Her Royal Bodyguard (12 page)

But at that moment, Francesco came out of the kitchen with their lunches and made a point of stopping to show them the plates as he walked by.

Rico followed Angelina back to the table, his hand resting in the small of her back because he couldn’t resist another chance to touch her. Francesco was waiting there to hold her chair for her, spewing out charming words. Telling her how beautiful she was. How lucky Rico was to have such a lovely woman as his wife. How it brought tears to his eyes to see them dancing together.

Francesco finally left them to their meal. They ate in companionable silence for a while. Occasionally people walking by outside would wave at them through the window. Rico realized the women he dated always seem to want to fill any silence with often meaningless chatter. It was relaxing to listen to the music, enjoy the delicious meal, and watch the beautiful woman at the table with him.

“What do you want to do this afternoon?” he asked after he finished his meal. “More shopping?”

“No. I think I’m shopped out for today.”

“Really?”

She laughed. “You don’t have to sound so happy about it. I’m sure I’ll be ready for some more shopping in the morning.” She took a sip of wine and looked at him over the rim of the glass. Her eyes sparkled in the candlelight on the table. “For now, can I say I am enjoying myself right here? Would you mind if we stayed a while longer? Listen to the music? Maybe have another glass of wine? Perhaps another dance?”

“I don’t know. I think Francesco may try to steal you away from me.”

“Don’t worry,” she said with a wink and a smile. “I’ll be going home with you tonight.”

Emotion.

As his chest warmed and his lips lifted into a smile, Rico realized that was what had been missing from his life. Yes, he had the job, the money, the occasional lovely woman in his bed, but until Angelina had been forced into his life, he’d been not much more than a robotic soldier. A thoughtful lover, sure, but he’d never let his feelings get involved.

How could he have spent most of his days standing still? Watching other people but rarely interacting? He’d made the right decision to leave his position with the royal family. But the main reason he had made that decision was sitting in front of him and he had gotten so used to being with her the last couple days that now he couldn’t imagine never being able to see her again.

He couldn’t remain strictly an observer when he was with Angelina. He wanted to experience life with her. New tastes. New sights. Making every moment count.

Making love.

Rico waved Francesco over and ordered more wine. He couldn’t deny his desire for Angelina any longer. He took her hand, brought it to his mouth and kissed her fingertips. “
Amore.
”

He realized with a start that he didn’t think twice about calling Angelina by the endearment. It came to his lips as easily as her title ever had. Still, it was an endearment, nothing more. It couldn’t mean anything more. This was a moment out of time. That was all it could ever be.

“Rico,” she murmured in response. Her gaze swept over him, warm and sensual, as if her lips were touching every part of him. Her eyes lit up and she intertwined her fingers with his. “You know, this is just as I imagined it.”

“Imagined what?”

“A dinner date. Just the two of us at an out-of-the-way table. Sipping wine. Dancing close. Whispering and smiling and talking for hours. My first date,” she murmured. “Thank you.”

He cleared his throat. He could deny her nothing. “If we were to share a bed, it can only be until we go back to the palace. You know this?”

“Yes. I know.” She took a deep, shaky breath and curled her fingers around his. “You mean it?” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “You’ll make love with me?”

There was nothing he wanted more. “If you’re still certain this is what you want.”

“Of course, I’m certain. I’ve wanted you for months too, but for so long there was the royal marriage decree and I wasn’t going to…you know…do it with anyone I couldn’t… Oh, never mind. It doesn’t matter anymore.” Rico didn’t think he’d ever tire of seeing the princess blush. “Of course, I want to.”

Francesco came then with the wine and he hovered again, clearing away their plates and complementing Angelina some more until Rico had to grit his teeth in order not to shout at the man to shut up and leave them alone.

Rico wondered what she was thinking, what had caused the princess’s face to turn that becoming shade of pink once more. Angelina took a sip of wine and then fiddled with the stem of the glass until Francesco finally left them. But she didn’t look up, didn’t stop tracing the long stretch of glass with her finger.

“I think Mia is good for Vittorio, don’t you?” she asked softly.

He frowned at the sudden change in subject. “Yes,” he replied. “I like Miss Holmberg very much and I agree she is a good partner for the prince.”

“They’re very much in love.”

“Yes. I can see that.”

“Have you ever been in love, Rico?”

When she looked up at him through her long lashes she looked very young. And he felt very old. “No.”

“But you’ve made love before.”

“Yes, of course I’ve had sex before.”

“Don’t get testy,” she said good-naturedly. “Some people think you should only have sex with someone you’re in love with. That’s why it’s called making love.”

“Not everyone is lucky enough to fall in love.”

“Yes. That’s true. I hope I fall in love someday.” She began to softly stroke his hand. “Before my father rescinded the royal marriage decree I thought I would never have the chance to fall in love. I thought I would be forced to marry someone like Viktor or Phillip and be miserable for the rest of my life.”

The thought of Angelina being forced to marry someone she didn’t love made his chest hurt. Rico sat there in silence and let her touch him. Somehow the soft strokes she gave to his fingers carried through his entire body, relaxing him, arousing him. He wouldn’t have moved for anything in the world.

“Mia is not royal and yet she’s the perfect partner for the prince,” Angelina went on after a moment.

“Yes. We agreed to that already.”

“So the perfect partner for me could be a commoner as well,” she said lightly, carefully.

So that’s where this conversation was headed. “It’s possible,” Rico said wryly. But whoever Princess Angelina married, he wouldn’t be the son of a palace gardener. He wouldn’t be a man who grew up with the inequalities between royal and commoner waved in front of his face every single day.

“Exactly.” She lifted her hand from his and picked up her wine glass. After taking a healthy swallow she set down the glass and flashed him a big smile. “Would you like to dance?”

The afternoon flew by. Angelina had never danced so much or talked so long. She and Rico shared stories of their childhoods. The similarities and differences were both stark. So many of the people they interacted with were the same. So many of their experiences were very different.

“I can’t believe I didn’t know
Signora
Bea was your mother,” Angelina told him. The tall cook had a booming laugh and had never complained when a young Angelina would sneak a sweet. “I knew
Signor
Leo was your father because you used to help him. I remember that. Did you like to work in the gardens?”

Rico shrugged. “Most of the time I didn’t mind. And I think I had crush on the queen when I was a small boy. She was so pretty and she liked to plant flowers and she would favor me with big smiles.”

“My mother had a great smile,” Angelina agreed.

“And a big heart.”

Even four years later, her heart wrenched at the loss. “I wish I’d gardened with her. It was something we could have shared. You know. Before she was gone.”

“I fear we always think we’ll have more time with our loved ones than we do,” Rico said softly.

Angelina nodded. She felt time rushing by already. How much more time would she have with Rico? Free time like this with no paparazzi following her around. No overprotective father or brother keeping tabs on her. Time alone to talk and touch and make love.

The clear, crisp breath of independence filled her lungs. She shivered with the knowledge that it was up to her to determine what happened next. She had to take advantage of this chance to do what she wanted to do, royal title be damned.

And Angelina knew what she wanted to do.

Her arousal had been building all afternoon. All those soft whispers. Slow dances. Tender touches. She leaned forward and captured Rico’s lips with hers once more. He cupped her jaw and deepened the kiss.

Thunder rumbled loudly and she felt the vibration down to her toes. They broke apart and looked out the window. The sky had darkened while they’d been lost in their own little world. Thick, angry clouds roiled above the rooftops.

“We should get back before the rain starts,” Rico said.

Her body heated and she grinned at him eagerly. They could be exploring each other in that big soft bed soon. Angelina looked around them and saw that the restaurant was almost empty. The musicians had stopped at some point. The buzz from the wine, the heat from Rico’s kisses, and the rush from the threatening rain, amplified the heady anticipation surging through her like the rain that would soon be washing down the street.

She grasped Rico’s hand. “Let’s go.”

His dark eyes sparked. As she rose, her foot kicked the shopping bags they’d stowed under the table. She’d forgotten about the purchases they’d made that morning.

Francesco rushed over to them. “You are welcome to stay for as long as you desire. The rain is going to start any moment. There is no need for you to get wet.”

Angelina smiled at him. “I don’t mind if I get wet, but would it be all right if we left our packages here?” She didn’t want to worry about the paper bags if the rain started before they reached the villa. “We’ll come back and get them later.”

“Of course.”

She pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you, Francesco. Everything was delicious and we enjoyed our visit here very much.”

Rico settled the bill and handed the shopping bags to Francesco. All the while Angelina’s heart raced. Impatience made her grasp his hand as soon as he turned to her. It had nothing to do with the impending rain and everything to do with the man beside her.

“Are you sure about this,
amore
?” he murmured. “We could be soaked to the skin before we get back.”

She glanced out the window. “No rain yet. If we hurry, we may get lucky. I want to get back to our rooms.”

They dashed out the door hand in hand. The hot, heavy air slammed into Angelina. Moisture beaded on her skin and the rain hadn’t even started.

“Everyone else was smart enough to get inside,” Rico grumbled. The sidewalks were deserted. “We should have headed back before now. We knew the storm was coming.”

“You distracted me,” Angelina told him with an exaggerated pout. “I forgot all about the coming rain.”

They paused at the intersection as a truck rattled by. “I distracted you?” Rico asked with a smile.

“You did, but you needn’t look so pleased with yourself.”

He laughed and turned her into his arms on the street corner. “I am feeling quite pleased at this moment.”

The wind whipped up stray leaves to swirl around their legs. Angelina knew they needed to hurry home but a kiss seemed to be much more urgent at the moment. She cupped his face, the scruff on his jaw prickling her palms. The roughness seemed to increase the arousal running through her body. She crushed her lips to his.

Rico’s groan vibrated through her body. Or was that the thunder? At the moment, she couldn’t tell. Didn’t care. Nothing could drag her away from Rico’s lips.

And then the sky opened up and the rain came down. Angelina gasped as the water instantly soaked her to the skin. The noise from the downpour clattered against the window panes around them. The force of the rain made the water bounce on the sidewalk and splash against their legs. She laughed with delight. She’d never felt so alive.

She couldn’t pull her gaze away from Rico, the surprise on his face and the heat in his eyes. Angelina wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again.

He made to pull away. “We should get inside.”

She wouldn’t let go of him. “I’m not cold.” She’d never be cold in his arms. “Are you?”

“No.” He pushed back the wet strands of hair that had fallen into her face, but with the rain still pouring down, it was hopeless. He ran his hands down her back until he cupped her bottom in his large hands and pulled her tightly against him. She gasped when she felt his thick erection against her hip. “I want you so much, I can barely control myself,” he said. “I don’t want to scare you.”

She blinked away the raindrops from her lashes. His jeans and T-shirt were plastered to his body, revealing his excellent physique as well as if he had no clothing on at all. “I’m not scared.”