Chapter 9 #2
He merely lifted his sunglasses while turning his head, taking his time to lower his gaze all the way to my toes.
This time, his nostrils flared as he did.
Was he undressing me with his eyes? Granted, that wouldn’t take much since I’d purchased one of those tiny Brazilian bikinis once I’d arrived, but he was a soldier in my brother’s army, the action considered forbidden.
Why was my mouth watering?
And how in God’s name had he managed to uncover part of my secret identity? One I’d take months to keep perfect? How much had he discovered about my alternative personality?
“Please, Ms. Prince. Even though a little witch, you weren’t that difficult to figure out. At least for a man like me.” His drink arrived and words of pleasantry were exchanged while I remained in a vacuum.
“Go on,” I said sharply, resisting chastising him for calling me a witch. If I was a good one, he wouldn’t be sitting here. Maybe that was my problem. I needed to be a bad little witch instead.
He took not just one but two swallows of his drink before continuing. “Inspector Ambrosia Sauvignon.” He waited for my reaction, even tilting his head slightly.
You bet I was shocked. “Quite a name.” I’d been proud of myself for thinking of it at the time.
“Yes, clever for those who don’t know you. Ambrosia, the single dessert you cannot stand, something you called a fluffy mistake. And sauvignon for the wine you also wouldn’t be caught dead drinking. And I quote.”
“Alright, Mr. Smarty Pants. What else do you think you know?” The smirk on his face indicated he was enjoying the hell out of himself.
“Let’s see. You were taken to the airport by an unknown person, although I doubt it was Kylie Reynolds.
Your best friend and a local nurse. That’s one piece of the puzzle I’ve yet to determine.
My guess is you lured a man who would do anything for a moment of your time.
After that, you took an American Airlines flight from New Orleans in first class, followed by a flight with Azul Brazilian Airlines for the final leg.
Instead of staying at a hotel, you chose to rent a house, currently for three months, paying an exorbitant price to do so.
Given you have monies in various offshore accounts, you won’t need to worry about finances.
Oh, and of course you left your phone in your house, opting for a burner phone. How am I doing?”
Oh, the man made me furious as hell. He could get under my skin like no other person I knew in my life.
But I played it cool, finishing off the wine and grabbing my bag.
“Well, since you have me all figured out, you can take your goon self back to the private jet and head on back to New Orleans. By the time you report in, I’ll be somewhere else.
I am curious. Where are all the other soldiers?
Are they hiding in plain sight or do you have them eager and ready to kill some locals just for target practice? ”
Donatello had always been a cool cucumber. Little ruffled his features, forcing him to lose his cool, but he certainly was excited when forced to use violence against an enemy. He took his time answering me, enjoying his beverage and the scenery.
Granted, so was I.
“I came alone.”
His statement surprised me. “You thought I would be that easy to find and drag home?”
He lifted his head, completely removing his sunglasses.
“No, sweet Ambrosia. I knew you’d be a challenge given your beauty and intelligence and I wanted to see if there was a chance I’d live up to your standards of delicious manipulation.
You are the mistress of disguise, diplomacy, and secrecy.
And I’m well aware of your other more formidable… skills.”
His words sent a direct chill through my muscles and bones but forget about my core.
That was heated to a thousand degrees.
Even worse.
My pussy was throbbing.
“You broke into my house.”
“No, I was allowed in.”
By my meddling brothers who would get a piece of my mind all over again.
I took a deep breath, tugging my tote bag closer.
“Then you’re well aware I can take care of myself.
So run along, Donatello. I’ll make certain I let my brothers know how fabulously accurate you were in your knowledge of me.
Now, I have a few errands to run. I don’t expect to see you again.
I hear there’s a fabulous new hotel a few blocks from here.
Go wet your whistle before you leave the country.
And please, do leave.” We were oil and water, so part of me wanted to carve his heart out with a spoon.
The other part? I wanted to use my lips to brush away the calculating expression on his handsome face. I noticed he hadn’t shaved in several days, the thick line of scruff covering his powerful jaw added to his sexy masculinity.
I had to walk away, or I wouldn’t be able to.
Only he wasn’t about to allow me to go anywhere.
He snagged my arm, keeping me standing where I was.
“Make no mistake, Ms. Prince. I was hired to bring you home safely and that’s exactly what I will do. No matter the circumstances. No matter the difficulty. And no matter how many obstacles you put in my way.”
His deep voice penetrated the darkest parts of me. However, attractive as he was, he was also the most annoying man alive. I jerked my arm free, taking a purposeful step away. “Remember, Donatello, as you said, I am carrying weapons and I won’t hesitate to use them.”
“I do so love a challenge. Especially from a beautiful woman.”
“Be careful what you ask for, Italian man. Did you ever hear that we Cajun French girls are unafraid of anything? If not, be warned.”
As I walked away, I could hear him laughing.
And every blood cell boiled, every inch of my skin tingled, and every thought centered around two things.
Fucking him.
Then escaping his possessive hold.
* * *
Why was it that even though I’d reached the ripe old age of twenty-nine, as of this moment my thoughts were more in tune to a college freshman than an accomplished professional?
While the answer was in the forefront of my mind, I’d carefully avoided it for the last two hours. Now the stupidity of my thoughts angered me more than anything.
Feeling sorry for myself wasn’t like me in the least. Not even a little bit.
Yet as I climbed the colorful set of stairs toward the rental house, I groused inwardly. Why? Because it was my birthday.
The scent of freshly baked bread mixed with the fragrance of a vibrant bouquet of flowers ignited my senses.
With my arms full of fresh food from the local market, including two bottles of my favorite wine, I moved toward the front door, pressing my knee against the surface so I wouldn’t drop the bags while shoving the key into the door.
A strange odor caught my attention and I stiffened, slowly tilting my head over my shoulder. Maybe I half expected to see the sultry Italian loitering on the bank of stairs behind me.
No such thing.
Was I truly disappointed in how easily Donatello had accepted defeat?
Maybe. The fact he’d found me so easily, so quickly was highly disturbing.
He was right in that I’d taken weeks to plan a potential getaway.
Initially from the perspective of doing so in case one of our enemies made good on their past threats.
As of the past few weeks, my endeavor had been all about plans for enjoying time by myself.
How had he… Ugh. I was frustrated as hell with the man.
Even if images of his half-naked body continued to float in front of my eyes.
The silliness of my mental indulgences was getting out of hand. I’d gone far enough away from home to get some peace and that’s what I intended on doing. Rio was the perfect location to lose myself in culture, music, arts, and dance.
While I had a vehicle at my disposal, they were somewhat rare in the gorgeous Brazilian coastal city, everything worthwhile within walking distance.
I’d taken my time shopping, including purchasing a hot little dress for later. When I ventured out for the evening.
By myself.
While I’d expected to see Donatello in the shadows, attempting to hide from me while pretending to be a stalker, I hadn’t caught sight of him even once. Maybe he’d taken the hint and scampered off like a good boy.
Not like the other night when I’d sensed a presence hiding in the shadows.
I’d even given him a little show. Oh, how naughty of me.
I’d obviously shocked the hell out of him with my strip tease since he hadn’t chastised me for being so risqué in front of open blinds in a quiet, conservative neighborhood.
With a subtle laugh, I finally managed to open the door, continuing to juggle the packages.
While the houses were close together, the one I’d rented was situated on a beautiful ridge above the ocean water, trees and thick foliage acting as privacy fences on both sides.
Once on the fabulous deck, the houses in proximity disappeared.
Fresh air assaulted my senses as I walked toward the kitchen, the bright and airy room facing the ocean. I’d left the massive glass doors open, allowing for a continual breeze. Being the end of October, the weather was perfect. Highs in the eighties, low in the fifties.
My God. It was Halloween. While not celebrated with trick or treaters, in Brazil I’d heard there were various celebrations of the dead during the upcoming days. Being it was my birthday, I’d purchased all my favorite foods, including some delicious-looking chocolate.
Maybe I’d take a late afternoon swim before going out.
Even before I crossed the threshold into the kitchen, another scent caught my attention. Only this time the fragrance was sweet, similar to the flowers in my arms but even stronger.
I was floored to see a huge bouquet of roses on the small table positioned near the set of open doors. Shock tore through me, especially since the roses hadn’t been there when I’d arrived.
Maybe the owner of the house had returned after noticing my birthday on the rental application. While I’d been creative with names, including having a professionally rendered fake ID, I’d used my actual birthdate. I wasn’t sure why.
Maybe I’d wanted someone to remember.
If they were a beautiful gesture from the owners, then fabulous.
However, my father hadn’t raised a fool.
Of course I was well aware the family had enemies located in every corner of the world.
They would stop at nothing to find a weakness within the regime.
As the only daughter of the powerful man, I was prime real estate.
Another reason I’d gone to such great lengths to hide my identity.
As silently as possible, I placed the groceries on the counter, grabbing my Beretta from my tote bag. After arming it, I kept it in both hands and ventured throughout the house.
Hearing a single sound coming from the bedroom, I bristled. While I should lower my weapon since I knew exactly who’d broken into the house I was staying in, I decided to keep my hot little hands wrapped around the cold steel. After all, the man was an intruder.
And why he was singing in Italian was beyond me.
I pushed open the partially closed door, which was my bedroom door, and took long strides inside.
Just as the singing Italian waltzed from the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel. With another towel covering half his face as he was drying his wet hair, he couldn’t see the furious woman standing in front of him.
Until the moment he ran smack into her. Even worse? The moment he did, the towel protecting me from his manhood slipped off.
Exposing the thick, throbbing, mouthwatering bulge beneath.