Lara quickly got to know him, not because his father described him so much that it was impossible for her not to recognize him, but because even though he stands behind the crowd he dominates the crowd who’s waiting for the newly arrived passengers at Manila City International Airport. He was over six feet tall, with a muscular body and blessed with a gentle face that resembled an angel who fell from heaven. At a glance you can immediately tell that he was the type of man who was envied by other men, and women were willing to fight for.
As if on cue, he looked at her. He stared at her for a moment, long enough for the shiver to roll in her chest. Every part of her brain and sanity reminded her that this man is dangerous and will only bring her pain. He nodded, as if he knew the effect he had on her and parted with the people in front of him, walking towards her.
She couldn't help but stare at him, the way he wore his pants exposed his narrow hips and long legs, the way his black leather jacket rode smoothly over his powerful shoulders, and the startling contrast of his throat rising strong and tanned against the open collar of his white shirt. As he approached, she also clearly saw the shape of his mouth and jaw, his mustache and beard beginning to grow, showing the stubbornness of his head mentioned by his father.
When he approached them, he asked in a voice as sinfully seductive as the rest of him, “So you beat the odds and made it back in one piece. How was the trip?
"It's tiring." Rocco replied, feeling pain and tiredness in the tone of his voice. Painkillers and even the luxury of first-class air travel have not been enough to alleviate the discomfort he felt. “Very long. But as you can see, I have a guardian angel beside me.” He reached over his shoulder, reached out her hand and squeezed it affectionately. “Lara, my dear, I am pleased to introduce you to my son, Christian. And this, Chris, is my nurse, Lara Torres. I don't know what would have happened to me without her.”
Again, Christian Imperial stares at her, touring the length of her in insolent appraisal. Behind his gaze and beautiful eyes can be seen a certain arrogance. He was not a man willing to humble himself, she thought. "Glad to meet you, Lara Torres," he said.
Even though the dress she was wearing was enough to cover her entire body, she felt like she was naked in the way he stared. His eyes were the problem, she thought dizzily. It was brown like his father, as she expected, they added an arresting final touch to a face already possessed of more than its rightful share of dark beauty.
She swallowed before being able to reply, "Nice to meet you too."
His gentle face and beautiful smile cause weakness to her knees. For heaven's sake, what's happening to her? She was twenty-seven years old, and if not exactly the most sexually experienced woman in the world, she was also not innocent in that matter. She knew well enough that outward appearance didn’t matter. A man’s good character was of greatest importance, and from the stories his father told her, it is sad that Christian Imperial was a man with no respect for others.
The behavior he showed in talking to his father Rocco Imperial caused her to lose her attraction for him. He did not even bother to hug his father, so that by simply tapping his shoulder or holding his hand, the old man could at least feel that he had a child whom he could count on and was ready to support him in time of need. Instead he ordered a porter to carry their luggage carried by a flight attendant. "Well, since we've already had enough introductions and greetings, let's get out of here," he marched towards the exit, leaving Lara to follow Rocco.
Only when they arrived at the waiting Mercedes did he betray a hint of compassion. "Don't," he ordered as she helped her patient get out of the wheelchair and with surprising tenderness, he lifted his father in his arms, carefully laid him in the backseat and covered his feet with a blanket. "You didn't have to do that," Rocco snapped, unable to hide the pain he was feeling.
When Christian noticed this he immediately said, “Apparently I did. Or do you prefer me to just stand up and not help and just watch you fall in the ground?”
"I would love to be able to stand on my own two feet without the help of others."
“Then you should have taken better care of yourself while you were away — or else had the good sense to stay home in the first place, instead of deciding you had to see Alaska before you die.”
Lara wanted to kick the man in front of her, but had no power to do so instead she just stared at him. “Accidents happen, Mr. Imperial.”
"You’re right. Especially to globe-trotting eighty-six-year-old men."
“It is not his fault if the ship ran aground and he was the only passenger injured. Everything should also be considered, and given his age, your father’s done amazingly well. At the right time, and with adequate follow-up physical therapy, he will definitely recover.”
"And what if not?"
"Then I guess you're going to have to step up to the plate and start acting like a proper son."
His eyes twinkle with attractive long lashes. “Nurse and family counselor all rolled into one,” he drawled. "How lucky is that?"
"Well, you did ask."
"And you told me." He tipped the porter, he left to return the borrowed wheelchair to the airport, then slammed closed the car trunk and opened the front passenger door. "Hop in. Let’s just continue this conversation later.”
As she expected, he drove with flair and expertise. In just an hour since they left the airport, they are now traversing the long road surrounded by towering trees at the side of the road. Soon after, at the end of a quiet road running parallel to the beach. Christian entered the vehicle through the ornate wrought-iron gates, which opened with just a touch of the remote control.Lara realizes that Rocco is a man of extreme wealth, but she is not ready to face the overwhelming luxury that seems to frighten her. The Mercedes took the uphill long curve of the road, and her eyes caught sight of a massive house.Standing on a vast terrain, exquisitely landscaped grounds and screened from local traffic by the trees of pines, the place is much more elevated compared to the usual place. Stucco walls, blindingly white, rose in elegant proportions to a tiled roof that was blue like what she always imagined the color of the sky. Large open windows on wide terraces shaded by pergo
Chris took the opportunity to leave the place, when she saw him leaving, she wanted to slap herself with frustration, despite her efforts she failed to prevent that. However, the faithful Ruben remained in the room, concerned and willing to help in any way. When Rocco finished eating and fell asleep comfortably, she went out to go to the room reserved for her.Aida, the servant, showed Lara the room reserved for her upstairs. Decorated in subtle shades of ivory and slate-blue, she remembered her own bedroom in the house, even though the furnishings here were far more than anything she could afford. Marble floors, a Savonnerie rug and fine antiques polished to a soft gleam exemplified wealth, good taste and comfort.There is also a lady’s writing desk between the double French doors to the balcony. There was a fainting couch, its brocade upholstery worn to satin softness, its once-vibrant colors faded by time. A glass-shaded lamp spilled mellow light, and a vase o
"Then that's a pity!" he answered, without the slightest trace of remorse. “But try to see where I'm coming from. My father came with a very beautiful woman whom he did not fully know but then he was able to entrust his whole life. Not only that, he came from a very distant place, in another country and my father agreed to watch over and take care of him until he was completely healed. In fact, there are enough nurses qualified to take care of him in this country. So, tell me, if we reverse our situation, won't you at least doubt it?”"No." she replied warmly. “Before I jump to unworthy conclusions or before I judge her professionalism. I will ask this stranger to show me her profile and if I am not satisfied with the information she provided, I will call her previous employers to verify if the documents she presented are true.”“Well, there is no need for many explanations. Your point is well taken and that being the case, I am ready to p
She was lying. The evidence was present in her confused look, in her racing pulse, very easily and unobtrusively detected when he took her wrist. And he intended to find out why, because despite his thoughts he would remain unaffected by whatever he discovered when he went to the airport, the sight of the old man, so brittle and somehow diminished, he seemed to be struck by a hammer in his heart. They only spent a little time together, for a long time nothing else was done but to argue and nothing was agreed upon. But Rocco was still his father, and Chris would be damned before he’d let someone take him to the cleaners.Oh, she was full of reasonable anger for saying that she was not a selfless angel of mercy as she portrays as she is. After all, he didn't expect it. But he also saw how she was able to bring herself closer to Rocco; how successful she was in taking its affection. His father was not the demonstrative type of man, and at least not as far as Chris remember
She put down the bread she was holding and stared at him. "I beg your pardon?"“By what standards do you judge a prospective husband?”She reached for her glass and drank as she pondered what to answer to his question. "He must be a decent and respectable man," she finally declared."Tall, dark and handsome, too?""Not necessarily." She shrugged again, causing her clothes to lift slightly and expose the beautiful curve of her breasts.He wished he hadn’t seen that fascinating. "Rich and successful, is that so?"“At least, he must earn enough to support us. When we have children, I want to be at home to take care of them.”"If you had to choose just one quality of your ideal man, what would it be?""The one who knows how to love," she said dreamily, her brown eyes widened, and a sharp smile flashed on her lips. While outside, a strong wind was blowing on the pine trees. "I want love more than anythi
She probably weighed no more than fifty-four kilograms in his eighty-five, but what was lacking in size, was more than recoverable in spirit. He had no doubt that she was given knowledge of the anatomy of the man, beyond the ability to cause serious bodily injury. Which should hinder him. Instead the thought of repelling her left him so suddenly and painfully aroused that, for the first time, he questioned the wisdom of his plan of attack. She should have been at his mercy, not in any other way, but for now, she remained utterly indifferent to his charms. On the other hand, he is not with her.Aida just came back to serve chicken breast and ziti stuffed with spinach, a welcome diversion, allowing him to fight his bad submission hormones and redirect his energy to more productive channels. "Why did you allow my father to force you into allowing him to travel, when he clearly didn't fit on it?" he asked casually, once they were alone again.&l
Except for setting aside an hour a day to polish your halo! Struggling to hide his skepticism, Chris said, "All the work and no play seems unfair. We'll see what we can do to change that."A sudden influx of wind moved through the French doors, making her jump. "The thing being here is enough change. If the weather had cleared up, I'm sure Rocco wouldn't have upset me with the extraordinary day off to see the sights."“Count on both,” he said, acknowledging the opportunity when it showed up. "And I’m dedicating myself to act as tour guide.""That’s nice of you, Chris."No, no, he might have told her. Because whatever her motives, his were anything but pure. And because he meant it when he said he wasn’t a good person.They passed the leftover food in idle conversation, only interrupted by repeated bursts of rain on the windows, but before serving the coffee, she was about to run out of thing
Lara had been kissed before, many times, but always. with some part of her brain able to rate the experience objectively: too slobbery, too bland, too aggressive, too many teeth, too much heavy breathing, not enough tenderness. More often than not, kissing, she'd concluded, was a vastly overrated prelude to romance. Until Christian Imperial came on the scene, that was, and filled her with a single blow.Except "blow" was no more the right word to define his effect on her than "kiss" adequately described his action. What he did with his mouth transcended the ordinary and surpassed the divine. Cool and firm, it yet seared her with its heat. Though undemanding, it somehow stripped her of everything-her independence, her focus, her moral compass, even her sense of survival.Apart from one rash, distinctly forgettable experience, she'd chosen to remain celibate because sex for its own sake held no appeal, and she'd never come close to being in lo