She studied Luc, so beautiful, then glanced behind him at her own reflection in the mirror. This wasn’t real—it was some sort of fairy tale, and she was filled with a longing to do as he asked. It might be pretending, but wasn’t that okay? Couldn’t she be Cinderella for one night?#p#分页标题#e#
She nodded, and he smiled, then lifted her hand and kissed her palm. A ripple of sensation shivered through her.
“Good,” he said. “I have something for you.”
Releasing his hold on her hand, he reached into his pocket, pulling out a small box. He flipped it open. Inside was a ring. Lia stared at it; she knew little of jewelry, but even she could tell it was fabulous—a deep, dark blue sapphire. Luc took the ring from the box and picked up her hand once more, stroking his fingers across the sensitive skin of her wrist before slipping the ring onto her finger.
It was beautiful but heavy, weighing her hand down.
“Don’t you like it?” he asked.
“It’s gorgeous. I wasn’t expecting it, that’s all. This whole fake engagement thing makes me feel a little uncomfortable. I’ve never been very good at lying. I know you think I’m some sort of actress, but honestly, I’m totally crap at it.”
“Well, leave the lying to me,” he said smoothly.
She looked at him closely. “Are you a good liar, Luc?”
“When I need to be.”
His words sent a ripple of apprehension running through her. What did she really know of him? She studied her pink-tipped toes, peeking out of her silver sandals, for a moment, unsure what to say. Luc sighed and slipped a finger under her chin, lifting her face so she couldn’t avoid his gaze.
“Don’t you like the ring?” he said. “I thought all women liked jewelry.”
He sounded almost bewildered and she patted his arm. “I do like it, honest. It’s beautiful—though I really can’t see myself grooming the horses in it.” She shook her head. “I wish I could tell Kelly and Pete the truth.”
“No.” The word was implacable. “Trust me,” he said. “Everything will be fine. Now come here.”
His warm hands rested on her bare shoulders, drawing her toward him. She stiffened for a moment, then allowed herself to be pulled gently into his arms. Staring into his face as it came closer, she was quite unable, or unwilling, to do anything to prevent the kiss she sensed was coming. His lips were on hers, and she melted against him, her hands sliding around his waist beneath his tuxedo jacket. He deepened the kiss, his lips hard against hers, demanding, and she opened her mouth to him. His tongue pushed boldly into her mouth, tasting her, probing as he pulled her closer against the hard length of his body.
It seemed as if she had waited forever for that kiss. She never wanted it to stop, meeting him more than halfway, her own tongue sliding against his.
He groaned. His hands on her shoulders tightened, then he raised his head and put her away from him. “We have to go.” Reaching out, he ran a finger over her lips. “I’ve ruined your lipstick,” he said when she remained silent. “I’ll give you five minutes. But Lia, tonight after the party, we need to talk.”
Lia watched him walk away; she turned to stare at herself in the mirror, trying to clear the sensual haze induced by his kiss. Suddenly, she wanted the party over, wanted to be back here with Luc. Just get through the night, she told herself.
How hard could it be?
…
“I presume this is some sort of alien abduction scenario,” Kelly said. “You’re not really my friend Lia—you’ve just taken over her body.”
“Ha, ha,” Lia said.
Lia had spotted Kelly the moment she came in. Her friend stood inside the door, wide-eyed and in awe of the entire proceedings. Hardly surprising—their life in the village hadn’t prepared them for this sort of thing—although Kelly devoured society magazines voraciously so she should have known what to expect. She had managed to dress the part very well, considering the short notice Lia had given her, in a floor-length dress in her favorite fuchsia pink. Lia let out a sigh of relief at the sight of a familiar face and rushed over. She hugged Kelly, not knowing whether to be flattered or worried by the absolute shock on her friend’s face.
“No, really, Lia, you look…” Kelly paused as if searching for the correct words, “…well, totally un-Lia-like.” She stood back and examined her. “It’s quite scary.”
Lia reached forward and gave her another hug. “I’m so glad you could make it. I know it was short notice, but I couldn’t bear the thought of not knowing anybody here.”