Whisked Away by the Italian Tycoon

More qualms hit him—this was breaking all his rules and he was suddenly scared he couldn’t handle it, because his thoughts were spinning out of control. She was so near, so beautiful, so... Emily and he was scared that he’d let her too close.

‘If that works for you?’ Her voice went small and he knew that she feared rejection, could read his doubts.

Chill, Luca.

This was an overreaction. Because the bottom line was that he and Emily wanted different things—she did not want a long-term arrangement on his terms, she wanted a husband and a family and that was a no-go area for him. So she was right. This was a bubble, a blip if you will, and if Emily wanted fun and joy and magic then that was what he would provide.

‘It completely works for me. You are a beautiful, magical anomaly,’ he said and was rewarded with a smile. ‘As long as you are sure this...’ and now he gestured around ‘...is what you want.’

‘I’m sure.’ Her voice held certainty, and he saw nothing in her eyes to cast doubt on her word, though he still sensed a vulnerability, a fragility to her desire for a few days of happiness. And in that moment he vowed he would do all in his power to give her that; there could be no harm in that.

‘Then how about we start right now with a little bit of this?’ With a big grin on his face he tugged at the sheet, was rewarded by a small shriek from Emily as she reached for it.

‘Hey, give that back.’

Now his grin broadened. ‘Make me.’

With a breathless laugh she lunged for it and he moved beneath her, caught her into an embrace, so she sat astride him, looking down, her glorious hair loose, the tips tickling his chest. Then she leaned down and kissed him and the sheet dropped from his hand forgotten as he kissed her right back.

* * *

An hour later they lay entwined and tangled in the sheets and Luca marvelled at how he and Emily had come to this. No rules, no regulations and right now he didn’t care, because this felt like the most natural thing in the world.

He dropped a kiss on the top of her head, revelled in the feel of her silken hair. ‘So what’s the plan for the day?’

‘Breakfast. I am ravenous. Then later today I’m going to take the family picture for Shamini and then I thought we’d stick to plan. Go for a walk and see the sunset at the summit—I think it may be a good location for the shoot?’

‘Sounds like a plan.’

She rolled a little away from him and propped herself up on her elbow. ‘Also I thought we could go through some photos. If you like. To take with you to your meeting with the royal representative.’ Her smile was a little shy and he could sense the sudden tension in her body. ‘I thought you could show them to him and suggest a quid pro quo. They endorse your chocolate and we’ll make sure Jalpura is advertised as an amazing tourist destination as part of the campaign.’

Luca sat up, leaned against the headboard and she followed suit. As he put an arm around her shoulders a conflict of emotions coursed through him. ‘Thank you.’ He knew how hard it was for her to show off her work, knew how much the offer meant. ‘That is an excellent idea.’ But alongside pride in Emily was discomfort at his own actions. After all, his main goal of the meeting was to find out information about Jodi. Luca hesitated, his brain whirring—surely he could trust her to keep Jodi’s situation confidential...surely it couldn’t harm to share some inf

ormation? But if he did that Emily would ask questions...and who knew what she’d find out? And it wasn’t his business to share. Yet it felt wrong to lie, even if the lie was only one of omission. Especially when she was willing to go so far out of her own comfort zone to help him.

Before he could decide her phone rang; she picked it up from the bedside drawer and glanced down, then back up at him. ‘It’s Ava. It’s probably her daily check-in, about the wedding plans.’

The words pulled him back to reality—saved by the bell. Emily was Ava’s best friend, the reminder one he shouldn’t even need. Quickly he moved away, swung his legs over the side of the bed. ‘I’ll go and sort out some breakfast. You talk to Ava,’ he said.

‘OK.’ A pause, then she said his name and he turned to face her. ‘I won’t tell Ava about us. This is between you and me. There is no need for her to know.’

‘Agreed.’ Her words, a reassurance, tipped the scales towards the possibility of confidence. ‘I won’t be long.’

She nodded. ‘Cool. Thank you.’

He returned half an hour later, pushed a trolley through the door. In his absence she’d pulled on one of his T-shirts and was curled up in one of the wicker chairs. For a moment he wondered if he should ask about Ava, decided to avoid it. Somehow the idea that she was keeping them a secret made him feel a little uncomfortable. A reminder of why he’d vowed not to get involved with Emily. But that ship had sailed and he couldn’t bring himself to regret it.

He gestured to the bed. ‘I thought we’d have breakfast in bed?’

Her eyes widened as she surveyed the laden trolley.

‘Dosas, idlis, vegetable curry with egg, and masala potatoes and, of course, some coffee.’ All her favourites.

‘We can’t eat that in bed. We’ll make a mess.’

‘That’s the fun of it,’ he said. ‘We can get as messy...’ and now he smiled at her ‘...or as dirty as we want.’ He wiggled his eyebrows and she gave a low, sweet laugh.

‘I’m in.’