His Innocent for One Spanish Night

“No.” Emily shook her head. “I’ll never get involved with someone in a family business again...” She halted, aware of what she’d just said, but Alejandro just laughed at her discomfort. “Good,” he said, “because I don’t do involved relationships.” He was serious then. “Breakups don’t have to be hard. People just make them so.” “I think it depends if you’re the one doing the breaking up...” “No,” he cut in. “Why not just agree from the start it goes nowhere? Enjoy each other for however long and then walk away without regret.” Alejandro made it sound like an invitation, as if he was inviting himself on her adventure. They drove in silence but the words hung between them as she played them over and over, wondering if, by some chance, he was talking about them. He made it sound so easy, so uncomplicated. Could it be? Heirs to the Romero Empire A brand-new sizzling Spanish miniseries from USA TODAY bestselling author Carol Marinelli Siblings Sebastián, Alejandro and Carmen Romero are heirs to a renowned sherry empire in Spain. To the world, they have it all: charm, status and wealth. But their parents’ stormy marriage has also left the siblings with a legacy of emotional wariness, which has meant the empire always came before love. Now, is that all about to change? Find out in Alejandro’s story,His Innocent for One Spanish Night And look out for Sebastián’s and Carmen’s stories, coming soon! His Innocent for One Spanish Night Carol Marinelli www.millsandboon.co.uk CAROL MARINELLI recently filled in a form asking for her job title. Thrilled to be able to put down her answer, she put “writer.” Then it asked what Carol did for relaxation and she put down the truth—“writing.” The third question asked for her hobbies. Well, not wanting to look obsessed, she crossed her fingers and answered “swimming”—but, given that the chlorine in the pool does terrible things to her highlights, I’m sure you can guess the real answer! For Anne and Tony. Love always, Carol xxxx Contents Cover About the Author Booklist Title Page Copyright Note to Readers Introduction Heirs to the Romero Empire Dedication CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE CHAPTER TEN CHAPTER ELEVEN CHAPTER TWELVE CHAPTER THIRTEEN EPILOGUE Extract About the Publisher CHAPTER ONE ‘I CAN’T JUST upend everything and move to southern Spain!’ Emily Jacobs shook her head at the impossibility of it all. ‘I have commitments here.’ ‘No,’ Anna corrected, nodding towards her daughter Willow, who was running ahead, delighting in the crisp snow and a visit from her godmother. ‘I’m the one who has commitments. As of three months ago, you have precisely none.’ ‘But I told Gordon I’d stay until the business was sold...’ Emily started, and then paused, because it was in fact the other way around. Gordon had told her that she could stay in the bed and breakfast they had run together until it was sold... He’d said it as if he were doing her a favour—as if he were making some magnanimous gesture, letting her stay on. In truth, they hadn’t run it together. The business had belonged to his mother, and when she’d recently died Gordon had rather brutally broken off their engagement... Emily had quickly found out that she was considered as staff. Live-in staff. She’d had her own room in the large residence, respecting Gordon’s religious beliefs and his wishes to wait until they were married to share a bed. Emily hadn’t told her best friend that part. Surely people would laugh—ask why she’d stayed when he so clearly didn’t want her... Only she’d been too close to make sense of those things. With no experience to compare, all Emily knew was that his kisses had held no promise. If anything, they’d tasted of reluctance. His hands had never roamed. Only once. And even then he’d abruptly dropped contact and told her she was ‘on the chubby side’. So she’d lost weight, only he hadn’t noticed. So she’d put it back on, and he hadn’t seemed to notice that either. Always shy and uptight, she had felt the little confidence she had possessed evaporate, and she’d swung between blaming herself for his lack of passion and reassuring herself that it would change once they married. Now, on a bright February afternoon, with the sky so blue it might well belong to summer, she was starting to see things more clearly—Gordon had never wanted a sexual relationship with her and had simply used her as a front to appease his mother. He had never wanted her. Not for a moment. And that was the reason why, despite being in a relationship for five years, and engaged for three of them, at the age of twenty-six she was a virgin. ‘Willow, wait!’ Anna said, dashing ahead to catch up with her energetic four-year-old, who was now running towards the frozen lake. ‘Goodness...’ Emily laughed as her friend caught up with her child, but she didn’t pick up her pace to catch up with them. It was nice to walk alone for a brief moment. The time spent with her friend and daughter was actually refreshing. Could she simply leave? Take this rare chance and go? An old university friend, Sophia, had called her just a couple of days ago with an offer. They’d kept loosely in touch via social media, but her call had come out of the blue. ‘I’ll need an answer soon,’ Sophia had warned. ‘I’m going on maternity leave and I want this sorted. Anyway, the brothers want a fresh perspective. They want to appeal more to tourists. Everyone in Jerez knows already how incredible it is... I showed Alejandro what you did with the website for that cottage where you work.’ Emily hadn’t corrected Sophia and told her it was actually a bed and breakfast where she lived. ‘He was impressed. And with the restaurant too...’ Since the break-up, Emily had