SUKI WAS GLAD she was sitting down because she was sure his words—and the sudden bolt of turbulence that hit the plane—would’ve flattened her.
‘What?’
He opened his mouth, but she shook her head quickly, holding up her hands, needing time to absorb what he’d said.
‘It’s okay, you don’t need to repeat it. I heard you. What I meant was why?’
A look curled through his eyes and his nostrils flared as if he was gathering himself. The very deep, very real quicksand she’d been sinking in since she admitted the depths of her feelings for Ramon, threatened to suck her down even faster.
Because it was clear he was up to something.
‘Our current circumstances are a strong reason to advocate marriage, are they not?’
Her heart lurched harder, and she fought ready tears that prickled her heart. ‘When only a few weeks ago you fully denounced it? Your exact words were...marriage is not for me, if I recall correctly?’ Knowing now what she didn’t know then, the statement hurt even more.
He’d been betrayed by the woman he loved and had closed himself off for ever. For him to force himself back down that road...
‘Things have changed. I have changed. And we’re coming from a different place this time.’
She wanted to admire that earth-shaking sentiment. Perhaps, she even did somewhere deep within her. But the seething pain of her wrecked heart didn’t give her enough room to feel magnanimous right then.
‘Are we?’
He surged to his feet, moving towards her with speed that belied his overpowering presence.
‘Sí. If we’re both committed to making this work, we will succeed. I want to try.’
He stopped at the side of the bed, his green eyes blazing down at her with a light she wished with all her heart were hers to own. Hers to love. But she knew it wasn’t.
All this was for his child.
Heart mourning, she shook her head. ‘I... I don’t think I—’
His hand shot out, stopping her answer. ‘Perhaps this wasn’t the best timing in the world.’ He glanced at the lowered shutters then back to her. ‘Proposing at thirty-seven thousand feet is unique but it wasn’t what I had in mind. Don’t give me your answer now. For the sake of what’s at stake, take some time to think about it, sí?’
The light blazed higher in his eyes, his fists lightly bunched at his sides.
Suki nodded because she realised she did need the time. That saying no right then would be diving off a cliff before she’d constructed a safety net.
It was completely selfish, completely delusional, but she wanted to cling to it for just a while longer before it disappeared like mist in the sunlight.
He bent towards her, brushed his lips against her cheek. ‘Muy bien. I’ll see you in the living area when you’re ready.’
Straightening, he headed for the door, tall, powerful, holding her very life in his hands as he walked out of the room.
Left alone to work through the dizzying highs of imagining his glorious words had been powered by love and the cold lows of knowing the truth, Suki collapsed back against the pillows.
The comforting gesture of sliding her hand over her belly calmed a little of her roiling emotions long enough for the painful but extraneous nuggets to fall away, leaving her with the flags that spelled her reality.
She loved Ramon.
He loved his child.
She would never love anyone else.
Which meant a broken heart was already winging its way to her.
She could run away, wait for the inevitable day to happen and lick her wounds in private. Or she could stay, face it head-on, find a way to move past it while providing her child with the best possible foundation to life?
The thought that she was even considering his proposal sent her back upright, the sheets once again twisting beneath her fingers.
Why not?
She would have to face heartache one day, but was there any reason it had to be right now?
She’d already agreed to co-parent her baby’s formative years with Ramon. Just as he’d agreed to restructure his life to suit the baby. And just as they’d gone into conception with their eyes wide open, why couldn’t they do the same with marriage?
Because you love him.
Her heart clenched agonisingly. She breathed through it, forcing the pain aside to get to the bare facts. Which were that she would rather spend the next five years with Ramon and their baby than on her own. She would take a single day in his presence rather than do without him.
The inevitable end would hurt like nothing before, but ripping her heart out before she needed to...well, she couldn’t...wouldn’t do that to herself.
There were no heralding trumpets accompanying her soul-shaking decision, only mild turbulence and the hum of private jet engines.
But she was okay with that.
Rising, she went to the bathroom, splashed water on her face. It took several heartbeats before she could meet her gaze in the mirror. Several more before her conscience stopped berating her for the path she was choosing.
By the time she slipped her dress back on, her head had accepted the decision her aching heart was still struggling with.
Ramon was on his laptop when she entered the main cabin. Seeing her, he rushed to his feet, dark green eyes brimming with purpose and determination snagging hers as he prowled forward.
‘I thought you would rest for a while longer,’ he said.
There was a definite question in his eyes. A watchfulness that tensed his shoulders and tightened his jaw. ‘You asked me to marry you at thirty-seven thousand feet. Rest after that was out of the question,’ she half joked.
He didn’t laugh. Heightening tension crawled over him as his probing gaze raked her face. ‘I suppose you wish me to apologise for ruining your sleep?’ he rasped in a low voice throbbing with notes she couldn’t define.
Her mouth would’ve curved in a smile if debilitating emotions weren’t see-sawing through her. ‘I know how...cumbersome you find those apologies, so—’
‘Lo siento,’ he breathed readily. ‘The timing of this could’ve been better. I realise that now.’
‘Oh...okay. What about the timing of my answer? Does now suit or should I—?’
He gripped her arms, which was fortunate because the plane chose that second to dip again. She was thrown against him, her hands coming up to brace against his chest. ‘Tell me. Now,’ he ordered in a half-growl.
With the moment of truth upon her, the words suddenly dried in her throat.
What in goodness’ name was she doing?
But then she looked into his face. His strong, too handsome, enthralling, iron-willed face. Beneath her right hand, his heart beat fast and vigorous. Her own heart tripped over itself. Licking dry lips, she took a deep breath that was nowhere near as steadying as she wished it to be.
‘Yes, I’ll marry you, Ramon.’
He inhaled, sharp and long, the arms around her tightening for a moment before he nodded. His head lowered.
Suki froze, every cell in her body anticipating his kiss.
But he merely touched his forehead to hers as he said, ‘We will succeed in this too. You have my word.’
They wouldn’t. Not if he didn’t love her. But for the moment, she would fight the demons and bask in that falsehood.
* * *
As was its speciality, Acosta Hotel Madrid was also housed in a centuries-old building, this one a towering Renaissance palace taking up a whole block on Plaza de las Cortes.
In honour of its place at the heart of Madrid’s cultural heritage, the walls of the vast marble-floored lobby teemed with ancient and modern art. Several of Ramon’s own sculptures were displayed in prominent places, with Piedra Galleria Madrid’s home situated on the first floor.
As she’d found out when Ramon’s assistant contacted her with their itinerary, Ramon chose to stay in private suites at his hotels rather than own homes across the globe.
If she’d thought the Havana version was spectacular, her jaw dropped when she walked into their top floor suite.
Taking up almost a quarter of the whole width of the hotel, the suite was large enough to fit four families with ease. Four adjoining suites and three double bedrooms took up the lower mezzanine floor, with a private pool, extensive living rooms, study and exclusive private spa facilities taking up the floor above it. Signature tones of gold and burgundy themed every elegant room.
As a maid and private butler unpacked their belongings, she stepped out onto the roof terrace, skirting the pool to enjoy the early evening breeze and take in the views and the water display at Fuente de Neptuno.
Ramon found her there ten minutes later, the call he’d needed to make finished. Strong arms planted on either side of her on the terrace wall, bracketing her in. When his mouth brushed the top of her head, her foolish heart soared.
‘We have the option of shower and dinner out or swim and dinner in.’
‘Hmm, option number two, please. I have the feeling jet lag is just waiting to pounce on me.’
‘Muy bien. I’ll organise it. Before that, you have another decision to make.’
His face remaining cryptic, he caught her hand in his and led her back inside. Two men waited in the living room, one a burly mountain of a man who was clearly a bodyguard. The other was less than half his size, holding a long, thin briefcase connected to his wrist by a chained handcuff.
Ramon exchanged a short conversation in Spanish then indicated the large coffee table in the middle of the room. Still holding her hand, he led her to the sofa and sat her down.
The briefcase was set before her. Opened. It took every ounce of control for her not to gasp.
Some of the biggest diamonds she’d ever seen sparkled from exquisite settings. Rows upon rows of them. Each one bigger than the last.
‘You can’t stare at them for ever, guapa,’ Ramon prompted dryly. ‘You need to pick one.’
She flashed him a glare. ‘Is that all I need to do?’
‘Sí, or you can pick more than one. Make a selection. Decide later which one you prefer.’
‘I can’t do that!’
He returned her outraged stare with a steady one of his own. ‘You can do whatever you want, Suki,’ he stated.
She swallowed hard, the implications of his response settling on her.
She was marrying Ramon Acosta. One of the most eligible men in the world. For whatever time she would enjoy at his side, she would be mixing in the big leagues.
Swallowing jangling nerves, she returned her gaze to the gems on the black velvet tray. Bypassing the more ostentatious stones, she settled on a simple oval four carat surrounded by a smaller ring of diamonds.
When Ramon nodded to the merchant, he stepped forward and made a note of her size. Placing her ring choice in a box, he silently left the room with his bodyguard. The near-silent transaction was surreal.
One she would probably have to get used to, she reminded herself as she slipped off her dress and replaced it with a cream and black striped bikini.
Ramon was already at the pool when she arrived. He watched her approach, gleaming eyes raking over her as she crossed to the lounger next to his. Suddenly self-conscious, she hesitated, then sucked in a breath before she shrugged off her filmy black silk kaftan.
The fevered hiss that left his throat made her breath catch. Jerking upright, he captured her hips, turned her fully to face him before he drew her between his splayed thighs.
‘You’re showing.’ His voice was a little shaken. A little awed. A lot powerful. One hand trailed over her hip to gently trace her belly, eliciting a charged shiver through her.
‘Barely,’ she whispered.
He shook his head. ‘No, I can tell. I can see,’ he muttered. ‘Asombroso.’
Amazing.
Drawing her slowly, inexorably closer, Ramon placed a soft, gentle kiss on her belly.
The power of it weakened her limbs, stung her eyes with emotions she blinked away hard, even as her heart wept with everything she couldn’t have.
Another kiss anointed her. Then another.
When her heart threatened to crack wide open there and then, she stepped back, turned away under the pretext of draping her kaftan on the lounger.
‘This baby is going to demand sustenance in T minus half an hour. So I’m hitting the pool now.’
Without waiting for him, she stepped back and headed for the shallow steps, which were, thankfully, on the far side of the terrace, away from his probing eyes. Away from the deceptive bubble that teased her with impossible dreams.
She swam two lengths on her own before he joined her. His powerful strokes easily kept up with her as they lapped the pool, his gaze sliding to her at increasingly frequent intervals.
The moment her arms began to tire, he caught her around the waist and tugged her to the side of the pool. ‘You’ll not exert yourself,’ he murmured into her hair. ‘Not even to get away from me.’
Since it was exactly what she’d been doing, Suki thought it wise to remain silent. Or perhaps it was because her vocal cords had stopped working because she was plastered to him from chest to thigh.
Searching for something to take her mind off that thrilling little fact, she asked a question that had been teasing her mind. ‘My itinerary shows Dr Domingo and his team are coming in the morning. So they’re already here?’
‘Yes,’ he replied.
‘How did you organise that?’
‘You didn’t want them around, so they’ll fly separately.’
Her eyes widened. ‘That must be costing you a fortune.’
‘A small price to pay for your happiness,’ he replied simply, as if they were talking about the price of a latte. But then she realised this was compromise in Ramon’s world. She just had to accept it.
Still her breath caught at the ease with which he said that. Then continued catching when his hand slid down her back beneath the water.
‘Speaking of which, it’s the first ultrasound tomorrow. It’s a little early, but I think we both need the peace of mind?’
A different type of zing went through her heart. As if sensing her distress, he tilted her chin with one firm finger. She met piercing green eyes burning with sure fire.
‘Everything will be okay.’
‘You don’t know that.’
‘Sí, I do,’ he said with breathtaking arrogance, as if he had the ultimate power to make it so.
For some reason that worked. Her worry abated and when the butler came out to announce that their dinner had arrived, she let Ramon lead her out of the water. She even let him dry her, let his hand once again linger on the barely there bump.
And when the diamond merchant, who had apparently been quietly working away in one of the suites, appeared halfway through dinner and presented Ramon with a velvet box set on a sterling silver tray, she let the father of her child crouch down next to her at the dining table, slip the stunning diamond engagement ring on her finger and place a firm, lingering kiss on her knuckle.
But, of course, she knew nothing had changed when he escorted her to the guest suite, and walked away in the direction of the master suite.
* * *
The following night was the night of the second exhibit. After sleeping in late, she video conferenced with her mother, who was about to start the next barrage of tests, and listened to the expected prognosis with a lighter heart. Carefully avoiding her mother’s probing questions about her own situation, Suki finished the call with the promise to visit the next week on their way back to Cuba.
Her own team of doctors arrived just before lunch. Her vitals were taken and her progress pronounced satisfactory before the ultrasound machine was wheeled in.
Ramon, exhibiting not a single ounce of embarrassment, climbed into bed with her and took her hand. The tension in his face echoed hers as Dr Domingo spread warm gel on her belly.
The next five minutes passed excruciatingly slowly, the doctor’s perfect poker face giving nothing away. Finally, Ramon snapped, firing bullet-sharp questions in Cuban Spanish at him.
Nods and sí were batted back and forth, until Suki too snapped.
‘Tell me what’s going on!’
Green eyes alight with a fiercely pleased fire locked on hers. ‘He says the baby is perfectly healthy and thriving.’
A ferocious shudder trembled through her. ‘Oh. Oh, my God.’
‘I said so, did I not?’ he muttered gruffly against her ear.
Her burst of relieved laughter turned into tears. When his strong arms enfolded her she held on tight, the cathartic release of weeks of worry triggering even more sobs.
Their baby was okay.
Maybe they would be okay too.
Several hours later, as she dressed for the event, that hope had taken a firm little root in her heart.
Securing her hair on one side with a discreet silver clip, she arranged the heavy fall over one shoulder. The stylist the concierge had sent up had done amazing things with her eye make-up, the smoky shadow bringing out an extra sparkle that highlighted the joy glowing inside her.
Her baby was safe.
She was still smiling when she answered the knock on her suite door a few minutes later.
Ramon’s gaze locked on her face, his body growing stock-still before his gaze trailed a blazing path down her body.
‘This dress...this one is my favourite,’ he muttered.
The red evening gown was a little tighter than when she’d first tried it on weeks ago in Miami, especially around the stomach area where her waist had thickened, but even she had to admit it looked amazing on her.
She smiled. ‘I know.’
‘But it’s lacking something, I think.’ He stepped inside, reached into his pocket and brought out a glittering necklace.
More diamonds.
Even more spectacular than her engagement ring. Before she could find the right words to express her shock, he was stepping behind her, securing the priceless jewellery around her neck.
Turning her around, he stared down at her. ‘Your pregnancy suits you, guapa. You’re glowing.’
‘With all this bling I’m sporting, how could I not?’ she joked.
One corner of his mouth began to lift. The buzzing in his pocket made him draw away from her.
Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he glanced at the screen. And tensed.
‘What is it?’ she asked.
Tucking the phone against his chest, he traced a finger down her cheek. ‘Sorry, belleza. I have to attend to some business downstairs. Stay here—I’ll be back up in ten minutes to escort you down.’
She started to nod, but he was already walking away. Frowning at his abruptness, she picked up her tiny purse and left her suite.
The butler offered her a drink but she refused, on account of the sudden nerves zinging through her stomach. Unable to settle, she slowly paced the living room. As she passed the open terrace doors a breeze blew in. She shivered, hating the disquieting vibes raising goose bumps on her flesh.
When she heard footsteps behind her, she turned gratefully. Only to be confronted with the last person she expected to see.
Svetlana Roskova was a magnificent vision in white. With her silver-blonde hair perfectly coiled on her crown, her figure-skimming halter-neck dress displaying graceful shoulders and a body that photographers and designers begged for, she was impossible to dismiss.
Bright grey eyes surveyed Suki from head to toe before she glided forward and paused in front of her, her six-foot height on top of her heels making Suki feel like a midget.
‘You must be Suzy?’ she asked in a smoky voice.
‘It’s Suki. Can...can I help you?’ Suki asked, hating her stumbling voice.
Her smile was shockingly warm. ‘Oh, honey, I’m here to help you.’
‘I... I didn’t realise I needed help.’
‘That’s okay. I don’t mind helping a girl out.’ Gliding past Suki, she walked in a small circle, her gaze flitting through the suite. ‘I love this hotel. My personal favourite is the Abu Dhabi one, though. Ramon spared absolutely no expense with that one. Which was why it received a seven-star rating, of course. It’s also a little less...old-fashioned, shall we say? I don’t see the draw in antiques to be honest.’ She gave a sultry laugh. ‘Which was why I couldn’t get the decorators into that mausoleum he calls home in Cienfuegos fast enough.’
Suki gasped, her eyes widening on the supermodel. ‘You were the one who changed the rooms?’
For a split second, Svetlana’s easy charm dropped. ‘He’s taken you there, I see.’
‘Why are you here?’ Suki demanded, the roiling in her stomach predicting unimaginable worst cases.
The Russian beauty moved forward again, her steps faltering when she caught sight of Suki’s engagement ring.
‘Ah, looks like he’s given you one of these.’ She held out her right hand, displaying a diamond twice as big as Suki’s. ‘Did he wine and dine you, then surprise you with a visit from his diamond merchant?’
Suki barely managed to stop herself from gasping again as a hot spike of pain lanced her heart. ‘It’s none of your business.’
Svetlana shrugged, continuing forward to circle Suki where she stood. From behind her, Suki felt her lean forward. ‘He promised me the world too after I got pregnant,’ she whispered in Suki’s ear.
She felt the blood drain from her head as she spun on her heels to face Svetlana. ‘What?’
The icy blonde gave a sad smile. ‘Sadly, it wasn’t meant to be. And unfortunately, all the silliness started after that.’
‘Silliness?’
‘Ramon wanted me to quit modelling. Stay at home and try for another baby. I love him but, boy, he’s a typical man when it comes to such things. He got his boxers in a twist when I asked for a little more time.’
‘Is that why you cheated on him?’
Svetlana’s eyes widened ever so slightly, but she recovered quickly. A little too quickly. ‘All of that is behind us now. He’s forgiven me and now he’s got a mini him on the way, there’s no reason why we can’t be together.’
‘Excuse me?’
‘Yes, excuse you. He’s probably spun you a story about how everything will work out with you and him and the baby. But what he hasn’t mentioned is that he still loves me. If you think you’re going to walk down the aisle with him any time soon, you’re delusional. He’s keeping you sweet long enough to get his hands on his kid.’
‘Why on earth should I believe you?’
‘Because I’m the one he can’t get out of his head. I’m the one he still paints and sculpts when he’s in that studio of his. He’s as obsessed with me as I am with him. Has been since the first time we met. If you don’t believe me, take a peek under all those black cloths in his studio when you go back. If you go back.’
‘So you came here to what...warn me off?’
‘Ramon is waiting for me downstairs so I’ll be quick. I came to give you a heads up before you started spinning fairy tales that will never come true. You can either break things off with him or content yourself with being the other woman in his life. He’ll always belong to me.’ She smiled and started heading out of the living room. At the last moment, she executed a perfect pirouette. ‘Oh, and don’t bother asking him. He’ll only deny it. Actually, on second thought, ask him. The quicker we get things out in the open, the quicker we can all settle into our places.’
Suki didn’t know where she dredged up the strength to ask one last question, when everything inside her was ripped to shreds. ‘Are you seriously saying you don’t mind sharing him with another woman?’
She smiled a megawatt smile. ‘Woman to woman? I don’t because I know he’ll always come back to me. When I call he comes running, and vice versa. But I hope for your sake you choose the path that causes you least embarrassment and pain.’
With a wriggle of her perfectly manicured fingers, she sailed back out in a cloud of expensive perfume.
Not a care in the world about the life she’d just shattered.