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Arrival
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Italy With A Duke Lust for Life
Sometime in the minutes after the door had closed behind Duke, after Caitlyn had sunk weakly into the chair at the desk, her pulse slowed enough for her to think—really think—about where she was and what she was doing with this man.She was supposed to have been in Italy on her second honeymoon. Only her husband, and actually, her only true friend—the person who knew her best in the world— was dead. Yet even when they’d both known he wasn’t going to make it, he’d made her promise that she would go on the trip.In the long, depressed days after Alex’s passing, she’d wondered why he’d asked such a thing of her. What she had understood was that he’d never know whether or not she went. She harbored no delusions that he’d never again care whether she kept her promise or not. And as such, she hadn’t felt honor-bound to abide his dying wish.So why had she bothered to come?If she was honest with herself, she’d come because she wanted to. Because her own curiosity had demanded it and her hea
Italy With A Duke The Tale of Il Porcellino
It wasn’t the first time that Duke’s thoughts towards Caitlyn had veered—no, more like careened wildly at Mach speed—in a carnal direction. Far from it. Though he was honest enough with himself to admit, it was far more often since he’d won the lottery among the four agents assigned to her, and was the one appointed to follow her on this trip.No more was this simply a casual male reaction to a captivating woman, kept at a distance. He couldn’t see any other woman but her. Couldn’t desire another woman more.“So very beautiful,” he murmured again, fascinated by the sheen of gloss on her already mesmerizing mouth. The pale tint reminded him of the flushed way her lips looked when he’d kissed her roughly and he itched suddenly to do it again.“Duke,” she whispered.The sound of her voice chimed like cathedral bells in his head. A curling lock of her hair brushed his fingers beneath her chin, sending a hot, unsolicited rush of blood into his groin. Though it was dry, the flowery scent of
Italy With A Duke Trattoria di Gerardo
With one hand tucked snugly into Duke’s and her other trailing her scarf behind her, Caitlyn followed him down the wide avenue blocked at the near end with road barriers. Despite the dark, her eyes were turned upwards, examining the dark brown columned building beside her, trusting him to guide her safely. “What is this place? Why is it blocked off?” “The mercato. And it’s only blocked to vehicle traffic. During the daytime, this place is packed with people.” He rounded a corner to the right as they passed the last column, dragging her with him. “There.” As if to reinforce the idea of an enchantment, the Fontana del Porcellino rested to one side of the small court of closed shops, its snout gleaming brightly in the dim light. Despite the noise of the city, Caitlyn could clearly hear the trickle of the fountain’s water, a thin stream that dribbled from the boar’s opened mouth between its curved tusks. Unlike the rest of the bronze statue, the snout was
Italy With A Duke Heart and Soul of Fierenze
Urging Caitlyn to follow the older Gerardo, Duke closed rank behind her as they navigated the tight quarters of the restaurant.“Where is he taking us?” she whispered anxiously over her shoulder. “Every table is filled, every seat at the bar taken.”“Not to worry, darlin’. Gerardo’s been successful in business here for nearly fifty years.”Ahead the restauranteur made a sharp left, guiding them through a curtained door. On the other side, a long narrow room opened with more table seating tucked inside cozy partitions for privacy and romantic ambiance.“He knows how to take care of his VIPs,” he said smugly.“Oh!” she breathed, tipping her head back and slowing to a halt to take in the extraordinary design, created to give the impression of dining on an outdoor terrace. Murano-glass chandeliers resembling fruit-laden grapevines were suspended in the air from arbor beams over each booth and beyond them, the vaulted ceiling was painted a rich, midnight blue that sparkled with gold-leafed
Italy With A Duke Slow Dance
It was the last thing that Caitlyn had expected to hear thousands of miles away from home on a piazza in Italy, but there was no mistaking the familiar tune and the lyrics of the sultry songstress singing Ella Fitzgerald. Grinning like the cat that swallowed the canary, Duke dragged her with him through the loose crowd, to an empty spot beneath the illuminated fountain of Neptune. There, he pivoted, his open palm sliding around her waist to her lower back to press her against him while his free hand lifted hers. “Let’s dance.” “There’s no one dancing!” she sputtered in a near-panic. He merely grinned, politely refusing to accept her refusal. “There will be.” “I—no! Duke—I—can’t!” Stumbling over the cobblestones, she clung to him, tripping over her own feet and his. “Sure, you can,” he encouraged, reluctantly allowing some space between their bodies and directing her attention to his feet. “It’s a two-step. Easy-peasy for a woman with your IQ.
Italy With A Duke Fast Forward
“You sure about this?” Duke demanded again, waving the key card in front of the sensor lock beside the knob and gritting his teeth in frustration when the little red light didn’t waver. Wedging her soft, sweet body between him and the door, Caitlyn knotted her fingers in his shirt at his waist. “I’m sure,” she replied firmly, then her voice dropped to a soft whisper. “Take me to bed with you, Duke.” Utterly vexed, he groaned, banging the card against the sensor several times. Forcing himself to be calm, he rested it gently against it and waited a three-count. An ear-blistering string of obscenities hissed from his mouth. Hell with it. He’d just break the damned thing down. Then a flash of brilliance struck him. Stuffing his hand back in his pocket, he pulled out the second key card he’d been carrying, then waved it in front of the sensor. Immediately, the light blinked from red to green. Brainless idiot—he’d been waving her room key in front of his door. He c
Italy With A Duke Only His
The words were simple enough. The concept too. In theory. But Caitlyn found herself at a loss to actually accomplish what he’d asked. How could she ask him for something she’d never experienced? Something she’d only read about in foolish stories and didn’t even know whether it was true? In truth, he already knew her body better than she did. Uncertain what else to do, she nodded mutely. “Good,” Duke purred, smiling that lady-killer smile of his. Then he dipped his head again and layered a sizzling trail of kisses from her ear to her collarbones. Walking backwards on his hands, he positioned himself over her breasts, then leaned down to tease first one tip with his tongue, then the other. She gasped softly as he lowered himself to his forearms, the hot steely length of him brushing along her thighs. Yielding to his unconscious suggestion, she opened them and Duke settled his hips between her knees and pressed a kiss to her soft belly. “Ooh!” sh
Italy With A Duke Dreamworld
Beneath him, Caitlyn slumped, her exhausted body flattening on the bed, limp as a rag doll. Releasing her wrists, Duke lowered his body with hers. Careful not to separate their merged flesh, he rolled her with him to his side so her slender form wasn’t suffering his weight. She sighed, pillowing her neck on his muscled bicep as he wrapped an arm around her middle and pulled her back against his chest. For several long moments, the only sound in the room was the mingled song of their heaving breath. Under his arm, he could feel her pounding heart, slowly settling into its resting rhythm along with his. “Caitlyn?” A drowsy little hum was all he got in return. “Darlin’, did I hurt you?” “Mmm, no.” For a moment, she said nothing more and Duke nuzzled into her hair, believing she’d fallen asleep. He pressed a light kiss at her temple, snuggling her tight against him. “Duke?” “Did you say something, darlin’?” He wasn’t certai
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Italy With A Duke Afterwards
Tucking the thin parcel under his arm to hold it, Duke pressed his thumb against the biometric security lock at the lab door, then entered his security code. When the door released, he pulled it open, then closed behind him. He stopped in the entry room, juggling Caitlyn’s package between hands to don his long, white lab coat and a pair of safety glasses. “Hey Paula.” He gave his wife’s lab worker a polite smile and nod as he passed through the wet lab between the aquarium racks teeming with zebra fish. “Hi Duke. She’s in at the microscope.” “Thanks.” On the opposite side of the room, he passed through another door into the main laboratory space, a generous work area with water-resistant flooring, provisions for tissue cultures, microscopy, cell cultures and chemical prep rooms outfitted with biological safety cabinets. Immediately, he spotted his wife. As he’d been advised, Caitlyn was seated at one of the sturdy laboratory tables before a microscope
Italy With A Duke Rock and a Hard Place
Turning the knob slowly, Duke eased the latch free and peered around the door into the bedroom of his suite with Caitlyn. Piercing green eyes landed instinctively on the bed, where she lay with her back to him. Her knees were curled up towards her chest, her shoulders rolled forward almost protectively. Closing the door as silently as he’d opened it, he covered the few paces to the bedside without a sound. She’d slept a lot in the last few days—healing, she’d told him. It was a sentiment reiterated by the medic with Jay’s team. But even though something about that sat wrong with him, he wasn’t going to wake her. If she was able to sleep, then her body needed the rest. All he needed was to be close to her, even if that didn’t involve touching or holding her. He’d have preferred if it involved touching and holding her. He wanted to saturate himself in her beauty, in the yielding sweetness of her warm body, to let his own stress and fear dissipate. Even if only for a little while. Al
Italy With A Duke Debriefing
“Mr. Ellis,” the low voice droned, filling the small sitting. It belonged to a man clearly used to issuing orders that were obeyed. For a call of this magnitude, Allie had gathered their ragtag band— Jay, Duke, Caitlyn and herself—in her suite on the Italian Riviera. When it was all said and done, it had been easier getting to the awaiting boat than Caitlyn had anticipated. Of course, gravity tended to work that way. As soon as Dex had placed a portion of his weight upon it, as Duke had anticipated, the damaged and rusted grate over the collapsing drainage shaft had groaned loudly then given way, unceremoniously dumping the three of them into the open air. Immediately, Duke had deployed the parachute to slow their fall. The fire-heated sea drafts had carried them in a descending spiral, out over the frigid water of the Adriatic where they’d landed safely. Dex slipped the makeshift harness before they’d resurfaced and struck hard for the boat, bringing it along
Italy With A Duke Risky
Caitlyn heaved forcefully as the choking fumes were piped down her throat and into her lungs, singing the sensitive passageways. She collapsed into the muck in a spasming heap. “Duke!” Squeezing onto his side, Dex dragged himself alongside the hacking, weakly thrashing woman as she clawed at her throat. Glancing back, Duke cursed. “Can you pull her?” Another rumbling explosion rocked the tunnel. This time, bits of dust and pebbles tumbled from between the stones above them. “Oh hell.” “Uh-huh. Got it.” Dex wrapped an arm around the floundering woman’s hips and braced his feet on opposite sides of the tunnel. With one arm and using the slime on the bottom to reduce the friction from their weight, he inched them both toward the exit. In the lead, Duke watched the struggling pair, debating whether he should go ahead and prepare for the jump to their escape or wait until they caught up so he could take Caitlyn from the other man. Both thoughts were immedi
Italy With A Duke Cut and Run
“Alex!” she breathed, starting forward when he raised a violently shaking hand towards her. His thin mouth opened in silent accusation and supplication. Then both Dex and Duke were turning her, one on each upper arm with a firm grip. They propelled her swiftly through the hidden door. “Duke, the latch,” Dex ordered as they rushed into the narrow passageway. He pointed at the door, then reached for the switch to reconnect his communication equipment. “Knight 2 and 3. Asset acquired. Allie, we could use an exit plan.” As Duke released her, Caitlyn jerked herself free of Dex’s grasp. She flung herself at the door. “No! He needs my help!” Ramming the bolt home, he pivoted and grasped her by the upper arms. “Caitlyn!” he snapped harshly, shaking her once to get her attention as the light dimmed to nothingness. “No matter what he did to stay alive before, you can’t save him now.” “You don’t know that!” she cried to the darkness.
Italy With A Duke Verdict of the Fates
“Caitlyn!” The lump of stone that had become his heart leapt into Duke’s throat with ringing alarm. “Shut your mouth, you worthless whore!” Alex jerked the pistol at her furiously. “How dare you even speak to me like that!?” A soft gasp escaped her and she took a step backwards, closer to Duke and the meager amount of safety he presented as Alex advanced on her. She'd intended to provoke him. This was a much bigger reaction than she'd anticipated. “You have no idea! No fucking idea how I felt having to squat just to stand in your shadow!” His vicious words spat at her through clenched teeth. His bourgeoning rage scorched over her, filling the tiny antechamber with its malevolent presence. “You don’t know what it’s like to have your life’s work—the epitome of your creativity and intelligence— shown up and disproven by some pathetic little girl who refuses to see potential! To watch as you dusted your hands of it, like everything I did wa
Italy With A Duke Senza Umanità
Except in photographs, Duke had only ever seen Alex Maddox once—the day the man’s body had been moved from the hospital morgue to the funeral home where Caitlyn had made final arrangements. Frankly, he didn’t look much better now than he had in the body bag, even if he did technically have a pulse. But he had no doubt in Caitlyn’s recognition. Whatever Alex had put himself through to create the illusion that he was dying, it clearly hadn’t been without lasting effect. Not that he’d ever been particularly robust anyway. True, he hadn’t been the stereotypical scrawny, bespectacled and pocket-protected scientist obsessing over his collection of tribble plushies. Like his med school performance, Alex Maddox had been average. Average height and weight, average build, average looks. Though Duke never would have guessed it studying the skeletal creature leveling a pistol at his weeping wife. He had been fastidious about his appearance—getting a haircut every 28 days without fail and only w
Italy With A Duke Vengeance Denied
Frozen in place and unable to turn away, Caitlyn watched the violence of the wild seizures as Tommaso thrashed on the hard stone floor. Each second that ticked away was a new horror as her potent chemical cocktail took effect. Within seconds, the man’s uncontrolled muscle spasms had pulled bones from joints or outright snapped them. His respirations turned into hiccupping gasps, shallow and forced and his skin flushed dark red from the fierce pounding of his heart.And then it was over.As a physician, she knew what the man’s final second had involved and she gagged, stumbling backwards a few steps knowing that she’d caused it. Catching herself with one slim hand on the edge of a lab table, she crashed to her knees and vomited. Like pulling the trigger of the gun aimed at Agent Richards, it had been too easy—far too easy to kill.She gave a weak sob, then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Even with Duke’s words in her head, she knew that until she reached her foul captor’s ch
Italy With A Duke Best Laid Plans
“Knight 1. In position,” Jay drawled lazily through the comms, and Duke couldn’t suppress his grin. Both he and Jay were uncomfortable, but there hadn’t been time to develop a full-scale assault plan. At most, they might get twenty-four hours before Caitlyn was either killed or sold to another terrorist group. They’d already lost seven and half hours just getting to her location. They couldn’t afford to wait. A few seconds after, Dex’s acknowledgement hissed through his earpiece. “Knight 2. In position.” Ignoring the brief bursts of chatter through his comms, Duke reached for another handhold, and pulled himself up the sheer face of the cliff on the ocean-facing side of the stone fortress. A hot twinge of pain shot along his nerves from his shoulder, as the numbing medication wore off. He gritted his teeth against it, continuing his climb. Of course, they had the benefit of some of the most advanced surveillance equipment in the world, and arguably the most brilliant mind to opera
