The Twelve-Month Marriage Deal

Elena wanted to back away, but it was impossible. All she could do was watch in fatal fascination as his face got closer and closer. Study the intent in his beautiful grey eyes framed by decadently thick lashes. Observe that his breathing got just that little bit faster. And his lips—his beautifully moulded lips—were opening the merest fraction.

There was not a thing she could do but await her fate. But at the same time she ordered herself not to respond, not to let him see by the simplest of movements that pressure was building up inside her, threatening to spill over the second his mouth claimed hers.

Was it disappointment she felt when he didn’t kiss her straight away? When he cupped her face in his hands, his thumbs stroking her expectant lips, his touch so gentle it was like the brush of a butterfly’s wing and yet as deadly as snake’s venom?

Elena couldn’t keep her promise to herself. Her resolve flew out of the window, her lips parting freely, the tip of her tongue coming out to moisten her lips and encourage Vidal’s touch, her head rocking back on her shoulders. It was wrong, all wrong, but somehow she couldn’t help it.

Margaret Mayo was reading Mills & Boon® romances long before she began to write them. In fact she never had any plans to become a writer. After an idea for a short story popped into her head she was thrilled when it turned into a full-scale novel. Now, over twenty-five years later, she is still happily writing and says she has no intention of stopping.

She lives with her husband Ken in a rural part of Staffordshire, England. She has two children: Adrian, who now lives in America, and Tina. Margaret’s hobbies are reading, photography, and more recently watercolour painting, which she says has honed her observational skills and is a definite advantage when it comes to writing.

MILLS & BOON

Before you start reading, why not sign up?

Thank you for downloading this Mills & Boon book. If you want to hear about exclusive discounts, special offers and competitions, sign up to our email newsletter today!

SIGN ME UP!

Or simply visit

signup.millsandboon.co.uk

Mills & Boon emails are completely free to receive and you can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email we send you.

Chapter One

‘YOUR’RE expecting me to marry Vidal Marquez?’

Elena looked at her parents as though they were out of their minds. This was the last thing she had expected when they had asked her to come home. The very last thing. She didn’t know what she had been expecting, but it certainly had never entered her head that they would try to persuade her to marry Vidal.

Her already huge brown eyes widened into enormous orbs of shock and doubt and her heart began an unsteady tattoo. It was actually unbelievable; it was insanity of the highest order. How could they ask this of her? How could they even think it?

It was her sister who had been going to marry Vidal. They’d been engaged for months. And now her sister had run away! And no one knew where she was. So what had happened? And more to the point, why were they suggesting she take her place? Why was it so important?

None of it made any sense.

The afternoon sun streamed through the window, adding highlights to her glossy black hair. It was ironic that it was such a gorgeous day outside and yet here in her parents’ house her whole world was slowly falling apart.

‘It’s ludicrous.’ She stood tall and proud, her beautiful face flushed with fury and indignation, her golden eyes almost shooting sparks of fire. Her hair, cut just below her ears with a side fringe, swirled in complete disarray every time she shook her head. ‘For one thing I do not plan to get married for a very long time. I have a business to run, in case you’re forgetting. I’ve spent years getting where I am today and I have no intention of giving it up to marry—’ she drew in a deep, unsteady breath at the enormity of what her parents were asking ‘—my sister’s ex-fiancé.’

Elena deliberately put great emphasis on the word ex. She loved her parents dearly, but for the life of her she couldn’t understand why they were suggesting she take Reina’s place. Plenty of couples split up and there was never a thought of their siblings stepping in.

Actually it was hard to believe that Reina had done this. Her elder sister never put a foot wrong. She herself was the wilful one, the one who her parents sometimes despaired of. When she’d gone to live in Los Angeles they had feared for her well-being. And yet she was running a successful wedding-planner business while her sister had turned her back on the wedding of the year.

She could imagine how hard they had taken the news, Vidal’s family too. The wedding was already in the planning stages. Anyone who was of any note in Spain would already be on the guest list.

‘I’m sorry Reina’s putting you through this,’ she said, privately thinking that it was better her sister had found out now that she didn’t love Vidal rather than after their marriage, ‘but is this about losing face? Why would you even think about me taking her place? Why can’t the merger go ahead without a marriage between the families?’

‘Because,’ answered her father quietly, ‘we fear that without it the deal will be off. We didn’t tell you this before,’ he added unhappily, ‘but—it was an arranged marriage—for business reasons. We all thought that Reina was happy with the situation. We thought she actually loved Vidal, but—’ He lifted his shoulders and let them fall again, his face a picture of sadness and sorrow and fear for the future.

‘Arranged?’ Elena could not believe what she was hearing. The whole situation was getting more bizarre by the second. ‘No wonder Reina ran away. What were you thinking? And now you expect me to take her place. No way! Not ever! I don’t even like Vidal! If you want my opinion he’s a pompous, arrogant bas—’

‘Elena!’ Her father’s shocked voice resounded through the room. ‘I will not have that language in my house.’

‘Nevertheless it’s what he is,’ she declared firmly. God, she was seething. This was her worst nightmare. How could they even think about asking her to marry this—this…? Words failed her.

She had never understood why they wanted to merge the two banks anyway. Not that she’d ever had any inclination to work in the business; she’d opted for freedom. She loved her parents dearly, but sometimes found their affection stifling.

‘There is another reason,’ said her father, his arm about her mother’s shoulders now, putting on a united front, ‘and I hate having to tell you this, but—’ he dragged in a deeply troubled breath ‘—the bank is in trouble. We fear that we shall be financially ruined if Vidal doesn’t take over.’

Looking at him, Elena saw the deep lines of strain on his face and the worry in his eyes that she had assumed were because of her sister’s actions, but it now appeared that something more serious was afoot. Even her mother’s face was filled with fear, her brown eyes haunted, sunk more deeply than Elena had ever seen them.

Instantly, Elena folded her in her arms, holding her trembling body close. Her mother had always been such a strong woman that it hurt to see her like this.

Her parents’ bank was a private one, whereas Vidal dealt in corporate banking. Theirs wouldn’t be the first one in trouble that he had bought. They were talking about a merger, but Elena knew very well that if Vidal got his hands on it, it would be the end of the road for them. All she could hope was that he was offering them a fair deal. Though why she had to become a part of it Elena had no idea.

‘So,’ said her father firmly a few seconds later, ‘you will do this? It’s not only for ourselves, you understand, but our employees too. Some of them have been with us for a very long time. We owe them to do the best we can.’

Elena screwed her face up and shook her head. ‘I can’t, I’m sorry, but you’re asking the impossible.’ Surely they realised the absurdity of her marrying a man she did not love, a man she hadn’t seen in years, a man who did nothing for her whatsoever?

What she could remember of Vidal Marquez was that he had always thought himself a cut above everyone else, even as a child. Therefore it went without saying that he would be unbearable to live with. No wonder Reina had got out while she could.

Her heart felt heavy when she saw her father’s arms go round her mother as she almost collapsed. They were making this so very difficult. She loved them to death, didn’t want to do anything to hurt them, but marrying a man she didn’t even like was too big an ask.

When she saw that even her father, usually such a strong man, had tears in his eyes, she said quietly, ‘Are you sure there isn’t any other way of saving the bank?’

Her father shook his head. ‘None at all.’

She closed her eyes and let her breath out on a deep sigh. ‘I really don’t want to do this,’ she said quietly, ‘but—I don’t like seeing you two so worried either. I’ll give it some serious thought. Though I’m not actually promising anything, you understand.’

Faint relief shone on their faces and they both put their arms around her.

Elena did not see how she could do as they asked, though. It would mean putting her whole life on hold, maybe even cancelling it altogether. She loved what she did and had thought when her mother called and said she was needed at home that it was to help plan her sister’s wedding—not her own!

Tension reigned in the Valero household for the next few days. Elena hated seeing her parents’ distress, but she hated even more the thought of marrying a man she did not love. There must be some other way to save the bank.

Vidal had always looked down his nose at her. There was eight years’ difference between them and as a child he had always considered her of no consequence. Vidal’s younger brother, Fernan, was more her own age and he had been her constant companion, while Reina had been friends with Vidal. It was why she had not been surprised when their engagement had been announced. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that it was not a love match.

‘You are coming tonight?’ asked her father over breakfast on Saturday.

‘To the charity dinner?’

He nodded. ‘Your mother and I think it important that we go. We need to keep up appearances. We don’t want anyone to know that we’re in any kind of trouble.’

‘Of course I’ll come,’ she said immediately. ‘Will the Marquezes be there?’

‘I imagine so,’ said her father.

Her heart did a little hop, skip and a jump. It meant that Vidal would be there too. Was he aware that her parents were attempting to pair her up with him? And if so, what were his thoughts on the matter? She imagined that he would be as horrified as she was. Unless getting his hands on their bank was far more important than marrying for love. He’d done well for himself, she’d heard. His banking organisation was now the biggest in Spain. And she would face the man himself in just a few short hours.

Vidal could not take his eyes off the strikingly beautiful young woman who had just entered the room. Of its own accord his heart leapt and he instantly wanted to get to know her. She was tall, slim and very, very elegant, confident in the knowledge that she looked good.

Her short, dark hair revealed a long, slender neck around which a choker glistened with black gemstones. Her skin was soft and honeyed and he knew that he had to hold her, to touch, to feel—to enjoy!

Two thin straps that matched the necklace held up a black dress that moulded her body in such a way that each movement she made showed off the rounded curves of her breasts, each sway of her hips emphasised the pertness of her bottom.

He felt himself growing hard. This woman needed serious investigation.

She slowly circled the room, talking and laughing as she met people she knew—and was introduced to those she did not. She was vivacious and exciting, confident in her skin, walking with the grace of a female panther. He wondered if she had claws to match. There was something about her that was oddly familiar. Yet he could not recall ever having met her before.

‘She’s grown into quite a looker, hasn’t she?’

Vidal turned and realised that his father had been watching her also.

‘Who is she?’

‘Why, Elena, of course. I’m surprised you didn’t recognise her.’

Elena! Elena Valero! Surely not? ‘I thought she lived in America?’

His father nodded. ‘She does. She’s home on a family visit.’

Now he knew who she was he could see the young girl she had once been. But what a transformation. From gauche to graceful. From plain to sensationally, heartstoppingly beautiful. From stick thin to enticingly slender with curves in all the right places.

Dios! His heart tapped out a rapid tattoo. She had turned into a magical creature who was in danger of sliding beneath his skin with the stealth of a viper. Reina had rarely spoken about her sister so he’d not really thought about her in all these years. Now she filled his mind and he couldn’t wait for her to finish circling the room and reach his side.

Would she fail to recognise him? Or had he perhaps not changed as dramatically as she had? How many years had it been since he’d last seen her? Six since she went to America. But even before that he’d been too busy getting on with his life to take any notice of her. As far as he was concerned she’d been a wild child. Thoroughly spoilt, totally conceited, no interest in anything except herself.

He could not take his eyes off her, though, and suddenly she turned and looked at him, nothing more than a fleeting glance before she resumed her conversation. But it had been enough to heighten his desire even further.

Her eyes were enormous in her elfin face, but there had been no recognition. She’d felt him watching her, that was for sure, it had been a critical stare, but she had no idea who he was.

Nevertheless it felt like a lifetime before she reached his side. A lifetime in which he had enticed her into his bed, undressed her slowly, allowing his eyes to appreciate every inch of her amazing body before finally making crazy, fantastic love. Thank goodness she couldn’t see his heart hammering like a mad thing within his chest.

‘Vidal!’ She held out her hand.

So she did know him! All this time she had known exactly who he was—giving her the advantage! And the cold glare she had sent in his direction had been condemning rather than curious. He was none too pleased at the thought. In fact, he was rather annoyed.

‘Well, well, well, if the little girl hasn’t grown up.’

Immediately the words were out he knew that it had been the wrong thing to say. He wanted to bed her, not offend her. But hell, he’d been caught off guard and it was not a feeling he was accustomed to.

Elena lifted her chin and glared, beautifully, her eyes, more gold than brown at this moment, exquisitely fierce. ‘How many years has it been since we last saw each other?’

‘Quite a few,’ he admitted, wondering what it would really feel like to have this woman beneath him. Heavens, he hadn’t felt like this since he was a teenager and in love for the first time. His body was infused with a heat that threatened to overcome him.

‘Exactly,’ she retorted sharply. ‘You’ve changed, I’ve changed. Is it so remarkable?’

‘I almost didn’t recognise you.’ He wasn’t going to tell her that he had failed to do so. Oh, no. He had no intention of putting himself down in her eyes. ‘May I be permitted to say that the transformation is sensational?’

He didn’t let his eyes move from hers. Just listening to her voice caused an ache in his gut. It was soft and lilting, like the finest music. Infierno, this woman was sending threads of temptation through every fibre of his body. He had never met anyone who had ignited his fire so suddenly and so thoroughly.

‘Thank you, kind sir.’

It was a mocking comeback and it didn’t please him. ‘I hear you’re on a rare visit to your family.’

‘Rare?’ Her back stiffened and she stood just that little bit taller. ‘Just because you and I haven’t bumped into each other, doesn’t mean that I don’t come home often.’

‘But not as often as you should.’ Cold grey eyes looked into hers. ‘What I’d like to know is why you felt the need to move to America in the first place. Doesn’t life here satisfy you? According to your sister, your parents were heartbroken, and I can perfectly understand why. Maybe they didn’t say anything to you. You saw it as an adventure, but they felt that you were turning your back on them.’

‘How do you know what they felt? How dare you criticise me?’ she shot back, her eyes hotter than ever. ‘What I do is none of your business. I’d like to say it’s been nice speaking to you, Vidal, but I’m afraid it hasn’t. If you have nothing kind to say to me then it’s best we don’t speak at all.’ And she began to walk away.

In an instant he caught her arm. ‘Elena, we have a lot to catch up on.’ His whole body went up in flames as he crushed her enticing body close to his, felt those long, sensuous limbs slide agonisingly against his more powerful ones, experienced the torment of her amazing breasts pressed into his chest.

‘Do we?’ she asked coldly. ‘I don’t blame my sister for walking out on you. You’re an arrogant swine who’s poking his nose into something that doesn’t concern him.’ Tugging herself free, and with a final condemning glare, she marched away.

He had no choice but to let her go, not if he didn’t want to create a scene. But his eyes followed her, watched the swing of her hips, the long graceful movement of her legs, half expecting her to glance back over her shoulder. She did not disappoint. And he met her eyes head on.

Such beautiful eyes, sloe shaped and a rich, dark golden-brown, fringed by long, thick, black lashes. There was a curious mixture of hauteur and interest in the way she looked at him and he allowed himself to smile faintly. Have no fear, Elena Benitez Valero, you’ll never walk away from me again.

To think that he had almost married Reina!

The thought hit him hard as he got ready for bed later that night. He had not spoken to Elena again, but he had watched every movement she made, saw the ease with which she talked to almost everyone present, flirting outrageously with the young men sitting either side of her at the dinner table.

He had also noticed the way that she carefully avoided looking at him and was grimly amused. Perhaps it meant that she too had felt a spark ready to ignite? Could it be that beneath the arrogance she was Miss Fire and Brimstone? His body hardened at the thought of getting to know her—intimately. Very intimately.

When he had agreed to marry her elder sister it had merely been a convenient partnership to form the merger of their banks. Reina had been willing and no one except themselves, his brother and their parents had been aware that it was not a love match.

But recently Reina had begun to have doubts. She wanted a real marriage, she said, she wanted to fall in love and live the fairy-tale dream. So he had done the honourable thing and released her from their engagement. Naturally, for Reina’s sake, he had let everyone believe that they had fallen out, and he had seen no reason why he should not still help her parents.

In fact, he had been ready to put things into motion—until tonight when he met Elena!

In an instant he’d had a dramatic change of heart. Elena would fit the bill as his wife perfectly. He had only to think of her delectable body, those fantastic breasts cupped in his hands, her incredibly long legs wrapped around him and those plump, delicious lips pressed hard against his, to know that he wouldn’t be satisfied until he had her in his bed.

He had made up his mind.

No Elena, no merger.

He knew how worried her parents must be. They had no idea yet that he had been thinking of going ahead with the merger regardless of his marriage to Reina. Maybe this was the reason Elena was here. Maybe they were trying to persuade her to take her sister’s place!

The thought brought a smile to his lips.

All he had to do now was sit back and wait.

Or maybe use a little light persuasion!

Elena wouldn’t agree to it straight away, he was aware of that. She wouldn’t worry whether her parents’ bank prospered or sank. She had turned her back on them. Goodness knew what she got up to in America. He didn’t know and he didn’t care.

Regardless, she was a stunning woman now and all he wanted was her beside him—every night.

Vidal went to sleep with a smile on his face.

Having met with Vidal again Elena was even more convinced that marriage to him was out of the question. He had changed almost beyond recognition. Gone was the young man she remembered. This man oozed sophistication. It crept out of his pores like an unwanted drug. His thick, dark hair, which had always refused to be tamed, now sat sleekly on his well-moulded head. And his powerful body suggested hours spent in a gym.

His eyes hadn’t changed; they were still a startling grey and actually rather attractive. It was his arrogance that really annoyed her. He might be the president of El Banco de Marquez, but his manners and his attitude towards her had certainly not improved.

She had known he was watching her across the room; she had felt his eyes on her the whole evening. It had sent cold shivers down her spine and a resurrection of the dislike she had felt for him when she was younger.

But what she hadn’t expected was the way he had greeted her. Little girl indeed! Was that how he still saw her? Admittedly he had tempered his comment by saying she had grown up sensationally—but she guessed that was designed to make himself look good.

And his suggestion that she wasn’t being fair on her parents had really got her back up. She rang them every day, for pity’s sake, and visited as often as she could. They had never uttered one word of reproach and had always insisted that they were proud of her for making something of her life.

It was why she couldn’t understand why they wanted her to give it up to marry Vidal.

What sort of a marriage would it be when he still treated her as Reina’s baby sister? He would never accept that she had grown up, or that she was a successful businesswoman in her own right. She couldn’t imagine anything worse than being married to him. He might have grown more handsome, staggeringly so. And he most definitely looked the part of one of the richest men in Spain. But as for anything else…

Chapter Two

‘I FEAR I’m wasting your time—as well as my own.’ Elena’s chin was high, her eyes fiercely defiant. Vidal had telephoned almost before she had got out of bed this morning and said that they needed to talk—so here they were in a tiny restaurant tucked away in the back streets of Seville having breakfast, and she had scared herself to death by feeling an unexpected and extremely scary response to him.

He wore a different cologne from last night, something light and musky and intensely sexy. And he looked as fresh as if he had had eight hours’ sleep. Yet she knew he couldn’t have had more than four. The dinner had gone on and on, with music to dance to if people wanted, although most had ignored it, preferring to catch up with each other instead.