The Playboy's Fugitive Bride

The Playboy's Fugitive Bride - Chapter 2

"Okay! I accept."

Massimo turned his head and stared blankly at her, obviously waiting for her to make the next move. Nia pulled a folded piece of paper from her purse and walked over to him. "Here's my contact information. Perhaps we can discuss the details of our arrangement over dinner tonight?"

"No."

"No?"

"You come with me now, Nia, or the deal is off." His eyes flashed imperiously and his tight lips indicated that the opportunities to negotiate were over.

Nia knew that if he walked out that door without her, she would never have this chance again. "Okay."

"Okay." He walked to a corner, dropped his weight down on a bench, and pulled a pair of humongous snow boots from under it.

While he changed out of his ski boots, Nia swallowing her defeat, and walked back to the table, picked up her parka, and pulled it on. She glanced over at the woman who'd abandoned her knitting needles and was now peering at her over the rim of her glasses. Nia wondered just how many women Massimo had picked up in this cabin. The woman would probably tell her if she had the guts to go over and ask. Thank goodness there were no other spectators around. Her father must be turning in his grave. His sweet little angel girl had turned into a...

Nia shut her mind against the nauseating term.

Feeling as if she'd just sold her soul to the devil, she followed Massimo out the door and into the cold March air. Tiny flurries landed on her face, immediately melting as they made contact with her flushed skin. She zippered her parka and arranged the hood over her head as Massimo draped his laced-together ski boots across his shoulders.

"Where are we going?" she asked as he retrieved his skis and poles from a hook on the side of the building and tucked them securely under one arm.

"Home." He started down the mountain toward the parking lot, leaving deep, giant footprints in the powdery snow.

Was home his villa on Crystal Lake, or was it the sprawling Andretti Estate on Mount Reservoir? Whichever, it was not a good idea to be cooped up behind four walls with Massimo. She hadn't planned on leaving with him today. She'd planned on returning to her hotel room to either gloat or groan—depending on whether or not he'd bitten her bait. Well, he'd bitten, and now she had to think of a way to slow down the process of her seduction which, judging from his long strides, he was in quite a hurry to begin.

"I can't go home with you, Massimo," Nia said, trying hard to keep the panic from her voice.

"Why?" The snow crunched under the weight of his boots.

"Well, it wouldn't look good for us to be living together."

The cold wind picked up his laugh and the pine trees echoed it around the mountain range. "You just offered to sell me your virginity for four million dollars and you're worried about what people will say if you move into my house?"

Nia knew it was a lame excuse, but he'd put her on the spot. "Well, I'm staying at a hotel and I'm committed for the week. I wouldn't get my money back if I left early. It's their policy."

"I guess you're staying at Hotel Andreas."

"Yes."

"I'm impressed."

He'd be, Nia thought. Hotel Andreas was the most expensive hotel in the area. It was costing her upwards of three hundred and fifty dollars a night and she'd been there for four nights already. But when you're planning to solicit the attention of one of the richest playboys in the universe, you want to look as impressive as possible. His cousin, Adam, with whom he shared a close relationship, owned the hotel, and when she'd set her plan in motion, Nia had taken that fact into consideration.