The Spanish Love Deception: A Novel

“Catalina.” The deep voice that had lured me to sleep and ignited every cell in my body countless times in the last twelve months reached my ears.

My pen dropped from my mouth, smacking the glossy surface of the oak conference table.

“Catalina, I’m going to need an answer.”

My back straightened in my chair, my gaze meeting a pair of blue eyes as I cleared my throat. Shit. I totally spaced out. “Yes, yes—ahem. An answer. Coming right up, Mr. Blackford,” I rushed out. “Just mentally recapping.”

I watched the corner of his lips tip up, his eyes simmering with an emotion I was more than familiar with. My heart skipped a beat. Because, apparently, I’d never not react to this man’s smile. No matter how small it was.

“Rosie, if you could maybe assist Catalina as she mentally recaps,” he said, cocking a brow. “We all have places to be, and I’d appreciate being through with this meeting in the next five minutes.”

“Of course,” my best friend and new team leader of our division agreed from my right. “I’m sure Lina was being very thorough with the notes she was taking.”

“Yep, I was doing exactly that,” I confirmed, looking over at her and finding her cheeks flushed.

We both still sucked at lying.

I sent her a wobbly smile and mouthed, Thanks.

I heard Aaron’s deep exhale.

Impatient and sexy blue-eyed grump. He was lucky I was head over heels in love with him.

“Aaron was suggesting that perhaps now that Linda and Patricia are back from their maternity leaves, someone from your team could transfer to Héctor’s,” Rosie explained, her fingers fumbling on top of her open planner. “Just to temporarily cover the vacancy I left now that I’m leading Gerald’s team after his … departure.”

After the tedious and lengthy HR investigation Sharon had pushed for unearthed more than a few sexual misconduct instances, Gerald had been finally laid off. Aaron, our division leader and owner of my heart, hadn’t hesitated, and the moment Gerald had walked out of InTech, Rosie’s name had already been on the table for that position. Before we knew it, we had been celebrating her promotion.

“Do you think we can make that work, Catalina?” my future husband asked. Not that he had proposed, not yet.

As much as I had the suspicion he would soon, perhaps I’d be the one putting a ring on him before he ever did. I was impatient like that.

“One hundred percent,” I answered, scribbling a note on my pad. This time for real. “I’ll make sure to move around a few people and see who can support Héctor’s team.”

The old man sighed. “Thanks, Lina. No one will be able to fill Rosie’s shoes, not really.” His shoulders bunched as he smiled sadly. “But I knew for a while that I’d lose her soon anyway.” He shrugged, his smile turning brighter as he looked at my friend and his former team integrant. “I’m so proud of you, Rosie.”

“Thank you,” Rosie said, emotion coating her words. She cleared her throat. “Now, stop it. Crying on my first division meeting would be highly unprofessional.”

A notepad was snapped closed briskly. “All right, I’ll consider that done,” Mr. Grumps concluded. I looked at him just in time to see him checking the clock behind me. “Meeting wrapped up. Have—”

“But, Aaron,” Kabir called, his voice dancing with trepidation, “what about—”

“Sorry, but I’m officially on vacation.” Aaron sliced his hand through the air.

Yep, we both were. Just half a day, but it had taken me some convincing, so I called that a success anyway.

“It will have to wait for Monday. Have a great weekend, everyone.” He pushed back the chair and stood up, gifting me with a view of his whole torso.

I internally sighed. Happily. All mine. All of that was just for me and for my taking, and what was even better, that strong and resilient heart beating inside his hard chest with loyalty, selflessness, and integrity was all mine too.

“Catalina?”

Snapping out of my temporary trance, I straightened, too, gathering all my things together. “Coming, coming.”

I walked to where Aaron was waiting for me, right by the door.

He lowered his voice. “You are awfully distracted today.”

A retort was ready to leave my lips, but the way he looked at me, with that brand of deep concern that melted my heart, killed it before it could ever come out.

“You are awfully distracting,” I said just for him.

His eyes glazed over, and I could see how he was stopping himself from pouncing on me. But we were at our workplace, and we were always meticulously professional. Not because we needed to, as everyone knew and respected our relationship, but because we had made that choice.

So, I switched to a safer topic. “I’m also a little nervous.”

“I know,” he admitted as we made our way down the hallway, carrying the packed laptop bags we had brought to the meeting. “Our luggage is already in the car, so we’ll make it to the airport just in time to pick them up.”

We entered the empty elevator, Aaron placing himself close beside me, our arms brushing softly.

“I checked earlier, and their flight will land as scheduled,” he said as the metallic doors closed.

“Thanks,” I breathed out, unconsciously inching closer to him. “But I’m still a little anxious. It’s their first time in the US, and everyone is coming. That’s a lot of Martíns in an aircraft for everything to go smoothly. What if the flight was too much for Abuela? What if Papá forgot the medication for his tension? You know, I had to FaceTime him to explain to him how to set a reminder on his phone, so he would take it, but even that way, he probably snoozed it and forgot about that too. And I’m scared of what Mamá packed in her suitcase. Remember I told you that one time she wanted me to bring back a whole pata de jamón in my carry-on? That’s a leg of a pig, Aaron. What if she is carrying some illegal produce, and customs thinks she’s smuggling something into the—”

The elevator came to a brisk halt.

Then, Aaron’s lips were on mine, the sudden kiss rendering me immediately speechless. Disarmed. Weightless. I melted into him, my legs turning to butter. I couldn’t help it. Aaron would always have that effect on me; I knew it.

“Baby,” he breathed into my mouth. “Stop overthinking.” He took my lips in his again, his arms coming around me. His body gently pushing my back against the cool surface behind me.

“Did you just stop the elevator, Mr. Blackford?” My voice sounded breathless, not that I cared.

Aaron was fully aware of the power he held over me, and I wanted it that way. Neither of us wanted a single unsaid thing between us. There had been plenty of those in the past.

“Yes.” He brushed his lips along my jaw. “And we have three minutes to get all those worries out of your head before the front desk is called.” His mouth trailed down my neck, warm palms falling on my waist.

My lips parted. “Oh. Okay,” I murmured as he nibbled at the sensitive skin. My blood started swirling, certain parts of my body demanding attention. “I like how that sounds.”

“I made sure your dad would take his pills with him when I talked to him on the phone before they left the house.” Aaron’s hands trailed up, reaching the swells of my breasts. “Cristina is only bringing a few cuts of cured meat,” he continued as his legs crowded mine. “It wasn’t easy, and I might have promised a few things I shouldn’t have, but she compromised.”

A low chuckle left my mouth, but all humor died when his hips rocked briefly against mine.

“Abuela will be fine; she’s tough as nails. Or don’t you remember how I had to literally pluck her off that dance floor last Christmas?” He tugged at the lobe of my ear with his teeth. “And Isabel’s pregnancy doesn’t put her at risk; Gonzalo called the airline to ask. Twice.”

I whimpered, relishing in the sensation of feeling Aaron all around me—his warmth, the strength of his body, his breath and voice falling on my skin—but also in how deep his words and actions ran. How much love and attention there was in them, in him.

“It’s crazy how much my family adores you,” I told him, grasping both his arms with neglected need running through my body. “You are like a Martín Whisperer. How did you manage to do that?”

“I thought that my success in convincing them about how serious I was about you after we confessed the truth about our deal was pure luck, but I might have a way with words when it comes to the Martíns,” he whispered like it was his biggest secret. “With one particular Martín though, I want to believe I have a way with more than just that.”

My hands trailed up his strong arms, passing across his rounded shoulders and finally clasping behind his neck. “You do,” I murmured. “I adore you too. Treasure you. Love you. Want you. Need you.” I pulled him closer.

“Who’s being awfully distracting now?” he rasped.

I answered by grinding myself against his hard body, briefly but intently. A grunt fell from his lips.

“Look at you, teasing me like this. What an adoring and distracting woman I have in my hands.”

“How much longer do we have?” I arched my back, pressing our chests together.

He exhaled roughly. “Not nearly enough for what I have in mind.” His palm fell on my behind, as if he couldn’t stop himself. He squeezed me possessively, proving his point. His voice turned low. “Later, I swear. As soon as I get you alone in our room.”

Aaron kissed me deeply then, silently promising all the things he’d do to me much later. Hours from now, when we finally reached the house we had rented in Montauk for the weekend and our family was settled comfortably inside.

“Okay.” Cupping his face in my palms, I brushed one last kiss against his lips. “Have you talked to your dad?”

Aaron reluctantly peeled himself off me and pressed the yellow button on the panel. The elevator resumed its descent. “Yes, earlier today,” he admitted almost guardedly. Just like every time he talked about Richard.

I knew Aaron hadn’t let go of part of the guilt he carried around, but father and son had come a long way. And they both knew Richard didn’t have much time. This past year had already been a gift.

“He and Martha should be getting to the house in a few hours.”

Martha, his caregiver, was another gift sent straight from heaven. She was amazing to Richard and always kept us updated. We trusted her fully, and having her constant support and company not only reassured Aaron and me, but also soothed Richard.

“I’ll check on them again while we wait for your family at the airport.”

The elevator doors opened in front of us, and we stepped out at the same time.

“Everything will be all right, amor,” I told him, breaking my rules and reaching for his hand in the middle of the lobby. “Your dad will make it to Montauk safely, and he is going to love everyone. Just how everyone will love him.”

Breaking his own rules too, he brought my hand to his mouth, his lips brushing the backs of my fingers. “I know, baby,” he whispered just for me. “Everything will always be okay, no matter what. You know why?”

We stepped out of the building, right into one of New York’s overwhelming summer days.

“Why?”

“Because it’s you and me.” He smiled down at me then, meeting my gaze with the conviction his words held. Just as he held my heart in his hands. My love. My whole world. Confidently and completely. “And no matter what comes our way, we have each other.” That Aaron smile, which was just for me and never failed to make my heart skip a beat, widened. “We are in this together, for the long run.”