LITMIR.BIZ

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close as he stood to her she couldn’t help but inhale the spicy, outdoorsy aftershave he wore. She closed her eyes. The scent wasn’t unpleasant, but she was pregnant and it bothered her the slightest bit.

      Damn.

      If she got sick in front of him, she was going to throw the biggest, ugliest fit anyone had ever witnessed. She needed the advantage here. She wanted to find out what kind of man he was before she told him about the baby.

      She took a few steps back and turned toward the horse stalls that held the polo ponies. She didn’t mind horses but hadn’t really ever been a great rider. Tara had been the rider in their family. And since their father always insisted on making a competition of everything the two of them had done, they’d quickly decided not to pursue the same passions.

      The queasiness subsided as soon as she stepped away from him.

      She turned to look back at him over her shoulder. She’d left her sunglasses on when she’d entered the stables and now it was hard to see him. The lenses were very dark, and she couldn’t make out his expression.

      Maybe that wasn’t a bad thing. She skimmed her gaze down his body. He wore a pair of white jeans with a black belt that emphasized his narrow waist and the strength of his legs. He also wore a light-colored button-down shirt and gray blazer. She wished he appeared unkempt or wrinkled. But instead he looked like the sophisticated man she’d thought him to be.

      “So you’re a tech guy?” she asked.

      One side of his mouth lifted in a sort of half smile. “You could say that.”

      “I just did,” she quipped. Something she’d learned from a lifetime of dealing with her father—a man she’d never understood and still didn’t really know—was to always stay on her toes.

      “Touché.”

      “What do you do?” she asked.

      “I’ll be happy to tell you about it over brunch,” he said. “Should we go and join the rest of my family?”

      “Not yet,” she said. “I want to know more about you, Alejandro.”

      “Fair enough. I want to know more about you as well, Scarlet. I want to know the woman behind the headlines.”

      She shook her head. No one knew that woman... Well, maybe Tara had, but she was dead. And Billie and Siobahn saw what she wanted them to see. She had never felt comfortable letting someone all the way in. She doubted this man who’d lied to her when they’d first met would be the one.

      “That’s not how it’s going to work,” she said. “It’s not a tit-for-tat thing. You lied about who you are. I didn’t.”

      He came over and reached out, taking her hand in his. When he lifted it to his mouth and kissed it, a shiver went up her arm and awareness spread throughout her body. Here was a reaction she could understand. Lust. Pure and simple.

      “I did lie. I’m incredibly sorry about that. If I could do it over, I would have told you who I was right away. But everything else about that night was me. I wasn’t acting like Mo. He’s much duller than I am.”

      He was inviting her to see the humor in the moment and if she hadn’t been pregnant, if her family hadn’t been the biggest mess on the planet and if she hadn’t thought he was a better man, she might be able to laugh. But there was too much riding on this. She didn’t want to give birth to another tragic little human who was doomed like Tara or her mom, or to be fair, like herself. And this man had been a ray of hope until she’d realized he wasn’t who she thought he was.

      “Are you ever going to be able to forgive me?” he asked.

      Sincerity radiated from every inch of his body. He might be a great guy. She just didn’t know him.

      She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

      “At least meet the rest of my family. I think you’ll see that I’m not as big of an asshole as you take me for.”

      He dropped her hand and turned away from her, but she stopped him with her hand on his shoulder. She couldn’t help letting her fingers flex against the rock-hard muscles.

      “Did you do it because of who I am?” she asked. It was one thing she needed to have answered before she could move forward.

      “What are you talking about?”

      “Did you and your brother believe that lying to me didn’t matter because you think I’m morally bankrupt?” she asked. It was one of the nicer ways her critics had put it over the years.

      “Dios mio, Scarlet. Mo and I never discussed you until after it happened. I told him you were enchanting, beautiful and the kind of woman who made me forget everything but being by your side.”

      She caught her breath. She wanted to believe him. When she looked into his dark chocolate-colored eyes, she hoped it was truth she saw there. But she didn’t know him.

      She could only reserve judgment for now and tuck that sentiment away. Time would tell if Alejandro Velasquez was a man of honor.

      Given that he’d done nothing but think about Scarlet since she’d shown up at the polo match, Alec was glad to be back in the company of his family. Everyone, including Bart and his sister, was milling around by the bar. Normally they’d be seated at the table and eating by now.

      They’d waited for him, or more precisely for Scarlet.

      As soon as they walked onto the balcony, Bianca and her sisters-in-law, Kinley and Ferrin, turned toward them.

      “I should warn you that everyone here is going to be very curious about you,” he said to Scarlet. “Also, I’m not sure if you’ve ever been in a small town before, but it’s pretty much like being on a reality TV show without the cameras. Everyone will know who you are in less than a day and they’ll want to know why you’re here.”

      “Nice. I’m used to it. You saw how TMZ published those pics of us kissing before we’d even left the ballroom.”

      “Fair enough. I will say that generally most people are pretty nice here.”

      “I’ll wait and see. I tend to bring out extreme reactions in people,” she said.

      “What kind—”

      “Alec, where have you been? I’m starving but Mom wouldn’t let us start eating until you were here with your date,” Bianca said, coming up to them. “And it’s not nice to keep a pregnant lady away from food.”

      “Sorry, Bia,” he said, leaning over to kiss his sister’s cheek. “Have you met?”

      “We did earlier. I’m glad you’re here,” Bianca said to Scarlet. “Now, how about if we mosey over to the buffet line.”

      She looped her arm through Scarlet’s and drew her toward the food. As the two women walked away, he realized that it might be in his best interest to step back and let his family do their thing. Maybe their warmth and kindness would help convince her that he wasn’t a total jerk.

      “Mom would scold me if I didn’t make sure you’re eating, too,” he heard Bianca announce as they walked away.

      As soon as Bianca and Scarlet were at the buffet table, most of the crowd shifted from their conversations to line up. Mo held back and Alec went over to join his brother.

      “So?”

      “What?”

      “Did you make things right with her?” Mo asked.

      “In twenty minutes? It’s a wonder that you got Hadley back. I mean you have no clue about women,” Alec said.

      Mo punched him in the shoulder a little harder than was necessary, but Alec knew his brother was still mad about losing the match to Bart.

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