Alliance with His Stolen Heiress by Lydia San Andres

Author:Lydia San Andres
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2023-01-18T18:55:57+00:00

* * *

Julián had long since given up hoping for any shred of approval from Don Reynaldo Fuentes. But from the moment he’d walked into the hotel’s dining room to see Amalia face-to-face with Victor, he’d been holding himself in such rigid control that even his father would have been proud.

All it took to crack it was one remark from her uncle.

No—that wasn’t right. It was the look on Amalia’s face when she came to the realization that Don Francisco was right. Julián had used her. Not for the reasons they all thought, and his interest in her wasn’t entirely mercenary, but well, there it was.

Amalia didn’t just look hurt. She had that dazed look of someone who’d just had the floor pulled out from under her. He couldn’t have hurt her more if he’d deliberately set out to do it.

Julián’s heart—if he had such a thing, and if it hadn’t already shriveled beyond recognition—felt like it was splintering.

And there would be no putting it back together. He had already seen Victor glance down at the ring Amalia still wore. The sharp narrowing of his eyes when he recognized it made Julián’s stomach sink. He knew what was coming. He’d seen Victor do it once before, almost a year ago now, and he wasn’t about to give his cousin the chance to do it again.

Shielding Amalia from Victor’s machinations was going to be impossible now. But at least Julián could soften the blow. Unfortunately, the only way to do that was to make Victor and his father believe that he had little interest for her beyond what he could get out of her. So instead of throwing himself at Amalia’s feet and showering her with apologies, Julián was going to do his best to break her heart.

And the remains of his with it.

It was for the better. He’d vowed to himself that he would never put himself in a situation where someone he cared for could be used against him. Not again. Never again.

Julián summoned up one of the insolent smiles he knew irritated his father beyond all reason. “Used is such an ugly word,” he said lightly, forcing himself to look directly at Amalia. “Especially when our journey from San Pedro proved so pleasurable. Dare I say mutually so?”

There was a split second in which Amalia’s eyes were wide and unguarded and raw with the shock of his betrayal. Then they shuttered, and grim determination hardened her generous mouth.

Less than an hour ago Julián had laid claim to those lips. He had reveled in the dips and hollows of that sumptuous mouth, thinking that it would be his—maybe not forever, because he knew better than to aspire to that much happiness, but for a little while at least. Long enough for him to commit her taste to memory.

“I doubt she would describe any time spent in your presence as pleasurable,” Victor said.

Amalia didn’t bother to hide her irritation. “I can speak for myself,” she told Victor, before turning to Julián.

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