Amy Ruttan – His Pregnant Royal Bride (страница 2)

She knew she shouldn’t have accepted his invitation. It was not something she was used to doing, but this was sort of a work vacation and for once, Shay thought, why not?

Dante was charming, sexy, and she’d been so busy with her work for the last couple of years that maybe it was the perfect time to kick back and have some fun.

“Sì, that was most terrible.” He shuddered and took a drink of his pineapple juice, then turned around, his dark eyes flickering out over the water. “It is a beautiful night.”

Shay nodded. “The breeze is nice. It was sweltering in that room.”

“Yes, it was most unpleasant.” He waved his hand in a sweeping arc. “This, however, is paradise.”

And he wasn’t wrong. The sun was setting, like molten gold against the turquoise water. Palm trees swayed gently in the breeze and the sky was darkening. Soon it would be full of stars as the hotel where the conference was being held was off the beaten track. It was on the North Shore and there wasn’t much else around it. No city, no noise and no distractions. It was heavenly.

“I wish I had more time to explore,” Shay said wistfully. “I never traveled much until I joined the United World Wide Health Association, but that’s for work and I don’t get a lot of downtime on assignments. It’s all about the work.”

Dante shook his head. “That is no way to live life.”

“Maybe not, but I love what I do.”

He smiled at her, that charming, sexy, crooked smile she was getting used to seeing every day. She was going to miss it when the conference was over.

“Of course, who am I to talk about living life, cara? My main focus is also my work.”

“See, then why harass me?” she teased.

“Still, when you take an assignment somewhere, you must have time off.”

Shay shrugged. “A little bit, but lately my assignments have been to mainly Third World countries after they’ve suffered a natural disaster and it really isn’t safe to wander away from base camp to take in the sights.”

Dante grinned. “Did I mention how incredibly brave you are, cara? I admire that about you.”

Warmth flooded her cheeks. She could listen to Dante talk all night. He had such a dreamy Italian accent but spoke English so fluently.

“I just do my job,” Shay said, brushing off the compliment, because she was proud of the work she did. It was a way to honor her mother, who should be alive still, if it weren’t for Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath. The ill-effects of a poisoned house had prematurely taken the life of her mother, in the end.

It was at that moment that Shay knew what direction she had to take her life.

She’d worked hard to get where she was.

Now her job was to train other nurses and first responders by using simulation, so that they could go into the war zones, the disaster areas, and save lives, because that was all that mattered.

Saving lives.

“You do more than that, cara. I see it—you care about people and that’s what makes you special.” That smile disappeared and he fiddled with the straw in his drink. “Not everyone cares so much about others.”

She was glad that the sun was setting, so that he couldn’t see the blush he was causing.

Dante affected her in a way no man had in a long time. She was nervous around him. Giddy.

If she were anywhere else, she’d distance herself from him, but because she’d never see him again she figured it was okay to engage in harmless flirtation.

In a fantasy.

Not that anything would happen between the two of them.

Says who?

“Thank you,” she finally said, trying to shake out the naughty thoughts suddenly traipsing across her mind.

“So let’s do something about your lack of exploring,” Dante said, setting down his empty glass on the bar. “Come.”

“What?” she asked, confused.

“Look, it’s our last night in paradise. Let’s walk down to the beach and take a walk through the waves, follow the shore. It’s a beautiful night.”

“I don’t know...”

What’re you waiting for?

She glanced up at Dante, who stood in front of her, those dark eyes twinkling in the waning sunlight, the breeze making his short mop of ebony curls stir. His white cotton shirt billowed, so she could see the outline of his hard, muscular chest. His bronzed skin glowing in the waning light and, of course, that lopsided smile.

“What about the luau? Aren’t we supposed to go there and network? You’ve traveled so far to attend this, don’t you want to mingle?”

He snorted. “I have done enough networking to last a lifetime. For once I’ve no desire to talk about medicine. Tonight is a beautiful night. Let’s go.”

Go.

“Okay,” Shay said, not needing any more convincing. She finished her drink and set her empty glass down on the bar and took his hand. It was strong and she was surprised how easily her hand slipped into his. She hoped he didn’t notice that her nails were much too short, that her palms were rough from the hard physical work. She envied well-manicured nails, perfectly coifed hair, women who had time for makeup and clothes that weren’t torn, stained or scrubs.

Only Dante didn’t seem to care.

She couldn’t believe that he’d chosen to spend all his free time with her this week.

A surgeon and a nurse.

Don’t worry about that now. Just enjoy it. Live the fantasy for one night.

They walked away from the bar, down a winding sandy path to the beach. It was tranquil and a bit deserted at the moment. It was perfect.

“Hold on,” she said. She let go of Dante’s hand.

“What’re you doing?” he asked.

“Taking off my shoes. The sand is getting in and I hate that feeling of sand in your shoes.”

He chuckled. “Good idea.”

They kicked off their shoes and carried them as they headed down to the shore. The sun was almost gone, as if it were disappearing behind a curtain of water. It was picture-perfect. The water licked at their toes as they walked in silence along the shoreline.

It was the perfect end to the conference.

Tomorrow she’d be flying back to New Orleans for a short time and then off on her next assignment to the Middle East. Always moving, as she’d been doing her whole life. No stability. No roots. New Orleans was just a base for her, but it really wasn’t home since her mother died and she didn’t know why she kept returning to it.

“You seem sad all of a sudden, cara.”

The way he called her cara made her tremble with anticipation.

“I was just thinking how wonderful this week has been.” She bit her lip and sighed. “It’s been amazing getting to know you, Dante.”

He smiled and then ran his knuckles across her cheek. “I’ve enjoyed my time with you as well, cara.”

Shay’s pulse began to race and she closed her eyes, his touch making her heart skip a beat, and then, before she had a chance to say anything else, his lips claimed hers.

She dropped her shoes to the sand and sank into the kiss, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close.

Dante’s kiss deepened, his tongue pushing past her lips; it was a kiss that seared her soul.

“Shay,” he whispered, his mouth still close to her, his hands cupping her face. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself. You’re so beautiful, so wonderful...” He kissed her again.

“I don’t want this to end,” she whispered against his ear as he held her close, his hands drifting down her back.

“Me neither.”

“Then let’s not let tonight end.” She took his hand. “Let’s go to your room...”

“Are you sure, cara?” he asked.

“Positive. We can just have tonight. I’m not looking for anything long-term, Dante.”

Just passion. Unforgettable passion.