The Princess's Christmas Baby
Autore
Louisa George
Letto da
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Capitoli
15
PROLOGUE
IT WAS HIS idea of hell.
When Lucas Beaufort had said to his best friend Domenico that if he ever needed any help with anything, just ask, he hadn’t meant he’d be free at the drop of a hat to babysit his friend’s reckless younger sister who made the papers for all the wrong reasons.
But there it was. Sometimes friendships required going above and beyond. He only hoped he’d manage to get through this weekend unscathed.
Which he highly doubted. Take one wilful and wayward, spoilt Princess...with a capital P. Literally. Add her ability to make trouble for herself wherever she went. Sprinkle in a rogue weekend in Seattle during which she was expecting to be entertained, and he knew—even though his cooking was generally woeful—that he had a recipe for utter disaster on his hands.
‘Hey, Captain Sensible!’ She flung herself at him as he opened the door to her loud hammering. ‘Long time no see.’
‘About ten years, give or take.’ And he’d hoped for longer, but there it was. He tried to extricate himself from her hug but she kind of held on. Captain Sensible, eh? Great. He guessed he probably deserved it. He wasn’t exactly known for his witty repartee. ‘Come in, Giada. Welcome back to Seattle.’
She finally let go and grinned as he took a step outside to grab her suitcase and let her into his house. As they walked through to his living room she flung her floppy sunhat onto his sofa and slipped off her over-sized sunglasses. She was wearing a strappy, white sundress and...well, hell. She’d changed since he’d seen her last.
Whereas years ago she’d gone through a typical but lengthy rebellious, pale-skinned goth phase, with ripped jeans and black clothes totally unbefitting a royal, she was now a picture of glowing health—all tanned arms and legs with long shiny black hair that cascaded in waves over her shoulders. Her dark brown eyes glittered as she smiled and made him want to take a second look. Her mouth.
God...it was very bad that he was looking at his best friend’s sister’s mouth.
She also smelled exactly how he imagined her home, the Mediterranean island of Isola Verde, would smell: fresh, flowery, warm. Weird that he’d even notice.
‘Well, this is nice,’ she said as she ran to the huge picture window and took in the expansive view over Lake Washington. Her voice was sing-song and...happy. Which made him feel immediately wistful. Happy. Yeah. Half turning, she twisted to look at him. ‘No, not nice. It’s gorgeous here, Lucas. Thanks for putting me up... I mean...’ she laughed and made quote marks with her fingers ‘...putting up with me for the weekend.’
‘It’s not a problem.’ Although, judging by the fact he’d noticed her perfume and was taking another look at her pretty face, it could well turn into a problem. She was so off limits it wasn’t funny.
‘I promise I’ll be on my best behaviour, Lucas. Too bad Dom has to spend the weekend at some dull conference instead of showing his sister around the city he prefers to his beautiful island home.’ She whirled round to face him fully, her dress flaring out around her thighs.
Lucas looked. So sue him. ‘It’s fine. Um... What would you like to do?’
‘Swim first? Or a shower. But I’d prefer a swim if I can, just to have a good workout and stretch. I really need to freshen up after that flight.’
‘Sure thing. Lake or pool?’
‘Lake. There’s nothing better than swimming in nature, right? It reminds me of home.’ She let out a big sigh. A sigh he couldn’t read. ‘Oh, and call me Gigi. Everyone else does. You want to come for a dip?’
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d swum in the lake. Just the usual fifty laps of his pool each morning. Clinical. Routine.
The thought of his feet sinking into warm sand was definitely appealing. As was seeing more of those long shapely legs. She was a lot more attractive than he remembered. Softer too...none of that spiky aggression he remembered. None of the artifice, the heavy make-up she used to hide behind.
No...she wasn’t pretty, she was stunning. He was not going to think of her in a bathing suit. Or, God...a bikini. His body prickled in response.
So basically he needed a cold shower, not a swim with her. ‘I have work to do. The lake is at the end of the garden. It’s safe for swimming and the little beach is very private so you won’t be disturbed. When you get back we can make a plan for the rest of the weekend.’
‘Oh, come on, Lucas. It’s after six. You should have clocked off by now.’ She brushed against him as she breezed over to her suitcase and he felt the hairs on his arm stand to attention. ‘Surely you can spare an hour for a swim? Dom tells me you work too hard.’
‘You don’t get to be an emergency consultant by taking time off whenever you feel like it. Or by endless partying.’ Or getting onto the front pages by being drunk and messy on some celebrity’s yacht. Or crashing the stage at festivals. He decided not to mention her past antics, though; she’d clearly changed. Outwardly, anyway.
‘Ouch.’ She laughed. ‘I take it that was a jab at me and my sorry life to date?’
‘No.’ He wasn’t going to add to the mess he was starting to make here.
‘Well, I’m grateful you’ve taken this weekend off for me. Really, I am.’ Despite his unforgivably negative tone her smile was warm and did something to his gut. ‘But it’s fine. Stay here and do your work. Maybe we could go out for a meal or something later. I’d like to pick your brains about the Isola Verde hospital project I’m working on. If you have the time.’
Where was the flake he had known? ‘What hospital project?’
‘You’re busy. Honestly, it can wait. But the swim can’t. I’m too hot and sticky to think straight. I’ll go get changed.’ She picked up her bag, shoulders sagging just a little. ‘Which room should I use?’
‘I’ll show you.’ He was drawn back to look at her eyes. Wide and dark and deep with an understanding, a knowledge of difficult times. Of pride too. And now they glittered as she smiled and he got a glimpse of the old rebellious Giada. But she was much more than the ditzy party girl she had once been. He took her bag and walked her through to the guest room. ‘And you’ll be okay at the lake?’
She nodded. ‘Absolutely. No problem. I’m quite used to entertaining myself.’
Her smile might have been warm but she blinked too fast and he just knew she was pretending to be fine when she wasn’t.
‘You head on down. I’ll just be five minutes and then I’ll join you.’
The smile of gratitude she gave him made his gut do somersaults. Which should have been enough warning.
And he should have listened.
Gigi hadn’t remembered Lucas being so grumpy. Or so gorgeous. Maybe she hadn’t been looking too closely all those years ago when she’d met him at some dull hospital party, and she certainly hadn’t been interested in any of her brother’s boring friends, choosing to find her own entertainment elsewhere.
But Lucas Beaufort was next level stunning with his dark blond hair and piercing green eyes. Just wow. And just her luck he was her brother’s best friend and therefore totally and utterly out of bounds.
And now she was stuck with him for three days.
The water was soothing and coolly refreshing. She thrashed through her strokes until she was breathless and her limbs sore. Exercise had become her salve instead of the partying she’d once used to escape her life.
Take that, Captain Sensible. People changed.
He hadn’t directly mentioned her past, but she was familiar with the look of judgement. Hell, she’d had it every single day of her life from her papa. She hoped Lucas didn’t put her in the same box everyone else did, but it was a badge she’d earned many times over.
She was different now. If only people could believe it.
Tired, but definitely less stressed, she trod water, turning in a slow circle to take in the view of the city’s high rises in one direction, the endless horizon in another, Denny-Blaine Park and... Oddio!
Lucas wasn’t just gorgeous, he was a freaking hunk on legs, wading into the water towards her, not quite deep enough for his muscular thighs to be submerged. She traced up with her eyes...then swallowed. My, oh, my.
What was under those aqua-blue shorts?
She dragged her gaze higher, past the hard wall of a six, no...an eight pack, past broad shoulders to his proud jaw and unsmiling mouth.
She watched as he dived through the gentle waves and swam towards her with fast, easy strokes.
He is not hot. He is not hot.
Lucas rose up in front of her, flicking water from his hair. Little droplets clung to his impossibly long eyelashes, framing searching green eyes.
‘You okay, Giada? It’s quite deep out here.’
She’d forgotten he was English before she’d arrived, although his accent was very definitely infused with a Pacific Northwest twang since he’d been here almost as long as Dom had. ‘It’s Gigi. Yes. I’m fine. Isola Verde is an island, I swim a lot.’
‘All the same, maybe we should go where it’s shallower.’ He stretched his arms out and her gaze was drawn to the toned biceps. The sprinkling of hair on his tanned chest. The stubble on his jaw. Those serious eyes.
What would it take to make him smile? How would he look if he did? And why did she want him to? She was only here for a couple of days and then she’d be back home, overseeing the final touches to her beloved hospital. Trying to be a better person.
Admiring a man’s body was all well and good but it wasn’t as if she could take anything any further. Especially not with Lucas. Brother’s best friend. Inhabitant of Seattle...thousands of miles away from Isola Verde where her future lay. Her papa had always told her she dated unsuitable men and that she should set her sights on someone from one of the European royal families.
Boring.
She stole another look at this unsuitable man’s broad shoulders, those full, kissable lips, that little trail of dark hair arrowing down to his shorts. Her imagination caught her low in her belly.
Just how sensible would Captain Sensible be in bed?
She dived under the water and tried to use the bracing cold to wash the very inappropriate and surprisingly sexy thoughts from her brain. Which was a mistake. Because down here she could see his legs, the ripples of his belly, his shorts...
When she broke the surface again he was frowning. ‘You were down there so long I thought you were drowning or something.’
She laughed. ‘I like to live dangerously.’
‘So I’ve heard.’ Of course he had. Everyone knew everything about her. Or almost, at least. He shook his head, clearly unimpressed. ‘Can you imagine what Dom would do to me if I allowed you to get into trouble out here?’
‘Depends on the trouble.’ She laughed again, mischievously, watching the double meaning sink into his brain and the shock register in his eyes. Okay, so maybe she hadn’t quite mastered all her spontaneity. And the cold water treatment clearly hadn’t worked.
He twisted in the water, sending an arc of droplets into the air. They caught the fading light, a dozen fleeting rainbows haloing him. ‘It’s getting late and it’s going to be dark soon. We should get out.’
‘Okay, Captain. Race you to the beach.’ She dived deep then, not waiting around for his reaction. When she surfaced she saw him powering ahead of her.
She dug deep and swung her arms into action and they hit the shallows at the same time. She stood up and kicked a swash of water into an arc towards him. ‘Wow. You’re good, Lucas.’
He looked at her, eyes dark, and she thought for a moment he was going to growl but, surprisingly, he kicked and splashed water over her. She shrieked and kicked back, following him to the water’s edge and drenching him again.
‘Hey. Mind the food!’ he shouted, the glimpse of playfulness melting away as he pointed to the little grassy bank, where he’d left a rug and a picnic basket.
She hadn’t realised she was hungry, but the thought of food made her stomach rumble. ‘You brought a picnic?’
He ran and grabbed a towel from a pile by the basket and started to rub himself dry. ‘Thought you might be hungry.’
‘You’re a proper adult, Lucas Beaufort. Thank you.’
After throwing the towel back on the grass, he reached into the basket and took out a bottle of fizzy water and two glasses. ‘Honestly? I was starving.’
‘Typical man, always thinking about food.’
‘I had my housekeeper make it up for us.’ He poured water into the glasses and handed one to her. ‘Wasn’t sure what a princess likes to snack on so there’s plenty of everything.’
‘I’m just a normal woman, Lucas. I eat anything and everything. But particularly...’ She peered into the basket to discover olives and cheese and sourdough bread. ‘Oh, this looks perfect. Just like my favourite Isola Verde treats. Did you know we have the best olives and tomatoes in the Mediterranean?’
‘I think Dom has mentioned it once or a million times.’
‘And our wine’s amazing.’ She sat on the rug, rubbed her damp body with a towel then wrapped it around her shoulders. ‘Our grapes are perfect for dessert wine, which is delicious. Although some would say I’ve drunk far more than my fair share over the years.’
‘Don’t do that, Giada.’ His tone was sharp.
She whipped round to look at him. ‘What?’
‘Don’t put yourself down. We all did stupid things when we were young.’
‘Oh, Captain Sensible, I saw you at that Medics Ball ten years ago. You were the epitome of good manners and here you are now looking after a princess in the nicest, safest way possible. There isn’t even wine for us to get silly on. I can’t imagine you doing anything you’d regret.’
‘I’ve done plenty.’
‘Oh?’ It looked like the captain was about to share.
He shook his head. Maybe not.
She turned onto her belly, brushing his arm, gooseflesh rising at that fleeting skin-to-skin contact. It was strange, but this secluded magical place felt deeply intimate. ‘Come on, Lucas. What do you regret? I bet it wasn’t barfing down the side of an A-list film star’s yacht in front of the world’s media at the Naples Film Festival?’
His eyebrows rose. ‘No. But I did see those pictures.’
‘Ugh.’ She shuddered at the memory. ‘You and everyone else. Nothing can be as bad as that, right? Come on, what do you regret?’
He shrugged, opened his mouth then closed it again. There was something, but he clearly wasn’t going to bare his soul to a relative stranger. Then he said, ‘Entering a chilli-eating contest. It was for charity but even so...that was definitely not a good idea. Especially when you have work the next morning.’ He snagged her gaze and she had the feeling he was on the edge of a smile.
What was he holding back?
She laughed, bewitched by the different hues in his irises—amber, gold and green. ‘Can’t say I’m a chilli fan.’
‘And you should probably stay that way. But I couldn’t back down because it was being streamed live on the internet for people to watch and pay however much they thought my pain was worth. You’re not allowed to drink water or anything to help cool your mouth. I had tears running down my face, lips on fire, with a couple of thousand people enjoying my pain in real time. Your brother was the worst, egging me on from the sidelines.’
He almost smiled as he talked but didn’t quite manage it. Giada breathed out, realising she’d been waiting to see the glow of joy or happiness or just plain fun emanating from him. But, even though he’d lightened up, she couldn’t describe him as relaxed.
‘I never even heard about that.’ Though it was hardly surprising given she and Dom didn’t always share details of their days or even weeks sometimes.
‘Trust me, it wasn’t pretty. I had my one taste of fame and I hated it. Honestly, Giada, I don’t know how you can live under the glare of such scrutiny.’
She shrugged. ‘I’d like to say I’m never in embarrassing situations, but that wouldn’t be true. You do get used to the cameras.’
‘I would never get used to them.’
A cool breeze fanned over her, making her shiver, and Lucas seemed to notice because he wrapped her towel more tightly around her shoulders. The action was so tender it made her heart catch.
He turned onto his belly then too, and somehow he was closer than before. She wasn’t sure he realised it but she did. She could see the little hairs on his arms, the elongated biceps as he stretched for his glass.
This was crazy. Why was she noticing these things? Sure, she knew the power of attraction, the way two people could click, the way chemicals could align into hot sex. And the way the buzz disappeared just as quickly afterwards. Hell, she’d had her fair share of casual flings but never had her awareness hormones been on such high alert as now. She was very aware of Lucas Beaufort.
She stretched out on the rug, letting the last of the sun’s rays warm her limbs. She looked at the tiny beach area in front of his amazing duck-egg-blue craftsman-style house. The sky was streaked with reds and oranges as the sun sank. And there was no one else but them. ‘I like it here. It feels as if no one is watching.’
‘I thought you liked to be watched.’ Again the raised eyebrow. ‘Don’t you want to take some selfies and post them on the internet to let everyone know what you’re up to? The unspoilt beach that will inevitably become spoiled once everyone’s visited it. Pictures or it hasn’t happened, right?’
‘Like you don’t know.’
He popped an olive into his mouth and chewed. ‘I’m at work for more hours in the day than I care to think about. I don’t have time to do social media but lots of people do. That’s okay. I believe yours is quite popular.’
‘It was. The Princess Pages. The blog, the website and later ‘the gram’. She rolled onto her back and shuddered at the memories of the things she’d written; although they’d been heartfelt at the time, they’d also had a lot of shock factor. ‘That was a long time ago. And a very—how should I describe it?—successful way of expressing my anger and frustration and teenage angst, rather than using the platform for good. Papa was horrified and with good reason. But I’m twenty-eight, Lucas. It’s time to be an adult, sì? And that means focusing on others and not myself.’ She chose not to mention the real reason behind her sudden forced maturity and why she’d stopped being the Party Princess. ‘I’m opening a hospital for the people of Isola Verde.’
‘You’re building a hospital?’ Lucas looked impressed.
‘Not actually building—I have people to do that for me. But yes. It’s much needed. At the moment we have to go to Naples for anything more than a GP can handle. That’s difficult and dangerous if it’s an emergency. Our people need something on the island and I’m making it happen. It was a fight to find the right place, to raise the capital and get the backers. And to get Papa on board.’
It had been a fight to get her father even remotely interested in the beginning because he hadn’t had any faith in her being able to achieve it, but she was proud at how much she’d done. ‘It opens in a couple of months.’
Lucas held her gaze. A frown. Deep thinking. Then his gaze dipped to her mouth and slowly trailed down to her bikini top, where she just knew her nipples were cold and pebbled.
As he met her gaze again something heated in his eyes that was surprising, even though it mirrored the way her body was reacting to him. Admiration. More. Interest. More.
Sexual interest.
And still he kept on looking and she looked right back. The stark rawness of need that suffused her body and prickled her skin made her mouth suddenly wet. It had been a long time since she’d been so intensely physically attracted to someone and it felt like a visceral awakening.
He swallowed and she just knew he felt the connection too. ‘You’ve changed, Giada.’
‘I hope so.’ She picked up her glass. ‘I’ve put my...difficult past behind me but it’s going to take a while to forget the things I did and the people I hurt—my father, mainly, as he was the one embarrassed by every scandal. What’s the worst thing you ever did?’
‘Inhaled, probably.’ He winked and for the first time in the hours since she’d met him he actually smiled. ‘I am not prepared to divulge anything else.’
She almost choked on her water. Not just at the lack of anything bad in his past but at the way his face completely changed with just the smallest of smiles. Relaxed, he was simply beautiful. His eyes lit up and his mouth... God, that mouth. What would it be like to kiss him?
It was going to be a very long three days if every time she looked at Lucas she felt all turned on and achy. ‘Before this weekend is over I want to know all the dirt on you, Lucas Beaufort. Dom says the only thing you’ve ever committed to is being a bachelor.’
‘I’ve had my share of relationships. I just haven’t publicised them. Or had any that held my interest for long.’
He was definitely single. Interesting. That made two of them...
‘Pick up any Isola Verde rag and you can read about every single sorry relationship I ever had. The stupidity of youth, right?’
The corner of his mouth tipped. ‘You were young; people understand that.’
‘It took me a long time to grow up.’
Lucas turned onto his side to face her, propped up on his elbow. ‘Growing up is overrated. I’ve been doing it for longer than I care to remember.’
She imagined him as an earnest child, studying his books with that little frown over his eyes. Dom had said he’d met Lucas in a locker room at the hospital all screwed up in anger over some family argument. Her brother had talked him down and they’d been firm friends ever since, so he must be a good man. A sexy as hell man. But he was far too serious.
She wanted to poke him or tickle him with a blade of grass to see if he’d laugh, but thought better of it. Hell, with any other guy she fancied she’d have just gone and done it. But with Lucas she wasn’t sure. She couldn’t read him, and that made him even more alluring. Instead of tickling him, she looked right into those eyes that were the same colour as her beloved Isola Verde hills. ‘So let’s pretend we’re kids again this weekend. Let’s play a little.’
For the briefest of moments he looked like a child who’d been offered ice cream...and had then remembered he was allergic to dairy products. His gaze clashed with hers and she could tell he knew exactly what she was suggesting. ‘No, Giada.’
‘That’s it? No?’
‘No.’ He was determined, she could see. And yet...wavering. The way he looked at her mouth made her ache to kiss him. It wouldn’t take much, just breaching the gap between them. Not far at all...
‘What would you do if you could do anything at all?’ she asked him.
He said nothing, just reached for a stray lock of her hair and let it run through his fingers. He contemplated her for a very long time. So long she’d almost forgotten what she’d asked him. Although the closeness, the heating of her skin and his scent mingling with the fresh cool air made her playful proposal very front and centre. It was there. They could grab it.
And still they just stared at each other until she could finally read what was going through his mind just by the way his eyes reacted.
Could they?
Should they?
Somehow they’d moved towards each other until they were touching. She felt the beat of his heart against her chest. The warm, soft breeze of his breath on her shoulder. His lips parted.
He was so close. ‘Right now, Gigi, I want to kiss you.’
Oh, wow. Her tummy fluttered. Her breasts ached. She put her hand to his chest, felt the soft skin under her fingertips, the hard muscle under that. Heard his sharp intake of breath at her touch. He ran his thumb over her mouth and she heard a whimper come from her throat.
Then he drew back.
What? No one ever refused her. Not like this.
‘Do it,’ she urged. Almost willing to beg.
‘No way.’
This was one of those once-in-a-lifetime chances. Feeding a raw need that had sprung up from...from what? Serendipity? Magic? An electric charge between them so damned bright it could light up the whole of Seattle. ‘Do it, Lucas.’
There was so much heat in his dark gaze. ‘No. One, you’re the Princess of Isola Verde and if we do anything and it gets out, we’ll both be toast. Two, I am ten years older than you. And, three, you’re my best friend’s sister.’
‘Ah, that famous bro code again. But does Dom actually need to know? Hell, he practically forced me on you this weekend.’
‘No, he didn’t. He had a clash in his timetable and he asked me to help. To help, Gigi. That’s a trust thing, okay? He would kill me if you and I stepped over a line.’
‘Like this?’ She wound her leg between his and aligned her body along his. God, he felt good. ‘How would he ever know? Would you tell him?’
His eyes darkened. ‘Never.’
‘And neither would I.’ She leaned closer, his lips a millimetre away.
‘What’s the punishment for kissing the King’s daughter? Beheading?’ He finally laughed, and it was the best sound she’d ever heard. Deep and yet melodic. Freeing.
She wanted to hear it again, wanted to make him smile, and she knew the best way to do that. Lost in him, she cupped his jaw. She could not stop this.
She pressed her mouth to his. The electricity was off the scale. Shocking. Intense. Amazing. Dangerous.
‘It’s got to be worth losing your head over, right? Just once. Or...maybe twice? Just for the weekend. No one needs to know. And phooey to the age gap. Who cares?’ In truth, seducing an older, in-control man was a lot sexier than a younger hook-up. ‘We could just...play. Dio, I need that and you do too. You’re always so serious. Let’s have some fun.’ She saw the moment he made his decision. His eyes misted with the same need she felt.
‘Gigi.’ The way he said her name made heat pool deep in her belly. Then his mouth was on hers and he was laying her down on his private beach, her limbs warmed from the sun and liquid from desire.
His kiss was as demanding and desperate as she felt. A kiss that stoked the deepest parts of her, making her press against him, feeling the hard ridge between them. Making her want more. All of him. Here. Now. Pure lust. Raw need.
It was liberating to just be herself, Gigi Baresi, just a normal girl with a red-hot guy, making out on a beach.
Her idea of heaven...
