Read Online To Catch a Groom by Rebecca Winters - Free Book Online
Authors: Rebecca Winters
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sea captain, he would be running a naval vessel or a passenger ship or something.”
Olivia hunched her shoulders. “Maybe he does this for fun when he’s on vacation. What do we care? We came to the Riviera for ten days of fun, plus the hope of meeting some authentic playboys.”
Greer shook her head. “Technically we came with a definite plan to get them to propose!
“Can you honestly picture that three-tongued Don Juan above deck bringing himself to ask for a woman’s hand in marriage? Even if he knew the Hope diamond could be his?” she exploded.
“Probably not,” Piper admitted. “But then he’s the captain, so he’s not in the running.”
“Then somebody needs to tell him that. I saw the way he was devouring you with his eyes, as if you were a feast and he couldn’t decide which dish to try first.”
“That stranger last night really freaked you out,” Olivia said softly.
“The captain freaks me, too. Let’s face it, guys. When we thought up our absurd plan, we’d just gotten home from Mr. Carlson’s office. It was grief that made us delusional.
“I vote that when we dock at Monterossa tonight, we say ‘thanks, but no thanks,’ and head straight for the train station. I don’t care if we have to stay there all night. Oncewe’re back in Genoa, we’ll wait on standby for a flight home.”
“Home?” Piper’s brows knit together. “No way, Greer. It’s too big a waste of Daddy’s money.”
“We paid a trip cancellation fee,” Greer reminded them. “I say we ask for a refund. Of course we won’t get all the money back, but it’s better than nothing.”
“I came to see the Grand Prix.”
“I realize that, Olivia, but there’ll be another car race next year. You can come again for the right reason, and on your own money. I just think we’re in over our heads here.”
Olivia eyed her soberly. “You’re serious.”
Greer nodded. “What kind of a vacation will it be if the whole time we’re trying to have fun on this catamaran, we’re fighting off a captain who thinks he’s God’s gift to women and believes we’re titled and dripping in money and jewels? If you think Signore Moretti withheld that vital piece of information from his crew, then you’d believe we’re sailing on the Caribbean!”
“You don’t have to be sarcastic,” Piper murmured, sounding hurt.
Olivia trained concerned eyes on her. “With all of us protecting each other, the captain will be helpless to do anything, so I don’t see the problem. It’ll be three against one. If we stick together, he can’t make a move we won’t know about.”
“Don’t be so sure. He’s runs this boat. You heard him say he knew of places where we could be virtually alone. He wasn’t kidding. We’re out of our depth here. They’re not ordinary men. They know how to seduce a woman.”
“Then we’ll have to be on our guard.”
“You say that now, Piper, but they have ways of getting you to do things you never planned to do.”
Olivia drew closer. “Are you saying something else happened last night we don’t know about?”
Greer’s heart pounded in her ears. “No,” she confessed shakily, “but—”
“But you think you won’t be able to hold out against him if you were ever to see him again.”
After her experience last night, she knew it would take a strong woman to resist a man like him or the captain and secretly she just didn’t know if she could.
“Let’s just say I don’t want to find out.” If she gave the dark stranger one inch, he’d take ten thousand miles. There would be a price to pay for carrying on a passionate ten-day affair with him. After it was over she would return home alone where she would stay in pain for the rest of her life.
No way… She was a Duchess, and a Duchess girl held out for marriage and everything that went with it.
“Guys—we’ve enjoyed our moment of insanity pretending to be duchesses. Now it’s over.”
“But not the whole trip.” Piper
Olivia hunched her shoulders. “Maybe he does this for fun when he’s on vacation. What do we care? We came to the Riviera for ten days of fun, plus the hope of meeting some authentic playboys.”
Greer shook her head. “Technically we came with a definite plan to get them to propose!
“Can you honestly picture that three-tongued Don Juan above deck bringing himself to ask for a woman’s hand in marriage? Even if he knew the Hope diamond could be his?” she exploded.
“Probably not,” Piper admitted. “But then he’s the captain, so he’s not in the running.”
“Then somebody needs to tell him that. I saw the way he was devouring you with his eyes, as if you were a feast and he couldn’t decide which dish to try first.”
“That stranger last night really freaked you out,” Olivia said softly.
“The captain freaks me, too. Let’s face it, guys. When we thought up our absurd plan, we’d just gotten home from Mr. Carlson’s office. It was grief that made us delusional.
“I vote that when we dock at Monterossa tonight, we say ‘thanks, but no thanks,’ and head straight for the train station. I don’t care if we have to stay there all night. Oncewe’re back in Genoa, we’ll wait on standby for a flight home.”
“Home?” Piper’s brows knit together. “No way, Greer. It’s too big a waste of Daddy’s money.”
“We paid a trip cancellation fee,” Greer reminded them. “I say we ask for a refund. Of course we won’t get all the money back, but it’s better than nothing.”
“I came to see the Grand Prix.”
“I realize that, Olivia, but there’ll be another car race next year. You can come again for the right reason, and on your own money. I just think we’re in over our heads here.”
Olivia eyed her soberly. “You’re serious.”
Greer nodded. “What kind of a vacation will it be if the whole time we’re trying to have fun on this catamaran, we’re fighting off a captain who thinks he’s God’s gift to women and believes we’re titled and dripping in money and jewels? If you think Signore Moretti withheld that vital piece of information from his crew, then you’d believe we’re sailing on the Caribbean!”
“You don’t have to be sarcastic,” Piper murmured, sounding hurt.
Olivia trained concerned eyes on her. “With all of us protecting each other, the captain will be helpless to do anything, so I don’t see the problem. It’ll be three against one. If we stick together, he can’t make a move we won’t know about.”
“Don’t be so sure. He’s runs this boat. You heard him say he knew of places where we could be virtually alone. He wasn’t kidding. We’re out of our depth here. They’re not ordinary men. They know how to seduce a woman.”
“Then we’ll have to be on our guard.”
“You say that now, Piper, but they have ways of getting you to do things you never planned to do.”
Olivia drew closer. “Are you saying something else happened last night we don’t know about?”
Greer’s heart pounded in her ears. “No,” she confessed shakily, “but—”
“But you think you won’t be able to hold out against him if you were ever to see him again.”
After her experience last night, she knew it would take a strong woman to resist a man like him or the captain and secretly she just didn’t know if she could.
“Let’s just say I don’t want to find out.” If she gave the dark stranger one inch, he’d take ten thousand miles. There would be a price to pay for carrying on a passionate ten-day affair with him. After it was over she would return home alone where she would stay in pain for the rest of her life.
No way… She was a Duchess, and a Duchess girl held out for marriage and everything that went with it.
“Guys—we’ve enjoyed our moment of insanity pretending to be duchesses. Now it’s over.”
“But not the whole trip.” Piper
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