Page 35 of Royally Roma
“That’s what fired means. Yes. My boss, Guiseppe, won’t even take my calls. I’m officially unemployed.” Her chin gave a little wobble.
Niccolo didn’t know whom he hated more at that moment, himself or Guiseppe. “I know you may find this difficult to believe, but I’m a man of my word, Julia. I will pay you for the tour, and I will make amends for the loss of your job.”
He would pay the bill one hundred times over. Five hundred, if necessary.
Why did it matter so much? Why didshematter?
“Your word means nothing to me. I don’t even know you. Do you think you’re the first man to do this to me? Newsflash—you’re not. Even my own father lied to me about who he was, and I was the one left behind to deal with the mess he’d created.”
Betrayed by her own father. That certainly struck a familiar chord. “We have that in common, I’m afraid.”
She held up a hand. “Don’t. Just don’t. I highly doubt we have anything in common.”
He wanted to argue with her, but she was right. Unless she’d grown up in a palace, their upbringings had been vastly different. “I suppose not.”
“You know, I would have my master’s degree in archaeology by now if I hadn’t made the mistake of trusting a man. But I did. He stole every penny I had, and now I’m spending my time doing this instead of working on my thesis. Or I was... until you got me fired.” She crossed her arms and glared at him.
A master’s degree. No wonder she seemed so brilliant. This job was beneath her. She deserved more.
He wanted to take her father to task. And he wanted to murder the man, the mysterious ex, who’d ruined things for her. And he hated the fact that at the moment, he himself bore a striking resemblance to that man. “Julia...”
“So you’re right. I find it difficult, if not impossible, to believe you,” she said with a sniff. “Which is why you’re not leaving my sight until I get my money. Let’s go.”
Not leaving her sight? Was she serious? The steely look in her eyes said yes, dead serious.
He arched a brow. “Where is it that you think we’re going?”
“Back to the hotel, assuming you’re actually a guest there. And assuming that’s where your people are staying as well. You know, those people who carry your money and pay your bills.” She turned her back and walked away. As if he weren’t standing there, still holding the phone that she’d wielded like a weapon. As if he would follow her like an obedient, lovelorn puppy.
Which, to his great mortification, he did.
He ground his teeth and went after her, paying no mind to how spectacular her lush bottom looked in her crimson jeans. All the same, he had a sudden yearning for cherries. “Under no circumstances can you accompany me to the Hotel de Russie.”
They might as well walk right through the front door of the palace back home in Lazaretto.
The color drained from Julia’s face, and she stopped in her tracks. “Oh my God, don’t tell me. You’remarried?”
Niccolo’s mood—which had been less than stellar since she’d felt the need to point out that not every woman he met wanted to sleep with him—took a sharp turn for the worse. Married...she thought the reason he wanted to keep her away from the Hotel de Russie was because he was married.
He cupped her elbow with a gentle, but insistent touch. He needed her to look at him and see how seriously he took such an allegation. “Married?I can’t stop imagining, wanting, needing myself inside you, and you believe I’m married to someone else? You think that highly of me, do you?”
You think I’m no better than my father?
He nearly choked on the words he couldn’t say.
“I... um...” For a breath, she froze. She didn’t struggle against his hold on her, but his grip tightened nevertheless. Ever so slightly.
What was he doing? He shouldn’t have his hands on her. Not like this. But whatever was happening between them was beyond his control. Beyond the propriety and convention that ruled every facet of his life. This was brutal. This was sexual.
Julia opened her mouth slightly and she stole a breath. Niccolo could feel her pulse beneath his touch, pumping in time with his own. She could pretend all she wanted, but her body betrayed her. Beneath their mutual anger, beneath all that had gone unsaid, she still wanted him. Just as badly as he wanted her.
She’d offended his royal dignity. She’d accused him of the very behavior he despised most. And still he wanted her. He wanted to consume every bit of her fury. He wanted to bury himself deep inside her until his demons became nothing more than distant memories.
He wanted her. Far, far too badly.
He released her arm and spoke with as much indifference as he could manufacture. “You cannot accompany me to the Hotel de Russie for reasons other than my marital status. I am not, nor have I ever been, married. Is that understood?”
“Yes.” There was the briefest hesitation before she squared her shoulders and resumed her furious stance. “If you don’t want me at your hotel, that’s fine. But you’re not going there without me.”
