was in danger of being gullible all over again even though this was infinitely different from what had happened with Jonathan Saunders.

Madrid and the weekend loomed large. The irony was not lost on Lexie—she was playing the part of a jaded sexual libertine and yet she had no idea of the reality of what that should feel like. She felt like a fraud, and gave thanks that no one seemed to have called her on it yet.

But after this weekend, a sly voice pointed out, you’ll know exactly what it feels like.

When they finally called a wrap that day, and Lexie saw that it was Cesar waiting for her with a golf buggy to get her back to the unit base instead of one of the PAs, she snapped and said caustically, ‘Don’t you have a world leader to meet or something equally important to do?’

Cesar just looked incredibly sanguine and stepped out of the buggy to help her in, saying sotto voce, ‘I’m your besotted lover, remember?’

Lexie stifled a snort and pulled the coat she wore to keep warm around her, hiding her voluptuous curves in the elaborate dress.

And then she felt churlish. She glanced at Cesar’s patrician profile. He was even more gorgeous dressed down in faded jeans and a long-sleeved top. Workmanlike boots. He looked younger like this, less intimidating. Less a titan of industry.

As much as his presence on the set unnerved her, she’d come to expect it now. Two days ago she’d been waiting for the camera to be set up and had wandered behind one of the equipment trucks to find Cesar deep in conversation with one of the oldest members of the crew. A veteran who had worked on some of the biggest films ever made.

Cesar had been listening intently and asking him about his career. The effect this had had on Lexie was nothing short of pathetic. It had been akin to seeing Cesar cradle a small puppy. Inducing warmth, tenderness. Danger.

When they reached the base Cesar helped her from the buggy and opened the door of her trailer for her. Before she could go in, though, he caught her hand.

She looked at him warily.

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‘I have to go to London tomorrow morning for twenty-four hours. But I’ll be back to take you to Madrid on Saturday. We’ll leave after lunch.’

He let her hand go to cup the back of her neck, drawing her to him. Even though Lexie had a split second of realisation that he was going to kiss her the touch of his mouth to hers was still like an electric shock, infusing her blood with energy and heat. It was a chaste kiss, and he drew back almost as soon as it had started. But Lexie wanted more.

‘Till then.’ He let her go, stepped back.

Lexie’s heart was beating fast. This was the moment. She could say something now—back out, not go through with it. Stay safe.

She opened her mouth. Cesar’s green gaze was almost black. And, treacherously, she shut her mouth without saying anything. A recklessness within her was urging her to seize the moment.

Lexie saw other crew members arriving back from the set. Her dresser hurrying to help her out of her costume.

She took a breath. ‘Fine, I’ll be ready.’

Cesar smiled and it was distinctly predatory. ‘I look forward to it. Don’t miss me too much, will you?’

Lexie wanted to make a face but he was already turning to go. She really didn’t like the impulse she felt to run after him and beg him to take her with him.

* * *

On Saturday Lexie was dressed casually, in a stripy long-sleeved top, a long, loose, gypsy-style skirt and soft boots. She had a weekend bag and was waiting for Cesar in the imposing reception hall of the castillo, trying not to think about the butterflies fluttering around in her belly at the prospect of seeing him again, or to think too much about what the weekend would bring.