Exotic Desires: The Complete Series Box Set (9 page)

An idea popped into my head. It was a bad one, possibly the worst one I'd ever had, and I knew I should just keep my mouth shut. But Nami looked so miserable and I couldn't help but compare her to me. She was where I'd been back in Philadelphia, bound by her parents' expectations without a hope of breaking free. I couldn't do anything about that, but I could offer her what she'd just said she wanted.

“Are you serious about wanting to have some fun?” I asked.

She looked up at me, a puzzled expression on her face. “Yes.”

“And you want to get away from the linebackers out there?”

She nodded.

“You promise you won't be in any danger if you do something reckless?” I didn't want to risk this if it meant she would be hurt.

“I won't,” she said. “My family has expectations, but they aren't violent if those aren't met.”

“Then call them in here. I'll hide while you have them carry the luggage to the last car like you'd said. Except, instead of me sneaking out and away, we're going to go together.”

Chapter 11

Nami

I stared at him, unsure if I was hearing him correctly. Surely he couldn't be suggesting that the two of us run away together. That was ludicrous. And yet a part of me was thrilled at the idea.

I immediately pushed the thought aside. He didn't mean for us to run away together. Not like that. Besides, I couldn't do it, couldn't leave my family. But...I realized what he meant. A little detour before going home. A chance to have what I'd wanted, at least a single day of freedom. A day to have fun without Tomas and Kai breathing down my neck, watching my every move.

“What do you say?” He held out a hand. “Want to have some fun before you head home?”

I couldn't begin to say all the ways this was a bad idea. The risk to my reputation, being out and about with a virtual stranger. The chance that my parents would find out. The ruining of the engagement.

Still, I couldn't help but think about what it would be like, to walk around Venice with Reed, like we were some couple on a romantic getaway. No eyes on me, no worrying about every little thing.

Before I could second-guess myself, I slid my hand into his. “Yes,” I said. “I'd like that very much.”

He raised my hand and kissed the back of it. “Then let's get started. We should be arriving in Venice soon.” He released my hand and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

I took a moment to collect myself and check to make sure my clothes were all on properly. I didn't want to risk them thinking there was anything strange going on. I needed them to think that I was still going along with my father's wishes. They wouldn't force me to do anything. It wasn't like that. But they would stay by my side the whole time, make sure I was never alone. Use their presence to intimidate crowds to move around us so that I could only go where they wanted me to go. They could call my father, tell him that I'd tried to slip away...again. He wouldn't hurt me or anything like that. What he wouldn't do was trust me again.

“Tomas, Kai.” I opened the door and gave them each a quick smile. “Come here please.”

They both looked angry and, if what Reed had said was true, they had good reason to be. Neither of them said anything though. They wouldn't. Being detained wasn't exactly the kind of thing security would be pleased to tell their employer. They came in without a word or a greeting, but that wasn't entirely unusual.

“I want to get off from the last car,” I informed them. “Avoid the possibility of any media.”

They exchanged looks that I recognized. They didn't generally like it when I took charge. They preferred to follow things like class schedules, itineraries, things like that. They were loyal though, understood their role when it came to who was in charge. They would do what I asked unless it went directly against my father’s orders.

“Take the luggage to the car and wait for me there.”

“But, Pr–”

“Are you really going to argue?” I cut Tomas off before he could call me by my title. I didn't know how much Reed could hear, but I didn't want him hearing that. “It's a simple task. Take our luggage to the last train car and I'll meet you there when we arrive in Venice.”

“Shouldn't we not wait until we arrive at the station, take our things then and go together?” Kai suggested.

I shook my head. “Do you really think it's a good idea to try to haul all of our luggage through crowded corridors while everyone else is trying to leave too?”

They exchanged looks again and this time I knew it was because I'd made a good point. I honestly hadn't even thought about it until I'd said it, but it actually made sense. It seemed that luck was on my side.

“Hurry up.” I motioned towards the suitcases and then stepped off to the side to let them pass by. I backed up against the bathroom door so that neither of them would accidentally bump against it. Since it was one of the few places I could be out of the way, it didn't look suspicious.

I closed the door behind them as they left, but didn't tell Reed to come out yet. I wanted to be sure Tomas and Kai didn't come back for something they missed, so I waited a few minutes and then started to open the door. My hand was on the latch before I thought better of it. I didn't want to be rude. I rapped my fingers against the door twice.

“They're gone.”

He slid the door aside and we were suddenly face to face. A mere inch apart, I could feel the heat of him, smell the scent of the train's soap mingled with the scent that I recognized as him. I looked up at him, my heart beating hard in my chest.

He cupped my chin, his skin burning against mine. I barely had a moment to register the kiss before his mouth was hard against mine. A shiver of desire went through me as my lips molded themselves to his. My body leaned against his and I could feel him getting hard against my hip.

His teeth scraped my bottom lip and I moaned. I couldn't believe how good he made me feel. A single kiss and my knees were weak.

He sighed as he broke the kiss, but he didn't let me go. “I wish this was a much longer ride.”

“Regretting your offer?” I teased. I knew what he meant, but I didn't want to go there. I was already pushing what was smart. There couldn't be anything between us and I could feel us getting closer the longer we were together.

“Getting cold feet, are we?” He smiled at me as he laced his fingers through mine.

“Not a chance.” I smiled at him. “You're stuck with me.”

His eyes darkened and he squeezed my hand. “Sounds like fun to me.”

Silence fell between us, thick and tense with desire. How could I want him again? I'd slept with Aaron and enjoyed it well enough, but I hadn't wanted him a second time. With Reed, I'd had him twice and still, I wanted more. If I had my way, we'd be heading straight to a hotel and not coming out for a week.

Dammit. I seriously needed to stop thinking about sex with Reed. We weren't going there. We were going to be in Venice and I fully intended to see it.

“How do we do this?” I asked, breaking the moment. “Tomas and Kai will wait in the last car for a while, but I wouldn't put it past them for one to stay with the luggage and the other to come back and get me.”

“Then I guess we'd better move then.” He dropped a wink and opened the car door. He looked both ways, then pulled me out into the hall after him.

“Where are we going?” I kept my voice low, then flushed when I realized what I was doing.

Reed didn't seem to have noticed because he answered my question in a voice almost as quiet. “The dining car.”

“Really?” I asked.

“We'll follow people out of there into one of the other cars and get lost in the shuffle.”

“You think that'll work?” I gave him a doubtful look.

He shrugged. “Saw it work in a movie once.” He frowned. “At least I think it worked.”

I wasn't entirely sure if he was joking or not, but either way, I would go along with it. What was the worst that could happen?

As we made our way into the dining car and ducked into a booth, my stomach was in knots and my palms were sweating. I almost wanted to let go of Reed's hand, but I was more worried that I'd end up losing him in a crowd and then I'd be lost and by myself. I spoke several languages, but wasn't fluent in Italian. I hadn't realized how much I'd accepted the presence of my bodyguards until I thought about what would happen if Reed and I got separated.

“Are you okay?” Reed looked over at me, concern on his face.

I nodded.

“Because you're kind of hurting my hand.”

I flushed and let go. He smiled at me as he flexed his fingers and shook his hand.

“Sorry,” I muttered.

“Are you sure you're alright?”

“I was just...worried that we'd get separated.”

Reed stood and held out his hand. “Don't worry. I won't let you go.”

My stomach twisted at his words and I warned myself not to read too much into what he'd said. He was talking about right now, that was all.

I took his hand and let him lead me into the group of people who were heading back to their seats. Even though I knew the chances of Tomas or Kai finding me so quickly were slim, I couldn't stop myself from looking over my shoulder. I had a feeling that wasn't going to change until we were safely outside and deep in the city.

As we stood near the door, Reed pulled me closer to him. “Ready to have some fun?”

I smiled up at him. Despite the nerves, I was starting to feel a rush of excitement, the kind of rush that came from doing something I wasn't supposed to. The best part about all of this, however, wasn't what I was about to do, or even how attracted I was to Reed. The best part was that Reed didn't know who I was, what I was, and he wanted to do this with me. He wanted me for me. Maybe most of it was for my body, but I knew there had to be at least a little part of him that liked me for more than sex, otherwise we wouldn't be here. For the first time in my life, I wasn't a princess or an heir to a throne. I was Nami. Just Nami. And I had a feeling I was going to like it.

Chapter 12

Reed

I couldn't believe I made the offer, and I was even more surprised that she'd accepted. The words had just kind of popped out and then I had to figure out what we were going to do. Fortunately, I was able to put the time I spent in the bathroom to good use. By the time she told me to come out, I had an idea of what to do to get off the train without being seen by her bodyguards. Then she'd been right there and I'd kissed her. I'd needed to kiss her. It wasn't like anything I could explain, only that with her standing that close, I couldn't help myself. The scent of her, the heat of her body.

I shook my head to clear it. I believed Nami when she said her bodyguards wouldn't hurt her. I wasn't so sure they wouldn't hurt me, however. I had a feeling I'd just missed getting the shit beat out of me in my hotel room. I was quite certain it would be in my best interest to avoid them altogether, and to do that, I needed a clear head. Unfortunately, with Nami so close by, it wasn't as easy as I would have liked. I couldn't believe how easily she distracted me.

“When the doors open, just walk right out. Don't rush or keep looking over your shoulder. We're just two tourists coming in to Venice on the train.” I kept my voice low.

“More knowledge from movies?” she asked. I could hear a bit of strain in her voice, but there was excitement too.

I couldn't deny that I felt the same. It wasn't like this was some sort of rescue or anything like that. I was just trying to give someone a day or two of freedom and fun because I knew what it was like to live a life for someone else. Part of me wanted to tell her to break free completely, to not wait as long as I did, but I reminded myself that I didn't know Nami's whole story. I couldn't assume that her situation was like mine. I had to trust her to do what was right for her.

Besides, I wasn't a hero. I allowed myself a wry smile. I was an unemployed rich kid making my way across Europe, sleeping with whoever I happened to find. I had no direction, no purpose. In fact, standing here with Nami, getting ready to sneak off a train and vanish into Venice for a day or so, was the first time I'd had a plan beyond the times stamped on my train tickets.

The doors opened and we followed the crowd out. It was almost noon and a beautiful May day in Italy. Nami was gripping my hand tight enough for it almost to hurt, but I didn't say anything this time. Excitement was quickly chasing away my nerves. I led us towards the front of the train, hopefully away from where the bodyguards would be coming once they figured out Nami was gone.

Still, we needed to get away from the station and out of sight. I'd been to Venice once on a business trip, and while I hadn't had time to thoroughly explore the city, I did know a couple places. The first thing we needed, however, was a boat. It wasn't that difficult to find a gondola. Once we settled in, I spoke to the nice Italian man smiling at us. “
Portaci al Museo Guggenheim, per favore.
”

“What was that?” Nami asked. “I caught part of it, but Italian isn't my strongest language.”

“I asked him to take us to the Guggenheim Museum,” I said. I released her hand and put my arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to me. “Now let's just look like we're enjoying the romance of the city.”