It was like magic. The closest thing to freedom she had felt that wasn’t on the back of a horse.
She was lost. In the effortless way he manipulated her body, and that handsome face of his, all those glorious planes and angles.
He held her so tightly, and yet somehow she still felt like she was flying.
Her heart was beating so hard she thought it might burrow its way out of her chest, but it wasn’t because of exertion, or because she was tired. It was a strange, exultant spike of adrenaline that was unlike anything she had ever experienced before.
The closest thing to it was the first moment she had seen him. The way her body had reacted that very first time she had spotted that strong, masculine form walking across the stables. And now he was holding her. Now he was going to be her husband.
That thought made her pounding heart jerk forward suddenly, slamming it against her breastbone.
Her eyes flew to his, and he looked down at her, clearly unaffected by this. Of course, for him, this was routine. For him, there was nothing different about dancing with a woman. For him, at this point, there wasn’t even anything different about being engaged.
She was a replacement. That was all. A tool that was being used to aid him in acquiring this estate.
She meant nothing to him. Less than nothing. If she left him tonight he would have her replaced tomorrow by an unwitting maid.
And for her, this would always be dangerous. Because for her, this was singular. This experience of being held by a man. This experience of wanting. To touch him. To kiss him.
That thought took root in her mind, skittered down her spine like an electric shock.
Kiss him. Did she really want to kiss him?
She looked at that dangerous, sculpted mouth and imagined what it might be like to press her own against it. To test the shape of it. To test its strength.
It made her melt, dissolve at her core, and when he tried to sweep her into the next step, she stumbled, and found herself pressed yet more tightly against him. She had to wonder if this had been a bit of calculation on the part of her body.
If this was some kind of latent feminine instinct propelling her toward the things she desired.
It was certainly not a decision she would have made consciously. She would be too frightened to do it. Too timid. She was bold in so many ways, but not in this.
The fear of rejection, of being told she wasn’t enough, of him laughing at her even, asking why a woman such as herself would imagine she might have some impact on a man that women fell in love with every other day...
Yes, that would have held her back. But here she was, pressed tightly against him, her mouth but a whisper away from his.
The world seemed frozen, even though she knew they still moved.
But then they did stop. He lifted his hand, warm and rough against her cheek as he drew his forefinger along the edge of her jaw, down to the center of her lower lip. She felt her eyelids begin to flutter closed, helpless to do anything but lean into his touch.
His eyes were so intense as they looked into hers. So very purposeful. She could feel the tension between them like a physical band, drawing them together.
She waited. Waited for the press of that mouth against hers. But it didn’t come. Instead, he released his hold on her and left her standing there, shivering in the sudden chill of his withdrawn heat.
“I have a ring for you,” he said, walking across the room, his footsteps slow and steady, echoing in the vast, empty space.
It was so quiet in there. Then she realized that it had been silent except for their footsteps the entire time they were dancing. It had felt like there was music.
But there hadn’t been.
Not ever.
It had all been in her head.
She looked at his dispassionate face and felt foolish. Felt as if a magical spell had been lifted and suddenly she could see clearly again. And it was clear that this was nothing to him.
He moved to an ornate side table and opened the drawer, producing a small, velvet box.
“Were you able to convince Diego to overnight your engagement ring?” she asked, feeling the arch, brittle tone in her words and not able to do anything to modify it.
She felt hideously exposed. As if he could read every last one of her insecurities. As if he could see her disappointment. The thwarted desire for a kiss that she should never have wanted.
“Liliana’s ring would not have suited you,” he said. “It was classic. Quite delicate.”
She bristled. Of course she was not delicate. Of course she did not rate the sweet little antique design that his fragile American flower would have.
“For you,” he continued, “I thought I might select something stronger.”
She was awash in shame. In embarrassment. She felt as though he was just as likely to produce a ring made of Teflon as he was an actual engagement ring.
But then he opened the lid on the box and her breath caught. It was gold, and it was brilliant. The diamond in the center was yellow, and it glowed like the center of the sun.
“You are not a traditional woman,” he said. “You are unique. And you are fiery. I thought you deserved a ring that reflected that.”
She clenched her teeth tightly together, trying her best to look unaffected. “You think you know me?”
“You are bold. Bold enough to go undercover to gain a job here. To risk everything to be near the horses.”
“It’s easy to risk everything when you own nothing,” she pointed out.
“Perhaps. But a great many people in your position would have simply sat down and bemoaned the unfairness of life. You were not prepared to cope with your loss. Not the loss of your father, not the loss of the rancho. And yet, you have done so admirably. And perhaps your actions were unorthodox, but I find that I respect that all the more. It is rare that someone is able to fool me, Camilla,” he said. “I should be angry, but I find that I only respect what you have done.”
He thrust the ring box toward her and she took it, still feeling slightly stunned.
“There,” he said. “It is done.”
“I haven’t put it on yet,” she said.
“But you will,” he responded, his tone maddeningly certain.
“Perhaps,” she said, snapping the box shut just to spite him. She had a feeling he’d expected her to go all silly over the piece of jewelry. She had a feeling he had expected her to slip it on her finger immediately. To see how it might fit.
Driven either by some magpie instinct he imagined all women must possess, or by some sense of avarice that someone like her—someone impoverished—might be expected to demonstrate.
The truth was, she felt both of those things stirring in her chest, but she would not give him the satisfaction of it.
She had expected a kiss. She had not received it.
She was not going to give him what he expected.
“Do you suppose my dancing will suffice?” she asked, letting her hands drop to her sides, her fingers curled around the ring box.
“So long as you don’t trip over your feet,” he returned.
She sniffed. “If you lead correctly, I don’t suppose there is a danger of that.”
A slow smile spread over his face, and he chuckled. “Then I will endeavor to lead, mi tesoro.”