The Playboy's Touch (Book 2)

Chapter 9

Rachel

I barged into Enrique’s room the next afternoon.

He was finishing combing his hair in front of a mirror and turned around in shock.

“What are you doing in my room??” He looked behind me. “And alone?”

“YOU INVITED VICENTE OVER FOR DINNER TONIGHT?!?” I yelled.

“You’re here alone?!?” He yelled back. Then he tried pushing me out the door. “ALONE?!”

I planted my feet on the ground and pushed him back. “It’s not like this room hasn’t had its fair share of unchaperoned women!” I snapped back.

Enrique stopped pushing me and just looked down at me. His black eyes sparkled. “Never one I wasn’t going to sleep with.”

I glared at him but I felt something tighten in my stomach. I knew he slept with many women but the way he looked at me as he said it made me feel.. different.

After I didn’t say anything he sighed and gave in. “Yes I invited Vicente over for dinner because he is MY friend.”

“And this has nothing to do with you teasing me last night about him? It’s only a friendly dinner?”

He shrugged and smiled. “That’s the plan. But if you two stray off alone after dessert then I won’t say anything.”

I resisted the other to slap him and just groaned. “You’re despicable!”

I heard him laugh as I walked away. “Don’t worry! He’s great! And it’ll take a lot for you to scare him off.. he’s seen wolves fight.” He called out after me.

I ignored him but felt hot rage inside me. I liked Vicente, he hadn’t annoyed me instantly like other men, and he seemed to tolerate me but that didn’t mean I was ready to be thrown into the deep end.

I slowly paced back and forth in the library as everyone gathered in the dining room.

I had heard Vicente’s voice as I was coming down the stairs and panicked. I wasn’t ready to see him yet.

I stopped and looked at myself in front of a large mirror. I wore a simple dark green dress and small diamond earrings. My hair was in its usual simple braid and my white gloves were impeccably clean. I looked.. fine. Simple but presentable.

As I was looking myself over the door opened and Enrique walked in. He wore a darn green vest under his black jacket and he grinned. “We’re matching.”

“Shut up.” I said still mad at him.

He took a deep breath and held out his hand. “Rachel, everything is going to be ok. Don’t worry about it, he’s just a friend having dinner with us. Maybe you’ll realize you don’t even like him that much.”

“And if I do?” I asked.

Something shone in his eyes but I couldn’t tell what it was. “Then that’s a good thing and you’ll figure it out. For God’s sake Rachel you’re 26 years old, you’re no girl fresh out of leading strings-you Can handle yourself.”

For some reason his words calmed me a bit. He was right- nothing had to happen. It was only the second time I was seeing Vicente, and it was in a group. It wasn’t intimate or intimidating.

I could do this.

“I can do..I can do this.” I told myself at I took Enrique’s hand.

He smiled and nodded as we walked out. “Of course you can.”

Enrique

Dinner was great and we were on dessert chatting away.

Oliver and Vicente were discussing business possibilities by trading spices, meats and other goods. Father and Lady Thompson were deep in conversation about the weather differences in London and Spain and Rachel was focused on her pastries and tea.

Through dinner she had managed interesting conversations with Vicente regarding the uses of certain herbs as medicine and had an interesting amount of knowledge regarding the human body and physiology. I was quite surprised by her ability to talk medicine and was deeply invested even though she wasn’t talking to me.

But even then I noticed how fascinated and entertained Vicente was too. He nodded, asked questions and complimented Rachel when she made a good point. He didn’t interrupt or talk over her and I could see Rachel relaxing. I wasn’t the only one who noticed though-Oliver kept glancing at Vicente. He was studying and observing him, clearly taking note of the man who was able to hold conversation with his sister so easily.

I leaned over to Rachel and whispered in her ear. “You’ve been doing great. He’s clearly interested in you.”

She leaned in too and whispered back. “Do you think he finds me attractive?”

“Perhaps. By the way, how do you know so much about medicine? Did you study it somehow?”

“Do you think he finds me attractive?” She repeated completely ignoring my question.

I leaned back, caught off guard by her deep concern regarding Vicente’s physical interest in her. I had grown to believe that she valued conversation and intelligence more than physical attraction. It stung a bit that she had dismissed my genuine interest in her knowledge and focused on Vicente instead. She was looking at him with an intensity-not exactly lust but there was definitely desire, and hope.

I shook away the weird feeling in me and nodded. “Yes I do believe he does. I noticed him glancing at you a few times when you were eating. He smiled a lot at you even if you weren’t looking.”

Rachel’s blue eyes lit up.

The sight of her so hopeful and excited over a man’s possible interest in her both broke and warmed my heart.

For years I had written her off as the pessimistic woman who hated men-who didn’t feel things such as desire or attraction. She was just the brave witty girl who I had a fun undercover mission with. She was closed off and felt nothing. But here she was.. proving me wrong.

When was the last time she felt desired by a man? Seen and appreciated? I teased her about Vicente but I then realized it was deeper. This was deeper. I didn’t know how or why but it was.

Before I could say anything else she spoke up again. “Do you think he’ll ever want to kiss me?”

The question caught me completely off guard and without thinking I nodded. I looked down at her pink lips thinking about how any man would want to kiss her.

“Yes. I think he will.”