Lexie was attracting attention in her long gold dress. ‘Do you think the photographers will be around here?’
Cesar looked down at her. ‘They could be—they saw us leave.’
They rounded a corner then, and Lexie’s mind blanked at the beauty before them. Salamanca’s famous Plaza Mayor was lit up in golden lights. They spilled from everywhere and illuminated the huge ancient buildings. It was like the inside of a magical golden ornament. Lexie had known the old part of the city was a UNESCO heritage protected site and now she knew why. The square was huge...awe-inspiring.
Cesar led her across the airy space and she felt tiny in the midst of the baroque grandeur. When she was able to stop looking up and gaping at the beautifully ornate buildings, she saw that they’d stopped outside one of the cafés which was still open.
A small old man came rushing out, welcoming Cesar effusively and offering them a table under one of the massive arches that lined the square. They sat down. Lexie was relieved and disappointed in equal measure to get her hand back.
Cesar asked, ‘What kind of dessert do you like?’
Feeling very bemused at being here with him, Lexie said, ‘Anything...cakes...pastries.’
He arched a brow. ‘Coffee?’
She nodded. ‘Yes, please.’
Cesar said a few words to the proprietor, who looked as if he was about to burst with pride at having such an esteemed guest—clearly he knew who Cesar was.
A few people lingered over coffee, glasses of wine. Cesar’s jacket swam on Lexie, but his warmth still tantalised her skin. It was incredibly seductive.
The owner bustled back out, with another young man following him. They set down coffee and a tray of different desserts. Lexie’s mouth watered. When they’d left, Cesar explained what they were. There was an almond sponge cake, candied almonds, small fritters filled with cream, sweet puff pastry, small chocolate cakes...
Lexie groaned after she’d tasted some of the delicious pastry. ‘If only I didn’t have to worry about getting back into that corset in a couple of days.’
Cesar paused in the act of drinking his coffee and looked at her. Lexie looked back. The air between them sizzled. That moment in the back of the car earlier invaded her head like a lurid B movie.
He put his cup down. ‘When I saw you for the first time I thought you were some kind of an apparition. That you weren’t real.’
Lexie swallowed her dessert with difficulty. She remembered the transfixed expression on his face that day. She’d never forget it. While she hadn’t thought he was an apparition, she’d felt something similar.
‘I knew you were real...’ she admitted. ‘But I know what you mean. I wasn’t meant to be there.’
Cesar grimaced. ‘I was harsh on you.’
Lexie glanced down at her coffee and shrugged. ‘Your privacy had been comprehensively invaded by hundreds of strangers...’
‘I’d also just returned from my half-brother’s wedding in Paris.’
He sounded so grim that Lexie looked up again. She recalled seeing the pictures on the internet of that wedding, the speculation.
Her curiosity piqued, she asked, ‘So you are related, then?’
He frowned. ‘Why do you ask?’
Lexie flushed, feeling like a stalker. ‘I saw something on the internet when I went looking to see if there were any more pictures...of us.’ It wasn’t entirely untrue, she reassured herself.
Cesar’s face was hard. ‘Yes, it’s true. He and Rafaele Falcone are my half-brothers.’
Lexie had the sense she was entering into a minefield. ‘But this wasn’t common knowledge?’
Cesar took a swift sip of his coffee and shook his head, putting the cup back down with a clatter. He was so tense all of a sudden that Lexie half expected him to jump up and stride away. But he didn’t. Although for the first time his gaze was avoiding hers.
‘We had the same mother but different fathers.’
‘You didn’t know them growing up?’
He shook his head and then speared her with a look that she couldn’t read.