The Italian's Seduction (2 of 2 free samples)

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COPYRIGHT
The Italian's Seduction by Karen van der Zee. Copyright 2005 by Karen van der Zee.
All Rights Reserved. Sharing not permitted.

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CHAPTER ONE (CONT'D)

Forty-five minutes later she'd been a nervous wreck, clutching the steering wheel like a drowning person hoping she'd survive the traffic. She'd cruised down every tiny crowded medieval street in this warren of an ancient town, unable to locate the place, unable to find a parking space anywhere so she could get out and find someone to ask. Finally she'd ended up at the harbor where the marina parking lot was the only place she could find to park. Her legs had shaken as she stepped out of the car, and she'd felt more like a wimpy rag doll than a warrior princess. However, she'd now recuperated and felt calmer again. So she was lost. Not the end of the world, was it? This was not the Sahara desert or the Borneo jungle. This was the middle of civilization, a small town in Italy full of people and pasta. She would survive.

All she needed was a guide who could physically show her how to find the way to the apartment. A guide who spoke English.

And here, right in front of her was a Roman god in shorts who might just fit that bill. The god straightened, whipped off his sunglasses and rubbed the bridge of his regal nose, then raked his hand through his hair. Her heart skipped a beat. Really, he was too good-looking to be real.

She came to her feet and moved toward him and at the same time he turned slightly and caught sight of her. His brown gaze zapped right into hers and she felt a jolt of electricity, like lightning slashing through the sky. He stood perfectly still and her own feet stopped moving.

Her heart raced and she forgot what she had been going to say, oblivious to everything but those eyes, so full of darkly glimmering reflections, like polished stone. For a moment she felt oddly disoriented, unaware of her surroundings.

A second of frozen time.

Then she dragged in a deep breath and swallowed. It was so hot standing here in the sun. So very hot.

"Excuse me," she said, and heard the unfamiliar, husky tone of her voice. She cleared her throat. "Do you speak English?"

He nodded. "I do."

"Oh, good." Relieved, she thrust the paper with the address at him. "I've been driving around for an hour and I can't locate this place. I wonder if you could help me."

He studied the letter the notaio had sent her. Over his shoulder, Charli caught sight of someone else jumping off the boat--a teenage girl, all arms and legs and long shiny hair.

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