The Accidental Elopement

by Maggie Dallen

  “And it wasn’t love?” Ryan guessed.

  Lucia rolled her eyes. “She thought it was. Right up until Grandpa offered the guy money to walk away. And he took it.”

  Ryan stifled a groan and resisted the urge to reach out to her. She must have seen the sympathy in his eyes because she stiffened. “It’s all right. I never even met the man so it means nothing to me.”

  That was a lie and he knew it but he let it go.

  She flashed him a smile then but it was not the genuine warm grin he was used to. It was cold and knowing. Her eyes held more than a little bitterness. “So you see…being duped by gold diggers runs in the family.”

  Ouch. Ryan’s head jerked back as if he’d been slapped. He stood and moved so he was directly in front of her. “I deserve that.”

  Her false smile flickered before fading. He grabbed her hands and tugged until she was standing before him. He framed her face in his hands and tried to focus his thoughts. He had to make this right before he lost her forever.

  He looked into her eyes, hoping she could see everything he was feeling, everything he was incapable of putting into words. “I didn’t mean to use you, Luce. That’s why I turned you down the first time you asked. But then I realized that this could be my chance to end my family’s vendetta and move on with all of our lives.”

  He could see her swallow and her eyes brimmed with tears. “I guess it’s hypocritical of me, huh?” Her voice was so low, he dropped his hands from her face but moved closer so he could hear every word.

  “What do you mean?”

  She swiped at her eyes before looking back up at him. “I mean, we were both using each other for money. I can’t really blame you for that.”

  The fear that had been eating him alive started to ease a bit. “I’m not blameless here,” he felt compelled to add.

  She nodded. “I know.”

  “But I promise I never intended to hurt you in all of this.” A heavy silence hung in the air as he waited for her to respond as though his life hung in the balance. And maybe it did. His happiness was at stake, at the very least.

  “You already did.”

  The honest heartbreak in her eyes was his undoing. “I don’t want any of it,” he said. And as the words came out of his mouth he realized how true they were. She blinked up at him in confusion.

  “I don’t want the money or the revenge,” he continued. “I don’t want any of it. Not if it means losing you.”

  Chapter 11

  Lucia’s heart threatened to burst from her chest. He would give up all that money and the chance to get revenge….for her?

  It didn’t make what he’d done okay but it did ease the hurt so it was no longer a searing pain. Now there was just a dull throb wherever her pride was located.

  Don’t be a fool, Lucia, these are just words.

  “Why would you do that?” she asked.

  He opened his mouth and no words came out. She saw the understanding dawn. It was like watching a light flicker on in those beautiful eyes of his. But he still hadn’t answered so she pressed again. “Why would you do that? Why would you give it all up?”

  His words came out on a rush of air. “Because I care about you and I think I…I think I’m falling for you.”

  Lucia stopped breathing. She stopped moving. She was fairly certain her pulse even took a momentary pause before picking up its pace.

  He didn’t mean it. He couldn’t. But then she looked into his eyes and saw the genuine emotions there. She nearly drowned in the sheer joy that exploded inside of her. His words had unlocked a desire she hadn’t even let herself acknowledge. She liked him. She cared about him…and he felt the same way. The breath she’d been holding came out in a ragged laugh. “That’s…that’s crazy.”

  Ryan looked as stricken by the words as she was and he started to laugh too. “I know. But I can’t help it.” He gave her a helpless shrug that had her laughing even harder.

  She stopped as soon as he reached out to her. Wrapping his arms around her he pulled her up against him and all laughter stopped as Lucia struggled to breathe normally. Her brain was a scattered mess and her body…well her body was on fire.

  “Lucia Antoinette Brunelli,” he started.

  “That’s still not my middle name,” she interjected.

  “Whatever. Lucia Brunelli, you are the best thing to come into my life since….well, ever. I know I don’t deserve a second chance but I don’t want to lose you so if you’ll just—”

  Lucia couldn’t take any more. She thought she might melt right then and there in his arms. So she kissed him, mid-sentence. His lips clung to hers after his initial surprise and then his hands were tangled in her hair, holding her to him as her arms wrapped around his waist. He pulled back briefly. “Lucia, I swear, I will never hurt you—”

  She cut him off with another kiss. “Save the speeches for later.”

  Her heart did a little flip as he gave her one of his sexy smiles and leaned in to kiss her again, this time with a tenderness that was heart-achingly sweet. His lips teased hers as his hands moved from her hair to her neck, and then down her back so he could press the length of her body against his.

  She let out a soft moan as her curves pressed up against his hard chest. His lips trailed down her neck, finding the sensitive spot beneath her earlobe that made her gasp.

  Her fingers fumbled with the buttons on his shirt. She needed to touch him and feel the heat of his skin against hers. He helped her in between kisses and soon his shirt was on the floor and her hands were running over his chest and the taut muscles of his stomach. But she wanted more. She needed more.

  His hands were everywhere, leaving a trail of heat wherever they roamed. From her back to her waist, to her hips and backside. Her dress was thin and she could feel his warmth but it wasn’t enough. She needed to be closer. Her mind was a cloudy fog of desperation as she clung to him. He groaned against her lips as her hands inched lower, getting dangerously close to the button of his jeans.

  He kissed her fiercely, his tongue claiming her mouth and his hands grasping her ass and pressing her up against him so she could feel his desire. Slipping his fingers beneath the hem of her dress, he paused just long enough to give her time to protest. Instead, she whispered, “Yes.”

  There was no turning back now and she couldn’t even if she tried. Her body had a mind of its own and it was in control. And it wanted this. She wanted this.

  He slipped the dress over her head in one quick move and he took a small step back to look at her, clad only in a lacy black bra and panties. Lucia struggled to stay in place and not throw herself against him as his eyes moved over her, dark with desire and with a look of hunger that drove her wild.

  “You’re gorgeous.” The words came out as a deep, throaty growl before he pulled her back against him, his hands moving over her stomach to her breasts, which were straining against the thin material of the bra. She was all but panting with desire when his finger flicked over her hard nipples, teasing her through the thin lace.

  Her fingers fumbled with the button of his jeans before he stilled her hands with his. She pulled back in surprise. Why was he stopping?

  But then he leaned over so he could scoop her into his arms and placed her gently on the bed. She watched with breathless fascination as he unfastened his jeans and slid them off, along with his underwear so he was standing before her, perfectly nude and intimidatingly hot.

  Then he moved over her, kneeling beside her on the bed so he could kiss her lips and her neck and then her breasts, licking at her nipple through the lace and sending shivers through her. His hands continued their assault, roaming over every inch of her, sliding over her thighs and hips, pausing just before he reached her core, which was wet and aching to be touched.

  “Please,” she whispered.

  That word seemed to snap whatever restraint he had left. Moving quickly he unfastened her bra, slipped off her panties, and lowered himself
on top of her so she could feel the warm, hard weight of him between her thighs.

  She moved to meet him, tilting her hips to give him full access and when he drove inside of her, her head tilted back and her back arched at the sheer, exquisite pleasure. His lips never left hers as he moved inside her, the tension building with every thrust, every touch, every sigh.

  Her fingers dug into his back and she cried out his name when she tumbled over the edge of reason and her body shattered into a million pieces. She heard him growl her name as he came right after.

  * * * *

  She could have stayed like that for hours. Snuggled against Ryan’s side, she listened to his heartbeat beneath her ear. Maybe it had been hours. Apparently amazing sex had a direct effect on her ability to gauge time. Who knew? Certainly not her. Sex with Marco had never been like this. It was always…pleasant. A nice pastime for a nice couple.

  It had never been earthshattering. Mind-blowing. She’d never lost all reason or forgotten her own name. She let out a little sigh. This she could get used to.

  Ryan shifted beneath her at the sound of her sigh. “Everything okay?” he murmured into her hair.

  Lucia nodded. “Perfect.”

  One of his hands lazily trailed up and down her side. “You’re perfect.”

  She had to laugh at that. “Not exactly. But it was a pretty perfect wedding.”

  “I’m so sorry, Luce. For everything.”

  She studied his eyes and saw the guilt, the regret. “No more apologies. That’s in the past. But from here on out, we’re honest with each other. About everything. Deal?”

  “Deal.” He gave her a light kiss before pulling back again. “And I meant what I said earlier. We can go get this wedding annulled this morning. Start fresh.”

  Lucia stroked the five o’clock shadow that was starting to appear as she thought through her options. She knew he meant it. He would give up millions just to be with her. He would even put her and this…relationship? Was it really a relationship? Overwhelming joy threatened to take over.

  Focus. There will be plenty of time for girly squealing after you figure out what to do next.

  He would put their relationship before his mother and brother. That was huge. And…maybe that was enough.

  Ryan propped himself up on one elbow so he was looking down at her. “What do you say? Let’s file for an annulment and then I’ll take you out on a proper date.” He paused. “That sounded more romantic in my head.”

  Lucia laughed. “Maybe we should put that annulment on hold for a bit.”

  Ryan’s brows shot up. “Oh yeah? You’re enjoying this whole married lady thing, huh?”

  She gave his shoulder a playful shove. “No, I just think…maybe we shouldn’t call off the original plan.”

  He looked like he was about to protest but Lucia cut him off. “I mean, yes, you should have told me the whole truth about your family and your plans, but—does that really mean we have to throw away all of our plans?”

  When he gave her a blank look, she continued on in a rush. “I mean, sure we would have to fly to Italy and convince my grandfather but we’ve come this far, why not see it through?”

  She sat up, grabbing a nearby sheet to cover herself, suddenly modest now that they were back on earth and talking about something as unromantic as fooling her grandfather.

  Ryan fell back against the pillows and studied her with a wary look. “I don’t know, Lucia. Daniel will never go for it—”

  Lucia rolled her eyes. “Let me handle Daniel.”

  Ryan frowned. “Lucia, I don’t want the money. I don’t need the revenge.”

  “Yeah, but I do,” she said. At his wide-eyed look of surprise, she added. “I mean, not the revenge. But I still want the money. It’s mine and I’m entitled to it. I don’t want to wait six years before I have my shot at a fashion line of my own just because my family has antiquated views on marriage and money.”

  “I don’t know,” Ryan said.

  Lucia was on a roll. “And your family deserves that money. From everything you told me, it would help them come to peace with whatever happened between Daniel and your father. And maybe it would help them get over their….” She threw her hands up, at a loss for the word.

  “Bitterness?” Ryan supplied. “Resentment? All-consuming anger?”

  “Exactly.” Lucia beamed at him. “Everybody wins.”

  Ryan’s eyes narrowed as he studied her and she could practically see his mind at work. “If this is really what you want…”

  “It is.” And it was. The more she thought it through, the more it made sense. They’d already come this far. They were married, for heaven’s sake. Why throw it all away?

  “Okay then,” Ryan said, tugging her arm until she was sprawled across his chest. “Annulment postponed. I guess this means we’ll be married for a little while longer.” His hands slipped beneath the sheet and over her hip. “However shall we spend our honeymoon?”

  * * * *

  In Lucia’s opinion, their honeymoon was perfection.

  True to her word, she’d handled Daniel. Well, handled probably wasn’t the best word for it. She’d basically called to let him know they wouldn’t be able to fly out for a couple of days, hung up, and then refused to answer any of his calls. Childish? Perhaps. But it wasn’t every day one’s new husband declared he was falling for her and Lucia meant to enjoy every damn second of her honeymoon.

  And oh, what a honeymoon.

  “I’m not moving.” Ryan was curled up around her; the big spoon as he called it. She turned her head so she could see him over her shoulder. Lord, he was cute when he was sleepy.

  “We haven’t moved for two days,” Lucia said with a laugh. And she wasn’t exaggerating. The only times they’d left the bed was to use the bathroom, shower, or answer the door for room service. She didn’t want to move either but today was the day. Daniel’s plane was ready and waiting to take them to Italy. To see her grandfather.

  Right. No need to panic.

  “Hey, you okay?” Ryan shifted them so he was looking down at her.

  She forced a smile for his sake. They’d been over this. He was on board to sell this relationship to her grandfather. They were in the home stretch. The money was almost hers. All she had to do was face her grandfather.

  “I don’t want the honeymoon to end,” she admitted with a sigh.

  He leaned down to nuzzle her neck. “Me neither.” And we don’t have to.

  He didn’t say it but he didn’t have to. Ryan had mentioned more than once during their talks that he’d be fine walking away from the money. Maybe he was fine with it, but she was not. She was the first to admit she was stubborn and this was something she wasn’t willing to budge on.

  Ryan’s lips had moved from her neck to her shoulder and Lucia’s muscles turned to putty. How did he do it? It was like he knew every trigger and switch in her body.

  A sigh of contentment slipped out as he pulled her against him, the lengths of their bodies pressed together.

  “What’s that sigh about?”

  Lucia kept her eyes closed but she grinned. “Who would have thought getting married would land me a boyfriend?”

  She felt the rumble of his low laughter in his chest and opened her eyes to see him smiling down at her. “Is that what I am now? Your boyfriend? I’m pretty sure I was just demoted.”

  Lucia laughed. She’d been laughing a lot these past two days—more than she could ever remember. “Not demoted,” she argued. “You are my fake husband but my real boyfriend.”

  He pretended to mull it over before leaning down to plant a kiss on her lips. “Fair enough.”

  A wave of excitement rippled through her leaving her breathless in a way that was starting to feel familiar. Is this what it felt like to fall in love?

  Neither of them had actually used the L-word yet but it was there between them, waiting to be claimed. Although he had said he was falling for
her…was that the same thing?

  Not so fast. Her inner voice of reason told her to take it slow.

  But taking it slow was kind of hard to do when you’re already married.

  That thought had her giggling again as Ryan trailed kisses over her cheeks and eyelids. “What’s so funny?”

  Lucia gave a little shake of her head. “Nothing. Everything…. Us.”

  He started laughing as well. “I guess this isn’t the most typical start to a relationship, huh?”

  She shook her head. “Typical is boring.”

  When he leaned back in for more kisses, she gently pushed him away with a pout. “I hate to say it, but it’s time we leave this bed. Daniel will blow a fuse if we miss the flight.”

  “Blow a fuse” was a new phrase she’d learned from Ryan and she thought it was very fitting…especially for Daniel.

  Ryan pulled back and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. His obvious disappointment was adorable. Okay fine, so maybe she thought everything Ryan did was pretty cute. She couldn’t help it—he was irresistible.

  “Are you saying the honeymoon’s over?” he asked. She raised one brow and he caved. “I know, I know. We need to face reality eventually.”

  Ugh. Reality. Lucia pulled the covers up around her instinctively and Ryan buried his face in her neck. The bed was a blissful safe haven. But out there?

  “Have you told your family about me yet?” she asked.

  She felt his nod against her neck.

  “Even my connection to Daniel?”

  He nodded again. “I told them the plan.”

  She inhaled deeply trying to summon the courage to get out of the bed. “Good.” While it wasn’t exactly romantic knowing her new boyfriend’s mother and brother were eager to use her for her money, she was glad it was out in the open. They’d spent a good portion of the last two days talking—among other things—and it was a relief they were both on the same page. Now they just had to make sure their families fell in line.