How sad that he could freely give her what she’d worked tirelessly to achieve, respect and admiration for her work, yet the one thing her heart craved from him was never to be. That realization gave her the strength to gently pull away from him and manage a smile.
“Thank you,” she said.
This time he returned her smile with one that melted her heart and stirred longing deep in her. “Come. Let’s celebrate tomorrow’s pre-opening.”
“Sure,” she said, letting him lead her back to his room.
Letting him strip off their clothes and adore her body with his hands and mouth. Letting him do anything he wished with her.
No matter the outcome of her time with Luciano, she refused to deny herself a moment apart from him. Their separation would come far too soon anyway.
CHAPTER NINE
LUC STOOD AT the back of the banquet room, gaze fixed on Caprice behind the podium, a glass of the local cabernet franc caught between two fingers. He’d arrived late and missed the start of the ten-minute video of her program in action from initial therapy session to a patient hitting the slopes, but it was obvious her speech had kept the packed audience riveted. Now that the lights had come back up and she was explaining in more detail the benefits of her program, he had the pleasure of appreciating her beautiful mind and open heart.
Had he ever met a woman more giving? More caring of others? No. He’d realized that the moment he’d caught her working with Julian.
“At Caprice Tregore’s, we promise therapy to fit your needs so you can ski free again,” she said and paused as the applause swelled again, only dying down when she raised a hand begging silence. “Regardless of your degree of disability or ski experience, there is a program you can benefit from, stimulating mind and body. We welcome all of you with open arms, today, tomorrow and into the future. Thank you for coming and please enjoy the luncheon.”
She nodded and backed away from the podium as applause went up a final time, growing in volume as the audience stood in her honor. Her smile grew too large and trembled, and even across the room he noted the glint of moisture in her eyes.
Her rush of emotion wasn’t a surprise to him. No, what stunned him was the wad of anticipation lodged in his throat accompanied by a flutter in his gut, sensations he hadn’t experienced since the first time he’d stepped into skis and shot down a mountain.
His heightened interest in her remained steady, but he knew it wouldn’t last. The excitement never did, waning in months, weeks or sometimes days from each challenging sport he’d topped, coveted business deal he’d secured and desirable, aloof woman that he’d seduced.
These sensations he felt for Caprice would die as well. But could the same be said for her?
No. Though she’d never said it, he knew she believed herself in love with him. Her every touch, every look, conveyed what was in her heart.
He dragged in a breath and heard the crinkling of the message in his pocket, the paper that had been handed to him moments before the program started. Selfish bastard that he was, he thought of tossing it so everything would proceed as planned. He could keep Caprice by his side and in his bed for another week or more.
But he wouldn’t do that to her. He’d hurt her too much.
She must return to her life and he to his.