Still he stood captivated by the woman in front of him. The individual, not incarnations of women she would become. Future sister-in-law, mother of his nieces and nephews, queen.
He longed to go to her, pull her into an embrace, taste her sweet lips and feel her lush curves pressed against him.
What the hell was he thinking?
Disgusted with the fantasy playing in his mind, Alejandro turned to leave. Julianna moved in his peripheral vision. He looked back. She sat on the sand, resting her head in her hands. Her shoulders shook as if she were crying.
A sob smacked into him. His gut clenched.
The instinct to bolt was strong. Tears made him uncomfortable. He’d been in enough short-term relationships to know crying women were to be avoided at all costs. He never knew what to say and feared making a situation worse.
Yet he walked toward her anyway as if pulled by an invisible line. Compelled by something he couldn’t explain. “Julianna.”
She didn’t look up. “Go away, please.”
Her voice sounded raw, yet she was polite, always the proper princess. He saw her behavior wasn’t an act like his brother’s. His respect inched up for her. “I’m not going away.”
“I’ll pretend you aren’t here then.”
“It won’t be the first time that’s happened.” He plopped onto the sand next to her. “I’ve been becalmed many times. Having the boat bob like a cork while waiting for wind to return used to drive me crazy, but I’ve learned to enjoy the downtime.”
She remained silent.
As waves broke against the shore, Alejandro studied the stars in the sky. He drew pictures in the sand. A boat. A crab. A heart. He wiped them away with the side of his hand.
Julianna raised her head. “You’re still here.”
“Yes.” Tears streaked her cheeks. The sadness in her swollen eyes reignited his desire to take her in his arms and kiss her until she smiled. “I may have some of the same stubborn streak shared by other members of my family.”
She sniffled.
He wished he had a tissue for her. One of those handkerchiefs his brother and father carried in their pockets would come in handy. “When you’re ready to talk …”
A new round of tears streamed down her face. She looked devastated, as if someone she loved had died.
Her vulnerability clawed at his heart, made him feel useless, worthless. He couldn’t sit here and do nothing.
Alejandro turned toward Julianna and lifted her onto his lap.
She gasped. Stiffened.
A mistake, probably, but he’d deal with that later. He needed to help Julianna.
The moment he wrapped his arms around her something seemed to release inside her. She sagged against him, rested her head on his shoulder and cried. He rubbed her back with his hand, the same way his mother used to do whenever he’d been hurt by something Enrique did or his father had said.
Julianna’s tears didn’t stop, but that didn’t bother Alejandro. She felt so perfect nestled against him. Her sweet scent enveloped him. He would have preferred to be in this position under different circumstances, but he knew that wasn’t possible. She had a fiancé—what she needed tonight was a friend.
He could be a friend. That was all he could ever be to her.
Her tears slowed. Her breathing became less ragged.
“Thank you,” Julianna muttered. “I’m sorry for inconveniencing you. This is so unlike me.”
Alejandro brushed the strands of hair sticking to her tearstained cheeks. “You’re in my arms and on my lap. Formalities and apologies aren’t necessary.”
She stared up at him. Even with puffy, red eyes she was still beautiful.
But she was almost family. She would be his sister-in-law.
Julianna scooted off his lap. “I’m better now.”
He missed the warmth of her body, the feel of her curves against him. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
She looked at the water. “It’s nothing.”
“Let me be the judge of that.”
A beat passed. And another. “Did you hang around after Enrique joined me on the terrace?”
“No.” Maybe Alejandro should have.
She took a slow breath. “I thought coming here and marrying Enrique would be so much better than staying in Aliestle. I believed things would be … different.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s difficult to explain. Do you recall at dinner when you asked if we sailed, and Brandt answered?”
Alejandro nodded. He’d thought that odd.
“Brandt spoke because he knows how much sailing means to me, and I would’ve gotten carried away. I love it. I’d rather sail than do anything. Being on a boat is the only time I can be myself. Not a proper princess or a dutiful daughter and sister.” She gazed at the water. “It’s heaven on earth for me.”
The passion in her words heated the blood in his veins. The longing for independence, for a freedom from all the expectations of being a royal matched the desire in his heart. This perfect princess was as much a black sheep as him. She just kept the true color of her wool hidden. “I know exactly how you feel.”
She studied him. “I thought you might. My father has never allowed me to sail on the ocean due to my mother dying during a race. That’s why Enrique turned down your invitation to go sailing. My father said once I married, Enrique could decide whether I could sail or not.”
“You’ll be living on an island,” Alejandro said. “Why wouldn’t you sail?”
“That’s what I thought. After you left the terrace, I asked Enrique about being able to sail.” Her lower lip quivered. “He has forbidden me to sail. Not only on the ocean, but ever again. He says sailing brings out a wildness in me that’s not appropriate for a future queen. I’m to be a conventional wife and princess.”
Tears gleamed in her eyes.
Damn Enrique. His brother was a complete moron. A total ass. As usual. “He has spoken without thinking.”
“He was quite serious about his expectations of me.”
“My brother might be a cad, but he isn’t a monster. He’ll come around.”
Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes. “I don’t think he will.”
Alejandro’s chest tightened. “I’ll talk to Enrique. Make him see how much sailing means to you.”
“No,” she said. “He might change his mind about marrying me.”
Not likely given her dowry. But Julianna was so much more than the money she brought to the marriage. She might act like a cold, dutiful princess, but underneath the perfect facade was a passionate woman looking to break free of the obligations that came with her tiara and scepter. La Isla de la Aurora deserved a queen like Julianna. Too bad Enrique didn’t deserve a woman like her.
“Ask to be released from the marriage contract.” Alejandro couldn’t believe those words had come from his lips.
“I can’t.”
“You won’t.”
“If I don’t marry Enrique, I’ll be sent home to marry one of the sons of our Council of Elders.” The way her voice cracked hurt