The Royal House of Niroli Collection. Кейт Хьюит
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background things were pretty relaxed.’
‘Did you meet any of the royal family? Prince Marco or Prince Luca or the princesses?’
‘I did, actually,’ he said. ‘If you hadn’t told me what you had, I would have thought it a bit unusual since I was ostensibly there to see the king on a health matter, but I guess they too wanted to check on any likeness. They were very polite and seemed interested in the procedure I’m pioneering, but they didn’t stay long.’
‘Could you see any likeness to yourself?’ she asked.
‘Not so much with Prince Marco or Prince Luca, although of course there are similarities, but I did happen to see a portrait of Antonio and his wife Francesca on one of the walls as I walked past.’
Amelia glanced at him. ‘And?’
His eyes met hers briefly, a small frown bringing his brows together as he returned to the task of driving. ‘I know this is going to sound a bit strange, but I felt like I’d seen them before. Crazy, huh?’
‘Perhaps you’ve seen a photograph of them in the press,’ she suggested. ‘The news of their yachting accident hit the headlines all over the world.’
‘Yeah, that’s probably what it was,’ he said, sending her a quick smile.
Amelia settled back in her seat, but the next time she chanced a glance at him his smile had disappeared…
CHAPTER TEN
H‘OW about we have a quick dinner at my place before I visit your father?’ Alex suggested a short time later.
‘I don’t want to put you to any trouble…’
‘I’m not quite a celebrity chef or anything, but I can whip up a mean omelette and salad. My mother always told me women are super impressed by a man who can cook.’
‘I’m super impressed by a man who can clean up after he cooks,’ Amelia said with a wry smile. ‘My father and brothers are absolutely hopeless.’
‘You have it tough up there, don’t you?’ he asked as he led her into the cottage. ‘But you have no need to be ashamed. Home is home, Amelia.’
She lowered her eyes. ‘I’m sorry I was so rude to you last night. I’m just not used to people seeing where I live.’
‘I’ve seen some wonderful mansions in my time, and, let me tell you, some miserable souls living in them,’ he said. ‘Some of the happiest and most well-adjusted people I’ve met have lived in virtual squalor. Where you live is not important, it’s who you are as a person.’
She smiled up at him. ‘So while you were up at the palace did you think about how it would be to live like a prince?’
‘Yeah, I did a bit, but do you know something? I think it would get on my nerves after a while. All those eyes watching your every move and obsequious staff rushing to pull out your chair for you, or wipe a crumb off your lap. Sheesh! I bet you couldn’t even go the bathroom without someone peering through the keyhole to see if you really are human after all.’
Amelia laughed. ‘I’m sure it’s not that bad!’
He grinned as he pulled her towards him. ‘What do you say, little elf? Shall we have our main course now or go straight to dessert?’
She gazed up at him with shining eyes. ‘What did you have in mind for dessert?’
His mouth came down towards hers, his warm breath caressing the surface of her lips. ‘How about strawberry kisses?’
‘Is there such a dessert?’ she asked breathlessly.
He pressed his mouth against hers for a moment before running his tongue over his lips as if to taste her. ‘Yep, there definitely is,’ he said, ‘and I can’t get enough of it.’
Amelia totally melted as his mouth moved over hers, his sensual tongue pushing between her lips to find her own. Each sweeping, sexy movement set her on fire; her skin tingled and shivered with the warm glide of his hands as they moved to shape her form. She felt his hands cup the light weight of her breasts and her stomach hollowed as he began to undo the top buttons of her uniform, one by one, leaving a trail of scorching kisses as he went. Her bra slipped to the floor along with her uniform, leaving her at the mercy of his hungry dark gaze.
‘You’re so beautiful.’ He almost growled the words, so deep and low was his voice as he pulled the tie from his throat and tossed it to the floor.
Her hands helped him with his shirt, her fingers skating over the buttons until it too was at their feet along with her uniform. He stepped out of his trousers and she felt the full thrust of his body against her, the heat of his arousal burning into the soft skin of her stomach.
‘Am I going too fast for you?’ he said next to her ear where he was nibbling her until her skin started to lift all over.
‘Not fast enough,’ she breathed and, kicking off her shoes, pushed herself closer.
‘It’s been a long time for both of us,’ he said as he kissed the upper side of one breast. ‘I want to pace myself but you’re making it hard for me.’
‘I can’t help it,’ she said, and started kissing his throat, hot, sucking little kisses that made him groan with need. ‘I want you.’
He picked her up and carried her to his bedroom, his weight coming down on top of her as he joined her, his long legs anchoring her to the bed. He kissed his way down her stomach but she wouldn’t let him go below her belly button. She brought his head back up and wriggled until he was pushing against her soft folds.
He wrenched his mouth off hers long enough to gasp something about a condom and she waited impatiently as he reached across her to find one. She heard him rummaging about in the drawer with little success.
‘Damn!’
‘Here.’ She pushed him aside. ‘Let me have a girl look.’
‘A girl look?’
She smiled coyly as she found a little foil packet and held it up. ‘See?’
‘I swear you must have planted that in there.’
‘I did not! You just weren’t looking.’
He ripped the packet open with his teeth and handed her the condom. ‘Why don’t you put it on in case I can’t find what I’m looking for?’
She bit her lip in sudden shyness. ‘No…you do it… I might not do it properly.’
He lifted her chin so she met his eyes. ‘That’s what I like about you, little elf. You’re so adorably shy.’
A small frown wrinkled her brow. ‘I can’t help it.’
He kissed the little crease on her forehead. ‘I’ve never made love to a woman like you before.’
Her brow wrinkled even more. ‘Like me?’
He smiled and, taking her hand, placed it on the rigidity of his erection. ‘Amelia, do you see what you are doing to me?’
‘Oh…’
‘You’re not disappointed?’
‘Why would I be disappointed?’ she asked.
‘If the rumours were true about me, you could be seconds away from sleeping with a prince. Isn’t that every girl’s dream?’
Amelia looked at his mouth, the sexy curve of his smile sending sparks of sensation right to the core of her being. ‘Just how many seconds are we talking about here?’ she asked.
He smiled and pushed her back down, taking her breath away with his first deep thrust, and covered her mouth with his.
The silky slide of his thick body in hers was almost too much for her sensation-starved