Modern Romance April 2015 Books 1-8. Annie West

heard me. I’m not going to bed with you until our wedding night. I want to make it special,’ she explained, starting to feel awkward as Tiago stared at her as if she were mad.

      ‘I have to keep my pride, Tiago. Surely you understand that?’

      ‘Your pride?’ His eyes narrowed.

      ‘Yes, my pride,’ she insisted more forcefully.

      Tiago lifted his hands away from her, as if the last thing he wanted now was to touch her.

      ‘Please don’t be angry.’

      He stepped back. ‘Is this some sort of power-play?’ He stared down at her suspiciously. ‘Are you using sex as a weapon?’

      ‘Hardly. I’m not using sex at all.’

      He was incredulous. He didn’t have a clue what could be motivating this. Danny had been so different on the jet. But as he advanced towards her she paled, and put her hands flat against his chest.

      ‘Please...’ she said, staring up at him.

      What had he been thinking? Was he no better than Pintos? Had his desire for Danny blunted his brain entirely?

      The world he inhabited was brutal and unforgiving. The brand of polo he played was more than competitive, it was aggressive. But aggression had no place when he was with Danny. Losing had never been an option for him, whether that be in the game of polo or the game of life. But Danny was different, and she required different rules. He’d been drawn to her in Brazil because she’d been fun to be around, but the more time he spent with her the more he realised just how badly she’d been hurt, and how well she hid that hurt.

      And now he was going to add to it?

      They stared at each other, and then he said, with a reluctant shrug, ‘I guess waiting until our wedding night could be a good idea.’

      ‘Liar,’ she whispered, smiling now. But then she added softly, ‘Thank you, Tiago. Thank you for understanding.’

      ‘Me?’ He smiled into her eyes. ‘Understand pride? I’m surprised at you, Danny. You should know I’m an expert on the subject.’

      She exhaled raggedly and, having surmounted that hurdle, went on to the next. ‘I’ve got something for you,’ she revealed.

      ‘For me?’ Tiago couldn’t have looked more surprised. ‘Why have you bought something for me?’

      Was she the first woman ever to buy him a gift?

      ‘Why shouldn’t I buy something for you?’ She was genuinely bewildered. ‘I wanted to thank you.’

      ‘Thank me?’ Tiago’s lips pressed down in puzzlement as he stared at her. ‘For what?’

      ‘For the chance to work alongside you—the chance to live here on your ranch for a year.’

      Danny’s heart filled as she spoke. There were so many reasons to thank Tiago, starting with right back at the stables in Scotland, when he had saved her from Carlos Pintos. And now he had understood why waiting until they were married before having sex mattered so much to her.

      Even further back, in Brazil the first time, when she had still been raw from her disillusionment with Pintos the first time around, it had been Tiago she’d always looked for—and not just because he was the most attractive man on the ranch...though that fact had been hard to ignore. He’d always been able to lift her spirits. He had made her feel relevant again when Pintos had called her a waste of space, and she had believed him. Tiago had never seemed less than pleased to see her, and he had made her feel like someone worth seeking out for a chat.

      ‘Watching you work has been a revelation for me,’ she said honestly. ‘Having this chance to meet the people you work with, to learn how they live, will be a privilege.’ She shook her head as she struggled to find the right words. ‘I’d work here for nothing for the chance to learn from you.’

      ‘You haven’t mentioned money once,’ he said—more as an observation than a criticism.

      ‘Why would I?’ Her elation dwindled as she remembered that this had always been about money for her. No wonder he was cynical. They both had a long way to go to build any trust between them.

      ‘So what did you buy me?’ he wanted to know.

      She was glad of the change of focus, but embarrassed that her gift was small in comparison to the riches Tiago was used to. ‘I think you can safely call it a job-appropriate gift.’

      ‘What?’ he demanded. ‘A tin of hoof oil?’

      Danny smiled. ‘Not exactly.’ Leaving his side, she went to collect the bulky parcel he’d taken out of her hands. ‘I just hope it’s okay.’

      The gaucho who had made the special coin belt for her had explained that in the olden days these traditional belts decorated with silver coins had been used almost as portable bank accounts for gauchos, as they moved from place to place in search of work.

      ‘Now I’m curious,’ Tiago admitted as she pressed the package into his hands.

      ‘So open it.’ She stood back, relieved that the tension between them had eased—at least for now.

      ‘Deus, Danny, this is really special.’ Tiago handled the belt reverently, the silver coins chinking in a smooth riff as they passed through his fingers. ‘I can’t thank you enough.’

      ‘Do you really like it? It’s not too much?’

      ‘I love it. It’s perfect,’ he insisted. ‘And I love you for thinking of it.’

       He loved her.

      No. Tiago didn’t love her, Danny reasoned, losing patience with her romantic self for allowing that thought to slip through. He loved her for thinking of him and for choosing the belt.

      ‘Manuelo said you’d like it.’

      ‘Manuelo helped you with your choice?’ He seemed impressed by this. ‘Manuelo must like you. He and his family have been making these belts for generations, but he won’t make them for just anyone. These traditions are another reason why this ranch is so special to me.’

      ‘You don’t have to tell me how much this ranch means to you.’

      Catching her close, Tiago kissed her—first on each cheek and then, after a pause, on her mouth. He had never kissed her like that before. It was a tender, lingering kiss that made her eyes sting with tears, and when he pulled back there was a look in his eyes that thrilled her. It was warm and assessing and thoughtful.

      ‘What?’ she prompted when he didn’t speak.

      He slanted her a smile. It planted that attractive crease in his cheek. ‘I bought something for you,’ he revealed. ‘I hope you like it. I went shopping in town.’

      She smiled back at him as she imagined Tiago battling with the crowds. ‘Now, that I would like to have seen.’

      ‘I bought you this...’ Reaching into the back pocket of his jeans, he brought out the most astonishing diamond ring. ‘Do you like it?’

      She was too stupefied to speak. And when she did find her voice she could only blurt, ‘You kept that in your back pocket?’

      ‘The boxes were boring,’ Tiago said, frowning. ‘They were all the same. What’s the point of them? Everyone has them. I’m not everyone—and neither are you. If you don’t like it I’ll change it.’

      She turned the fabulous ring over in her hand, hypnotised by the prisms of light flashing from it.

      ‘What?’ he said. ‘You don’t seem keen. Is it too big? Too small? Too sparkly?’

      Relaxing at last, she laughed. ‘I’m sorry. I don’t seem very grateful, do I? It’s absolutely beautiful, Tiago,