Summary: Sequel to 30 Days. Things have gotten complicated. As Layla prepares to accept the reins of her father's vast empire, maintaining a relationship with a wanted fugitive may prove to be just as difficult.

i.

I love sleeping with the windows open.

There was something magical about awakening to a cool breeze, carrying the ubiquitous scents of salt laden seawater and sandy beaches and warm, tanned skin, reminding you with every resurface to the conscious realm that this was another day to be spent in paradise. I opened my eyes slowly so as not to rush the moment.

Sheer, white curtains fluttered languidly, dancing to an invisible, timeless rhythm. Beyond the floor to ceiling windows lay the reason I chose to sleep on the right side of the bed.

Blue, endless blue, as far as the eye could see, presented a splendid panorama so picturesque that my breath caught. Italy was truly a gorgeous country. The sky and sea seemed one in the same, and had it not been for the distant, legendary islands of Li Galli and the morning sun stretching out above the horizon, the unbroken scene would have made my disconnection from reality that much more out of touch.

I snuggled deeper within the satin sheets and inhaled the subtle signatures of suntan lotion, jasmine vanilla, sandalwood and frangipani; each scent anchored to a certain memory, my face warming at some. This place was like my own, personal Shangri-la, the perfect getaway from life's problems and burdens alike. Here I wasn't daughter/boss/friend/foe/heiress/paramour of the enemy of several states and countries. Here I was free to be me, as corny as it sounded.

The bed shifted as a familiar weight sank closer to my side, an arm sliding around my waist a second later. A secretive smile curled on my lips. And here I was free to have as much sex with the man I cared about without being paranoid about getting caught by the authorities and thrown in prison.