The Billionaire's Second-Chance Bride (The Romero Brothers, #1) (11 page)

Lucy could not believe the image she saw in front of her as she stood in front of her full length mirror. She barely recognized herself.

Oh, my God!

Was that really her?

She was no beauty queen and certainly no super model but she really could not believe how transformed she looked. Maxine was right. There’s a time for work and a time for play, to relax and unwind and maybe dress up and feel good about yourself. Every woman should do that once in a while. Take time and nurture themselves and take good care of themselves. They were so programmed to taking care of others, whether in business or family life, that sometimes they forgot to take care of themselves or felt guilty when they did.

Lucy spun around slowly in her gown to make sure everything looked okay. She never had the opportunity to go to her high school prom. She wasn’t particularly popular and didn’t even have a boyfriend or a date at that time. It was as if she were going to her prom now. How silly was that?

She glowed in her floor-length, satin emerald green dress. It was sleeveless, strapless, sexy. The off- the-shoulder look and full flowing bottom gave her silhouette the accentuated appearance that she’d always admired in other women. She looked like a modern-day Cinderella going to the ball.

Yeah, right. She sure didn’t feel like a princess-to-be.

Lucy was still tired and stifled a yawn. Her makeup was tastefully light and her dark long mane flowed down her back and off her shoulders.

Suddenly, her legs weakened again.
Damn that feeling!

Butterflies tickled her stomach at the mere thought of seeing Antonio. She thought about Antonio Romero’s eyes capturing her. Or his lips reclaiming hers. What would he say? Would he even notice she turned up at the ball? There would be hundreds of guests and probably many beautifully dressed women there. What would he even think of her? Would he even care to see her again?

Insecurity gnawed at Lucy. She looked down at the hemline of her prom-like gown. Who was she kidding? She could never pull this off. She wasn’t the confident, outgoing type. At least not where socializing was concerned. And to top that off, she’d be showing up alone! How pathetic would
that
look?

The buzzer sounded through her phone and she picked it up. Her driver was waiting downstairs.

Okay, it was show time.

Antonio glanced at his watch. It was already seven thirty. He had scanned the ballroom several times. He spotted Lucy’s associate, Maxine. But where was Lucy? So she decided to bail, huh? She dared not show up to his annual function.  Just what exactly was she playing at? He had spoken to her about it on Monday.

Just then Antonio’s groin ached. Of course, he had kissed her. That was not his original intention during their meeting but it was something he had to do. Had to. And she all too well kissed him back hungrily as if she wanted more. She could not have expected him to call her after that, could she? Was that her problem? Antonio sensed something might have been wrong. Still, the thought of being slighted by a woman unnerved him. He was used to women calling him all the time, caving to his demands, begging to see him. Not the other way around. Oh, no. What was it with that woman? She was certainly different than any woman he’d ever met in his life, that was for sure.

Antonio stood on the second level in the Imperial ballroom at his family’s estate. The room was two-tiered so he could stand above the main floor looking over at the guests while enjoying the sights and overseeing that everything was the way it should be.

The first part of the evening had gone well so far. The night was still going to be long. And he had other things to attend to. Still, he would be handing out several prestigious scholarships later, then he would leave. He looked over to the far corner and saw that his grandfather was having a great time, dancing with his young fiancée. Antonio’s stomach clenched.

Where was that woman?

Was she trying to avoid him?

Did Lucy think she was going to get out of his demands so easily? Antonio loved his grandfather, even though they didn’t always see eye-to-eye but he wasn’t about to lose him to some foolish, rushed, high-risk wedding to a young woman he barely knew. And Lucy Shillerton was going to make sure that didn’t happen. At this point he knew his grandfather would only listen to Lucy if she convinced him that he should hold off for now.

“You seem preoccupied, cuz. Got a lot on your mind, I see,” Lucas commented with a wine glass in his hand. He was gently swaying to the beat of the song and leering at the women as they brushed past the two men on the second level of the grand ballroom.

The dance had already begun and music was booming through the speakers as the live band played. Shortly before, Antonio and Lucas were discussing a potential merger plan with one of their offshore businesses.

Antonio breathed deeply. “I’ve always got business on my mind, Lucas. You should know me by now.” Antonio realized he sounded more agitated than he intended. A wave of apprehension swept over Antonio. Should he tell Lucas what was really bothering him?

“Oh, I get it,” Lucas said as he lifted his wine glass to his lips to take another taste. Antonio’s held his glass on the rail as he leaned against it and peered out at the guests. “You’re not thinking about that little missy from the agency, are you?” Lucas continued, gazing over the balcony. Lucas playfully gave a wink to a young woman walking by who met his gaze. She seemed to have gushed and smiled at him then waved. Antonio noticed Lucas never missed an opportunity to flirt. No matter what the occasion was.

“Now what makes you think I’m thinking about Lucy?”

“Well, for one thing, you didn’t say ‘that girl’ like you would often say. You used her name.”

“And your point?” Antonio quizzed as he lifted his wine glass to his lips.

“My point is, cuz, she’s the first woman I know you’ve been so preoccupied with and you haven’t even slept with her.”

“How would you know that?” Antonio was trying hard to hide his agitation with his young playboy cousin.

“I know. Besides, you don’t usually see them afterwards. You avoid them like the plague.”

Antonio was glad no one else was around to hear their conversation. “You really don’t know me that well, Lucas. For one thing, I always let a woman know upfront that there will be no relationship. It is their problem if they persist after the fact.”

“Oh, you are good, cuz. Really good. But I know when you’ve fallen for one.”

“I don’t think you do. I’m more concerned right now about getting our grandfather away from the clutches of that opportunist nurse of his, and Lucy seems to have the right influence on getting him to come to his senses. Nothing more. Nothing less.” Antonio was getting ready to walk away from the conversation. He felt heated up under his dinner jacket.

Antonio proceeded to walk towards the short staircase to the lower level of the ballroom when his breath ceased.

Lucy Shillerton.

CHAPTER TEN

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A
ntonio didn’t even bother to look at his cousin, whom he could see from the corner of his eye looking where his gaze was fixated. Lucas looked from Lucy to Antonio then back to Lucy with his mouth open. So what? Antonio didn’t care how foolish he might look at that moment or how awestruck he appeared. The truth stood that he
was
awestruck. And it took a lot to get that sort of reaction from him.

My God! This woman has been transformed.

She is a goddess.

Antonio felt the mild twitch in his groin. A surge of heat raced through his body. A grin of amusement touched his lips as he watched Lucy make her way through the ballroom looking lost, unsure of herself. She looked like a beautiful homecoming queen yet she did not exhibit any of that confidence.

Antonio’s eyes clung to the stunning emerald green ball gown she wore.

Breathtaking!

Emerald green was one of his favorite colors. Actually, it was his only favorite color. He had positive association with that beautiful hue of green and it had little to do with finance. There was something calming, seductive and captivating about emerald. It was, as Lucy was, precious!

If he could remember correctly, that color was the symbol of balance and harmony, renewal and rebirth. It had been said to be an emotionally powerful color as far as love was concerned.

Love?

Why did
that
word love seep into his mind?

Her floor-length evening gown hugging her tiny waist and accentuating her beautiful curves and voluptuous bosom drove him virtually insane just looking at her. It was so tempting not to reach out and hold her close.

She’s beautiful. Oh, God, she’s amazing.

Lucy was certainly more pleasing to his senses than any other woman he’d ever laid eyes on.

Don’t go there, Antonio. You’re damaged, remember?

Damaged.

She doesn’t deserve you. She’ll only get hurt by you.

Those haunting words forced an emotional battle to rage within Antonio.

Lucas moved close to Antonio on the steps of the stairs and continued to watch his cousin’s reaction to seeing Lucy.

“Man, I hate being right.” Lucas grinned and shook his head. He then raised his wineglass to his lips.

Just then, one of Antonio’s associates walked over to Lucy and struck up an animated conversation. Antonio noticed the dude even had the audacity to place his hand on her lower back. Antonio narrowed his eyes. The image of another man flirting with Lucy struck a dangerous chord within him that caught him by surprise. Why should he care? Why
did
he care?

“I’ll be right back,” Antonio said to Lucas as his gaze followed Lucy and his associate. Antonio made his way through the crowded dance floor but not before being stopped by several guests.

“It’s a fine party here, Antonio. Thanks,” a woman said to him as she grasped his dinner jacket. He’d turned around and recognized that it was one of his contract employees at his realty branch in the suburbs.

“Thank you,” Antonio said with an air of distraction. He could tell the woman wanted to chat with him but his dark gaze was still fixed on Lucy. It was as if she was his companion and somebody was trying to step into his territory.

His blood felt as if it had reached a boiling point. His heart pounded hard and fierce in his chest. He gently placed his hand over the woman’s hand on the breast area of his jacket and placed it by her side with as much courtesy as he could.

“Thank you so much for coming...Amanda,” he said, recalling the woman’s name at the last minute. His tone had an air of finality to it. He could see the woman retreat with disappointment. He hadn’t even looked at her again.

His eyes scanned and noted that Lucy was now hidden in the sea of well-dressed guests at the affair. Music continued to blaze through the speakers and the dim ambiance of the ballroom didn’t make it any easier. The noise level was extremely high considering he was amongst three hundred excited guests. Chatter and laughter, the epitome of people having fun. Why wasn’t Antonio enjoying himself at his own event? Was it because as much as he chose to deny it, something was missing? Or some
one
?

“You look lost, Antonio.” It was his assistant, Mariam. She was wearing a long dark blue evening gown and looked more stunning than she ordinarily did. She’d put in a lot of effort for the occasion. Mariam was typically conservative and rarely wore makeup.

“Everything is okay, Mariam.” Antonio sighed heavily. “I’m just looking for someone,” he replied sharply. Bitterness spilled over in his tone. He didn’t like being interrupted, no matter the situation. How on earth did Lucy manage to vanish from his view so suddenly?

He needed to speak to her at once. He was so sure she would have sought him out upon her arrival. Or perhaps she
was
about to contact him before being rudely interrupted by his associate.

“Oh,” Mariam said, sounding surprised as she looked around. “Who are you looking for?”

Just then, Lucy appeared in front of him. Antonio’s body reacted to her stunning presence. She looked even more enticing up close. Her sweet perfume wafted to his nostrils.  She smelled as good as she looked. His mouth watered to taste the sweetness of her lips again. Her gentle, soft lips.

His gaze fell to her cleavage and he throbbed. She was arousing him right there on the dance floor in the presence of hundreds of guests. Heat continued to race through him. He had a sense of urgency to pull her into his arms right there and then and make passionate love to her.

He noticed out the corner of his eye that Mariam’s posture had changed to rigid but he chose to ignore it. “Oh,” Mariam seemed to have snarled, curling up her lip.

“Lucy, good to see you!” Antonio’s voice was reserved. “You look beautiful. Stunning.” 

“Thank you,” Lucy murmured.

“Mariam, this is Lucy Shillerton,” Antonio continued with a tone of authority.

“Yes, I know. From that marriage agency.” Mariam seemed annoyed more than anything. Antonio was getting impatient with his so-called loyal assistant. Why was Mariam reacting to Lucy that way? In fact, if Antonio could remember correctly, she would always react that way to any dazzling female he would introduce to her, whether in a business setting or social situation. Perhaps he should be looking for another assistant.

“Actually, it’s a dream wedding planning agency,” Lucy corrected with a hint of humility. She seemed to flush at that moment.
Was she embarrassed or nervous?
Antonio wondered as his gaze continued to enjoy the sight before him. She radiated vitality that enticed him. There was just something about her that resonated with him and that pleased him very much.

“Yes, of course.” Mariam paused for a moment and as if eyeing her up and down surreptitiously she moved in closer to Lucy.

“Oh, wait a minute,” Mariam said as she reached into her satin clutch purse and pulled out a handkerchief. She then moved closer to Lucy’s hemline near her bosom. “Oh there,” she said wiping something off, perhaps an imaginary stain.

Antonio held Mariam’s arm and gently pulled her back. “I believe you will be making an announcement soon,” Antonio said with an underlying chill.