The Italian's Secretary Bride (7 page)

‘I know,' he cut back impatiently.

A frown puckered her brow as she fretted. ‘If Roman finds out you've bought me dinner somewhere he's going to think it's really odd.' He wouldn't be the only one.

‘And do you normally ask my brother's permission before you go out on a date with someone?'

‘Of course I don't,' she denied. Her frown deepened—surely he could see what she meant? ‘It's just that it's—
you
.' She stopped abruptly, the colour rushing attractively to her cheeks. ‘Obviously I know this isn't a date!' she added, anxious to let him know that she wasn't making any daft assumptions.

‘Obviously,'
he echoed as dry as dust.

She glanced up to see his expression was…well, actually he didn't have an expression. Despite this absence of anything she couldn't shake the feeling she had said something to make him mad.

‘So now that we're in agreement on something,' he continued in the same tight, controlled voice, ‘why don't you do us both a favour and just do as you're told? Just this once.'

‘What happened to sympathetic and soothing?'

There was a perceptible thawing in his manner as his eyes brushed her indignant face. ‘I'm cranky when I'm not fed,' he confessed.

‘You're cranky full stop,' she retorted, happy if not relieved to accept this explanation for his intense mood.

‘And when I've fed you,' he continued in a conversational tone, ‘you can tell me what happened back there.'

Alice, caught off guard, stiffened. ‘What happened back there?' she echoed, feigning ignorance.

Bad enough, she thought, inwardly cringing at the memory of him carrying her out of the hotel, to have made such an exhibition of herself in front of him, without going into the details. She couldn't imagine for a second that anyone as strong and seemingly invulnerable as Luca would not despise weakness in others.

‘I can see how looking as though you'd just seen your worst nightmare and then almost losing consciousness might slip your mind, especially when it happened—what…?' He consulted his wrist-watch. ‘Almost ten minutes ago,' he drawled.

‘There is no need to be sarcastic.'

‘Wrong, there is every need to be sarcastic…being sarcastic is the only thing stopping me from ki…strangling you.'

For a split second Alice had thought he was going to say kissing…
now how delusional was that
?

‘Maybe I had too much to drink, but as you can see I'm fine now.' She gave a brilliant smile just to illustrate how fine she was.

Luca inhaled and closed his eyes. ‘Clearly it was all a figment of my imagination.'

His scorching sarcasm made her wince. ‘I've already explained.'

Expressive hands spread out before him in a dismissive gesture, Luca nodded, his face taut with annoyance. ‘Let's just leave it, shall we?'

Alice, who was more than ready to leave it, gave a nod of sheer relief. She supposed that he did have some justification for being annoyed. She had gone out of her way to be unpleasant to him—something she might have to think about at a later date…
much
later—made him miss dinner, and he couldn't be too happy about the prospect of explaining away tomorrow's newspapers to the sublime Ingrid. Thoughts of the sublime Ingrid sent her fragile spirits plummeting.

The entrance to the tiny Italian restaurant was down a side street. ‘Careful of the stairs—they're steep,' Luca warned as he preceded her down the steep flight. Presumably if she slipped he was going to cushion her fall.

Some people might think it worth a few bruises to land on top of Luca O'Hagan.

She took great care with the steps.

The interior of the unprepossessing building proved to be totally charming. The cosy room, decorated in a delightfully rustic style, was filled with warmth and laughter…and
people
! Lots of people! The place was literally heaving and the diners, like the mismatched and eccentric crockery, were a pretty assorted bunch, some dressed down in casual jeans, others dressed up to the nines.

There was absolutely no way they were going to get a table this side of midnight.

‘It looks full,' she said as Luca slid the jacket off her shoulders.

‘I'm sure they'll squeeze us in somewhere,' Luca responded with what seemed to Alice like wildly misplaced optimism.

‘You're too big to squeeze in,' she retorted, her critical gaze lighting on his broad shoulders. Her stomach took an unscheduled dive. ‘We might as well leave,' she added hurriedly.

‘We've only just arrived.'

‘You obviously have to book.' She sighed wistfully as a plate of something that looked and smelt delicious was placed in front of some lucky diners. Alice realised just how hungry she was. ‘This is too cruel,' she complained.

Two minutes later they were sitting at a table for two in a concealed alcove. They couldn't have treated Luca with more warmth had he been the proverbial returning black sheep or visiting royalty. The owner, Paolo, who had kissed her soundly on both cheeks when Luca had introduced her, had taken their orders himself.

Not that she had had the opportunity to place her order; Luca had taken the unseen menu from her hand and handed it back to Paolo.

‘We'll leave it up to you. That's all right with you, is it, Alice?'

Alice hadn't been left with much option but to nod.

As they were so busy Alice was resigned to a long wait, but about two seconds later a pretty girl who looked like a female version of one of the waiters appeared. ‘Sorry to keep you waiting.'

‘Do I detect a family resemblance?' Alice asked after she had deposited their meals in front of them.

‘This is very much a family business; Gina is Paolo's granddaughter.'

‘How do you know them so well?' Or was it just the pretty Gina he knew well? ‘They don't seem like your…' She stopped and shook her head. ‘They seem really nice and this,' she added brightly, ‘looks delicious.'

Unfortunately Luca wasn't going to let her off the hook.

‘They don't look like my what, Alice? My sort of people?' he suggested.

She coloured but didn't respond to his angry undertone. ‘What
are
my sort of people? You think I'm some sort of élitist snob, don't you?'

She lifted her eyes from her plate. The conflict that she felt was tearing her apart was reflected in her troubled eyes. ‘To be honest I don't know what you are,' she admitted with a spurt of candour. ‘You're confusing.' Or should that be I'm confused?

For a long moment he looked into her face. Then with one of the startling changes of mood he was capable of he grinned. A wide, incredibly charismatic grin that split his face. ‘The first time I came in here I ended up washing the dishes.'

Alice's eyes were round with astonishment.
‘You!'

‘I'd had my wallet lifted and I didn't discover it until I came to pay,' he explained. ‘Paolo gave me a choice: the cops or the washing-up,' he recalled.

‘You chose the washing-up?'

He nodded, looking amused by her open-mouthed astonishment.

Alice, her food forgotten, put down her fork. ‘But the police would have been able to confirm that you weren't a con man,' she protested.

‘I know.'

‘Then why?'

‘I hadn't been in the city for long and I didn't know many people. Actually…' his eyes held a gleam of self-mockery as they lifted from the prolonged contemplation of the ruby-red liquid in his glass ‘—I think it's possible I was lonely.'

Alice shook her head. ‘You're teasing!' she accused. The idea of Luca O'Hagan washing up was hard enough to get her head around, but him being lonely! ‘You expect me to believe you were reduced to sitting in your hotel room watching repeats on the television?'

Luca, who didn't immediately respond, leaned back in his chair and watched the play of expression across her flushed face. ‘Haven't you ever felt lonely in the middle of a room of people, Alice?'

‘Yes, I have,' she admitted, too startled by the soft question to prevaricate. ‘But you're not—' She broke off, flushing in face of his sardonic smile.

‘Capable of experiencing the same feelings you do, Alice?'

Alice, who felt there had been far too much discussion of feelings tonight, changed the subject. ‘I don't expect your date was too pleased when you decided to wash up.'

‘I didn't have a date that night.'

She picked up her fork. ‘That was lucky.'

‘Actually you're the first woman I've ever brought here,' he revealed, before turning his attention to the neglected food before them. ‘Right,' he urged. ‘Eat up. Paolo makes the best
fritto misto di pesce
in town and he'll be offended if you don't clear your plate.'

As Alice began to fork the fried fish, which was every bit as delicious as Luca had contended, into her mouth her thoughts were otherwise engaged.
No other woman
…that was what he had said. Of course she'd be daft to read anything into that…all the same…

‘I'
M BEGINNING
to feel a good deal of empathy for the animals in the zoo…'

Luca, his expression perplexed, shook his head.

‘At feeding time,' Alice elucidated and he grinned.

That grin totally transformed the classically severe cast of lean features, banishing the stony reticence she was used to, and lending it an attractive warmth.

It was the most relaxed she had ever seen him, Alice realised. Her eyes flickered briefly to the discarded tie casually flung over the back of his chair and his elbows planted on the table. The steel had gone from his spine and the scorn from his expression as he slouched elegantly in his chair.

This was Luca with the charm and vigour but minus the snootiness and sneers—in short a pretty irresistible proposition.

‘I like watching you eat; most women pick at their food.'

‘Whereas I fall on it and devour it like a ravening beast?' she suggested, pushing aside the last portion on her plate with a regretful sigh. ‘I feel so special…or should that be freaky?'

‘Settle for different,' he suggested.

Her shoulders lifted. ‘I can live with that,' she agreed amicably.

‘What about that last bit?' he asked, pointing at the amount she had left on her plate.

‘I'm not being polite. If I eat any more I'll burst.
Messy
,' she said with a grimace.

His mobile mouth quivered. ‘Paolo will be hurt,' he contended.

‘Fine, you eat it, then,' she suggested with a laugh as she speared a piece of squid onto her fork and held it out to him.

The smile died from his incongruously azure eyes as they collided with her own. In the space of a heartbeat the temperature soared by several degrees. She instantly responded to his abrupt change of mood and would have dropped the fork had his hand not come up to cover her own. Inside his fingers her hand was shaking as, without breaking contact with her wide eyes, he brought the fork up to his mouth.

A tidal wave of blind, uncontrolled lust swallowed her up like some heavy downy duvet. She didn't even try to fight it. Every cell in her body was tuned to him: his voice, his touch…the faint male scent that rose from his warm skin. He leaned across the table and she felt her skin prickle damply with heat.

‘Delicious.' His voice was as velvety smooth as the sauce that had covered their food and infinitely more wicked.

Alice was mortified to recognise the low moan issued from her own throat. Luca heard and his eyes darkened dramatically; she felt his fingers spasm around her own.

‘Alice.' He swallowed, the muscles in his brown throat visibly spasming. ‘I think we both—'

‘You enjoyed.' Paolo, oblivious to the atmosphere, beamed at them both. ‘Now,' he announced grandly, ‘you shall try my
pesche ripiene al forno
.'

Luca's hand withdrew. ‘Baked stuffed peaches,' he explained for Alice's benefit.

‘Oh, I couldn't. But they sound delicious,' she added quickly when Paolo looked crestfallen. If Paolo wasn't such an attentive host…another couple of minutes and they might have been in another place. Maybe it was just as well that he had interrupted. It was all very well to say she was a free agent, but this didn't alter the fact she still
felt
married. Look how guilty she felt simply acknowledging how attracted she was to Luca!

I'm not ready, she thought.

When their voluble host had gone Luca showed no inclination to take up where he'd left off; his manner was distant and he seemed to have something on his mind. Whereas earlier they had been talking non-stop, now there were inhibiting silences. Several times as she drank her coffee she caught Luca looking at her.

‘I think I'd like to go now,' she said finally.

‘Alice…'

She tensed expectantly as he dragged a hand through the thick glossy hair he wore longer than was fashionable.

‘You were…' He stopped and inhaled deeply. ‘Are you planning on seeing Seth again?'

‘Seth?' She shook her head, then shrugged. ‘I suppose so.'

‘Then it doesn't bother you that he's married…or maybe you didn't know?'

Alice's eyes widened, her expression growing defensive as Luca surveyed her sternly from under the sweep of those preposterously sexy eyelashes of his with a look that said she was either a callous home-breaker or a total dope who believed any tale spun by a half-plausible stranger.

Not a person given to physical violence, she suddenly wanted to throw something at him.

‘I think he did mention it…' She made a show of frowning as though she was trying to recall something and then smiled. ‘Yes…Susan.' She directed a frowning look of enquiry at his taut face. ‘Isn't that his wife's name?'

His expression remained veiled, but despite this he managed to project a silent but strong aura of disapproval. ‘Yes, it is.'

‘You've met her, then?' He acknowledged this with a curt nod. ‘Is she very pretty?'

‘Very,' he told her shortly.

Alice, who had been counting down from ten, reached four before he exploded.

‘The fact he is married makes no difference to you?'

She affected surprise; she must have done it well because she heard the sound of his teeth grinding.

‘Should it? It makes no difference to Seth,' she pointed out reasonably.

While Seth had discussed his marriage breakup she had wondered what it was about her that made men feel they could confide their emotional problems. Natural empathy, or did they think of her as a universal agony aunt? She supposed she should find the fact that Luca automatically assumed she was a tart with ulterior motives refreshing.

Presumably Luca didn't like the idea of his friend getting involved with a mere secretary. Ironically he needn't have bothered; Seth was nice, really nice, but she'd known within two minutes of being in his company that there was no spark between them. It wasn't that she was expecting a thunderclap when she saw
the one
, but it stood to reason in her mind that there had to be some chemistry from the first moment for love to stand a chance of developing.

‘Have you no concept of self-respect?'

Alice could no longer disguise her feelings under a calm exterior. Her eyes flashed wrathful fire as she pinned him with a contemptuous glare.

‘This amount of sanctimonious claptrap coming from a man who sees nothing wrong in seducing his own brother's girlfriend is rich…really rich.'

‘Ingrid?'
He threw back his head and laughed.

For a moment Alice was distracted from her objective by this inappropriate display of mirth. ‘You think it was funny?' she condemned coldly.

‘I think it was bloody hilarious,' he told her with eyes as cold as blue steel. ‘But we're not talking about me or Ingrid,' he reminded her grimly.

‘No, we wouldn't be, because, although you feel totally free to criticise me you'd be gobsmacked if I passed judgement on the way you live your life. No, we're talking about my total lack of moral fibre and principles, aren't we? A theme I sense is close to your heart!' she finished breathlessly. ‘Tell me, Luca, how long is it since you touched base with Seth?'

‘How should I know?' He looked impatient.

‘How long?' she persisted.

‘Six…ten months, maybe?'

What Luca needed was a major dose of humility and Alice decided that she was going to provide it.

‘It's probably a little bit more than that because otherwise you would have known that Seth and his
pretty
wife are divorced. She ran off with a French count.'

‘
French count!
My God, couldn't Seth do better than that? Mind you, I suppose he didn't need to. Did you always walk around with gullible idiot in neon across your forehead?' The angry finger he viciously dragged across his own forehead left a faint raised weal on his olive skin. ‘Or is that a recent development?'

Alice found she couldn't take her eyes off the minor blemish. In truth she couldn't take her eyes off him. Every little detail, every tiny nuance afforded her endless fascination.

‘I'm not about to apologise because I don't automatically assume someone's lying to me…unless of course they happen to be called Luca O'Hagan. Your problem is you believe everyone is as deceitful as you are,' she contended scornfully. ‘The day I'm as cynical and twisted as you I hope someone's around to tell me to get over myself.'

White around the lips, Luca drew in a deep breath through his clenched teeth. ‘Is that a fact?'

‘Yes, it is. Besides, it's not the sort of thing Seth would make up, is it? I didn't even know there were any real counts in France,' she admitted. ‘But apparently this one is the genuine article and poor Seth feels particularly gutted because she met him at a health-spa break that he arranged as a birthday treat.'

There was a degree of satisfaction in seeing Luca, for once in his life, look taken aback. But not as much satisfaction as she had expected.

‘Are you actually serious?'

‘Apparently the divorce was finalised last week.'

‘So Seth is on the rebound. Congratulations. I suppose it was inevitable. I mean, if Seth thought that marriage would last for ever he was the only one.'

‘I can see exactly why he didn't confide in you,' she snapped in disgust. ‘The supportive friend you are not.'

‘I can see exactly why he confided in you,' Luca returned. ‘A born bleeding heart. A suggestion of a tear in those spaniel eyes and you'd be gagging to comfort him.'

She closed her eyes, almost weeping with anger. ‘You are disgusting, crude, vile and if you were sobbing your heart out I wouldn't lift a little finger to comfort you.'

‘I'd prefer to be crude than an idiot,' Luca retorted. ‘I wouldn't have trusted her as far as I could throw her.'

Alice's outraged glare focused on his lean face. How could anyone be that unfeeling to a friend's tragedy?

‘Kick a man when he's down, why don't you? That's just typical of you,' she accused. ‘You have all the empathy of a Great White…' And, she decided furiously, he was just as ruthless and single-minded. Actually, now that she thought of it the analogy with the cold-blooded predator was extremely apt. Luca was top of the food chain and he had no natural enemies unless it was his own ego.

‘I find it hard to empathise with a man who marries a woman just because she's the woman that every other man wants. She was the original trophy wife. But then Seth likes to own beautiful things, as I'm sure you'll discover.'

‘And you'd know this after meeting her, how many times?'

‘Just the once.'

‘Once! Oh, well, you could write the definitive character analysis, then.'

‘She came on to me,' he recalled in a matter-of-fact manner.

Alice blinked.
‘She what?'

‘Do you want me to spell it out? She came on to me…made a pass.'

‘Surely not!'
she exclaimed, shaking her head.

‘It has been known to happen,' he inserted drily.

Alice felt nauseous as she imagined the occasions he referred to. ‘I meant she was married to your friend.'

He slanted an incredulous look at her face. ‘I'm beginning to think you live in some little world all of your own where wives never cheat and everyone lives happily ever after.'

‘Are you sure you're not the fantasist here?' she countered angrily. ‘The poor woman obviously smiled at you and you assumed that she was offering herself. Why is it,' she asked, rolling her eyes, ‘men think that every woman in the world fancies the pants off them?'

‘Imagination, Alice, doesn't shove its tongue down your throat and its hand down your trousers.'

‘She did?' The cynical sneer on his face deepened as she went bright pink. ‘Did you…did you…?'

‘Did I take her up on the offer? Actually, no, I don't like aggressive women. And even a total sleaze like me draws the line at sleeping with the wife of a friend. Also I'm allergic to silicone,' he admitted with a faint shudder.

Alice closed her mouth over the impulse to declare her cleavage unenhanced and sighed. ‘Poor Seth…Fate is really cruel sometimes.'

‘Fate?' Luca echoed. ‘The same fate that makes two people's eyes meet across a crowded room?' His contemptuous sneer made Alice wince.

‘I suppose you believe that people make their own fate?'

Luca looked at her with unconcealed irritation. ‘I don't give a damn what
people
do.'

Alice smiled complacently into his dark, displeased face. ‘I'm not wrong, though, am I?' she speculated.