The Secret Fiancée (The Windsors, #5)

by Catharina Maura

This one is for those of us that crave happiness with every heartbeat but don’t dare reach for it. Don’t let fear dictate your future.

“Raya,” he repeats, like he’s testing out my name. “Is that guy your boyfriend?” Startled laughter escapes my lips, and I shake my head as I turn to face him, my chest brushing against his. “No. He’s my best friend,” I reply, used to the common assumptions people tend to make about Adam and me.

“Good,” he says, his voice bordering on a growl. “How so?” I ask, unable to keep my tone from being flirtatious despite my best attempts. Lex smirks, his hand wrapping around my waist. “He seems nice. I’d have hated being the reason his heart breaks.”

“Lex,” I say, enjoying the way his name rolls off my tongue. “Bold of you to assume you’d ever stand a chance with me.”

This is a fucking disaster — I wasn’t supposed to be so captivated by my future wife.

“Your turn, Lex. Are you single?” I hesitate for a moment, my conscience weighing heavy on me. I hadn’t expected to speak to her just yet, hadn’t planned to spin a web of lies. “There’s no one but you, Raya.”

It’s been years since I felt so alive, since I’ve done anything spontaneous at all.

“A secret, huh? How about this one: I’m wondering what you’d look like in a RWC wedding gown — an authentic one.”

She laughs again, and that’s when I know I’m fucked. This feels like more than mere attraction — it’s real chemistry and a connection, something I avoid at all costs.

“Dare.” Impulsiveness drowns out reason as I raise a hand to her face and push her hair behind her ear. “Dance with me, Raya. I dare you to.”

“Damn it,” I groan, something akin to helplessness rushing through me. “Why do you fit against me so perfectly?”

I’ve never experienced anything like this — being in a crowded room with someone yet feeling like we’re the only ones here. Raya has me under some kind of spell, I’m sure of it.

“Truth or dare?” “Dare,” I’m quick to say. I’ve lost count of the amount of rounds we’ve played, and against my better judgment, I hope she has too. Six doesn’t seem like nearly enough anymore.

You are, however, far nicer about it than that little tyrant ever was.”

“I want to dance with you somewhere in private, Raya. I dare you to go somewhere a little quieter with me, some place where we don’t struggle to hear each other’s words.”

“I’m begging you — don’t tell Raven about this. Do you have any idea how embarrassed I am? I accused a Windsor of wearing fake Raven Windsor Couture!”

“If you want me to keep quiet, you’ll have to seal my lips.”

“I’m glad you didn’t recognize me. When you look at me, I don’t want you to see the CEO of Windsor Motors. I just want you to see me.”

“They’re the ones that keep our family running. They keep us together,” he says, clear reverence in his voice. “Each and every one of those women truly have become sisters to me, and I’m not sure I could see our lives without them anymore. They saved me, and they don’t even know it.”

“That’s what my family does — we love fiercely, and there’s nothing we won’t do for those we love. I’d never let anyone hurt them.”

“Yet somehow, your eyes keep me far more captivated than the starry skies above us ever could. I’m not sure I like how easily you’ve put me under your spell.”

I’ve never experienced anyone being quite so present with me.

If she truly is who she’s pretending to be, she’s my every dream come true.

“You’re beautiful, Raya. Fucking breathtaking.”

“Can I kiss you, Raya?”

I’m desperate for her.

“I dare you to,” my future wife whispers.

“You make me feel entirely out of control, Raya. I swear this isn’t what I had in mind when I asked you to leave with me. I don’t want you to think there’s only one thing I’m after, but fuck, baby, I can’t tear myself away from you.”

“My turn,” she whispers against my lips, before leaning in for another kiss. “Choose Dare, Lex.” I smile in between kisses, surprisingly happy to obey my future wife.

“Fuck, Raya.” Even her name sounds perfect, whispered between our lips. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing to me?”

“Can I?” She bites down on her lip, her expression conflicted. “I… I’m not sure, Lex. No one has ever…” My eyes widen. “Never?”

“Will you let me?” I whisper, my heart racing. “Let me make you come, Raya. I want my name on your lips and my fingers buried deep inside you… nothing more than that.”

I always thought I’d hate being forced into an arranged marriage, that I’d resent my wife. Until I met Raya Lewis.

Truth: Last night was amazing, and getting to know you was a little surreal. They say don’t meet your heroes, but you surpassed every expectation, every notion of who I thought you were. You’re incredible, Lexington Windsor.

Dare: I won’t leave you my phone number, Lex. I have no intention of being yet another fling, and realistically, we just live in different worlds. It probably won’t happen, but if we ever run into each other again, I dare you to play Truth or Dare with me again. It’s the most fun I’ve had in a very long time, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to play this game again without thinking of you. Love, Raya

“What is it that kept you from me?”

“You act like we had meaningless sex, when we both know that isn’t what happened. Can you really look me in the eye and tell me that night meant nothing to you?”

“I refuse to believe that you started dating someone else after the night we spent together, Raya. Sure, we didn’t have sex, but the way we danced, the conversations we had, and the way you kissed me? That’s every bit as intimate, if not more so. I can’t be the only one who wants more.”

“I suggest you end whatever it is you started before I find out who he is.” His gaze roams over my face, lingering on my lips for a moment, before returning to my eyes. “You’re mine, Raya Lewis. You just don’t know it yet.”

Who the fuck is he? I’ve spent days trying to figure it out, only to come up empty. More than once, I’ve found myself on campus on days I’m not teaching, tempted to find her and demand answers I’m not entitled to.

I sigh as I laser engrave the words Let Them Eat Cheese into Sierra’s gift, knowing she loves that kind of twisted humor.

Was it me she was referring to when she claimed to no longer be single? It didn’t seem that way, but I can’t help the sliver of hope I feel. It would explain why I haven’t been able to find so much as a trace of the man she’s supposedly with.

The conversation Raya and I had in my office makes a lot more sense now, and I can’t help but smile to myself.

“I would never disrespect or mistreat my wife.”

“Nor would I ever ask her for anything she isn’t willing to give, Bob. She’d be my wife, not my property.”

“My daughter wants real love, Lex. The kind her mother and I share. Can you give her that?”

“I’ll give her everything she could ever want, but I’m not sure I have it in me to love her.”

“I would try, though. For my wif...

but it’s official now — Raya Lewis is mine.

She’s my future wife.”