AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘Excellent work, bella,’ Dante said as he unclipped his seat belt and mine while the helicopter’s blades swished to a stop. But then he scooped my phone out of my hands and tucked it in his back pocket. ‘But there is to be no more shop talk now for the rest of the weekend,’ he said as he hauled me out of my seat and into his arms. ‘Or I will have to fire you.’
‘Go ahead,’ I teased back as I banded my arms around his lean waist. ‘I know several other casino owners who would hire me in a second.’
‘Then they would have to die,’ he said before leaning down to cover my lips in a possessive kiss.
The kiss went from amused to carnal in seconds—as it always did with Dante—but just as I became desperate, the heat burning up my torso like wildfire, he pulled away from me, ducked down and hefted me onto his shoulder in a fireman’s lift.
‘What are you doing?’ I demanded, suddenly staring at the tight muscles of his backside outlined in worn denim—as he hauled me off the helicopter like a sack of potatoes. ‘Put me down,’ I added, but my protests lacked heat, thanks to the laughter bubbling out of my mouth.
‘Be still, woman,’ he said, giving me a playful pat on my bottom. ‘Or I’ll drop you.’
Ignoring my struggles, Dante marched past the pilot and Collette and her staff, who were watching our antics with amusement. But, instead of heading into the house and straight up to our suite, as I had expected, he walked in the opposite direction, around the side of the chateau, then through the grounds, past the fountains and the follies and the Japanese pagoda. I had to stop struggling, scared he might drop me for real, as he carried me down the steps to our private beach.
The sun heated my skin and my heart swelled in my chest as I finally landed on my feet again—in our special place.
It was over a year since we’d first made love in this cove and we always found time to christen it again whenever we escaped to La Villa Paradis from our work in Monaco. It had been a year filled with love and light and laughter, and the occasional passionate argument, because Dante was still the most infuriating man I’d ever met. As well as the most wonderful.
‘You’re a menace,’ I said, with no heat whatsoever. ‘I can’t believe you just carried me off like that in front of the staff. As if you were a pirate and I was your captive! They’ll never take me seriously again.’
‘The staff adore you, as you well know,’ he chastised me, the twinkle of mischief in his eyes suggesting my punishment wasn’t over yet. A giddy thrill careered through my system. ‘And if you don’t want to be treated like a captive then don’t threaten to leave me.’
My cheeks flushed as he captured my face in his palms, his fingers caressing my neck and sending erotic shivers to the rest of my body.
‘You know it makes me crazy,’ he murmured and I realised the playful spark had disappeared.
‘You know I’d never leave you,’ I said. Surely he knew I had only been joking?
A sensual smile spread across his lips and relief flooded through my system.
‘I know,’ he said. ‘But I think it is time we made that official. And I wanted to bring you here to make that happen.’
Huh?
My eyes widened as he reached into the front pocket of his jeans and produced a small velvet box. He flipped it open to reveal a ring nestled in black velvet—a white gold band studded with tiny emeralds which sparkled in the sunlight.
My sight blurred and my heart bounced up to bump my tonsils as he sunk to one knee on the sand in front of me.
‘My love, my life, my bella,’ he said, his voice gruff and deadly serious now. ‘Will you become my wife?’
I covered my mouth with quivering fingers as tears of joy seeped over my lids to course down my cheeks—so shocked and moved I could barely speak. ‘Oh, Dante, I...I...I can’t...’
‘All you have to do is say yes, bella,’ he said gently, the tiny quiver of uncertainty as his gaze met mine making me love him all the more.
‘Oh, Dante...’ I said again. And then I flew at him, throwing my arms around his shoulders and knocking him over. ‘Yes, yes, yes!’ I shouted, so the whole world could hear me. And him most of all. ‘Absolutely yes!’
His deep chuckles joined my joyous laughter as we rolled over together.
The sun shone on his waves of dark hair as he rose over me. ‘Damn, I think I’ve lost the ring,’ he said as he glanced at the now empty ring box still clutched in his fist.
‘It doesn’t matter,’ I said, flinging my arms around his neck to pull him down towards me. ‘We’ll find it, together.’
He smiled at me, the cool blue of his irises hot with the promise of all the years to come. ‘Yes,’ he said, his voice rich and full of confidence—like my heart. ‘We will find it, together.’
Then he kissed me, and his lips tasted of safety and security, and love, and sunshine, and happiness... And sand!
* * *
If you enjoyed Claiming My Untouched Mistress you’re sure to enjoy these other stories by Heidi Rice!
