sought out her discarded clothes and dragged them on to her numbed body. Only then did she consider the best way to get out of her room, her heart thumping within her, beating out a rhythm of despair that she found even more demoralising than her own lack of enthusiasm for departing for ever from Domenico's palace.
The door was as firmly locked as she had known it would be. That left the window. It would be easy enough to climb down the wall to the courtyard below, she decided. Any cat-burglar could have done it! Ten years ago, she had been a better climber than any of the boys she knew, but since then she had been a non-competitor in such sports and she felt sadly out of practice. It was like riding a bicycle, she told herself, it was impossible to forget how to do it! But the longer she looked, the further down it seemed.
She had no difficulty climbing out on to the window-sill. Grasping the wooden frame, she lowered her legs over the edge and searched with her toes for some of the footholds she had thought she could use when looking down from above. Her left foot found a solid piece of coping and, gasping with relief, she lowered herself a step further. The window directly below hers proved as useful as she had thought it would and a few seconds later she was hanging from its sill willing herself to leave go and free-fall down the last few feet to the courtyard.
'Let go, and I'll catch you!' a masculine voice bade her from below.
She lost her hold through sheer fright and fell heavily into Domenico's arms. 'How dared you be here!' she moaned against his hard chest. 'I might have been killed, scaring me silly like that!'
His hands tightened about her, shaking her until her teeth rattled. 'You could have been killed if I hadn't been here to catch you!' he retorted. 'That's solid concrete where you were planning to land! Did you think of that?'
'I thought I might break a leg '
'Did you? And what would you have done then?
This courtyard doesn't lead anywhere except into my private rooms!'
£ I thought you were in bed,' she exclaimed. 'If I could break in, I could have let myself out of the front door.'
'Dio mio!' he exclaimed. 'Do you hate being my prisoner so much? Does this Michael of yours have the key to your heart after all?'
She could not answer him. He held her tightly against him, pushing her face up to meet his with an urgent hand. For an endless moment his eyes searched hers in the darkness and then his lips were joined to hers, kissing her with an ardour that left her weak and breathless in his arms. A ride of passionate response rose within her in answer to his triumphant male challenge that threatened to take possession of her whole being. His hands slid down her back to her hips, pulling her closer still.
'Does your Michael kiss you like this—and this?' he questioned her. 'Dear God, I don't want to know if he does!'
She clung to him, conscious only of the demanding hardness of his lips as they commanded hers. She gasped and her senses reeled.
'Domenico—?'
He let her go, but only to look briefly down at her ashen face. 'Do I go too fast, my darling? You are right, we had better go inside where there are no eyes to see us!' His hands explored her with delight. 'How small you are!' he exclaimed.
'I haven't any shoes on.'
'None at all?' His laughter reverberated against her ribs. 'What have you got on, carina?'
She pulled away from him, tucking her shirt more firmly into her jeans. 'I couldn't take any of the things you gave me,' she explained the poverty of her garments. 'I have other things in my suitcase '
'If you are ever reunited with it! How did you think to find your friends with the whole of Rome to look for them in?'
'I have the address where we were all going to stay,' she protested. She turned anxious eyes on him. 'You must see that it's best I should go, Domenico. My father will never pay my ransom and you could get into terrible trouble for kidnapping me and—and I don't think I
The door was as firmly locked as she had known it would be. That left the window. It would be easy enough to climb down the wall to the courtyard below, she decided. Any cat-burglar could have done it! Ten years ago, she had been a better climber than any of the boys she knew, but since then she had been a non-competitor in such sports and she felt sadly out of practice. It was like riding a bicycle, she told herself, it was impossible to forget how to do it! But the longer she looked, the further down it seemed.
She had no difficulty climbing out on to the window-sill. Grasping the wooden frame, she lowered her legs over the edge and searched with her toes for some of the footholds she had thought she could use when looking down from above. Her left foot found a solid piece of coping and, gasping with relief, she lowered herself a step further. The window directly below hers proved as useful as she had thought it would and a few seconds later she was hanging from its sill willing herself to leave go and free-fall down the last few feet to the courtyard.
'Let go, and I'll catch you!' a masculine voice bade her from below.
She lost her hold through sheer fright and fell heavily into Domenico's arms. 'How dared you be here!' she moaned against his hard chest. 'I might have been killed, scaring me silly like that!'
His hands tightened about her, shaking her until her teeth rattled. 'You could have been killed if I hadn't been here to catch you!' he retorted. 'That's solid concrete where you were planning to land! Did you think of that?'
'I thought I might break a leg '
'Did you? And what would you have done then?
This courtyard doesn't lead anywhere except into my private rooms!'
£ I thought you were in bed,' she exclaimed. 'If I could break in, I could have let myself out of the front door.'
'Dio mio!' he exclaimed. 'Do you hate being my prisoner so much? Does this Michael of yours have the key to your heart after all?'
She could not answer him. He held her tightly against him, pushing her face up to meet his with an urgent hand. For an endless moment his eyes searched hers in the darkness and then his lips were joined to hers, kissing her with an ardour that left her weak and breathless in his arms. A ride of passionate response rose within her in answer to his triumphant male challenge that threatened to take possession of her whole being. His hands slid down her back to her hips, pulling her closer still.
'Does your Michael kiss you like this—and this?' he questioned her. 'Dear God, I don't want to know if he does!'
She clung to him, conscious only of the demanding hardness of his lips as they commanded hers. She gasped and her senses reeled.
'Domenico—?'
He let her go, but only to look briefly down at her ashen face. 'Do I go too fast, my darling? You are right, we had better go inside where there are no eyes to see us!' His hands explored her with delight. 'How small you are!' he exclaimed.
'I haven't any shoes on.'
'None at all?' His laughter reverberated against her ribs. 'What have you got on, carina?'
She pulled away from him, tucking her shirt more firmly into her jeans. 'I couldn't take any of the things you gave me,' she explained the poverty of her garments. 'I have other things in my suitcase '
'If you are ever reunited with it! How did you think to find your friends with the whole of Rome to look for them in?'
'I have the address where we were all going to stay,' she protested. She turned anxious eyes on him. 'You must see that it's best I should go, Domenico. My father will never pay my ransom and you could get into terrible trouble for kidnapping me and—and I don't think I
Similar Books
