Claimed for the De Carrillo Twins

Her need to self-protect was huge. ‘I think we have. You’ve said sorry and I accept your apology.’

‘There’s more, though, isn’t there?’ he asked now, folding his arms. ‘That night—the night of the party at my house—you wanted to tell me something but I shut you down. What was it, exactly?’

Trinity felt panicky and took a step back towards the door. ‘It was just my concerns about Rio—he’d been acting irrationally and I was worried, and we’d had that row—’ She stopped suddenly and Cruz seized on it.

‘You had a row? What about?’

She cursed her mouth and recognised the intractability in Cruz. He wouldn’t let this go. He’d physically stopped her leaving before, and if he touched her now...

Reluctantly she said, ‘I’d confronted him about being so...erratic. He was spending no time with the boys. He was drinking. And I’m sure he was doing drugs. I threatened to call you and tell you I was worried.’

Rio had sneered at her. ‘Go on, run to lover boy and cry on his shoulder and you’ll see how interested he still is. Cruz doesn’t care about you, or me. He only cares about the precious De Carrillo legacy. The legacy that’s mine!’

‘What did he say?’

Trinity forced herself out of the past. ‘He said that if I did anything of the sort he’d divorce me and never let me see Matty or Sancho again, and that he’d ruin any chances for my future employment, not to mention my chances of going to college.’

Cruz said, ‘That must have been just after I’d returned to London. I’d asked to meet him—I’d been alerted by our accountants that he was haemorrhaging money. That’s when he told me those lies about you and blamed you for pretty much everything. I had no reason not to believe him when there were all those receipts and the evidence of your social lifestyle...’

Trinity felt unaccountably bitter to hear Cruz confirming all this. She was also shocked at one person’s ability to be so cruel. Without thinking, she said, ‘He used me because he wanted to get back at you. He wanted to make you jealous because he—’ She stopped suddenly, eyes fixed guiltily on Cruz.

What was wrong with her? It was as if she physically couldn’t keep the truth back.

‘Because he what?’ Cruz asked, eyes narrowed on her flaming face.

She backed away, feeling sick. ‘Nothing.’

Cruz was grim as he effortlessly reached for her, caught her by the hands and pulled her back, forcing her back down into the chair and keeping her hands in one of his.

‘Tell me, Trinity. I know there’s more to it than just the fact that Rio was going off the rails. He’d been going off the rails ever since he got his inheritance and, believe me, I know that’s my fault.’

She looked up at him, momentarily distracted. Anger rushed through her because Cruz felt such irrational guilt over someone who didn’t deserve it. Especially when that guilt had blinkered him to Rio’s true nature and crimes.

She pulled her hands back, resting them on her lap. ‘That wasn’t your fault, Cruz. I lived with him for a year and a half, so I should know. Rio was selfish and self-absorbed, and all that inheritance did was highlight his flaws.’

Cruz looked at her carefully. ‘There’s still more.’

She shook her head, desperately wishing he’d drop it. ‘No, there’s not.’

He grabbed a nearby chair and pulled it over to sit down right in front of her, all but trapping her. Their knees were touching and she was very conscious of her bare legs under the dress. It didn’t help when his gaze dropped momentarily to her chest.

He looked up again and arched a brow. She scowled at him. ‘You can’t force me to talk.’

‘You’ll talk, Trinity, and if you don’t want to talk then we’ll find other ways to occupy our time until you do.’

He put a hand on her bare knee, sliding it up her thigh until she slapped her hand down on his. He gripped her thigh and she felt a betraying pulse throb between her legs.

‘Your choice. Either way, you’re talking.’

She was between a rock and a hard place. If Cruz touched her she’d go up in flames and might not be able to hold back her emotions. But if she told him the truth about Rio, and he realised why she’d been so reluctant to tell him...

But he deserved to know—however hard it was. However much she wished she didn’t have to.

She blurted out, ‘I don’t want to tell you because I don’t want to hurt you.’

* * *

Cruz looked at her. Trinity couldn’t have said anything more shocking. No one had ever said such a thing to him because no one had ever cared about hurting him before. Certainly not a lover, because he was always very careful not to give them that power.