Princess Curvy: A Curvy Girl's Italian Affair

by Reed, Kristabel

  His own honesty melted her, and Natalia closed the distance between them and kissed him. He tasted of wine and pasta and Adam. Her fingers found the buttons to his shirt and she quickly tore them open.

  She wanted to feel his skin against hers, his mouth on her; she wanted to taste down his body and explore him. Need pounded frantically through her, beating to its own wild rhythm. Adam pushed her robe off her shoulders and let it pool at her feet.

  Before Natalia knew what he planned, he’d picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. She thought it’d be fast, wanted it to be. Wanted Adam to pound into her. But he laid her gently on the bed, his mouth gentle on hers.

  Adam caught her hands with his and held them at her sides, his mouth leisurely exploring her own, as if it were the first time they’d kissed. His lips trailed along her jaw, down her throat, tasting every inch of her skin. When he took one hardened nipple into his mouth, something in Natalia broke, and she moaned his name.

  Still he held her hands as he kissed her. Her orgasm built slowly, a soft desperation that shook her to her core, and still she wanted more. When Adam finally released her wrists, she dug her fingers into the bedding and held on.

  The orgasm was a gentle wave of need that washed through her. Natalia cried out his name, her nails now digging into his shoulders as she held on. Rolling them over, she straddled his hips. Despite her earlier need for this to be hard and fast, Natalia took her time and explored his body. She tasted down his chest to his cock and swirled her tongue around the tip.

  Adam bucked up and she grinned, teasing him with light touches and barely there caresses. When he growled, the sound went straight through her. Guiding him into her, Natalia braced her hands on his chest, her mouth hard on his, but still he moved slowly.

  It was all light touches and soft strokes, a slow buildup of passion she’d never experienced but suddenly craved. It moved through her, wave upon wave, building and building until Natalia shattered.

  “Adam,” she sobbed, arching her hips, grinding against him. “Adam.”

  He moved harder, faster, and she wrapped herself around him, holding him close. Her lips trailed over his shoulder, seeking his. In a clash of teeth and lips, she kissed him, held him tight, and rode out his own orgasm with him.

  Later, after he’d rolled off her and she regained the use of her limbs, Natalia curled along his side and pressed her lips to his chest—right over his heart.

  “This is so right,” Adam whispered.

  Natalia smiled. Yes. Yes it was.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Stretching, Natalia debated falling back asleep. She snuggled back against Adam, who made a contented sound in the back of his throat and resumed stroking one hand down her back. She pressed a kiss to his chest and stroked his stomach. She’d learned he liked that after the first time they’d made love.

  And she still couldn’t believe that had been less than a full week ago. She tried counting backward, a part of her determined to know the extract number of days since the banquet, but Adam’s hands slid over her curves, his fingers tracing along her hip and over her ass. The exact number wasn’t worth it. Natalia didn’t know what to make of this love affair or of the promise for a future Adam had made last night.

  For the moment, however, she was content to simply lie in bed, her body pressed to his, and doze.

  “What does a rat do when it’s cornered?” he asked almost absently, as if he didn’t expect her to answer.

  His question startled her out of her sexual contemplations. Leaning back just enough to look up at him, Natalia frowned. What was he talking about? Rats? In Milan, sure, but not in this hotel. And there better not be any in their bed.

  “Does it try to fight back?” he asked, his gaze not focused on anything in particular.

  She could see his mind racing. He was thinking of Carlo and the bank, the information Carlo had obtained for him. Natalia propped herself up on one elbow and looked down at him. She waited until his eyes met hers.

  “No, he moves his cheese.”

  “They’re going to move the money.” Adam cursed and scrubbed his free hand over his face.

  He sat up against the headboard, his head banging it slightly. His fingers tangled in his hair and he gave a frustrated groan. Untangling the sheets from around her, Natalia knelt in front of him. She reached out and took his hands, waiting until he looked up at her.

  Anger sparked in the depths of his gaze, and she had the feeling it wasn’t aimed solely at those involved in this illegal money scheme. He was angry at himself, too.

  “This is not electronic moving of money, is it?” she ventured, only now thinking of that.

  “No.” He shook his head, his hands still in hers. “No, it’s not.”

  “There’s millions of Euros out there!” She protested, trying to envision that. “How are they going to move all that?”

  His shoulders moved in a restless shrug. “I don’t know, but I’m going to see if I can find out.”

  Natalia climbed out of bed, her arms folded. “You mean we.”

  She didn’t wait for his answer—she already knew it was going to be no, and she already knew she’d ignore him. She was in this now, not because of the adventure or the thrill of it, but because finding these people, and the money, meant a lot to Adam.

  He was right when he’d told her last night that he was a man of principle and duty. And while Natalia wasn’t entirely sure what her feelings for him were, she knew how deeply they ran. And she knew she’d do anything for him.

  Pulling one of the dresses off the hanger, she slipped it on. Anything for him. Yes. Maybe that said exactly how deep her feelings for him ran. Far too deeply now for her to back away.

  “No.” Adam stopped her, his hands hard on her shoulders. His eyes were angry again, but beneath that she saw fear. For her. “I want you to stay here where it’s safe.”

  Raising an eyebrow, she looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. Words clogged her throat—how she felt, what he meant to her. She swallowed them down, locked them away for another time, and shook her head. “I’ll see this through to the end.”

  Adam made a frustrated sound, his fingers digging into her shoulders. “I need you out of the line of fire,” he insisted.

  “Get dressed, we’re going.” She smiled to take the sting from her words. Wrapping her hands around his wrists, she leaned up to press her lips to his. “Besides, I know for a fact you don’t speak fluent Italian.”

  He sighed against her mouth, his hands now cupping her face as he deepened the kiss. Adam rested his forehead against hers. “Is this what our relationship is going to be like?”

  “Yes.” The word came out far huskier and far more emotional than she’d intended. Clearing her throat, Natalia grinned up at him and added, “Get used to it.”

  Forty minutes later, they made it out of the hotel room. Fortunately, or unfortunately Natalia thought, they hadn’t distracted themselves with sex. This was too important to Adam, and no matter how she wanted him again, she’d help him with this case, first.

  Then she’d ravish him.

  It was barely nine when they took the Metro to Carlo’s bank—former bank—where Adam guided her to a café across the street. They sat outside in the bright April morning, the epitome of a couple out for a leisurely breakfast. Adam held her hand as they sipped coffees and ate breakfast pastries that did little to fill up Natalia.

  “Do you do this often? This sort of clandestine activity?”

  “No.” He laughed and leaned over the small table to wipe at a pastry flake on her cheek. “This is something I stumbled on. No one listened to me.” He frowned at that, but she caught his hand and pressed her lips to his palm.

  She could’ve played it off as part of her role as the happy couple breakfasting. In reality, she didn’t want him to dwell on that. Not now, when they had other things to focus on. Plus, she liked seeing his eyes darken the way they did when her lips touched his flesh.

  “I suppo
sed we’ll have to investigate the Commission, too. See if anyone was involved.” He shook that away and leaned back, his fingers still entwined with hers. “Anyway, since no one believed me, I took it upon myself to investigate.”

  Natalia scooted her chair closer to him and rested her head against his shoulder. “People should always listen to you,” she said softly.

  He smiled tenderly down at her. “No,” he repeated. “Don’t worry. My job is usually striking deals and making sure everyone’s accounting is correct.”

  “Does this mean I don’t have to design a plus-size line for female spies?” She laughed and watched his eyes jump with humor. “Maybe,” she whispered, moving closer to him, “I will anyway.”

  Adam laughed and pressed his lips to hers. Before the kiss could get really interesting, his mobile rang.

  “Philip.”

  Natalia smothered a sigh of frustration and patiently waited. Adam’s conversation with Philip, his MI6 contact, was far more important than a kiss in public, where they couldn’t take things further.

  Adam glanced at her and gestured her closer so she could hear the conversation, too. She didn’t have to ask why he didn’t want Philip on speaker; it wasn’t worth the risk if anyone overheard them.

  “I’m in Milan.” Philip’s voice came clearly over the mobile. “I’ve made contact with Interpol and we’re waiting on a few inspectors we trust from the Milanese polizia. Where are you?”

  “Across from the bank, at a café,” Adam said and reached across with his other hand for hers. “With a friend.” He grimaced at the word.

  Natalia wondered what he’d have preferred to call her. Then she wondered what title fit. Did it matter? What did titles matter between them, anyway? Shaking those thoughts away, she refocused on the conversation.

  “What are you doing there?” Philip demanded sharply.

  “We’ve”—she grinned at the way he emphasized that word—“been concerned they might move the money.” He squeezed her hand. “Besides, they won’t think to look for us here.”

  Philip said something but Natalia missed it because right then a huge truck, far too big for the old Milanese streets, pulled down the side alley by the bank. The unmarked truck stopped just within sight from their seats at the café, and five burly men exited.

  “Philip.” Adam’s voice cut across Philip’s monologue. “If you hurry now, you can arrest them all. A moving truck just pulled up to the bank. I think they’re moving the money.”

  Whatever Philip said, it wasn’t to Adam. Natalia heard the shouting, presumably to his Interpol men or the polizia they trusted, then nothing as the line went dead.

  “I think we should order another coffee,” Adam said as he ended the call and returned the mobile to his inner jacket pocket.

  Natalia nodded, waved the waitress over, and gave her order. She also ordered another croissant for herself. “Would you like another?” she asked Adam.

  He grimaced and looked from the truck to her. “I don’t understand this sweet breakfast of yours.”

  “Meats are for dinner,” she said and ordered another croissant for him, too.

  “I’ll take you out on a proper date tonight,” he promised then laughed. “But I can’t promise you this much excitement in the future.”

  Laughing with him, she kissed his cheek. “You promise excitement in many other ways.” Anticipation danced along her skin—partly from Adam’s touch, partly because she’d never been involved in a polizia raid before.

  “What if your people don’t arrive in time?” she asked, her eyes back on the bank. “Should we hire a car and follow them?”

  Adam looked down at her then back across the street. “If the truck leaves before they arrive, I’ll follow them.” He squeezed her hand. “You’ll stay here.”

  “When we first started this,” she said flatly, cupping his cheek to meet his gaze, “you called me your partner. Partners don’t stay behind.”

  His eyes flashed, that odd mix of anger and fear, but he reluctantly nodded. Still, she saw his protest in the way he held himself back, the tension in the hand that held hers. As the waitress set their fresh coffees down, polizia cars screeched to a stop before the bank.

  The waitress stopped and stared at the scene. Sirens blared and polizia swarmed over the street, down the alley, surrounding the truck. Plainclothesmen and women followed, all with guns drawn. Natalia watched and calmly stirred sugar into her coffee, utterly fascinated.

  Someone tried to race out of the building, but of course there were too many polizia surrounding it. She heard shouting, but over the cacophony of sirens and stunned passersby, she couldn’t quite make out what was being said. She could guess, however.

  “I’ve never seen a raid,” she admitted to Adam, unable to tear her gaze away.

  Horns blared as people were rerouted, but the street was blocked off as far as she could see in any direction. The waitress finally did tear her gaze from the scene at the bank to set more sugar on their table. Several customers gathered around their table, chatting animatedly at the excitement. Up and down the street people gathered and watched, as fascinated as Natalia.

  Eventually they lost interest when no information was forthcoming and started to wander away. She’d finished her second coffee by the time a man, dressed very smartly in a three-piece suit and looking more like a banker than a polizia, jogged across the street. She thought he was Philip; no one else knew she and Adam were at the café.

  “Philip Brewster,” Adam said with a wave at the other man, “Natalia Dolcini.”

  Philip nodded at her and snagged a chair from another table. The waitress hurried from where she’d been standing. Flustered and wide eyed, she looked between Adam and Natalia before asking if Philip wanted something, but he shook his head.

  “You still have the USB?” Philip asked in a low voice.

  His gaze slid over her, assessing her; his eyes widened slightly as he saw her hand in Adam’s, but he said nothing. Natalia calmly smiled back and grimaced at her empty coffee cup.

  Reaching into his jacket pocket, Adam handed it over.

  “Thanks for this.” Philip pocketed it himself. “I need you to return to London with me this afternoon. We’re going to pick up Samboti and his family as well,” Philip promised.

  “Good,” Adam said shortly.

  “Should I go with you as well?” Natalia asked in her best curvy-girl spy voice.

  She didn’t want to sound as if she wanted to stay near Adam, especially since they were still figuring out their relationship.

  Or she was still trying to, Natalia realized as Adam’s fingers tightened on hers. He’d made it very clear last night what he felt, hadn’t he? Not in so many words, but in the stay with me and the let’s make this work way that gave her a chance to say no—to step back.

  She didn’t want to say no, Natalia realized. Didn’t want to step back. She wanted to say yes, to stay with him and see where this went.

  Philip’s gaze locked on hers. “Actually, Ms. Dolcini, it would be best if you stayed here and resumed your life. We don’t want there to be an obvious connection between you and all that’s happened.”

  Adam’s fingers tightened further around hers. Funny how she could read his touches. How she knew. It wasn’t sudden; it wasn’t as if a switch had been flipped—despite the bare week they’d known each other, she’d grown to understand him. The look in his gaze, the way his hands touched her.

  “But I do want to thank you for all your help in this,” Philip added with a nod. “I need you to come with me now, Adam. I need a representative from the Commission on hand.”

  “I see. Perhaps I can meet you later?” Adam asked, his voice flat and hard.

  “No. I need you now.” Philip scraped his chair back and stood, clearly expecting Adam to follow.

  “I’ll need a few minutes.” Adam’s voice brooked no argument, his posture straight and tense, lips pressed into a thin line, jaw clenched.

  Philip looked betwe
en her and Adam then nodded. He left without another word.

  He didn’t look at her, but again Natalia knew what he was thinking. She moved her other hand to his thigh—not a sexual touch, but in an understanding one. Adam glanced at her, his eyes so fathomless and grateful, with that hint of annoyance, though not at her, or even himself.

  She’d effectively been told to stay away from him—forget this ever happened. Adam squeezed her fingers, his thumb moving just enough to caress the inside of her wrist. That touch said, This is not the end.

  Adam stood, breakfast forgotten. He leaned down, his hands cupping her face in that way he had that made her feel like the most precious creature in the world.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t expect this. But Philip is right—you need to stay away from me until this is handled.” His thumbs caressed her cheeks in light feather touches. “I don’t want you near any of this. I don’t want you a target in some kind of misguided retaliation.”

  She curled her hands around his wrists. “These kinds of things, they last for months,” she said softly. “When am I going to see you next?” Natalia swallowed hard, and though she had a pretty good idea what the answer was, she needed to hear the words. “Is this over between us?”

  “No,” Adam bit out harshly. “Absolutely not. I’ll be back. I promise. Wait for me.”

  His lips were hard and hungry on hers, and Natalia immediately opened to his touch. She knew he needed to see this through to the end, knowing it was important to him, but wanted him to know how much she’d miss him.

  “I will,” she whispered, the closest she’d come to promising him what he’d asked her last night. Promising him a future.

  He nodded and left. Natalia watched him go, breath choking her, her heart a dull thud in her chest.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “All men are liars,” Natalia muttered as she sketched a pair of trousers. “He’s going to meet some skinny girl in London and forget about me. A lawyer or court reporter.”