CHAPTER THREE

      MADRID WAS THE last place Lydia had expected to find herself and Raul’s overpowering presence made it seem even more unreal, as if she were in the middle of a dream—or a nightmare.

      The flight to Spain on his private jet had been difficult and with just the two of them she’d wondered what they were going to talk about. Thankfully he’d used the time to read over some paperwork and she’d given the outward appearance of relaxing even though inside she’d been a jumbled mess of questions. Now however, as they travelled in the back of his chauffeur-driven car through the bustle of the city’s streets, lit up with festive cheer even in the late afternoon, she couldn’t escape the fact that his full attention was focused on her.

      ‘How long do you anticipate it will take to find my brother?’ It was the first time he’d referred to him not as his half-brother and she wondered why, when he was notorious for being a playboy himself, he had been so affronted by the discovery of another sibling. But then she knew better than most that families could portray a façade of happiness when underneath secrets and lies were hidden away. It was an art she too had now perfected.

      ‘I have no idea, not until you can give me some more information, but don’t forget this is not my profession. Researching family history is just an interest of mine. I’m not claiming to be an expert.’ She didn’t like the way his eyes narrowed, a sign she’d quickly realised was one of irritation. Neither did she like the rush of panic that swept over her. What if she failed?

      You can’t fail, so you’re not going to.

      ‘What is your profession?’ The glacial tone of his voice held scorn and she had to fight hard against the urge to smile smugly at him because one thing was certain and that was the fact that he still labelled her a spoilt little rich girl—Daddy’s heiress who didn’t know how to do anything other than party and shop.

      ‘My profession?’

      ‘Yes, what is it that you do each day?’

      Would he be surprised if she told him that she’d graduated from university with an honours in Spanish? What about if she told him she’d taken her love of fashion and now had two very successful luxury boutiques? One in London and one in Paris. She’d never linked them to her family name, wanting only to succeed on her own merit. And she had. Briefly she wanted to shock him with that piece of information, but what right did he have to know everything about her? All she needed to do was trace his brother and it could be done in a matter of a week or two—if she was lucky.

      ‘I think it’s fair to say my strengths lie in the retail market.’ She teased around the truth, played on what he still thought of her and couldn’t help but smile as he scowled at her. Let him think what he wanted to. Far better that he thought she spent money rather than earned it. After all she was here in Madrid to settle her father’s debts, so that she could move on and put the shambles that was her childhood behind her. She had only ever been an inconvenience to her mother, who now barely contacted her, and her father had always been a shadowy figure in the background of her life. It had been her grandmother who’d brought her up.

      ‘You will of course find plenty of opportunity for such retail strengths here in Madrid.’ The icy tone of his voice was almost enough to make the sun race behind the gathering rain clouds. If he tried hard enough he might even make it snow. She smiled at the thought as she watched him, his handsome face full of undisguised annoyance. ‘Especially at this time of the year.’

      ‘Yes, but there are of course more important matters than shopping right now—like which hotel do you suggest I stay at?’ She hadn’t been away from home for some time and was looking forward to the luxury of time out, satisfied that her recently appointed London manager would handle almost any problem that should arise. Not that she intended to stay for an extended length of time. Once she’d handed over the information Raul Valdez had requested, she’d leave, free of debt and free of obligation—to anyone. Even if it took two weeks she’d still be back in London before Christmas.

      ‘You will be staying with me.’ His words dropped into the ocean of her thoughts, shattering them as the waves of implications spread outwards.

      ‘With you?’ She looked across the car at him, suddenly feeling trapped. There was no way she could stay with him, not when he unleashed the kind of reaction that made her doubt her ability to ignore his presence or the sizzle of attraction that rampaged through her just from one look of those sexy dark eyes. She didn’t need or want the complications of a man in her life. Daniel had killed those silly dreams even if her parents’ hostile marriage hadn’t.

      She looked away from those brooding eyes and the sensation that he could read every thought that ran through her mind. Instead she focused on the passing city streets. What was the matter with her? Since when did she go all gooey over a man? She’d never been like this before.

      ‘I have a perfectly adequate guest suite in my apartment.’ A smile teased around his lips as she looked back at him, instantly wishing she hadn’t as a zip of something she really didn’t want to acknowledge charged through her.

      ‘I thought you wanted to keep your search quiet and away from the press. What if they see you and I together and come up with the wrong answer?’ She scrabbled for a reason not to stay with him.

      ‘If that does happen, our romance will be much more of interest than the research you will be doing.’ The heavy line of his brows lifted and this time he did smile. One of satisfaction and she swallowed down against the flutter that rose swiftly from her stomach, making her head light. She wasn’t a teenager being chatted up by the hottest guy she’d ever met. She was a grown woman who knew her own mind, one who would make him regret ever looking at her with such disdain.

      ‘Our romance?’ A nervous laugh escaped with those words, intensifying her anger at the situation she was in.

      ‘The perfect cover for your investigation, no?’ The car stopped and he looked at her, the flirtatious mood of seconds ago disappearing. ‘Do not forget who has the debt to settle, Lydia. You are not in a position to make demands or question my decisions and we will act as if we are in a relationship, as if we both accept the terms of the contract your father signed with mine.’

      Before