Lydia ducked into the elevator and wrenched the doors closed on his hand.
‘Thank you,’ she said. With the gate safely between them she spoke in a withering tone. ‘Now I know for a fact what an utter bastard you are.’
She did not crumple.
Lydia refused to.
And she refused to waste even a single tear.
She was scared, though.
Scared and alone.
And she would have run into the night.
Without Raul, absolutely she would have run.
But instead of going down Lydia pressed the elevator button that would take her to his floor.
RAUL STEPPED INTO his suite, unexpectedly alone.
Allegra had, of course, rung ahead, and everything had been prepared for Raul to return with a female guest.
The suite was dimly lit, but Raul saw champagne chilling in a bucket. He bypassed it. Throwing his jacket on a chair, he poured a large cognac and downed half in one gulp, then kicked off his socks and shoes, wrenched off his tie and removed his shirt.
In the bathroom Raul rolled his eyes, for the sight that greeted him seemed to mock. Candles had been lit and the deep bath was filled with fragrant water. But Raul would be bypassing that too—perhaps a cold shower might be more fitting.
He soon gave up prowling the penthouse suite dressed for two and lay on the bed. He took another belt of his drink and considered extending his stay for another night in Rome.
Unlike before, when he had actually wanted to flaunt Lydia under Bastiano’s nose, Raul suddenly had a sense of foreboding.
Yes, Lydia might have stood up to her stepfather tonight, but for how long would that last? She was strong—Raul had seen that—but her family clearly saw Lydia as their ticket out of whatever mess they were in. And Bastiano, Raul knew, didn’t care what methods he used to get his own way.
It wasn’t his problem.
Over and over Raul told himself that.
He was angry with Bastiano rather than concerned about Lydia, Raul decided.
Only that didn’t sit quite right.
Tomorrow he would be out of here.
Raul had rescheduled the jet for midday tomorrow. He would soon be back in Venice and this trip would be forgotten.
Raul didn’t even want the hotel now—Sultan Alim’s words had hit home. The Grande Lucia was far too much responsibility. He wanted investments he could manage from a distance. Raul wanted no labour of love.
In any area of his life.
Raul managed to convince himself that he was relieved with tonight’s outcome.
Well, not relieved.
Far from it.
He was aching and hard, and was just sliding down his zipper, when he heard knocking at the door.
Good things, Raul realised as he made his way to the door, did come to those who waited. For just when he had thought the night was over, it would seem it had just begun!
He didn’t bother to turn on the lounge light—just opened the door and Lydia tumbled in.
She had a suitcase beside her, which would usually be enough to perturb him, but there were other concerns right now.
She was shaking while trying to appear calm.
‘Sorry to disturb you…’
Her voice was trembling.
‘What happened?’
‘We had a row,’ Lydia said. ‘A long overdue one. Anyway, I don’t want to talk about that now.’
Oh, it wasn’t just that she knew the price for a night in his room—Lydia wanted to go back to feeling happy.
Preferably now, please.
She wanted the oblivion his mouth offered, not to think of the turbulent times ahead.
He was naked from the waist up and her demand was sudden. ‘Where were we?’
And her mouth found his and her kiss was urgent.
He tasted of liquor, and he was obviously aroused when she pressed into him.
Yet for once Raul was the one slowing things down.
His body demanded he kiss her back with fervour, that he take her now, up against the wall, and give her what she craved.
Yet there was more to this, he knew.
‘Lydia…’
He peeled her off him and it was a feat indeed, for between his attempts to halt her he was resisting going back in for a kiss. He was hard and primed, and she was desperate and willing.
An obvious match.
Yet somehow not.
‘Slow down…’ he told her. ‘Angry sex we can do later.’
Raul never thought of ‘later’ with women and was surprised by his own thought process, but his overriding feeling was concern.
‘I’m not angry,’ Lydia said.
She could feel his arms holding her back as he somehow read her exactly and told her how she felt.
‘Oh, baby, you are!’
She was.
Lydia was a ball of fury that he held at arm’s length.
She was trying to go for his zipper. She was actually wild.
‘Lydia?’
He guided her to a chair, and it was like folding wood trying to get her to sit down, but finally he did.
Lydia could hear her own rapid breathing as Raul went over and flicked on a light, and she knew he was right.
She was angry.
He saw her pale face and the red hand mark, and Raul’s own anger coiled his gut tight. But he kept his voice even. ‘What happened?’
‘I told Maurice that I shan’t be his puppet and neither shall I be returning home.’
He came to her and knelt down, and his hand went to her swollen cheek.
‘Did he hit you anywhere else?’
‘No.’ She shook her head. ‘I’m fine. Really I am.’
Raul frowned, because there were no tears—it was suppressed rage that glittered in her eyes.
‘Do you want me to go and sort him out?’
‘I would hate that.’
He rather guessed that she would.
‘Please?’ he said, and saw that she gave a small smile.
‘No.’
He would do so later.
Right now, though, Raul’s concern was Lydia. He stood and looked around. There was a woman in his hotel suite, and for the first time Raul didn’t know what to do with her.
Lydia too looked around, and she was starting to calm.
She saw the champagne and the flowers, and the room that had been prepared for them, and cringed at her own behaviour. She had asked for romance