Page 48 of Their One-Night Rio Reunion
The sun was rising into the sky. It was almost exactly twenty-four hours since they’d signed the papers in Rio.
She would have to be strong. She would have to tell Caio that—
She heard a noise behind her and tensed. She started to turn around, but Caio said, ‘Don’t turn around. Not yet.’
Ana stayed where she was.
For a long moment Caio said nothing, and then, ‘I know what you’re thinking. That it’s too much too soon. That you can’t trust that I mean what I say.’
Ana was glad that she was facing away from Caio, that he couldn’t see her expression.
‘The truth is that this isn’t something that’s just happened. It started when we first met, Ana. On our wedding day when you walked down the aisle in that dress. And when you said to me that you were sorry for being late.’ He continued, ‘I know you hated that dress, and I know you felt uncomfortable and unfashionable. ButIfound that dress erotic. I had fantasies about the wedding night we never got to share. Fantasies about stripping that dress off you and baring your body to my gaze.’
He made a small sound—a curt, laughing noise.
‘I put those thoughts down to some weird reaction to getting married. But every day you were sinking deeper and deeper into my head and my blood. You fascinated me. Your habits. Your interests. I’d never spent so much time with a woman in a platonic setting. But what I was feeling for you wasn’t platonic. And yet...you became my friend too, Ana. The first real friend I ever had. I always shut everyone out. Rejected them before they could reject me. And I know you can appreciate that because you did it too. Except you were lucky—you had Francisco.
‘You crept under my skin in such a way that it took me until our divorce, with the prospect of you walking away, for me to fully acknowledge just how integral you’d become to my life. To me. And it took last night and blowing the world to pieces for me to realise that what I feel for you goes so much deeper than transient desire. There’s nothing transient about how you make me feel, Ana.’
Ana only realised she was holding her breath when her body forced her to take a huge shuddering breath in, making her light-headed.
Caio said, ‘I know what your mother’s rejection did to you. I can’t even imagine that pain. And yet you’re brave, because you’re not letting it define you. You know you want more, and you won’t rest until you find it. You’re infinitely braver than me. I know you, Ana. I know every part of you. I love how you came out of your shell and blossomed into the beautiful woman you are. I love how you’ve realised that you can navigate our world with more skill and ease than you’d like to admit because otherwise it means that somehowthey’vewon. But they haven’t won. You’ve won. Because you navigate society with humanity and compassion—and that’s the difference. I love experiencing the world with you. And I can’t keep pretending that I don’t want forever too. I was done with my emotionally empty existence a long time before I acknowledged it. I’m tired of the cynicism and jadedness. I want more. Joy. Happiness.You. Forever.’
Ana’s vision was blurry. With every word Caio dismantled the last of her defences. Even if it turned out that this was all an elaborate play to keep her in his bed just for as long as he wanted her then she knew she couldn’t refuse. He’d broken her.
‘You can turn around now.’
Wiping her eyes, Ana slowly turned around—but Caio wasn’t there. It took her a second to realise he was kneeling down, and she had to adjust her eyeline.
She frowned. ‘Caio...?’
He was looking incredibly nervous, and was holding her wedding and engagement rings in the palm of his hand. Ana’s heart skipped.
‘Ana Diaz, will you marry me? For real this time? And not just for a year, but until death us do part. Because anything less won’t do for me.’
Ana’s legs went from jelly to water. She collapsed onto her knees in front of Caio. He reached for her and she went into his arms in the same breath, the two of them falling back onto the sand, his body cushioning hers, a hard-muscled cushion.
She looked down at him. ‘Caio...’
She realised she had a torrent of words to say—voicing all her doubts and insecurities and fears. The enduring vision of her mother walking away. Her father’s indifference. Feeling insecure. Vulnerable. But now those things faded away. She felt strong. Invincible. No matter what.
All the words melted on her tongue. Except for one.‘Yes.’
His eyes widened. His arms tightened around her. ‘Ana...?’
She smiled at his shock. At his very uncharacteristic insecurity. ‘Yes, Caio.Yes. Let’s get married again—for real this time.’
Suddenly Ana was on her back on the sand and Caio was hovering over her, looking intense. ‘Ana, I... You...’
She took pity on him and put a finger to his mouth. ‘Just kiss me, Caio. We have a lot of catching up to do.’
His gaze went to her mouth, hungry. He lowered his head, Ana wrapped her arms around his neck, and they kissed for a long time, until the tide reached their feet.
Before they left the beach Ana held out her hand and Caio put the rings back onto her finger. The enormity of what had happened here within twenty-four hours caught at her heart. But Caio was right. It hadn’t been twenty-four hours—it had been happening for a year.
They walked back into the villa barefoot, clothes dishevelled, hand in hand. At the doorway Ana said, ‘What about the helicopter?’
Caio pulled her close. ‘It’s on standby for whenever we need it. There’s no rush, is there?’
