Sarah & Vittorio (Royals of Valleria #9)

by Marianne Knightly

  If his past was going to come out, if the truth about his family may come to light, the foundation would suffer for it. If he could get some additional funding now, it could help them get through any tough times ahead. He was a keen investor and had made plenty of his own money strategically investing in the stock market and in other businesses. Though he gave a hefty amount to the foundation each year, he didn’t want to become its sole source of income.

  He’d need other donors. Which meant he’d need Sarah.

  “All right, Princess. I’ll agree to your scheme—”

  Sarah’s face split in a smile and her hands clapped three times in quick succession.

  “—but only on some conditions.”

  Her smile remained. “Of course. I wouldn’t have expected anything less. Shall we hammer out the details here? Or will you have some time when we get back to Rome?”

  He glanced at the agents in the front seat again, then out the window. “Rome.”

  Though he didn’t doubt her agents’ discretion, some of his more…delicate…requests wouldn’t be made in front of others.

  Chapter Three

  Lights flashed everywhere in a nonsensical staccato around them. If not for the car’s deeply tinted windows, Rio might have had a seizure right there from the lighting overload.

  Apparently, the public was now very aware that a Vallerian princess and an Italian prince had been lovers.

  Apparently, the press and paparazzi were also now very aware of that fact as well.

  Shit.

  Though they were inside the car, he shifted closer to her, as if to protect her. “It seems we’ve been discovered.”

  She nodded. “Thank God for these windows. There will be some pictures of us through the front windows, but we can’t help that.”

  He rubbed a hand over his face. “They seem to know who I am, as we’re close to my apartment. They must have been expecting us.”

  “Yes, and I am sorry about that. If we didn’t have the diplomatic license plates on this car, they might not have noticed.”

  A spike of fear stabbed through him. “Don’t worry about me. Will you be all right? They’ll follow you after I get out of the car, won’t they?”

  She pursed her lips for a moment. “Yes, but we can hold them off. My home is secure and there are other agents there on standby. I’ll be fine.”

  He frowned and watched the car drive at a snail’s pace through the throng of people surrounding the car.

  “Ma’am?”

  “Yes, Adrienne?”

  The agent twisted in her seat, her eyes landing on Sarah. “We just called back to base to let them know the situation here and request reinforcements, which are on their way. However, you should know that there’s been an attempted breach at your home, and we’ve been ordered not to take you there.”

  “Shit. Double shit. My goddamn brother’s being overly cautious.”

  He found her cursing adorable. He wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was the sound of a filthy word from her perfect, classy lips. “I don’t think so.”

  Sarah blinked at him. “You don’t?”

  “If you were my sister, I’d do whatever it took to protect you.”

  “But you’re not my brother.”

  “Thank Christ for that. Anyway, you’re more than welcome in my home, but I’ve got only the most basic security system. It won’t hold anyone off for long.”

  Adrienne’s eyes flicked to him. “Have they broken in yet?”

  He shook his head but answered, “I don’t think so. I haven’t received a notice from my alarm company, in any case.”

  Adrienne’s eyes slipped back to Sarah. “Ma’am, I don’t think that either of you should go to the Prince’s apartment until we’ve done a sweep.”

  Damn. He wasn’t sure how long the reinforcements would take, and it didn’t seem all that safe to be sitting ducks in the car. Not to mention he wanted a shower and a fucking change of clothes. “Could we head to my offices instead? They’re only a few miles away. They’re more secure than my apartment. As it’s Sunday, no one will be there, either.”

  Sarah perked up. “Or my offices. They’re also secure. Probably more than yours.”

  “I doubt it. I care more about my work than my home. Not to mention, I’ve got a shower there we could both use, and a change of clothes for me.”

  “We can arrange a change of clothes for you, sir.”

  The thought of her security helping him in that way rankled. “No, thank you.”

  “Then we’d need to sweep your offices before you could enter.”

  “Then do it. I can give you the codes to enter the building. The doors to my offices are accessible only by my fingerprints. We can access those when we enter the building.”

  Suddenly, everything was irritating to him. He hated being out of control, hated others running his life and dictating terms to him; it reminded him too much of his childhood.

  He snapped at Adrienne. “And if your damn driver doesn’t move faster, I’m taking over.”

  “Sir—”

  He pointed at himself. “Look at my face and then decide if I’m not serious.”

  “Rio—”

  “Sarah, I know they’re your protection, but this pace is ridiculous.”

  “They can’t just run people over.”

  His voice was hard and unwavering. “I would never hurt anyone. Never.”

  “You seem very, er, resolute about that.”

  He thought back through their day so far, and the words he’d hurled at her. He leaned over and cupped her face, his eyes just inches from hers. “I know my behavior thus far wouldn’t suggest it, but I would never want to hurt you. Do you believe that?”

  Her answer was almost immediate. “Yes. I do believe that. I do. But, Rio, if you get in the front seat, there are liability issues. This is a diplomatic car and only certain people are authorized to drive. Not to mention the pictures they’d get.”

  Her life would become harder if he took over like he wanted to, like he almost needed to. He couldn’t do that to her. He’d ruined her life enough, hadn’t he? “All right, bella.”

  She blinked. “Really?”

  He couldn’t resist, didn’t try. “As you wish.”

  She sighed with a small smile. For a moment, he pretended that it was their intimacy she liked, rather than the fact he’d just agreed with her.

  “Agents have arrived at your offices, sir. We need your entrance codes, unless you’d like us to override them ourselves. “

  Now, he sighed. He took another moment to be close to her before giving the agents a series of alphanumeric codes.

  * * *

  When he pulled away, Sarah inhaled sharply as the fog of him lifted. God, what was this man doing to her?

  He was infuriating, controlling, and, yes, even insulting at times.

  But then, he would comfort her. He would draw her in and seduce her. He’d even apologize for the insults he’d done.

  A man who actually apologized.

  Besides the men in her own family, she hadn’t seen but a few who would apologize for their behavior. The politicians she knew and worked with never did.

  He was so different from other men she’d met, and she found herself wanting to know more about him.

  She wished she could remember more about last night, about how they’d gravitated towards each other.

  She also really wished she could remember how things had progressed from drinks and dancing to…more. It was odd. She could remember sensations: the feel of his hand brushing against the skin of her thigh, the feel of his chest hair as it abraded her nipples…

  Shit. She squirmed in her seat again.

  Something else curious about the man beside her: how quickly he could arouse her. Just the thought of him was sending her pulse hammering.

  It was also supremely annoying.

  They arrived at his offices, just as a backup team of agents was finishing an initial sweep. She vaguely noted his neighbors
in the building next door were Cellini Shipping; her brother Lorenzo had mentioned them once. The buildings were nondescript and generic, in a part of Rome that wasn’t the worst yet not the best, either.

  However, when Rio let them into his office, she gasped.

  It was gorgeous.

  Gorgeous!

  The agents swept in, and she stood in mute shock near the door.

  She’d expected dark or neutral tones. While those were there, it wasn’t the sleek, modern monstrosity she’d assumed it’d be. It was decorated in warm, rich colors and antique furnishings. A small reception area led the way to his large office that was decorated in the same. Dark wood paneling, furniture in a lush, dark green, accents of taupe and mauve.

  It was silly, she supposed, but it felt like she was in a garden on the cusp of spring. What a ridiculous thought.

  When they were given the all-clear, Rio gestured to a door in the corner of the room, which looked just like another panel of the wall.

  “The shower’s just there. Did you want to go first?”

  “No, you can go.”

  He nodded and started walking towards his mammoth wooden desk. He shrugged off his jacket and tossed it on a chair.

  She went to follow him but stopped dead when he reached behind his head and pulled up his shirt by the nape, revealing the long, corded muscles of his back.

  Hello. Why bother with buttons at all, really? Maybe she’d talk to her sister about designing a dress shirt for men. It would be fitted.

  Ahem. Really fitted.

  She wanted to fan herself, her skin felt so hot.

  He turned, and she lost sight of the back she wanted to press against but instead gained a view of the chest she’d already gotten an eyeful of that morning. His pants were low on his waist, revealing a ‘v’ that started at his hips and disappeared to parts unknown.

  Or, well, parts she had known but had forgotten.

  “You should stop looking at me like that, bella.”

  Her eyes snapped up to his. “What?”

  His grin was cocky. “You keep looking at me like that, we might end up in a shower together.”

  Yes, please. “You’re not shy at all, are you?”

  “Should I be?”

  “No.” Yes. No. Yes.

  His abs clenched.

  Definitely no.

  He was closer now. When had he moved? “Perhaps you’d like to shower with me? I could remind you about all the lovely things we did last night.”

  Shit, he was seducing her again. God, she loved it, at the very same time she despised it. “Oh?”

  He leaned close and whispered in her ear. “I could also remind you of all the very dirty things we did, too.”

  Oh my God. She wanted that. She wanted the nice, she wanted the dirty.

  Wait. “Just, er, how dirty are we talking?”

  That roguish grin covered his face. He looked so sexy, so good when he smiled.

  She had a fleeting thought she could make him smile like that for the rest of their lives.

  Shit! Where had that come from?

  “Shall I tell you, bella, in exquisite detail, all of the things I did to you?”

  God, yes.

  “Shall I then tell you all of the things you did to me?”

  She squeaked, actually squeaked!

  He chuckled.

  Damn the man!

  Then he went sweet, brushing his thumb over her lips as he cupped her face. “Maybe another time, hmmm?” He took a deep breath, as if he were taking her in, and stepped back. He gave her a wink then sauntered into the bathroom.

  She slid into the nearest chair, listening to the pipes whir as the shower started.

  When he was sweet, she wanted to drown in it.

  When he was sexy, she wanted to revel in it.

  When he was…almost anything, she wanted more of it.

  What was happening between them?

  “Ma’am?”

  She stood up quickly, causing her head to spin. She gripped the arms of the chair for support. “Y-yes?”

  Adrienne rushed over. “Are you all right, Ma’am? Do you need medical assistance?”

  She could imagine how well that would go.

  Yes, the sexiest man I’ve ever met makes me dizzy, even without kissing me.

  He can talk me dizzy.

  He can make me dizzy with just one look.

  He can make me dizzy without even being in the room!

  Do you have a cure for that?

  “I’m fine. Though maybe some food might be a good idea?” As if food was to blame.

  “Of course, Ma’am. I just wanted to let you know that Prince Marcello has been trying to reach you.”

  Damn it!

  “Right. Yes. I’ll contact him right away. Oh, hey. The intruder at my home, how far did they get inside?”

  “They never made it past the front door. Another person tried the back door while a third tried a service entrance, but we caught them all before they entered.”

  Her agents seriously kicked ass. “Thanks, Adrienne.”

  After Adrienne left, Sarah pulled her phone out of her back pocket and sat back down. Might as well get it over with.

  Marcello answered just as Alex had. “I’ve been calling for ages. Why haven’t you picked up?”

  This time, in her best Marcello impression, she said, “Why, hello, Sarah, how are you? Are you doing okay? I heard people stormed your car. That can be very traumatic. As your big brother—”

  “All right. All right. I get your point. How are you?”

  Her lips tipped up in a fake, sweet smile, even though he couldn’t see her. “How lovely of you to ask! I’m perfectly fine, thank you. Now, can I go home yet?”

  “You can come home to Valleria at any time. In fact—”

  She was not ready to go there yet, emotionally or physically. “You know I mean my Italian home. The intruders didn’t get inside.”

  “And that makes it okay?”

  Time to pull out the big guns. “Brother dear, Minister of Security and Defense, master of all protection for the family—”

  “Oh, Christ.”

  “Have you considered recently all of the different things that have happened to our family in just the last few years? Bombs, kidnapping, devious and destructive family members, gunshots—”

  “You would bring up the gunshots,” he mumbled.

  “—and just today, my agents caught three people at three different entrances and no one ever made it inside. They’re good at what they do.”

  “I know that because I trained them. You know I’m fussing because we’re worried sick about you. We love you, baby sister.”

  Well, damn. “I love you, too, big brother, but that love gets tested when you don’t trust me, or the agents with me. Let them do their jobs. They could have swept my home again and cleared it. We could both be there now.”

  His voice went cool. “Yes, I know you’re with Prince Vittorio at his offices.”

  Her back went straight. “Enough of that tone. You know nothing about him, so you shouldn’t judge him.”

  He countered immediately. “I know more than you. Our search has revealed a treasure trove of information.”

  Damn her brother and his investigative abilities! “And? I know you. I know you’re just dying to tell your little sister what you found.”

  “Some of the Italian nobles were fascists.”

  A smug smile he couldn’t see stretched over her face. “He’s not one of them, and you already knew that. If you really thought he was a fascist, you would never have let him ride back to Rome with me. The agents would have made sure we were separated at that point.”

  “He’s rich.”

  She glanced around his office. Neither his apartment nor his office was in a rich part of town, but this furniture was by no means cheap. “I knew that, too.”

  “That’s his own money. His family is almost broke.”

  She had no response to that. Her eyes flickered t
o the bathroom door.

  “See you didn’t know that,” he muttered.

  “Look, if you had something serious, you would have led with that. Anything else, I don’t want to know.”

  “There was a police matter, back when he was fifteen.”

  Unease dripped into her gut. “I don’t want to know.”

  “Are you two parting ways then? That’s not what it looks like.”

  She frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “More pictures just emerged of the two of you looking cozy in a car this morning.”

  She gasped in indignation. “We were just in that car barely an hour ago! How did they get the pictures online so fast?”

  “Forget about the damn pictures for a second. I don’t get it. You know the Council’s ready to push for your removal as soon as they have an excuse to do so. From what Alex tells me about the status of the trade deal, you’ve essentially just handed them one. You want to tell me what’s really going on?”

  The hand holding her phone tightened, and the other in her lap fisted. She wouldn’t lose her job over this.

  “You’re not answering my question.”

  “And I’m not going to.” How could she when she didn’t know the answer herself?

  He sighed. “All right, look. Alex needs to talk to you about this mess again before Papa gets fully involved. You also need to start managing the press. We’re getting hammered with questions. Give Alex a call, would you?”

  She didn’t want to ask, but she had to. She hadn’t asked earlier while speaking to Alex, so she needed to now. “How’s Papa?”

  His voice went soft. “You know how he is about his baby girls.”

  “None of us are girls anymore.”

  “You’ll always be girls to him.”

  “He knows I’ve…dated.”

  “Yes, but coming face to face with it is a little different. And getting an early call from the Italian prime minister because of your ‘date’ wasn’t all that fun for him, either. You know that any pressure Alex may face—from the Council or otherwise—is tripled for Papa.”

  She sighed. It wasn’t easy to be the king. “I know. I don’t mean to stress him out. He’s not having more heart issues because of this, is he?” Her father’d had a heart attack right before Alex and Rebecca’s wedding several months ago. He was fine physically, and he’d gone back to work full-time a while ago, yet they all still worried about this health.