‘For what?'
‘It's my fault you couldn't sleep last night. You should have just taken me up on my offer, dolcezza, instead of lying awake desperate for me.'
‘Desperate for you?' Her voice rose slightly. ‘You think I was desperate for you?'
‘I know you were. You should have just admitted how you felt. There's no shame in finding me irresistible. It happens.'
‘Not to me.' Two streaks of angry colour highlighted her cheekbones and Luca smiled and sprang from the car.
‘Bene. Forget the make-up. You don't need it and he doesn't need to see you putting it on. You're ready.'
‘Ready for what? Ready to kill you? You make me so mad I could-I could-'
‘You could thank me. Two minutes ago you were the colour of mozzarella. Now you look human. Anger is instant blusher. So is sexual arousal, by the way, but I'll save that trick for when we're alone. And by "ready" I mean ready to face him.' Sliding his hand around her waist, he hauled her against him and lowered his voice. ‘Never go up against a man like Rafaele showing you're afraid. Go out there and fight.'
Her eyes were wide. ‘You made me angry on purpose?'
‘Sì. Making a woman want to kill me is my special gift. It ensures they don't exceed their sell-by date.'
She made a sound between a sob and curled her fingers into the front of his shirt. ‘You're-you're-'
‘I'm perfect. Now smile-' he kissed the top of her head ‘-we have company. Not the company I would have chosen, but such is life. Ah, Rafaele, I saw you admiring my car. Work hard and maybe one day you'll be able to afford one.'
Rafaele ignored Luca and looked straight at Taylor. It was like an eagle spotting a vole.
To give her credit, Taylor managed to look relaxed as she greeted him. ‘Rafaele.'
‘Querida. We have so much to catch up on.' The sentence was loaded with subtext and Luca frowned slightly and was about to intervene when Taylor stepped forward.
‘My name is Taylor.' Her voice was steady and strong. ‘And we don't have anything to catch up on.'
‘And soon she'll be Taylor Corretti,' Luca said coldly, ‘so you might want to bear that in mind before you call her "querida" or anything else that implies intimacy. I don't tolerate other men hitting on my woman. Unlike the wimp in your movie, I don't forgive or forget.' He draped a possessive arm around her shoulders, his eyes fixed on the older man's face in blatant challenge. He thought of Taylor as she must have been at seventeen and then looked at the man standing in front of him and decided he didn't like what he saw.
Rafaele stepped forward, eyes narrowed. ‘I read about the engagement. I see her taste in men hasn't improved over the years.'
‘I disagree.' Luca delivered his coolest smile. ‘Any time you want to treat yourself to a suit that fits properly, just give me a call. Well-cut quality fabric can transform even the most unfortunate of body shapes. I'm sure we can do something for you.' He could sense Taylor's tension. And something more. Nerves. This man made her nervous.
Clearly her history with Rafaele upset her deeply and it was obvious the director knew it and used it.
‘I hope all this personal stuff isn't going to distract you from your work. This is a challenging role for someone like you.' With every carefully chosen word he chipped away at the woman Taylor had become, exposing the vulnerability underneath.
Luca, who loathed bullies, resisted the urge to rearrange the other man's features. ‘Taylor is the most talented actress of her generation. When you worked with her she was hampered by bad direction.'
Rafaele's lips curled. ‘Taylor always responded well to direction.'
Luca stepped forward but Taylor's hand gripped his arm.
‘I can handle this. I just want to do my job.'
‘Good-' Rafaele gestured to one of the crew ‘-because today we're filming the scene where you discover the husband you thought was dead, is alive.'
‘Obviously going to be a laugh a minute,' Luca drawled, turning her away from Rafaele and towards him. ‘I'll leave you to it, tesoro, and pick you up at the end of the day. The board want evidence that you're real so we're going to a drinks reception at the hotel. Not my favourite way to spend an evening. I'd much rather be alone with you.' Before she could say anything, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her slowly and deliberately on the mouth. The kiss was for the benefit of Rafaele but the moment their mouths met they were lost in it, the passion raw and elemental. He kissed her hungrily and she kissed him back, their surroundings forgotten, everything forgotten until the blare of a car horn cut through the sexual storm. Luca lifted his head, disorientated.
He stared down into her shocked blue eyes, saw his own confusion reflected right back at him and released her instantly. ‘I should get to work … .'
‘Me too.' Her voice was husky and Luca, unsettled by how badly he wanted to kiss her again, backed towards the car and crashed into Rafaele, who made his frustration known.
‘Look where you're going!'
Luca was too shaken to bother responding. Instead he slid behind the wheel of his Ferrari and started the engine, instantly comforted by the throaty roar. At least something in his life felt familiar which was more than could be said for his feelings.
He couldn't remember a time when he'd been so out of control with a woman. When had he ever before lost track of time or place? Never.
Pulling onto the road that led to the office, he told himself that he'd got a little carried away with his role. After all, she'd questioned his acting ability, so it was only natural that he would try and prove how wrong she was, wasn't it? He was as competitive as the next guy and any suggestion that he might not be convincing in his role as ‘fiancé' was guaranteed to result in a performance worthy of Hollywood.
Having justified his behaviour to his satisfaction and confident that he had the situation completely under control, Luca relaxed.
He'd helped her deal with that slimy bastard Rafaele and she, in turn, could turn on her charm for the board.
So far their plan was working magnificently.
‘So, Taylor, I admit we never saw this happening. Luca has never shown any degree of responsibility in anything he does. He's chosen to live his life on the fringe of this family.' The air on the sunlit terrace of the Corretti flagship hotel was thick with cigarette smoke and disapproval of Luca.
Taylor, who knew exactly how it felt to feel disconnected from the family you'd been born into, disliked the pompous chairman on sight. ‘I'm confused.' She smiled her most feminine smile and had the satisfaction of seeing him blink, dazed. ‘You say Luca has no sense of responsibility and yet he's built a staggeringly successful business worth a fortune.'
‘Luca appears more interested in the models he employs than he is in taking business seriously.'
‘I disagree. Luca is a man who works hard but also plays hard. He appreciates beauty. To be able to achieve the level of success he has achieved and yet still have fun seems to me to indicate a man who appreciates the importance of work-life balance.'
‘Your defence of him is to your credit.'
‘But should a man need defending from his own family?' Taylor was beginning to understand why they drove Luca mad. She glanced up and saw him surrounded by members of the hotel management team. He didn't even bother to conceal his boredom and she hid a smile because she sensed he went out of his way to live up to his terrible reputation.
And suddenly she realised what a clever strategy that was. Because he didn't appear to hide anything, no one looked deeper. No one suspected there was anything more to expose, which gave him an extraordinary level of privacy.
He lifted his head and caught her eye.
Just for a moment they looked at each other and the sexual charge was so powerful she felt the punch of it from across the room.
Her stomach tightened as she remembered the way it felt to kiss him and be kissed by him.
Turning away quickly she reminded herself that a kiss, even an exceptionally skilled kiss, wasn't trust. A kiss was a type of sensual manipulation. Trust was something different.
And trust was an indulgence she didn't allow herself.
Extracting himself from the group of grey-suited businessmen, Luca joined her.
The chairman smiled. ‘You'll be pleased to hear your fiancée was defending you vigorously. We were discussing your addiction to beautiful women.'