“Oh, now you’re in trouble.”
He lunged for her and she shrieked, laughing and tripping in the water trying to get away. She didn’t get far. Two strides and he was on her, picking her up and running deeper into the water with her.
“Don’t you dare!” she yelled.
He laughed, wrapped her tighter in his arms, and jumped backward, dragging them both beneath the waves. Constance came up sputtering.
“I can’t believe you did that!”
He shrugged, but the happy, carefree grin on his face warmed her to her very soul. That was his real smile, the one he never showed the world. Seeing it made her dousing well worth it. Of course, that didn’t mean she wasn’t up for a little revenge, but before she could do anything, he’d grabbed her around the waist and hoisted her up. Her legs bicycled in the air, but she was laughing too hard to disengage herself.
He put her down, turning her to face him. Before she had time to second guess him or protest, his lips were on hers. His hands tangled in her hair, keeping her imprisoned. Not that she had any complaints. She wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her tiptoes so she could press herself closer. The movement of the waves knocked her off balance, but Luca held her tight, his mouth plundering hers and making her head spin even as his body kept her anchored.
She was about to climb him like a Corinthian column so she could wrap her legs around him when the hoots and shouts from down the beach finally penetrated the sex-crazed haze that fogged her brain whenever he touched her.
Luca put her down, his smile gone. He glowered in the direction of the photographers. Constance had actually forgotten for the moment they were there. She laid a hand on Luca’s face and turned him back to face her.
“Looks like a few got through security. Play nice for the cameras,” she said.
“They’ll be dealt with.”
She wasn’t sure if he meant the photographers or the security who’d let them through. And who’d thankfully regained control. Probably both.
He gazed down at her, his frown turning into a smile that sent fire zipping through her.
He hauled her back to him and gave her a swift but thorough kiss.
“I’d rather be alone with you so we could continue what you started.”
She looked up at him. “What I started? You started it. I just got you a little wet, that’s all.”
He closed his eyes like she’d hit him in the gut and lowered his forehead to rest on hers. “Yes, you did, and I’d seriously love to repay the favor, only I won’t get you a little wet. You’ll be soaking through those proper panties of yours.”
She pulled back with a gasp, though she wasn’t so much outraged as turned on like she’d never been before. How did the man make her body beg for him with only a few words? Her mouth opened, but instead of berating him, she leaned closer.
“Mama Stanzia!” a little voice called.
Constance jerked back. The girls were done with lunch…and had probably seen way too much. Luca had a way of making her forget everything and everyone but him. She pulled away from him but he held onto her for as long as possible, those dark eyes of his staring down into hers.
“I better go play with the children for a bit,” she said. They called her over again and she waved. The girls had called her Mama Constance before but had taken to using Luca’s nickname for her. She still wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She loved it. Her heart lurched every time she heard it, but it would be a painful reminder when their time was up and they went their separate ways.
His gaze flickered up to the girls scampering on the beach. “I’ll join you in a bit. I better…take a swim first.”
She followed his gaze down to where the evidence of how much he’d enjoyed their game jutted through his swim trunks just below the water. Her mouth dried. She couldn’t tear her eyes from him.
“Stanzia,” he said quietly, his voice thick with amusement.
“Hmm?”
“While I would love to finish what we started, I’d rather not do it with quite so many witnesses.”
Constance jerked back into awareness and hastily stepped away, her face burning.
“I…I better go,” she stammered.
He caught her hand and brought it to his lips. “Later,” he said.
Before she could respond, he turned and dove beneath the waves, surfacing a few feet away. His strong arms pulled him through the water, farther away from her. She watched him for a moment, swimming in one direction. Her girls waited for her on the beach, in the opposite direction. A nice little visual of the conflict going on in her head.
Luca. Or her girls. She couldn’t have both.