Italian Millionaire, Runaway Principessa

by Sun Chara

“See?”

  She shrank away and the dog did the same. Pushing against the wall, she stood and brushed at a stray curl on her brow. “Keep that brute away from me.” She inched back toward the house.

  “I’ll see you in a few minutes.” Peter watched her until she turned the corner. “Come on, King.” He guided the animal to the doghouse he’d built.

  One day, after Ellie had left—he toughened his jaw at the memory—he’d wandered the streets like a zombie. A loud yelping had pierced through the fog engulfing him, and he blinked at the pooch pawing the shop window. The pup looked at him with his big, doleful eyes and cracked the ice around his heart. Abandoned. Peter walked into the store and, moments later, walked out, clutching the warm bundle in his arms. The puppy licked his chin and he’d chuckled for the first time since Ellie’d left.

  “Okay, boy, you’re okay.” Peter patted the animal’s head and settled him in for the night, wishing he could say the same about himself.

  The dog slurped his fingers and gave a woof, seeming to sense his dilemma.

  “What am I going to do, mmm?” Peter ruffled him behind the ears.

  The dog turned toward the house and barked several times.

  “Go after her?”

  King brushed against Peter’s denim-clad leg and then dipped his head to the dish, crunching food pellets.

  Peter smiled and headed for the house. Each step he took diminished the curve from his mouth until it became a hard line. Did she think him such a brute that he’d set King on her?

  A faltering footstep gave him pause and he rubbed the back of his neck to ease a sore muscle. He breathed in the freshness of the late-afternoon breeze. Energized, he leaped up the veranda steps.

  Once inside the house, he marched across the foyer and paused at the foot of the stairs. He glanced up in the direction of her bedroom. A muscle nicked his jaw. He took a deep breath, exhaled, and took the stairs two at a time. Striding down the hallway, he stopped in front of her door.

  “Ellie.”

  Silence.

  “Ellie.” He knocked. “Are you in there?”

  No answer.

  Had she left? His stomach tensed, then relaxed. She couldn’t have had time. He swept a hand through his hair and cleared his throat. “Let me explain.” He rattled the doorknob and, at the same moment, she pulled the door open and he fell forward, grabbing for the doorjamb. Ellie raised her hands and blocked his headlong dive to the floor.

  “No need.” She yanked her hands away from his chest so fast an icy draft frosted the sizzle on her fingertips. “I intend to wash off the smell of dog.” She wiped her hands on her bikini-clad hips. “And man.”

  “That’s playing dirty, woman.”

  “Following your example.” Her voice faltered. “You knew how I felt about dogs, and yet—yet—you—” She dashed past him, hiding her hurt.

  “Ellie!”

  She raced down the stairs.

  “I didn’t mean” —he bounded after her— “I forgot.”

  She paused at the bottom of the steps. “Forgot?”

  “Yes,” he confessed, reaching her side. “You don’t think I’d stoop—”

  “I don’t know how low—”

  “Enough.” He took her arm and spun her around to face him. “You know better than that.”

  “Do I?

  “In the confusion of your hospital stay, finding you, losing you—”

  “That bothered you?” she whispered, watching him beneath her lashes.

  He squeezed a little more on her flesh and then released her. The woman provoked him to hell and back. Maybe he should take her with him, give her a taste of the purgatory he’d gone through these last few months. Of course, he couldn’t. A lesson, though, he could very well do, and rest easy with his conscience.

  Wasn’t that what this was all about, man? the voice in his head needled. You bringing her here on a pretense of convalescing, thinking she’ll come running back to you? Think, again. She had him jumping hoops, but he determined to take control of the situation. Precisely, the problem before. Don’t know what you’re talking about.

  He drew in a breath and expelled a whistle. “It was easy to forget—”

  “Fine.” She eyed him from head to toe and her nerves tingled with awareness. Warmth seeped into her. Her body craved his touch, his taste, his love. Of course, she couldn’t give in to the temptation. If she did, she’d be playing right into his hands. “As I said, I need a wash.” Abruptly, she turned and hurried through the open French doors to the swimming pool.

  “Looks like rain.”

  She shrugged.

  “I’ll come with you.”

  “No.” Then, she amended, “Please yourself.” She didn’t want him to think she couldn’t handle being near him and wanting to … to … to … She shoved erotic thoughts far back in her mind and focused on the water.

  “Don’t get your bandage wet.”

  “I won’t.”

  Cool air made her skin break out in goosebumps and she rubbed her hands over her arms. She dipped her toe in the shallow end. “Mmm, nice and warm.”

  “An illusion.” He stepped behind her and his breath tickled her nape, making her insides toss with emotion.

  “Must you stand so close?” She hopped aside and would’ve slid down the pool steps if he hadn’t grabbed her around the waist.

  “You have a problem with that?” He stroked her midriff across her navel with his thumb, sending her nerve endings into spasms.

  “No,” she said, too quickly. “I can be glued to you and not feel a thing.” Not true, her mind protested. Just to prove it, her heartbeat skipped and her stomach fluttered.

  “Is that so?” He pulled her hard against him and his eyes drilled into hers, searching.

  Time stood still.

  “Ye-es.” She caressed his cheek with her fingertips and steeling her nerves, pulled away from him. It cut her to the raw to do it, but it broke the spell. She couldn’t let him see that he still rocked her emotions with one look, one word, one touch—one kiss. A whimper slipped from her mouth, and she waded into the water, praying he didn’t hear.

  She’d lived in his shadow for so long, she’d lost her personality and her individuality. In a sense, she’d lost herself in him. By the time she’d realized it, it had almost been too late. And so she left … left him, to find herself. But he found her and brought her back … to him, to his life … for three more weeks.

  If she yielded to him merely on a physical level this time, it would destroy her, and ultimately him. She’d feel guilty for not being strong enough to resist him and self-incriminate. He’d feel guilty for keeping her a prize possession and self-sabotage.

  Ellie scooped water in her hands and let it glide over her arms. During this brief time, she had to show him that she was her own woman, and independent of him. Not simply an extension of him—a wife appendage to the doctor.

  The outcome after three weeks would either be a real marriage or a quick divorce.

  Chills shot through her, not from the weather, but from reaction to her turbulent thoughts.

  It was a dangerous situation. She walked a fine line between determination and temptation. Another few moments, and she would’ve melted into his arms. His heart beating in time to her own, his mouth on hers, his tongue waltzing with hers, his hands touching, fondling her breasts, her … she dipped down, and the water level reached her chin.

  “How’s the water?” Peter’s voice sailed to her.

  “Nice.” She paddled further and floated on her back, the water cooling her flushed skin. Through her half-closed lids, she watched him.

  He sat on the edge of a lounger with his legs slightly apart, his elbows on his knees and his hands steepled below his chin; his laser-sharp eyes on her.

  Her gaze stumbled across the bulge between his legs, stretching the denim material taut across his thighs, and a jolt shot through her. Her pulse leaped and with it her temperature. She drew in a scalding breath and twisted
away, swimming across the pool with a fluid front crawl.

  Once Ellie reached the opposite end of the pool, she grabbed the edge and took a moment to regulate her breathing. Then, she pushed back from the side with her feet and frolicked in the water. In the background, the beast barked and her muscles tightened. Beyond that, the blare of a car horn sounded, and she relaxed. Not so isolated after all, although she often felt that way behind the wrought-iron fence.

  “You’ve been in for fifteen minutes.” Peter stood and stepped to the edge of the pool. “Come out, Ellie.”

  “In a minute.”

  Peter shuttered his eyes, watching her splash in the depths and his mind drifted to another time, another place.…

  “Come on, Doc.” She’d giggled against his mouth and the tip of her tongue brushed his lips. “You can do better than that.” With her arms wrapped around his neck, she peered at him through her gold-tinted lashes, half teasing and half inviting.

  “That I can.” He chuckled, but his heart was in his throat.

  In that breathless moment, she let him go and scampered to the beach, her hair bouncing across her shoulders, her hips swaying in the night breeze.

  She wanted to play, did she? Well, he was game.

  While surf pounded the shore, he chased after her, his feet sinking in the sand and sea spray cooling his skin. He snatched her up in his arms and her laughter rang in harmony with the ocean’s concerto.

  “Putting me to the test, woman?” He grinned, and holding her squirming body against his chest, waded out to thigh-deep water.

  “Now Peter, I was only kid—”

  Chuckling, he dunked her in the waves. She screeched and went under, a moment when his heart seemed to stop, and then she came up spluttering, fawn-brown eyes fuming. Before her verbal bullets peppered into him, he hauled her hard against his heart and tasted the heat of her lips.

  Ellie moaned into his mouth. Deepening the kiss, he lifted her in his arms and walked from the waves, sea foam lapping at his ankles. He nibbled across her cheek and down her chin, nuzzling her nape, tang of sea salt teasing his taste buds.

  “Oh, Peter?”

  He licked, stroked and feasted on the pulse point of her throat. “Mmm.”

  “I seem to have lost my bikini top in the frolic with the waves.”

  He came up for air. “Saves me the trouble.”

  “It was my favorite—”

  “I’ll buy you another.” He laid claim to the sensitive spot at the base of her neck, savoring the sweet taste of her with his tongue. “Two, ten, a hundred,” he breathed against her damp skin, then traveled back to her mouth. “Whatever you want.”

  She’d whispered something against his lips, but it had gotten lost in the rush of emotion. He devoured her with his mouth, his tongue. A fevered moment, and she slid her tongue over his, teasing, stroking, loving him … he plunged deeper, a captive to the sensual feel of her. Blood pulsed through his veins, fueling his sex. He groaned with need. He wanted more, so much more …

  A deprecating laugh sounded, and he realized it had come from him. Ellie still splashed at the opposite end of the pool, and his mind wandered back …

  After a whirlwind visit with his family in Rome, Peter had whisked her off for a weekend honeymoon to the Italian Riviera. It had been brief because he had to return to work in the States, but it had been potent. A mere brush of her lips had him sizzling. When she snuggled against him,the lilt of her voice fanned the inferno inside him, making him feel like the sexiest man alive.

  To the tune of waves lapping the beach behind him, Peter had trotted to a palm tree and laid Ellie on the large white towel spread beneath. Moonlight glinted on her moist body, casting a glow across her breasts and a tantalizing shadow between her thighs. She bent a knee and curled her scarlet-tipped toes in the sand, her sultry gaze, half innocent and half siren.

  Intoxicating. His heart turned to mush and his sex rock-hard.

  He gulped down the overwhelming emotion, but didn’t fully make it. “Bella, Ellie,” he murmured, falling to his knees beside her.

  To regain control, he grabbed a towel from her beach bag and began blotting sea dew off her face. He worked his way down her body, his breathing picking up speed. “My Ellie.”

  When he reached her breasts, he knew he’d lost the battle. One mound filled his palm and, bending his head, he feasted on her nipple until it turned hard between his teeth. With fever rising, he slid his mouth to her other breast, swirling his tongue around the straining tip, until it too went rigid. Still hungry, he pulled it full into his mouth, suckling.

  Ellie moaned with delight and held his head to the spot, her fingers sliding through his hair at the nape of his neck. “Peter, my love.”

  His hot breath fanned her breast, and he slid the towel down her cleavage to her abdomen. His mouth followed the path and settled on her navel. He dipped the tip of his tongue in the crevice, skimmed the terry cloth across the dark shadow below, and then tossed it over his shoulder. Inching his way lower with his mouth, he buried his face in her feminine curls. He nibbled closer, his hands gliding over her legs and nudging them apart. He fell into her and tasted her sweet musk flavor.

  “Peter,” she gasped, bucking beneath him.

  “I’m here, amore mia.”

  He tossed off his swim trunks and straddled her. Then, he stretched over her and branded her with his heat; his chest pressed against her breasts, his hips settled against hers, his steel length pushing against the apex of her thighs, his legs anchoring hers.

  He trailed his fingers along the sensitive zone of her elbow to her wrist and shackled both her wrists in his grip. Her breasts rose and fell beneath him, and his heart battered his chest. Extending the moment to an explosive pitch, he raised her arms above her head and held her captive, his hot gaze probing deep into hers. He lowered his head and plundered her mouth, his tongue plunging deep inside, tasting, seducing, mating with hers.

  X-rated sensation fueled him. He released her wrists and fondled her breasts, sliding his leg between her thighs. His hand glided lower, his fingers slipping inside her slick core, touching, stroking, stimulating.

  Ellie arched into his hand and held him so tight her nails dug into his shoulders. But he welcomed the stimulant. Her scent, her feel, her taste… wrapped around him until he could hardly breathe. Desperate to fill her with himself, he withdrew his hand and raising himself slightly, slid his steel length inside her. He nearly cried for the killing bliss of it, feeling like he’d finally come home.

  Ellie sighed into his mouth and wrapped her legs around him, driving him deeper into her warm folds. At first, he took it slow, riding her to the serenade of the sea. When sea foam surged and collided with the rocks, he thrust into her, catching her sliver of pain in his mouth. She held him like she’d never let go, and he took courage, riding her to the crest. For a breathless moment, he felt suspended in eternity, like he’d die in her arms.

  Waves crashed against a sand dune and she shuddered beneath him, then his own release came.

  “Peter, my love,” she whispered against his lips.

  Still joined to her, he drew her closer into his embrace and, brushing a wayward curl off her brow, nestled her head against his thudding heart.

  “I can feel your heartbeat,” she whispered.

  “I hope so.” He smiled, the sweet taste of her still fresh upon his tongue. “You can’t get rid of me so easily.”

  “Mmm, good thing that.” Ellie twitched her nose at the fuzz on his chest tickling her mouth and tasted her way to his nipple. She nipped it with her teeth until it pebbled, then suckled it. The erotic sensation rocked him, and he groaned as an erection on another part of his anatomy made itself known. She dallied with his other nipple until it hardened between her fingers, then she slid her hand down his torso. She dipped a moist fingertip in his navel and when he sucked in a breath, she followed the spear of hair pointing lower, much lower.

  She tangled her limbs with his, pulling him fur
ther inside her moistness. She lifted her lashes and her gaze locked with his. He glimpsed passion and vulnerability in her eyes and, at that moment, he knew he could not love her more. She was knitted to his soul.

  “Ellie …” he grunted, but couldn’t voice all he was feeling. Emotion swelled inside him and rendered him speechless. A groan erupted from him and he cupped her buttocks, pressing her hard against his solid strength, friction birthing wave upon wave of exquisite sensation.

  Surf smashed upon the shore and he thrust deeper inside her again and again.…

  Ellie’s laughter pulled him from his tumultuous reverie, and he heaved several breaths to control his racing pulse. “Time, Ellie.”

  “In a minute, Peter.” She blinked her waterlogged lashes at him, fighting a memory knocking at her mind. It had been so long ago that first time with him, yet now, watching him stand guard over her, made it seem only like yesterday.…

  Ocean breeze had sailed through the secluded cove and ruffled palm fronds high above them. Half in shadow, Peter leaned into her and she’d reached up to him, the gold band on her finger glinting on a moonbeam. Such intense emotion filled her that she could hardly breathe. He whisked off his briefs, tossing them behind him, and she stared at him in awe. She sucked in a mouthful of air and her heart hammered in anticipation.

  Tentatively, she reached out to touch him and when he gasped her name, she became bolder, taking him full into her hands. She stroked his length and he surged in her palm. Planting her lips against his heart, she kissed her way down his body, her tongue teasing his navel and licking a moist path lower to the prize in her hands. Air constricted in her throat and hot sensation spiraled inside her. She loved every inch of this man God had given her.

  A whimper vibrated in her throat and Peter gripped her shoulders, lifting her face to his. He devoured her with his mouth and tongue, electrifying every nerve in her system and rocking her world. Then, he’d said something about buying her a hundred bikinis … and all she wanted was him. Only him.…

  Raindrops splashed her face and pitter-pattered on the surface of the pool, shattering her sensual fantasy. Ellie stuck her tongue out, catching nature’s dew and signaled with her hand. “I’m coming.”