The Playboy's Fugitive Bride (41 page)

“Yes, you were.”  Shania’s smile widened as she recalled the argument with her father.  She also realized that it wasn’t because of Eddie that her father had told her to leave Maine.  It was because of Massimo.  He was trying to protect her from him, yet here she was in his bed. 

“When you approached me in the cabin, I knew I’d seen you before, but I couldn’t remember when or where.”

“Because you’d lost your memory.”

“I tried to find you and Cameron.  I wanted to make that wrong right.  My detective tracked you to Philadelphia, but by the time I got there, you were gone.”

Shaina shot up in the bed and stared at him.  “That was you?  I thought it was Maine Child Welfare looking for me because I’d stolen Cameron from his foster home.”

“Is that when you fled to New York and changed your names?”

She nodded.

“Did you do it legally or—”

“It was legal.  But I was so scared and alone.  I missed my dad so much.  I didn’t know what else to do.”  Tears stung her eyes.

He pulled her back into his arms.  “I’m sorry.  I’m so sorry for all the pain you suffered.”

She held him tightly.  “We could have been together all that time.”  The tears rolled down her cheeks as she thought of the wasted years on the run, hiding, scrimping, and almost starving.

He pushed her away so he could see her face.  His blue eyes were glittering with gentleness and kindness and love.  “I can’t even begin to imagine what you and Cameron went through, but as horrible as this may sound, I’m glad I didn’t find you back then.  My mind and heart were in the worst place possible.  I would have used you, and you would have ended up in my pile of broken dreams like all my other conquests.  My heart wasn’t ready for love.  It wasn’t ready for you.  Your father was right.  You are too good for me.”

Shaina stared at him as the meaning of his words sank into her brain.  He’d said he loved her so many times tonight and she’d ignored him, refused to believe him because she still blamed him, harbored resentment toward him, was confused and suspicious about him, didn’t fully trust him, doubted he could ever be faithful to her.  But now…

She threw herself into his arms.  She straddled his lap, and began to drop eager kisses on his face.  “I love you too, Massimo.  I love you.  I love you.  I love you.  I’ve loved you since the moment I saw you from the back of the mill cafeteria.”

He uttered a happy, triumphant laugh and wrapped her in his arms.  They laughed.  They cried.  They kissed.  They cuddled.  And soon, without either of them realizing it, they were both in a state of arousal.

“Now I know exactly where you got this impressive sledgehammer from,” Shaina said, running her fingers up and down his rigid shaft, pressing the veins that were full and pulsing with blood, watching him jerk and moan from her caresses.  “You’ve got black in you.  You’ve got jungle fever.”

“Yeah, I’m burning up with jungle fever.  And you’re my cure, my black pussycat.”

Shaina’s giggles turned into a gasp of delight when Massimo lifted her up and fitted the head of his erection at the wet entrance of her body.  All humor left them.  This was serious business, now.  She placed her hands against his chest and held his gaze and her breath.  She tightened her muscles as she sank ever so slowly down on him.

His hands cupped her tender breasts and he kneaded them, pressing her aching nipples into his palms as she began to move slowly up and down on him, simmering and rolling on him, being filled by him as he stimulated and caressed her every crevice and curve.  The friction was sharp and intense.  The fire, fierce and engulfing.  The intimacy, sweet and soothing.  The love, deep and overwhelming.

Their eyes spoke to each other in streaming rivers of delight, as adoration, appreciation, and ecstasy swirled around and inside them.  And when the pinnacle of their passion was reached, when their fever spiked, and the great dams of their desires broke, they whispered each other’s names, clung to each other, and rode the waves over the falls together.

* * *

As soon as Massimo opened the bedroom door and stepped into the living area of the hotel suite, he realized he should have taken the time to dress.  It was after ten in the morning and Shaina had assured him that her brother had already left for school.

She was evidently mistaken, because standing directly in front of him was seventeen-year-old Cameron Norwood—all six feet plus and a half-mile wide of him.  He was obviously on his way to his sister’s bedroom.  Half an hour earlier, and he would have caught them in the act.  Massimo hoped he’d planned to knock.

He looked him over.  A true quarterback, and handsome to boot, he was the spitting image of his father—and like the older, deceased Norwood male, Massimo could tell that Cameron didn’t think too kindly of him.  Boy, he’d clearly picked the wrong family to marry into.

Talk about first impressions, Massimo thought as the fact that he was buck-naked registered in his brain.  It was one thing to walk around naked in front of his friends in the men’s locker room at the country club, but an entirely different story to parade his junk around in front of a teenager.  Worse, his younger brother-in-law.

Thank goodness the young man had the decency to keep his eyes riveted on his face.  Never once did he look south.  His stare was paralyzing.  What should he do?  Retreat to the bedroom and return fully clothed?  Offer him a handshake with a “Hello Cameron.  I’m Massimo, your brother-in-law.  How are you?  Nice to finally meet you.”

No, it was best he went back into the bedroom and put on some clothes, Massimo thought at the unmistaken loathing he saw in the young boy’s intense gray eyes.  Too late, he realized, as he felt Cameron’s right fist smash into his jaw, sending him staggering back against the closed half of the double door.

“That’s for my father,” he said with lethal calmness.

Damn, the boy was strong, Massimo thought as the shock of the unprovoked attack wore off and the sharp pain set in.  He moved his jaw around to see if anything was broken.  He was clearly in no condition to fight.  He wasn’t expecting a fight.  He’d just come out here to get the damn paper.

In addition to the fact that he was naked, he’d been making love all night, and thirty minutes ago, he’d spent the last atoms of his energy inside his wife.  He was weak, and he was certain Cameron knew it.  The hickeys on his neck and fresh welts on his chest were evidence of his most recent activities.  Seemed the whole Norwood family had it in for him for one reason or the other.

While Massimo was still reeling from the first blow, Cameron delivered an upper cut into his other jaw, sending him crashing against the door again.  “That’s for my sister.  For having her arrested.  And this is for me.”  He punched him in the gut this time, sending him to the floor doubled over in pain.

Massimo grunted.  Who the hell was this kid?  Mike Tyson’s apprentice?  Thank God, he’d missed his precious family jewels—he hoped intentionally, and not in error.

“What is going on out here?”  Shaina appeared in the doorway, tying the belt of her big white fluffy hotel robe around her waist.  “Oh my God.”  She dropped on the floor next to Massimo, shielding his nudity from her brother’s eyes.  She held his face between her hands and caressed his jaws.  “Mass.  Massimo,” she called in a broken whisper, her brown eyes soft and misty, and full of love and concern.

“I… I’m all right.  I think,” he managed through the pain, then thought it best if he didn’t try to speak for the moment, or move for that matter.

“There’s no blood,” she said, her eyes inspecting his face.  “Is anything broken?”  When he winced under her testing fingers, she glared up at her brother.  “Cameron, what have you done?”

“He had it coming for what he did to our father.  He destroyed our family.”

“He didn’t do anything to our father or our family.”

“Oh, so now you’re defending him?  You’re defending the man who killed our father?”

“I don’t need to defend him.  He didn’t kill our father.  He was in Kenya fighting for his life when all that crap was coming down.  He didn’t know what was happening until it was too late.”

“You’ll believe whatever he tells you.  You’re in love with him, but I’m not.  I hate the bastard.  I told you I wasn’t ready to meet him.  That’s what you get for forcing him on me.”

“I thought I raised you better than this.  Violence doesn’t solve anything.  It makes things worse.  You don’t go around hitting people, especially naked people in their own houses.”

“This isn’t his house.  It’s a hotel.”

“Which he’s paying for.  Same difference.”

Cameron growled.  “It always comes down to money, doesn’t it?  Whoever has the most money has the most power, and all the say.”

“Cameron, you know that’s not true.”

“Isn’t it?  You’re taking his side against me.  Your own brother.  Your flesh and blood.”

Massimo raised his hand.  “Um… may I say—”

“Stay out of it,” they shouted in unison, glaring at him before turning their attention back to each other.

Okay
.  So this was what it was like to have siblings.  He knew they loved each other more than life itself and would fight for each other, die and kill for each other, but they weren’t afraid to fight each other either.  Because at the end of the day, one fact remained—blood was thicker than water.  And right now, he was the water in this steaming brew.  God, he could sure use some water.

Massimo sought support against the door as the heated exchange of words and angry stares between his wife and her brother continued.  They’d clearly forgotten he was naked and lying on the floor helpless—the injured party.  He could sure use some ice for his jaw, too, but since he couldn’t move without embarrassing himself, he sat patiently and listened while Shaina relayed the story about his accident in Kenya six years ago.

Finally, she got through to Cameron who shot him an awkward look of apology.  “Sorry man.  I didn’t know.  All I had to go on was what went down six years ago.  I guess I should have trusted my sister.  I should have known you were okay from the simple fact that she loves you.  Forgive me?”  He took a step forward with his hand outstretched.

“Don’t you come any closer,” Shaina yelled, extending her arms like a mother hen spreading her wings to protect her young.  “Turn your back.”

“Yes, big little
sista
.” Cameron turned around.  “I’ll go back to my room.”

“Why aren’t you in school?” Shaina demanded.

“I don’t have any classes until noon.”

“Get your butt back out here in half an hour when you can apologize to Massimo properly before leaving for school.  You’d better make it good since you won’t be seeing him again for a while.”

“Yes, big little
sista
.”  He marched across the room and closed his door behind him.

Shaina turned to Massimo and cradled his face in her small hands again.  “Oh, Massimo.  I’m so sorry about what Cameron did.  There’s no excuse for him hitting you, but he’s been angry for so long.  He’s been carrying that around for years.”

Massimo tried to laugh then grimaced.  “I understand.  I would have done the same thing.  I’m glad you have a brother like that, a man who’ll fight for your family honor, your honor.”

She giggled.  “
Two
men who’ll fight for my honor and that of my family.  You went to see Eddie.  That’s the only thing that could explain his letter of apology and so-called transformation to the good side of the law.”

“You got me.”  He hung his head sheepishly.  “But I couldn’t let him get away with threatening you.  What he made you do was inexcusable, but I forgive him since if it weren’t for him, we might not have met.  You are the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

“I love you,” she said softly, coming in to kiss his lips.  “Will you marry me later today when we get back to Granite Falls?”

“We’re already, married,
cara
.”

“I know, but I want to pledge my life and my love to you as Shaina Norwood.  Tomorrow is your thirty-fourth birthday and I want to wake up in your bed as your real wife, Shaina Norwood-Andretti.  That’s my special birthday gift to you.”

Massimo couldn’t believe his ears.  Marrying Shaina would definitely take care of any doubts about his rights to his inheritance.  There was no need to bring up the real ugly reason he’d forced her to marry him.  He could bury that with all the other skeletons in his closet.  Let her continue to believe that he’d married her because he loved her, because that was the honest to God truth.  He’d had choices—he could have married Dafne to secure his inheritance—and he’d chosen Shaina.

“Mass, did you hear me?  I asked you to marry me.  Again.”

Tears welled in his eyes.  He cradled her face in his hands.  “Yes.  Yes.  I will marry you again, Shaina Norwood.  You are my best birthday gift, ever.”  He hugged her to him and kissed her passionately, ignoring the pain that seared through his jaws and his belly.

“Okay, then, it’s a date,” she said when he finally released her.  “Let’s get you cleaned up and presentable before Cameron comes back out.”  She helped him up and he grimaced from the pain in his gut.  “Just lean on me,” she said, lacing her arm around his waist.  “I got you.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” Massimo surrendered to her motherly concerns.  It was nice to have a woman care about him.  Really care.  Azi was the only woman who ever fussed over him since his mother died.

Half an hour later, after Massimo’s jaws had been iced, they were all seated at the dining table enjoying a scrumptious breakfast.  Cameron had apologized over and over again for hitting him and for unjustly accusing him for a wrong he hadn’t committed.  They’d hugged and expressed their eagerness to get to know each other.

Massimo liked him.  He really liked him, and it made his heart flutter in his chest to observe the young, intelligent, sophisticated, and well-rounded man Shaina had raised.  Their children would be so lucky, so blessed to have a mother like her.  His sons would be strong and fearlessly loyal and protective of their sisters.  She was indisputably the cream of the crop.

“So, Cameron, Shaina tells me you’re interested in engineering.  And that you received a full scholarship to MIT.”