The Saint's Devilish Deal (21 page)
Read The Saint's Devilish Deal Online
Authors: Kristina Knight
Tags: #reunion romance, #vacation romance, #Puerto Vallarta, #contemporary romance, #Mexico
“I’ll take it beating strongly for me from your chest, Esmerelda Quinn. As long as I can keep it.” He reached for the papers and tore them in half. “I don’t want your money and I don’t want your villa. My name is nowhere on that account, it was only a number. My father’s idea because then he didn’t have to worry about a tax when he closed it. I paid the loans to help you and I know I made a mess of it.”
“You did.” She took a breath. “But I didn’t exactly make it easy for you with all my ranting about Napa and my insistence that we talk about your past with no thought to how my own shaped me. Neither of us is blameless in this.”
“From where I stand, you’re much less guilty than I. From the minute you returned I kept trying to turn myself into Eduardo and you into my mother. Not on purpose, I was looking for their traits and seeing them everywhere. So I sabotaged everything before it got started and without realizing it.”
She walked into his arms and hugged him close. “I did something similar. When my parents died, all I had was Constance. I swore I would never love anyone to the extreme that my parents loved one another, but it turns out, I can’t stop loving you, Santiago.”
“You love me?” His belly flipped, like the first moment of free-fall from a plane. How could she love him?
She nodded. “When I came home I didn’t want to fall in love. I wanted to be a big success, to save the day. Now all I want is to live with you and take daily vacations with you and see people enjoying our little piece of paradise.”
It sounded like heaven. He looked into her green eyes, seeing Esme for perhaps the first time since they both came home. Clear and purposeful. Honest. Love, it would always look like Esme to him. He kissed her, the taste of her gentle on his lips. She sighed.
“What do you think about a second, second chance? We could write down our expectations, come to a partnership agreement.”
“I’m game if you are, Esmerelda Quinn. I’ve already got the champagne and my first demand.” He deepened the kiss and walked her toward the bed.
“You come prepared, Saint.” She tightened her arms around his neck. “And your first stipulation?”
“To wake up with you every morning. To have you in my bed, in my shower, on my terrace, and on my beach for the rest of our lives.”
“That is a lot of stipulating, but it could be arranged. Would you like to hear what I want?”
“I stipulate that you can have anything you want.”
“I like the way you play hardball, Mr. Cruz.”
“Well, I have some experience in seduction, Ms. Quinn.” He lowered her to the mattress and positioned himself over her. She smiled up at him and his heart clenched. This was the woman he loved. The woman he would protect for the rest of his life.
“Pequeña? I love you. With everything thing I am, I will always love you.”
The End
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What Reviewers Are Saying About Kristina Knight
"Kristina Knight doesn’t hold back on the sass, emotion, and passion, keeping her readers riveted right up until they reach The End." — Aimee Carson, author ofSecret History of a Good Girl and How to Win the Dating War
"Kristina Knight delivers a fun romp from Mexico, through Texas, and straight into true love" —Kelsey Browning, author of Personal Assets and cofounder of Romance University
"Kristina Knight did a fabulous job with this story, it had the right amount of Sexy & emotional to keep me engaged to the end. — HarlequinJunkie Book Reviews
"The characters are fresh, Ms Knight's voice is exciting and engaging." — StormGoddess Book Reviews
"Kristina Knight's books are like eating chocolate chip cookies--one is never enough, and they leave you feeling all warm and gooey inside." — D'Ann Lindun, author of Wild Horses, Desert Heat and Vaquero
"What A Texas Girl Wants is a lighthearted and passionate love story that will carry you away to rich West Texas countryside. Romance fans, if you want a fast-paced story that has a mixture of steamy passion, family drama and suspense, then this is the book for you! — JerseyGirl Book Reviews
About the Author
Once upon a time, Kristina Knight spent her days running from car crash to fire to meetings with local police—no, she wasn't a troublemaker, she was a journalist. When the opportunity to focus a bit of energy on the stories in her head, she jumped at it. And she’s never looked back. Now she writes magazine articles by day and romance novels with spice by night – and any kid-free, five minute span she has. She lives on Lake Erie with her very own romantic hero and daughter. Happily ever after.
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