by JC Harroway
“Oh, nothing. What about your father?” I ask, and then kick myself for veering into the personal.
He looks down, pain ghosting his eyes. “We lost Dad and my brother at the same time. Car accident.”
I touch his arm. “I’m so sorry.”
“It was a long time ago.” His gaze meets mine. “What about you? Are you close to your parents?”
I sigh... No point in lying in this regard. “My Dad left when I was young, and my mother sort of checked out after that. She died a couple of years ago.”
“I’m sorry. That must have been very hard on you.”
“I miss her terribly. Miss who she was before it all happened.” Long before she was physically gone, she was both emotionally and mentally gone from my life. I try to inject a bit of humor into my voice. “Unlike your mother, she wasn’t Italian or a good cook. At least I didn’t have to eat her food after she checked out on me.”
He smiles at me, and I get the sense he can tell I’m making light of things. “You did the cooking?”
“Yeah, and I wasn’t very good at it, either. A chip off the old block,” I say and slide another piece of pancake into my mouth. The taste explodes on my tongue.
“But you can make a mean apple pie, right?”
I can’t help but laugh at that. “No, Tate was kidding. I actually burnt down the kitchen the only time I tried. I mean, the pie might have been good, before the firemen doused it.”
He laughs out loud. “You’re kidding me?”
“I wish I was.” We both go quiet for a moment. “You said you’ve been single for a long time. Are you anti-marriage, too?”
He looks down, stares into his coffee cup like it holds all the answers in the universe. His muscles bunch, the tension in his body taking up space between us. God, he’s suddenly strung so tightly, I’m afraid something is going to pop.
He leans away from the countertop, presenting calm even though there is a storm going on in his eyes, and his nostrils are flaring. “I’m not opposed to marriage,” he says. “If it was with the right person, you know?”
What the hell does he mean by that? Was he married before, to the wrong person? I wouldn’t judge—I was nearly engaged to the wrong guy once. Ryan was so temperamental, it was almost a relief to catch him cheating on me with his sister’s friend. Good riddance, asshole. I’m curious about Luca but it’s not my business, nor do I want to make it mine, so I don’t ask.
A noise outside the chalet gains my attention. As the guests wake up and begin their activities, I finish the last bite of my breakfast. “I’ll help you with the dishes and get out of your way.”
“You’re not in my way, Brianna,” he says, and my gaze flies to his when he takes my hand. “I was serious about tonight,” he says, his mood changing. “Come back. I’ll cook for you, even give you a few lessons.”
My gaze meanders to his bare chest, and I take in his bronzed skin, the hard grooves my fingers itch to touch again. “I...” Oh God, how tempting. But this has already gone too far. I’m out of my element as it is. I pull my hand free, stand and take my plate to the sink. “I can’t. I told Granddad I’d have dinner with him tonight. I haven’t spent a lot of time with him lately, and he’s not well.”
“I want to keep fucking you.”
I turn and grip the counter at his bold statement. “Last night was a one-time thing, Luca. And like I said, I don’t date the same guy twice.”
“Last night was a date?”
“Last night was sex, or rather ‘fucking’ as you put it.”
He grins. “Really good fucking.”
“Yeah, really good, and I never screw the same guy twice, unless it’s Mr. Right,” I say and wonder why I’m telling him any of this.
His eyes search mine, and my stomach clenches with desire. “Mr. Right?”
“My battery-operated boyfriend.”
He laughs at that, but it quickly morphs into something else. “You probably shouldn’t have told me that. Now I’m going to want to see you use it.”
Holy God, did he really just say he wanted to see me pleasure myself? “Not going to happen.”
I make my way to the door, and he’s hot on my heels, his closeness heating up my body again. My nipples quiver, and the juncture between my legs begs me to take him up on his offer. But I can’t. I don’t want to get involved with this man. I don’t even like him.
He reaches past me and opens the door, and his bare chest brushes over my back. “Enjoy Mr. Right, but if you decide you miss the real thing, you know where to find me.”
Heat rips through me just that easily, and I clear my throat. “It was nice meeting you, Luca.”
“You too, Brianna,” he says, drawing out my name.
With that I step outside, close the door behind me and nearly melt to the ground in a puddle of need. But no matter how my body reacts, no way, no how am I stepping foot in his chalet again.
I don’t think.
CHAPTER SIX
Luca
DUSK FALLS OVER the village as I make my way down a long cobblestone path leading to the main bar, Diamond Peak, where I plan to grab a much-needed drink with Tate—maybe two. I spent most of the day going over some work I brought with me, and thinking about what happened last night. I never meant to go down that path with a woman who could make me forget all about my obligations. A woman who doesn’t believe in marriage or even second dates. It’s a shame, really. I might not be able to have her long-term, but I’d hate to see her go through life without ever finding love.
A fresh strip of anger curls through me as I think about the stipulations placed on me. What I’d like to do is rip up my father’s will and stomp it into the ground, but if I do and the conglomerates go to my cousin, we could lose everything. I have my mother to think about, not to mention all the things I want to do for my people once I take my rightful place.
This morning I should have run the other way instead of telling Brianna I wanted to continue sleeping with her. But now that I’ve gotten a taste of her, I want more. I want to keep her in my bed until I have to go back to Italy. Hell, maybe a week in her bed will help me forget her once and for all. I can only hope, because once I step into my position as duke, I can’t be with her. As I think about that, I wonder what Brianna would make of it all. Most think the Italian nobility are nothing but a joke, thanks to some of Marco’s over-the-top playboy antics. They’ve gotten worse in recent years.
I glance around the bar in search of Tate. Tonight it’s just the two of us, and we plan to kick back and down a few brews to celebrate the last of his bachelorhood. I step into the bar where I once worked as a bartender and nod to Henry, the aging manager who should have retired ages ago. He waves back, and I make my way over to him.
“How’s life treating you, Luca?” he asks.
“Good, I’m enjoying New York.”
“Sure do miss you working back here with me. Hard to get good help these days.” He pours me a draft and slides it across the counter.
I take a sip. “Perfect as always.” He smiles at that. “How’s Marion?”
He smiles when I mention his wife. “She’s good. Still nagging me to retire.”
“Maybe it’s time to take her on that American vacation she’s been wanting,” I suggest with a raised brow.
He winks at me. “It’s in the works.”
“Nice. If you make it to New York, you have to look up me and Tate,” I say, but then swallow down the knot jumping into my throat. Soon enough I’ll be packing up and heading back to Italy. My thirtieth birthday is around the corner and I won’t be able to put it off any longer.
Henry turns to another customer and I spin on my stool and glance around, looking for Tate. Instead I find Brianna and her grandfather, seated near the window. I can’t hear what they’re saying from here, but from the intense look on her face, I’
d guess it’s a pretty serious conversation.
I look her over, revel in the way her jeans hug her curves. My eyes go to her buttoned-up blouse, and how she’s toying with the top button. As I gaze at her, and think about last night, every instinct I possess tells me she remembers me from Oxford. So why is she pretending otherwise? Why the secrets? I’m not sure what sort of game she’s playing, but I’ll let her play it, for now.
I pick up my beer and head farther into the room, about to grab a table, when her big blue eyes meet mine. She runs a hand through her hair, and I can almost see the wheels turning in her head as she stares at me. I stop walking, my gaze going from her to her granddad, and then back to her. She’s clearly agitated about something.
Before I even realize what’s happening, she jumps from her chair and crosses the room, coming at me fast. She reaches me, goes up on her toes and throws her arms around me. “Just go with it, please,” she begs, and presses her lips to mine.
I slide my free hand around her back, tug her sexy body against mine and breathe in the floral scent of her shampoo as we kiss. She finally breaks from my hold, and I dip my head, waiting for an explanation.
“Please, just follow along.” she says, and grabs my hand to drag me over to her grandfather.
“Well, well. I knew there was something going on with the two of you,” James says.
Brianna gestures for me to sit, and she grabs the chair next to me and shimmies closer. She reaches for my hand. “Look, Granddad, we didn’t want anyone to know. This week is about Tate and Summer, and we didn’t want to take any of the attention off them.”
James folds his arms and assesses us. “I guess that’s where you were last night. With Luca in his chalet.” Damn, for a guy who swears he’s on his deathbed, he sure has his ear to the ground and knows everything going on around him.
Heat crawls into Brianna’s cheeks, and her gaze jerks to mine. Her mouth opens and closes again, like she can’t quite figure out how to answer. Coming to her rescue, I say, “Yes, she was with me. But like Brianna says, we’d prefer not to steal Tate and Summer’s thunder by announcing we’re together.”
“I suspected you two knew each other.” He taps the side of his head. “An old man knows these things.”
“You’re very astute,” I say.
His grin is cocky as his head bobs. “Can’t keep anything from me.”
“Apparently not.”
“You’ll keep our little secret, Granddad?” Brianna asks, leaning toward the elderly man.
“How did you two meet?” he asks.
“Back at Oxford,” I say honestly. “At a party. Isn’t that right, Brianna?”
“Ah...that’s right.”
“I was wearing one of those popular blue hoodies. Brianna had a thing for them. I guess that’s why I caught her eye.”
Brianna toys with her straw and looks down, like she’s recalling our first spoken words. I smiled at her, and she glanced behind herself, unsure. I’m not sure what that was all about. But hours later she came at me with liquid courage.
“We went our separate ways after Oxford, and when I found out he was working for Tate, well...here we are.”
“Here we are, indeed,” James says, a sly look on his face. He taps his cane and stands. But then he glances at Brianna’s bare ring finger and frowns. “Where’s the ring?”
Ah, so she told him we’re actually engaged.
“Getting sized,” I say quickly, and she gives my hand a thankful squeeze.
“When we get back home, I’d better see that ring on her finger,” James says to me. He taps his cane. “Well then, I don’t want to be a third wheel. You two kids have a good night.” He zips his lips. “And don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.” His eyes sparkle when he adds, “At least I’ll try. Sometimes I just blurt things out without thinking. Senility.”
Senility my ass. The man is a sharp son of a bitch. Why is it no one can see it but me?
Brianna frowns as she watches him go. It’s easy to see how close they are and how much she wants to make him happy. James slowly makes his way across the polished wood floor, and when the doors close behind him, Brianna shrinks into herself and cringes.
“I’m so sorry, Luca. He was giving me a hard time about meeting the fiancé I lied about, and I saw you there, and before I could even think better of it, I decided to pretend we were a couple.”
I grin at her and think about all the fun ways we can be a couple, all the benefits of a pretend engagement.
“Wait, why are you smiling. Aren’t you mad?”
“A beautiful woman kisses me in a crowded bar—how could I be mad about that?”
“What about the lie, and me dragging you in to my problems?”
I give a casual shrug and stretch my legs out. “I don’t mind helping.”
Relief comes over her. “Really?”
“Sure, but I have a condition.”
Her smile falls and her eyes narrow. “I should have known.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” What is it with her? One minutes she’s all sweet and kind, and the next she’s full of anger. I guess I have a week to figure her out.
“Nothing,” she says and grabs her drink. She takes a pull from her straw and then clamps down on it. Hard. My dick shudders, and I squeeze my legs together. “What do you want, Luca?”
“You stay with me at the chalet, and we live and act like a real engaged couple.”
Her gaze jerks to mine. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Why would we do that?”
I tap my thumb on the table, take in her exasperated expression. “You only do one-night stands, right?”
“Right?”
I lean toward her. “I want you to spend the week with me, try it on for size. See what it feels like to be with someone longer than one night. I bet you won’t find it so bad.”
She shakes her head. Hard. “No, no way.”
I take a sip of my beer and set it on the table. “Those are my terms, Brianna.”
Venomous eyes I remember from our college days latch on to mine. “Things are always done on my terms, Luca. I’m always the one in control. Always.”
“Last night I remember you losing a bit of that control, and if memory serves me correctly, you quite liked handing yourself over to me.”
“Oh God,” she says, a pink blush crawling up her neck and making her look so sexy. “Why...why would you want me to do this?”
“Maybe I think deep down you really do want to find Prince Charming and live happily-ever-after. Maybe I think you’re just scared.”
“I’m not scared. I’m a big girl, Luca. I know what the real world is like. I see the worst in people every day.” She glares at me, her eyes searching my face. “What’s in it for you, anyway?” I’m about to answer, tell her that I’m just helping a girl out, but she holds her hand up to stop me. “Never mind. I get it. It’s all about sex, isn’t it?”
I shift closer, put my mouth near her ear. “Oh, there’s going to be sex, Brianna. Lots and lots of sex. That’s what couples do.”
Her body quivers, and no matter what words come out of her mouth next, I know sex between us is pretty fucking great and that she wants it again, just as much as I do.
“There you are,” Tate says, and I inch back to find my best friend and his fiancée grinning at us.
Summer’s gaze narrows in on me. “What’s going on?”
I turn to look at Brianna. It’s her call whether we tell them or not. She exhales loudly and buries her face in her hands.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Tate asks, and takes the seat next to her.
She groans. “You’re not going to believe what I did.”
Summer sits next to me, a worried look on her face.
“What did you do?” Tate asks.
“Granddad was harassing me again, so
I told him Luca and I are engaged.”
I press my thumb to my bottom lip, recalling her sweet taste. “She’s even thinking about staying with me for the week to prove it.” Brianna glares at me from between her fingers.
Tate leans back in his chair and gives a slow whistle, while Summer sits there with a smirk on her face. “It was a stupid thing to do, but I panicked,” Brianna says, and finally drops her hands. She takes another drink and finishes it off.
“I’d say,” Tate says as he gestures the server.
“It’s not so bad,” I pipe in. “We told him we were keeping it a secret because we didn’t want to take the focus off you two.”
“Good thinking—but he’s a meddler, so pretending to stay together might not be a bad idea.” He glances at Brianna, who flushes again. “What are you going to do when we go back home? Granddad is frail and weak, a breakup just might...” He lets his words fall off, unable to vocalize them. His mouth turns down and Summer reaches out and takes his hand in hers. She gives him a warm, understanding smile.
“He’s expecting to see a ring on my finger,” Brianna says and holds her jewelry-free hand up.
“As hard as it might be on your granddad, you’ll have to pretend a breakup sooner or later,” Summer says. “Or not.”
“Or not?” Brianna practically shouts. “Of course, we have to, but that will destroy him. All he ever does is worry about me. He says it’s not healthy to be alone. He just...he just wants to see me happy, and...” She pauses and waves her finger back and forth between the two of us. “And I did this to make him happy.”
“Then you’ll have to just keep on pretending,” Summer says, like there is absolutely no problem with the two of us staying together forever, to keep an old man happy.
“Summer,” Tate says, quietly. “They can’t do that.”
“I can’t hurt Granddad, either,” Brianna says.
Summer squeezes Tate’s hand. “You know, sometimes things just have a way of working themselves out. Just ride the week out, act like you’re in love with each other and try not to stress out about it too much. Doctor’s orders.” With that she stands and reaches for Brianna’s hand. “Come on. These two are going to drink beer and get stupid, and you and I are going shopping. There’s this great little boutique I found last time I was here. They have the best lingerie.”
