Chapter Two
CHAPTER TWO
S HE HAD LOST HIM .
Nina looked from one edge of the darkened terrace to the other, squinting in the low light. She’d spent the past hour discreetly tailing Tristan Falco from afar, waiting for an opportunity to sidetrack him and make her move. For someone who had avoided the paddock as a new owner under the guise of being far too busy, the infuriating man had a remarkable flare for striking up a conversation with every passer-by with a pulse. Not only that, it was very clear that he was hosting the entire event.
Her irritation had grown as she’d watched him glide effortlessly between the influential guests that filled the long gallery, a grand crown atop his head as if he owned the entire museum. Which he did not. She had already done a quick search on her phone to check. The Falco family were probably the biggest benefactors, with their historic jewellery and gem collection being one of the grandest exhibits in Europe.
She had already been exhausted after the weekend of racing events, followed by that press conference and the subsequent mad dash to get here, and she was now feeling the effects. Her insides felt too tight, her thoughts moving too fast. Events like this served only to remind her of her childhood in Monte Carlo, back when the Roux name had been a golden ticket to every elite event in the city. Her mother had wanted to parade her only daughter around in all the latest fashions like a doll, then grown furious when Nina had struggled to behave correctly. She’d been told she was too sensitive. Too different. Too much.
But, for Nina, the high-society world had been what felt like too much. The scratchy clothing, the dancing, the unwritten rules, the constant noise and banal chat. The only way she’d managed to cope was by zoning out to the happy place in her mind, imagining she was navigating the trickiest chicane in the Circuit de Monaco or flying along the final straight to victory at the Autodromo Accardi.
On the track she wasn’t too sensitive or weird or wrong. Her attention to detail and her immovable focus were what made her a damn great driver. The only time she’d ever felt right was behind the wheel of a racing car with her aunt Lola’s words ringing in her mind, to ask herself not if she could become a world champion but when . She refused to lose that determination and let a bunch of clueless men in suits break her down. She wouldn’t let them win.
A balmy breeze blew across her flushed cheeks and she prayed she wouldn’t cry. She ached to remove the false lashes on her lids, feeling rather like a prisoner in a cage of modern beauty standards. The haute couture gown was too heavy and felt like sandpaper on her skin. Bracing her hands on the stone balustrade, she drew a hearty breath and growled with frustration, letting go of some of her tightly held restraint in the solitude of the dark terrace, adding a string of curses under her breath for good measure.
‘Looking for someone?’
Nina jumped, peering over her shoulder to find a man looming in a shadowy alcove beside the doorway she’d just exited through. A loud squeak escaped her lips as her body seemed to react of its own accord, her hands slipping on the balcony ledge, sending her sliding sideways until her hip bone thumped painfully into the cold stone.
When she looked up, the man had moved out of the shadows, a familiar sapphire-encrusted crown glinting atop his head and white tuxedo jacket glowing in the moonlight.
Falco.
Her eyes narrowed upon the man she’d been seeking for much longer than one night, the man who had hijacked all of her plans and taken her dreams, stamping them under his shiny billionaire shoes. He stared at her, eyes hooded and the hint of a smirk dancing upon his full lips. He really was sinfully handsome, for a spineless jerk.
‘Why yes, as a matter of fact.’ She stepped forward. ‘I’m here to—’
‘Take off your mask,’ he interjected silkily.
Nina inhaled sharply. ‘Excuse me? That’s not exactly—’
‘Take off your mask... por favor .’
‘Do you always bark commands at strangers in the dark by way of greeting?’ she snapped.
‘Only if said stranger has unashamedly stalked me from the moment she arrived at this event.’
She felt her cheeks heat, another flare of irritation at herself for how utterly terribly this plan was going.
‘Did you hope for me not to notice your eyes on me, belleza ?’ He took another step forward. ‘Or is this all part of your game for me this evening? Because I’ll admit I’m hoping for the latter.’
Belleza? Her game? What kind of riddles was this man talking in? She opened her mouth to speak, only to feel a warm fingertip press ever so slightly against her lips. Eyes wide, she fought the urge to bite it off.
‘There is no need to be embarrassed,’ he continued, oblivious to the danger his digit was in. ‘I admire a woman who sees what she wants and tracks it down unapologetically. I noticed you from the moment that you stepped onto the carpet outside. I found myself...irrevocably intrigued. I know everyone here. But you are a mystery.’
‘Everyone here is wearing a mask,’ she pointed out. ‘Everyone except you, Your Highness.’
His smile widened at the sarcastic honorific, his ego clearly enjoying a thorough stroke. Her mind’s eye immediately conjured an image of herself smacking that smile from his pompous, arrogant, perfectly sculpted lips. She paused at that last descriptor, wondering why looking at those lips made her feel too warm all of a sudden. He noticed where her gaze had wandered and his smirk turned utterly sinful.
‘Take off the mask,’ he murmured again. ‘Or are you waiting for me to remove it for you?’
‘I dare you to try.’ She spoke through gritted teeth.
‘Do you realise your eyes practically glowed just now?’ he mused, pursing his lips as he trailed a fingertip along the edge of her mask. ‘Quite an achievement, considering they are such a deep brown that they’re practically black. Like tourmaline...or the rarest obsidian.’
The sudden bubble of laughter that escaped Nina’s throat took her by surprise, but once she released it she could no longer hold back.
‘Something amusing?’ he asked, his charming mask slipping ever so slightly.
‘It’s just...the pretty Spanish endearments, describing eyeballs like rare gems et cetera. Do you speak to every woman you meet with such flowery words?’
‘Are you trying to puncture my ego on purpose?’ He feigned injury, pressing a tanned hand to his chest. ‘Or is this how you flirt?’
‘I think you know that I’m not here for vacuous flirtation.’
‘No, I can tell that you’re different. You’re here with a purpose, aren’t you?’ he said softly. ‘How lucky that we find ourselves having a rare and magical moment on this deserted terrace.’
‘Of course.’ She let out another tinny breath of laughter. ‘I’m different. I’m special .’
‘You are...certainly fascinating,’ he countered. ‘And not at all what I expected to find when I lured you out here.’
‘I was not lured , I followed you.’ She paused, a blush climbing her cheeks at the immediate expression of victory on his smug face. Damn him. Fully tired of this game , as he’d called it, she swept the white mask from her face and waited for his immediate recognition and apology. None came.
His eyes roamed her face, the tense silence that followed making her feel as if she were under a microscope. When he finally spoke, his voice held an odd rasp, as though it vibrated directly out from the depths of his chest.
‘ There you are, belleza .’
There was something familiar about her. Something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. As though they had met before, but he knew all too well that if they had, he would have remembered her. He was not a man prone to fascination. He had become jaded with the frequency of intimate situations such as this, of people practically throwing themselves in his path once they had heard the rumours of his sensual prowess. Rumours that had begun during a particularly intense time in his life and had never quite left him.
Of course, many of the things that had been said about him were completely true. But that was beside the point.
Perhaps that was why this delectable woman was making him feel as if his chest were suddenly too tight beneath his skin. She was young and beautiful and yet she seemed entirely unimpressed by him, almost irritated by his silky words and practised compliments. It was refreshing... And did absolutely nothing to calm the raging heat that had been steadily building within him from the moment he’d seen her delicate features up close.
Without the mask, the full perfection of her face had assaulted him, those focused obsidian eyes perfectly framed by dark brows and delicately rounded cheeks. Her lips were lush and full, certainly kissable, but it was the small dimple in her chin that caught his attention most. A stubborn chin, currently tilted up at him as if to emphasise that very fact.
She hadn’t made any move to push him away, or go back inside, so he knew that her protestations were likely a part of her gambit. Perhaps she had heard the rumours that he was seeking a wife and was fearlessly offering herself up for the cause.
He would reward her bravery, quite thoroughly if given the chance. Images of peeling her out of that sparkling blue confection sprang to his mind, not doing anything to help the rather pressing situation threatening below his belt.
‘Nothing to say?’ she asked, a strangely expectant expression on her pixie-like face. The make-up she wore was pronounced, too pronounced for his liking. He had the sudden urge to see her freshly washed, scrubbed free of any excess. In his shower preferably after a night of vigorous lovemaking.
‘I would offer up more compliments, but you’ve made it clear you have no need for them. Instead, let’s talk about why you’re here,’ he said simply.
‘I would think it’s quite obvious why I’m here,’ she answered softly. ‘You’re a notoriously difficult man to pin down.’
‘And you believe that you are the woman for the job?’
‘I wouldn’t have come all this way if I didn’t. Of course, I’m quite busy and would have preferred for you to come to me...for us to have discussed this in a more appropriate setting. But this will have to do.’
Tristan smiled, surprised at how very much he was enjoying her directness. For a man in urgent need of a fiancée to put his mother’s matchmaking to rest, he couldn’t do much better than this woman if he’d tried. He wouldn’t do something so foolish as to actually marry her, of course. But he could enjoy exploring this hypothetical negotiation of theirs for a little longer.
‘A more formal setting?’ he asked silkily. ‘The nearest courthouse perhaps?’
‘There’s no need to rush straight to legalities. I heard you were a more skilled negotiator than that?’ She looked away, a small frown appearing between her brows. ‘I’m not interested in a public spectacle. I followed you here tonight to discuss the benefits for us both in getting this done quickly.’
Again, words left him for a moment. He simply stared, utterly baffled at the rush of exhilaration coursing through him. She was speaking of marriage, for goodness’ sake. He should be running a mile. Just what kind of spell had she put over him?
‘Are you expecting a proposal right here on this terrace?’
She frowned at his words. ‘At the very least I’m expecting an attempt at negotiation. A display of your notorious skills before you allow me to walk away. Because, trust me, I am fully prepared to do that.’
‘You would deny yourself the experience of my... skills so easily?’ He stepped forward, close enough that the skirt of her dress pooled against his knees. ‘Are you not curious to see me in action?’
Her eyes widened, her neck lengthening prettily as she looked up at him through hooded lashes. Ah yes, the guile of innocence... Not one of his favourite performances but one that he could appreciate, nonetheless. Here she was waylaying him with the hopes of dazzling him into a proposal and when all else failed she would play the na?ve damsel, completely unaware of her sensual prowess.
‘I’m sure you’re quite impressive,’ she said breathlessly, her eyes still trained on his lips. ‘I don’t want to walk away, allow me to be perfectly clear on that point. But I know that you’d be a fool to let me go. I know how valuable I am.’
‘Like a rare gem, in fact?’
Her nostrils flared, one pointed finger rising to poke him in the chest. ‘Don’t mock me, Falco. I’m not here to play.’
He grabbed her hand, holding it captive against the spot where his heart beat frantically against his ribcage. Those obsidian eyes glowed up at him once again with irritation and he was done for. He’d give her whatever she wanted just to see that passion in another, more intimate setting.
‘ Playing is the best way to negotiate, cari?a .’ He laid a single tentative kiss against the inside of the wrist he held captive. ‘It’s my favourite way, in fact. But we will need to take this meeting somewhere more private if I hope to give you my full attention.’
‘Somewhere private,’ she repeated slowly, her eyes glued to the point where his lips still pressed against her skin. ‘Okay...’
‘I can have my driver meet us out front in five minutes,’ he murmured, urgency rapidly taking control of his libido as he slowly drew her closer. ‘And I can have you naked and calling out my name in ten.’
She looked up at him, and he caught a brief view of her eyes widening in surprise before he lowered his lips to hers. The heat of her mouth against his was like a fire in his blood and he suddenly doubted if they would make it to the car at all. It felt like a lifetime since he’d experienced this kind of unbridled desire for a woman.
He paused, realising she hadn’t moved since he’d kissed her—in fact, she was as still as a statue. He moved to pull back, only to hear the smallest moan escape her lips. Her hands slid up to wrap around his neck and suddenly she was kissing him back frantically, albeit with very little control or finesse.
A roar of victory coursed through his veins and he scooped her up, pressing her back against the stone balustrade and tilting his head to gain deeper access. He needed to taste every inch of her and have her do the same to him. He needed her wild for him. As though she heard his thoughts, her tongue delved into his mouth in a perfect imitation of his own, giving just as good as she got. Just as he’d thought, she was a little firebrand. Dios , but he was half tempted to take her right here on the balcony, no questions asked. He didn’t even know her name.
Perhaps he’d keep it that way, keep the air of mystery between them for tonight, then once they’d both been thoroughly satisfied he’d deal with the aftermath. The real world could wait. Everything could wait.
Vaguely, he was aware of a sudden flash of white light. His mystery woman froze in his arms and for a moment he wondered if lightning had struck. How very poetic that would be. But as a second burst of light surrounded them, his sex-addled mind finally processed that it was the unmistakable flash of a camera bulb. Rearing back, he turned just as a third flash bathed the terrace with white light and briefly illuminated a young woman holding up a phone on the next terrace.
‘Mierda,’ he growled, gently lowering his equally kiss-addled companion down to her feet before moving quickly towards the iron railing that separated the two balconies. The woman with the phone had already begun running in the opposite direction, but if they moved quickly his security team might catch up to her. He had to, if he wanted any chance of stopping those photos from getting out. His promise to his mother ringing in his ears, he made the call and felt his chest release slightly when he was assured that his team were on the case. It would be fine, everything would be fine and he would still be free to continue exploring his little interlude with the woman in blue.
That particular thought renewing his lust, he spun around to find the terrace was now empty and all trace of his mystery woman gone.