Lucy fought hard to keep her composure but it wasn’t easy when someone so good-looking and sinfully sexy was distracting your professional thoughts. “L-l-listen. My clients are my business. I’m sorry you are having family issues but-”
“Family issues?” Antonio repeated as he shoved his hands in his tailored pants pockets, swiftly pacing side to side in her office. Oh, she caught the soothing scent of his delicious cologne and it stirred some naughty feelings inside her. He smelled good! She noticed the way he moved. Powerful. Manly. It had been too long since she’d been with someone. Maxine was right.
Focus, Lucy. Focus.
“This has nothing to do with family issues, Ms. Shillerton. This is my grandfather’s life and I'm protecting him from some two-bit gold digger.”
“Gold digger?”
“Are you planning on echoing every select word I speak, Ms. Shillerton, or do you plan on following through on my wishes?”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Romero.” Hell, even his name sounded sexy. It just rolled around and off her tongue. Mmmm. “But your grandfather is my concern. I work for him and his bride-to-be. We’re here to make his dream wedding come true and who are we to tell him he can’t have it or to tell him he can’t fall in love? Besides, why didn’t you tell him to call it off?”
For a moment, Antonio paused. He locked gaze with Lucy causing a wave of hot emotions to spring through her body. She was shivering inside. Holy cow! No man had ever had that effect on her body. And just from one look. There certainly was some sort of indescribable magnetic pull between them. She just couldn’t quite pinpoint it. This man oozed sexual power and something else.
He pulled his gaze from her and left her cold for a moment. How odd. He glared her as if undressing her with his eyes but then he stopped himself and regained his composure.
“I did,” he admitted curtly. “I asked him to halt this foolishness and come to his senses but your agency had already convinced him that this was the best decision he was making. You need to undo this! You have until the end of next week to call this thing off. This is not a request. It is an order.” He spoke so calmly and quietly and so deadly cool that Lucy’s knees weakened and almost buckled.
What the hell was that about?
Antonio Romero, III, the hot and sexy grandson of her client uttered some sort of ultimatum and stormed out of her office as quickly as he’d blown in.
The end of next week?
What would this man do to her then?
CHAPTER TWO
Moments later, Antonio headed to his BMW parked outside the headquarters of Dream Weddings Inc. What just happened? His intention was to really put Ms. Shillerton in her place for taking his vulnerable grandfather’s money and planning some high-risk, embarrassing wedding that would probably aggravate his grandfather’s heart condition but he just couldn’t.
That was so unlike Antonio.
Antonio was always a man in control. And he’d seen plenty of beautiful women in his lifetime and dated the most eligible high-society bachelorettes, but Lucy Shillerton? Damn! She was stunning!
She had almost thrown him off balance. Good thing Antonio caught himself and got back on track with his demands. Antonio slid into the driver’s seat of his car with his jaw clenched. No way in hell was he about to be that easily distracted by a pretty face. A beautiful face.
He thought back to her smooth-looking, tanned skin and her large, brown, beautiful eyes framed by long lashes, her high cheekbones and well-defined, full lips that looked so damned kissable. Her long, dark hair looked so silky he was almost tempted to reach over the desk and run his fingers through it.
When she rose to greet him, Antonio noticed she was nicely filled out. She had optimal proportions. Lucy didn’t look like some of those malnourished and boney models he’d seen. She had the hour-glass shape. Small waist, shapely hips and a full bosom. He was an expert at detecting boob jobs. She, thankfully, had no sign of plastic surgery that he could discern. Lucy was the real deal. But it wasn’t just her physical assets, it was her aura. Yes, that’s what it was. Her aura.
Antonio could tell there was something sweet and humble about Lucy. The way she extended her hand so sincerely, and despite his coarse introduction, she retreated humbly and recomposed herself. She didn’t seem to hint at all at having an attitude or being hostile. Antonio could not be sure, of course, but he was often right in his assessments of people he’d meet.
“Start car,” Antonio commanded in a deep, forceful voice using his sophisticated voice-control engine-start system. The engine of his luxury vehicle promptly revved. He then navigated his way through the streets of downtown Toronto towards his high-rise condominium near the waterfront.