“You know what, grumpy?” She leans close. I hold back the growl. “If we’re not careful, you might just have some fun tonight.”
More drinks hit the bar in front of us. I keep stealing as many of them away from her as I can, but I can’t get them all. Pretty soon, it’s all a fuckin’ blur. I think we leave the bar, but I have no damn idea. All I see is long blonde hair and big blue eyes.
4
Lucia
When I wake, everything hurts.
The light is blinding. It feels like there’s a freaking ice pick being driven through my head. I wince. My stomach lurches. I realize I’m clinging to the bedsheets, like I might fly away if I don’t. I try and open my eyes, but the whole room spins. Nausea washes over me.
I take a breath. I turn over, away from the window. Slowly, I try and open my eyes again. My eyelids flutter. I groan when my head spins again. But finally, I open my eyes.
My heart stops, and I almost scream. Actually, I do, but my mouth is so parched that it just sounds like a rasping sound.
There, lying in bed right next to me with his eyes closed, is Dominic.
He’s fast asleep. He’s also got lipstick that looks an awful lot like my shade all over his neck. Oh, and he’s naked. I blink. My stomach lurches. Hang on, what? My eyes slide down to his bare chest. Then his bare abs. I look lower, but the tangled sheet is covering him down to the knees.
My heart races. I want to scream again, but I can barely breath. Slowly, I look down at myself. Then, I do scream again. Or at least I scream that dry rasping sound again. Dominic’s not the only one naked.
I am too. I gasp and yank the sheet up around myself. Dominic grunts in his sleep he turns over away from me and keeps on sleeping. I bolt from the bed, clutching the sheet around my body. My heart is racing. The whole freaking room spins, and I feel like I could throw up.
I stagger across the surging floor—past a suit that I remember Dominic wearing last night. Past my dress. My eyes spot something else, and I cringe. It’s my fucking bra, on the floor.
I grab ahold of a chair by the desk. I look up into the round decorative mirror. I look like hell. My hair is bedraggled. My eyeshadow is a mess. My skin is pale. I stare at myself: what the hell happened last night?
My mind flashes back to drinks. Lots of drinks. I groan and clutch the chair. Another wave of nausea hits me. I remember laughing my head off with him. I have a vague memory of watching the fountains at the Bellagio. And maybe kissing…
I shake my head. Good God, what the fuck did I…
I pale suddenly and freeze. Wait, I didn’t… I mean, I couldn’t have gotten so drunk that I did that… did I? I open the sheet. I glance down at myself and let out a breath. Oh, thank God. I’m wearing panties still. I mean, I know I still could have, but somehow, it’s comforting.
I mean I’d remember if I had sex, right? There’s no way I could get so drunk that I’d forget losing my virginity and then somehow putting just my panties back on. Plus, I mean, your first time is supposed to hurt, isn’t it? At least a little. At least enough that I’d be feeling it now, right?
I shake my head. No, there’s no way that happened. Thank God. Losing my virginity that way would be… unfortunate. Just the same, I’ve just woken up basically naked in bed with my freaking bodyguard. A little voice in my head wants to make a quip about him going above and beyond to “guard my body.” But it’s not funny.
I slowly turn around and gasp. Since I grabbed the sheet off the bed, I realize now Dom is totally uncovered. And I might be wearing panties at least. But he’s not wearing a freaking stitch of clothing. His back is to me, and I blush when my eyes slide down to his sculpted, perfect ass. I mean good lord that’s a nice butt.
I scowl and clutch the sheet tighter around myself. I haven’t been to church in years, but I cross myself anyways. What the fuck happened last night? And what the hell was I thinking?
I stagger across the room to the big balcony. I slide open the door and step out into the morning sunlight. It’s blinding. It also feels like a knife in my head. But it’s better than being in that bedroom with that man.
I wince and crank open the solar umbrella on the balcony table. I sink into a patio chair with a groan. I need to get the hell out of here. I should call a jet and just go back to Italy, right now. Forget the trip. Forget everything. I just need to leave this insane mess behind me and hope to God I can forget it ever happened.
“Morning.”
I scream. This time, my voice is more warmed up and a sound actually comes out. I whip my head around. The voice belongs to Dominic. I glare at him. He’s got a blanket wrapped around his waist. But beyond that, it’s not even fair. His voice is rough sounding. But where I look like total hungover shit, he somehow looks even hotter. His bed head is sexy as hell. The grit to his voice is even sexier. His muscled, tanned body, with the tattoos? I mean what the fuck? He looks like how a Dolce & Gabbana model would be photoshopped to look “hungover.”
But he does look as horrified as I am. He swallows and steps out onto the balcony. He winces at the light.
“Um… what…”
“I have no fucking idea,” he growls. He glances at me. “But we have a…” he frowns. “A problem.
“Oh, you think,” I spit back. “I woke up with you in my bed, Dominic!”
He frowns. “Yeah, it might be worse than that.”
“We didn’t—I mean, I don’t think we…”
He shakes his head. “I don’t think we did either.”
“Would you be able to tell?”
Shit. I blush when I say it. He frowns. “Uh, yeah? I mean I’m pretty sure I’d know.” He arches his brow and looks down. He opens the blanket a little. My blush grows deeper, and I suck in a breath.
“Pretty sure that’s a no on us fucking.”
“Thank God,” I whisper, closing my eyes.
“We’ve got a bigger problem than that, Lucia.”
I look at him again. “This situation couldn’t possibly get any worse—”
“Lucia…”
“Please don’t talk to me!” I snap. “Just… go to your own room and—”
“Lucia.”
I sigh in exasperation. “What?!”
Dom glares at me. Then his eyes drop to my hand clutching the sheet around myself. I frown and follow his gaze. Then my heart crawls into my freaking throat.
It’s huge. It’s glinting and dazzling blindingly in the sunlight. And it’s on my fucking ring finger.
Oh. My. Fucking. God.
“What…” I can’t breathe. My eyes are blinking rapid fire. My heart is racing. “What the fuck…” My face feels white when I look up at him. “What the fuck did we do last night?” I whisper.
Dominic looks equally pale. He holds up his hand. On his finger is a silver band.
“You’re joking,” I choke out. “Fuck you, this isn’t funny.”
“I’m not fucking laughing,” he growls through clenched teeth.
“We...” I stare at him. “We got married?”
“It would seem so.”