Kidnapping His Bride

by Karen Erickson

  “I really hate you for leaving me here with her. With our mother. She’s distraught. Worried that something terrible is going to happen to you.” Annalisa’s voice lowered. “Sometimes, Cat, when you do shit like this, I really do hope something terrible is going to happen to you. It’s the least that you deserve.”

  Never, ever had her sister spoken to her so cruelly. “You don’t mean it.”

  “Oh, but I do. You think you can do whatever you want, have any man that you want, but you can’t, Catalina. You have a life here with your family. Responsibilities that only you can take care of. You can’t neglect us forever. You need to return home. Now.”

  Cat blinked back tears and shook her head, feeling silly since Annalisa couldn’t see her do it. “I’m coming home Monday.”

  “That’s not good enough.”

  “I don’t have a choice. Monday will have to do,” Cat said, her voice growing weak as the tears threatened to take over completely.

  “Leave now, Cat. March your butt down to the airport, buy the first ticket home and come back to us. You’ve proved your point, had your little taste of freedom. Now you need to come back here,” Annalisa demanded.

  “Give me that.” Rafe appeared above her, wrenching the phone from her hand and hitting the End Call button on the bottom of the screen. “Quit listening to that horrendous cow before she has you dissolving into a puddle of tears and unable to get yourself back together.”

  She choked on the sob that had lodged in her throat. Fear coursed through her. Would he send her away? At least then Annalisa would get her wish. “D-did you hear what she said?”

  “I didn’t need to hear. I could see how she was trying to destroy you word by word just by watching when you spoke to her. Your face turned ghostly white and you still look like you’re going to cry.” He tossed the phone onto the couch where it landed beside her and settled in, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and gently pulling her against him. “She may be your sister, but she doesn’t have to be so damn abusive toward you.”

  “She’s not abusive,” Cat automatically defended, ignoring the disbelieving snort that came from Rafe. “She’s under a tremendous amount of pressure, what with our father never around to help with the business. Everything involving the company tends to land on her shoulders and she’s been trying to straighten out the mess our father left behind for years. When I’m around, I’m a big help to that burden.”

  “That’s wonderful. I commend both you and your sister for taking on such major responsibilities at such young ages, but that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve a little time to yourself,” Rafe said, his gaze tender as he studied her.

  “Annalisa never takes time for herself. She says she can’t afford to, especially not now.”

  “I could give two shits what your sister says.” Rafe sounded infuriated—on her behalf. That realization sent what felt like a bazillion butterflies flapping away in her stomach. “Now come on. Pull yourself together and let’s go out for breakfast. We’ll need a big meal to fortify us for a long afternoon of shopping.”

  “Oh, Rafe…”

  “Don’t you ‘oh, Rafe’ me, Cat. You want this just as badly as I do. You need it, to help you forget.” He took her hand and pulled her to her feet, smoothing his thumb across the back of her hand. Her skin tingled from his fleeting touch. “I hate what I witnessed just now.”

  She stared up at him, remaining silent. No one had ever defended her before. Nor had anyone ever seen just how cruel Annalisa could be toward her.

  “I—I’m sorry you had to see our silly family fight. It won’t happen again, I promise.” She stood and started to walk away from him, ready to escape for at least a little while. But he went after her and grabbed a hold of her arm, keeping her there. With him.

  “It wasn’t about the fight. It was how she berated you and insulted you and made you feel like a stupid, useless human being. I didn’t need to hear her to know that’s exactly what she was doing to you.” He blew out a frustrated breath. “No one should be talked to like that, least of all by your blood relative.”

  “She’s an unhappy person,” Cat said, her voice small.

  Rafe snorted. “I’ll say.”

  “Part of that is my fault,” she said hurriedly. “I’m nothing but a burden to her. We all are.”

  “Jesus.” Rafe yanked her to him, holding Cat in his arms, so close she could feel his delicious warmth seeping into her. “Don’t listen to her. You’re not her burden. She brings that all on herself. You can do and be whatever and whoever you want to be, Cat. Don’t you realize that?”

  “I—I don’t know what I want to be. I thought I had everything all figured out. My entire life, I’d been told that someday I would be Mrs. Rafael Renaldi and that I would belong to you.” She laughed, but there was no humor behind it. “And then I foolishly asked to end it and you agreed. Now I’m nothing. Nobody. The forgotten daughter. The burdensome sister. I’m nothing,” she repeated.

  “You’re something to me. Say the word, Cat. Say yes and we can be engaged once more. Hell, I’ll take you down to the courthouse this afternoon and we can handle this properly.” He squeezed his arms around her tight, pulling her in so close she was pressed intimately against his solid, hard body. “Forget what you thought you wanted and focus on me. On us. Be my bride once more, Cat. Say yes.”

  Chapter Six

  “I don’t know,” she said, her voice soft.

  Talk about a swift kick in the balls. He’d never felt lower in his life than he had when she said those three simple, irritating-as-hell words.

  I don’t know.

  He could whisk her away from that horrendous sister of hers and show her a new life. A better life. One where she wouldn’t feel like someone’s obligation, where she wasn’t left to the whim of a super controlling, bitchy sister like hers. He’d give Cat whatever she wanted, no questions asked. He liked her.

  But he also felt sorry for her. This, he knew, was a dangerous combination. Would sympathy dictate his motives? That wasn’t fair to her—or him.

  So instead of hashing over the tyrannical diatribe Cat had just suffered on the phone and the following squashed marriage proposal, Rafe swept all the ugliness under the virtual rug and reminded Cat they had a breakfast to get to.

  He took her to a small café near his apartment building, where he’d plied her with eggs, bacon and hash browns until she was groaning in protest over having to eat one more bite. They then hopped into a taxi, where he’d been quietly amused at the way Cat clutched at her stomach while the driver raced like a bat out of hell through the streets of Manhattan. All the while bemoaning her too-full stomach and the cabby’s crazy driving.

  Finally, they’d ended up in one of the high-end department stores he knew his sister Stasia liked to frequent, figuring he couldn’t go wrong with the location. It would have everything Cat would need under one roof. She’d acted reluctant at first, protesting that she didn’t want to shop on his dime or spend his money. Nothing seemed to please her as they wandered through the departments. He followed behind her, growing more and more frustrated, finally ready to call it quits when she stopped short on the third floor in front of a mannequin display.

  “Oh, it’s beautiful,” she said with quiet reverence, her entire body going still as she drank in the sight before her.

  He moved so he stood next to her, studying the tall, bony-looking mannequins dressed in barely there, sparkly dresses. The one he preferred was in the middle. The dress was sleeveless with a scoop neck and almost indecently short—and completely covered with iridescent sequins that caught and threw the light like a walking disco ball.

  A sexy-as-hell disco ball, that is.

  “Which dress do you prefer?” he asked, waving at the display.

  “The one in the middle.” She sighed, a wistful sound that made his heart ache for her. Seemingly all over a dress, though he knew his ache was for far more. “I love the color of the sequins. Not quite gold, not quite silve
r, and so pretty.” She went to the dress and smoothed her hand down the front of the skirt. “It’s too short.”

  “It would show off your legs like I wanted,” he pointed out.

  She flashed him a smile from over her shoulder. “Probably too much leg.”

  Probably, but he wasn’t about to agree with her. He could tell she wanted that dress too damn much and he didn’t want to dash her dreams. “I’m not protesting.”

  Laughing, she shook her head and checked the price tag, an audible gasp escaping her. “It’s way too expensive.”

  “How much is it?”

  “No.” She shook her head, backing away from the display. “There’s no way I would let you buy that for me.”

  “Cat. Tell me how much.”

  She started to walk away, heading in the opposite direction they came. “I don’t want it, Rafe. Please. Let’s find something else.”

  Ignoring her, he stepped up to the dress in question and checked the tag. Twenty-eight hundred dollars. A ridiculous amount of money for a scrap of fabric, but if wearing the dress tonight would make her happy, then she was an owner. No questions asked. “You should try it on,” he called out to her.

  “And get my hopes up? No way.” She stopped in the middle of the aisle and turned to study him. “I’m not trying it on.”

  He continued to ignore her, going to the racks behind the mannequin display, where he found the dress hanging. He thumbed through the various sizes, pulled out what he believed could be the one she wore and held the dress up for her to see. “You are definitely trying this on. I’m dying to see what it looks like on you.”

  She slowly approached him, casting her gaze about the area, no doubt making sure no one was watching them, which they weren’t. The entire store was fairly quiet. “I won’t let you spend that kind of money on me, Rafe. Especially for a dress like that.”

  “That’s my decision to make. Now, let’s find you a dressing room.” He grabbed hold of her arm and started to lead her deeper into the women’s department, noticing the sign on the wall that stated the dressing room area was located in the far right corner.

  “Are you sure?” She chewed her lip nervously as they walked through the endless racks of clothes toward the back.

  “I’m positive. Honestly? I’m dying to see you in this. And if it fits and you love it, then we’re getting it. And we’ll need to find you shoes to go with it.” Stiletto heels preferably, something that would make those sexy legs look infinitely long.

  “You’re making my head spin,” she warned.

  “Is that a bad thing?” he teased.

  “Absolutely.” She paused. “A girl could get used to this sort of treatment.”

  He hauled her in close, his mouth right at her ear. “The girl of which you speak could have this sort of treatment every day for the rest of her life if she so chose.”

  “Rafe…” Her voice trailed off, and he wanted to kick himself.

  Cat made him push. Made him want. It was an unusual position for him to be in, considering he’d never felt like this before.

  For once in his life, he needed to learn how to back off. She needed to come around on her own terms.

  Letting the subject drop, he urged her into the dressing room with only the one dress to try on, knowing instinctively it was the only choice. She took forever, testing his patience, causing him to pace back and forth in front of the entrance until finally, finally she came out to show him how she looked in the dress.

  And nearly stole his breath away when he first set eyes on her.

  “It’s too short, isn’t it?” She fidgeted with the hem, trying her best to yank it down so the skirt would cover most of her slender thighs, but it didn’t work. The dress most assuredly rested at her upper thigh, showing off a long, sexy expanse of leg.

  He let his gaze trail along those shapely legs, then up farther. Over her hips, the dip of her waist, the gentle curve of her breasts. “It’s not too short,” he finally said.

  She rolled her eyes. “Liar. I feel like if I make one wrong move you’ll see my panties.”

  The idea of her making one wrong move vastly appealed but he kept that thought to himself. “The dress looks amazing on you.”

  “You really think so? It doesn’t make me look all pasty white?”

  Her skin wasn’t as dark as his, but it had a beautiful golden hue, smooth and tempting. His fingers literally itched to touch her. “It’s gorgeous. You’re gorgeous. We’re getting it.”

  “But…”

  “No protests. I’m buying it for you.” He sounded like a bossy ass, reminding him of that horrible bitchy sister of hers, but this was for a good cause.

  “Rafe.”

  He met her gaze, surprised at the sweetly quiet tone of her voice. She approached him slowly, ignoring the salesperson who spied on them from where she stood, gathering the clothes left behind by previous customers. Their audience of one watched unabashedly as Cat went to him, rested her hands on his chest and leaned up on tiptoe to press a sweet kiss to his lips.

  “What was that for?” he asked gruffly when she pulled away, surprised by how touched he was by the seemingly innocent gesture.

  “For being so kind and generous.” She smiled prettily and his heart jerked against his chest. “Thank you.”

  If he earned a kiss like that for every time he was kind and generous, he planned on being exactly that for her for the rest of his days. “Hurry and change out of the dress,” he said, waving a hand at the open stall that beckoned for her. “We still need to get you shoes.”

  “Such a shopper. Who knew?” She rolled her eyes and stepped away. “But nothing too expensive, okay?”

  He didn’t care how much they cost. As long as they looked good on those pretty feet of hers, he was buying them. “Whatever you say, Kitty Cat.”

  Her surprised gaze met his. “What did you call me?”

  “Kitty Cat. It fits you, don’t you think?”

  “I…guess so.” She frowned, unconsciously tugging on the dress hem again, though it was no use. He swore the skirt crept up higher with every pull she gave it.

  “What, you don’t like it?”

  “It’s not that. No one has ever called me Kitty Cat before, and I think I like it.” She stood taller. “In fact, I like it a lot.”

  “Well, Kitty Cat, I’m glad I could give you a new nickname you approve of, but we’re wasting time here staring at each other when we could be shopping for shoes.” He sounded like a total woman, but he was running with it. He wanted to make Cat happy, spend more time with her, learn more about her.

  She was sweet, with a hint of steel he found intriguing. Tonight, he planned on learning even more about her. In between sweaty bouts on the dance floor…

  If he was lucky, maybe they could indulge in a few sweaty bouts between the sheets too.

  Shopping with Rafe had proven exhausting, both mentally and physically. He’d purchased the dress despite her protests. Then he’d taken her into the vast shoe department, found a salesperson with exquisite taste who made it her sole mission in life to find the perfect shoe to go with her new dress.

  That had taken what felt like forever. But the end result? A gorgeous, platform, peep-toe pump in a patent leather nude, the famous red soles indicating that they were a pair of Louboutins and worth almost one thousand dollars.

  She’d balked. She’d tried her hardest to convince Rafe she didn’t need those shoes, all while the salesperson stood to the side, beaming at the both of them. He wouldn’t budge, letting Cat know in no uncertain terms that he wanted to see her in those shoes while wearing that dress. No other shoes would do.

  “The shoes will go with so much. I guarantee you’ll wear them for years to come,” their stylish, petite salesperson had told them, earning a withering stare from Cat for her efforts.

  She’d given in, only because the entire argument over a stupid pair of shoes had taken everything out of her. Rafe was as stubborn as a mule when it came to getting w
hat he wanted. Would being married to him result in fight after fight since he seemed so unwilling to compromise?

  The shopping incident seemed to confirm that maybe it was the right choice, breaking it off with Rafe.

  After they’d spent what felt like the entire day at the department store, they’d finally returned to his apartment. She’d gone into the guest bedroom to set down her bags, the neatly made bed calling her name, and the next thing she knew, she’d collapsed on top of it and slept for hours.

  She finally woke up just before nine o’clock, shocked to discover she’d slept most of the evening away. When she came out into the living room, she found Rafe had ordered in a late dinner for them and it had just arrived. Chinese food, something she rarely indulged in, and devoured without question once he’d doled out a heaping serving of the three entrees he ordered. Her head still a little foggy, she ate quietly, almost afraid to look in Rafe’s direction for fear he was disappointed by her somehow.

  So foolish. But she’d disappointed an endless stream of people for years and she was feeling sort of sad after sleeping for so long. Maybe she was jetlagged. She probably shouldn’t have taken such a long nap. Her head was still a little woozy. She was thankful for the comfortable silence while they ate.

  “Still want to go out dancing?” he finally asked.

  Nodding, she stared at her half-empty plate. The food was delicious, but she was already full. “Only if you don’t mind.”

  “I don’t mind.” He paused. “Did you sleep well?”

  She chanced a glance at him, noticing that he watched her carefully, his dark eyes full of concern. “I don’t really remember lying down, so I must’ve.”

  Rafe chuckled. “The last twenty-four hours have been very busy for you.”

  “Yes, for us both.” She dragged her fork—she was a complete failure when it came to chopsticks, so she didn’t bother—across her plate, her appetite completely gone. She felt like she was going to burst, having gorged herself on too much broccoli beef and chicken chow mein. “Can I ask you something?”