Blood in the Valencian Soil (Secrets of Spain) by Caroline Angus Baker Page B

her anyway. She was with the man who awakened her.
    “Did you know that love is like water?” he whispered in her ear. He watched her soft brown eyes look up at him innocently. She was so beautiful, so delicate; too good for him. She was Alejandro’s sister and Alejandro had told him not to touch Luna, but he couldn’t help himself. Alejandro knew about the night Cayetano had spent with Scarlett in Requena. That was proof to Alejandro that Cayetano would never be faithful to Luna. That night with Scarlett was a simple mistake, a moment of comfort. Everyone knew Cayetano wasn’t good enough for Luna Beltrán, except Luna. He wanted to be good enough for her. He would have done anything to change who he was to be a proper suitor for her affections.
    “How is it like water?”
    “Because you can fall in it and you can drown in it. I know that I can’t live without your love.”
    “If you send us away to Valencia, I might never see you again.”
    “The things that we love always leave us. Holding on to love is like holding on to sunlight – it can’t be done. The love you have in your heart can never leave. All you can truly ever have is the love that you have inside you. The love I have moves through my veins, and it’s so powerful that it burns me.”
    Cayetano pulled her body against him and brought his lips to hers. He knew she would be inexperienced; probably had never been kissed before, but the moment his lips lay over hers, he felt her respond. There was an unleashed fire inside Luna Beltrán, a fire she had saved up.
    Cayetano reluctantly let her mouth go, and watched her run her tongue over her lips that continued to command his full attention. He loved her so much, and it had always been from afar until tonight. “I have something for you,” he said. His hands left her back and fumbled in his pocket and pulled it out. The ring. The Medina ring would be safe with Luna. “I love you, Luna. This is all I have in the world, and I want it to be yours, along with my heart.”
    Luna looked down at his hand, and her eyes widened. A ring. Not just any ring either. A diamond, and a huge one at that. Cayetano had honourable intentions for her. That was a fortunate thing, because tonight she would have agreed to anything.
    “Marry me,” Cayetano whispered.
    “Caya… where did you get this?”
    “It doesn’t matter.”
    “It does,” Luna said, unsure of what to do. “It’s a diamond.”
    “It’s a white solitaire. A man named Sergio Medina gave it to me. We helped his family out to Valencia just before Christmas. He gave me this as a thank you, and as a hand-up in the world. They are an extremely wealthy family.”
    “That’s quite a thank you!”
    “Well, let’s say the man owed me a favour. I don’t know what is going to happen now, but I need this to be safe. I want the ring to be on your hand, with you as my wife.”
    “But I have to marry Ignacio.”
    “You don’t have to do anything, la chispa. Run away with me instead.”
    Luna looked up at Cayetano’s hopeful expression. He said it with all the sincerity in the world. Ignacio didn’t have an ounce of sincerity in him. “Sí. I will run away with you.” She watched him slip the ring on her finger, and his hand shook against hers.  “I’m scared, Caya.”
    “Don’t be,” he said and brought his hand to her cheek. “We’re going to get out of here, and never look back. We’re going to be safe. I will protect you, I promise. I love you, Luna, the way you deserve to be loved.”
    “I want to show you how much I love you,” she whispered.
    “No,” he stuttered. Did he really just say no? “I wouldn’t expect you to…”
    “I want to. If we are all going to die, then I want to die as a woman.” Luna brought her not-so innocent lips to his. She felt hot against him when he drank her in, tasting her sweet and spicy lips. She trembled in Cayetano’s arms, and it only served to tease the desire that seared through him. She had