A Spanish Seduction by Alyssa J. Montgomery Page A

but if I wasn’t, do you honestly think this man would see my side of the story? Carla would no doubt find a way of twisting the story so I looked like the guilty party.’
    She sat a little more upright. ‘I take it you don’t still have any romantic feelings for Carla?’
    Romantic feelings?
    Mierda . This woman really was different.
    The look he shot her was one that surely left her in no doubt as to his pure disdain. ‘I had no romantic feelings for her, only passing, casual interest. That’s been extinguished. I have no time for cheats and liars.’
    ‘And yet, your very proposal would make us both liars!’
    ‘For the greater good.’
    ‘A lie is a lie.’
    Oh hell! How was he supposed to get this woman off her moral high-horse?
    ‘Jessica, please think clearly about what’s at stake. Not only will this pretence help people, but we won’t be hurting anybody. This is a chance for you to live without having to look over your shoulder all the time for the lowlife who wants to collect on the debts you’ve been saddled with.’             
    Her teeth recommenced worrying at her lower lip and he felt the weight of her conscience pressing down on her. Again, it threw him. How long had it been since he’d dealt with a person who had such a distinct sense of right and wrong? It was both refreshing and in this case, annoying.
    ‘In a way this wouldn’t be a lie,’ he reasoned.
    ‘What do you mean?’
    ‘For three months there’ll be no other woman in my life. You’ll be at my side at all social functions. To all intents and purposes you’ll be the woman in my life.’
    Her head drew back. ‘The woman in your life, but not the woman in your bed.’
    His mouth softened at the denial in her words. She was in no way immune to him. As he searched her eyes, his regard peeled beyond the outer layer she presented to the world. There was some intrinsic quality about her that captivated him, but she was vastly different from the sophisticated women he slept with. ‘Nobody’s going to ask directly if we’re sharing a bed. You’ll be living at my home. A physical relationship will be presumed.’
    ‘Even if I looked fabulous, people would still know there’s no way you’d be involved with me,’ she retorted, her eyes still firing sparks at him. ‘It’s obvious I’m not part of your world.’
    ‘Jessica —’
    ‘This is all wrong.’ Her hands moved agitatedly in the air. ‘When you have a world of women at your feet, nobody is going to believe you’re involved with me.’
    ‘The stylist will deal with that detail.’
    Looking him squarely in the eye, she inhaled audibly. Her whole body stiffened as though she steeled herself to continue. ‘Mr Garcia, did your investigator dig up the information on my birth certificate that says, Father Unknown ? Did he tell you my mother was a prostitute?’
    Ricardo frowned at the disgust he heard in her tone. ‘The report mentioned those details.’ He cocked his head. ‘You see this as a problem?’
    Her jaw slackened, parting her full lips. ‘You don’t?’
    ‘I don’t judge people on who their parents are, or what their parents did.’
    A bitter smile tightened her lips. ‘Maybe unconsciously you did. Did you think I’d be a whore like my mother? Is that why you thought you could buy me?’
    He was surprised at the vehemence of her attack, but her references to her mother made him realise that Jessica Harris had dragged herself up from the upbringing she’d known and was determined to chart a different course in life. Such conviction took a lot of courage and willpower, and he admired her for it.
    ‘How your mother earned her living has nothing to do with this.’ It was the truth. He was the last person on the planet who’d judge a person by the actions of their parents. ‘I’ve approached you because you’re the person whose identity was stolen. I’ve offered you money. That’s fair. You’re in debt and during the time you’re with