The Hostage Bride (16 page)

‘And you can now?'

‘No… But you can't…'

‘But I
can
.'

‘You'd marry me and pay all that money—just to—wouldn't a whore be cheaper?'

His glare was savage, searing over her skin.

‘I don't do cheap! I only want the best.'

‘And the best is me?' Frank incredulity rang in her voice.

‘Don't put yourself down,
querida
. If last night taught me anything it's that you're very definitely the best. Edward doesn't know what he's missing.'

‘I wouldn't have been like that with Edward.' The words escaped before she'd had a chance to consider whether they were wise. ‘In fact I very much doubt that I could have gone through with that marriage if I hadn't been doing it for Mum.'

Realising belatedly just what she had said, she clamped her hands over her mouth as if to hold the words back but it was already far too late.

‘Your mother?' Rico asked sharply, straightening up. ‘And what has your mother to do with all this? Did she know what was going on?'

‘No! She knew nothing about it. She still doesn't. The one thing that is to my father's credit is that he hid everything from her—never let her even suspect that anything was wrong. You see, she's not well—she has a weak heart. The doctor said she's not to be stressed, not to be worried. Any sort of problem could—if she has another attack, she could…'

She couldn't say the word, couldn't force her tongue to frame it. But she knew she didn't have to. Rico knew what
she meant without any further explanation being necessary. The look of understanding he gave her told her that and she was grateful for it. It brought a faint amount of warmth to ease some of the ice that seemed to have enclosed her heart. And it gave her the strength to carry on.

‘That's why I couldn't see my father go to jail. Oh, I've no doubt he deserves it for what he's done, but it would hurt my mother so terribly. I don't think she'd ever recover.'

‘And Edward knew about this?'

Felicity's nod was slow, her expression forlorn.

‘He knew.'

‘And used it to his advantage—the bastard!'

Rico's voice was rough and uneven, echoing the turmoil in his conscience. If he hated the thought of the way Venables had behaved, how could he paint himself as snow white in all this? Wasn't he just as bad as the other man?

And Felicity? What did he think of Felicity? He didn't know; that was the truth of it. His mind seemed to veer back and forth from loving to hating and back again. And yet, deep down, he knew that the hate was only because he loved her so much that she could hurt him, and so it was really one and the same thing all the time.

‘So—my proposal…' he managed huskily. ‘What is your answer?'

Felicity bit down sharply on her lower lip to hold back the cry of pain that almost escaped her. This was going to be so very, very hard. But it had to be done.

‘My answer is no,' she managed and surprised herself with the steadiness of her words, the conviction in her tone. ‘It can't be anything else.'

‘But your mother—your father…'

‘I hope they'll understand. I'll be there to help them as much as I can. Perhaps if you could give us more time, we can do something about paying you back. But I can't let
you do this, Rico. You don't really want to marry me and I can't ask it of you. It's too much.'

She was turning away as she spoke. In another second she would walk out the door and he would have lost her completely.

‘I'll forget the whole thing—write off the debt—no prosecution—no strings.'

‘What?'

It brought her spinning round, shock, frank confusion and total disbelief written all over her face.

‘Rico—you don't mean that? Why would you do that?'

‘I can afford it.'

Something about his tone, a strangely defensive look in his eyes, a tautness of the muscles in his jaw gave away the fact that his throwaway tone wasn't in the least bit genuine. And if she looked closer she could see the white lines of strain etched around his nose and mouth, feathering out from his eyes.

‘I know you can afford it,' she said carefully, feeling her way blindly through this sudden, inexplicable change in atmosphere. ‘But why would you do it and get nothing in return? It doesn't make sense. It's crazy.'

‘Love makes fools of us all.'

‘What?'

Could she believe what she had heard?

‘Rico…'

He threw his hands out in an expressive gesture of defeat, the twist to his mouth wry and self-mocking.

‘Yes, I said love,' he declared with a touch of bravado. ‘I said love and meant love. And if that makes me a fool then I don't give a damn. I love you more than my life, more than my self-respect, and I would do anything to keep you with me.'

Felicity's heart was soaring, setting the blood singing through her veins. Rico had spoken the words that she had
only ever heard in her dreams and had never believed that she would ever hear in real life. He had said that he loved her.

‘If being in love makes you a fool,' she said softly but urgently, needing him to hear it, ‘then I'm every bit as big a fool as you. Because I love you too, Rico. I'm crazy about you—out of my mind with love for you.'

His expression brought tears of delight to her eyes. His face was a perfect blend of stunned confusion and burning delight. And the blazing light that warmed the darkness of his eyes melted away any last lingering doubts she might have, leaving her totally sure that he felt the same way too.

‘
Por Dios, gatita
, come here and let me hold you.'

She flew into his outstretched arms, felt them come round her, enfolding her, gathering her close, and it was like coming home at the end of a long, miserable journey.

Rico's kisses were everywhere. On her hair, her temples, her cheeks, the closed eyelids, and then at last, long and lingering and totally loving, on her mouth. And if there were any doubts or questions left that kiss asked and answered them all at once. Felicity's heart was flooded with the sort of deep, burning peace and contentment that she had never known before. It was a wonderful, glorious, totally overwhelming experience and one that every instinct told her she would know every day for the rest of her life with Rico.

‘But you said you wouldn't marry me,' Rico muttered roughly when at last they were forced apart by the need to breathe.

‘I couldn't have lived with you and never shown my love,' Felicity told him, losing herself in the deep pools of his eyes. ‘And when I thought you didn't love me, I knew I couldn't go through with it, even to rescue my dad. And besides, I couldn't do it to you. You deserved so much
better. You needed a wife you could love, a wife who would love you…'

‘And now I've found her. I've found more than a wife, I've found a soulmate, someone I'll be proud to have at my side now and all the days of my future—if you'll have me,
querida
.'

‘Of course I'll have you,' Felicity sighed her happiness. ‘I couldn't want any other man after I'd met you. You are my future too—my love, my happiness and my life.'

‘And you're mine,' Rico declared with husky sincerity as his mouth came down on hers.

 

The car pulled up outside the house and Rico pushed open the door, getting out hastily, then turning back into the vehicle, holding out his hand to Felicity who sat on the back seat, still dressed in the ivory satin and lace of her wedding dress.

‘We're here,
querida
,' he said softly. ‘We're home.'

Home.
Felicity savoured the word as she slid from the car to stand at her new husband's side, leaning against him slightly as she contemplated the elegant house before her.

It seemed impossible now to remember how it had felt when she had first seen this house, on the day that Rico had abducted her and brought her there. Everything had changed so much that it didn't seem possible it had only been a month before.

‘Happy?' Rico whispered and she could only nod silently, too full of joy to speak.

‘Happy doesn't describe the way I'm feeling,' he told her. ‘I'm the most ecstatic man on the planet. I can't put my emotions into words.'

He didn't have to, Felicity reflected. His joy was there in his smile, in the light in his eyes, the lilt in his voice.

‘It was a wonderful wedding, wasn't it? Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves—even Edward.'

‘Maria and Edward will settle down,' Felicity reassured him. ‘She's so very young—and they're both going to have to learn the world doesn't begin and end with them—but from everything Edward told me I think he truly does love Maria and he'll try to make her happy.'

‘As I will you.'

‘You don't have to try. You've already made me the happiest person alive when you made me your wife.'

Looking up into Rico's warm, dark eyes she chuckled in amusement at a memory.

‘I think everyone thought we were crazy, not even waiting to change before we left the reception.'

‘They didn't know we had a special little ceremony we had to perform for ourselves. Ready?'

She nodded smilingly and he reached out, swept her off her feet and lifted her up into his arms.

‘We've done this once before,
mi ángel
,' he told her. ‘But this time it's for real.'

And he carried her over the threshold of the home they would share, up the wide staircase and into their bedroom, kicking the door firmly closed behind them.