Page 36 of Devoted to the Spanish Duke
“I am awake,” she replied.
“Where are you?” he asked. It seemed the only sensible thing to ask, the one way he could be certain that she wasn’t simply answering him in her sleep.
“I am on theNight Wind,sailing with you to Spain. I had a nightmare and you woke me with your words,” she replied.
Taken aback, Lisandro sat on the edge of the bed. If Maria had been awake since he had spoken, then she would have heard him call her sweetheart. It also meant that she had been conscious when she used the wordsmy lovein answer to him.
She lowered her head for a moment, but not quick enough to hide the blush which stained her cheeks.
Lisandro was torn. He wanted her. The need to make her his had been slowly building over the past week.No. That’s not the truth.Be honest with yourself.
The burning desire for her had flickered to life the first time he had set eyes on Maria at the wedding ball in Zarautz. And while the knowledge of who she was had forced him to take a step back, she had still been the woman who had haunted his dreams from that night on.
He was also very much aware that she was a vulnerable young woman, far from home and in his care. To take advantage of her under the current circumstances went against all that he had been raised to accept as being honorable.
And yet, even as he pulled back, she would not release him from her hold.
The nightmare of being trapped in a tight space had gripped Maria with its icy fingers yet again. Since she was a child, she had suffered from these sleep terrors.
Their roots went deep, firm in the memories of an accident that she couldn’t bring herself to ever forget. The only saving grace of them being that at the end, someone had always come to rescue her. Until now, that person had been Señor Perez, the man who had actually hauled her out of the bottom of the well on the Elizondo family estate.
His place in her dream had now been taken by another—Lisandro. He had risked so much to free her from the kidnappers that of course it made sense that he should be the one to feature in her mind’s eye as her life’s hero.
But even as she tore her gaze away from him, her cheeks burning, Maria knew her emotions were so very different when it came to Lisandro. She had fallen for him. The words “mi amor”had been spoken from her heart.
“Maria. Look at me,” he said.
She braced herself for the inevitable kind brush-off. For Lisandro to give her a speech about them being just traveling companions; and anything else that might grow between them would have to wait.
I don’t want to hear that I am pushing things too fast. I know my heart.
As she lifted her gaze to meet his, Maria offered Lisandro a gentle, forgiving smile. Whichever way he chose to let her down, she would understand.
“You called me ‘my love.’ Did you realize that?” he said.
“Yes. And I meant it. Though it’s alright, I—”
Lisandro’s mouth slammed down on hers, silencing her. He swept her up into a deep kiss which spoke of longing and need. His lips worked over hers in their heated embrace.
Oh, heaven. I never thought a kiss could be like this.
Maria gripped the front of Lisandro’s jacket and pulled him closer, determined that he was not going to be holding the reins completely by himself. His tongue touched hers, then retreated. When he came seeking once more, she met him halfway and their tongues began a long, luxurious dance. She never wanted this to end.
A sudden lurch of the ship had them drawing apart. Panting heavily, they sat staring into one another’s eyes. Maria was certain that the expression of surprised delight on Lisandro’s face was matched by her own.
“Tell me if I have gone too far,” he said.
“Not far enough,” she replied.
Their lips met once more, and time simply drifted away. Maria held nothing back and her heart rejoiced as Lisandro wrapped her up in his arms and deepened the kiss.
I want this, I want you.
Whatever the future held for them; she would hold onto the memory of tonight.
As the kiss ended, Lisandro whispered, “Te quiero siempre.”
Maria nodded. If she had her way, his words would become reality. She would be his always.
