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CHAPTER 11
Later that morning, Jacqueline saw the limousine pulling in front of her trailer. Diego swung out and unfolded to his full intimidating height and she had eyes only for him. Yes, he was the enemy, but he was undeniably breathtaking. Immaculate in appearance and stunningly handsome, Diego was wearing a formal charcoal-grey suit teamed with a white shirt and a blue silk tie.
Dragging her beguiled attention from him, Jacqueline smoothed damp palms down over her most presentable T-shirt. She was so nervous she started talking before she even had the door properly open.
“Azura is not here… A friend is looking after her for me… So, I thought we could talk on the beach… It’s a lovely day.”
Lovely? Diego thought the sky was cloudy, the wind rather strong and the temperature distinc
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After finding out that little truth, she was tempted to dance around the beach and sing. In one fell swoop, in the space of one revealing kiss, almost three years of believing that she had made an outsize fool of herself in Monterrey had been wiped out. Diego was more into tattoos than he was ever likely to admit. The silence stretched like an endless cave where light never shone. Feeling indecently smug and ashamed of herself, Jacqueline veiled her sparkling eyes and reflected dizzily that she had never imagined a kiss could be that explosive.“We were talking about you coming to stay in Monterrey,” Diego reminded her drily. He sounded so cool and calm that her floating mood deflated as if he had stuck a pin in her. Alright, maybe he was only a teensy-weensy bit attracted to her. It took
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She watched him smile, get into his limo, and disappear. Her heart was kinda jumping all over in her chest. She knew it was the sort of throwaway smile he might have given anybody. She was well conscious also of a deep-seated need to see him smile and know it was just for her. That evening, and only ten minutes late, Jacqueline traveled up in the elevator to Diego’s private suite. She had Azura cradled in her arms.“Now remember, sweet girl… Lots of smiles. You’ve got to fight against the most fearless businessman ever and you have to sell yourself,” she instructed the baby gazing up at her with trusting brown eyes. “As you could see, Diego’s sensitive to screams, so you have to do your absolute best to stop him from wanting to take you from me. You need to scare this idea of fatherhood away from his mind. If you cry a
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“What do you think? Is it too much?”“A very… plain choice for a future duchess,” Sandra finally selected with obvious difficulty. “I was expecting diamonds and pearls… A dress fit for a princess...” It was Jacqueline’s wedding day and, as she fully expected that it would be the only wedding day she ever had, she was keen to make the most of the occasion. Refusing to let the older woman’s lack of enthusiasm get her down, Jacqueline twirled once again just for the fun of seeing her dress flounce around her slim legs enhanced by crystal diamond satin white pumps.“Well, sometimes less is more… I did spend a lot of Diego’s money on the pumps, though. I hope he won’t get too mad.”“Oh, sweetie…” Sandra said and frowned. She was overwh
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He set her back from him in the pounding silence. Sandra was staring wide-eyed. Red hot with embarrassment, Jacqueline stared into space, her mind blanked out by shock at her own malicious behavior. Impassive to that kind of awkwardness, Diego introduced her very briefly to the lawyer, who, having acted as their second witness, was already making his departure. The official photographer, whose services had been arranged, awaited them on the church porch. At Diego’s request, he produced his driving license as proof of his identity.“I’m sorry but the presence of the journalists outside means that a photographic session will not be possible,” Diego imparted gravely. “That will not, of course, make any difference to your remuneration.” Emerging from her fog of self-lo
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At the airport, since he was still on the phone, Jacqueline parted from Diego to take care of Azura’s needs. She was engaged in changing Azura into a fresh outfit when she heard her name. Someone was asking for her and she had to go to a certain desk. Instant panic assailed Jacqueline. As she frantically finished dressing her niece, she was convinced that something utterly ghastly had happened to Diego. Or, perhaps she had been called to the desk to receive a message from him. Could he have abandoned them at the airport because he just couldn’t face taking the two of them back to Mexico with him? A helpless prey to her own fear, Jacqueline raced up with the stroller and identified herself with breathless urgency. But even as she did so, she was frowning in surprise at the stockily built young ma
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Diego brought out a defiant streak in Jacqueline that had remained dormant and unknown even to her until she had met him. She wondered why it was that he had only to address her in a certain tone or raise an aristocratic eyebrow to excite her even temper to screaming pitch. Provoked beyond bearing, he swept up the magazine and slung it aside.“Look at me while I’m talking to you,” he said harshly.“So, now you’re going to add bullying to all your other sins,” Jacqueline commented in a tone that bothered him even more. “Well, I can’t say I’m surprised…”“What other sins? What the hell are you talking about?” Diego raked at her incredulously.“Take my word for it and let’s not get into this right now. You won’t like it… Your Excellency,&rdq
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By the time Diego entered the compartment, Jacqueline was fast asleep. Curled up in a ball, toffee-brown waves tumbling over a delicate cheekbone, she looked very young, incredibly pretty, and alarmingly vulnerable. He looked at her for a while. She was now his wife. HIS WIFE. It was a disturbing moment of truth for Diego. She was now Jacqueline Maxwell Martinez del Río, the Duquesa de Altamira (Spanish for ‘Duchess of Altamira’). She had a lot of grounds for complaint, Diego acknowledged that. His handsome mouth hardened on that admission of self-blame. He wasn’t accustomed to finding himself in the wrong. But he had criticized her behavior as his wife without once accepting her right to be treated as though she was his wife.
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Everyone who worked in the hacienda was waiting to pay their respects to the Duke and the new Duchess. Diego carried her through the introductions with the sure confidence that seemed to accompany everything he did and Jacqueline really appreciated his support. Afterward, he closed his hand over hers and walked her up the carved stone staircase.“You must be incredibly hungry,” he murmured.“Yes… I should’ve eaten when I got the chance.” Jacqueline sighed, her attention locking to the ancient stone walls and the architectural details surrounding them. It was absolutely gorgeous, and she was fascinated by it. His handsome mouth quirked at her fatalistic outlook.“I upset you&
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