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Which was fine, Hannah assured herself. So she was attracted to Luca. What woman wouldn’t be? Why shouldn’t she enjoy dancing with him? It wasn’t as if it were going anywhere. She wasn’t looking for a relationship or even a one-night stand. Both were too risky. All she wanted was a few moments of enjoyment and pleasure.
Except Luca had admitted he was attracted to her. Reluctantly, yes, and to his surprise, but still. Over the course of the day she’d got over the sting of his obvious bemusement at being attracted to her, and accepted the compliment that it was.
The door to the bedroom opened just as Hannah was stepping out of the bathroom, swathed in an enormous terrycloth bathrobe.
‘How did it go?’ she asked and then watched in dismay as Luca jerked his tie from his collar and strode over to the minibar, pouring himself two fingers’ worth of whisky and downing it in one hard gulp.
‘Fine.’
Hannah knotted the sash on her robe and pulled her damp hair out from under its thick collar. ‘You’re not acting like it’s fine,’ she observed cautiously.
‘I said it was fine, it’s fine,’ Luca snapped, and poured another drink.
Hannah watched him, wondering what demon was riding his back. Because that was what Luca looked like: a man who was haunted. Tormented. And she didn’t understand why.
‘Daniela asked me about your parents,’ she said, knowing she needed to tell him what had happened that afternoon. Luca stiffened, his glass halfway raised to his lips.
‘Why would she do that?’
‘Because she was trying to trip me up. I think she suspects something.’
‘Daniela?’ He shook his head, the movement curtly dismissive. ‘I barely know the woman. I haven’t seen her in over a year. She’s been married to James Garrison for nearly six months.’
‘Well, I think she still holds a candle for you. And she asked me about your parents and I told her I hadn’t met them. Yet.’ She waited, but Luca’s face was blank.
‘And?’ he said after a pause.
‘And she informed you were an orphan. I didn’t know that, Luca, and clearly I should have. She knew it.’
Hannah couldn’t tell anything from his expression; his eyes looked pitilessly blank. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said inadequately. ‘For your loss.’
‘It was a long time ago.’
‘Still, it’s a big thing.’ She knew that all too well. ‘And now Daniela knows I didn’t know it.’
Luca pressed his lips together and tossed his empty glass on top of the bar, where it clattered and then rolled onto its side. ‘There’s nothing we can do about it now.’
‘All right.’ Hannah didn’t know how to handle him in this mood; his usual energy had been transformed into a disturbing restlessness, a latent anger. ‘I just thought you should know.’
‘Fine. I know.’
Stung, Hannah did not reply. The tentative enjoyment she’d been nurturing for this evening was draining away like her cold bathwater. If Luca stayed in this foul mood, the night was going to be interminable.
‘I’ll go get ready,” she said stiffly, and went to gather her clothes. She was definitely changing in the bathroom.
* * *
Luca stared at the closed bathroom door and swore under his breath. The afternoon with Tyson had been nearly unbearable, the latent fury he’d felt for so long bubbling far too close to the surface, threatening to spill over. Maintaining a professional manner had been the acting job of the century; all he’d wanted to do was haul Tyson out of his chair by his lapels and slap the smug smile off his face.
He hadn’t expected to be this angry, this raw. He’d thought he’d mastered his emotions far better than that, and it only exacerbated his fury to know that he hadn’t. But he shouldn’t have taken it out on Hannah.
As for Daniela’s suspicions... Raking a hand through his hair, Luca swore again. If his fake engagement was exposed, the humiliation he’d face in front of the man who had flayed him once already would be unendurable. He could not even contemplate it.
Luca’s mouth twisted grimly as he considered the options. If Daniela or anyone suspected something, then he and Hannah would have to make doubly sure that they were convincing. Striding towards the wardrobe, he reached for his tux.
He was just straightening his bow tie when Hannah emerged from the bathroom, her chin held high, her eyes veiled. Luca’s gaze dropped to her dress and his throat went dry. It was the one she’d modelled at the boutique, ice-blue with a plunging neckline only partially obscured by the gauzy overlay. She’d styled her hair in an elegant chignon, exposing the delicate, swanlike curve of her neck.
‘It’s all right, isn’t it?’ Hannah asked, nervousness making her voice wobble a bit.
‘Yes...’ Luca’s voice came out gruff and hoarse.
Hannah tugged at the material self-consciously. ‘It’s just you’re looking at me strangely.’
‘It’s only...’ He cleared his throat. ‘You look beautiful, Hannah.’
Colour flared in her face. ‘So why are you glaring, then?’ She turned away, fidgeting with her earrings, her necklace, clearly uncomfortable in the sexy, diaphanous gown.
‘Hannah.’ Luca crossed the room to put a hand on her shoulder, her skin cool and soft beneath his palm. ‘I’m sorry I’ve been in such a foul mood. It’s not fair to you.’ He paused and then admitted with more honesty than he’d been planning to give, ‘Nothing about this weekend has been fair to you.’
Hannah bowed her head, a tendril of soft brown hair falling against her cheek, making Luca want to tuck it behind her ear, trail his fingers along her skin. ‘I was actually looking forward to this evening, you know,’ she admitted. ‘Until...’
‘Until I returned to our room?’ Luca finished with a wry wince, and then sighed. ‘I am sorry. You don’t deserve to bear the brunt of my bad mood.’
‘So many apologies.’ She turned around, a teasing smile curving her lips. ‘I should record this conversation, otherwise I might never believe it actually happened.’
‘I’ll deny it, of course,’ he teased back. He’d dropped his hand from her shoulder when she’d turned around but he itched to touch her again. Her waist looked so tiny he thought he could span it with his hands. The gauzy overlay of the dress made him want to peel it away and touch the pale, creamy flesh beneath. He remembered untying the halter top of the dress back when she’d first tried it on and he wanted to do it again. He wanted her...and he could tell she wanted him.
He saw it in the way she swallowed convulsively, her eyes huge and dark in her pale face. She bit her lip and Luca nearly groaned aloud. The attraction he felt for his PA was both overwhelming and inconvenient, but in that moment he couldn’t even think about the consequences, the difficulties, the dangers. He just wanted to touch her.
And so he did.
He reached out with one finger and stroked her cheek; her skin was just as soft as he’d imagined, silky and cool. She shuddered under his touch, her whole body quivering in response, and that made Luca ache all the more.
‘Hannah...’ he began, although he didn’t even know what he would say. How much he would admit.
Hannah didn’t let him finish. She took a halting step away, nearly tripping on the trailing hem of her gown. ‘It’s—it’s getting late,’ she stammered. ‘We should go.’
And Luca told himself he felt relieved and not crushingly disappointed that he’d had such a narrow escape.
CHAPTER EIGHT (#u4f4978b9-1712-5358-b80f-d37e100db43a)
HANNAH SIPPED THE frothy cocktail Andrew Tyson had insisted she try, an island speciality involving fruit and strong liquor, and tried to soothe the ferment inside her. Now more than ever she felt confused and disturbed, and, more alarmingly, tempted by Luca Moretti.
She couldn’t understand how one moment he could be so aggravating and arrogant and the next so sweet and sincere. She’d gone from wanting to slug him to wanting to purr under that single, seductive stroke of his finger. The tiniest touch had created a blaze of want inside her that was still making her hot and bothered. She imagined what he could do with his whole hand, his whole body, and felt another sizzling dart of heat arrow through her.
She could not start thinking about Luca Moretti that way. All right, yes, his sex appeal had started affecting her ever since they’d left their normal employer–employee relationship behind at the office, but she hadn’t taken it seriously. She hadn’t actually entertained the possibility of something happening between them.
Now her mind skirted around that intriguing thought, flirted with the possibility of—what? A fling? A one-night stand? Hannah was sensible enough to know Luca Moretti wasn’t interested in anything more, and she wasn’t interested in any relationship, much less one with a man who had sworn off marriage and children, and was a notorious womaniser. But she wasn’t the type to have casual sex; she never had before. And to contemplate it with her boss...
And yet desire was a powerful thing. The sight of him in his tuxedo was enough to make her head spin and her mouth dry. The crisp white shirt emphasised his bronzed skin, and the tuxedo jacket fit his broad shoulders and narrow hips perfectly. He was incredible, darkly magnificent, so next to him James Garrison looked like a weedy fop, Simon Tucker a corpulent would-be Santa Claus. Luca was literally head and shoulders above the other men, a gorgeous, arrogant Colossus who looked as if he could straddle the world. The only man who nearly matched his height was Andrew Tyson, and his shoulders were stooped with age, his face lined and eyes faded.
Luca had spent the first part of the evening by her side, charming and solicitous to everyone, clearly working the room. When Tyson had entered the opulent sitting room, Luca had slid an arm around Hannah’s waist, practically gluing her to his side. The bump of his hip against hers was enough to make sensation sizzle through her. She could feel the heat of his thigh through the thin material of her dress, and her insides tightened to an exquisite, aching point of desire.
She’d never responded so physically, so overwhelmingly, to a man before. Not, Hannah acknowledged, that she had a lot of experience. Ben, Jamie’s father, had been her only lover, and while she’d enjoyed being with him she hadn’t felt this desperate, craving physical touch like water in a parched desert.
Sliding sideways glances at Luca, she felt an overwhelming urge to touch him, to feel the rough stubble on his jaw, to discover if his lips felt soft or hard against hers. To feel his body against hers as she had that morning, and rock against him again, and then deeper still.
Heat flashed through her at the thought and Luca must have felt it, must have sensed her response, because he gave her a single, burning look before turning back to address Simon Tucker.
He knew how he affected her, maybe even how much. The thought would have been mortifying except that she knew she affected him too. He’d told her he’d been attracted to her that morning, and surely she couldn’t feel this kind of chemistry if it were merely one-sided.
So the question was, could she do anything about it? Did she dare? She wasn’t looking for a relationship, wouldn’t put herself or Jamie at risk of being hurt. She knew what happened when you loved people. You risked losing them. She’d lost too many times already to try again.
‘Hannah?’ Luca prompted, and she realised she had no idea what anyone had been saying for the last few minutes.
‘Sorry?’ She tried for a conciliatory yet loving smile. ‘I’m afraid I was a million miles away.’
‘No doubt planning your wedding,’ Simon joked good-naturedly. ‘Have you set a date?’
‘As soon as possible, as far as I’m concerned,’ Luca answered swiftly, with a squeeze of Hannah’s waist. ‘But Hannah wants more of a do.’
Hannah lifted her shoulders in a helpless shrug. ‘You only get married once.’
‘Hopefully,’ James joked, an edge to his voice that made a frozen silence descend on the little group for a few seconds.
‘What’s your secret to a happy marriage, then, James?’ Simon asked, trying for jocular.
‘A limit-free credit card and no questions asked,’ James replied with a pointed look at his wife. Daniela pressed her lips together and said nothing.
Hardly a response of a family man, Hannah thought. James Garrison was a slick study, and looked to share Luca’s view on relationships.
‘I’ll take that on board,’ Luca answered in a tone that suggested he would do no such thing.
‘Falling for your PA isn’t like you, is it, Luca?’ James said, malice entering his ice-blue eyes. ‘I thought you made sure never to mix business and pleasure.’
‘As I said last night, this time it was impossible to resist.’ He glanced down at Hannah, who tilted her head up to look at him so their mouths were only a few inches apart. She felt her insides shudder even though she knew Luca was only play-acting. That simmering heat in his eyes might not have been real, but the response Hannah’s body gave certainly was. Her lips parted in helpless expectation, her whole being trained on Luca’s sleepy, hooded gaze.
‘Irresistible,’ he murmured, and then closed those scant inches separating them.
The feel of his mouth on hers was a complete surprise and yet also a sigh of relief and wonder. At last. Her mouth opened underneath his and Hannah clutched at his lapels, barely aware of what she was doing. Luca’s tongue swept into her mouth with sure possession, turning her insides weak and liquid. Her fingers tightened on his jacket.
‘No doubt that you two are heading for the altar,’ Simon joked, and Luca finally broke the kiss. Hannah sagged against him, her heart thudding, her mind spinning, her whole body feeling as if she’d been lit up inside like a firework.
‘Like I said,’ Luca said with a wry smile. ‘Irresistible. I didn’t stand a chance.’
And neither did she.
Her lips were still buzzing from his kiss when they headed out to the terrace where tables had been set up for dinner, laden with crystal and silver that glinted under the moonlight. Torches flickered, casting warm shadows across the terrace, and the sea was no more than a gleam of blackness in the distance, the tide a gentle shooshing sound as the waves lapped the shore.
They were just about to take their seats when Andrew Tyson turned expectantly to the open French windows. ‘Ah,’ he said, his voice filled with pleasure. ‘My family has finally arrived from New York. Please let me introduce you all to my wife and children.’
* * *
Luca froze before slowly turning to face the French windows, where Andrew Tyson’s wife, Mirabella, and their two children stood, framed by the gauzy white curtains.
He’d been waiting for this moment, both expecting and bracing himself for it, and yet now that it was finally here he found every thought had emptied from his head, the smile wiped from his face. Even the electric, intoxicating buzz of Hannah’s kiss was forgotten in that horrendous, endless moment.
Distantly, as if he were down a long tunnel, he heard people exchanging pleasantries. Words were said, but it was as if everyone had started speaking another language. Tyson’s two children, Stephen and Laura, came forward, smiling and shaking hands. Stephen had the dark hair of his mother and Tyson’s brown eyes. Laura was the opposite, with her father’s sandy hair and her mother’s blue eyes. They were both relaxed, friendly, completely in their element, and in a few seconds he was going to have to shake their hands. Say hello. Act normal.
He acknowledged this even as he didn’t move. Had no idea what the expression on his face was. Felt nothing but the relentless, painful thud of his heart. He’d been waiting for this moment for years, decades, and yet he hadn’t been prepared for it, not remotely.
Then he felt a soft, slender hand slide into his, fingers squeezing tightly, imbuing warmth and strength. He glanced down at Hannah’s face, the worry and concern in her eyes, the compassion in her smile, and he felt as if he’d fallen out of that tunnel with a thud, as if he’d rejoined reality, and was strong enough to deal with it—thanks to the woman next to him.
‘Stephen. Laura.’ His voice came out on a croak that he quickly covered, extending his hand for them both to shake. ‘Luca Moretti and my fiancée, Hannah Stewart.’
Hannah stepped forward to greet them both and Luca forced himself to breathe normally, to school the expression on his face into one of friendly interest. To will his heart rate to slow.
He felt the delayed reaction of shock kick in, an icy wave that swept over him and left his knees weak, his whole body near to trembling. He had to get out of there.
‘If you’ll excuse me,’ he murmured, and went in search of the bathroom.
Once inside, safely away from all the prying eyes, he splashed his face with cold water and then stared hard into the mirror, willing himself to get a grip. He’d climbed his way out of appalling poverty, negotiated dozens of million-and billion-dollar deals, was a man of power and authority and wealth. He’d conquered all these old fears and insecurities. He didn’t need to feel this way now. He wouldn’t.
Except he did.
He released a shuddering breath and rubbed a hand over his face. He needed to get back to the dinner. James Garrison was chomping at the bit to take this deal out from under him, simply out of spite. Garrison had always been jealous of Luca’s success, of the huge deals he brokered that James hadn’t a chance in hell of managing. Luca knew he couldn’t afford to throw himself a damned pity party in the bathroom.
Taking a deep breath, he straightened his tux and then opened the door to the hall, stopping short when he saw Hannah there waiting for him.
‘What are you—?’
‘I was worried about you.’ She put a hand on his sleeve, and he glanced down at her fingers, long and slender, the nails buffed and glistening with clear varnish. Every part of her was simple and yet so elegant. ‘Luca, what’s going on? Can’t you tell me?’
‘It’s nothing.’
‘That’s not true.’ Concern threaded her voice. ‘Please, Luca. Do you know how hard it is to act the part when I have no idea what you’re going through?’
‘You’re doing fine, Hannah.’ He shrugged off her hand. ‘You certainly acted the part when I kissed you.’
Colour surged into her face but her gaze was steady, her voice calm. ‘Don’t take out your frustrations on me, Luca. All I’m asking for is the truth.’
He raked a hand through his hair, knowing she had a right to understand at least a little of what was going on. ‘Tyson and I have a history,’ he said in a low voice. ‘Not a pleasant one. I didn’t expect it, but seeing him again brings it all back.’
‘And his family?’ Hannah asked. Luca tensed.
‘What about his family?’
‘You obviously didn’t like their arrival. You went white—’
