Bedded by the Italian Playboy (4 page)

“I’m
sure it’s just a bump and you’re a stranger. I don’t know you. I can’t just get
into a car with anyone.”

He
nodded. “You are right to be wary but come look.” He pointed to his car and
then to himself. “Clearly I am not a murderer or a rapist or anything of the
sort.”

“Because
you wear a suit and drive a nice car?”

“Because
were I a criminal of some sort I could have had my way with you whilst you were
on the ground in pain. Could have bundled you into my car and driven you
wherever I liked.”

Rachel
paused, unable to shake the feeling she was walking a delicate line. One that
was a little blurry. When was the right moment to give in? “But I need to get
booked into my own hotel. My family will be concerned.”

“All
will be dealt with. I have staff that will take care of any needs you have and
a doctor to ensure you are well. Please, I could not forgive myself if you
suffered an injury as a result of my carelessness.”

“If
you are really sure…I mean, I don’t want to be a bother.”

He
nodded, a smile that made her heart race wildly lighting his face. “On this,
Fiore
,” he said, “I most certainly am.”

Chapter Four

“You
are certain?”

The
hotel doctor shut his bag with a decisive click and shot Dominic an exasperated
sort of look. “Yes. As I have said three times, aside from a bruise or two and
a headache, she’ll be fine. She just needs to rest. I’ve given her some strong
painkillers. Likely they have already kicked in, and she’ll be right and tight
by this evening.”

“She
was almost hit by a car,” Dominic said. “I would have thought that would—”

“
‘Almost’ being the operative word,” the doctor interrupted, clearly sick of
having to explain the situation over and over again. They’d been having this
conversation for five minutes already, ever since the doctor had emerged from
Rachel’s room. Dominic didn’t care. He wanted to be sure that she was well, and
the doctor would stay exactly where he was until Dominic was satisfied. Was
this not what he paid the damn man for?

“A
blow is still a blow,” he said. “I am concerned.”

 
“Believe me if
I
, as the medical doctor here, were concerned, we would be on our
way to the hospital,” the doctor said. “The headache is because of the way she
fell more than anything else, and also I suspect because of the shock. A few
hours rest and a hearty meal will see her right. Of course, I will keep an eye
on her for the next twenty-four hours. If she complains of blurred vision or
dizziness we might be looking at concussion but other than that…”

“Perhaps
a scan is in order?” Dominic suggested.

“Or
perhaps you could just talk to the poor young woman and make her feel more
comfortable that way? She seems very nervous. Shy. I get the impressions she
feels a little….”

“A
little what?” Dominic asked.

“Uncomfortable
maybe,” the doctor said. “All this”—he waved a hand around the suite—“might be
a little imposing to those who aren’t used to it.”

“I
see.”

 
“I must get back to Lady Richards. She is
complaining of migraines again. If you’re satisfied….”

Dominic
let him go with a scowl and a wave of his hand. Lady Richards was an important
guest and Dominic suspected she only came to his hotel so she could have a
doctor fussing over her twenty-four hours a day. Likely her own private doctor
had gotten sick of her hypochondria pretty damn quickly. And then too the man
had a point. He
was
the most
qualified to know Rachel’s condition. If he said all was well, then all
probably was well.

 
Rachel
. He let her
name linger on his lips and the scowl transformed into a smile.

She was
lovely. There was no other word for it. Even as she laid on the pavement, a
look of confusion on her perfect features, he’d thought so. He’d jumped out of
his car, desperate to be sure whoever he’d narrowly missed running over was
okay, and there she was. His fantasy woman come to life, hair falling over her
shoulders in perfect blonde waves. The little dimple on the side of her cheek.
The plump lips. He shuddered. She really was extremely pretty.

And
then he’d crouched down next to her, taking her hand in his, and had been
floored all over again by her figure. It really couldn’t get much better, he
thought. She was curved in the most delightful way. A tiny waist, flaring hips
and her breasts…. Though covered up by her flowered dress he could tell they were
more than a generous handful, just how he liked them.

Yes,
physically she was perfect. Was it possible she was perfect in every other way
as well? As they’d driven the short distance to his hotel he’d realized it was
important that he find that out. Fate, and he was a strong believer in it, had
thrown her in his path—quite literally—and he was not the sort of man to simply
brush that aside.

He
knocked on the door to the bedroom of the suite he’d put aside for her use. It
was one of the family suites that he kept vacant at all times, lest his mother
or one of his sisters be in
London
for business. It was one of the best suites in the hotel, with an
eleven-thousand-pound-a-night price tag attached. There was no doubt in his
mind she would be comfortable here and it was his intention—had been from the
moment he’d seen her blush—that she stay. What better way to make up for his
carelessness than to offer her a long weekend in one of the most expensive
hotels in
London
?
Then too it would head off any possible lawsuits, though he doubted Rachel was
the sort of woman who would take that course of action.

He
pushed the door open and found her sitting on the very edge of the huge
four-poster bed. She was rubbing her head, her pretty features scrunched up.

“Rachel,
are you okay?” he asked. “The doctor assured me all was well but….”

She
lowered her hand and shot him a smile that made her eyes sparkle. It was a
careful smile though, reserved, modest. He approved immensely. “I am fine, Mr.
Rimeria. Thank you.”

“Dominic,”
he insisted, just as he had in the car. “Please call me Dominic.”

She
blushed again, a hot sweep of color all over her face and chest. It reached to
the very top of her hairline and under the flowered dress. Dominic delighted in
it, found himself wondering if it went all the way over her breasts too,
perhaps to the tips of her nipples….“Dominic, then,” she said.

“May
I?” He pointed to the winged armchair next to the bed. She nodded and he took a
seat. He’d have been happy to remain standing, just drinking her in, but his
cock was unbelievably hard. The blush of course, that little show of innocence.
It turned him on immensely. Not that she was innocent in every sense of the
word, he thought. The possibility of that was remote in the extreme, Dominic knew
this from experience. There were few innocent women left, especially in a city
as cosmopolitan as
London
,
but one thing he
could
tell was that
Rachel lacked experience. Likely she’d had a boyfriend or two over the years.
Probably she’d even slept with them but she wasn’t free and easy and he liked
that. Liked it a lot.

 
“How do you like the suite?” he asked.

The
blush remained as she spoke. “It is so lovely.”

Of
course it was. The crystal chandeliers, the gold leaf painted walls, it was all
designed to scream extravagance. “I’m glad to hear that.”

“I
don’t think I’ve ever seen such a huge bed!”

He
smiled at her words because she said them with such a surprised look on her
face and it was completely novel to him. From any other woman a comment like
that would have been designed to pique his interest, to suggest an interest in
having him join her on the bed. But from Rachel, this woman he had only just
met, he just knew—couldn’t even say how—that that was not the case. Maybe it
was the look of wonder in her cornflower blue eyes as she looked around, or the
way she shot him quick glances before looking away again. Either way Dominic
was pretty damn sure she was simply making conversation, not trying to let him
know that she desired him. Oh, she did, of course. He got that. The blush, the
lack of eye contact, not to mention the way her hands shook as he’d sat her
down in his car. But he wasn’t actually sure she
knew
she wanted him. From his experience—and he had a lot—some
types of women, women like Rachel it seemed, women whose innocence was only
just gone, were unaware of their desire until he introduced them to it. That
was fine with him. He was a man who enjoyed doing just that, and at the thought
of opening Rachel’s eyes to exactly what he could give her, his cock pulsed.

More
than pulsed. It ached and he had to adjust his position before speaking again.
“Our guests like a lot of room.”

“I
bet. My bed at home is tiny compared to this, and the bathroom? I washed up in
there and the bath is just as big, not to mention the shower!”

“I’m
interested to hear how it compares with other places you have stayed,” he lied.
He wasn’t interested really, not at all. He just wanted to keep her talking. To
hear her soft voice, not to mention give his hard-on time to calm down.

“The
fabrics are beautiful,” she said softly, running her tiny had over the plump
pillows next to her. “And the colors. I’ve never seen such vivid shades of
purple. It is perhaps a little too much for me, I prefer things simple, but for
your usual guests I imagine it is perfect.”

Intrigued
he leaned forward. “Simple?”

She
nodded and cast him one quick glance before lowering her gaze again. Demure, he
thought. She was
demure
. His cock
hardened to the point of pain. “My family home is very different to this,” she
said. “We live in an old farmhouse. It’s three hundred years old, has been in
my family all that time.”

“So
you are country folk?”

“Yes.
We lead a very simple lifestyle,” she said. “The Saturday market is the most
exciting time of the week.”

He laughed.
He couldn’t help it and she lifted her eyes to meet his, laughing with him, a
delightful little gurgle that made him want to reach over, scoop her into his
arms and kiss her senseless.

“Though
we’re not far from
Essex
,” she added, “and we
go there sometimes, for shopping and the cinema.”

 
“This is your first trip to
London
,” he said, remembering her words from
earlier.

“Yes.
I’ve been looking forward to it all year. It was my sister’s idea. She took a
similar trip a few years back and insisted it was the best time she ever had.
She offered to come with me but I thought it would be a good idea to do this on
my own.”

“And
how long have you been here?”

“I
caught the train up this morning,” she said. “It took two hours to get in to
Paddington. I wanted to see Knightsbridge so I jumped into a taxi straight
away. I was on my way to my hotel when we…well, when we met.”

He
frowned. “Straight from the train? But where is your luggage? Did you not bring
any with you?”

“Oh
my gosh!” She jumped up and automatically Dominic stood too.

“What
is it?” he asked, reaching out to steady her. “Your head? Are you okay? Shall I
call the doctor back?”

She
lifted her eyes and his heart gave an odd little thump at the stricken look on
her face. “I had my bag when I jumped out of the way of your car,” she
whispered. “I didn’t…I forgot…oh my gosh, I forgot to get it!”

He
frowned. “You had it with you? I did not see a large bag.”

“No.
It was only small. I’m only here for a few days, just a couple of outfits. But
I…it had all my things in! My very best outfits. The cardigan my Nanna gave me
for my birthday! My mobile phone and my train ticket! Dominic, I was so
confused I forgot. Oh no….”

The
way she said his name…he swallowed unsteadily. Her mouth caressed it like a
kiss and yet he got the feeling she did not even realize she was doing it. He
shifted position, his cock still fighting to spring free of his trousers.

“Do
not worry,” he said. “I will send someone to go and look for it. We will find
your bag.”

“But—”

 
He reached out and took her hands in his
again. They were so small. They fit in his just as they should. “I will take
care of this,
Cara
,” he said. “If
worse comes to worst and we cannot find your bag then we will simply order some
new items. A new ticket.”

She
shook her head and blushed all over again. “No. You don’t understand. I just….”

“Just
what?”

Her
bottom lip quivered, almost like she was fighting tears, and abruptly Dominic
felt his chest tighten. He paused for just a moment to try and understand the
feelings running through him and was shocked when he realized that he wanted to
make it all better. To wipe away the stricken look on her face and get her shy
little smile back. It was a very odd feeling for him. Not in some years had
Dominic experienced such tender feelings for a woman. And yet for Rachel, this
woman fate had thrown at him, he did.