Page 61 of Burning Beauty

Maria didn't care if anyone saw her naked. She was asleep before they got inside the mansion.

Chapter Thirty-Two

"Come on, bellissima, time to get up."

Maria moaned and wiggled herself further into the bed. She felt something brush at her shoulder then the gentle pressing of lips against the top of her cheek. She batted at the offender, trying to get him away. This was her sleep time and she was not giving it up!

"Ouch!" she shrieked angrily as a hard hand came down on her bare ass with enough force to bring her fully awake and cause her to jump up onto her knees and twist around with her fists raised.

When Nic caught sight of her sleepy fighting pose he threw his head back and gave a full-throated roar of laughter. Maria narrowed her eyes and wondered if she could get over to him in time to punch him in the throat while he was distracted with mocking her. She decided it was best not to risk his good mood and dropped her hands, rubbing her abused posterior.

"Asshole," she mumbled, sinking back into the bed and reaching for the covers with the full intention of going back to sleep.

"Ah, ah." He caught the covers and dragged them from her hands. "I told you, Maria, it is time to wake up. We have a plane to catch in less than two hours."

She gaped at him, taken by surprise. She'd been locked up in this mansion for more than a month now, and suddenly he was not only letting her leave, but taking her somewhere that required an airplane? She was one hundred percent okay with this idea. She leapt from the bed and rushed around looking for clothes, then blushed when she realized she had left them outside last night. Nic's staff were efficient enough that she was positive someone would have picked them up by now, but the thought didn't make her feel better. What would they think?

“Where are you going?” Maria almost yelled, she was so excited. "I need to go pack my bag." She reached for Nic's discarded bathrobe and pushing her arms into the too big sleeves. It swamped her, the hem brushing the floor. It didn't matter though, she would only need it for as long as it took her to get down the hall to her own room where she would shower and change.

"Cassandra packed a bag for you," Nic drawled, walking with her to the door and taking her arm. He dropped a quick hard kiss onto her lips. "You're all ready to go."

Maria snorted her doubt. "I think I'll just double check that bag, if you don't mind. I'd prefer not to have to wear negligees and bikinis for the entire time we're gone. Cassandra’s idea of practical is a four-inch heel instead of a five or six. No way did she choose things I'll actually want to wear."

Nic chuckled and nodded. "Do what you like but be ready to go in an hour."

"I'll be ready!" she said eagerly, going up on her toes to press a kiss against his jaw. As she turned away, she realized he hadn’t answered her question, she still had no idea where they were going or for how long. "Where are you taking me? When will we be back?" Her stomach dipped as it occurred to her that he may be taking her to Las Vegas.

"We are heading for the west coast." He reassured her. "This is a business trip. We shouldn't be gone longer than two days, but the flight will take several hours, so if you want to bring something specific for entertainment, let Justin know and he can have it ready for you."

Justin was her new bodyguard. She hadn't realized he would be going with them, but she supposed it made sense. She was probably even more at risk from Nic's enemies while they were travelling then she would be at the house.

Maria hurried down the hall to her own room. It only took her thirty minutes to shower, brush her hair out and change. She repacked the bag, shaking her head at the crazy outfits Cassandra had stuffed inside. There were five pairs of heels, several items of lingerie (who called it?), a white silk pant suit with a bright orange sash and an evening gown that looked like it could put the gowns worn at the Oscars to shame. Maria sighed and pulled the crumpled gown out of the suitcase, shook out the wrinkles and hung it back in her closet. Cassandra's wealth-blindness was showing again.

There was no one in the dining room eating breakfast so Maria made her way to the kitchen where she was greeted by a jovial Yara who patted her arm and handed her a plate filled with fruit, nuts and smoked salmon. Maria sat at the counter and ate while Yara chatted about food, gossiped about the guards, and speculated on the likelihood of a wet Christmas.

"Christmas," Maria murmured the word as though it were foreign to her. She hadn't celebrated in over five years. Not since her mama and Marc both died in the same year. She'd given Ruiz a small gift last year, but they'd been on the run and she hadn't had much money to spend.

"Yes, love," Yara said, busy pressing a pie crust into a shell. "We like to celebrate around here. Everyone gets involved, there's a gift exchange among the guards and other staff. And those of us that live in the house spend the day with the family."

Maria didn't know what to say. She couldn't picture the formidable Luke buying a gift for Justin or one of the other guards. In fact, the thought made Maria giggle out loud, which she smothered with a piece of fruit. Yara seemed to be taking the upcoming holiday quite seriously. And everyone deserved a day of happiness, even a hardened thug bodyguard.

"Does Nic celebrate?" Maria asked, trying to picture him opening a pair of socks on Christmas morning.

"Of course," Yara affirmed. "He always buys something extravagant for Miss Cassandra and everyone else within the household. And he always participates in our Christmas feast. He rarely does anything business related over the holidays." Yara caught Maria's bemused look and gave her a smile and a pat on the hand. "Even criminals have parents. He grew up in a household that celebrated Christmas. There's just something about the lights, the music, the atmosphere of joviality that can put even the grimmest of men in the holiday spirit."

Maria laughed out loud when Yara called Nic a hardened criminal. Everyone knew he was the boss of a massive illegal organization, but no one talked about it out loud. You never knew who was nearby listening. Maria finished her breakfast and pressed a kiss against Yara's cheek, thanking her for taking such good care of everyone.

As Maria met Nic at the limo she felt lighter. Yara was right, there was something about Christmas that put people in a better mood. And now that she was in a position to participate in the holiday, she couldn't wait to start shopping. She was going to buy Nic reindeer socks and a new tie, Yara a set of the fanciest knives Maria could find, Luke was getting a teddy bear, Justin a book on bodyguard survival, Ruiz a new car and Cassandra the biggest prettiest pink diamond Maria could find. Did pink diamonds actually exist? She didn't know, but she was going to find out.

"What are you thinking, mia bella?" Nic asked, picking up her hand and kissing the back of it before placing it on his thigh with his hand over hers. They were in the back of the limo speeding toward the airport.

"I was thinking about Christmas and shopping," she admitted.

"Ah, this is good for me to hear," he said with a nod. "It will make me happy to see you finally spend some of the money I have made available for you."

Her mood shifted at his words, at her own thoughts. She had no money, she only had Nic’s and already she was compromising her values, thinking about expensive gifts for Ruiz and Cassandra. She was a kept woman and that troubled her. She'd been brought up with work ethic, and while she was enjoying the break from real life and having to look over her shoulder all the time, she wasn't built for a life of leisure. She didn't want to spend the rest of her life behind the locked gates of a mansion with nothing better to do than spend money.

"I've spent plenty of your money," she muttered, tugging her hand back.

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