Love Islands: Swept Away. Natalie Anderson

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       CHAPTER FIVE

      SHE WENT HOT, then cold, then colder. Until she felt as brittle as chilled glass. Dumbly, she stared into those burnished gold eyes, sure she’d misheard him.

      ‘What did you say?’

      ‘The famiglia isn’t as powerful as it once was, but I’m not willing to dismiss them out of hand, either. Marrying me will grant you and Lucca protection, which you could be vulnerable without.’

      ‘No way. I can’t... I can’t just marry you! We know next to nothing about each other.’

      A look curled through his eyes. ‘Our circumstances aren’t commonplace. Besides, we’ve already done things a little out of sequence, don’t you think?’

      She laughed, but the sound was more painful than she wanted it to be. ‘This is far from a quaint little romantic caper.’

      He nodded. ‘Sì, which is why I want to ensure I have all the bases covered for your protection.’

      ‘Oh, God!’

      ‘Maisie—’

      ‘No.’ She pulled out of his hold and backed away. ‘This is preposterous. You have to find another way to protect Lucca.’

      Golden eyes bored into hers. ‘There’s no other way. There’s an unspoken code, gattina. They may be thugs, but they respect family. Marrying me means you and Lucca become off limits.’

      ‘But it still won’t be a cast-iron guarantee, will it?’

      He shrugged. ‘Nothing in life is guaranteed. I have no intention of involving myself in that life, but there may be resistance. A temporary marriage is our best option.’

      The cold pronunciation chilled her to the bone. She kept backing away until her shoulders nudged the window. Unrelenting, he prowled towards her.

      ‘No way. I can’t do it, Romeo. I just... I can’t just fold up my life and uproot my son to live goodness knows where, looking over my shoulder every day!’

      ‘Look!’ He reached her, grasped her shoulders and turned her around, directing her gaze to the street, where his men maintained a watchful guard. ‘Is this how you want Lucca to live? Surrounded by men in black carrying guns? Can you honestly say that you’ll experience a moment of peace in the park, knowing that his life could be in danger from unknown elements at each second of the day?’

      She shuddered. ‘That’s not fair, Romeo.’

      His bitter laugh scoured her skin. ‘Life’s never fair, gattina,’ he whispered in her ear. ‘Believe me, I have firsthand experience in just how unfair life can be. That’s why I want this for our son. He will bear my name, legitimately, and my protection.’

      ‘But you cannot guarantee that, can you? Can’t you just go to the authorities and tell them about this?’

      He levelled a deep sigh. ‘Sì, I can. My lawyers have been apprised of what’s going on. But, technically, Lorenzo hasn’t committed a crime yet, just issued veiled threats. Even when he does, the wheels of justice don’t always move fast, Maisie. You of all people should know that.’

      Sadly, she knew that all too well. Nevertheless, she couldn’t give what he was suggesting any room to grow. That a part of her wanted to let it grow deeply unnerved her. ‘We can still—’

      ‘We can do a lot of things.’ He reached for her again, pinning her arms to her sides. ‘None would be as effective as what I’m proposing. At the very least, it’ll buy time until I can find another solution.’

      She pulled away. She thought of her parents, of the frosty existence she’d lived with. Her parents’ lack of warmth hadn’t just been directed at her. They’d been equally frosty to each other. As she’d grown up, she’d realised that the only reason they’d married and stayed married had been because of her. A shiver of horror raked her from head to toe at the thought of placing herself in a similar arrangement. Lucca was sharp. It would be a matter of time before he sensed that his parents didn’t love one another. The thought of what it would do to him made her recoil.

      ‘Maisie—’

      ‘No!’ she cried. The part of her that hadn’t been freaking out completely threw up its arms and buckled beneath the part that was exploding with hysteria. ‘I won’t do it! I won’t—’

      She gasped as strong arms clamped around her and she was hauled into his body.

      ‘Basta! There’s no need to get hysterical.’

      She fought to free herself, but his arms tightened their hold on her. ‘I’m not getting hysterical,’ she lied. Inside, she was going out of her mind with information overload. And being this close to Romeo, feeling his taut, warm body against hers, wasn’t helping, either. Planting her hands on his chest, she pushed. ‘Let me go, Romeo!’

      ‘Calm down, then I will.’

      She stilled, then made the mistake of glancing up at him.

      His eyes were molten, his lips parted slightly as he stared down at her. The look on his face morphed to replicate the dangerous sensations climbing through her.

      ‘No...’ she whispered.

      ‘No,’ he agreed roughly. And yet his head started to descend, his arms gathering her even closer until her breasts were pressed against his chest.

      A second later, his hot, sensual mouth slanted over hers, and she was tumbled headlong into a different quagmire. Only, this one contained no fear, no horror. Only an electrifying sizzle that rocked her from head to toe.

      His tongue breached her mouth, his teeth biting along the way. Maisie whimpered as sensation engulfed her. She opened her mouth wider, her tongue darting out to meet his.

      He groaned and pulled her closer. One hand fisted her hair, angled her head for a deeper penetration, while the other slid down her back to cup her bottom. He squeezed and yanked her into his hardening groin. As if a torch paper had been lit between them, Maisie scoured her hands over him, trailing his shoulders, his back, the trim hardness of his waist before her fingers dug into the tightness of his buttocks.

      A rough sound exploded from his lips as he rocked against her pelvis, imprinting his erection against her belly in a clear demand that made her moan. Hunger she’d taught herself to bury suddenly reared up, urgent and demanding. When his hand cupped her breast and toyed with her nipple, Maisie wanted to scream, Take me!

      But even that sound would have taken too much effort, drugged as she was by the power of his kisses. Her fingers trailed back up, curled into his hair as she gave herself over to the sensation drowning her.

      ‘Gattina...my little wildcat,’ he groaned once he’d СКАЧАТЬ