The Italian's Secretary Bride by Kim Lawrence Page A

you.’
    â€˜And you so hate to draw attention to yourself.’
    â€˜You noticed that? Not everyone realises that I’m a shy and unassuming guy at heart.’
    Anger flared in her eyes. ‘If you came here to be smart, Luca, go away.’ She lifted a weary hand to her head. ‘Actually go away anyway, Luca.’
    â€˜I’m not going anywhere. We’ve got some unfinished business.’
    â€˜You mean you’ve thought of some other way you can insult me.’ She vented a bitter laugh and swallowed, willing the tears she felt stinging her eyelids not to fall. ‘Surely not.’
    The hard lines of Luca’s bronzed face tightened at her sarcasm. ‘I think you gave as good as you got,’ he retorted. ‘But enough of that…you were ill. For all I know you still are, and don’t tell me it was having a few drinks that did that.’
    â€˜I wasn’t about to because, quite frankly, I don’t owe you any explanations.’ Her defiant eyes collided with his and as their glances locked and lingered an emotional thickness developed in her throat.
    â€˜We’ll have to agree to disagree on that one,’ Luca said regretfully.
    Expelling a long sigh, he rubbed a hand along his hard chiselled jaw. There was no trace of the regret he claimed in his face, just sheer bloody-minded determination as, hands thrust into the pockets of his tailored trousers, he sauntered forward.
    Alice hardly registered his inflammatory comment. His jacket had swung open and her eyes were glued to his chest…the chest against which she had recently been closely held. Beads of perspiration broke out across her forehead as she recalled the sense of deprivation she had experienced when he had released her.
    To walk into his arms…feel them close tight about her, lose herself in that male hardness…There was a rushing sound in her head as she tried to subdue the crazy compulsion to act out those forbidden cravings. What would he do if she did?
    The concern in Luca’s eyes deepened as he followed the flicker of emotion on her face.
    â€˜Are you feeling unwell again?’
    As she lifted her eyes to his face the shatteringly erotic image of hands—her own hands—moving over the naked, gleaming flesh of his bare chest surfaced from some corner of her subconscious.
    â€˜Ill!’ She gave a strange, bitter laugh. ‘I wish I was. Stupid …stupid, stupid!’ she gritted before turning stiffly away.
    With any luck he’d assume the scornful slur had been directed at him, not herself. How crazy am I? The sexual stuff was bad enough but this !
    â€˜There’s something wrong with you and I think I know what it is.’
    Her back stiffened. ‘Haven’t you got anything better to do than follow me?’
    â€˜Probably.’
    â€˜I could call Security.’ Now that should be interesting. What should she tell them? Take this man away he’s making me fall in love with him.
    â€˜True, you could.’
    Colour heightened, Alice slung him a discouraging look over her shoulder. It didn’t discourage.
    Hand on her chin, he turned her face up to him. ‘You look terrible.’
    She flashed him a tight, resentful smile and pulled away. ‘I really needed that.’
    â€˜I’m just trying to show a bit of concern.’
    Alice eased her shoulders against the wall and closed her eyes. ‘ Concern? Well, you can see how that would throw me after tonight.’
    â€˜Would you have preferred I had said you looked beautiful?’ The dark fan of his incredible eyelashes cast a filigree of shadow along his prominent cheekbones as his glance dropped. ‘That’s so like a woman.’
    She bristled angrily at the amused note in his voice. She only just repressed an impulse to tell him that some men found her pretty.
    â€˜You lie to women! Surely not?’
    His eyes lifted and infuriatingly he looked appreciative of her