cleared to go, and she was stepping into a private jet straight out of a magazine spread. The carpet alone felt like stepping onto a cloud. She’d never seen anything so decadently opulent in her life.
‘I suppose you’re happy with a carbon footprint the size of Everest?’
Rafael had been moving around behind her and stopped. His hands were on his hips when Isobel turned to face him, drawing attention to how lean they were in faded jeans. It was the first time she’d looked directly at him all morning. He was just too beautiful. And the feelings jumping around her belly were far too ambiguous.
‘I share this jet with a group of businessmen, one of whom happens to be my older half-brother. Much as I’d like to take a scheduled flight, sometimes it’s just not practical—not when I have back-to-back meetings lined up as soon as we return to Buenos Aires. I’m just lucky that my brother happened to be here in Paris at the moment.’
She couldn’t even feel mildly chastised at being put in her place. Intense relief that he was going to be busy nearly made Isobel sag back into the seat behind her. She tried to school her expression, but obviously failed.
‘No need to look so pleased, Isobel. You’ll need some time at home with your family to prepare for the wedding anyway.’
This time she did sag back into the seat, and she asked shakily, hating having to speak the words out loud, as if that was making it more concrete, ‘We’re getting married on my birthday?’
Rafael came and sat down in the seat on the other side of the aisle, taking out papers from a briefcase and a super slim platinum laptop. ‘Yes. Exactly according to the terms laid out in the agreement.’
She looked away with effort, and her hands shook as she did up her seat belt. ‘I can’t believe you’re making me do this.’
In a flash Rafael had surged out of his seat and was leaning over her, hands on the armrests either side of her body. Isobel shrank back into her seat, her heart nearly jumping out of her chest.
‘I’m not making you do anything Isobel. We’re boundtogether by a set of circumstances outside of our control.’ His mouth became a bitter line. ‘This marriage has been set in stone for years and it will happen, whether you like it or not. No fairytale endings here, Isobel.’
Panic at his proximity made her blurt out, ‘If I had a choice I wouldn’t marry someone like you in a million years.’
His eyes flicked up and down, and Isobel felt her skin grow hot. ‘So you keep saying. I’m going to think you’re protesting just a little too much if you keep this up.’
Rafael just looked at her for an intensely long moment, and then went back to sit down. With a few feet separating them again Isobel felt her heart slow down and her brain cleared. Was he suggesting that on some level she wanted this? That she would choose this if given a choice? Nausea rose. She couldn’t want this on any level. It went against everything she believed in and wanted for herself.
Isobel stayed silent as they taxied and then took off into the air. She watched as Paris fell away below them, gradually becoming smaller and smaller until it got obscured with clouds and disappeared completely. To her surprise, her dominant feeling as they left wasn’t of sadness or even anger, it was a kind of ambivalence. Had it really touched her so superficially?
Far too disturbed to investigate that line of thinking, Isobel got her book out of her bag and pretended to be engrossed. But all the while she was acutely aware of every movement Rafael made just feet away.
CHAPTER FOUR
T HEY arrived in Buenos Aires on a cool August morning, with dawn breaking over the horizon, sending crimson ribbons across the sky. For some reason it felt like an omen to Isobel, and she wasn’t sure if it was good or bad. She could sense Rafael behind her, urging her on to go down the steps. She had to move forward. She took a deep breath and stepped out. When she
‘I suppose you’re happy with a carbon footprint the size of Everest?’
Rafael had been moving around behind her and stopped. His hands were on his hips when Isobel turned to face him, drawing attention to how lean they were in faded jeans. It was the first time she’d looked directly at him all morning. He was just too beautiful. And the feelings jumping around her belly were far too ambiguous.
‘I share this jet with a group of businessmen, one of whom happens to be my older half-brother. Much as I’d like to take a scheduled flight, sometimes it’s just not practical—not when I have back-to-back meetings lined up as soon as we return to Buenos Aires. I’m just lucky that my brother happened to be here in Paris at the moment.’
She couldn’t even feel mildly chastised at being put in her place. Intense relief that he was going to be busy nearly made Isobel sag back into the seat behind her. She tried to school her expression, but obviously failed.
‘No need to look so pleased, Isobel. You’ll need some time at home with your family to prepare for the wedding anyway.’
This time she did sag back into the seat, and she asked shakily, hating having to speak the words out loud, as if that was making it more concrete, ‘We’re getting married on my birthday?’
Rafael came and sat down in the seat on the other side of the aisle, taking out papers from a briefcase and a super slim platinum laptop. ‘Yes. Exactly according to the terms laid out in the agreement.’
She looked away with effort, and her hands shook as she did up her seat belt. ‘I can’t believe you’re making me do this.’
In a flash Rafael had surged out of his seat and was leaning over her, hands on the armrests either side of her body. Isobel shrank back into her seat, her heart nearly jumping out of her chest.
‘I’m not making you do anything Isobel. We’re boundtogether by a set of circumstances outside of our control.’ His mouth became a bitter line. ‘This marriage has been set in stone for years and it will happen, whether you like it or not. No fairytale endings here, Isobel.’
Panic at his proximity made her blurt out, ‘If I had a choice I wouldn’t marry someone like you in a million years.’
His eyes flicked up and down, and Isobel felt her skin grow hot. ‘So you keep saying. I’m going to think you’re protesting just a little too much if you keep this up.’
Rafael just looked at her for an intensely long moment, and then went back to sit down. With a few feet separating them again Isobel felt her heart slow down and her brain cleared. Was he suggesting that on some level she wanted this? That she would choose this if given a choice? Nausea rose. She couldn’t want this on any level. It went against everything she believed in and wanted for herself.
Isobel stayed silent as they taxied and then took off into the air. She watched as Paris fell away below them, gradually becoming smaller and smaller until it got obscured with clouds and disappeared completely. To her surprise, her dominant feeling as they left wasn’t of sadness or even anger, it was a kind of ambivalence. Had it really touched her so superficially?
Far too disturbed to investigate that line of thinking, Isobel got her book out of her bag and pretended to be engrossed. But all the while she was acutely aware of every movement Rafael made just feet away.
CHAPTER FOUR
T HEY arrived in Buenos Aires on a cool August morning, with dawn breaking over the horizon, sending crimson ribbons across the sky. For some reason it felt like an omen to Isobel, and she wasn’t sure if it was good or bad. She could sense Rafael behind her, urging her on to go down the steps. She had to move forward. She took a deep breath and stepped out. When she
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