Jacqueline hurried over to the door that led back into the reception area where an alarming amount of activity could be noticed. The reticent receptionist who received her so impassively was standing to attention with a megawatt smile of appreciation and a well-dressed older man was greeting Diego with a horrendous amount of bowing and scraping.
“Your Excellency,” the man murmured dutifully.
As though some sixth sense warned him of her presence, Diego turned his proud dark head. Eyes as rich as gold ingots in sunlight encountered hers. Her stomach flipped, her mouth ran dry and her heartbeat escalated as though she was trying to run up a hill. It was like being hit by a truck and she reacted with panic.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Jacqueline asked belligerently.
Though taken aback by her unexpected appearance, Diego didn’t show any sign of it. In the space of a moment, he had absorbed every facet of the slender woman poised by the door.
She had the fine structure and grace of a dancer and the fleeting air of a butterfly ready to fly at the first sign of trouble. Her toffee-brown hair fell in a wavy ocean around her delicately pointed face, framing wide green eyes bright and sharp as lancets, a freckled nose turned up at the tip and a full sweet cupid’s bow mouth.
His intense gaze semi-cloaked by the lush density of his lashes, Diego tore his attention from the provocative appeal of that very feminine mouth and struggled to suppress a primitive and infuriatingly inappropriate flare of pure lust.
Jacqueline folded her arms to hide the fact that her hands were shaking.
“I asked you a question, Diego… Who asked you to come here?” she demanded.
“His Excellency is attending this meeting at my request, Miss Maxwell,” the lawyer interrupted in a shocked tone of criticism.
Diego moved a step closer and extended both his lean brown hands. His stunning dark golden eyes met hers in a head-on collision. Before Jacqueline even knew what she was doing, she was uncrossing her defensive arms and freeing her fingers to make contact with him, for a yearning she couldn’t deny had leaped up inside her.
“I know how close you were to your sister. Allow me to offer you my deepest condolences on her death,” Diego breathed with quiet gravity.
Hot pink color like a flood tide to wash Jacqueline’s pale complexion. Her small hands trembled in the warm hold of his. Ferocious emotions gripped her and threatened to tear her apart. She couldn’t doubt his sincerity and his compassion pushed her to the brink of tears.
Diego had put her in the wrong spot with his immaculate sense of occasion, social sophistication, and superb manners by answering her less-than-polite greeting with courtesy.
For that alone, Jacqueline could’ve screamed at him and wept in rage. She refused to be impressed. She also refused to think about how much he had hurt her almost three years earlier.
Instead, she concentrated on a more relevant line of attack. Where had Diego Martinez del Río and his rich, snobby family been when Alyssa had been desperate for help and support? She yanked her hands in stark rejection.
“I don’t want your precious condolences! I don't need them,” Jacqueline told him baldly.
“Nonetheless they are yours,” Diego purred smoothly, marveling at the level of her aggression and the novelty value of her rejection.
Women were never aggressive towards Diego or ungrateful for his consideration. Jacqueline was the single exception to that rule.
“Again, you still haven’t told me what you’re doing here,” Jacqueline said stubbornly.
“As you were just told, I was invited,” Diego reminded her gently.
“Your Excellency… please, come this way,” the lawyer urged him in a pained tone of apology.
Although Jacqueline had grown increasingly pale with unease and nerves, her chin came up.
“I’m not going anywhere until someone tells me what’s going on here! What gives you the right to hear what my sister said in her will?”
“Let’s discuss that and other issues in a more private setting,” Diego suggested quietly.
Once again Jacqueline’s face flamed pink with irritation. Squirming embarrassment afflicted her when she unwillingly recalled the consequences of her visit to Monterrey nearly three years earlier.
His rejection had hurt like hell and devastated her pride. She had been too pathetically naïve to recognize that the blue-blooded Duque de Altamira was simply amusing himself flirting with the peasants.
It requested a huge effort on her part to repress that wounding memory and concentrate on the present. Her slender spine stiff, she sank in a seat in the spacious office.
Determined to emulate Diego’s cool, she decided to resist the temptation to give way to any further outbursts and she compressed her lips. At the same time, she was frantically striving to work out why Diego should’ve been asked to come all the way from Mexico. After all, Jaime’s arrogant brother hadn’t bothered to get in touch before, nor had he shown the smallest interest in the existence of Azura, his little niece.
An annoying shudder of anxiety traveled through Jacqueline. The lawyer began to read the will with the slight haste of someone eager to get an unpleasant task out of the way.
The document was short and simple and all too soon Jacqueline understood why Diego’s presence had been considered so necessary. However, she couldn’t accept what she had heard and questioned it.
“So, just to be sure I got it right… My sister nominated Diego a legal guardian as well?”
“Yes, Miss Maxwell,” the lawyer confirmed.
“What’s the point? I’m more than capable of taking care of Azura without any kind of help,” Jacqueline proclaimed brightly. “And since I can do it all by myself, I see no need for anyone else to get involved! Least of all, him,” she added without looking at Diego, though.
“It’s not so simple,” Diego slotted in smooth as a rapier blade, but a faint frown line now divided his ebony eyebrows.
He was surprised that the will had made no mention of the disposition of Alyssa’s property and was about to query that omission. Jacqueline spared the tall Mexican her first fleeting glance since entering the room. Her troubled green eyes announced that a storm was coming.
“It can be as simple as you’re willing to make it. I don’t know what came over Alyssa when she chose to include you…”
“Common sense, maybe?” Diego batted back drily.
“I suppose Alyssa must’ve been scared that we both might be involved in an accident,” Jacqueline deemed heatedly, fighting to maintain her composure. “We’re talking worst-case scenario here, but luckily things aren’t as bad as that. I’m young and fit and well able to take care of Azura all on my own.”
“I'm having some serious issues with this statement,” Diego murmured.
Her teeth gritted.
“Duque,” she shot back at him mockingly, “you can have issues with whatever you like but it’s not going to change anything!”
“Your sister nominated you and the His Excellency as joint guardians of Azura, her daughter,” the lawyer expanded. “That means that you have equal rights over the child…”
“Equal rights?”
Jaqueline gasped in rampant disbelief.
“Equal rights,” Diego repeated with a silken emphasis he couldn’t resist.
“No other arrangement is possible without application to the courts,” the lawyer decreed.
“But that’s totally outrageous!” Jacqueline launched at Diego.
“With all due respect, I would suggest that my family is entitled to assist in the task of raising my brother’s child.”
“Why?” Jacqueline slung back wrathfully as she leaped to her feet. “So that your precious family can make as big a mess of bringing up Azura as they did with her father?”
Angry disconcertion had tensed Diego’s lean, darkly handsome features.
“Both our siblings are now dead. Let’s respect that reality.”
“Don’t you dare ask me to respect Jaime’s memory!” she flared back at him in disgust. “Your brother wrecked my sister’s life!”
“May I speak to Miss Maxwell alone for a few minutes?” Diego asked the lawyer.
The older man, whose discomfiture during that increasingly heated exchange of views had been extreme, got up with relief at the request and left the room.
“Please, sit down,” Diego instructed politely but coolly, determined not to rise to the bait of her provocative accusations. “Take note that I will not argue with you. Recriminations are pointless and wrong in this situation. The child’s interests must come first…”
Jacqueline was so furious that only a scream could’ve expressed her feelings. Denied that possibility, she coiled her hands into tight little fists of restraint by her side.
“Don’t you dare tell me what’s right and what’s wrong! Let me tell you…”
Diego rose upright with unhurried grace.
“I don’t need you to tell me anything that I don’t ask for. And if you insist, I will not listen. You will lower your voice and moderate your language. You will also stop disrespecting me.”
“How dare you talking to me like that? Like I’m some stupid kid?” Jacqueline launched at him. “You walk in here, you start laying down the law and acting like you know best…”
“Trust me, I do know best,” Diego incised and not in a tone of apology. “I recognize that you have suffered a recent loss and that grief may well have challenged your temper…”
“That’s not why I hate your guts and that’s not why I’m yelling at you!” Jacqueline informed him fiercely, green eyes bright with fury. “Your awful brother robbed my sister of everything she possessed and left her penniless and in debt. He was a hateful liar and a cheater. He took her money and threw it away at the gambling tables and the racetrack. When there was nothing left, he told her he’d never loved her anyway and he walked!”
Hewas disturbed but not that surprised by those revelations. He felt it would be insensitive to point out that, even before Alyssa had wed his brother, he had made an unsuccessful attempt to warn Jacqueline’s sibling of her future husband’s essential unreliability when it came to money.“If that’s the truth, well, I’m so very sorry for it. Had I been made aware of those facts, I would’ve granted Alyssa all the help that it was within my power to give.” Jacqueline snatched in a jagged breath.“Is this all you’ve got to say about this matter?” Diego had a low tolerance threshold for such personal attacks. In his blood ran the hot pure-bred pride of the Spanish and Mexican nobility and a long line of ancestors to whom honor had been a chivalrous, engr
On the drive back home, Jacqueline gave Steve a brief update on events and then fell silent. She was too upset to make conversation. Devastated by the contents of her sister’s will, Jacqueline was simply terrified that she was in serious danger of losing little Azura and shell-shocked by meeting up with Diego Martinez again. How could Alyssa have chosen Diego to be her child’s guardian? After all, her sister had had virtually no contact with her Mexican in-laws after her wedding. She had once admitted to Jacqueline that Jaime had never got on with his relatives and that that was why he preferred to live in San Francisco. When Diego had contacted Alyssa after Jaime’s death, Alyssa had been almost hysterical in her determination to have nothing further to do with her late husband’s family. Even when Alyss
“I guess…” Jacqueline muttered, biting her lower lip while all the while studying him from below her lashes and feeling horribly shy. She had an inborn disbelief of handsome men and the man in front of her was absolutely dazzling. She was also noticing the subtle signs of expensive designer elegance in his clothing and started looking for a way out of the room. After all, she promised her sister she wouldn’t talk to anyone.“Excuse me… I must go… I shouldn’t be in here.”“Why not? Are you not a friend of the bride?” Alyssa’s warning came to her mind once again, so all she did was nodding in a reluctant agreement.“And your name?” Diego prompted, strolling silently closer.“Jackie… Uh… Jacq
Diego stayed behind at the lawyer’s office to clarify certain matters for his own benefit. He already knew that Alyssa used to work as a waitress and was pretty penniless at the time of her death. Yet when she had married Jaime, the beautiful English blonde had a fair amount of money and a nice property she had inherited from her parents. How was it possible that in such a short period of time, she and Jaime took all their fortune and spend it all in a blink of an eye? After Jaime died, his late sister-in-law had met another man and they moved in together. That was a strong signal that Alyssa was pretty determined not to ask her late husband’s family for help. And he didn’t insist anymore. It took a lot to shock Diego but he was stunned when, having asked for Jacqueline’s address, he learned where exact
As Diego spoke in that patronizing tone, every atom of color slowly drained from Jacqueline’s shattered face.“We don’t live in appalling poverty…”“Well, after giving a look around, I’m afraid that you do. I don’t want to offend you but I must speak the truth.”“Yet, you did offend me. And you can’t take her away from me… You can't take her to Mexico,” Jacqueline breathed shakily, feeling so sick at that threat she could hardly squeeze out a sound. The very idea of losing Azura hit her as hard as a punch in the stomach, winding her, driving her mind blank with gut-wrenching fear.“Why not, Jacqueline?” Diego quirked an ebony eyebrow. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t take this baby away and give her a life free of poverty, worries
After his departure, Jacqueline stood in her trailer, reflecting in agonizing panic. Diego Francisco Martinez del Río was planning to take her beloved Azura away from her straight to Monterrey, Mexico. He was pretty determined to separate the little girl from the only person she knew and relocate her to a strange house with people speaking a different language. And to pour salt on the fresh wound, the… Duke dared to tell her how the baby that she loved, should be brought up… Like until now, she only attended his help or his advice to raise her little niece well. Desperately fixed to keep herself busy so that she didn’t have time to worry at that thought, Jacqueline calmed Azura down, then fed the little girl and put her to sleep in her little cradle.&nbs
Like Cinderella but without the fairy godmother to help, the next day, Jacqueline prepared from dawn to dusk, struggling to make herself pretty for her big date with Diego. But, early that evening, the fate stroke again. Nina, her mother, and Daniel, her boyfriend, split up after a very ugly fight caused by her mother… again. What happened was that Daniel found Nina with another man drinking and having a good time, and a huge argument took place. The fight between them went for a while. After listening wretchedly from the balcony to the fight that concluded in their separate departures, Jacqueline crept back indoors. But she already knew the date would never happen. Ten minutes later, Daniel’s teenaged son, Terry, appeared in her doorway. The boy was des
Later that morning, Jacqueline saw the limousine pulling in front of her trailer. Diego swung out and unfolded to his full intimidating height and she had eyes only for him. Yes, he was the enemy, but he was undeniably breathtaking. Immaculate in appearance and stunningly handsome, Diego was wearing a formal charcoal-grey suit teamed with a white shirt and a blue silk tie. Dragging her beguiled attention from him, Jacqueline smoothed damp palms down over her most presentable T-shirt. She was so nervous she started talking before she even had the door properly open.“Azura is not here… A friend is looking after her for me… So, I thought we could talk on the beach… It’s a lovely day.” Lovely? Diego thought the sky was cloudy, the wind rather strong and the temperature distinc
“You want to talk? Okay… I’ll say it all for you,” Jacqueline told him jerkily.“Why didn’t I think of that? I really should take you into the office with me…”“Stop making jokes about this!” All of a sudden, she was finding it impossible to maintain her act of indifference.“You know we only got married because you believed Azura was your niece.”“No, I don’t know that,” Diego responded infuriatingly. Jacqueline fixed strained eyes on him, her heart-shaped face tight with tension and very pale.“Stop… This is not the time to make fun. You thought you had to be a father to Azura and you felt sorry for me because of what Sandra told you about me…” Die
Waiting for the jet to take off, she kept thinking about this whole situation. Jacqueline felt so ashamed of her sister’s behavior. Alyssa’s will had got them into a disastrous marriage and unfortunately, Azura would suffer the most from the fallout. Jacqueline couldn’t accept that Diego could still genuinely care about Azura now that he knew she wasn’t his real niece. ‘He can’t love a baby that isn’t a part of his illustrious family…’ After a night spent half on a bathroom floor and half in her bed, tossing and turning, Jacqueline decided to sleep a little, just to be mentally prepared for what was coming her way. This was also a way to stop gazing at Diego’s stunning but tired face. She had slept for most of the flight. Diego wa
For hours and hours, she sat on the cold mosaic tiled floor and hugged her knees, and stared into space. Her heart was broken beyond repair. It was all over. Her crazy romantic hopes, her living for today and not worrying about tomorrow, their marriage. All over. Suddenly, Diego was willing to believe that she was a lying cheat, a greedy, money-grabbing gold-digger. She knew he wasn’t and never going to be in love with her, but she had had no idea just how fragile their understanding was. And now their relationship already seemed as imaginary and flimsy as a child’s soap bubble and she felt terrified as if she were waking up in a living nightmare. In the shortest instant possible, Diego had taken her love and her pride and even her faith in him and destroyed the whole lot. As if it meant nothing… As if she w
Nervously, Jacqueline played with the glittering diamond pendant in the shape of a flower at her throat. He had given it to her while they were abroad. Even if she said no, Diego had also bought her a pair of exquisite diamond stud earrings. Knowing Diego, she had no doubt that she would receive something even more expensive and precious to mark her birthday. Diego had bought her and Azura a host of other little gifts as well. He was very generous. Ought she just to have bought him something? No, she decided, when a guy could buy himself anything, a woman had to go that extra mile to make an impression. When the door opened, Jacqueline swallowed hard. “Diego? Close your eyes before you come in! Please…” she asked him.&n
Diego dug his cellphone back into his pocket. He felt slightly nauseous. Was it his Abuela? Doña Jacintha had been pronounced fighting fit at a recent examination. But a couple of weeks earlier, Diego had allowed Alejandro to run a full battery of tests, including DNA, on his little niece. What the hell was happening that his friend couldn’t tell him on the phone? Maybe the tests showed something wrong with Azura? Was she ill? But why had it taken so long for Alejandro to approach him with the result? Jacqueline didn’t even know about half those tests. Having arranged to take Azura to Alejandro for a vaccination that had been overdue, Jacqueline had come down with a twenty-four-hour virus that had confined her to bed and it had been Diego who had taken the baby instead.
Six wonderful weeks later, Jacqueline sat in the bright and colorful nursery watching Diego demonstrate in all seriousness to Azura how to crawl. Amusement was threatening to crack her up, but she managed to keep a straight face. All his life, Diego had been a high achiever, and, having read a book on child development, he had learned all the important milestones and was keen to see his beloved niece sprint ahead of her peers.“Darling, I’m afraid you’re wasting your time,” Jacqueline warned him gently. “Some babies may crawl at this age, but I don’t think our sweet girl is likely to be one of them. She’s too laid-back and contented to rush into making that much effort.”“Perhaps all she needs is encouragement, querida. Have you ever thought of that?’ Diego informed her stubbornly while
She shot him a shocked look.“Of course, not… I’ve been behaving myself too!” Diego breathed again.“I should’ve flown back and sorted this out more than a week ago.”“There’s a right time for everything. Maybe, at that time, you weren’t ready.” He was still not sure that he was ready for the enormous complexity that had disrupted his once smooth and calm existence. He hadn’t chosen the situation, but now at least, he felt in control of it again. With a sly grin on his lips, Diego surveyed Jacqueline with unashamed masculine possessiveness. He couldn’t comprehend how he had ever dismissed her as only very pretty.&nbs
A sense of humiliation stormed through her anger and brought hot tears to her eyes.“That’s what I mean about you, Diego… You’re impossible! You are Mexican and you’re correcting my English!”“Jackie, it was thoughtless,” he acknowledged.“No, Diego, it wasn’t. You think about everything, you always know exactly what you’re doing…”“I didn’t know exactly what I was doing when I married you. I didn’t look for the bigger picture. I must’ve been insane. I was certainly guilty of poor judgment,” Diego countered grimly. “I didn’t even foresee the complications that would come out from the consummation of our marriage. But from that night, our wedding night, preciosa, my desire for freedom disappeared.” A poundi
Diego put a powerful arm to Jacqueline’s spine to urge her in the direction of the exit. She was almost there before it occurred to her that she could hardly leave without telling his cousin, Lilia. Although the two women hadn’t known each other long, they got on so well that Jacqueline already thought of Lilia as a close friend. “I have to tell Lilia that I’m going…” “Absolutely. You can call my cousin from the limo. I’m positive she’ll understand.” “No, that wouldn’t be right. She has been so good to me. Just give me two minutes, Diego. Please,” Jacqueline pleaded. She freed herself from his grip and hurried back to the table where Lilia was seated. “Sorry, but I have to go…” “I thought so. I saw Diego arriving,” the elegant brunette acknowledged wryly. Jacqueline gave her a relieved smile,