A Spanish Awakening (16 page)

The kissing lasted until they drew up outside the building that housed Emilio’s temporary accommodation. Neither occupant of the back seat noticed the car had stopped and the discreet driver made no attempt to announce the fact.

Megan laid her head on his chest and sighed with pleasure. ‘And the good thing is when I leave the firm and set up on my own I’ll be able to come to Madrid a lot more often, and maybe you will be able to come over to London occasionally too?’

She angled a look of tentative enquiry at his face.

‘But surely you will set up your business here? In the short term I can help you with any language problems, though obviously enrolling on an intensive language course would be the obvious course of action.’

‘You want me to move here … Are you asking me to move in with you, Emilio? ‘

He shook his head. ‘I am asking you to marry me,
mi esposa.
I thought that was a given.’

Megan gasped. ‘Not to me.’

‘You wish time to think about it?’ He glanced at his watch. ‘Will three seconds suffice? ‘

Megan’s expression of solemn shock melted into laughter as he delivered his outrageous offer.

‘It will have to suffice,
querida,
because I have been waiting for your answer for two years and every extra second is taking a year off my life.’

He was right; the knowledge made her relax. Why stress over a choice she had already made?

‘Well, I wouldn’t want that because I want my husband to be around for a very, very long time.’

Emilio released the breath he had been holding—holding, it seemed to him, for two years. ‘You will not regret this. I promise you, Megan, that you will not regret this,’ he cried, pulling her to him and raining kisses on her upturned features. Finally he found her mouth and the last long, languid, achingly tender kiss lasted a very long time.

It was Megan who pulled out of his arms with a laugh. ‘I have just realized—not when you were kissing me, obviously.’ There was no room for anything but Emilio in her head when he kissed her. ‘How long have we been here—not in the car, in Madrid?’

Emilio consulted his watch. ‘Almost twenty-four hours exactly.’

‘Do you realise I have been in one of the most vibrant, colourful cities in the world for twenty-four hours and all I’ve seen of it is the airport and your apartment? God, we’ve arrived back and I hadn’t even realised.’

‘That is indeed truly shocking!’ Emilio agreed, tongue firmly in cheek. ‘I feel I should share more shocking news. I do not have sightseeing trips planned for the immediate future.’

Her lips twitched as she adopted an innocent expression. ‘What do you have planned? ‘

A wicked smile that made her pulse race split his dark features. ‘Come with me,
mi querida,
and I will show you.’

Megan grinned back and took the hand he offered. This was one offer she had no intention of refusing. ‘Why not? Madrid will still be here tomorrow.’

‘Also next week.’ The teasing smile faded from his handsome face as he took her hands in his. ‘And so will I. I will always be here for you, Megan.’

The simple statement meant more to Megan than the vows they would soon exchange with equal solemnity. She nodded and said in a clear voice that shook with the depth of the emotions she wanted to convey, ‘And I will always be there for you Emilio.’

Tears of emotion glowed in her eyes as Megan allowed him to lead her out into the morning sun and her new life.

All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.

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First published in Great Britain 2011
Harlequin Mills & Boon Limited,
Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR

© Kim Lawrence 2011

ISBN: 978-1-408-92554-6