“Or else?”
“There is no or else. If you choose not to be with me, then I’ll leave you alone. But it will be such a loss, never knowing how it would have been between us.”
Oh, how much he tempted her. She had found men attractive, there were a lot of them in Los Angeles, but it was a cold kind of appreciation. Not like this. With Luca, her appreciation went past more than the intellectual. It involved all her senses. She wanted to rub her palms along the beginning scruff on his jaw, lean across the table and inhale his crisp cologne, run her tongue across those lips now turned a bit sulkily down the corners.
“What happens after our stay? I leave in three days.”
“Once we’re off the island, we go our separate ways. No drama. No communication.”
She wanted him too. There was no denying it. And she didn’t delude herself into thinking he wanted more. But why did his words hurt?
She tamped down on this need to defend herself, to make him see her differently. But what was the point? He had already thought the worst of her.
“You’re right, Luca. I admit I’m attracted to you,” she said carelessly.“But since you warned me off about pursuing Markos,” she injected a hint of steel in her voice, “you have to make good on your promise to make it worth my while.”
He didn’t like that. His brows drew together. He could have had her for nothing.
“You talked about benefits.” She flashed him a hard smile, hoping and dreading he’d bite. “Bring me to the royal wedding.”
No fucking way. He didn’t want her within a few feet of Markos. What if he took another look at her and forgot about his policy of never looking back? Decided to take up with her again? He won’t be able to stand back and relinquish her. Years of friendship would be put in jeopardy. And how about Mrs. Konstantinos? Luca had promised Markos he’d keep her away from the family. Her fragility was a cause of ongoing concern for his friend.
Sabrina didn’t strike him as someone who would cause a scene. But then, he also didn’t think she fit the mold of Markos’ previous lovers. To come all the way to Seireneda to win him back spoke volumes of how determined she was to get her ex-lover back. It grated on him.
His judgment had been off since Eleni. He had thought Eleni was level-headed, sensible, and focused. Instead she had turned out to be one crazy bitch.
No. He couldn’t risk bringing her to the wedding as his date.
But would he lie to get her? While he was waiting for his conscience to make an appearance, she spoke.
“I was really counting on Markos to bring me to the wedding. But since that door has been closed, maybe you can open another one for me.”
Securing an invitation to the wedding was considered a social coup. Luca had fielded hints from women who were eager to attend it as his date.
So she was willing to use her body in exchange for a chance to mingle with royalty.
Luca smiled cynically. With her, everything came with a price. So be it. It made it easier then, what he had to do.
“I’ll take you to the wedding,” he lied.
“You will?” She sounded out of breath, as if she couldn’t believe he actually agreed to her condition.
“Like I told you, I want you, Sabrina Connelly,” he said, part-warning, part-threat, “and I’ll do anything to get you.” He’d shower her with diamonds after, designer clothes, jewels. That ought to take care of her.
And his conscience.
Oh, God. Oh, God. He actually agreed to take her to the wedding. Sabrina didn’t know which rattled her the most–that she was actually going to meet Markos Konstantinos at long last, or that she’d be engaging in a holiday romance with someone who thought she was a gold-digging, experienced, woman of the world.
If she corrected his impression and told him the truth about her pitiful sexual history, he might run in the other direction. This way if she sucked in bed, and she probably would compared to his previous lovers, she’d save face and tell him it was him, not her. “I’m leaving in three days.”
“Perfetto. Just the way I like it. Our time together will be short and sweet.” He grasped her hand across the table and rasped, “Fuck the meal. Let’s get out of here.”
“No.” Sabrina tugged her hand back, but he wouldn’t let go.
Luca’s brows met in the middle. “Did I misunderstand you?” This time he let go of her hand, a slight scowl on his chiseled features.
She shook her head hurriedly. “No. You didn’t misunderstand me.”
“Then what is the matter? Are you playing games?” he bit out, and his jaw clenched. “Because I don’t like the rules changing when we‘re already playing.”