A man who did not live by the rules.
She did.
'I think it would be better dealt with tonight. It might be a little more difficult to take the moral high road about Bastiano with my knickers in my purse.'
'Lydia...' Raul started, but then halted. He had no qualms over a one-night stand, but he conceded with a nod that she made a valid point.
'Go and tell him to get the hell out of your life, and then come to my suite.' He gave her the floor and the number, while knowing the night he had planned was gone. 'Will you be okay?'
'Of course I will.' Lydia gave a scoffing laugh. 'I'm twenty-four-he can hardly put me on curfew.'
'Will you be okay?' Raul asked again.
'Yes.' Lydia nodded. 'This needs to be dealt with.'
It did.
He asked his driver to move a little way down the street, and in that space of time Raul did something he rarely did. He took out a card.
Not the one he generally gave out.
'This is my number-you'll get straight through to me. If there is any problem...'
'There won't be,' Lydia said, but he opened her purse and put in the card.
This was it-both knew.
Though both hoped otherwise.
'Remember what I told you this morning,' Raul said, and she nodded.
He went to kiss her, but she moved her head to the side. It really wasn't a turn-on, knowing that Maurice waited.
And she should never have let Raul take her shoe off, because now there was all the hassle of getting it back on.
And happiness seemed determined to elude her as she climbed out of the vehicle.
'Where the hell have you been?' Maurice asked as she approached.
'Out,' Lydia snapped.
'Your mother is worried sick,' Maurice said as they walked briskly through the foyer, though he waited until they were in the elevator to say any more. 'I'm trying to save your family's business and you walk out on the one person who could help do just that.'
'I came for a drink.'
'He wanted to take us both to dinner. I've said to Bastiano that you'll be there tomorrow.'
'Well, you shouldn't have,' Lydia retorted.
They got out of the elevator and Lydia headed for her suite. 'I'm going to bed.'
'Don't you walk away from me,' Maurice told her. 'You'll be there tomorrow night, with a smile on, and-'
'Maurice, why do I need to be there?' She pointed out what Raul had this morning. 'I don't hold the deeds to the castle-my mother does. And I don't actually like the idea of turning it into a retreat. There's absolutely no reason for me to be there.'
'You know there is.'
'But why?'
Say it, Maurice, Lydia thought. Have the guts to voice it out loud.
'Because Bastiano wants you.'
'Then you need to tell him that I'm not part of the deal.' Her voice was shaky. The truth, even if deep down she'd already known it, was actually very difficult to hear said out loud. 'In fact you can tell Bastiano that, as of now, I no longer live or work at the castle.'
'Lydia, he's a charming man, he's extremely wealthy, and he's very interested in you.'
'Well, I'm not for sale! I've told you-I'm leaving.'
'And where are you going to go? Lydia, you've got no qualifications, no savings...'
'Odd, that,' Lydia responded, 'when I've been living at home and working my backside off for the last six years.'
She was done, she was through, and she dug in her purse for her keycard and let herself into her suite.
Maurice knocked loudly.
Oh, my God.
She could not take even another night of this.
She didn't have to, Lydia realised as she recalled Raul's advice.
'You can walk away from anyone you choose to and you don't have to come up with a reason.'
She had many good reasons to walk, Lydia thought, and started throwing her possessions into her case.
'Your mother is going to be very upset...' Maurice called through the door, but he fell silent when it was opened and Lydia stood holding her case.
'I'm leaving.'
'What the hell...? Lydia...'
Lydia could see a bit of spittle at the side of his mouth, and she could feel his anger at her refusal to comply.
When she always had in the past.
For the sake of her mother Lydia would generally back down when things got heated-but for the sake of herself she now stood her ground.
It was as if the blinkers had been lifted, and she could now see the control and the pressure he exerted.
And she would play the game no more.
No, she could not save the castle and, no, she would not meekly comply just to keep his mood tolerable. She could almost feel the eggshells she had walked on dissolving beneath her feet.
She marched to the elevators and he followed. He reached for her as she reached the doors and suddenly she was scared.
Raul had been right to be concerned.
She was scared of Maurice and his temper.
Oh, she wasn't running to Raul-she was running away from hell.
Maurice slapped her.
He delivered a stinging slap to her cheek and pulled at her hair, raised his other hand-but somehow she freed herself.
Lydia ducked into the elevator and wrenched the doors closed on his hand.
'Thank you,' she said. With the gate safely between them she spoke in a withering tone. 'Now I know for a fact what an utter bastard you are.'
She did not crumple.
Lydia refused to.
And she refused to waste even a single tear.
She was scared, though.
Scared and alone.
And she would have run into the night.
Without Raul, absolutely she would have run.
But instead of going down Lydia pressed the elevator button that would take her to his floor.
CHAPTER FIVE
RAUL STEPPED INTO his suite, unexpectedly alone.
Allegra had, of course, rung ahead, and everything had been prepared for Raul to return with a female guest.
The suite was dimly lit, but Raul saw champagne chilling in a bucket. He bypassed it. Throwing his jacket on a chair, he poured a large cognac and downed half in one gulp, then kicked off his socks and shoes, wrenched off his tie and removed his shirt.
In the bathroom Raul rolled his eyes, for the sight that greeted him seemed to mock. Candles had been lit and the deep bath was filled with fragrant water. But Raul would be bypassing that too-perhaps a cold shower might be more fitting.
He soon gave up prowling the penthouse suite dressed for two and lay on the bed. He took another belt of his drink and considered extending his stay for another night in Rome.
Unlike before, when he had actually wanted to flaunt Lydia under Bastiano's nose, Raul suddenly had a sense of foreboding.
Yes, Lydia might have stood up to her stepfather tonight, but for how long would that last? She was strong-Raul had seen that-but her family clearly saw Lydia as their ticket out of whatever mess they were in. And Bastiano, Raul knew, didn't care what methods he used to get his own way.
It wasn't his problem.
Over and over Raul told himself that.
He was angry with Bastiano rather than concerned about Lydia, Raul decided.
Only that didn't sit quite right.
Tomorrow he would be out of here.
Raul had rescheduled the jet for midday tomorrow. He would soon be back in Venice and this trip would be forgotten.
Raul didn't even want the hotel now-Sultan Alim's words had hit home. The Grande Lucia was far too much responsibility. He wanted investments he could manage from a distance. Raul wanted no labour of love.
In any area of his life.
Raul managed to convince himself that he was relieved with tonight's outcome.
Well, not relieved.
Far from it.
He was aching and hard, and was just sliding down his zipper, when he heard knocking at the door.
Good things, Raul realised as he made his way to the door, did come to those who waited. For just when he had thought the night was over, it would seem it had just begun!
He didn't bother to turn on the lounge light-just opened the door and Lydia tumbled in.
She had a suitcase beside her, which would usually be enough to perturb him, but there were other concerns right now.
She was shaking while trying to appear calm.
'Sorry to disturb you...'
Her voice was trembling.
'What happened?'
'We had a row,' Lydia said. 'A long overdue one. Anyway, I don't want to talk about that now.'
Oh, it wasn't just that she knew the price for a night in his room-Lydia wanted to go back to feeling happy.
Preferably now, please.
She wanted the oblivion his mouth offered, not to think of the turbulent times ahead.
He was naked from the waist up and her demand was sudden. 'Where were we?'
And her mouth found his and her kiss was urgent.
He tasted of liquor, and he was obviously aroused when she pressed into him.
Yet for once Raul was the one slowing things down.
His body demanded he kiss her back with fervour, that he take her now, up against the wall, and give her what she craved.
Yet there was more to this, he knew.
'Lydia...'
He peeled her off him and it was a feat indeed, for between his attempts to halt her he was resisting going back in for a kiss. He was hard and primed, and she was desperate and willing.
An obvious match.
Yet somehow not.
'Slow down...' he told her. 'Angry sex we can do later.'
Raul never thought of 'later' with women and was surprised by his own thought process, but his overriding feeling was concern.
'I'm not angry,' Lydia said.
She could feel his arms holding her back as he somehow read her exactly and told her how she felt.
'Oh, baby, you are!'
She was.
Lydia was a ball of fury that he held at arm's length.
She was trying to go for his zipper. She was actually wild.