Marrying for King's Millions / The Spanish Aristocrat's Woman

“That was rude,” she muttered, pulling her elbow from his grasp.

“I don’t ordinarily introduce my companions to the doorman,” Travis muttered and laid his hand on the small of her back.

“God, you’re a snob.”

“I’m not a snob,” he whispered, irritated at the jab. “But Esteban has his job and he doesn’t expect to be pals with the guests.”

“I didn’t say I wanted to have lunch with him, but he knew you. No reason why he couldn’t know who I am.” Her heels clicked musically on the polished marble floor until she stopped abruptly. “Unless of course, you’re ashamed of me.”

“Hmm,” he mused, stopping alongside her. “Ashamed of being married to a bigamist. Why would that bother me? I wonder…”

Her eyes narrowed on him and her jaw went tight. “That wasn’t my fault.”

“So you keep saying.” He glanced around and caught the eye of several people watching him and Julie with open curiosity. Perfect.

He lowered his voice even further. “I’d appreciate it if you’d just keep a low profile until things are cleared up.”

“Ah. Low profile? Like the stretch limo?”

He blew out a breath and looked at her. Her grass-green eyes were practically snapping with nerves and anger. Her mouth was tight, and her chin was lifted in defiance. Her breath rushed in and out of her lungs and her breasts strained against the deep vee neckline of her dark green dress.

She looked ready for battle and so damned edible, his body went hard as a rock almost instantly.

A sex-free year with a woman who managed to turn him on even when he was furious.

Damn it.

“Look,” he said, forcing a smile so no one in the lobby would guess that he and his new bride were ready to shout at each other. “We don’t need to announce our presence, all right? Let’s do what we’re here to do and move on.”

“I’m just saying, I won’t be ignored.”

“Fine. Point taken.”

“Good.” Now she smiled, curving that luscious mouth up at the corners. Only he was close enough to see that there was no answering warmth in her eyes.

Muttering vicious curses under his breath about marrying women he couldn’t sleep with and couldn’t kill, Travis hooked her arm through his and continued on to the reservations desk. A young woman with dark brown hair piled atop her head smiled at him.

“Señor King.” She practically purred his name and beside him, Travis felt Julie stiffen.

“Welcome back to the Castello,” the clerk continued, dismissing Julie with hardly more than a glance. “We have the room ready for you and your…companion. As you requested.”

“Thanks, Olympia.” He was polite, but completely uninterested in whatever other games she might be playing. Travis wasn’t an idiot. He knew women were drawn to money and power and he’d been flirted with by the best. He’d also learned long ago that the best way to handle the situation was to simply ignore it.

The woman’s coy smile and big brown eyes might have worked on any other man, but Travis was immune.

“Do you know everyone here?” Julie whispered as she leaned in close to his ear.

He smiled as if she’d said something tempting, then leaned back and murmured, “She’s wearing a name tag.”

“Oh.”

“Will you be needing reservations at the restaurant this evening?” The woman still avoided looking at Julie, instead giving Travis alone the benefit of her wide-eyed stare.

“No, thanks,” he said, tapping his fingertips as he waited to sign for the room.

“And your…companion,” she asked quietly. “Will she be staying with you for your entire visit?”

“What?”

“Yes,” Julie said for him, leaning one arm on the reservations desk as she glared at the girl now watching her warily. “I will be here for his entire visit, since I’m not his ‘companion,’ but his wife.”

“I see,” the girl muttered, hurrying now with the details of check-in.

Travis bit the inside of his cheek and enjoyed the show as Julie set the little flirt down flat. There was something damned attractive about watching her sail into battle. And he couldn’t help admiring the fact that she wasn’t afraid to stand up for herself.

“And no,” Julie said firmly. “We won’t be needing your assistance with a reservation, thank you so much.”

“Of course, señora,” the girl whispered, ducking her head to avoid the icicles shooting out of Julie’s green eyes.

Her point made, Julie’s voice softened. “Now, if you don’t mind, we’re on our honeymoon and we’d like to get to our room.” Then she leaned into Travis and ran her fingers over the front of his shirt for good measure.

And just like that, every last drop of amusement drained out of his body to be replaced with a heat that was powerful enough to make his eyes glaze over. Even though he knew she was putting on a performance, Travis hissed in a breath as his body tightened even further. Damn, if she kept this up, he was going to have a hard time walking to the elevator.

He looked down into her green eyes, and noted that she was completely aware of what she was doing to him. She ran the tip of her tongue over her bottom lip and everything in him fisted. What the hell game was she playing?

Sliding a glance at the clerk again, Julie smiled and said on a sigh, “I’m sure you understand that we’re anxious to be…alone.”

“Yes, yes of course.” The last of the girl’s flirtatious attitude disappeared and she hurried through the rest of the paperwork.

Julie was still plastering herself to his side and Travis told himself that two could play this game. Once he’d signed in and received his key, he wrapped his arms around her, dragged her in tight and kissed her hard and fast.

That kiss sizzled through his bloodstream, tightened his erection to the bursting point and left Julie speechless. Objective attained.

“Thanks,” he said, nodding at the clerk before leading Julie toward the elevator.

Julie’s mouth was still burning an hour later.

As if she could still feel Travis’s lips pressed to hers.

Fine, she hadn’t liked the way that woman at the desk had been leering at Travis as if Julie weren’t standing right beside him. Although, maybe she shouldn’t have laid it on so thick after shutting the girl down. Teasing Travis was something like waving a raw steak in front of a hungry lion. Not surprising then that he’d kissed her in response. What was surprising was the quicksilver flash of heat and need that had rushed through her the moment his mouth claimed hers.

Had he felt it, too?

Or had he just been pretending?

Of course he was, she chided herself silently. He was playing his part and doing a darn fine job of it, too. She tried to concentrate on the task at hand, but once she was finished unpacking her clothes, she was free again to think about things she really shouldn’t be even considering.

But could she help it if her body was on fire?

Oh, boy. She might be in some serious trouble.

Leaving the smaller of the two bedrooms in the luxurious suite, she walked into the living room and paused on the threshold just to admire the view. The room was wide and long, decorated with sheer elegance. Four low-slung white couches formed a circle around a fireplace set in the middle of the room in a stone ring. A huge flatscreen television hung on one wall. On the far side of the room, was a massive wet bar and accompanying wine cooler, and beautiful paintings adorned the rest of the soft yellow walls.

Brightly colored rugs were scattered across the glossy, honey-colored wood floor, and terrace doors leading to a balcony almost as big as her bedroom stood wide open. A cool breeze blew in from the nearby ocean and carried both the scent of the sea and the fragrance of the tropical flowers that surrounded this amazing hotel.

Standing on the terrace, Travis waited, his back to her and their room. Looking him up and down, she fought the swirl of attraction she felt. It wasn’t easy. He’d discarded his suit jacket and tie and now wore only his slacks and a crisp white shirt. His dark hair ruffled in the breeze as he poured two glasses of champagne from the bottle chilling in what was probably a sterling silver ice bucket.

Steeling herself, Julie lifted her chin and started forward, the sound of her heels on the floor the only sound in the room. She stepped out onto the terrace and instantly felt the cool wind surround her. Goose bumps lifted on her arms, but she paid no attention. Instead, she focused on the lights below and the darkening sky above.

“Unpacked?” Travis asked.

“Yes,” she said, accepting the champagne flute he handed her and taking a sip. The margaritas she’d had on the plane were still with her and she really should eat something before she had anything else to drink. But she glanced down at the munchies he’d ordered from room service and knew she couldn’t swallow anything else at the moment. “It’s a beautiful place.”

“Yeah, it is.”

“I guess you come here often,” she said.

He shrugged. “It’s a family hotel. Everyone comes here often.”

“Uh-huh,” she said, with another sip of the bubbly wine. “And I’m guessing you usually have a ‘companion’ with you?”

“Jealous?” he asked, turning his head to look at her. One dark eyebrow was arched and the wind in his hair gave him a softer, more vulnerable look.

Travis King?

Vulnerable?

“No, I’m not jealous,” she said. “That would be silly, wouldn’t it? It’s not like we’re actually—”

“Married?” His smile disappeared in a blink. “No, guess we’re not. Which is why we’re here. And on that subject, I’ll talk to my cousin Rico tomorrow. Get the bead on who we should go to about arranging this divorce.”

“Great.” She walked toward the iron railing and laid one hand on the cool surface. Taking another drink of the champagne, Julie was aware that the bubbles were going directly to her head, but maybe that was a good thing.

“You’re a good actress, I give you that,” Travis pointed out.

“Hmm?”

“The performance you put on for the clerk downstairs almost had me convinced you were a happy newlywed.”

“Yeah, well,” she said, wondering why her glass was empty just before Travis reached out and refilled it. “She ticked me off.”

“I guessed that much.”

“And you enjoyed it,” she said, taking another sip, allowing the bubbles to slide down her throat and buzz through her blood.

“I did,” he said, draining his own glass of champagne in one long swallow. He refilled his glass and took another sip before speaking again. “Had to wonder, though.”

“What?” God, it felt good to be out here, feeling the wind on her skin and the champagne in her blood. Looking at Travis, she felt a warmth, too. A sort of heat that was settling down low inside her. Danger, Julie. Oh, be quiet, she ordered that annoying internal voice.

“Well, that acting skill of yours,” he said, coming around the tiny table to stand beside her.

Julie drained her champagne and licked her lips as her body began to hum. She wasn’t drunk, but she was feeling pretty good. “What about it?”

“If you’re that good at acting, maybe you’ve been playing me all along.”

She blew out a breath in frustration. If he was going to continue to believe that she was in cahoots with Jean Claude then this year was going to be misery.

“I told you Travis, I wouldn’t do that.” She set her glass down onto the table.

“I’d like to believe you, Julie,” he was saying, reaching out with a finger to play with one of the straps of her dress. “But—”

“But?” How could he really believe that about her and still want her? More, how could she be burning up with lust for him, knowing that he thought her capable of blackmail?

Apparently, though, her mind and her body were riding two different tracks. Her skin felt as if it was on fire where he was touching her. Nerves rattled through Julie’s body and she knew she was in big trouble. But she didn’t care.

“I’m thinking I need some convincing,” he said, his dark eyes flashing with a need that her body was clamoring to answer.

“I don’t know what more I can say.”

“No more talking,” he said and set his glass down on the table beside hers.

“Then what…”

He slid one of her dress straps down her shoulder and smoothed his thumb over her skin. Her gaze locked with his, Julie’s breath caught and her blood began to pump thick and hot and urgent.

“I paid a hundred thousand dollars to marry you today,” Travis said, dipping his head to kiss her bare shoulder.

Julie sucked in a gulp of air.

“Now,” he said, straightening up as his finger slid along the line of her bodice, dipping down to caress the valley between her breasts. “How about you show me what I paid for?”

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