The Mediterranean Prince′s Passion
The Mediterranean Prince's Passion
Sharon Kendrick
DEAR READER LETTER
By Sharon Kendrick
Dear Reader (#ulink_644fc621-428f-5581-924c-e702a1097c91),
One hundred. Doesnât matter how many times I say it, I still canât believe thatâs how many books Iâve written. Itâs a fabulous feeling but more fabulous still is the news that Mills & Boon are issuing every single one of my backlist as digital titles. Wow. I canât wait to share all my stories with you - which are as vivid to me now as when I wrote them.
Thereâs BOUGHT FOR HER HUSBAND, with its outrageously macho Greek hero and A SCANDAL, A SECRET AND A BABY featuring a very sexy Tuscan. THE SHEIKHâS HEIR proved so popular with readers that it spent two weeks on the USA Today charts andâ¦well, I could go on, but Iâll leave you to discover them for yourselves.
I remember the first line of my very first book: âSo youâve come to Australia looking for a husband?â Actually, the heroine had gone to Australia escape men, but guess what? She found a husband all the same! The man who inspired that book rang me up recently and when I told him I was beginning my 100th story and couldnât decide what to write, he said, âWhy donât you go back to where it all started?â
So I did. And thatâs how A ROYAL VOW OF CONVENIENCE was born. It opens in beautiful Queensland and moves to England and New York. Itâs about a runaway princess and the enigmatic billionaire who is infuriated by her, yet who winds up rescuing her. But then, she goes and rescues him⦠Wouldnât you know it?
Iâll end by saying how very grateful I am to have a career I love, and to thank each and every one of you who has supported me along the way. You really are very dear readers.
Love,
Sharon xxx
SHARON KENDRICK once won a national writing competition, describing her ideal date: being flown to an exotic island by a gorgeous and powerful man. Little did she realise that sheÂd just wandered into her dream job! Today she writes for Mills & Boon, featuring her often stubborn but always to-die-for heroes and the women who bring them to their knees. She believes that the best books are those you never want to end. Just like lifeâ¦
The Mediterranean Princeâs Passion
Sharon Kendrick
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Mills & Boon are proud to present a thrilling digital collection of all Sharon Kendrickâs novels and novellas for us to celebrate the publication of her amazing and awesome 100th book! Sharon is known worldwide for her likeable, spirited heroines and her gorgeous, utterly masculine heroes.
Contents
Cover (#uc24c5e52-6406-50fa-8fec-d007e6521a80)
Dear Reader (#ulink_6528daf7-44b9-5eec-aa3f-39d40840cdb7)
About the Author (#uace6b258-aa2f-5a06-b43b-9b5cba771903)
Title Page (#ue84ad097-ef1f-5f08-bed3-81dc5657f947)
Dedication (#u6e23774a-53ff-5b32-8dd7-020faf2d212c)
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
EPILOGUE
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ONE (#ulink_dd3c10d9-d908-5dc1-a0a5-3b7636bfb443)
IT WAS just a dazzle of white set against the endless sapphire, but the sun was blinding her too much to see clearly. Ellaâs eyes fluttered to a close in protest. Maybe she had imagined it. Like a person hallucinating an oasis in the desert, perhaps her mind had conjured up an image on the empty sea that surrounded them. Some sign of life other than the birds that circled and cawed in a sky as blue as the waters beneath.
âMark.â She croaked the unfamiliar name through lips so parched they felt as if they had never tasted liquid before. âMark, are you there?â She racked her brains for one of the womenâs names. âHelen!â
But there was no answer, and maybe that wasnât so surprising, for the throb, throb, throb of loud music from the lower deck drowned the sound of her feeble words. She could hear the muffled sound of girlish, drunken giggling drifting upwards. She moaned.
How long? How long since she had drunk anything? She knew she ought to go and get some water, but her legs felt as though they had been filled with lead. She lifted a heavy hand to try to brush the weight of damp hair that flopped so annoyingly against her cheek, but it fell uselessly to her side.
She was going to die. She knew she was.
She could feel the strength slowly ebbing from her body. Her ears were roaring and the weak flutter of her heart beat rapidly against her breast. Her skin was on fire, it was burningâ¦burningâ¦burningâ¦
Below, the cool, darkened interior of the cabin beckoned to her enticingly, but an instinct even stronger than her need to escape the sun stopped her from giving in to it. Down there lay chaos, and no chance for escape, but at least here on deck someone might see her.
Her eyes began to close.
Please, God, let someone see herâ¦
His dark hair ruffled by the breeze and his strong body relaxed, Nico stared at the horizon, his eyes suddenly narrowing as the flash of something on the horizon caught his attention.
A boat? Where there should be no boat? Here in the protected waters on this side of Mardivino? His mouth tightened. Modern-day bandits? Seeking access to the tax haven guarded so jealously by the super-rich? The island had a long history of being beseiged by bounty-hunters and their modern-day counterpartsâthe paparazziâand his face darkened. Where the hell were the Marine Patrol when you needed them?
But the devil-may-care facet of his character made his pulse begin to race with excitement. Ignoringâalmost relishingâthe potential danger to himself, he reached for the throttle and his jet-ski sped forward, roaring in a spray of foam towards the stricken craft, which bobbed like a childâs toy on the waves.
As his craft approached he could see a figure lying on the deck, and as he drew alongside he could see that it was a woman and that she appeared to be sunbathing. Tawny limbs and tawny hair. Slim and supple, with the tight lushness of youth. It took him precisely two seconds to assess whether or not this was a ploy and she the decoy. It was an age-old method he had encountered before; it came with the territory he inhabited.
But she was not sunbathing. Something was very wrongâNico could see that from her slumped and unmoving pose.
Moving swiftly, he secured his jet-ski and jumped on board, his stance alert and watchful as he scanned the deck for a brief moment and listened intently. From a distance he could hear the loud beat of dance music, but the woman appeared to be alone on deck.
In a few strides he had reached her. Bending over, he turned her onto her side, blotting out his instinctive first reaction to the way her magnificent breasts rose and fell beneath the skimpy jade-green bikini top she wore.
She was sick.
Assessingly, he ran his eyes over her. Her breathing was shallow, her eyes tight-closed and her skin very pink. He laid a brief exploratory hand on her forehead and felt the heat sizzling from it. Fever. Probably sunstroke, by the look of her.
Urgently, he shook her. âSvegli!â he ordered, but there was no response. He tried in French. âReveillezvous!â And then, louder, in Spanish. âDespierte!â
Through the mists of the dream that was sucking her down towards a black numbness Ella heard a deep voice urging her back to the surface, back towards the light. But the light was hurting her eyes and she didnât want to go there. She shook her head from side to side.
âWake up!â
Her eyes flickered open. A face was looming over herâits hard, handsome features set in a look of grim concern. A dark angel. She must be dreaming. Or dying.
âOh, no!â he exclaimed, and levered her up into his arms, supporting her head with an unmoving hand as it threatened to flop back. âYou will not sleep again! Do you hear me? Wake up! Wake up now, this instant. I demand it!â
The richly accented voice was too commanding to ignore, but Ella was lost in the grip of a fever too powerful to resist.
âGo away,â she mumbled, and she felt a cold terror when he lowered her back onto the deck and did just thatâleft her all alone again. She gave a little whimper.
Nico went below deck and the noise hit him like a wall. He stood for a moment, studying the scene of decadence that lay before him.
He could count five peopleâthree men and two womenâand all of them were in advanced stages of intoxication. One woman was topless and snoring quietly on the floor, while another gyrated in front of one of the men like a very poor lap-dancer.
Only one of the men seemed to notice his arrival, and he raised a half-empty bottle of Scotch.
âHey! Whoâre you?â he slurred.
Nico gave him a look of simmering fury. âAre you aware that youâre trespassing?â he snapped.
âNo, mateyâI think youâre the one doing that! This boat I paid through the nose for, andââ The man pointed exaggeratedly upwards. âThe sea is free!â he added, in a sing-song voice.
âNot here, it isnât. Youâre in forbidden waters.â And, turning on his heel, Nico went back up onto the deck. He slid a mobile phone from his back pocket and punched in a number known to only a very few, which connected him straight to the Chief of Police.
âPronto? Si. Nicolo.â He spoke rapidly in Italian.
There was a pause.
âYou want that we should arrest them, Principe?â asked the Capo quietly.
Nico gave a hard glimmer of a smile. âSi. Why not? A night in jail sobering up might teach them never to put themselves nor others in danger again.â But he stared down thoughtfully at the girl, for she was not drunk; she was sick.
He bent down and shook her gently by the shoulder. Her eyes fluttered open, dazed and green as spring grass.
Through the haze of her fever she saw his strengthâa rock, a safe harbour and her only means of escape. âDonât leave me,â she begged.
The raw emotion in her voice made him still momentarily but it was an unnecessary appeal for he had already made up his mind. âI have no intention of leaving you,â he said tersely, and scooped her up into his arms before she could protest.
Her arms clasped tightly around his neck, she slumped against his chest like a rag doll in an unconscious attitude of complete trust. He gripped her tightly as he manoeuvred her onto the jet-ski.
Most men would have struggled to cope with a woozy female, but Nico had been born to respond to challengeâit was one of the few things in life that invigorated him. A small smile touched the corners of his mouth as he set off for the shore.
He was always trying new thrills and spills, but this was the first time heâd ever rescued a damsel in distress.
CHAPTER TWO (#ulink_40150448-a0b4-51aa-a811-70eb7e0ea6d6)
COOL dampness rippled enchanting fingers across her cheeks and Ella let out a small sigh.
âMmm! Sânice!â
âDrink this!â
It was the voice that wouldnât go away. The voice that wouldnât take no for an answer. The voice that had been popping in and out of her consciousness with annoying frequency. A bossy, foreign voice, but an irresistible one, too.
Obediently Ella opened her lips and sipped again from the cup she was being offered, only this time she drank more greedily than before, gulping it so that the water ran in riveluts down her face, trickling over her chin and startling her out of the hazy fog that engulfed her.
âThat is better,â said the deep voice, with a touch of approval. âTake some more still, and then open your eyes properly.â
Befuddled, she did as she was toldâonly to find herself even more confused. For there was a man standing over herâa man she didnât recognise.
Or did she?
She blinked up at his face and something peculiar happened to her already unsteady heart-rate, for he was utterly spectacular.
His chiselled features gave his face a hard, auto cratic appearance, but a sensual mouth softened it. Narrowed eyes were fringed by blocks of dark lashes and his hair was jet-dark and wavy, and slightly too long. He looked rugged and powerfulâfamiliar and yet a stranger. His skin was golden and olive and glowingâas though it had been gently lit from within. His was the face that had drifted in and out of her fevered sleep, coaxing and cooling her. A dark angel. A guardian angel.
So she had not been dreaming at all. Nor, it seemed, had she died.
Still blinking in consternation, she glanced around her. She was in a roomâa very plain and simple room, containing little more than a small wooden table and a couple of old chairs. On the floor were worn floorboards, the walls were wooden, too, and she could hear the roar of waves. It was cool and dim and she was lying on a low kind of bed, beneath a tickly-feeling thing that was too thick to be a sheet and too thin to be a blanket. Her hand slithered inside.
She was wearing nothing but a manâs T-shirt!
The last of her lethargy fled in an instant and fear galloped in to take its place. Clutching the coverlet, she sat up and stared at the man who stood over her, his dark face shuttered and watchful. Was she certain that she wasnât dreaming? Who was he, and what was she doing here?
âWould you mind telling me what the hellâs going on?â she demanded breathlessly.
âI thinkâ¦â There was a pause. He watched her very carefully, like a hunter with his prey held firmly in his sights. âThat I should be asking you that very same question.â
Her heart was pounding like a piston. His voice was soft and rich and accented. And accusing. When surely, if there was any accusing to be doneâ¦Beneath the coverlet she ran an exploratory hand down over her body, as if checking that all her limbs were intact. And not just her limbsâ¦
Nico watched her. âOh, do not worry,â he drawled. âYour virtue is intact. Or at least as intact as it was when you arrived.â Though God only knew what she had been up to with the band of drunks on board that boat.
Ella tried to will her stubborn memory into gear, but it was as if her brain had been wrapped in cotton wool. Something told her that she must be grateful to this man, but something about his dark masculinity was suddenly making her feel very shy. More than shy. âWhatâs happened?â
âYou have been sick,â he explained, but his eyes lost nothing of their glittering suspicion.
She looked around for signs that she might be in a hospital, but there was nothing remotely medical or sterile about the place. In fact, there were grains of sand on the floorboards, and a wetsuit lay coiled in a heap like a seal skin. Some of the cotton wool cleared. âWhere am I?â
âAh! At last! The traditional question. It took you long enough to ask,â he observed, arching imperious eyebrows that shot up into the ebony tumble of his hair. His dark eyes fixed her with a lancing stare.
âIâm asking now.â
The eyes narrowed, for he was unused to such a response. âYou donât know?â
âWhy would I bother asking you if I already knew?â
Unless, he pondered, she had her own separate agenda, and there was no way of finding out, not until she was properly recovered. Not when she was stillâ¦
Nico turned away from her body, its outline undisguised by the T-shirt, its firm curves spelling out a temptation that would have stretched the resolve of the most holy and celibate of menâtwo things of which he had never been accused.
For hours she had lain there, her tawny limbs and hair flailing as she thrashed and cried out, hot with fever and lost in the strange world of delirium. And he had bathed her. Sponged her down. Fed her with water and sat with her during the long, lonely hours till dawn.
It had been a new sensation for himâhaving someone reliant and dependent on him. She had been as helpless as a wounded animal, and that very helplessness had brought about a protectiveness he had never before experienced.
Untilâ¦
He had been smoothing the damp hair away from her sweat-sheened skin, murmuring words of comfort, when she had suddenly called out in alarm. And when he shushed her she had sat up, the sheet falling from her. The T-shirt he had hastily flung on her had managed to both conceal and revealâand the hazy hint of glorious rose-tipped breast beneath had been enchanting beyond belief. He had tried to move away but she had lifted her arms and clung onto him with the terrified and irresistible strength of someone who was lost in a nightmare. And she had been close. Ohâ¦soâ¦closeâ¦Far too close for comfort and sane thought.
His body had sprung into instant and unwilling response as sheâd pressed closer still. Nerves stretching with unbearable tension, he had stared down into her eyesâthe most green and startling eyes he had ever seenâbut they had been clouded and vacant. Whomever or whatever she was seeing, it certainly was not him.
âLie down on the bed!â he had ordered harshly, in English, and the still-dry lips had puckered into the shape of a parched flower before much-needed rain fell onto it.
Some men would have thoughtâwhy not? Taja châe e rosso, as the Romans sometimes said. To have taken advantage of what was so beautifully on offer might have been an option, but Nico was of different blood from other men. Even if his hadnât been an appetite jaded by what had always been given to him so freely, he could not have countenanced making love to a woman unless she was in total command of her senses.
He stared down at her now and saw that the wild, febrile light had left her eyes. He felt a small tug of triumph, for she had been in his charge and now she was recovered. âAre you hungry?â he asked unexpectedly.
His words made Ella focus, not on the extraordinary situation in which she found herself, but on the needs of her body, and she suddenly realised that her stomach felt empty and her head light as air. Hungry? She was absolutely starving!
âWhy, yes,â she said, in surprise.
âThen you must eat.â He began to move away, as if he couldnât wait to put physical distance between them.
âNoâwait!â
He stilled at her words, a bemused expression on his lean and handsome face. How long had it been since someone had issued such a curt order? âWhat is it?â
âHow long have I been here?â she questioned faintly.
âOnly a day.â
Only a day? Only a day! She shook her head again to clear it, and strands of memory began to filter back. A boat. A boat trip taken with a bunch of people who, it had turned out, knew nothing of basic maritime law or safety. Who had proceeded to drink themselves into oblivion. And a man who had invited herâwho had clearly thought that a woman should pay the traditional price for a luxury weekend.
She screwed up her nose. What had his name been?
Mark! Yes, that was it. Mark.
Her eyes now accustomed to the dim light within the interior of the room, Ella turned her head slowly to look around.
âWhereâs Mark? Whatâs happened to him?â
Nicoâs mouth hardened. Had âMarkâ been on her mind when she had pressed her body so close to his? Or was she the kind of woman who was naturally free with her body?
âBy nowââ he glanced at his watch ââhe will just about be released from jail.â
âJail!â She stared at him in confusion. âHow come?â
âBecause I informed the local police of their trespass,â he informed her coolly.
âYouâve had him put in jail?â
âNot him,â he corrected. âThem. All of them.â
Ella swallowed, suddenly fearful. Just where was she? And who the hell was he? âIsnât that a bit over the top?â
âYou think so?â His voice became filled with contempt. âPutting the trespass asideâyou think it acceptable for people to be drunk in charge of a powerful boat? To put not only their own lives in danger, but those of others? And that includes you! What do you think might have happened if I hadnât come along?â
Something in the stark accusation of his words made her feel very small and very vulnerable. âL-look, Iâm very grateful for everything youâve done,â she said, in a low trembling voice, âbut would you mind telling me exactly whatâs going on? I donâtââ
He silenced her with an autocratic wave of his hand. âNo more questions. Not now. Later you will ask me whatever you please and I shall answer it, but first you must eat. You have been sick. You are weak and you are hungry and you need food. You will have your answers, but later.â
Ella opened her mouth to object, and then shut it again, realising that she was in no position to do so. And even if she had been she simply did not have the strength. He was rightâshe felt all weak and woolly with the aftermath of fever.
Yet surely she wasnât expected to just lie here, helpless beneath the cover, while this handsome, dominant stranger told her what she could and couldnât do? But what was the alternative? Did she just leap out of bed, feeling strangely naked despite his T-shirt?
He turned his head to look at her and saw the fleeting look of vulnerability that had melted away her objections. Only this time he had to force himself to respond to it. Before it had been easy. While she had been sick he had been able to be gentle with her, as he would have with a child. But now that she was awake it was different. And suddenly not so easy. For she was a beautiful, breathing woman and not a child.
Almost without thinking Nico rebuilt the familiar emotional barriers with which he habitually surrounded himself.
âYou wish to wash, perhaps?â
âPlease.â But she noticed that his voice had grown cool.
He pointed to a curtain at the far end of the simple room. âYouâll find some basic facilities through there,â he said. He pulled a fresh T-shirt down from an open shelf and threw it onto the divan.
âYou might want that,â he said. âAll your stuff is still on the boat and your bikini is hanging outside. I washed it,â he explained, amused to see her look of barely concealed horror. Was she afraid he was expecting her to change in front of him? Then clearly she had no memory of how her T-shirt had slithered up her naked thighs as she had thrashed around. Of how he had played the gentleman and slithered it right down again. âDonât be shyâIâll be outside.â
Donât be shy! Ella watched him disappearing through the door, caught a dazzling glimpse of blue as it opened, and heard the hypnotic pounding music of the waves.
She was obviously in some kind of beach hutâbut where exactly?
She stared at the closed door and half thought of running after him, and demanding some answers. But she was too weak to run anywhere, and she was also naked, sticky and dusty. Surely she would be better placed to ask for explanations once she was dressed?
Never had the thought of washing seemed more alluring, though the sight that greeted her behind the curtain was not terribly reassuring. There was a sink, a loo, and the most ancient-looking shower that Ella had ever seen. It didnât gush, it trickled, but at least it was halfway warm and there was soap and shampoo, tooâsurprisingly luxurious brands for such a spartan setting.
Basic it might have been, but Ella had never enjoyed or appreciated a shower more than that one. She washed all the salt and sand away from her skin and hair, and roughly towelled herself dry, then slithered into the clean T-shirt that fortunatelyâbecause its owner was so tallâcame to mid-way down her thigh. It wasnât what she would call decent, but it was better than nothing.
He was standing by the small table, dishing out two plates of something she didnât recognise, the scent of which made her empty stomach ache. He had left the door open and Ella discovered why the sound of the waves was so loud. It looked directly out onto the most glorious sea view she had ever seen in her life.
Pale, powdered sand dotted with shells gave way to white-topped sapphire waves that glittered and sparkled and danced and filled the room with light. But the room seemed suddenly to have kaleidoscoped in on itself, for all Ella could see was the dark power of the man who was silhouetted against the brilliant backdrop outside.
Now that she was on her feet she didnât need the T-shirt as an indicator of just how tall he was. She could see that instantly from the way he towered, dominating the small room, making everything else shrink into insignificance. His hair was dark and ruffled, tiny tendrils of it curling onto the back of his neck. She felt an odd, powerful kick to her heart as he looked up and slowly drifted his eyes over her.
âMy T-shirt suits you,â he mused softly.
It was an innocent enough remark, but something in the way he said it, and the accompanying look of approbation in his eyes, made her feel all woman. She could feel her breasts tingling, and the soft, moist ache of longing. It was a powerful and primitive response, and it had never happened to her quite like that before.
Filled with a sudden feeling of claustrophobia, and unsure of how to deal with the situation, she walked to the open door and breathed in the fresh, salty tang of the air, staring at the moving water in silence for a moment.
âBeautiful, isnât it?â came his voice from behind her.
Composing her face into an expression of innocent appreciation, Ella turned round. âUnbelievable.â And so was he. Oh, he was just gorgeous. âThatâ¦that smells good,â she managed, in an effort to distract herself.
âMmm.â He had seen the perking breasts and the brief darkening of her eyes and he felt himself harden. âCome and eat,â he said evenly. âWe could take our food outside, but I think you need a break from the sun. So weâll just look at the view from here.â
But Ella didnât move. âYou said you would give me some answers, and Iâd like some. Now. Please.â
Nico gave a slow smile. The novel always stirred his blood, and it was rare for him to be spoken to with anything other than deference. âQuestions can wait, cara, but your hunger cannot.â
His words were soft, but a steely purposefulness underpinned them. As if he were used to issuing orders; as if he would not tolerate those orders being disobeyed. The scent of the food wafted towards her and Ella felt her mouth begin to water. Maybe he was right. Again.
She went back inside and sat down at the table.
âEat,â he said, pushing a plate of food towards her, but it seemed the command was unnecessary. She had begun to devour the dish, falling on it with the fervour of the truly hungry.
He watched her in fascinated silence, for this, too, was a new sensation. In his company people always picked uninterestedly at their food. There were unspoken rules that were always followed. They waited for him to begin and they finished when he finished. It was all part of the protocol that surrounded himâand yet for all the notice she took of him he might as well not have been there!
She ate without speaking, unable to remember ever having enjoyed a meal as much. Eventually she put her fork down and sighed.
âItâs good?â
âItâs delicious.â
âHunger makes the best sauce,â he observed slowly.
There was red wine in front of her, and he gestured towards it, but she shook her head and drank some water instead, then sat back in her chair and fixed him with a steady look. His eyes were as black as a moonless night and they lanced through her with their ebony light.
âNow are you going to start explaining?â
Nico found that he was enjoying himself. He had played the rescuerâso let him have a little amusement in return. âTell me what you wish to know.â
âWell, for a startâwho are you? I donât even know your name, Mrâ¦?â
There was a pause while he considered the question. It seemed sincere enough, although the Mr tacked onto the end could have been disingenuous, of course. Was it?
âIt is Nico,â he said eventually. From behind the thick dark lashes that shielded his eyes he watched her reaction carefully, but there was no sign of recognition in her emerald eyes. âAnd you?â
âIâm Ella.â
Ella. Yes. âItâs a pretty name.â
âItâs short for Gabriella.â
âLike the angel,â he murmured, letting his eyes drift carelessly over the pale flames of her hair.
It was that thing in his voice againâthat murmured caress that made her conscious of herself as a woman. And him as a man. A man who had seen her sick and half-naked. But he was the angelâa guardian angel.
âWhere am I?â she asked slowly.
Now his expression became sceptical. âYou really donât know?â
She sighed. âHow long are we going to continue with these guessing games? Of course I donât know. One minute I was on a boatâand the next Iâm in some kind of beach hut, eatingâ¦â She stared down at her empty plate. Even the food had been unfamiliar, just as he was, with his strange accent and his exotic looks. Disorientated, she found herself asking, âWhat have I just eaten?â
âRabbit.â
âRabbit,â she repeated dully. She had never eaten rabbit in her life!
âThey run wild in the hillsides,â he elaborated, and then, still watching her very closely, he said, âOf Mardivino.â
âMardivino?â She stared at him as it began to sink in. âIs that where we are?â
âIndeed it is.â He sipped from a tumbler of dark wine and surveyed her from eyes equally dark. âYou have heard of it?â
It was one of the less-famous principalities. A sun-drenched Mediterranean islandâtax haven and home to many of the worldâs millionaires. Exclusive and remote and very, very beautiful.
âIâm not a complete slouch at geography,â she said. âOf course Iâve heard of it.â
Authority reasserted itself. âYou were in forbidden waters. You should never have ventured onto this side of the island!â
She remembered Mark and one of the others blustering about navigation, and then they had started hitting the bottle, big-time. She remembered how frightened she had been, how she had stood on deck for what seemed like hours and hours, the blistering sun beating down on her quite mercilessly. She shivered. âBut we were lost,â she protested. âGenuinely lost!â
âYes.â He didnât disbelieve her. Off Mardivinoâs rugged northern coast there were rocks and rip tides that would challenge all but the most experienced sailor. No one would have been foolish enough to deliberately put themselves in the danger in which he had found them. So why had they?
His eyes bored into her. âThose people with youâ¦â
âWhat about them?â
There was a long pause. âOne of them is a journalist, perhaps?â he questioned casually.
âA journalist?â She screwed up her nose. âWell, I donât know any of them that well, but none of them said they were journalists.â She met his eyes, which were hard and glittering with suspicion. âWhy would they be?â
âNo reason,â he said swiftly.
But Ella heard the evasion in his voice and stared at him. Nothing added up. She stared at him as if seeing him properly for the first time. His clothes were simple, but his bearing was aristocratic, and there was something about his appearance that she had never seen in a man before. Something in the way he carried himselfâan arrogant kind of self-assurance that seemed innate rather than learned. Yet he wore faded jeans and a worn T-shirtâ¦
He had brought her to this beach hut, where the shower dripped in a single trickle and yet the soap and shampoo were the finest French brands. She frowned. And he had called her cara, hadnât he?
âAre you Italian?â
He shook his head.
âSpanish?â
âNo.â
âFrench, then?â
He smiled. âStill no.â
Words he had spoken came back to her. âYet you speak all three languages?â
He shrugged. How much to tell her? How long to continue this delicious game of anonymity? How long could he? âIndeed I do.â
âAnd your English is perfect.â
âI know it is,â he agreed mockingly.
This time she would not be deterred by the soft, seductive voice. Ella leaned across the table, challenging him with her eyes. âJust who exactly are you, Nico?â
CHAPTER THREE (#ulink_8ec9c691-a018-5067-85ab-66a2ec3d8050)
THE strangest thing was that Nico was really enjoying himself. It was like a game, or a storyâthe one where a prince disguised himself as a beggar and no one recognised him.
For a man whose life had been composed of both light and dark fairy tale aspects, it was a new and entertaining twist. And if he told herâ¦then what? Nothing would be the same, not ever again. Her attitude towards him would change irrevocably. No longer would she speak to him as if were just a manâan ordinary man.
When he was a little boy, had he not sometimes wished to be made ânormalâ, just for the day? And even when he had been at college in America, doing his best to blend in, people had still known of his identity. It had been inevitableâsecurity had arrived before he had, to make the place fit for a prince.
And since when had he been asked to make an account of himself? To explain who he was and his place in the world?
Never.
He leaned back in the wooden chair. âHow does a man define himself?â He asked the question as much of himself as of her. âThrough his possessions? His achievements, perhaps?â
Ella gave him a bemused look. âAre you incapable of giving a direct answer to a direct question?â
Probably. In the world he inhabited he was never asked a direct question. Conversation was left for him to lead, at whim. It was forbidden by ancient decrees for others to initiate it. When he spoke people listened. He had never known anything else, had accepted it as the norm, but nowâwith a tug of unfamiliar awarenessâhe recognised that total deference could be limiting.
âI am Nico,â he said slowly. âYou know my name. Iâm twenty-eight and I was born on Mardivinoâa true native of the principality.â His eyes glittered. âSo now you know everything.â
âEverything and yet nothing,â she challenged. âWhat do you do?â
âDo?â His eyes glittered. How could he have forgotten that in her world people were defined by what they did for a living?
âFor a living?â
âOh, this and that,â he said evasively. âI work for a very rich man.â
That might go some of the way towards explaining things. Maybe that was why he seemed so impressively self-assured. Perhaps he had picked up and now mirrored some of his rich employerâs characteristics, as sometimes happened. That might also explain the extravagant soaps in the bathroomâhe might be the recipient of a rich manâs generosity.
Ella gestured towards the humble interior. âAnd is this your home?â
There was a pause. âNo. No, I donât live here. Itâs just a place that belongs to myâ¦employer.â
âAnd the jet-ski?â
âYou remember that?â he questioned.
The food and the shower had worked a recuperative kind of magic, and more fragments of memory now began to filter back. She recalled being clasped against a firm, hard body and the comforting, safe warmth of him. Then fast bobbing across the water, with spray being thrown against her fevered skin.
âKind of.â
âWhat about it?â he asked carelessly.
âIs it yours?â
Inexplicably, he felt a flicker of disappointment. Would that matter, then? A top-of-the-range jet-ski was a rich manâs toy. His habitual cynicism kicked in. Of course it would matterâthings like that always did. You were never seen for who you were but what you owned and what you possessed. Take away the trappings and what was left?
âNo,â he said flatly. âItâs just something I use when I want to.â
âWell, I hope Iâm not going to get you into trouble,â she ventured.
His cynical thoughts began to crumble when she looked at him like that. Soâ¦so sweet, he thought. So scrubbed and so innocent. So utterly relaxed in his company and now worrying about his welfare! And when had anyone ever done that before?
Now that it was dry, the tawny hair was spilling in profusion over her shoulders and face, but not quite managing to disguise the lush swell of her breasts. The aching in his body intensified as he imagined himself running the tips of his fingers over their heavy curves. âNo, you wonât get me into trouble,â he murmured. âI suspect he wouldnât have minded rescuing you himself.â
The words were flirty, and almost imperceptibly something in the atmosphere changed and then intensified. A blurry sexual awareness that had been there all the time was now brought into sharp focus. Ella felt the warm tongue of desire licking its way over her skin and the heated clamour of her response. She found that she didnât dare look at himâand yet where else was there to look? The room was so small, and he was soâ¦soâ¦
She swallowed, her mouth as dry as the sun-baked sand outside. âMaybe I should think about getting home,â she said quietly.
Nico had watched her body tense, and then seen the wary look that crept into her eyes. He forced himself to steel against the demands of his hungry body, aware that he could frighten her away. Because sex was easy. He could get sex any time he wanted. But not a unique situation like this. And what would sex be like with a woman who didnât know?
âNot yet.â His dark eyes on her face, he took a mouthful of wine. âYou still havenât told me anything about you.â
âWell, you know my name. And Iâm twenty-six and I was born in Somerset.â Her eyes mocked him. âSo now you know everything about me, too.â
âEverything and nothing.â He echoed her sardonic words. âAnd what of the men on boardâone of them is your lover, perhaps?â
Ella found her cheeks colouring. âYou canât just come out and ask me something like that!â she protested.
âWhy not?â
âBecause I thought we were sitting here having a polite conversation, and that sort of question breaks all the rules!â
âA polite conversation?â he murmured. âOh, I think not, cara mia. When a man and a woman talk together there is always an internal dialogue taking place. What you say is never what youâre really thinking, deep down.â Or else I would be telling you that I want to feel your naked body against me, to taste your tongue as it licks against my lips and hear your cry of startled pleasure as I thrust into you that sweet first time.
His murmured words increased her wariness, but heightened the sensation of tense expectation, too. Surely by now she should be itching to get away? Not finding her eyes drawn to the luscious curve of his lips, to the hard, clean lines of his body, and thinking how magnificent he must look when he was naked.
His voice interrupted her thoughts. âSo?â he persisted silkily. âYou wish to rush away to the jail-house to greet one of them?â
âUghâno, thanks!â Ella shuddered. âNone of them is my lover, nor ever would be. Mark is just someone I met through work.â She bit her lip, remembering how trusting she had been. âHe invited me along to join some friends of his for the weekend, only I arrived to discover that his idea about how we were going to spend our time together differed somewhat from mine.â
âSo what happened?â
âI made it clear I wasnât interested in him, and thatâs when he decided to make love to a bottle of whisky instead.â She pulled a face. âThey all did.â
âAnd did he hurt you?â he demanded, his expression darkening.
Ella shook her head, taken aback by the sudden hardening of his voice. âNo. I stayed as far away from them as possible. Then they started to drink more and more, and no one seemed capable of taking charge of the boat.â Her voice trembled a little. âThatâs when I started to get frightened.â
He remembered the way she had clung to him on deck, and the gut-wrenching effect of the little whimper of protest she had made when he had left her. The way she had weakly gripped onto his hand as if he were her lifeline. Playing rescuer to a woman could evoke some very powerful and primitive feelings, he recognisedâfeelings he was unfamiliar with, which were given extra potency by her ignorance of who he really was. And that, too, was a rare sensation.
He knew he wanted to make love to her, but he couldnât do it now. Not here. Making love to a woman on his own territory was always fraught with difficulty. And he had no wish to shatter her trust in him, nor to abuse his position. When he took her to bed it must be on equal terms. And in order for that to happen he must get her back to England with as little fuss as possible.
âYou want to go home?â he asked suddenly.
His question took Ella off-guard, and she hoped her expression managed to mask her disappointment. What had she been expecting? To stay here indefinitely, in this beautiful place, with this strong, handsome man who had saved her? Alone like Adam and Eveâwith the inevitable outcome of sexual discovery?
She fixed her mouth into a wobbly kind of smile. âWell, I suppose Iâd better.â
He heard her reluctance, and that only heightened his appetite. But, as he had already told her, hunger made the best sauceâ¦
He slid a high tech-looking mobile phone from the back pocket of his jeans. âIâll arrange it.â
He went outside to get a signal and she could hear him talking in a low, rapid voice in Spanish. Then he came back inside.
âWe can be airborne within the hour.â
She was unable to hide her bewilderment. âThat soon? But my ticket is from Nice, and thatâs miles away.â
âWeâll be travelling by private jet.â
Her frown deepened. âHow come?â
Again, his eyes pierced her with their brilliant light, but he was enjoying this sensation of anonymity far too much to break it. And besides, he wasnât telling a lie. He was merely presenting the truth in a slightly different form.
âMyâ¦employer,â he elaborated casually, âis an exceedingly rich and generous man. And Iâm a qualified pilot,â he added. âSo I can fly you home.â There was a pause and his dark eyes captured hers in their ebony crossfire. âThat is, of course, if you trust me to fly you home safely, cara?â
He had rescued her from the boat and ensured that she did not spend a night in the cells. He had cared for her while she thrashed around with feverâwhat was there not to trust?
And when he called her cara like thatâ¦
âBut can you just get up and go like that? Wonât your employer mind?â
âNot at all. I have to do some business myself in England, and I can do it this week just as easily as next.â
She saw the gleam of anticipation that had lightened the night-dark eyes, the slow smile that had irresistibly curved his lips, and she could feel the erratic beat of her heart.
âItâs veryâ¦sweet of you,â she said.
The question why hung unspoken on the air.
He shook his head very slightly. It was a very English description, and one that had never been applied to him in his life. âSweet? No, caraâit is something much more fundamental than that.â He suddenly became aware of the irony of his words. âYou see, I find that Iâm just as susceptible to the lure of a pair of dazzling green eyes and a pair of petal-soft lips as the next man.â
Ella felt the heat rise in her cheeks. It was most definitely an overture. And what was she going to do about it? After all, what did she have in common with this all-action foreignerâwith his jet-ski and his pilotâs licence and his ability to rustle up a delicious one-pot meal in the most basic surroundings? Who lived on a remote island far away from her worldâ¦
A shadow of a smile had flitted across the hard contours of his face. âMaybe youâd like to have dinner with me back in England?â Breakfast would have been his meal of choice, but that would inevitably follow.
From the crashing of her heart against her ribcage someone might think that sheâd never been asked out for dinner beforeâbut quite honestly that was the way it felt. As though every invitation up until that moment had been a rehearsal for the real thing. And Ella found herself smiling at him with lips that she had never considered to be petal-soft before, but that now parted like a flower.
âWhy, thank you,â she murmured. âIâd like that.â
CHAPTER FOUR (#ulink_c9333a21-7878-5c09-b2a0-403a80168570)
ITâS ONLY a dinner date, Ella told herself.
So why did she feel so jumpy? Why were the hands that smoothed the dress down over her hips so clammy and her lips so cool and pale? She rubbed a slick of lipgloss on them and stared at herself critically in the mirror.
The silky black dress gleamed against the curve of bottom and breast, contrasting provocatively with the tiny covered buttons that ran in a demure line from neck to knee.
The spiky black sandals made the best of her legs, and her only adornment was a matching velvet choker at her neck, inlaid with jet as dark and glittering as Nicoâs eyes.
For the umpteenth time she glanced at the clock, nervously tugging at the hem of her dress, her mind skipping back over the extraordinary events of the last couple of days, which had culminated in Nico flying her home on a private jet.
Ella had spent the flight sipping on a fruit cocktail and looking around her with a sense of disbelief. Whatever Nicoâs boss did for a living, he must be enormously successful at it to own a plane like that.
She had glanced yet again to the cockpit, to see Nico sitting in front of a radar screen lit up like a Christmas tree, his fingers caressing the joy stick as if it was a womanâs body, and she had shivered, unable to prevent herself. There was something decidedly sexy about a man who could fly a planeâbut there again, sheâd never met one before!
âHere you are. Home,â Nico murmured as he came through into the cabin after a successful touch-down, his eyes shining.
When he flew a plane he always felt filled with a wild kind of exhilarationâit was the same when he sailed, or climbed, or dived deep to explore the beautiful coral reefs off Mardivino. Some people called it living dangerouslyâhe just called it living.
âThanks,â Ella said steadily, praying that heâd meant his offer of dinner. âIt was a brilliant flight.â
âSo when am I going to see you?â he drawled. âTonight?â
It nearly killed her, but Ella shook her head. A woman should never be too availableâeveryone in the world knew that! âNo, not tonight, Iâm afraid. I have masses to catch up on.â
He raised his eyebrows. âCancel it,â he said arrogantly.
Their eyes clashed. That was what he was used to, she recognised. Easy come, easy go. Well, if he wasnât prepared to wait even a day, then he was wasting his time.
âSorry,â she said coolly. âI canât. Iâve been away and I need to catch up on work. See whatâs been happening in my absence. You know.â
With an effort he hid the little flicker of irritation and shrugged. âSure. Soâ¦when? Tomorrow nightâor will you be busy then, too?â
She heard the sarcasm in his voice. âTomorrow will be fine,â she said steadily, but the small victory of holding out only increased her sense of apprehension.
She wasnât dealing with the kind of man she normally came into contact withâNico was different, and not just because he was foreign and heartstoppingly gorgeous. He flew planes and plucked women to safety from lost boats. He was, she recognised, a true alpha male, with the corresponding appetites, and she hadnât run into enough of them to be quite sure of how to deal with himâ¦
âGive me your address,â he said. âIâll come and pick you up around eight. Weâll go somewhere localâunless youâd rather meet up in London?â
Ellaâs mind raced. London would throw up its own problemsâlike getting back late after dinner and him suggesting a hotel. And she had never been the kind of woman to fall into bed with a man on a first date. Slightly appalled at the progression of her thoughts, Ella shook her head. âWe have a lovely restaurant, close to where I live. Iâll take you there.â
At just after eight Nico jammed his finger on the doorbell, the scent of flowers drifting in the warm, heavy air towards him. Summer roses flowered in profusion around the door of her cottageâwhich looked as pretty as a picture you might see on an old-fashioned box of chocolates.
He felt a sense of vague detachment, as if he couldnât quite believe where he was or what he was doingâa million miles away from his usual world and all its restraints and rules.
The door opened and suddenly he could barely think straight, for she looked utterly sensational, wearing a clinging black dress that made her body look as if it was coated in liquorice. And he could lick it all offâ¦
A slow smile curved his mouth. âCiao, Ella,â he said softly.
Ella stared at him and words just refused to comeâbecauseâ¦Oh, he really was gorgeous.
On Mardivino she had been captivated by his powerful strength and his spell-bindingly good looks, but now those qualities were somehow increased a thousandfold. Maybe it was seeing him away from his natural habitatâlike plucking an exotic flower and placing it in a suburban garden.
His height made the proportions of her rose-covered porch resemble a dollâs house, and next to him even the softly brilliant colours of the garden flowers faded into insignificance. His skin gleamed faintly olive, and he was wearing soft, cool linen through which the hard, muscular power of his body was startlingly evident. His dark eyes gleamed with brilliance, and here, under a gentler English sun, he looked almost indecently aliveâas though any other man in the world would look like only half a man next to him.
Her heart began to thunder erratically and her mouth dried to sawdust. âHello, Nico.â
It occurred to him that she might have been doing her homework on Mardivino and that things might already have irrevocably changed. Did she know? He stared at her closely but her eyes showed no indication that she found out. He raised his eyebrows in lazy question. âHungry?â
She felt as if food would choke herâbut that was hardly the most diplomatic thing to say before a dinner date. âIâ¦I hope you like the restaurant,â she said breathlessly, for his warm, virile scent seemed to be running heated fingertips over her skin.
He smiled with satisfaction, enjoying her response. The unspoken question was already answered in his mindâfor the wide-eyed look of pleasure that made her green eyes sparkle like emeralds convinced him that to her he was still just âNicoâ.
âYou look very beautiful,â he said softly.
Oddly enough, his flattery had the reverse effect to the one she suspected he wanted. It brought her to her senses. Made her see things for what they really were, and not how she would like them to be. She was not beautifulâshe was reasonably attractive on a good day.
âMediterranean men are always better at giving compliments than their English counterparts,â she observed coolly.
âWhich might explain why Mediterranean women are more gracious at accepting them,â he countered wryly.
Oh, if only she could rewind the clock and play that scene again! Was she going to ruin the evening before it had even started? She gave him an apologetic smile. âYouâre right.â
âShall we try again?â he mocked, curving his lips into a smile. âYou look very beautiful.â
âThank you.â
âYouâre welcome.â
Her heart pounded. When he looked at her like that she wishedâ¦She wished he would pull her into his arms and kiss her. She wanted to touch her fingertips to his cheek, as if to assure herself that he was flesh and blood and not some figment of her imagination. But she stopped herself.
âWould youâ¦um, would you like a drink first?â she asked. âOr shall we just get going?â
She was like a lioness protecting her den, thought Nico, and clearly nervous about letting him set foot over the threshold! He had never had to play by the rules of other men before, and now he was beginning to see the disadvantages.
He shook his dark head, recognising the need to get her on neutral territory. âNo. Letâs go and eat,â he said.
It was too warm for her to need a coat or wrap, and they walked side by side down the village street, which was washed amber with the light of the sun. An old man was in his front garden, dead-heading his roses, and he smiled at them as they passed.
âBeautiful evening, isnât it?â
âItâs gorgeous,â said Ella, stealing a look at Nicoâs hard, dark profile.
The restaurant was nestled into a crook of the high street, right next to the church. It was small, and run by an enthusiastic amateur, but word had spread about its fresh, seasonal food, and in high season it was nearly always full and notoriously hard to get a booking. But on fine nights they put more tables out on the terrace and down onto the lawn beyond, and tonight was one of them.
Ella saw a couple of women turn their heads and stare hard at them as they wended their way to a table beneath a chestnut tree. Maybe she shouldnât be surprisedâNico was exceptionally good-looking, and he really did stand out in a crowd. And there werenât exactly many Latin hunks strolling round the streets of Greenhampton!
âYou must order for me, cara,â he said firmly once they had sat down, handing his menu straight back to the waitress.
âWhat do you like?â
âEverything. I like everything.â His eyes were steady as they rested on her face. âI have very catholic tastes.â
Oh, heavensâ¦Ella was aware of a sudden wave of helpless longing as she was caught in the soft ebony light from his eyes. It was as if a man had never looked at her beforeâthough when she stopped to think about it no man hadânot with such an undeniable message of sensuality. Yet his silent flirting did nothing to detract from his cool air of self-possession, which seemed so at odds with his warmly Latin exterior.
She ordered asparagus and prawns and chilled Montrachet, unable to miss the unmistakably flirtatious glance the waitress slanted at himâthough to his credit he didnât react in any way.
The sky was a pale Wedgwood blue, softened with apricot edges from the sun. In the distance could be heard the sporadic sound of birdsong and the occasional rattling brush of crickets. Nico had deliberately sat with his back to the other diners, and now he drank a glass of wine and expelled a long, low sigh as he felt all the tension leave his body.
âThatâs good wine,â he murmured.
She looked up. âI know it is.â
He laughed, and captured her eyes. âSo, have you lived here a long time?â
âAbout three years. I went to university nearby and liked it a lotâbut it wasnât until I knew what I wanted to do that I put down roots.â
He ran the tips of his fingers reflectively around his chilled glass. âI donât really know anything about you,â he observed.
âNo.â Ella laughed. âMaybe itâs because of the peculiar way we met.â
Her phrase had the slight resonance of permanence about it, and made him slightly waryâuntil he reminded himself that women had a habit of making every new encounter sound as though it was a contender for the Romeo and Juliet stakes. And if he wanted herâwhich he didâthen surely he should indulge her?
He sipped his wine. âSo tell me about yourself.â
âWell, I studied History at university.â She drew a deep breath, then told him about leap-frogging from job to job, about never quite feeling any real satisfaction in her work and being unable to settle to anything, until one day an American cousin of hers had complained that it was impossible to discover the ârealâ Englandâthat everywhere was just a plastic Ye Olde Teashoppe-type experience. Foreign visitors wanted to see places off the beaten track, places of historic interest and wonderful gardens that werenât completely overrun by day-trippers with cameras.
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Sharon Kendrick
DEAR READER LETTER
By Sharon Kendrick
Dear Reader (#ulink_644fc621-428f-5581-924c-e702a1097c91),
One hundred. Doesnât matter how many times I say it, I still canât believe thatâs how many books Iâve written. Itâs a fabulous feeling but more fabulous still is the news that Mills & Boon are issuing every single one of my backlist as digital titles. Wow. I canât wait to share all my stories with you - which are as vivid to me now as when I wrote them.
Thereâs BOUGHT FOR HER HUSBAND, with its outrageously macho Greek hero and A SCANDAL, A SECRET AND A BABY featuring a very sexy Tuscan. THE SHEIKHâS HEIR proved so popular with readers that it spent two weeks on the USA Today charts andâ¦well, I could go on, but Iâll leave you to discover them for yourselves.
I remember the first line of my very first book: âSo youâve come to Australia looking for a husband?â Actually, the heroine had gone to Australia escape men, but guess what? She found a husband all the same! The man who inspired that book rang me up recently and when I told him I was beginning my 100th story and couldnât decide what to write, he said, âWhy donât you go back to where it all started?â
So I did. And thatâs how A ROYAL VOW OF CONVENIENCE was born. It opens in beautiful Queensland and moves to England and New York. Itâs about a runaway princess and the enigmatic billionaire who is infuriated by her, yet who winds up rescuing her. But then, she goes and rescues him⦠Wouldnât you know it?
Iâll end by saying how very grateful I am to have a career I love, and to thank each and every one of you who has supported me along the way. You really are very dear readers.
Love,
Sharon xxx
SHARON KENDRICK once won a national writing competition, describing her ideal date: being flown to an exotic island by a gorgeous and powerful man. Little did she realise that sheÂd just wandered into her dream job! Today she writes for Mills & Boon, featuring her often stubborn but always to-die-for heroes and the women who bring them to their knees. She believes that the best books are those you never want to end. Just like lifeâ¦
The Mediterranean Princeâs Passion
Sharon Kendrick
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Mills & Boon are proud to present a thrilling digital collection of all Sharon Kendrickâs novels and novellas for us to celebrate the publication of her amazing and awesome 100th book! Sharon is known worldwide for her likeable, spirited heroines and her gorgeous, utterly masculine heroes.
Contents
Cover (#uc24c5e52-6406-50fa-8fec-d007e6521a80)
Dear Reader (#ulink_6528daf7-44b9-5eec-aa3f-39d40840cdb7)
About the Author (#uace6b258-aa2f-5a06-b43b-9b5cba771903)
Title Page (#ue84ad097-ef1f-5f08-bed3-81dc5657f947)
Dedication (#u6e23774a-53ff-5b32-8dd7-020faf2d212c)
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
EPILOGUE
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ONE (#ulink_dd3c10d9-d908-5dc1-a0a5-3b7636bfb443)
IT WAS just a dazzle of white set against the endless sapphire, but the sun was blinding her too much to see clearly. Ellaâs eyes fluttered to a close in protest. Maybe she had imagined it. Like a person hallucinating an oasis in the desert, perhaps her mind had conjured up an image on the empty sea that surrounded them. Some sign of life other than the birds that circled and cawed in a sky as blue as the waters beneath.
âMark.â She croaked the unfamiliar name through lips so parched they felt as if they had never tasted liquid before. âMark, are you there?â She racked her brains for one of the womenâs names. âHelen!â
But there was no answer, and maybe that wasnât so surprising, for the throb, throb, throb of loud music from the lower deck drowned the sound of her feeble words. She could hear the muffled sound of girlish, drunken giggling drifting upwards. She moaned.
How long? How long since she had drunk anything? She knew she ought to go and get some water, but her legs felt as though they had been filled with lead. She lifted a heavy hand to try to brush the weight of damp hair that flopped so annoyingly against her cheek, but it fell uselessly to her side.
She was going to die. She knew she was.
She could feel the strength slowly ebbing from her body. Her ears were roaring and the weak flutter of her heart beat rapidly against her breast. Her skin was on fire, it was burningâ¦burningâ¦burningâ¦
Below, the cool, darkened interior of the cabin beckoned to her enticingly, but an instinct even stronger than her need to escape the sun stopped her from giving in to it. Down there lay chaos, and no chance for escape, but at least here on deck someone might see her.
Her eyes began to close.
Please, God, let someone see herâ¦
His dark hair ruffled by the breeze and his strong body relaxed, Nico stared at the horizon, his eyes suddenly narrowing as the flash of something on the horizon caught his attention.
A boat? Where there should be no boat? Here in the protected waters on this side of Mardivino? His mouth tightened. Modern-day bandits? Seeking access to the tax haven guarded so jealously by the super-rich? The island had a long history of being beseiged by bounty-hunters and their modern-day counterpartsâthe paparazziâand his face darkened. Where the hell were the Marine Patrol when you needed them?
But the devil-may-care facet of his character made his pulse begin to race with excitement. Ignoringâalmost relishingâthe potential danger to himself, he reached for the throttle and his jet-ski sped forward, roaring in a spray of foam towards the stricken craft, which bobbed like a childâs toy on the waves.
As his craft approached he could see a figure lying on the deck, and as he drew alongside he could see that it was a woman and that she appeared to be sunbathing. Tawny limbs and tawny hair. Slim and supple, with the tight lushness of youth. It took him precisely two seconds to assess whether or not this was a ploy and she the decoy. It was an age-old method he had encountered before; it came with the territory he inhabited.
But she was not sunbathing. Something was very wrongâNico could see that from her slumped and unmoving pose.
Moving swiftly, he secured his jet-ski and jumped on board, his stance alert and watchful as he scanned the deck for a brief moment and listened intently. From a distance he could hear the loud beat of dance music, but the woman appeared to be alone on deck.
In a few strides he had reached her. Bending over, he turned her onto her side, blotting out his instinctive first reaction to the way her magnificent breasts rose and fell beneath the skimpy jade-green bikini top she wore.
She was sick.
Assessingly, he ran his eyes over her. Her breathing was shallow, her eyes tight-closed and her skin very pink. He laid a brief exploratory hand on her forehead and felt the heat sizzling from it. Fever. Probably sunstroke, by the look of her.
Urgently, he shook her. âSvegli!â he ordered, but there was no response. He tried in French. âReveillezvous!â And then, louder, in Spanish. âDespierte!â
Through the mists of the dream that was sucking her down towards a black numbness Ella heard a deep voice urging her back to the surface, back towards the light. But the light was hurting her eyes and she didnât want to go there. She shook her head from side to side.
âWake up!â
Her eyes flickered open. A face was looming over herâits hard, handsome features set in a look of grim concern. A dark angel. She must be dreaming. Or dying.
âOh, no!â he exclaimed, and levered her up into his arms, supporting her head with an unmoving hand as it threatened to flop back. âYou will not sleep again! Do you hear me? Wake up! Wake up now, this instant. I demand it!â
The richly accented voice was too commanding to ignore, but Ella was lost in the grip of a fever too powerful to resist.
âGo away,â she mumbled, and she felt a cold terror when he lowered her back onto the deck and did just thatâleft her all alone again. She gave a little whimper.
Nico went below deck and the noise hit him like a wall. He stood for a moment, studying the scene of decadence that lay before him.
He could count five peopleâthree men and two womenâand all of them were in advanced stages of intoxication. One woman was topless and snoring quietly on the floor, while another gyrated in front of one of the men like a very poor lap-dancer.
Only one of the men seemed to notice his arrival, and he raised a half-empty bottle of Scotch.
âHey! Whoâre you?â he slurred.
Nico gave him a look of simmering fury. âAre you aware that youâre trespassing?â he snapped.
âNo, mateyâI think youâre the one doing that! This boat I paid through the nose for, andââ The man pointed exaggeratedly upwards. âThe sea is free!â he added, in a sing-song voice.
âNot here, it isnât. Youâre in forbidden waters.â And, turning on his heel, Nico went back up onto the deck. He slid a mobile phone from his back pocket and punched in a number known to only a very few, which connected him straight to the Chief of Police.
âPronto? Si. Nicolo.â He spoke rapidly in Italian.
There was a pause.
âYou want that we should arrest them, Principe?â asked the Capo quietly.
Nico gave a hard glimmer of a smile. âSi. Why not? A night in jail sobering up might teach them never to put themselves nor others in danger again.â But he stared down thoughtfully at the girl, for she was not drunk; she was sick.
He bent down and shook her gently by the shoulder. Her eyes fluttered open, dazed and green as spring grass.
Through the haze of her fever she saw his strengthâa rock, a safe harbour and her only means of escape. âDonât leave me,â she begged.
The raw emotion in her voice made him still momentarily but it was an unnecessary appeal for he had already made up his mind. âI have no intention of leaving you,â he said tersely, and scooped her up into his arms before she could protest.
Her arms clasped tightly around his neck, she slumped against his chest like a rag doll in an unconscious attitude of complete trust. He gripped her tightly as he manoeuvred her onto the jet-ski.
Most men would have struggled to cope with a woozy female, but Nico had been born to respond to challengeâit was one of the few things in life that invigorated him. A small smile touched the corners of his mouth as he set off for the shore.
He was always trying new thrills and spills, but this was the first time heâd ever rescued a damsel in distress.
CHAPTER TWO (#ulink_40150448-a0b4-51aa-a811-70eb7e0ea6d6)
COOL dampness rippled enchanting fingers across her cheeks and Ella let out a small sigh.
âMmm! Sânice!â
âDrink this!â
It was the voice that wouldnât go away. The voice that wouldnât take no for an answer. The voice that had been popping in and out of her consciousness with annoying frequency. A bossy, foreign voice, but an irresistible one, too.
Obediently Ella opened her lips and sipped again from the cup she was being offered, only this time she drank more greedily than before, gulping it so that the water ran in riveluts down her face, trickling over her chin and startling her out of the hazy fog that engulfed her.
âThat is better,â said the deep voice, with a touch of approval. âTake some more still, and then open your eyes properly.â
Befuddled, she did as she was toldâonly to find herself even more confused. For there was a man standing over herâa man she didnât recognise.
Or did she?
She blinked up at his face and something peculiar happened to her already unsteady heart-rate, for he was utterly spectacular.
His chiselled features gave his face a hard, auto cratic appearance, but a sensual mouth softened it. Narrowed eyes were fringed by blocks of dark lashes and his hair was jet-dark and wavy, and slightly too long. He looked rugged and powerfulâfamiliar and yet a stranger. His skin was golden and olive and glowingâas though it had been gently lit from within. His was the face that had drifted in and out of her fevered sleep, coaxing and cooling her. A dark angel. A guardian angel.
So she had not been dreaming at all. Nor, it seemed, had she died.
Still blinking in consternation, she glanced around her. She was in a roomâa very plain and simple room, containing little more than a small wooden table and a couple of old chairs. On the floor were worn floorboards, the walls were wooden, too, and she could hear the roar of waves. It was cool and dim and she was lying on a low kind of bed, beneath a tickly-feeling thing that was too thick to be a sheet and too thin to be a blanket. Her hand slithered inside.
She was wearing nothing but a manâs T-shirt!
The last of her lethargy fled in an instant and fear galloped in to take its place. Clutching the coverlet, she sat up and stared at the man who stood over her, his dark face shuttered and watchful. Was she certain that she wasnât dreaming? Who was he, and what was she doing here?
âWould you mind telling me what the hellâs going on?â she demanded breathlessly.
âI thinkâ¦â There was a pause. He watched her very carefully, like a hunter with his prey held firmly in his sights. âThat I should be asking you that very same question.â
Her heart was pounding like a piston. His voice was soft and rich and accented. And accusing. When surely, if there was any accusing to be doneâ¦Beneath the coverlet she ran an exploratory hand down over her body, as if checking that all her limbs were intact. And not just her limbsâ¦
Nico watched her. âOh, do not worry,â he drawled. âYour virtue is intact. Or at least as intact as it was when you arrived.â Though God only knew what she had been up to with the band of drunks on board that boat.
Ella tried to will her stubborn memory into gear, but it was as if her brain had been wrapped in cotton wool. Something told her that she must be grateful to this man, but something about his dark masculinity was suddenly making her feel very shy. More than shy. âWhatâs happened?â
âYou have been sick,â he explained, but his eyes lost nothing of their glittering suspicion.
She looked around for signs that she might be in a hospital, but there was nothing remotely medical or sterile about the place. In fact, there were grains of sand on the floorboards, and a wetsuit lay coiled in a heap like a seal skin. Some of the cotton wool cleared. âWhere am I?â
âAh! At last! The traditional question. It took you long enough to ask,â he observed, arching imperious eyebrows that shot up into the ebony tumble of his hair. His dark eyes fixed her with a lancing stare.
âIâm asking now.â
The eyes narrowed, for he was unused to such a response. âYou donât know?â
âWhy would I bother asking you if I already knew?â
Unless, he pondered, she had her own separate agenda, and there was no way of finding out, not until she was properly recovered. Not when she was stillâ¦
Nico turned away from her body, its outline undisguised by the T-shirt, its firm curves spelling out a temptation that would have stretched the resolve of the most holy and celibate of menâtwo things of which he had never been accused.
For hours she had lain there, her tawny limbs and hair flailing as she thrashed and cried out, hot with fever and lost in the strange world of delirium. And he had bathed her. Sponged her down. Fed her with water and sat with her during the long, lonely hours till dawn.
It had been a new sensation for himâhaving someone reliant and dependent on him. She had been as helpless as a wounded animal, and that very helplessness had brought about a protectiveness he had never before experienced.
Untilâ¦
He had been smoothing the damp hair away from her sweat-sheened skin, murmuring words of comfort, when she had suddenly called out in alarm. And when he shushed her she had sat up, the sheet falling from her. The T-shirt he had hastily flung on her had managed to both conceal and revealâand the hazy hint of glorious rose-tipped breast beneath had been enchanting beyond belief. He had tried to move away but she had lifted her arms and clung onto him with the terrified and irresistible strength of someone who was lost in a nightmare. And she had been close. Ohâ¦soâ¦closeâ¦Far too close for comfort and sane thought.
His body had sprung into instant and unwilling response as sheâd pressed closer still. Nerves stretching with unbearable tension, he had stared down into her eyesâthe most green and startling eyes he had ever seenâbut they had been clouded and vacant. Whomever or whatever she was seeing, it certainly was not him.
âLie down on the bed!â he had ordered harshly, in English, and the still-dry lips had puckered into the shape of a parched flower before much-needed rain fell onto it.
Some men would have thoughtâwhy not? Taja châe e rosso, as the Romans sometimes said. To have taken advantage of what was so beautifully on offer might have been an option, but Nico was of different blood from other men. Even if his hadnât been an appetite jaded by what had always been given to him so freely, he could not have countenanced making love to a woman unless she was in total command of her senses.
He stared down at her now and saw that the wild, febrile light had left her eyes. He felt a small tug of triumph, for she had been in his charge and now she was recovered. âAre you hungry?â he asked unexpectedly.
His words made Ella focus, not on the extraordinary situation in which she found herself, but on the needs of her body, and she suddenly realised that her stomach felt empty and her head light as air. Hungry? She was absolutely starving!
âWhy, yes,â she said, in surprise.
âThen you must eat.â He began to move away, as if he couldnât wait to put physical distance between them.
âNoâwait!â
He stilled at her words, a bemused expression on his lean and handsome face. How long had it been since someone had issued such a curt order? âWhat is it?â
âHow long have I been here?â she questioned faintly.
âOnly a day.â
Only a day? Only a day! She shook her head again to clear it, and strands of memory began to filter back. A boat. A boat trip taken with a bunch of people who, it had turned out, knew nothing of basic maritime law or safety. Who had proceeded to drink themselves into oblivion. And a man who had invited herâwho had clearly thought that a woman should pay the traditional price for a luxury weekend.
She screwed up her nose. What had his name been?
Mark! Yes, that was it. Mark.
Her eyes now accustomed to the dim light within the interior of the room, Ella turned her head slowly to look around.
âWhereâs Mark? Whatâs happened to him?â
Nicoâs mouth hardened. Had âMarkâ been on her mind when she had pressed her body so close to his? Or was she the kind of woman who was naturally free with her body?
âBy nowââ he glanced at his watch ââhe will just about be released from jail.â
âJail!â She stared at him in confusion. âHow come?â
âBecause I informed the local police of their trespass,â he informed her coolly.
âYouâve had him put in jail?â
âNot him,â he corrected. âThem. All of them.â
Ella swallowed, suddenly fearful. Just where was she? And who the hell was he? âIsnât that a bit over the top?â
âYou think so?â His voice became filled with contempt. âPutting the trespass asideâyou think it acceptable for people to be drunk in charge of a powerful boat? To put not only their own lives in danger, but those of others? And that includes you! What do you think might have happened if I hadnât come along?â
Something in the stark accusation of his words made her feel very small and very vulnerable. âL-look, Iâm very grateful for everything youâve done,â she said, in a low trembling voice, âbut would you mind telling me exactly whatâs going on? I donâtââ
He silenced her with an autocratic wave of his hand. âNo more questions. Not now. Later you will ask me whatever you please and I shall answer it, but first you must eat. You have been sick. You are weak and you are hungry and you need food. You will have your answers, but later.â
Ella opened her mouth to object, and then shut it again, realising that she was in no position to do so. And even if she had been she simply did not have the strength. He was rightâshe felt all weak and woolly with the aftermath of fever.
Yet surely she wasnât expected to just lie here, helpless beneath the cover, while this handsome, dominant stranger told her what she could and couldnât do? But what was the alternative? Did she just leap out of bed, feeling strangely naked despite his T-shirt?
He turned his head to look at her and saw the fleeting look of vulnerability that had melted away her objections. Only this time he had to force himself to respond to it. Before it had been easy. While she had been sick he had been able to be gentle with her, as he would have with a child. But now that she was awake it was different. And suddenly not so easy. For she was a beautiful, breathing woman and not a child.
Almost without thinking Nico rebuilt the familiar emotional barriers with which he habitually surrounded himself.
âYou wish to wash, perhaps?â
âPlease.â But she noticed that his voice had grown cool.
He pointed to a curtain at the far end of the simple room. âYouâll find some basic facilities through there,â he said. He pulled a fresh T-shirt down from an open shelf and threw it onto the divan.
âYou might want that,â he said. âAll your stuff is still on the boat and your bikini is hanging outside. I washed it,â he explained, amused to see her look of barely concealed horror. Was she afraid he was expecting her to change in front of him? Then clearly she had no memory of how her T-shirt had slithered up her naked thighs as she had thrashed around. Of how he had played the gentleman and slithered it right down again. âDonât be shyâIâll be outside.â
Donât be shy! Ella watched him disappearing through the door, caught a dazzling glimpse of blue as it opened, and heard the hypnotic pounding music of the waves.
She was obviously in some kind of beach hutâbut where exactly?
She stared at the closed door and half thought of running after him, and demanding some answers. But she was too weak to run anywhere, and she was also naked, sticky and dusty. Surely she would be better placed to ask for explanations once she was dressed?
Never had the thought of washing seemed more alluring, though the sight that greeted her behind the curtain was not terribly reassuring. There was a sink, a loo, and the most ancient-looking shower that Ella had ever seen. It didnât gush, it trickled, but at least it was halfway warm and there was soap and shampoo, tooâsurprisingly luxurious brands for such a spartan setting.
Basic it might have been, but Ella had never enjoyed or appreciated a shower more than that one. She washed all the salt and sand away from her skin and hair, and roughly towelled herself dry, then slithered into the clean T-shirt that fortunatelyâbecause its owner was so tallâcame to mid-way down her thigh. It wasnât what she would call decent, but it was better than nothing.
He was standing by the small table, dishing out two plates of something she didnât recognise, the scent of which made her empty stomach ache. He had left the door open and Ella discovered why the sound of the waves was so loud. It looked directly out onto the most glorious sea view she had ever seen in her life.
Pale, powdered sand dotted with shells gave way to white-topped sapphire waves that glittered and sparkled and danced and filled the room with light. But the room seemed suddenly to have kaleidoscoped in on itself, for all Ella could see was the dark power of the man who was silhouetted against the brilliant backdrop outside.
Now that she was on her feet she didnât need the T-shirt as an indicator of just how tall he was. She could see that instantly from the way he towered, dominating the small room, making everything else shrink into insignificance. His hair was dark and ruffled, tiny tendrils of it curling onto the back of his neck. She felt an odd, powerful kick to her heart as he looked up and slowly drifted his eyes over her.
âMy T-shirt suits you,â he mused softly.
It was an innocent enough remark, but something in the way he said it, and the accompanying look of approbation in his eyes, made her feel all woman. She could feel her breasts tingling, and the soft, moist ache of longing. It was a powerful and primitive response, and it had never happened to her quite like that before.
Filled with a sudden feeling of claustrophobia, and unsure of how to deal with the situation, she walked to the open door and breathed in the fresh, salty tang of the air, staring at the moving water in silence for a moment.
âBeautiful, isnât it?â came his voice from behind her.
Composing her face into an expression of innocent appreciation, Ella turned round. âUnbelievable.â And so was he. Oh, he was just gorgeous. âThatâ¦that smells good,â she managed, in an effort to distract herself.
âMmm.â He had seen the perking breasts and the brief darkening of her eyes and he felt himself harden. âCome and eat,â he said evenly. âWe could take our food outside, but I think you need a break from the sun. So weâll just look at the view from here.â
But Ella didnât move. âYou said you would give me some answers, and Iâd like some. Now. Please.â
Nico gave a slow smile. The novel always stirred his blood, and it was rare for him to be spoken to with anything other than deference. âQuestions can wait, cara, but your hunger cannot.â
His words were soft, but a steely purposefulness underpinned them. As if he were used to issuing orders; as if he would not tolerate those orders being disobeyed. The scent of the food wafted towards her and Ella felt her mouth begin to water. Maybe he was right. Again.
She went back inside and sat down at the table.
âEat,â he said, pushing a plate of food towards her, but it seemed the command was unnecessary. She had begun to devour the dish, falling on it with the fervour of the truly hungry.
He watched her in fascinated silence, for this, too, was a new sensation. In his company people always picked uninterestedly at their food. There were unspoken rules that were always followed. They waited for him to begin and they finished when he finished. It was all part of the protocol that surrounded himâand yet for all the notice she took of him he might as well not have been there!
She ate without speaking, unable to remember ever having enjoyed a meal as much. Eventually she put her fork down and sighed.
âItâs good?â
âItâs delicious.â
âHunger makes the best sauce,â he observed slowly.
There was red wine in front of her, and he gestured towards it, but she shook her head and drank some water instead, then sat back in her chair and fixed him with a steady look. His eyes were as black as a moonless night and they lanced through her with their ebony light.
âNow are you going to start explaining?â
Nico found that he was enjoying himself. He had played the rescuerâso let him have a little amusement in return. âTell me what you wish to know.â
âWell, for a startâwho are you? I donât even know your name, Mrâ¦?â
There was a pause while he considered the question. It seemed sincere enough, although the Mr tacked onto the end could have been disingenuous, of course. Was it?
âIt is Nico,â he said eventually. From behind the thick dark lashes that shielded his eyes he watched her reaction carefully, but there was no sign of recognition in her emerald eyes. âAnd you?â
âIâm Ella.â
Ella. Yes. âItâs a pretty name.â
âItâs short for Gabriella.â
âLike the angel,â he murmured, letting his eyes drift carelessly over the pale flames of her hair.
It was that thing in his voice againâthat murmured caress that made her conscious of herself as a woman. And him as a man. A man who had seen her sick and half-naked. But he was the angelâa guardian angel.
âWhere am I?â she asked slowly.
Now his expression became sceptical. âYou really donât know?â
She sighed. âHow long are we going to continue with these guessing games? Of course I donât know. One minute I was on a boatâand the next Iâm in some kind of beach hut, eatingâ¦â She stared down at her empty plate. Even the food had been unfamiliar, just as he was, with his strange accent and his exotic looks. Disorientated, she found herself asking, âWhat have I just eaten?â
âRabbit.â
âRabbit,â she repeated dully. She had never eaten rabbit in her life!
âThey run wild in the hillsides,â he elaborated, and then, still watching her very closely, he said, âOf Mardivino.â
âMardivino?â She stared at him as it began to sink in. âIs that where we are?â
âIndeed it is.â He sipped from a tumbler of dark wine and surveyed her from eyes equally dark. âYou have heard of it?â
It was one of the less-famous principalities. A sun-drenched Mediterranean islandâtax haven and home to many of the worldâs millionaires. Exclusive and remote and very, very beautiful.
âIâm not a complete slouch at geography,â she said. âOf course Iâve heard of it.â
Authority reasserted itself. âYou were in forbidden waters. You should never have ventured onto this side of the island!â
She remembered Mark and one of the others blustering about navigation, and then they had started hitting the bottle, big-time. She remembered how frightened she had been, how she had stood on deck for what seemed like hours and hours, the blistering sun beating down on her quite mercilessly. She shivered. âBut we were lost,â she protested. âGenuinely lost!â
âYes.â He didnât disbelieve her. Off Mardivinoâs rugged northern coast there were rocks and rip tides that would challenge all but the most experienced sailor. No one would have been foolish enough to deliberately put themselves in the danger in which he had found them. So why had they?
His eyes bored into her. âThose people with youâ¦â
âWhat about them?â
There was a long pause. âOne of them is a journalist, perhaps?â he questioned casually.
âA journalist?â She screwed up her nose. âWell, I donât know any of them that well, but none of them said they were journalists.â She met his eyes, which were hard and glittering with suspicion. âWhy would they be?â
âNo reason,â he said swiftly.
But Ella heard the evasion in his voice and stared at him. Nothing added up. She stared at him as if seeing him properly for the first time. His clothes were simple, but his bearing was aristocratic, and there was something about his appearance that she had never seen in a man before. Something in the way he carried himselfâan arrogant kind of self-assurance that seemed innate rather than learned. Yet he wore faded jeans and a worn T-shirtâ¦
He had brought her to this beach hut, where the shower dripped in a single trickle and yet the soap and shampoo were the finest French brands. She frowned. And he had called her cara, hadnât he?
âAre you Italian?â
He shook his head.
âSpanish?â
âNo.â
âFrench, then?â
He smiled. âStill no.â
Words he had spoken came back to her. âYet you speak all three languages?â
He shrugged. How much to tell her? How long to continue this delicious game of anonymity? How long could he? âIndeed I do.â
âAnd your English is perfect.â
âI know it is,â he agreed mockingly.
This time she would not be deterred by the soft, seductive voice. Ella leaned across the table, challenging him with her eyes. âJust who exactly are you, Nico?â
CHAPTER THREE (#ulink_8ec9c691-a018-5067-85ab-66a2ec3d8050)
THE strangest thing was that Nico was really enjoying himself. It was like a game, or a storyâthe one where a prince disguised himself as a beggar and no one recognised him.
For a man whose life had been composed of both light and dark fairy tale aspects, it was a new and entertaining twist. And if he told herâ¦then what? Nothing would be the same, not ever again. Her attitude towards him would change irrevocably. No longer would she speak to him as if were just a manâan ordinary man.
When he was a little boy, had he not sometimes wished to be made ânormalâ, just for the day? And even when he had been at college in America, doing his best to blend in, people had still known of his identity. It had been inevitableâsecurity had arrived before he had, to make the place fit for a prince.
And since when had he been asked to make an account of himself? To explain who he was and his place in the world?
Never.
He leaned back in the wooden chair. âHow does a man define himself?â He asked the question as much of himself as of her. âThrough his possessions? His achievements, perhaps?â
Ella gave him a bemused look. âAre you incapable of giving a direct answer to a direct question?â
Probably. In the world he inhabited he was never asked a direct question. Conversation was left for him to lead, at whim. It was forbidden by ancient decrees for others to initiate it. When he spoke people listened. He had never known anything else, had accepted it as the norm, but nowâwith a tug of unfamiliar awarenessâhe recognised that total deference could be limiting.
âI am Nico,â he said slowly. âYou know my name. Iâm twenty-eight and I was born on Mardivinoâa true native of the principality.â His eyes glittered. âSo now you know everything.â
âEverything and yet nothing,â she challenged. âWhat do you do?â
âDo?â His eyes glittered. How could he have forgotten that in her world people were defined by what they did for a living?
âFor a living?â
âOh, this and that,â he said evasively. âI work for a very rich man.â
That might go some of the way towards explaining things. Maybe that was why he seemed so impressively self-assured. Perhaps he had picked up and now mirrored some of his rich employerâs characteristics, as sometimes happened. That might also explain the extravagant soaps in the bathroomâhe might be the recipient of a rich manâs generosity.
Ella gestured towards the humble interior. âAnd is this your home?â
There was a pause. âNo. No, I donât live here. Itâs just a place that belongs to myâ¦employer.â
âAnd the jet-ski?â
âYou remember that?â he questioned.
The food and the shower had worked a recuperative kind of magic, and more fragments of memory now began to filter back. She recalled being clasped against a firm, hard body and the comforting, safe warmth of him. Then fast bobbing across the water, with spray being thrown against her fevered skin.
âKind of.â
âWhat about it?â he asked carelessly.
âIs it yours?â
Inexplicably, he felt a flicker of disappointment. Would that matter, then? A top-of-the-range jet-ski was a rich manâs toy. His habitual cynicism kicked in. Of course it would matterâthings like that always did. You were never seen for who you were but what you owned and what you possessed. Take away the trappings and what was left?
âNo,â he said flatly. âItâs just something I use when I want to.â
âWell, I hope Iâm not going to get you into trouble,â she ventured.
His cynical thoughts began to crumble when she looked at him like that. Soâ¦so sweet, he thought. So scrubbed and so innocent. So utterly relaxed in his company and now worrying about his welfare! And when had anyone ever done that before?
Now that it was dry, the tawny hair was spilling in profusion over her shoulders and face, but not quite managing to disguise the lush swell of her breasts. The aching in his body intensified as he imagined himself running the tips of his fingers over their heavy curves. âNo, you wonât get me into trouble,â he murmured. âI suspect he wouldnât have minded rescuing you himself.â
The words were flirty, and almost imperceptibly something in the atmosphere changed and then intensified. A blurry sexual awareness that had been there all the time was now brought into sharp focus. Ella felt the warm tongue of desire licking its way over her skin and the heated clamour of her response. She found that she didnât dare look at himâand yet where else was there to look? The room was so small, and he was soâ¦soâ¦
She swallowed, her mouth as dry as the sun-baked sand outside. âMaybe I should think about getting home,â she said quietly.
Nico had watched her body tense, and then seen the wary look that crept into her eyes. He forced himself to steel against the demands of his hungry body, aware that he could frighten her away. Because sex was easy. He could get sex any time he wanted. But not a unique situation like this. And what would sex be like with a woman who didnât know?
âNot yet.â His dark eyes on her face, he took a mouthful of wine. âYou still havenât told me anything about you.â
âWell, you know my name. And Iâm twenty-six and I was born in Somerset.â Her eyes mocked him. âSo now you know everything about me, too.â
âEverything and nothing.â He echoed her sardonic words. âAnd what of the men on boardâone of them is your lover, perhaps?â
Ella found her cheeks colouring. âYou canât just come out and ask me something like that!â she protested.
âWhy not?â
âBecause I thought we were sitting here having a polite conversation, and that sort of question breaks all the rules!â
âA polite conversation?â he murmured. âOh, I think not, cara mia. When a man and a woman talk together there is always an internal dialogue taking place. What you say is never what youâre really thinking, deep down.â Or else I would be telling you that I want to feel your naked body against me, to taste your tongue as it licks against my lips and hear your cry of startled pleasure as I thrust into you that sweet first time.
His murmured words increased her wariness, but heightened the sensation of tense expectation, too. Surely by now she should be itching to get away? Not finding her eyes drawn to the luscious curve of his lips, to the hard, clean lines of his body, and thinking how magnificent he must look when he was naked.
His voice interrupted her thoughts. âSo?â he persisted silkily. âYou wish to rush away to the jail-house to greet one of them?â
âUghâno, thanks!â Ella shuddered. âNone of them is my lover, nor ever would be. Mark is just someone I met through work.â She bit her lip, remembering how trusting she had been. âHe invited me along to join some friends of his for the weekend, only I arrived to discover that his idea about how we were going to spend our time together differed somewhat from mine.â
âSo what happened?â
âI made it clear I wasnât interested in him, and thatâs when he decided to make love to a bottle of whisky instead.â She pulled a face. âThey all did.â
âAnd did he hurt you?â he demanded, his expression darkening.
Ella shook her head, taken aback by the sudden hardening of his voice. âNo. I stayed as far away from them as possible. Then they started to drink more and more, and no one seemed capable of taking charge of the boat.â Her voice trembled a little. âThatâs when I started to get frightened.â
He remembered the way she had clung to him on deck, and the gut-wrenching effect of the little whimper of protest she had made when he had left her. The way she had weakly gripped onto his hand as if he were her lifeline. Playing rescuer to a woman could evoke some very powerful and primitive feelings, he recognisedâfeelings he was unfamiliar with, which were given extra potency by her ignorance of who he really was. And that, too, was a rare sensation.
He knew he wanted to make love to her, but he couldnât do it now. Not here. Making love to a woman on his own territory was always fraught with difficulty. And he had no wish to shatter her trust in him, nor to abuse his position. When he took her to bed it must be on equal terms. And in order for that to happen he must get her back to England with as little fuss as possible.
âYou want to go home?â he asked suddenly.
His question took Ella off-guard, and she hoped her expression managed to mask her disappointment. What had she been expecting? To stay here indefinitely, in this beautiful place, with this strong, handsome man who had saved her? Alone like Adam and Eveâwith the inevitable outcome of sexual discovery?
She fixed her mouth into a wobbly kind of smile. âWell, I suppose Iâd better.â
He heard her reluctance, and that only heightened his appetite. But, as he had already told her, hunger made the best sauceâ¦
He slid a high tech-looking mobile phone from the back pocket of his jeans. âIâll arrange it.â
He went outside to get a signal and she could hear him talking in a low, rapid voice in Spanish. Then he came back inside.
âWe can be airborne within the hour.â
She was unable to hide her bewilderment. âThat soon? But my ticket is from Nice, and thatâs miles away.â
âWeâll be travelling by private jet.â
Her frown deepened. âHow come?â
Again, his eyes pierced her with their brilliant light, but he was enjoying this sensation of anonymity far too much to break it. And besides, he wasnât telling a lie. He was merely presenting the truth in a slightly different form.
âMyâ¦employer,â he elaborated casually, âis an exceedingly rich and generous man. And Iâm a qualified pilot,â he added. âSo I can fly you home.â There was a pause and his dark eyes captured hers in their ebony crossfire. âThat is, of course, if you trust me to fly you home safely, cara?â
He had rescued her from the boat and ensured that she did not spend a night in the cells. He had cared for her while she thrashed around with feverâwhat was there not to trust?
And when he called her cara like thatâ¦
âBut can you just get up and go like that? Wonât your employer mind?â
âNot at all. I have to do some business myself in England, and I can do it this week just as easily as next.â
She saw the gleam of anticipation that had lightened the night-dark eyes, the slow smile that had irresistibly curved his lips, and she could feel the erratic beat of her heart.
âItâs veryâ¦sweet of you,â she said.
The question why hung unspoken on the air.
He shook his head very slightly. It was a very English description, and one that had never been applied to him in his life. âSweet? No, caraâit is something much more fundamental than that.â He suddenly became aware of the irony of his words. âYou see, I find that Iâm just as susceptible to the lure of a pair of dazzling green eyes and a pair of petal-soft lips as the next man.â
Ella felt the heat rise in her cheeks. It was most definitely an overture. And what was she going to do about it? After all, what did she have in common with this all-action foreignerâwith his jet-ski and his pilotâs licence and his ability to rustle up a delicious one-pot meal in the most basic surroundings? Who lived on a remote island far away from her worldâ¦
A shadow of a smile had flitted across the hard contours of his face. âMaybe youâd like to have dinner with me back in England?â Breakfast would have been his meal of choice, but that would inevitably follow.
From the crashing of her heart against her ribcage someone might think that sheâd never been asked out for dinner beforeâbut quite honestly that was the way it felt. As though every invitation up until that moment had been a rehearsal for the real thing. And Ella found herself smiling at him with lips that she had never considered to be petal-soft before, but that now parted like a flower.
âWhy, thank you,â she murmured. âIâd like that.â
CHAPTER FOUR (#ulink_c9333a21-7878-5c09-b2a0-403a80168570)
ITâS ONLY a dinner date, Ella told herself.
So why did she feel so jumpy? Why were the hands that smoothed the dress down over her hips so clammy and her lips so cool and pale? She rubbed a slick of lipgloss on them and stared at herself critically in the mirror.
The silky black dress gleamed against the curve of bottom and breast, contrasting provocatively with the tiny covered buttons that ran in a demure line from neck to knee.
The spiky black sandals made the best of her legs, and her only adornment was a matching velvet choker at her neck, inlaid with jet as dark and glittering as Nicoâs eyes.
For the umpteenth time she glanced at the clock, nervously tugging at the hem of her dress, her mind skipping back over the extraordinary events of the last couple of days, which had culminated in Nico flying her home on a private jet.
Ella had spent the flight sipping on a fruit cocktail and looking around her with a sense of disbelief. Whatever Nicoâs boss did for a living, he must be enormously successful at it to own a plane like that.
She had glanced yet again to the cockpit, to see Nico sitting in front of a radar screen lit up like a Christmas tree, his fingers caressing the joy stick as if it was a womanâs body, and she had shivered, unable to prevent herself. There was something decidedly sexy about a man who could fly a planeâbut there again, sheâd never met one before!
âHere you are. Home,â Nico murmured as he came through into the cabin after a successful touch-down, his eyes shining.
When he flew a plane he always felt filled with a wild kind of exhilarationâit was the same when he sailed, or climbed, or dived deep to explore the beautiful coral reefs off Mardivino. Some people called it living dangerouslyâhe just called it living.
âThanks,â Ella said steadily, praying that heâd meant his offer of dinner. âIt was a brilliant flight.â
âSo when am I going to see you?â he drawled. âTonight?â
It nearly killed her, but Ella shook her head. A woman should never be too availableâeveryone in the world knew that! âNo, not tonight, Iâm afraid. I have masses to catch up on.â
He raised his eyebrows. âCancel it,â he said arrogantly.
Their eyes clashed. That was what he was used to, she recognised. Easy come, easy go. Well, if he wasnât prepared to wait even a day, then he was wasting his time.
âSorry,â she said coolly. âI canât. Iâve been away and I need to catch up on work. See whatâs been happening in my absence. You know.â
With an effort he hid the little flicker of irritation and shrugged. âSure. Soâ¦when? Tomorrow nightâor will you be busy then, too?â
She heard the sarcasm in his voice. âTomorrow will be fine,â she said steadily, but the small victory of holding out only increased her sense of apprehension.
She wasnât dealing with the kind of man she normally came into contact withâNico was different, and not just because he was foreign and heartstoppingly gorgeous. He flew planes and plucked women to safety from lost boats. He was, she recognised, a true alpha male, with the corresponding appetites, and she hadnât run into enough of them to be quite sure of how to deal with himâ¦
âGive me your address,â he said. âIâll come and pick you up around eight. Weâll go somewhere localâunless youâd rather meet up in London?â
Ellaâs mind raced. London would throw up its own problemsâlike getting back late after dinner and him suggesting a hotel. And she had never been the kind of woman to fall into bed with a man on a first date. Slightly appalled at the progression of her thoughts, Ella shook her head. âWe have a lovely restaurant, close to where I live. Iâll take you there.â
At just after eight Nico jammed his finger on the doorbell, the scent of flowers drifting in the warm, heavy air towards him. Summer roses flowered in profusion around the door of her cottageâwhich looked as pretty as a picture you might see on an old-fashioned box of chocolates.
He felt a sense of vague detachment, as if he couldnât quite believe where he was or what he was doingâa million miles away from his usual world and all its restraints and rules.
The door opened and suddenly he could barely think straight, for she looked utterly sensational, wearing a clinging black dress that made her body look as if it was coated in liquorice. And he could lick it all offâ¦
A slow smile curved his mouth. âCiao, Ella,â he said softly.
Ella stared at him and words just refused to comeâbecauseâ¦Oh, he really was gorgeous.
On Mardivino she had been captivated by his powerful strength and his spell-bindingly good looks, but now those qualities were somehow increased a thousandfold. Maybe it was seeing him away from his natural habitatâlike plucking an exotic flower and placing it in a suburban garden.
His height made the proportions of her rose-covered porch resemble a dollâs house, and next to him even the softly brilliant colours of the garden flowers faded into insignificance. His skin gleamed faintly olive, and he was wearing soft, cool linen through which the hard, muscular power of his body was startlingly evident. His dark eyes gleamed with brilliance, and here, under a gentler English sun, he looked almost indecently aliveâas though any other man in the world would look like only half a man next to him.
Her heart began to thunder erratically and her mouth dried to sawdust. âHello, Nico.â
It occurred to him that she might have been doing her homework on Mardivino and that things might already have irrevocably changed. Did she know? He stared at her closely but her eyes showed no indication that she found out. He raised his eyebrows in lazy question. âHungry?â
She felt as if food would choke herâbut that was hardly the most diplomatic thing to say before a dinner date. âIâ¦I hope you like the restaurant,â she said breathlessly, for his warm, virile scent seemed to be running heated fingertips over her skin.
He smiled with satisfaction, enjoying her response. The unspoken question was already answered in his mindâfor the wide-eyed look of pleasure that made her green eyes sparkle like emeralds convinced him that to her he was still just âNicoâ.
âYou look very beautiful,â he said softly.
Oddly enough, his flattery had the reverse effect to the one she suspected he wanted. It brought her to her senses. Made her see things for what they really were, and not how she would like them to be. She was not beautifulâshe was reasonably attractive on a good day.
âMediterranean men are always better at giving compliments than their English counterparts,â she observed coolly.
âWhich might explain why Mediterranean women are more gracious at accepting them,â he countered wryly.
Oh, if only she could rewind the clock and play that scene again! Was she going to ruin the evening before it had even started? She gave him an apologetic smile. âYouâre right.â
âShall we try again?â he mocked, curving his lips into a smile. âYou look very beautiful.â
âThank you.â
âYouâre welcome.â
Her heart pounded. When he looked at her like that she wishedâ¦She wished he would pull her into his arms and kiss her. She wanted to touch her fingertips to his cheek, as if to assure herself that he was flesh and blood and not some figment of her imagination. But she stopped herself.
âWould youâ¦um, would you like a drink first?â she asked. âOr shall we just get going?â
She was like a lioness protecting her den, thought Nico, and clearly nervous about letting him set foot over the threshold! He had never had to play by the rules of other men before, and now he was beginning to see the disadvantages.
He shook his dark head, recognising the need to get her on neutral territory. âNo. Letâs go and eat,â he said.
It was too warm for her to need a coat or wrap, and they walked side by side down the village street, which was washed amber with the light of the sun. An old man was in his front garden, dead-heading his roses, and he smiled at them as they passed.
âBeautiful evening, isnât it?â
âItâs gorgeous,â said Ella, stealing a look at Nicoâs hard, dark profile.
The restaurant was nestled into a crook of the high street, right next to the church. It was small, and run by an enthusiastic amateur, but word had spread about its fresh, seasonal food, and in high season it was nearly always full and notoriously hard to get a booking. But on fine nights they put more tables out on the terrace and down onto the lawn beyond, and tonight was one of them.
Ella saw a couple of women turn their heads and stare hard at them as they wended their way to a table beneath a chestnut tree. Maybe she shouldnât be surprisedâNico was exceptionally good-looking, and he really did stand out in a crowd. And there werenât exactly many Latin hunks strolling round the streets of Greenhampton!
âYou must order for me, cara,â he said firmly once they had sat down, handing his menu straight back to the waitress.
âWhat do you like?â
âEverything. I like everything.â His eyes were steady as they rested on her face. âI have very catholic tastes.â
Oh, heavensâ¦Ella was aware of a sudden wave of helpless longing as she was caught in the soft ebony light from his eyes. It was as if a man had never looked at her beforeâthough when she stopped to think about it no man hadânot with such an undeniable message of sensuality. Yet his silent flirting did nothing to detract from his cool air of self-possession, which seemed so at odds with his warmly Latin exterior.
She ordered asparagus and prawns and chilled Montrachet, unable to miss the unmistakably flirtatious glance the waitress slanted at himâthough to his credit he didnât react in any way.
The sky was a pale Wedgwood blue, softened with apricot edges from the sun. In the distance could be heard the sporadic sound of birdsong and the occasional rattling brush of crickets. Nico had deliberately sat with his back to the other diners, and now he drank a glass of wine and expelled a long, low sigh as he felt all the tension leave his body.
âThatâs good wine,â he murmured.
She looked up. âI know it is.â
He laughed, and captured her eyes. âSo, have you lived here a long time?â
âAbout three years. I went to university nearby and liked it a lotâbut it wasnât until I knew what I wanted to do that I put down roots.â
He ran the tips of his fingers reflectively around his chilled glass. âI donât really know anything about you,â he observed.
âNo.â Ella laughed. âMaybe itâs because of the peculiar way we met.â
Her phrase had the slight resonance of permanence about it, and made him slightly waryâuntil he reminded himself that women had a habit of making every new encounter sound as though it was a contender for the Romeo and Juliet stakes. And if he wanted herâwhich he didâthen surely he should indulge her?
He sipped his wine. âSo tell me about yourself.â
âWell, I studied History at university.â She drew a deep breath, then told him about leap-frogging from job to job, about never quite feeling any real satisfaction in her work and being unable to settle to anything, until one day an American cousin of hers had complained that it was impossible to discover the ârealâ Englandâthat everywhere was just a plastic Ye Olde Teashoppe-type experience. Foreign visitors wanted to see places off the beaten track, places of historic interest and wonderful gardens that werenât completely overrun by day-trippers with cameras.
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Sharon Kendrick
Тип: электронная книга
Жанр: Современные любовные романы
Язык: на английском языке
Издательство: HarperCollins
Дата публикации: 16.04.2024
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О книге: The Mediterranean Prince′s Passion, электронная книга автора Sharon Kendrick на английском языке, в жанре современные любовные романы