Blackmailed by the Italian Billionaire(40)

“No. So perhaps you should go and station yourself next to someone you recognize, and you might find yourself immortalized on film.”

“I’m on to it. You coming?”

“No, there’s someone I want to talk to. I’ll see you later.”

…



“Thanks for sending the girls. They were great.” Lia flashed her fingernails with their French manicure.



Maggie smiled. “The dress is perfect.”

“That’s entirely thanks to you.” Lia smoothed the dark blue silk down over her hips. Glancing across the room, she saw Luc watching her. She couldn’t help but stare back. Out of all the glittering gorgeous people, he was by far the most beautiful. She tried to tell herself that that was all it was—she was blinded by his beauty. He put down his glass and walked toward her; her heart started to thump inside her rib cage.

“Are you avoiding me, cara?” he asked as he came to a halt in front of her.

She shook her head.

“Can I get you a drink, champagne?”

“Coffee?” she asked hopefully.

He slipped an arm around her waist and smiled. “Come with me.”

“So who are all these people?” she asked as he led her through the ballroom.

Luc lifted one elegant shoulder. “Some colleagues, some acquaintances, a few friends.”

“Family?”

He shook his head. “No, my family all live in Italy now. My mother doesn’t come back here much. England does not have happy memories for her.”

“You’re half English, so what about your father?”

“My father’s dead. He was an orphan and had no family.”

“You said colleagues. Any masterminds of the criminal fraternity?”



He smiled. “One or two, perhaps, but they’ve promised to be on their best behavior. And there’s one of them.”

Across the room, Harley Watson lounged against a wall, his enormous frame elegantly dressed in what had to be a custom-made tuxedo. A slender, handsome man stood at his side. Harley raised a hand at Lia and smiled.

Luc spoke to a few people briefly, but they eventually broke free of the press into the cool, relative quiet of the hallway. He led her across the tiled floor, through a door, and she found herself in a small comfortable sitting room. Luc picked up a phone and spoke briefly. “There,” he said to Lia, “coffee is on its way.”

“You seem to know this place well,” she said. “Have you been here before?”

He gave her an odd look.

“It’s a fabulous house, though,” she continued. “How did you find it? It must be costing a fortune to rent.”

“Rent? It’s mine, cara.”

“Yours?”

He nodded. “Shellwood is my house.”

Lia sank down into the chair conveniently behind her and stared at him. The house was a mansion; people didn’t live in houses like this anymore. He was either a very good crook or he got his money somewhere else. She really, really hoped it was somewhere else. The thought brought her up short. When had she started caring what Luc Severino did?

She tried to remember exactly what the house had looked like from the outside. A chauffeur had driven them here in a limousine. She hadn’t paid much attention to where they were going; she had been too conscious of Luc at her side, resplendent in his evening suit. Too conscious of the heavy ring on her finger.



Luc watched her closely, a slight smile curling the corners of his mouth, warming those stunning eyes. Tonight he seemed a different man from the cold-eyed stranger who had used blackmail to get his way. And from the friendly guy who had taken her little brother for a ride in his car. Which one was the real Luc?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door, and one of the uniformed waitresses entered with a tray of coffee. She put it on one of the small tables and left the room. Luc poured the coffee, added cream and sugar, and handed the cup to Lia. She swallowed quickly, burning her lips, and put the cup down. She picked it up again, needing something to keep her occupied. She couldn’t believe how nervous she felt alone with him here, which was crazy when she had been living with him for nearly a week

“You look stunning in that dress,” he said.

“Well, that’s really all thanks to Maggie and her great taste. I would never have chosen it on my own.”

She took another swallow of coffee before putting the cup down, wishing in a way she hadn’t come in here with him. But she couldn’t deny she was fizzing with excitement; it stirred her blood like champagne running through her system.

“Do you know what I’ve wanted to do since I first saw you tonight?”



“Not really, but I’m guessing the same thing I’ve wanted.”