Falling for Her Billionaire Boss

She took the t-shirt. “Thank you.”

She disappeared into his room, and he heard the bathroom door shut behind her. When he didn’t hear anything after several minutes, he decided he should check on her.

She was in his bed, the duvet pulled up to her chin. Her blotchy cheeks were relaxed and her eyelashes were smudges against her cheeks. She’d fallen asleep before he could even ask if she was hungry.

He’d let her sleep. And when she woke he’d make sure she was all right.

And then, somehow, he’d find a way out of this mess.

Mari woke to sunlight filtering through the bedroom door. Pushing her hair out of h

er face, she realized she was in Luca’s bed, the smell of his cosmetics faint in the sheets and sounds of him tinkering in the suite filtering through.

She’d spent the night. And she hadn’t give a thought to going home or to Tommy…she could only hope he’d used the dog door on the porch.

Mari checked her watch. Nine a.m. Oh my God. She’d slept straight through, with none of the nightmares that had haunted her lately. Any lingering thoughts were crowded out by the knowledge that full day staff were in the hotel and she only had yesterday’s clothes to dress in. She should have used her head last night.

But nothing about yesterday had been about logic or sense.

“Good morning,” Luca said from the doorway to the bedroom.

She scrambled up to a seated position. “Luca, I’m so sorry. I slept…”

“Here all night,” he finished, a smile on his lips. His elbow leaned casually against the doorframe. “Slept nearly fifteen hours.”

“I must have been more tired that I realized.” He was acting like this was normal, for Pete’s sake! And seeing him brought back everything that had happened yesterday with a vengeance. Including kissing him, crying on him, realizing she loved him…

And in the silence she felt a blush creep up her neck and bloom in her cheeks. Somehow she had to get out of this situation with a modicum of grace. In the bright light of day, it was clearer than ever that revealing her true feelings would be a mistake. She just needed time to figure out exactly what was what.

“I think that sleep might have been a long time coming,” he replied lazily.

A knock sounded at the door. Mari lifted her eyebrows in his direction. He merely shrugged.

“You grew restless a while ago. I ordered up breakfast. You must be starving. You didn’t have any dinner.”

He opened the door while Mari hastily pulled on her clothes, jamming her hair back into the clip she’d worn yesterday. As she came out of the bedroom, one of their staff wheeled in a cart adorned with silver domed trays.

“Thank you, Geoff.” Luca handed a bill to the server who nodded, then smiled in Mari’s direction.

Mari frowned as the door shut with a quiet click. “I don’t want this getting around the staff. What are they going to think, me up here in your suite?”

“You’ve been here before.”

“Not looking like this. Not coming out of your bedroom.”

Luca moved the cart closer to the dining table. “Don’t worry, I’m used to it. It always blows over.”

Mari’s mouth clamped shut. Luca was used to these situations. She was not. If he was trying to put the morning in perspective, he was doing a bang-up job.

“I’m sorry about yesterday. I shouldn’t have unloaded on you.” She felt obligated to apologize. Suddenly there seemed to be a new awkwardness between them. Now that it was over and done with, perhaps he was feeling embarrassed at being privy to all her secrets. She couldn’t say as she blamed him.

A shadow crossed his features.

“It’s fine. It’s good that you did. I imagine it feels better to have it out. I understand, Mari, I really do.”

Why was he acting so differently? Yesterday he’d held her hand and she’d told him her deepest troubles. He’d leapt to her defense and he’d held her in his arms as she’d cried. Now…God, now he was treating her like she was one of his flings. One of the women he kept on his arm.

Her mouth soured. She’d thought she’d been right to put her trust in him, but his casual treatment of her this morning was a let-down. She’d wanted to mean more to him. Which was silly because she already knew in her heart they had no future. He’d come right out and said so. He didn’t do love.