The Royal's American Love Read Online Free PDF Page B

how strong he was, the way the muscles
played under his skin. Amazing that a man who was so strong could be so gentle
as well, and she could feel herself fall deeper under his spell.
    It wasn’t until one hand came up to thread through her hair
that she realized she had stumbled into dangerous territory. The soft motion
awoke a burning heat in her, one that could overrule her common sense with a
great deal of speed and force if she allowed it.
    With what felt like the last bit of her willpower, she
jerked away from him with a soft cry, throwing herself back against the far
door. She could imagine how she looked, her lipstick smeared and her gray eyes
turned dark with need for him.
    Marianna looked up to see that Nikolos watching her. In
that moment, he reminded her of a beautiful animal poised to strike but still
uncertain about where to do it.
    “That was not exactly what I intended to do,” she admitted,
and his laugh was low and throaty.
    “I’m sorry,” he said, “as that was more or less exactly
what I wanted.”
    She shook her head. “Anyway. Upstairs. That is, I’m going
upstairs. Right now. See you in the morning?”
    If he noticed her stutter, he gave no sign. Instead, he
only came around the car to open the door for her, a charmingly courtly gesture
that made her smile. He handed her out of the car, brushing a light kiss across
the back of her knuckles before releasing her.
    “Tomorrow,” he said, and it sound as much like a promise as
it was a declaration of future plans.
    “Yes, tomorrow,” she echoed, and then she walked briskly up
to her room.
    It was a luxurious room by her standards, a full suite
including kitchen, bathroom, and living room in addition to an enormous bedroom
with a king-size bed. At any other time, she would have reveled in the space,
but right now, she was simply too shocked by what had happened.
    When Marianna saw herself in the bathroom mirror, she
realized her eyes looked enormous and dark, like those of a haunted, hunted
woman. After her shower and brushing her teeth, she found a strange comfort in
her old cotton floral nightgown.
    “I’ll do better tomorrow,” she promised herself, sliding
between the incredibly soft sheets. “Tomorrow, I’ll keep my cool, and I’ll make
sure that I keep things professional. I will.”
    She drifted off into a deep and dreamless sleep, trying to
ignore the laughter that was echoing in her mind.
    * * *
    When he left the restaurant, Nikolos had every intention of
spending at least a few hours at his favorite club, or perhaps dropping in on
some of the famous parties that were always being thrown in Athens.
    When he dropped Marianna off, however, he was filled with a
strange sense of languor. Suddenly, the evening looked…boring. It was
ridiculous, of course. He was one of the richest men in the country, and his
looks had been praised in international magazines since he turned nineteen.
    However, the fact of the matter was as soon as Marianna had
gotten out of his car, he felt as if there was nothing else interesting in the
city, and that he might as well simply head to bed.
    “Damned woman,” he said, but there was no heat to it.
    He could still taste her on his lips, an astonishingly
sweet taste that made him want to pull her head back so he could drink more
thoroughly, more deeply.
    “You’re just interested because she turned you down,” he
muttered, pulling into the flow of traffic. There were a thousand different
places that he could go…and he wanted none of them.
    At a stoplight, he checked his messages. One was from his
mother, simply reminding him to be on his best behavior. The other was from a
young actress who was in town and wanted a little company. She was a beautiful
woman with an intelligent spirit and a wicked smile, but when he tried to think
about her face, he only saw Marianna’s.
    He thanked his mother for her reminder, and he sent the
actress a vague apology. He didn’t think too long on why he didn’t feel