Words seemed to strangle when she tried to talk, and she paused. He wasn’t goading her or criticizing. His eyes were sincere. He actually sounded like he cared.
He was so hard to resist when he was this way. It had been easier for her to deal with the work this morning than think about the what if’s with Luca. But he was here now, and work didn’t solve a thing. If anything, it only served to increase her awareness of him. To highlight how often during the day they were together. To remind her of how much she’d lost herself in his arms last night. To remind her of how much she longed to trust someone, to have them fill that empty space she’d become so adept at ignoring.
Luca saw her face change, saw that little hint of vulnerability she tried to keep hidden. He recognized that look. Gina had had it, less now that she had her own family, but he’d seen it enough growing up. In his days here, he hadn’t seen Mariella with any friends. She never talked about her family. She was, to his recollection, the most alone person he’d ever met. And something told him she had it that way on purpose.
It would be good for her to have a day with Gina. Moreover, it would get them both out of his hair for a blessed few hours so he could work in peace.
“I want to do this for you, Mariella. I want you to take the rest of the morning and treat yourself to a massage or a wrap or whatever you like.” And he lifted her hand and kissed the back.
It was a mistake. The scent of her skin as he touched it with his lips made him remember the feel of her last night, soft and pliant in his arms. It had affected him more than he’d expected, but he’d been unable to resist going to her on the balcony. There was nothing brash about her, she had no agenda, and that set her apart from most of the women he escorted to various functions. But that wasn’t all.
It would be very easy to care for Mari, to care too much. She seemed to need it but he wasn’t the one to give it. He would be leaving. She was different. He knew she wasn’t the kind of woman to string along. And he didn’t have it in him to give her anything more.
He dropped her hand and sauntered to the door. As he reached the threshold, he turned his head back. “Oh, if you could, be back at two-thirty. I’ve made us an appointment to see some artwork at a local gallery.”
He shut the door behind him. Mari could never know that the attraction was becoming very real for him. It would complicate everything, and right now he needed to keep it simple.
At two-thirty Mari met Luca in the lobby.
“What, no Gina?” She’d left Luca’s sister after their hot stone massages, refusing an invitation to lunch and instead working in her office, desperate to keep up with the workload.
“Gina sends her apologies, but Charlie has taken her back to Calgary to catch a flight home.”
She caught the small furrow between his eyebrows. “Has something happened? Is it your father?”
“Why would you ask about my father?” The wrinkle deepened.
She looked up at him and put her hand on his arm. “You said her children were staying with him.”
He sighed and put his hand over hers. “No, it’s not Papa. I rather think it’s Gina and Angelo, but she wouldn’t tell me.”
“I’m sorry.”
He put on a smile, though she saw through it to the worry. How long had he been shouldering the weight of his family? The thought came to her and she realized it fit. Luca felt responsible. He hid it behind a playboy-type façade, but after the way he’d spoken about his father and now his sister, she was sure of it.
“Let’s not worry about that now. You look lovely. The spa clearly agreed with you.”
Mari began to lift her hand to smooth her hair again but stopped. It had been wonderful, being fussed over and pampered. The stress had melted away with the heat of the rocks. She straightened her shoulders. “Thank you.”
Yet she knew days at the spa and art shopping trips were things she couldn’t get used to. She was Mari Ross of small-town Ontario. Luca was Fiori of Fiori resorts, used to glamour and a lifestyle very different from hers. It was understandable why she’d find that seductive. But it was also a reminder of why it was temporary.
Things like this simply didn’t last.
When they reached the car, he leaned over and kissed her temple before she got in. “You look radiant,” he murmured in her ear.
The spot on her scalp where he’d pressed his lips burned. He was acting as though they did this every day, for Pete’s sake! All the feelings from last night’s fairy tale came rushing back, and she tried to push them away. “It’s the facial,” she replied curtly, sliding over and buckling her seatbelt.
They started with a small gallery tucked in behind Banff Avenue. Mari examined piece by piece, from soapstone sculptures to paintings to spectacular photographic work. As the visit continued, Mari felt like she was swept along with a whirlwind…only everywhere she turned, there was Luca, a few steps behind her. Always aware of him, the sound of his voice as he spoke to the proprietor. And using softer, more intimate tones for her.
It was hard to ignore him. Even if she really wanted to.
The saleslady was off to wrap a few of their smaller purchases to take with them, when Luca’s hands draped over her shoulders, his fingers gripping the ends of her scarf. She jumped at the contact.
“Nervous?”
If only he knew. She wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to sudden moves like that, even if it were Luca doing it. She breathed away the adrenaline rush. “I didn’t see you behind me.”
“This is lovely. The shade brings out the gray in your eyes.”