Blackmailed by the Italian Billionaire (21 page)

“Weren’t you curious as to what sort of monster you were living with?”

She rolled her eyes. “Stop being so melodramatic.”

He sighed. “Yes, they got me out, and the conviction was overturned.”

“How?”

“One day I’ll tell you, but now isn’t the time to talk of this. Drink your champagne. Forget it for a while.”

She wanted to know, but also she remembered back to that night when they had fought. Luc was being so… she tried to think of the word. Agreeable maybe. Luc was being agreeable, and she really didn’t want to spoil the mood. All the same, a flicker of unease prickled across her skin, and she rubbed her arms. She took another sip of champagne, feeling the bubbles in her stomach, and pushed the unease to the back of her mind. “Okay,” she said, “tell me where we’re going then. Are we staying in Rome?”

“No. We’re going to an island off the coast. I have a villa there. It’s private, and we’ll be entirely alone. I hope that will be okay.”

A ripple of excitement shivered through her at the thought of being alone with Luc. She sipped her champagne and allowed her worries and inhibitions to slide away. This was time away from reality.

…

After that, the whole day took on a dreamlike quality. Everything moved fast. They’d been transported swiftly through the airport in Rome, seemingly unfettered by the restrictions that plagued the ordinary traveler. A long black car had driven them across the airport to where a black helicopter waited for them, the blades already turning as they pulled up beside it. Luc had steered her from the car and helped her climb on board and fasten the safety harness.

She was sitting ramrod straight in the seat, her knuckles white as they gripped the armrests, her heart beating fast with excitement. Luc pried open the fingers of the hand closest to him, loosening its deathlike grip, tugging it toward him.

“I’ve never been in a helicopter before,” she said as they slowly rose into the air.

“Another first then.” He stroked her palm, and she shivered in reaction. “Relax,” he said, “and you’ll enjoy it.”

“I am—it’s fantastic—I’ve always wanted to.”

She tried, but relaxing wasn’t really an option with Luc beside her, toying with her fingers. As he raised her hand to his mouth and kissed her palm, the damp tip of his tongue stroked across the sensitive flesh, and heat coiled tight in her belly. He bit softly down on the fleshy mound at the base of her thumb and kissed the soft skin inside her wrist. Lia wanted nothing more than to melt into a puddle at his feet; she was sure that only the safety harness was keeping her from doing that. She glanced at the back of the pilot’s head, then out of the window. They were in the air and she hadn’t even noticed. She swallowed; it was one thing to accept that she was going to do this, but this feeling of being out of control was scary. She tried to pull her hand free, but Luc kept a tight hold. At least he stopped kissing it and she could think again. He placed it on his thigh and clamped it in place with his own much larger hand on top. Lia felt the heat through the material of his trousers.

She cleared her throat. “So, how long will it take?”

“How long will what take,
cara?
”

His voice made the hairs stand up on the back of her neck. Shaking her head to clear it, she tried again to tug her hand free, but he held it firmly in his grip.

“To get to this island.”

“About twenty minutes.”

She stared down out of the glass bubble at the world moving swiftly below her. Luc started speaking, pointing out places passing beneath them, and Lia slowly relaxed. They were flying along the coast now, the sea calm and unruffled.

“There,” Luc said.

Lia stared out to sea and gasped. The island lay like an emerald in the turquoise ocean, green mountains circled by golden beaches. They were flying over it now. It seemed deserted; when Luc had said they were going to be alone he had meant it literally.

“Let me get this straight,” she said as Luc pointed out the single building. “You own this whole island.”

“My grandfather left it to me.”

“And no one else lives there?”

“It’s where I go when I need to be alone.”

They were coming to land, the helicopter blowing up a cloud of red dust beneath them. Luc finally released her hand, and Lia fumbled with the harness, but her fingers didn’t seem to be working. Luc brushed them out of the way.

“Let me.”

Lia sat quite still as Luc unfastened the buckles and released her. He spoke briefly with the pilot, then opened the door and jumped down, holding out a hand for Lia. Threading her fingers through his, she jumped down. Luc took their bags and then waved the pilot away, and they watched as the helicopter rose slowly into the air and headed off toward the mainland.

The air was warm and heavy with the scent of tropical flowers, which seemed to grow rampant all around them, and Lia breathed in deeply.

“Welcome to my island,” Luc said from beside her. “Come on, we’ll put the bags away and you can shower.”

It was early evening, still balmy but without the oppressive heat she’d felt in Rome. Cicadas sang in the nearby trees. Beneath that, the ebb and flow of the sea provided a soothing ambiance, and the last remaining tension oozed from her.

They had landed at the rear of the building, and Luc led her around the side. The house was spectacular: not large, but beautiful, a long white graceful villa. A series of arches formed a covered terrace that ran along the front, and over which crimson and orange bougainvillea ran riot. Smooth green lawns ran down to the cliff’s edge, where they gave way to terra cotta tiles surrounding a cobalt blue infinity pool.

She stared for a long moment before following Luc beneath one of the archways and through French doors into a large airy bedroom.

“This is yours,” Luc said. “I’m next door if you need anything.”

The room was simply but beautifully decorated, the walls white, the floors terra-cotta tiles, cool yet welcoming. The space was dominated by an enormous four-poster bed draped with mosquito netting, and a suitcase lay on the ottoman at the foot of the bed.

Lia frowned. “This isn’t mine.”

“Yes, it is.”

“No, it’s not. I’ve never seen it before in my life.”

Opening it, she examined the contents. She picked up a bikini that lay on top, three tiny triangles of silky scarlet material. Definitely not hers; she owned a sensible black one-piece. Placing the bikini on the bed, she picked up a sundress that lay wrapped in tissue paper beneath. It was lavender, with narrow straps, and like the bikini, she had never seen it before. Mind you, she thought, holding it up in front of her, it did look like a perfect fit. She peered at Luc suspiciously.

“Where did these clothes come from?”

“I asked Maggie to get a few things for you. She knew your sizes from shopping with you for the party.”

“But,” Lia said, rummaging through the suitcase, “this is all holiday gear. We only decided to come away this morning. You’re not telling me that Maggie bought all this between then and now. On a Sunday.”

Something wasn’t quite right here, but she really couldn’t think what it was. She glanced at Luc, but he turned away from her before she could see his expression. He stood, staring out of the window, his hands in his trouser pockets, his shoulders rigid with tension.

“Luc?”

He turned around to face her, and she forced herself to continue. “I found out today that my whole life has been a fabrication of lies. Can’t we at least have the truth between us now?”

He looked at her for a long moment. “I leaked the story to the press.”

It wasn’t what she was expecting, and she shook her head in bemusement. “I don’t understand, why would you do that? What could you possibly gain from it?”

“I wanted to get you away from London. I wanted to bring you here alone.”

“But why?”

“Think about it,
cara
. I’ll be outside.”

She waited until he left the room, shutting the door gently behind him, then she sank onto the bed. She should be angry; he was manipulating her again. But something superseded her anger—Luc had wanted to bring her here. Spend time alone with her. She’d wondered if he still wanted her that way. Oh, he had said so, but he had seemed so distant since the party, she was sure he hadn’t really forgiven her.

Now, he was all but admitting he wanted her. She could sense something unraveling inside her, some cold, hard lump. Jumping up, she peered out the French doors. The sun was low in the sky, glinting on the turquoise water of the pool, and all of a sudden, it finally sank in—she was in Italy, alone with Luc. It seemed impossible, but she knew she was going to make the most of this opportunity. She might not have forever, but she had now. Picking up the lavender sundress, she grabbed her toiletries bag and went for a shower.

When she came out on the terrace, the sun was setting, turning the sea to gold and red. Luc was nowhere in sight, and she wandered down toward the pool. It seemed to be balanced on the cliff’s edge, and she peered over. Below, at the foot of the cliff was a small cove, a horseshoe of golden sand, and it was here that she caught sight of Luc. He had also showered, his hair was damp, and he’d changed into a pair of loose drawstring trousers and a white linen shirt that hung open, the sleeves rolled up over tanned forearms. He sat on the sand staring out to sea, but something must have alerted him to her presence because he glanced up as she stood above him. He rose gracefully to his feet and turned to face her, desire flaring to life in his eyes.

Lia found the small path that led to the cove. She followed it down, kicking off her sandals as she came to the sand, finally coming to a halt in front of him.

He reached out and stroked a strand of her hair, which she had left hanging loose to her shoulders. “You look beautiful, Lia.”

She allowed her eyes to wander over him, the lean lines of his body, the stark beauty of his face. “So do you,” she said, and it was true.

He smiled. “Come and sit.”

Taking her by the hand, he led her close to where the sea met the land. He sank down and tugged her hand so she collapsed onto the warm, silky sand. He didn’t say a word for a while, and Lia sat in silence gazing out at the vast expanse of water, breathing in the salt tang of the air. There was something magical about the sea, and she allowed it to sooth her. What Luc had done was wrong. He had no right to try to manipulate her in any way, but the fact was, the outcome was such that she couldn’t stay angry. She was here, in this gorgeous place with Luc at her side, and for once, he seemed relaxed.

Lia allowed herself a few minutes to soak up the atmosphere then turned to Luc. “What do you want from me?”

He returned her gaze, his face free from expression so she had no clue what was going through his mind. “You know what I want. I want you.”

The time for pretense was over. “You didn’t have to go to all this bother. You must have known you could have me. I thought I made that embarrassingly clear the night of the party. So why bring me here?”

“I wanted to get away from London. This seemed like a good idea.”

She shook her head. “Forget about me for a moment. Didn’t you think about what that article would mean to Mike? What will it be like for him when he has to go back to school?”

“No, the truth is I didn’t, and for that I’m sorry. Look, Lia
,
I was wrong, but I’m used to going after what I want, and I wanted you.” He shook his head. “Besides, I honestly presumed it was common knowledge. You forget I was brought up in an environment where a criminal record was the norm, almost something to be proud of. I believed it was the same for you.”

“You never knew my mother,” she said bitterly. She sighed. “Let’s forget it. I’m here, and it’s beautiful. Let’s just forget what happened. But don’t do it again.”

He picked up her hand from where it lay on the sand. Raising it to his lips, he kissed the center of her palm. Her skin tingled where he touched it, and her blood started a slow, steady thump in her veins. She curled her fingers around the kiss as though she could hold it forever.

“Do you want to make love, Lia?”

His voice was low and dark and made her ears tingle. “What?” She was finding it hard to make sense of his words.

He raised her hand again and dropped light kisses on the sensitive skin of her wrist. Shivers of sensation ran through her.

“This time, I want your full agreement. I won’t be accused of seduction,” he said against her arm.

Oh God, the feel of his lips against her skin was amazing. Heat trickled through her body to pool in a warm, wet puddle at the base of her belly. She shook her head slightly, trying to get her brain to function through the waves of heated desire. “Too late,” she said, “I’m already seduced.”