When She Fell for the Billionaire(82)

Sabrina linked her arm with Chase and together they navigated the party. Some of the guests were scattered on several decks, but most had congregated by the pool. A walkway had been laid out over the whole length of it, which was lit by tea candles. It gave the illusion of a floating ramp. Chairs were arranged on all sides to afford guests a close view of the fashion show.

Sabrina bumped into Antonia, who looked calm and in control. She wondered how often the Argentis entertained.

“Signor Luca is in the main salon,” she said, even before Sabrina could voice the question.

“Go ahead,” Chase said. “I spotted the duke and his wife.” He tipped his head to a couple who was standing by the railing.

The handsome, blond-haired man, as if sensing he was being talked about, swiveled his head and honed in on Chase. The pretty brunette standing by his side followed his gaze. Her face broke into a smile and she waved, beckoning Chase to join them.

“I’ll see you in a bit then,” Sabrina mouthed, feeling less guilty about leaving Chase to his own devices. She entered the salon, surprised to find Luca in the middle of an interview. Lights were trained on him and the interviewer, a svelte redhead who was thrusting her chest out and making googly eyes at Luca.

He didn’t give any sign he had noticed her, but Sabrina knew he was aware of her presence the second she walked into the room. She settled into a chair in a corner unobtrusively.

The interview was in English, thank God. The interviewer sounded British.

Luca was charming, urbane, and polite as he fielded each question like a pro. He looked relaxed, seated with a leg over the other, the picture of sartorial elegance, an ambassador of the Argenti brand. He was now talking about the charities that the company supported.

Sabrina’s heart swelled with pride. His eyes flicked to where she was, just a millisecond glance, and she knew he was gauging her reaction to the interview.

She smiled broadly. He would see it in his peripheral vision. He leaned back, and Sabrina’s attention was drawn to the hem of his pants. She saw his socks, saw they were a plain brown, and felt a strange kind of disappointment that he hadn’t worn something quirky. He started swinging his leg in an impatient motion, and Sabrina frowned at this uncharacteristic mannerism. His restless movement allowed her a glimpse of his other sock. She blinked.

His other sock was plain too, but it was colored blue.

Her eyes darted to his twinkling ones. She covered her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

Luca grinned widely, and the interviewer appeared taken aback by his out of context reaction. Or probably she was just poleaxed by his devastating smile.

“I apologize,” he addressed the redhead. “My girlfriend just noticed my socks.” He made a fluid gesturing motion that appeared to have mesmerized the interviewer temporarily before she recovered.

“Your socks?” The woman’s gaze swung downward as well as the cameraman’s and his camera. She chuckled. “They’re mismatched!”

“Yes, they are.” Luca was too jovial for someone who had just committed a fashion faux pas.

Sabrina’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“I once came on air with mismatched earrings. It happens to the best of us, Mr. Argenti.”

“Yes, it does,” he agreed too smoothly. “Though I’d just like to add that sometimes, just because something’s not a perfect match doesn’t mean they don’t go together very well.”

“Are you being philosophical, Mr Argenti?” the redhead asked archly.

Luca grinned. “No. Just starting a new fashion trend. I believe we’re done here.” He rose from his seat and thanked the interviewer graciously. He removed the microphone from his lapel and walked straight to where she was.

“You look like a beautiful flame in that dress,” he murmured into her hair. “You’re burning me up.”

“Isn’t it the other way around?” She leaned back and gazed up at him, a spark in her beautiful eyes.

“Other way around?”

“I’m the witch. I’m the one who should be burning.”

His bark of laughter startled the cameraman, who was packing up. “Let’s combust together, then.”

Sabrina giggled. Luca basked in the sound. She looked so carefree and happy. He wanted a taste of it.

He cupped her face with both hands, leaned down, and touched his lips to hers. He felt the imprint of her wide smile under his own. He wanted more. His tongue swept from one end of her upper lip to the other, trying to learn the curve and dip and shape of her happy smile. But her smile vanished. Her lips parted. Luca groaned.

He accepted her invitation for more.

He began kissing her like a drowning man desperate for air. His body, heart, and soul, it was hers, right from the moment he had first laid eyes on her on the beach.