Rumours: The One-Night Heirs: The Innocent's Secret Baby (Billionaires & One-Night Heirs) / Bound by the Sultan's Baby (Billionaires & One-Night Heirs) / Sicilian's Baby of Shame (Billionaires & One-N

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.

‘Lydia?’

He guided her to a chair, and it was like folding wood trying to get her to sit down, but finally he did.

Lydia could hear her own rapid breathing as Raul went over and flicked on a light, and she knew he was right.

She was angry.

He saw her pale face and the red hand mark, and Raul’s own anger coiled his gut tight. But he kept his voice even. ‘What happened?’

‘I told Maurice that I shan’t be his puppet and neither shall I be returning home.’

He came to her and knelt down, and his hand went to her swollen cheek.

‘Did he hit you anywhere else?’

‘No.’ She shook her head. ‘I’m fine. Really I am.’