Heiress on the Run (Harlequin Romance)

by Sophie Pembroke

  Dominic’s thumb stopped its comforting movements. ‘Missing Italy already?’

  ‘Not really,’ Faith said, giving him a smile. ‘Mostly just the pasta.’

  He returned the smile and started stroking her hand again.

  Faith suddenly found herself wishing that she’d bought the dress Sylvia wanted her to have, the backless, wine-red dress that cascaded down her legs and showed off every single curve, instead of the boring navy shift she’d chosen.

  Tugging on his hand, she led him down a hidden backstreet into the cooler shadows where the sun never reached, even at noon on midsummer. Halfway down the alley, a tattered red sign hung above a dirty window, and read simply, ‘Lola’s’. No one would recognise them there.

  ‘This is it?’ Dominic asked, looking dubious.

  ‘Trust me,’ Faith said, and he sighed.

  ‘Seems to me, trusting you could get me into a lot of trouble.’

  Faith smiled brightly to try and pretend that didn’t hurt, just a little. After all, he was right. ‘Oh, I don’t know. You’re doing okay so far.’

  ‘This is true.’ He pushed against the door and a bell clattered tinnily. ‘Come on, then.’

  Inside, the restaurant was even darker than Faith remembered. But then, most of her memories were of the picture Marco had painted of Rome in the summer, and of the Italian lakes. Well, that and the fantastic walnut pasta and red wine that went down like water.

  A waiter in jeans and a T-shirt led them to a table at the back, and Faith watched in amusement as Dominic realised nearly every other table in the place was already occupied.

  ‘Am I the only person who doesn’t know about this place?’ he murmured as they took their seats.

  Faith slipped her cardigan from her shoulders and placed it on the back of her chair. White cashmere didn’t go well with red wine. ‘There are a lot of people in London,’ she pointed out. ‘Not everyone can afford to eat at the finest restaurants every night. Besides, the food’s better here.’

  ‘Can we see a menu, please?’ Dominic asked, as if looking for proof, but the waiter shook his head.

  ‘No menus,’ he said, his rich Italian accent adding extra amusement to his tone. ‘We’ll bring you the best we have.’

  As he spoke, a younger girl appeared, also in jeans, and filled their glasses with red wine. Dominic raised his eyebrows, but lifted the glass to his lips anyway.

  ‘Not bad,’ he said as the servers disappeared.

  Faith tried her own. ‘Liar. It’s gorgeous.’

  The smile Dominic gave her was warm and intimate, and suddenly Faith knew it didn’t matter if the food had gone drastically downhill since the last time she was there; this would still be a better evening than the one with Marco. Apparently all she needed for a fantastic evening was the presence of Lord Dominic Beresford.

  She wondered if that worked for everyone. She could use him on all her tours...

  ‘What are you thinking?’ Dominic asked, and Faith shook herself back into the real world. He wasn’t Lord Beresford right now, anyway. He was just Dominic. Maybe even her Dominic, just for the night.

  ‘Absolute nonsense,’ she admitted. ‘And worrying a little about abandoning my post.’ Getting out of the theatre had seemed like the best plan, given that dodging every single camera was probably impossible. But, on the other hand, she’d been hired to do a job and she wasn’t currently fulfilling those obligations.

  ‘I’m the boss,’ Dominic pointed out. ‘You can look on this as...a mid-project appraisal.’

  ‘Is that so?’ Faith leant back in her chair and watched as he nodded. ‘In that case, how am I doing?’

  ‘Fantastically.’

  Faith hoped the candlelight was forgiving enough to hide her blush. ‘Anyone would think you were biased.’

  Dominic’s eyes turned dark. ‘Oh, but I am.’ Reaching across the table, he took her hand again. ‘Utterly, utterly biased. Because I want you to stay in London with me.’

  Maybe it was the wine, but suddenly Faith felt reckless. They weren’t at the hotel, or at an event. There were no clients around. There was no chance of bumping into anyone who might recognise Lady Faith Fowlmere at Lola’s. This was their one night. There was nothing at all to stop her asking for the truth.

  ‘Because you want me to work for you?’

  His smile was slow. ‘Faith. I promise you that, for once, work is the furthest thing from my mind tonight.’

  * * *

  It wasn’t quite a lie, Dominic reasoned and, even if it was, she’d told enough of her own. He’d offered her a night off, a night away from who they really were, because he couldn’t bear the idea of her leaving without doing something about whatever compulsion it was that burned between them.

  It wasn’t easy, though. Business, sure. He could forget about contracts and meetings in a heartbeat. But the title, the heritage, they were scored deep into him in a way she couldn’t understand. You had to be born to that kind of obligation. Still, just being with Faith made it easier. It was impossible not to relax around her, harder still not to lean into her, touch her, flirt and caress, however much he’d planned to take things slow.

  Around the third glass of wine, he stopped even trying.

  The servers, for all they looked as if they’d been yanked in off the streets, knew what they were doing. Dominic barely noticed when they topped up his glass or cleared away their empty plates. The food—incredible-tasting food on plates for sample-sized portions—just kept on coming, course after course. Antipasti, pastas—three kinds—fish, meat, and then, when they were almost fit to busting, a sorbet so sharp it almost cut the mouth. The tiramisu to finish would have been beyond him, but Faith grabbed her own spoon and dug into the shared plate, and the expression on her face as she tried it made him want to know what made her look like that. If he could replicate the experience for her in other ways...

  ‘Oh, that is good,’ he admitted, taking his own bite.

  Faith gave him a smug smile. ‘I knew you’d enjoy letting go for once.’

  Suddenly, his head was filled with all the ways he could make her let go. How she would look if he kissed her breathless. How he could touch her until she forgot who she was, never mind him.

  He swallowed down the last of his wine. Too much, too soon. ‘So, what do you want to do next?’ he asked, as the waiter brought over two tiny glasses of Limoncello, along with the bill.

  Faith picked up her glass, took a sip, then licked her sticky fingers. Dominic felt something tighten in his chest at the sight. ‘Well, that depends on you,’ she said.

  ‘On me? How?’

  ‘Do you think you’ve managed to suitably forget who you are for the night?’

  Watching her across the table in the candlelight, Dominic thought he might actually be a whole new person, after all. ‘I think I’ve managed it, yes.’

  ‘In that case,’ she said, pushing his liquor glass towards him with two fingers, ‘drink up. Because I want to show you my London.’

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  SHE STARTED ON the South Bank, because she loved the way it lit up and came to life at night. They crossed at Waterloo Bridge, with a crush of other people heading the same way, and walked west along the river, towards the London Eye.

  ‘I’ve been on that, at least,’ Dominic said, looping her hand through his arm. ‘Does that earn me any points?’

  Faith considered. ‘Depends. Did you go on an ordinary day with ordinary people? Or were there champagne, strawberries and schmoozing involved?’

  ‘The latter,’ Dominic admitted. ‘Does that mean I have to go on it again?’

  ‘Probably. But not tonight.’

  They walked further, staring back across the river at the lights of Westminster, watching Big Ben as it chimed the hour. It was already getting late
, Faith realised. She wondered how Dominic would feel about getting the night bus back... She shook her head. A step too far for this trip, she decided. Besides, if the evening went the way she hoped, she didn’t want to waste time on buses.

  ‘You know, I don’t think I’ve ever done this,’ Dominic said as they paused at the railings, just taking in the skyline.

  ‘Done what?’

  ‘Just...wandered around the city with a beautiful girl on my arm.’ He tugged her a little closer at his words, and Faith felt the warmth of him seeping through her dress. He thought she was beautiful. No one had ever called her that before. Sexy, yes. Gorgeous, yes. Beautiful? No.

  ‘How long have you lived here?’ she asked, hoping to distract from her blush. ‘How is that even possible?’

  Dominic shrugged, and shifted again, drawing her into the circle of his arms, making her feel warm and safe. ‘I grew up on the country estate. Trips to London were always for a purpose. I went from car to hotel to venue or event, back to hotel then car and home again. I wasn’t exactly encouraged to explore.’

  Faith leant back against his chest, remembering how that felt, that being shuffled from one place to the next, more of an accessory than a person. Surely Dominic, of all people, could understand why she’d run?

  ‘What about when you grew up?’ she asked.

  ‘It didn’t occur to me,’ Dominic said, amused honesty in his voice. ‘I don’t know why. No, I do. There was just so much else to do. I had an entire family name to save. Every single thing I did, for years, was about building up the estate, making new connections, finding new ways to use the land, the influence, the money that started coming in. I didn’t have time for anything else.’

  ‘Not even people?’ He sounded so lonely. How could she leave him when he sounded so terribly alone?

  ‘Just Sylvia, really. Until Kat came along.’

  Ah, of course. Maybe he had a reason for wanting to be alone. ‘I don’t like to pry...’

  ‘You love to pry. You’re officially nosy.’

  ‘Okay, yes, I am.’ How had he got to know her so well, so fast? ‘I saw the YouTube video.’

  ‘You and every other person in the country with eyes.’ There was a bitterness to his words Faith didn’t like. Was he still in love with Kat?

  She tilted her head round to see his face. ‘Want to tell me what happened?’

  ‘You want a blow-by-blow account?’ he asked, eyebrows raised. ‘I thought you saw the video.’

  ‘Not that,’ she said. ‘Between the two of you. A woman doesn’t just go off and betray her fiancé on the Internet for no reason.’

  He sighed, and she could feel the air leaving his chest, leaving him smaller, sunken. ‘She didn’t know she was being filmed, apparently. Not that it’s much of an excuse.’

  ‘It really, really isn’t.’

  There was a pause, and for a moment she thought that was all he would say on the matter. Then he spoke again. ‘She was unhappy. With me, mostly. She...she wanted me to let her in, she said. She never felt like she was a real part of my life.’

  Faith winced. She could see that, could see Dominic defending everything he held dear, holding it so tight that there was no room for anything else. Until tonight.

  ‘You loved her, though?’

  Dominic shrugged. ‘She seemed like a good fit. Similar background, similar ambitions. She’d have been a great lady of the manor.’

  Faith frowned. ‘You make it sound like you were marrying her to enhance your brand, not because you loved her.’

  ‘Maybe I was,’ Dominic admitted, and Faith’s eyes widened. ‘Not intentionally, of course. I thought it was the real thing. But now, I wonder... Maybe she’s right. Maybe I never let her in.’

  ‘Because then she couldn’t really leave you.’

  She’d turned almost completely round in his arms now, Faith realised too late. His grip had tightened too, and anyone seeing them would surely have no doubt that they were lovers, held close in a lovers’ embrace. Her body pressed up against his chest, her hands at his back. Would he kiss her this time? Would she let him?

  Somewhere, a car horn blared, a crowd of guys laughed out loud and music played. Dominic ignored all of it, staring straight into her eyes. Then, without giving any indication of what had changed between them, he said, ‘So, what’s next on this tour of yours?’

  Faith blinked, trying to break out of the moment. And then she realised that there was still one very special place she wanted to show him. ‘Let’s go see the pelicans.’

  * * *

  ‘Are you going to make me break into a zoo?’ Dominic asked as they crossed back over Westminster Bridge, the Thames gleaming with lights below them. ‘Because I think not being Lord Beresford for the night stops at criminal behaviour.’

  Faith rolled her eyes, then tugged on his hand to make him keep moving. ‘Have you honestly never seen the pelicans in St James’s Park before?’

  ‘Didn’t even know we had any.’ How many times had he walked through that park, on the way to somewhere? A few, at least. Wouldn’t he have noticed big white birds swooping overhead?

  The gates to the park were still open, thankfully, which meant it couldn’t be too late, even if it felt like some magical witching hour. That was probably just Faith’s influence.

  ‘What time does the park close?’ he asked as they headed into trees and lush grasses, just moments from the busy city centre.

  ‘Midnight,’ Faith replied, her tour guide brain still working.

  ‘Do you know everything about London?’ He’d lived in the city most of his adult life, and apparently missed everything of any importance. He had to spend more time exploring. If he ever got the chance.

  ‘I know that the park has been home to pelicans since 1664, when the Russian Ambassador gave the first ones as a gift. And I know that the city of Prague gave the park three new ones last year, and I haven’t met them yet.’

  She talked about them like friends or relatives, he realised. ‘You like the pelicans?’

  ‘They’re my favourite part of the city,’ she admitted, stumbling to a stop on the lakeside path. ‘Look!’

  Dominic’s gaze followed where her finger was pointing, into a clump of reeds at the edge of the lake. It took him a moment to spot the white feathers in the moonlight. ‘It’s asleep.’

  Faith gave him a scathing look. ‘Of course he is. It’s late.’

  Glancing at his watch, Dominic realised she was right. ‘Eleven-thirty. Cars should be picking up from the theatre around now. Heading to the after-show party.’

  ‘Want to head back and catch up with them?’ Faith asked.

  Dominic didn’t even need to think about his answer. ‘No.’

  ‘So what do you want to do?’ She was close again, too close. Closer even than she’d been as they’d looked out over the river, talking about Kat. Close enough to make him crazy. ‘It’s your turn to choose.’

  ‘I want to spend tonight with you.’

  So close he could see her eyes darkening, even in the faint moonlight under the trees. ‘I thought that’s what we’ve been doing.’

  He shook his head. ‘This was just the evening. I want the whole night.’

  And he did. He wanted it so badly he ached. And he didn’t care if she couldn’t stay, didn’t care if it could never go anywhere. Didn’t care what the risk was. He just wanted her.

  ‘Are you sure?’ Faith asked, her lower lip caught between her teeth.

  ‘Absolutely.’

  ‘I’m leaving—’

  ‘I know. We both know what this is, and what it isn’t. What it can’t be. I don’t know what you’re hiding from me, but I trust you it’s better that way. And I can’t let you leave without...’ He stopped, trying to find the words. Wrapping his hands around her wa
ist, he pulled her closer, close enough that she had to be able to feel every line of his body through that hideous dress. ‘You’ve shown me your world tonight. All the things you love about a city I’ve lived in for years and never got to see.’ No, that wasn’t right. ‘Or, worse, all the things I’ve seen every day and never felt the way you do. I want one night to see everything through your eyes. Just one night.’

  Rising up on tiptoe, Faith pressed her lips against his and his whole body almost sagged with relief. Then his brain caught up and he hauled her closer again, practically lifting her off the floor as he kissed her properly, thoroughly. The way a woman like Faith deserved to be kissed.

  ‘Back to the hotel?’ Faith asked when he finally pulled away.

  Dominic nodded. It was past time to take Faith home to bed.

  * * *

  They caught a cab back to the hotel, Dominic’s hand at her waist the whole way, and Faith could feel the blood thrumming through her veins too fast, driving her on. He was Lord Beresford again now, she could tell, so there was no inappropriate behaviour in the taxi, much as she considered just climbing into his lap and kissing him speechless.

  Or maybe she’d be the one without words. But the man could kiss! One touch of his lips and she’d forgotten anything she ever knew about any city in the world. If someone had asked her where she was right then, she’d have struggled to answer.

  In a way, she was almost glad of the reprieve his propriety gave her. She needed a moment to gather her thoughts, to enjoy the anticipation of what was ahead. And besides, with only one night to enjoy with him, she wouldn’t have wanted him to be pretending to be anyone else.

  No, against the odds, and despite everything, it was Lord Dominic Beresford she’d fallen for, and Faith didn’t want to even pretend otherwise.

  The taxi pulled up outside the hotel, and Dominic handed over a couple of notes to the driver—too much, probably, not that Faith cared right then. She glanced around to check before getting out of the car, but there was no sign of the service she’d arranged to collect the clients from the theatre. She checked her phone quickly; no one had called, so hopefully that meant they were all still having fun at the after-show party, somewhere they wouldn’t see her and Dominic heading up to his suite together.