Page 102 of Raul

When they reached San Ignacio, he would thank her for her bravery and send her home in a palace SUV. He would don a fresh tuxedo, return to the wedding celebration, and pretend that he hadn’t been chasing a dragon across the ocean.

While all he wanted was to be in bed with Erica, their bodies tangled together either in sleep or while making love.

He propped his elbows on his knees and dropped his face into his hands, muffling a groan that came from the bottom of his soul.

Chapter 22

Erica activated the airplane’s autopilot and leaned back in her seat, making the cuts on her side twinge. But that pain was nothing. What she had to brace herself for was the onslaught of misery that she no longer could distract herself from.

“You’re quiet this morning,” Bertrand said. “You okay?”

Her adventure last night had to be kept confidential, of course. So did her…fling with Raul. “Just kind of let down after all the buildup to the wedding,” she said, not untruthfully.

“Yeah, but now we get a week in paradise with nothing to do but drink piña coladas and bask in the Caribbean sunshine,” Bertrand said with relish. “Not a bad deal.”

Except that she would rather be naked in bed with Raul. Or fully clothed and eating dinner with Raul. Or camping in las Montañas de los Fantasmas with Raul.

There was a theme there.

She forced a smile. “When does Solange arrive?”

“Tomorrow, if she can fit all her new clothes in the suitcase.” He shook his head with a fond smile. “It was very generous ofel duqueto allow my wife to join me.”

Gabriel had also given Erica the option of bringing a significant other. She had a moment of bleak amusement as she imagined her boss’s face if she had told him she wanted to bring Raul. She was pretty sure the prince wouldn’t be allowed to stay with her in the staff housing.

“We work for a good guy,” she said. “And a very happy one.”

Gabriel and Quinn had looked barely awake but radiantly in love as they’d trudged up the steps to the plane. Evidently, the wedding reception had gone on until the wee hours, with various celebrity musicians—including Kyran Redda—taking a turn at providing the music. Erica was a little sorry she had missed that.

But she had helped save the dragon, so that was the trade-off.

She sighed as she remembered Raul’s last kiss. It had been all too brief in the swirl of activity after the Guardia Maritima cutter had docked in San Ignacio. But it had been deep and intimate as he banded his arms around her and held her hard against him. When he had whispered,I’m sorry, mi corazón,she thought her heart would rip into pieces.

Because she understood exactly what he was saying. Had known from the beginning what the end would be, and yet, she had let herself fall in love with him anyway.Idiota.

She had gone home in one of the palace’s luxurious SUVs, while Raul had been obliged to return to the reception.

“El duquedeserves some happiness,” Bertrand observed, breaking into her unhappy reverie.

She nodded. “You have command of the plane. I’m going to go check with Lizanne to make sure everything’s okay in back.”

Bertrand gave her a puzzled look. She didn’t usually leave the cockpit except for bathroom breaks or to check on the passengers. There was no way she would be bothering the newlyweds right now.

“I’m in command of the plane,” he confirmed.

She unbuckled her seat belt, grabbed her cell phone, and exited, closing the door behind her as she stepped into the galley.

“Captain Ortiz!” Lizanne said. “May I help you with something?”

“Just checking in. Is the coffeemaker working all right?” They had recently upgraded to a fancier one.

Lizanne’s eyes lit up. “It makes fantastic beverages. Would you like a cappuccino? You’ll be amazed by it.”

“Thanks, I’ll have one at lunchtime,” she said, easing down onto one of the seats in the crew cabin. She scanned her cell phone for the first time since taking off and found three textmessages had come in…from Raul’s private number. Her heart flipped as she swiped the thread open.

The first message had arrived as they were taking off.

Can we meet today? I want to find out how you’re feeling and update you on the dragon.