Beautiful Sacrifice: A Novel

“Me?” Lina said, shocked. “What about Cousin Carlos?”

“Fifteen years of marriage, remarriage, far too many mistresses—no children. As Americans put it so crudely, mi primo is shooting blanks. That leaves you.”

Lina didn’t know whether to laugh or wail.

The tight line of her mother’s jaw told Lina neither would get the job done. Same for the dutiful daughter routine. She was tired, tense, and repelled by being treated like a walking womb.

“The Reyes Balam family has married out of Mexico as often as it has married in,” Lina said.

“Aristocrats,” Celia said in a clipped voice.

“Really? Last time I checked, Philip was the son of two university professors. A gringo with no rich inheritance coming. You married him and you were only half my age at the time. The world kept turning. Your parents survived having an ordinary gringo in the family just fine.”

“You will not speak to me with such disrespect!”

“Lies are disrespectful. I’m speaking the truth.”

“Are you pregnant?” Celia demanded.

Lina stared at her mother. “No.” Not yet, anyway.

“Then you have no excuse for embarrassing the family like this,” Celia said.

It took Lina about three seconds to understand what she’d always suspected was the truth of her parents’ marriage.

“I’m surprised your mother didn’t just send you to a convent to have me instead of marrying you off to Philip,” Lina said softly.

“Nobody knew Carlos was sterile,” Celia said with faint bitterness. “I was young and foolish. I wanted out of Tulum, out of the jungle, into a bigger world. I saw Philip as my entree into that world. For all that he was thirteen years older, he was…naive. When I became pregnant, he offered marriage. We eloped.”

“And then you discovered that all Philip wanted in life was to dig in the jungles around Tulum,” Lina said, understanding more of her parents and their choices. “He wanted a world whose center was Reyes Balam lands. Maybe he wasn’t as naive as you thought.”

Celia’s nails flashed like blood as she waved her hand, dismissing the past. “I won’t let you repeat my mistake.”

“It’s my life, not yours.”

“Carlos is unhappy with you. He could make your life difficult.”

“In other words, do as he wishes or find myself out of a job.”

Celia bit her lower lip unhappily. “Please, Lina. Now is not a good time to push Carlos. Abuelita is becoming…difficult at times.”

“Difficult? How?”

“She is old, very old.”

“Are you saying that my great-grandmother is senile?” Lina asked.

“I—no, of course not. She is simply Abuelita.”

But Celia didn’t look Lina in the eye when she said it.

“Does she need specialized care?” Lina asked softly.

“Don’t even think it. Carlos won’t hear of it and Abuelita…no, the best thing is to simply…”

“Pretend that everything is fine?” Lina said.

Celia smiled despite the unease in her dark eyes. “Yes, that’s exactly right. I knew you would understand, dearest. We don’t contradict Abuelita. Carlos simply agrees and sees that things are as comfortable as possible for her.”

“Which makes things comfortable for you.”

“But of course. Abuelita will not live forever. It is little enough to do to make her last time pleasant.”

Lina felt the heat of tears stinging her eyes. Abuelita could be headstrong and demanding, but she was one of the few constants in the shifting landscape of Lina’s life.

As though sensing weakness, Celia bored in. “Mr. Johnston can’t comprehend your position in Mexico, your family obligations. Enjoy him—he certainly looks like he is built to be enjoyed—but don’t fool yourself into believing it is something it can’t be.”

For a moment Lina was too shocked to speak.

“Ah, little one, you look like you swallowed a live mouse,” Celia said, laughing without malice. “We are women, yes? Sex is something we use. We don’t let it use us. So go, sneak out to the casita in the night and roll around in the darkness with your gringo lover. But be in your own bed before dawn, ready to pay Abuelita and Carlos the respect they are due, and to be the Reyes Balam woman you were meant to be.”

“Or at least pretend to be that woman?”

Celia smiled and hugged her daughter. “I knew you would understand. Once Abuelita is dead, things will change. Carlos is a man of the world.”

When her mother released her, Lina said, “As long as you understand that Hunter will be treated as a guest while he is here. If you insult him, we will leave. Please tell your cousin.”

“Abuelita won’t—”

“Abuelita has the excuse of age,” Lina cut in. “You don’t. Carlos doesn’t. Philip is rude to everybody, so he’ll just be treating Hunter like one of the family.”

There was a long silence while Celia digested the change in her daughter. She had always wondered what it would take for Lina to dig in and demand respect as an adult.

Now Celia knew. She couldn’t say she was relishing it. It had been much easier when Lina had been eager to please.

“How long will you be staying?” Celia asked finally.

“How long can everyone be civil to Hunter?” Lina asked in return.

Her mother nodded tightly. “Abuelita will expect to see you, and your guest.”

“As soon as Hunter and I have had a chance to bathe and change our clothes, we’ll be eager to see her. Or would she rather have us as we are now?”

Celia looked at her daughter’s rumpled travel wear. “Abuelita is resting. Meet us for canapes in the library at eight.”

HUNTER OPENED THE DOOR AT LINA’S LIGHT KNOCK. OBVIOUSLY she kept clothes at the estate, because she sure wasn’t dressed tonight out of a cut-rate chain store. She wore a simple teal silk dress that probably cost its weight in diamonds, and strappy heels to match. A heavy gold bracelet was clasped around one wrist. Matching earrings swayed gently. He couldn’t read the glyphs in the dim light of the porch.

She looked uncertainly at his black, artificially faded jeans, bare feet, and bare chest. “Didn’t the maid give you my message?”

Hunter barely heard the question. The soft silk dress flowed over her like a lover’s mouth, hinting at the full nipples on her breasts, clinging to the lush curves of her hips and thighs. He wanted to go down on his knees and worship every female inch of her.

“Hunter?”

“Excuse me while I reel in my tongue,” he said, his voice deep.

Lina felt heat rise in her cheeks. “I should have warned you. On the estate, I’m expected to dress for dinner.”

“I’m not complaining. You look damned edible. Will I get parent points subtracted if I leave drool marks on your dress?”

She laughed, stepped into the casita, and closed the door behind her. Seconds later, she was wrapped in Hunter’s arms.

“Just don’t bite me anywhere it shows,” she said.

His glance went to her breasts and the sweet place between her thighs. “I can work with that.”

She felt ravished, and she loved every hot instant of it. Anyone who saw Hunter’s eyes now would never describe them as cold.

“Later,” she said, her voice breathless. “Celia kept me from coming to get you until the last minute.”

“I figured. She doesn’t want you to have time even for a quickie,” he said.

“In some ways, she is old-fashioned,” Lina said against the warmth of Hunter’s skin. Chest hair tickled softly,