Sadie Kincaid

‘Oh, God,’ she moaned.

‘No, not God. Me,’

I love you too, princess,’ he said before bending his head to kiss me softly.

I felt like my heart was going to burst out of my chest with happiness. Was this for real? ‘I thought you didn’t do love?’

‘That was before I met you.’

‘But why me? All of those women you’ve dated, why do you love me? The woman you could barely stand to look at on our wedding day?’

He ran his fingertips over my cheek. ‘When your father and I came to our business arrangement, one of the reasons I agreed was because I thought you were a spoiled little rich girl who was too wrapped up in herself to consider anyone else. I knew I could never even like someone like that, let alone fall in love. I thought that you were marrying me for the lifestyle I could offer you, and the money. I hadn’t realized that you did it only out of love for your father.’

‘But why did you want to marry someone like that?’ I blinked at him.

‘Because I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with you, Alana. Love is messy and complicated, and I didn’t have time for that. But you are nothing like the woman I thought you were. I may have stolen you, but you have stolen my heart, princess. You are the most precious thing in the world to me.’

So, that’s it? I can just go? Just like that? You and me are done?’

I took her face in my hands. ‘You and me will never be done, Alana. I hope you come back to me. I hope that you weren’t lying when you told me that you love me. But, yes, you are free to go, princess.’

She looked up at me, with tears in her eyes and a look of confusion on her face. I wanted her to go and see her father and find out the truth, but I also wanted her to wrap her arms around my neck and tell me that of course she loved me and that she couldn’t stand to be without me.

But she said none of those things. Instead she uttered two words, and they broke my ice-cold heart.

‘Thank you.’

He laughed in my face. ‘I did that to give you some purpose in your life, Alana. Without me, you would be nothing. I arrange your marriage to the King of fucking L.A and even that’s not good enough for you. And now that he’s seen you for who you really are, he’s tossed you aside. So, you’ve come crawling back to me trying to blame me for the fact that he doesn’t want you. I hope he realizes he doesn’t get a refund for returning you. You’re used goods now, sweetheart!’

I felt the sting of his words like a slap to my face. I choked down a sob. He would never see me cry.

I was Alana fucking Montoya!

‘You couldn’t be more wrong. Alejandro loves me because of who I really am, not because of who he tries to make me be, or who you tried to convince him I was. You sold me to him, Dad. You sold your only daughter to a man you knew to be a ruthless killer. You call him an animal, but you are a monster.’

Is that why you came back? To plead for your father’s life?’

‘No. I came here to tell you that I want out of this ridiculous contract between the two of us.’ I watched his face fall and my heart almost broke in two, but this had to be said.

‘My father will never return that three million dollars, but you don’t get to buy me, Alejandro. I was never his to sell. You don’t get to buy love. Besides, mine is worth a hell of a lot more than that.’

‘I know that, Alana,’ he said as he stared at me with what I could have sworn were tears in his eyes.

I walked towards him until our bod‍

‘I want out of this contract, but I don’t want out of this marriage.’

He looked at me, his eyes searching my face. ‘What?’

‘You can’t buy my love, but you have earned it. I want to be your wife, Alex. But only for real. Not because it’s good for business, but because you can’t bear to wake up one more day without me by your side. Because the thought of living without me would be like living without air.’

He lifted his hand and gently tucked my hair behind my ear. ‘Then you already are my wife – for real,’ he growled.

I smiled at him. ‘Good. Because I love you, Alejandro Montoya.’

You know that I love you more than anything in the world, don’t you, princess?’ he growled.

‘Yes, but I think you might have to stop calling me princess, now that you know I’m really not one.’

He crawled over me, holding himself up on his forearms. ‘You’ll always be my princesa, Alana, even when I fuck you like a puta.’

But never forget, that in my heart, and to everyone the outside world, eres mi reina.’

‘What does that mean?’ I blinked at him.

‘You are my queen,’ he whispered.

‘Hmm, Alana Montoya – Queen of L.A. I could get used to that.’

‘You’d better,’ he growled and then he kissed me again and I wondered what I had ever done to deserve the love of this incredible man

‘But never forget, that in my heart, and to everyone the outside world, eres mi reina.’

‘What does that mean?’ I blinked at him.

‘You are my queen,’ he whispered.

‘Hmm, Alana Montoya – Queen of L.A. I could get used to that.’

‘You’d better,’ he growled and then he kissed me again and I wondered what I had ever done to deserve the love of this incredible man.

Alejandro shouted. ‘Take her home.’

‘But Mrs. Montoya said she should come in,’ Jacob stammered and my heart almost burst with admiration for him.

‘Since when do you listen to Alana over me?’ Alejandro scowled at him.

‘Since you told me to run all of the house decisions by her, Boss?’ he said with a shrug.

I smiled to myself and Alejandro blinked in surprise. He had told his staff that very thing when I’d returned from New York, and now it was biting him on the ass already.