The Playboy's Fugitive Bride

The Playboy's Fugitive Bride - Chapter 4

Nia's fists curled around the silky fabric of the sheet. They had done it. And she couldn't even remember. She closed her eyes as sobs of defeat and contempt threatened to spill from deep inside her. Damn him! She should have known she couldn't trust him.

She opened her eyes and glared at him. "You bastard! You took advantage of an innocent, drunk girl. I should have known you couldn't keep your word. You lied, just like you—" She stopped and turned away at the near slip.

What did it matter, anyway? He'd ruined everything. Her entire plan had blown up in her face. When he gave her that money on Saturday, she would really become a generously paid whore. She would have sold her virginity for two million dollars once she accepted that money. It wasn't like she had the privilege of walking away without it to save her dignity. She had to accept it to save Aaron's life.

She turned and glared at him. "You miserable, filthy son-of—"

"Tsh, tsh. Such fury, pussycat. And such vulgarity from the mouth of a schoolteacher. I hope you never use such language in the presence of your young impressionable students. Although," he continued, raising a hand to stop her from speaking, "if I had a teacher who looked like you, I wouldn't give a damn what kind of words came out of her mouth. You'd be my favorite and I'd be so delighted to be your pet. I'd bring you apples everyday, and strawberries and oranges, too, if you wanted them."

Nia saw the devilish twinkle in the depths of Massimo's eyes and his mouth quivering with humor. Jerk. He was toying with her. "I've never spoken this way before. You seem to bring out the worst in me." Six years worth of bottled-up frustrations to be exact. "Maybe I talk to you that way because it's the only type of language you seem to understand." She reached for a pillow to knock the ridiculous smirk off his face.

Massimo was on her in a heartbeat. He captured her hands and pinned them to the mattress above her head. The silk sheet slid off her shoulders, exposing one brown-ripe breast and one darker-shaded smooth wide nipple. The sight of that voluptuous lonely breast tempted him beyond reason and caused a hot ache to grow in his throat. He remembered the smooth taste in his mouth.

He held his breath as his eyes raked down her petite frame. The only thing standing in his way was the silky barrier of that sheet. He knew what her skin felt like under his palms. Boy, did he know. It was silk of the Sylk. He had shaped and molded her body to his last night. He had kissed her and caressed her until Azi's tea had rendered him unconscious.

What Massimo didn't know until now was what Nia looked like. For obvious reasons, he'd undressed her in the dark then left the bed before the light of dawn, just so he wouldn't have to fight with his conscience and his desire for her. The added pleasure of seeing her naked would have pushed him right over the edge, as it was doing now. He focused his gaze on her face.

Fury rioted through her.

Lust surged through him.

"Don't you fret your pretty little head, Nia. When we do it, there will be no doubts in your mind. I will leave my mark on you, with you, and most assuredly inside you. You wouldn't have to wonder whether or not we mated, pussycat. You will know. I promised not to make love to you for a week and I'm sticking to it. Hard as it is. Pun intended." With reluctance, he released her and pulled the cover up over her chest.

Nia let out an audible sigh of relief, grateful that her game was still on.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, shooting to his feet.

What a stupid question. Despite the fact that she wanted to punch him when she thought he'd taken advantage of her, she still had a burning hunger for him. To her dismay, a tiny part of her dared to develop a speck of respect for him. All things considered, he could have taken her last night and there was not a damn thing she could have done about it, drunk as she was.