LITMIR.BIZ

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everyone has to. Maybe his sole purpose was to produce you.”

      Rafael laughed at that. “Right. And my mother’s sole purpose? Besides seeing how many men she can marry before she’s too old to appeal to anyone.”

      “Oh, you are so cynical. Maybe she’s searching for happiness and doesn’t recognize it when she’s got it.”

      “Pop Psychology 101,” he retorted. “Maybe she’s just a wealthy, bored woman looking for thrills. I like mine on the mountain side.”

      “Or in a hot air balloon,” she answered.

      He inclined his head in agreement. “It’s a different kind of sport but satisfying all the same.”

      Rafael watched as Amalia assimilated his comments. He could tell she still had starry ideas about marriage, love and happy ever after. He wished her good luck with that. In his experience it was truly rare.

      Maybe that was the problem. His experiences were limited. If Amalia were anything to go by, he’d missed an entire category of women. She was unlike anyone he’d dated in the last ten years—maybe ever.

      Of course their circumstances were unlike any other. She didn’t want to be with him. Was it the novelty of that idea that intrigued him? He’d become accustomed to the attention of beautiful women. Was he jaded? It would be unreasonable to expect all women to fall over themselves for a chance to be with him.

      But it irked him that Amalia didn’t. He could offer her so much more than anything she’d had so far in life yet she remained aloof and distant. He didn’t understand her.

      “I feel sorry for you, Rafael,” she said slowly. Her eyes showed the sympathy.

      He felt a flash of surprise. “Why?”

      “Because you’re missing out on the best part of life. Finding someone to share your joys and sorrows and to go through life together. My parents loved each other very much and my mother once said she could put up with anything as long as she had my dad in her corner. Who do you have in your corner?”

      CHAPTER SIX

      “ANY one of a number of friends,” Rafael said calmly.

      But was it true? He had many business acquaintances, some casual friends to go to parties with or sail with. But except for Phillip Stanton and Marco Valdez from school days, he had a superficial relationship with most people. It had even been a number of months since he’d spoken to Phillip or Marco.

      Or his brother.

      For a moment he wondered what special tie connected Amalia and her brother. Banding together in the face of tragedy? Would he put his life on hold if Andreas needed him? Rafael liked to think so, but he began to wonder if Andreas would reciprocate.

      “Good for you,” she said, looking out at the other balloon. “How long before we stop again?”

      “Another two hours, I hope. The air is cooler today, meaning it’s easier for us to get lift with the hot air. As long as the propane lasts, we’re good to go.”

      She sighed.

      “Hey, this is a perfect chance to see Spain from the air. You’re missing a lot by not taking advantage.”

      “Like heart attack, nausea, fainting.”

      He laughed and crossed to her side. Taking her hand in his, he pulled her closer to the side. “I’ll hold on to you to keep you safe,” he said as he positioned her near the wicker, but not too close. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her back against his chest, leaning over slightly to rest his chin on her shoulder. “Look at that. It’s hard to imagine all that open land when we live in such a crowded city.”

      Amalia slowly let her eyes drink in the view. It was breathtaking. Rafael had been right, it was lovely. Slowly she turned her head to see as much as she could. When she turned it the other way, she bumped into Rafael’s face. His cheek was warm. She could feel him smile.

      “Nice, huh?”

      What, the view?

      Or being held by him, feeling safe and secure and almost cherished? She savored the moment. His arms held her securely to his rock-solid body. His feet were braced to balance them in the slight sway of the basket. She could let go of her fear and enjoy the spectacular vision spread out beneath them.

      And her senses were far more attuned to the man holding her than to her fear of falling. It was a delight to savor the moment. She closed her eyes and tried to imprint every detail on her mind to remember through the rest of her life. Soaring over Spain, held by Rafael, her real life faded into the background. For these few moments, this was real.

      By the time Rafael found a spot where he could safely put down the balloon, Amalia was more than ready to stop. A person could only stand being on edge for so long. She wanted to run on the ground, get away from his disturbing presence and touch base with reality.

      Her boss’s balloon had put down twenty minutes earlier. She was beginning to suspect he didn’t carry as much fuel as they did. So they, once again, gained some distance, but Stefano could easily catch up and pass them while they exchanged tanks. They were still too close to predict any clear-cut winner.

      The chase crew was already in the clearing, which Amalia found amazing.

      Once the balloon was down and secured, a festive picnic lunch was served and quickly eaten as everyone stood. Using a GPS indicator, Rafael calculated the distance they’d already gone.

      “Think we can make another one hundred miles this afternoon?” Julio asked.

      “If the wind holds. It kicked up once or twice.”

      “A problem?” Manuel asked.

      “No.”

      Amalia finished her meal and jumped up. “I’m going for a quick walk. Being in that confined space gets to me,” she said. Maria offered to go with her.

      “Thanks, but unless you really want to, I’m fine. I’ll look at the scenery from ground level and relish not being airborne for a while.” She flicked a glance at Rafael.

      “We leave in ten,” he said.

      She started off along the road the truck was parked on. It was dirt, but packed hard and easy to walk on. It had grown warm and she left her jacket at the picnic area. There was plenty to do to ready the balloon for the next leg, but the others were far more competent than her.

      And she needed some time to herself. Being with Rafael felt like a roller-coaster ride. She disliked being in the balloon yet she was captivated by her pilot. She resented his autocratic ways yet she yearned for a kiss.

      That stopped her. She shook her head and started walking again. The very last thing in the world she needed was to be kissed by Rafael. She had a feeling it would spoil her for any man in the future.

      And for him it would merely be another woman in a long line of women. He’d probably forget her name by Christmas.

      Sighing softly, she tried to count her blessings and hope something would happen to speed up the race.

      Amalia was just about to turn around when she heard a vehicle behind her. Stepping to the side of the road, she stopped. It was the chase truck. Rafael was driving. He stopped even with her and looked at her through the passenger side window.

      “You walking home?” he asked easily.

      She shook her head and opened the door. Climbing in, she looked at him.

      “I was just walking. Has it been ten minutes?” She wasn’t wearing a watch, but surely she hadn’t been gone that long.

      “Nine. We’ll be back in a sec and take off again.”

      “Did you really think I’d try to walk away?” she asked. She hated being his partner, but she would not let him down, because she was starting to believe her

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