at you.”
Worried that she’d missed removing some of the sparkly blue eye makeup they used to make her up as a fairy for the new magical fashion line, Elena turned to the mirror. She didn’t see anything but her own complexion. Her cheeks were a little rosy from the cleanser, but it was all her in the reflection. So why had Luca been looking at her so strangely? She shrugged it off.
“Can I persuade you to stay long enough to eat?” She hadn’t eaten a bite all day. She’d been a nervous wreck about the show, and now that it was over, she was ravenous. “Or we could get one of your favorite pizzas from Pierre’s and take it back to my flat.”
“Your flat?” Luca shook his head. “Not going to happen. I hear you have some exciting news.” He moved to the end of her makeup table and retrieved a champagne bottle. “We have to celebrate. It’s nonnegotiable.”
She wasn’t sure either of them was up for celebrating. Before she could vocalize her protest, Luca popped the cork and Elena watched as pink bubbles rushed down the side of the bottle. Luca reached for a champagne flute and filled it up.
“For you.” He held the glass out to her.
She accepted it. Luca was certainly acting out of character. Her gaze lowered to the glass as the pink bubbles rose and popped. If Luca and the designer of the line Elena now represented only knew of the mess she’d made of her private life, they wouldn’t help her celebrate being chosen as the new face of the Lauren Renard line.
Elena felt like a fraud. They all thought she was so good—so deserving. But she was none of those things. Her judgment was way off where men were concerned. She’d been too trusting—too open—and in the end, she’d been lied to in the worst way. Now she didn’t trust herself or men.
“Elena?”
She glanced up. Her gaze met Luca’s. Tears suddenly rushed to her eyes. She blinked repeatedly, refusing to unleash the turbulent emotions that had been threatening all day.
“Hey, none of that.” Luca raised his glass. “This is a moment for celebrating.”
Elena forced a smile to her lips and lifted her glass.
Luca held his glass close to hers. “To the most amazing, wonderful tomboy I’ve ever known. And I might add that you clean up pretty good, too.”
Her mouth gaped as their glasses clinked together. “That’s not fair. I haven’t been a tomboy since we were kids.”
His eyes studied her. “I have one question for you.”
“You can ask it, but I reserve the right not to answer.” A nervous shiver rolled through her stomach. Had he heard about her romantic debacle? She groaned inwardly before taking another drink of champagne—a much bigger drink.
“When did you become so beautiful?” Luca’s gaze caressed her, leaving her insides aflutter.
Heat rushed to her cheeks. “Be careful, Luca. If I didn’t know better, I might think you were flirting with me.”
“I am.”
Her heart lodged in her throat. What had come over him? Luca was a constant flirt, but always with every other woman in the room. And now she didn’t know how to react to him.
Luca grabbed the champagne and refilled their glasses. “Drink up. I’m taking you out on the town tonight. I’m going to show off the hottest lady in Paris.”
He thought she was hot?
Maybe he was referring to the blush that had engulfed her face. She resisted the urge to fan herself. Instead, she gulped another mouthful of bubbly.
Luca was far too sexy, and he was saying all the right things to sneak right past her meticulously laid defenses. If she wasn’t careful, this evening was going to blow up in her face.
She swallowed hard. “But I’m tired—”
“Trust me. What I have in mind will wake you right up.” He winked at her.
Her heart skipped a beat. She didn’t know what to say. Instead she busied herself with another sip of champagne. As the alcohol hit her empty stomach, she realized that it wasn’t her wisest idea and set aside the glass. “It’s not that big of a deal.”
“Of course it’s a big deal. It’s a huge deal.” He smiled at her like he had something in mind. He’d been giving her that look since they were kids playing in the fields of wildflowers on the palace grounds in Mirraccino, and she knew it meant he had mischief on his mind. “We have to celebrate. And I have the perfect idea.”
Why did it suddenly feel like Luca’s reaction to her new role for the world-renowned Lauren Renard line was over the top? After all, Luca was an earl. He was royalty, for goodness’ sake. His father was the Duke of Halencia. And Luca’s mother had been the sister of the King of Mirraccino. Elena knew that her accomplishments didn’t come close to stacking up to Luca’s impressive lineage.
“Luca, it’s really not that big of a deal.” Heat rushed to her cheeks.
“Quit being so modest. You worked hard for this.” He walked over to her and put his arm over her shoulders. “I’m proud of you. Just wait until my sister hears about this. In fact, she was just asking about you.”
“She was?” When he nodded, Elena said, “Tell her I said hi.”
“I will. Right after I tell her about you being world famous and the face of her favorite clothing line.”
In truth, being the face of such a renowned line was truly a turning point in Elena’s career. She wouldn’t just have her face on the middle pages of a magazine. She would now dominate the covers. Her calendar would be filled with photo sessions. Finally, she was no longer just the daughter of the King of Mirraccino’s secretary or the tomboy who followed Luca all around the palace grounds and played football with him until long after the sun set. She was now a successful international model—for however long it lasted.
“But after your news, I’d really understand if you didn’t want to make a big deal of it.”
“Indulge me,” Luca said.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means while you were taking your final stroll down the catwalk, I was on the phone.”
“And? You were finding out the location of the next hot party?” She had no doubt there were parties with so many notable people in town this week for the line reveal, but that just wasn’t her scene.
“There’s only one party on my mind.” He looked at her rather intently.
Her heart raced. “Luca, when did you become so mysterious?”
“Mysterious?” There was a glint of mischievousness reflected in his eyes. “I’ve been accused of a lot of things, but never that.”
“Well, then out with it. What plans did you make?”
“Trust me. You’ll find out soon enough.”
She moved
