Gambler's Folly (Bookstrand Publishing Romance) (6 page)

Karianna thought about it for a moment. She could have something sent to the room, but she was tired of spending her time alone. She had only this week to find some way to deal with Damiano, too. Might as well start now, before anything embarrassing happened in public. The images this brought to mind made her blush.

“Sure. Why not? If we’re going to be husband and wife, we might as well spend some time together,” she proposed.

“Thank you, cara. Let’s go and have some wine while we wait for dinner.”

The lead story on the viewer was the exciting news that Damiano Leone, prince of the underworld, marries beautiful mystery woman from someplace off-world. Honeymoon trip to the islands. Details to follow.

As they watched, the film of their departure played, complete with their first on-camera kiss, well, their first kiss ever. Even though she had been there, Karianna was shocked. She felt the color drain from her face as she watched, and wondered how Damiano felt. From the camera’s point of view, they must have been lovers for some time. It seemed they could barely contain their lust until they were in private.

“Karianna, are you alright?” she heard from someplace far away. Returning to her senses, she just stared at Damiano, her mouth hanging open, with absolutely nothing to say.

“No, I don’t think so,” she finally managed. “What did you do to me?” she demanded.

“I do to you? You were the one doing, Karianna. I just took the opportunity you offered,” he said. “Karianna? What’s wrong?”

At the sudden realization that he was right, and what she saw on the viewer was actually true, Karianna collapsed into tears. How could she possibly want to be with this man, this underworld syndicate fiend? How, she didn’t know, only that she was drawn to him as a moth to the flame. Somehow, she must find a way out, an escape, before she had sold her soul to this demon incarnate.

“Cara, please don’t. You mustn’t cry, you must not,” he insisted. “Here, Karianna,” he said, offering his handkerchief. “You’re ruining your makeup. With the mascara all smeared, you look like some little forest creature, with big black circles around his eyes.”

“Raccoon,” she added between sobs.

“What is raccoon?”

“A small animal with big black circles around its eyes,” she said, still in tears.

“Cara, please stop,” he insisted. Sitting next to her, he gathered her into his arms and held her closely, but gently. She tried to push him away at first, but could just as well have moved a mountain. After a few minutes, she began to calm down.

As he relaxed his arms around her, she looked up at him and shook her head. “I’ve just had so many upsets and changes during the past few days, I guess it finally got to me.”

“I understand, Karianna. It must be difficult for you, with everything happening at once.”

“You don’t have to pretend you care for me, Damiano,” she told him. “Not when we’re alone. It’s alright.”

“Karianna, a man in my position does not pretend. If I want something, I buy it. If I like something, I make it mine. If I didn’t care for you, I would have found someplace else for you, instead of making you my wife.”

“I don’t understand,” she said nervously.

“Don’t worry, Karianna. Let’s have dinner and enjoy what is left of the evening.”

They had a quiet dinner, which was superb by anyone’s reckoning. Of very high quality, it was wonderfully scrumptious without being heavy or greasy.

“I like to stay healthy,” Damiano told her. “So while I enjoy gourmet foods, I want them to be served as healthily as possible. It took months to find a chef who could cook to my terms.”

Dessert was some really marvelous fruit Karianna had never before tasted, with a smoky cheese, thinly sliced. A remarkable white wine went perfectly to top it off.

Karianna had been thinking about what he’d said all during dinner. Finally she had to ask. “You said you could have found something else for me, but I was here because you cared. Why would you care about me or what happened to me?”

Damiano looked at her for a moment, choosing his words carefully. “Cara, I had seen you and your husband around my establishment before those rather unfortunate circumstances which brought you to me. I considered him such a lucky man to have a wife as beautiful as you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she retorted.

“You asked, I’m answering. When I found he had run up such a debt to my establishment, I tried to help him out, but he would have none of it. He seemed intelligent, but had the one weakness so many seem to have. He was addicted to gambling. If there was a bet to be placed, he had to place it.”

“I know,” Karianna replied wearily. “That’s why our marriage was on the rocks. He made good money, but lost it all on cards, horses, cars. Anything at all he could bet on.”

“Well finally,” Damiano continued, “he owed me so much and had lost so much, I stepped in through a proxy and offered him one last bet. It was the one way I had left to get him off-world and keep you safe. Win or lose, with your future on the table, he would be free of debt to me. If he won, he kept you, debts cleared and safe passage. If he lost, I kept you, his debts were still cleared, and he got a ticket home.”

“He lost,” Karianna finished for him.

“Yes. I arranged that, if he lost, the two of you were divorced and you became mine. If he had accepted my previous offer, you would both be home, on Earth, and I the poorer man.”

“What other option was there?” she asked.

“Anything I wanted. You could have been a maid, kitchen help, any job you were qualified for. But once I’d met you, talked with you, smelled your perfume, I had no choice.”

She sat dumbfounded at what Damiano was telling her. “Why, Damiano, just tell me why?”

“Kari, I’ve known many women, from many worlds. There is something about you which is different. I don’t know what it is, exactly. I could have any woman I want, with my position and wealth. But of all the women I’ve known, you’re the only one I’ve ever had to have, the only one I’ve wanted to marry.”

“I, uh, Damiano…” she began.

“I understand, cara. But you are tired, and your raccoon eyes are still showing a little,” he told her, smiling. “Why don’t you take a bath?”

“I don’t have a bath tub,” she answered. Her guest room had only a shower.

“You are so funny,” he said, chuckling at her confusion. “Do you think, in a house this big, I don’t have a bath? Come.”

Passing through a bedroom as large as some apartments she’d leased, they reached a gleaming bathroom of polished stone and brass. A profusion of lush green plants surrounded the large, heart-shaped garden tub in the corner.

“Damiano, that is not a bath tub, it’s a small pool. You could drown in there!”

“No, the pool has its own room, Karianna. Let me start the water and find something with lots of bubbles.” Searching for a moment in a leaded glass front cabinet, he pulled out a bottle of bubble bath, from which he poured a small quantity. The shimmering white liquid frothed up until the tub was full of soft, creamy foam, and the room was filled with the scent of jasmine and sandalwood.

“Let me help you, cara,” she heard him say. Between the fatigue, the wine, and the heady scent in the bath, she was daydreaming in another world. She was aware of his hands on her back unzipping her dress, before sliding the straps over her shoulders, so it could fall to the floor. Strong arms enfolded her, as a kiss on the nape of her neck sent chills throughout her body.

“Damiano,” she gasped, as his hands swept down her body and her panties joined the dress on the floor.

“Now, into the bath, Karianna, so you can relax,” he told her, looking amused at her reaction.

She stepped down the two stairs into the luxuriant foam and the almost too warm water, just as she liked her bath, and felt the tension easing away. She thought she could never be more comfortable than this, and wished she could just fall asleep in the water. Leaning forward to scoop up a double handful of the thick foam, she felt hands on her back. Startled, she turned her head to find Damiano in the bath with her, fluffy cloth in hand, washing her back. “What are you doing?” she asked nervously.

“It looked so wonderful, I thought I’d join you. Besides, it’s easier to wash your back from here,” he answered. “Do you mind?”

The top half of a very naked, well-muscled Damiano was all she could see. She had seen muscles like that before, but not on anyone close enough to touch. Under his dark olive skin, his muscles rippled with every movement.

“Karianna, what are you staring at? Is something wrong?” he asked, looking down at his chest.

“Um, no, nothing is wrong. I’ve just never seen you before, you know, naked.”

“Do you like what you see?” He seemed amused.

“Yes. Quite, I think,” was all she could get out.

“Well, then, turn around again so I can finish your back. Later you can wash mine, okay?”

Strong hands massaged her shoulders and upper back, which would have put her to sleep under different circumstances. But at the moment she was wide awake. The hands continued on down her back and out over her hips before sliding around to pull her close to the very naked man behind her. A teasing nibble on her ear, then he kissed her neck once again, before reaching around to wash the front of her body, slowly, sensually.

Karianna had never really understood the difference between sensual and sexual before. She honestly didn’t think any of the men she’d known before knew the difference, either. With them, any touch or advance was a prelude to sex. While this might wind up in bed, it was definitely in its own category.

With a swish of warm water and foam, Damiano moved in front of her, smiling and pulling her into a full body hug, kissing her cheek and nuzzling her hair. This much naked male behind her was bad enough. But in full-frontal contact…Come on, stupid, breathe,
she told herself.

Moving away slightly, Damiano chuckled. “Okay, now it’s my turn,” he said, handing her the washcloth. Arms crossed over the side of the tub, chin on his arms, he relaxed with a deep sigh.

Karianna had no idea what to do. This was completely new to her. Taking the cloth in her hand, she tried not to dwell on the sharply defined muscles in his back, with creamy foam outlining their form before reaching the water again.

“I’m not fragile, cara. You can scrub a little harder,” she heard him say, so she dug a little deeper.

After scrubbing all the way to his tailbone, she splashed water over his back to rinse it off. He turned over lazily, dreamy eyes watching her for a moment.

“Are you going to get the front, too?” he asked.

“Just a minute, Damiano. I need to catch my breath.” And she did. Just thinking about running her hands over his chest and abs, with him watching, had her light-headed.

She squeezed the water out of the cloth over his chest and started to bathe him again.

“Slowly, cara. I’m in no hurry. Take your time,” he suggested. “Mmm, yes,” he added, as she followed his instruction. “That’s nice.”

Once she’d finished his bath, he looked her over and asked, “What about your hair, cara? Do you want to wash it?”

Thinking that if she washed her hair, she’d have a chance to pull herself back together, she said, “Yes, I would. It feels a little sweaty after today. Where can I wash it?”

Rising up in the tub, showing even more naked body, Damiano reached into the cabinet again and found some shampoo. “Once we have a chance, you can buy something you like better. But this should do for tonight.”

Karianna reached for the bottle, but Damiano laughed and pulled it out of her reach. One more stretch and he held a shower nozzle connected to a water source above.

“Don’t be silly, cara. Just turn your back to me and tip your head.” Sliding up to her chin in water, she tipped her head back, wondering how this would end.

With a scent of rose and sweet orange, Damiano wet her hair and massaged the rich, creamy shampoo into her scalp with small slow circles. Blending with the already heady scent of jasmine and sandalwood from the bath, Karianna found it intoxicating.

“Now, how is that?” he asked her. “Isn’t that easier than trying to do it yourself?”

“It is nice,” she had to agree. “The scent is wonderful. So relaxing.” It would have been relaxing if not for the fact that it enhanced Damiano’s scent, which didn’t need any help. All she could think of at the moment was how his hands felt as they caressed her body, how the sandalwood and rose complemented the scent which was Damiano. And how very seductive, in a dangerous sort of way, it felt to be captured in his arms, pressed tightly against his chest.

He finished rinsing her hair and sank into the water behind her, his arms encircling her once again. “I love the water, any water, except for rain,” he said. “It feels good as it swirls around your body, no?”

Seated on the underwater ledge of the tub, he drew her across his lap, and, supporting her in his arms, he stroked her torso with those strong warm hands.

Chuckling at her reaction, he just held her for a moment or two, one hand moving down to stroke her thigh. Slowly, he bent down and gently kissed her mouth. There was that tingling again, starting in the pit of her stomach and spreading throughout her body.

Once, twice, three times his mouth kissed hers, lingering a little bit longer each time. Breathless, she expected him to continue, was ready for him to continue, but instead, “Are you ready for bed, cara?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

“You must be tired after your day today. So I thought you might be ready for bed.”

“Are you asking me to come to bed with you and…?”

“That would be nice, but no. When you are ready, you will come into my bed. Unless you are ready tonight?” he asked. At her reaction, he added, “No, not tonight then. Just to sleep, Karianna, just sleep.”

“If someone can show me back to my room,” she said.

“Oh, no, no, no, cara!
Not there. I have had you moved to one of the guest rooms here in my home. The special guests rooms are for—unusual circumstances.”

Damiano stood up and helped her out of the bath. He wrapped a towel around his waist, then handed her a towel for her hair. Once again, he wrapped her in a big, fluffy towel and dried her off. Still in towels, he led her to a room just down the hall from the master suite. “Here you are, Karianna. This should be more comfortable, and if you need anything, just come and knock on my door. Okay?”