he want to see us?’
‘To make sure he’s making the right decision, I suppose.’
The limo pulled away from the kerb and in the wash of streetlights Hannah saw the lines of tension bracketing Luca’s mouth and eyes.
‘At least it’s over,’ she said quietly.
He glanced at her, a frown pulling his eyebrows together. ‘You didn’t enjoy it.’
It was a statement, and one Hannah couldn’t contradict, at least not completely. ‘I’m tired of pretending,’ she said. ‘You know that.’ But that wasn’t the whole truth, and the events of the evening, as well as the past couple of weeks, compelled her to continue. ‘But it’s not just that. I don’t like pretending, Luca. With you.’ She took a deep breath and turned away so he couldn’t see the tears sparkling on her lashes. ‘It hurts.’
Luca was silent for so long Hannah was afraid she’d appalled him with her honesty, and yet she felt too sad to be embarrassed. This hurt past mere humiliation.
‘Hannah.’ He cupped her cheek in his palm, turning her face so she was looking at him. He caught the tear trembling on her lash with his thumb. ‘Don’t cry. I can’t stand it if you cry.’ His other hand came up to cup her face, and his voice came out on a groan. ‘I can’t stand the thought of hurting you,’ he said, and then he kissed her.
LUCA’S LIPS CRASHED down on Hannah’s and it felt like coming home. Her mouth opened under his and her hands clutched his lapels. He heard her soft moan and it incited him further. He wanted her. He needed her.
‘Luca...’ she muttered and he pulled her to him, his hands sliding over the slippery satin, anchoring on her hips, wanting to keep her as close as possible.
She pressed against him, the softest part of her arching against him so he could barely restrain himself from peeling her dress away from her body and burying himself inside her warmth.
The limo began to slow to a stop and with a gasp Hannah pulled back, her face flushed, her lips swollen.
‘I’m home...’
‘This is home,’ Luca growled, and pulled her towards him. She came willingly, melting into him, her lips finding his as she rubbed against him.
‘I can’t, Luca,’ she mumbled but then let out a breathy sigh as his hand cupped her breast.
‘You really can.’
She laughed shakily. ‘Is this really a good idea?’ She pulled back again, and even in the darkness of the limo he saw the unhappy confusion in her eyes.
Luca took a deep breath, willing the fire in his body to fade. ‘It seems like a very good idea to me.’
‘I still don’t want a fling, Luca.’
He glanced away, feeling cornered and yet knowing it was unfair. Just because Hannah didn’t want what he did...
And hell if he actually knew what he wanted.
‘Couldn’t we just take one day at a time?’ he asked. ‘And see what happens?’
Hannah stilled and he turned to face her. She looked delectable, half-sprawled on his lap, her hair falling down from its chignon, her eyes bright and luminous, rosy lips parted.
‘What exactly are you saying?’
‘That I don’t want to lose you. But I don’t know how much I have to give.’
She let out a trembling laugh. ‘That’s honest, I suppose.’
‘Most people don’t start a relationship promising for ever,’ Luca said gruffly.
Hannah’s gaze sharpened. ‘Is that what you’re suggesting? A relationship, rather than a fling?’
‘Yes.’ The word came reluctantly, and Hannah could tell. She laughed again, the sound one of both sorrow and hope.
‘Well?’ Luca asked. ‘What about it?’
‘One day at a time?’ she said slowly, and Luca nodded, holding his breath, amazed at how much this meant to him. How much he needed her to say yes.
A slow, shy smile bloomed across her lovely face. ‘Sounds pretty good to me.’
* * *
The next morning, as she headed into work, Hannah was fizzing with both anticipation and anxiety. She couldn’t wait to see Luca, but she was afraid he might have changed his mind. Afraid that one day at a time might mean one day, full stop. Last night, in the darkness of the limo, after the intensity of their charade for Tyson and then that passionate, overwhelming kiss, maybe Luca had said things he regretted in the cold light of morning.
Her doubts were swept away when Luca strode into the office and, going right to her desk, pulled her towards him for a thorough kiss.
‘Good thing no one else is on this floor,’ Hannah exclaimed, her lips buzzing, when he’d finally released her. ‘What if someone saw?’
‘No one did,’ he returned before heading into his office. Hannah sat down at her desk, her lips buzzing, her heart singing with joy.
She told herself to slow down, to take one day at a time just as Luca had said, because neither of them had any idea what tomorrow could bring. But her mind and heart both went leaping ahead anyway. Seemed as soon as she’d got over the anxiety of actually starting a relationship she went tumbling in, head-and-heart-first.
Luca asked her to spend Saturday with him—the day with Jamie and the night the two of them alone. Both prospects filled Hannah with both excitement and nervousness. Introducing her son properly to Luca was a big step—and as for the night...
She just felt excitement about that.
Luca had asked her what kinds of things Jamie liked to do, and she’d told him the usual five-year-old-boy pursuits: the park, the zoo, football. ‘And he’s mad about planes,’ she’d confided. ‘We always go outside to look at them heading for Heathrow.’
Luca had typed it all into his smartphone, looking as serious as he did when conducting a million-pound business deal. Hannah’s heart had ached with love.
Yes, she was falling in love with this man, and it was happening so hard and fast it scared her. Luca might not be keeping up. In fact, she was quite sure he wasn’t. Every interaction that didn’t have his hands on her body and his mouth on hers was difficult for him, the words stilted but sincere. He was trying, but it was hard. And maybe one day, even one day soon, it would become too hard.
But in the meantime...
She would do as Luca said and enjoy each day as it came. She knew she couldn’t stop herself from falling in love with Luca, even when her mother worried about her, even when she stared at her son’s sleeping face and wondered if she was setting everyone up for a catastrophic fall. She
