Kidnapping His Bride (10 page)

“It’s too short, isn’t it?” She fidgeted with the hem, trying her best to yank it down so the skirt would cover most of her slender thighs, but it didn’t work. The dress most assuredly rested at her upper thigh, showing off a long, sexy expanse of leg.

He let his gaze trail along those shapely legs, then up farther. Over her hips, the dip of her waist, the gentle curve of her breasts. “It’s not too short,” he finally said.

She rolled her eyes. “Liar. I feel like if I make one wrong move you’ll see my panties.”

The idea of her making one wrong move vastly appealed but he kept that thought to himself. “The dress looks amazing on you.”

“You really think so? It doesn’t make me look all pasty white?”

Her skin wasn’t as dark as his, but it had a beautiful golden hue, smooth and tempting. His fingers literally itched to touch her. “It’s gorgeous.
You’re
gorgeous. We’re getting it.”

“But…”

“No protests. I’m buying it for you.” He sounded like a bossy ass, reminding him of that horrible bitchy sister of hers, but this was for a good cause.

“Rafe.”

He met her gaze, surprised at the sweetly quiet tone of her voice. She approached him slowly, ignoring the salesperson who spied on them from where she stood, gathering the clothes left behind by previous customers. Their audience of one watched unabashedly as Cat went to him, rested her hands on his chest and leaned up on tiptoe to press a sweet kiss to his lips.

“What was that for?” he asked gruffly when she pulled away, surprised by how touched he was by the seemingly innocent gesture.

“For being so kind and generous.” She smiled prettily and his heart jerked against his chest. “Thank you.”

If he earned a kiss like that for every time he was kind and generous, he planned on being exactly that for her for the rest of his days. “Hurry and change out of the dress,” he said, waving a hand at the open stall that beckoned for her. “We still need to get you shoes.”

“Such a shopper. Who knew?” She rolled her eyes and stepped away. “But nothing too expensive, okay?”

He didn’t care how much they cost. As long as they looked good on those pretty feet of hers, he was buying them. “Whatever you say, Kitty Cat.”

Her surprised gaze met his. “What did you call me?”

“Kitty Cat. It fits you, don’t you think?”

“I…guess so.” She frowned, unconsciously tugging on the dress hem again, though it was no use. He swore the skirt crept up higher with every pull she gave it.

“What, you don’t like it?”

“It’s not that. No one has ever called me Kitty Cat before, and I think I like it.” She stood taller. “In fact, I like it a lot.”

“Well, Kitty Cat, I’m glad I could give you a new nickname you approve of, but we’re wasting time here staring at each other when we could be shopping for shoes.” He sounded like a total woman, but he was running with it. He wanted to make Cat happy, spend more time with her, learn more about her.

She was sweet, with a hint of steel he found intriguing. Tonight, he planned on learning even more about her. In between sweaty bouts on the dance floor…

If he was lucky, maybe they could indulge in a few sweaty bouts between the sheets too.

Shopping with Rafe had proven exhausting, both mentally and physically. He’d purchased the dress despite her protests. Then he’d taken her into the vast shoe department, found a salesperson with exquisite taste who made it her sole mission in life to find the perfect shoe to go with her new dress.

That had taken what felt like forever. But the end result? A gorgeous, platform, peep-toe pump in a patent leather nude, the famous red soles indicating that they were a pair of Louboutins and worth almost one thousand dollars.

She’d balked. She’d tried her hardest to convince Rafe she didn’t need those shoes, all while the salesperson stood to the side, beaming at the both of them. He wouldn’t budge, letting Cat know in no uncertain terms that he wanted to see her in those shoes while wearing that dress. No other shoes would do.

“The shoes will go with so much. I guarantee you’ll wear them for years to come,” their stylish, petite salesperson had told them, earning a withering stare from Cat for her efforts.

She’d given in, only because the entire argument over a stupid pair of shoes had taken everything out of her. Rafe was as stubborn as a mule when it came to getting what he wanted. Would being married to him result in fight after fight since he seemed so unwilling to compromise?

The shopping incident seemed to confirm that maybe it was the right choice, breaking it off with Rafe.

After they’d spent what felt like the entire day at the department store, they’d finally returned to his apartment. She’d gone into the guest bedroom to set down her bags, the neatly made bed calling her name, and the next thing she knew, she’d collapsed on top of it and slept for hours.

She finally woke up just before nine o’clock, shocked to discover she’d slept most of the evening away. When she came out into the living room, she found Rafe had ordered in a late dinner for them and it had just arrived. Chinese food, something she rarely indulged in, and devoured without question once he’d doled out a heaping serving of the three entrees he ordered. Her head still a little foggy, she ate quietly, almost afraid to look in Rafe’s direction for fear he was disappointed by her somehow.

So foolish. But she’d disappointed an endless stream of people for years and she was feeling sort of sad after sleeping for so long. Maybe she was jetlagged. She probably shouldn’t have taken such a long nap. Her head was still a little woozy. She was thankful for the comfortable silence while they ate.

“Still want to go out dancing?” he finally asked.

Nodding, she stared at her half-empty plate. The food was delicious, but she was already full. “Only if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind.” He paused. “Did you sleep well?”

She chanced a glance at him, noticing that he watched her carefully, his dark eyes full of concern. “I don’t really remember lying down, so I must’ve.”

Rafe chuckled. “The last twenty-four hours have been very busy for you.”

“Yes, for us both.” She dragged her fork—she was a complete failure when it came to chopsticks, so she didn’t bother—across her plate, her appetite completely gone. She felt like she was going to burst, having gorged herself on too much broccoli beef and chicken chow mein. “Can I ask you something?”

“Absolutely.”

“Have you seen my cell phone? I can’t find it.” She’d searched for it the moment she woke up, but it was nowhere to be found. Could she have left it at the store somehow?

His lips tightened. “I know where it is. I have it.”

Cat frowned. “You do? Why?”

“You left it in the living room, and while you were sleeping it kept ringing.” He blew out a harsh breath and glared at her, clearly angry. But for whatever reason, she knew his anger wasn’t directed at her. “It was your sister. After about the tenth call in less than ten minutes, I finally couldn’t take it anymore. I answered your phone and told her to stop harassing you.”

Oh no.
“You spoke to her?” Her mouth fell open in disbelief and she slowly shook her head, snapping her lips shut when she figured she must look ridiculous. “Um, what did she say? Was she angry?”

“I really don’t give a shit if she was angry. She made
me
angry with her constant calling and text messaging.” His expression turned sheepish, which she bet was an unusual look for him. “I might’ve read a few.”

She closed her eyes. How mortifying, that he got put in the middle of her argument with her sister. “I’m sorry if she yelled at you.”

“Christ, Cat, there’s nothing for you to apologize for. I’m the one who should be sorry. I interfered in your personal life, invaded your privacy by reading your texts and yelling at your sister.” He shook his head. “But I couldn’t just let her bombard you with endless calls and texts. They were downright abusive. And I told her that.”

Oh, God. Annalisa was probably furious. “How did she take you telling her she’s abusive?” She could only imagine. An endless stream of screaming denials, she was sure.

“Not very well.”

That was most likely a complete understatement. Her sister had always tried to run her life and especially in the last few years, it had become worse. Once their father had become a ghost, Annalisa had taken it upon herself that she needed to take over both Cat’s and their mother’s lives. Cat hadn’t protested too hard since she knew her sister seemed to need the control to keep her head steady.

Rafe was starting to help her realize that she needed to live her own life. On her own terms. Instead of having her sister tell her what to do or always wanting to be careful in case she upset her mother. She was sick of it.

Sick. Of. It.

“You’re right. I should be angry with you for invading my privacy.” He cast a sharp glance at her, and she smiled faintly. “But I’m thanking you instead. For telling Annalisa to back off. I’ve never had the guts to do that before.”

“You’re welcome. I’m sorry I read your texts and answered her call. I just…I didn’t want you to wake up to an endless amount of angry voicemails from your sister.” He grimaced. “She was furious when I demanded she back off. Told me to mind my own business.”

Her heart softened. He was protecting her. No one protected her. Oh, Annalisa believed in her slightly twisted brain that everything she did and said to Cat was to help her, but really? She was starting to see that her sister did more harm than good.

“I appreciate you defending me,” she murmured.

“No one should have to take that sort of treatment, Cat, not even from a loved one. No one.” He shook his head, his voice firm.

“I know. You’re right.” But how could she make her sister stop? She didn’t know. Didn’t think she had the strength to actually stand up to Annalisa and tell her to back off.

What sort of wimp did that make her?

“If you’re still too tired, we could always go out tomorrow night,” he suggested, his voice quiet. “It’s getting late and you probably want to take a shower before we go, right?”

She shook herself from her thoughts. “No, I think this is exactly what I need tonight. It’ll be the perfect distraction, going out. Having a few drinks, dancing.” Pausing, she studied him. “Do you dance, Rafe?”

His lips twitched. “Not very well.”

“Oh.” Disappointment crashed through her. She’d hoped he would dance with her. Maybe even to a slow song. She wanted to know what it felt like, having those strong arms around her while the swayed together…

“That doesn’t mean I won’t make an attempt, if that’s what you want.” Reaching out, he grabbed hold of her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I might embarrass you, though. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“I doubt you’ll embarrass me. How could you?” Warmth suffused her. He was being so kind. Watching out for her, defending her against Annalisa, willingly taking her wherever she wanted to go in the city. Indulging her by wanting to dance when he probably wasn’t comfortable doing so.

Her opinion of Rafael Renaldi was starting to change, slowly but surely. Maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy after all.

Chapter Seven

Rafe took her to one of the most popular nightclubs in all of Manhattan. He rarely frequented it—hanging out in noisy, crowded clubs wasn’t his style—but he had a feeling Crimson was the type of place Cat was looking for.

She wanted to lose herself for a little while and he could understand that. Her family obligations had to be taking a toll. What with that bitch-from-hell older sister, life couldn’t be easy.

He’d never heard such poisonous venom from a woman before. Annalisa Campioni’s tone of voice alone had sent a slither of dread down his spine when she started in on him. Not that he was scared of her. Angry females he could deal with—he’d handled his mother and sister rather effectively since he could remember. After all, he was the easygoing one, the charming one of the three Renaldi brothers. Matteo was quiet and calm and levelheaded. Vincenzo was young and brash and impulsive.

But there had been no reasoning on his end with Annalisa. The woman had spoken of her sister as if she was worthless. Useless. Her insults had shocked the hell out of him. Yes, his siblings drove him crazy sometimes, but he would never, ever verbally tear them apart to a person he barely knew.

So he believed Cat deserved a momentary escape. And he wanted to be the one to provide it for her. It was the least he could do.

She sat beside him in the car he arranged for this evening, practically bouncing in her seat with excitement. The sequined dress fit her curves beautifully, showing off those long legs he was sorely tempted to touch. The shoes filled his dirty brain with images of her sprawled across his bed, wearing nothing else but those damn fuck-me shoes.

Swiping his hand along his jaw, he studied her out of the corner of his eye, reminding himself he needed to rein his thoughts in tonight. She would most likely drive him out of his mind with lust moving that pretty little body of hers to the music but she was jumpy. Hell, she’d dumped him not even forty-eight hours ago.

And now he wanted to never let her out of his sight again.