Bronwyn Scott's Sexy Regency Bundle (103 page)

Elena opened her mouth to retort, but Alejandro stayed her with a hand on her This

was a man's fight. No woman should have to defend her own honor. "What are you saying, Senor?" Alejandro asked in a barely masked growl.

"I am saying that you, whoever you are, and the lovely Senora have concocted a scheme to pass you off as Alejandro di Duero, a man who is quite dead."

"Are you calling my wife a liar?"

Don Alicante gave a dry laugh. "Your wife? I don't know
your
wife or if you even have one.

This woman here, however, is most definitely a

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piece of devil's work if ever there was one. What has she promised you in exchange for playing the part of her returned husband?

romp in her bed?

Unending access to her

rose to his feet and grabbed the older man by the collar, hauling him up too. "Get out of my house and stay away

my wife. If I

hear any of your malicious insinuations circulating in the village, I will personally call you out and you will die."

Alejandro let go of the man, gratified to see that the intensity of his anger had made an impression on the haughty man. The man straightened his collar and prepared to leave. But intimidated was not the same as convinced. At the door, regrettably out of reach of

fists,

he

back. He shot a malevolent glare at Elena and then at Alejandro.

"You may look like

di Duero. You

may fool the villagers and those friends who want to believe he's

from the dead. But you

don't fool me. You are not Alejandro di Duero and I will devote myself to disproving it."

Chapter 13

From his dining room chair, Alejandro watched Elena dance around the long dining room, her color high, the pale green skirts of her gown billowing around her as she danced to an unheard tune. She was beautiful in her elation. He decided he would slay a thousand dragons to see her so free.

She had insisted that they dress up and celebrate tonight, and her

exuberance was

proof of how heavily Don Alicante's had

weighed on her. Perhaps he'd call the bastard out anyway for the worry Elena had suffered. No one had the right to crease the brow of his wife.

Elena twirled towards him, setting down two finely wrought glass flutes on the table in front of him.

were magnificent, Alejandro!" she laughed. "We shall have cava and celebrate!" She grabbed his hands and dragged him to his feet.

"Dance with me."

"There is no music,"

protested, but

he knew it was a feeble attempt. In her happiness,

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65

there would be no gainsaying Elena tonight. So undone was he by her

that he knew he

could deny her nothing. Now was not the time to remind her that Alicante had threatened to make life very difficult for them.

"We don't need music, my love," she whispered temptingly, her head titled up to meet his eyes.

He went hard immediately, undone by the flirting tilt of her head. Automatically, he moved his hands around her waist, positioning her for a waltz but his mind was on other things, like how much he wanted to lay her down on the empty length of the table and take her. Would she mind?

Had they done something like that before?

Alejandro swung her into the opening steps of a waltz. She fit against him well and he made no attempt to hide his aroused state. She was his wife all. She knew him intimately. He executed a tight turn and she gave a breathless laugh of joy.

She came up against him hard, her skirts flat between them. There was awe in her eyes.

"You want me?"

"Badly,"

andro confessed.

tell you a secret." She stood on her tiptoes to reach him. "I want you too. Right now."

She kissed him

on the mouth, her teeth

catching his bottom lip in a

nip. She