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“Not that I recall.”
“I’ll get it.” Elena made a move toward the door, immensely grateful for the interruption.
Her mother held up a hand. “You stay and finish getting ready. I’ll entertain your date.”
“I thought you didn’t know who was at the door?”
“I, ah, just remembered.” Her mother’s gaze avoided hers.
“Really? That’s interesting, because I don’t recall making a date.”
“I know, dear. That’s why I arranged for one. After all, you don’t want to show up at the palace all alone.”
Stunned by her mother’s matchmaking, Elena stood slack jawed as her mother used her crutches to maneuver out of Elena’s bedroom. She even pulled the door shut behind her.
Elena didn’t know what shocked her more—her mother’s agility or the fact Elena had a date that evening and her mother hadn’t even told her the man’s name. At least with her mother doing the matchmaking, Elena knew the man would be honest and a gentleman.
The only problem was Elena didn’t want a date. She was perfectly happy going to the palace alone. This wasn’t the good old days when it was unseemly for a twenty-five-year-old woman to be seen in public without an escort.
She had to put a stop to her mother’s meddling. After all, she’d returned to Mirraccino to take care of her mother, not the other way around.
Elena glanced back at the mirror. She turned, giving a side view. Would anyone be able to tell she was pregnant? She didn’t think so. She wasn’t far along. And so far she’d been able to avoid the dreaded morning sickness. A little nausea now and then and being a bit more emotional than normal were her only symptoms.
She turned away from the mirror and slipped on a pair of platform stiletto heels adorned with crystals. The added height to her five-foot-ten stature always gave her a boost of confidence. The peekaboo toes would give a glimpse of her pedicure. Thankfully, she’d had a nail appointment just before she left Paris. She’d hoped it would lift her spirits. It hadn’t.
She pulled open the bedroom door and headed downstairs. “Mother, I—”
The words died in her throat. There, making chitchat with her mother, was Luca. Her heart lurched into her throat. How could this be? Luca never visited Mirraccino. And yet here he was, smiling and laughing with her mother.
He looked incredibly handsome with his dark hair cropped short on the sides and back while the top was a bit longer. He wore a charcoal suit that amplified his already broad shoulders—shoulders where not so long ago she’d rested her head. She squelched the thought as fast as it came to her.
Sans a tie, the top two buttons of his white dress shirt were unbuttoned, revealing a glimpse of his tanned chest and the gold chain that held his St. Christopher medal. He’d been wearing that necklace—a gift from his mother—almost as long as Elena had known him. She knew it meant a great deal to him.
He looked like he was ready to step onto a runway in Paris or Milan. He was certainly photogenic enough. He had it all—the looks, a title and money. He wanted for nothing. Even though he’d settled down with a job in the financial sector, she knew he traveled routinely. With his home base in Milan, he often traveled throughout Europe to the States and then to Australia before he started the expedition once again. And he certainly never lacked for companionship.
She should have known that Luca would be her mother’s idea of an appropriate date. Her mother would like nothing better than to have her marry into the royal family. But Elena had made it clear that would never happen. She’d had enough of men. They only wanted one thing. Once they got it, it was game over and they were on to their next conquest.
Not so long ago, Luca had been the love ’em and leave ’em type. And the aftermath of their night together hadn’t convinced her that this particular leopard had changed his spots. It was best that she trod carefully where he was concerned.
“Hello, Elena.” Luca placed a practiced smile on his face, but there was a flicker of something dark in his eyes. In a blink it was gone, leaving her to wonder if she’d imagined it.
“Hi. I... I didn’t know you were back on the island.”
“I was told by my sister that if I didn’t make an appearance for her engagement celebration, she would track me down and it wouldn’t be pretty when she found me.”
“I can imagine your sister following through on that threat.”
“Me, too. So here I am.”
“And since your appearance was last minute,” her mother interjected, “Luca kindly agreed to be your escort. Isn’t that right, Luca?”
His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Yes, that’s right. It looks like we’re both without dates this evening.”
“But that doesn’t mean my mother should have imposed on you.” Elena sent her mother a pointed look.
“I didn’t.” Her mother feigned innocence.
Elena’s gaze narrowed on her mother, not believing her. “And I suppose Luca is now psychic and knew I’d be here this evening without a date?”
Elena could feel Luca’s gaze on her, but she refused to face him. She was already embarrassed enough. How could her mother do this to her?
“I was just trying to help,” her mother said. “Luca came round the other day to check on me. He’d heard about my accident, and he wanted to make sure I was okay.”
It sounded innocent enough, but how that translated into a date was another story. “And that’s when you hatched this scheme to impose on his kindness.”
“Young lady—” her mother’s voice took on a sharp edge of indignation “—I don’t now, nor have I ever, hatched a scheme. I merely mentioned that you were flying in to town.”
“And I suggested that we go to the dinner this evening—together.” Luca was no longer smiling.
He was mad at her? She was only trying to undo her mother’s meddling. She was certain her mother had more to do with this arrangement than she was letting on. Wait. Had he just said he was the one who’d wanted to go to the dinner with her?
Elena’s gaze shifted to Luca. But it was like he had built a wall between them, and she wasn’t able to read his thoughts. Drat! She felt as though she was standing on shifting sand and she just couldn’t get her footing. The best thing to do was let him off the hook, gently.
“I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but you don’t have to bother,” she said, watching his eyes grow darker. “I don’t mind going to the palace by myself.”
“What about the palace?” Her father stepped through the doorway in his standard black suit, collared white shirt and black tie.
“Luca came to escort Elena to the dinner at the palace.” Her mother beamed. “Isn’t that wonderful?”
Her father’s face was pale and drawn. Dark circles had formed under his eyes from being on call for the king at any hour of the day or night. Elena wished her father would set some boundaries in his life, but he insisted that his duty was to the king, and he could not be deterred.
Everyone stood quietly waiting for her father to speak. It wasn’t like him to be so quiet. Usually he would tell her to have a good evening and be on his way.
“Are you all right?” Elena asked her father.
“I’m fine. Just a little tired.” Her father moved to stand in front of Elena. He leaned forward and pressed a feathery kiss to her cheek. “But I’m feeling better now. How could I not with my wonderful family around me?”
Elena’s mother nodded toward Luca. “Aren’t you going to say anything to our guest?”
Her father grunted as though he’d forgotten. He turned to Luca. “Don’t do anything to hurt my girl. Or else...”
Her father didn’t finish the threat, but Luca’s rigid stance and the firm line of his lips said that he’d gotten the message.
“I’ll go clean up for dinner,” her father said and moved toward the stairs.
“Shall we go?” Luca asked.
Elena had to try one last time to call off this awkward date. “As I was saying before, I really don’t mind arriving alone.”
Luca sighed. “Ah, but see, I do mind. I hate showing up at these family events alone. There will be questions about who I’m dating, if it’s serious and if I ever plan to settle down and get married. I’d rather avoid all that.”
So she would be doing him a favor? By what? Being his decoy? A shield?
No. No. No.
She wasn’t comfortable with any of those titles. Elena had enough of her own secrets. She didn’t need to be drawn into anyone else’s drama.
The past few months in Paris had consisted of making one bad decision after the other. It had gotten to the point where she had no faith in her own judgment. And now that she was pregnant, she had to make the right decisions. There was an innocent baby counting on her. She had mixed emotions about her unexpected condition. How could she tell Luca she was pregnant when she didn’t even know how she felt about it?
That was why her mother’s request for her to return home couldn’t have come at a better time. She had hoped some downtime would clear her head. At the time, she’d had absolutely no idea that Annabelle was having a big celebration or that she would include Elena in the festivities.
Her gaze landed on Luca. He looked uncomfortable and anxious to be anywhere but here. Things had definitely changed between them. Where there had once been an easiness, there was now this crackling tension. If she needed any confirmation that they could never go back to how they used to be, this was it.
Tonight, she would be nervous enough being a guest at the palace. She really didn’t need the added awkwardness she felt around Luca. If only he wasn’t so insistent on being a gentleman and escorting her.
“I’m not quite ready to go.” When he didn’t say anything, she added, “I don’t want to make you late.”
“I don’t mind waiting,” he said. “It’ll give me some more time to talk with your mother.”
Her mother smiled. “And I just made a fresh batch of those amaretto cookies that you enjoy.”
“They’re my favorite,” Luca said. “And I haven’t had them in a very long time. You really are the best in the kitchen.”
Her mother shook a finger at him. “You have grown up to be quite a flatterer. I’ll just go get you a few.”
“If you don’t mind, I’ll join you.”
Her mother nodded and set off for the kitchen with Luca following closely behind. Elena stood alone in the entryway. What exactly had just happened?
CHAPTER TWO (#u9ca61399-ae42-5ead-8054-379b6a248937)
LUCA COULDN’T TAKE his gaze off her.
Had Elena always been this beautiful?
Thankfully she’d turned her head to stare out the car’s window at the passing fields of wildflowers while in the background the setting sun painted the sky with streaks of orange, pink and purple. But tonight Luca was in no mood to appreciate nature’s beauty.
In the weeks since he’d last seen her in Paris, he’d convinced himself that everything about their evening together had been blown out of proportion by the champagne. He just couldn’t accept that he was attracted to his childhood friend. He couldn’t allow that to happen, because they could have no future.
He wasn’t into commitments.
Not now. Not ever.
But there was something about Elena that pulled at him...even to this day.
And then he remembered how he’d woken up the morning after they’d made love and heard Elena sniffling. The sound had ripped him apart. No one had ever cried after spending the night with him. And the fact that it was Elena, of all people, made the situation so much worse.
He hadn’t moved for an indeterminable number of minutes. Her muffled sobs had sliced through him. Clearly she’d thought their night together had been a mistake. Unable to think of anything to say to comfort her, he’d continued to breathe deeply as though he’d still been asleep. Each breath had been painful, as his entire body was tense. The memory was still so crystal clear.
He had done that. He had made Elena cry. And he felt awful.
If only he hadn’t let things get out of hand. But he’d thought she’d been having a good time. Still, he should have resisted kissing her. He should have made their friendship the priority. If he’d been thinking clearly, he would have realized there would be no coming back from holding her all night long.
He swallowed hard as the limo glided through the estate to the palace. The ride only took a couple of minutes, but with Elena so close to him, time seemed to stand still. For the first time, he wasn’t sure what to say or what to do.
Boy, he’d really messed things up between them. He resisted the urge to rake his fingers through his hair. He needed to look his best for the professional photos his sister would undoubtedly insist upon.
On second thought, this date is not a good idea.
Not good at all.
“Are you sure about this?” Elena asked.
“Yes.” Liar.
She arched a brow. “You don’t sound certain.”
This was where he should reach out and squeeze her hand to reassure her, but instead he didn’t move. He didn’t trust himself to touch her. The images of their night together were still in the forefront of his mind.
He’d really mucked things up. The truth was he didn’t want to be Elena’s escort, but when her mother had mentioned Elena’s return to the island, he’d been caught off guard. And when her mother had mentioned the party, Luca had spoken without thinking.
And now, well, all he wanted to do was sweep Elena into his arms and pick up right where they’d left off back in Paris. He wanted to feel her eager lips beneath his—ready and willing.
He halted his thoughts. This wasn’t like him. When he ended a relationship, he moved on without looking back. With Elena there had been no moving on. Since that night, no other woman had interested him.
When he closed his eyes, it was Elena’s face he saw. It was the memory of her lips that tormented him. How was he ever supposed to get her out of his system?
So he didn’t dare look at Elena right now. He refused to act on those desires. She’d made it abundantly clear that she regretted their night together—no matter how hot and steamy it had been.
He just needed to focus on something else—anything else. His mind drew a blank. Perhaps he should start a conversation. Yes, that was a good idea. But what should he talk about?
“I was surprised to hear you were back on the island.” There—that sounded normal enough.
She shrugged. “I didn’t have much choice, considering I thought my mother truly needed me.”
“I take it she exaggerated her injuries?”
Elena nodded. “By the sound of her on the phone, she was on death’s door.”
Luca smiled. “I can imagine.”
“What does that mean?” Elena suddenly sounded protective of her mother.
“I just meant that your mother would do anything to get you home.”
“And how would you know? You’re here even less than I am.”
He shrugged, not certain he wanted to admit that he talked with her mother often enough. At first, Elena’s mother had concocted any excuse possible to call him, but as time went by, he got used to hearing from her. He actually looked forward to it, because she would fill him in on all of Elena’s accomplishments.
