The Doctor's Runaway Bride
But did they have a relationship?
Tia got ready to argue but found she didn’t have the energy. She shouldn’t have agreed to help out by working the extra hours.
Maybe if she closed her eyes for just a few minutes she’d have enough energy to deal with Luca once they arrived home.
She had a feeling she was going to need it.
CHAPTER THREE
WHEN Tia opened her eyes again she was lying on the sofa with a blanket tucked around her.
‘So you’re finally awake.’ Luca placed a mug of tea on the low table next to her and sat down on the end of the sofa. ‘I must admit you’re scintillating company when you’re pregnant.’
She struggled to sit up, feeling decidedly groggy and disorientated. She had no recollection of how she’d got into the house. ‘Did I sleep in the car?’
‘Like a dead person,’ Luca said dryly, his eyes scanning her quickly. ‘Collapsing on me seems to be becoming a habit. It’s a good job you don’t weigh very much.’
Which was nonsense, she knew. Luca was incredibly strong and athletic—more than capable of lifting someone twice her weight.
‘I’m sorry,’ she mumbled, wishing that he wasn’t sitting quite so close to her. She could see the taut muscle of his thigh under the material of his trousers and her throat closed.
She wanted him so badly it was almost a physical ache.
How could she still want a man who was in love with another woman? How could she still want a man who had kept such an enormous secret from her? How could she be in love with someone whose view of women seemed to be firmly set in the Stone Age?
Their eyes met and held and she felt her heart rate increase alarmingly. Then Luca stood up suddenly, his voice rough.
‘I’ve made you something to eat.’ He strode back into the kitchen and returned carrying a tray.
Tia stared in disbelief at the strange mass on the plate. ‘Wh-what is it?’
He followed her gaze and shifted slightly. ‘It’s an omelette,’ he said stiffly. ‘I couldn’t find a recipe book.’
A recipe book? For an omelette?
Staggered that he’d tried to cook something for her, Tia hid a smile, knowing that his male pride was at stake. After all, it wasn’t entirely his fault that he was so undomesticated. From what she’d seen, it was his upbringing.
Whenever they’d stayed with Luca’s family she had been appalled by the way they waited on him. No matter that Luca’s sisters were both intelligent, they seemed not to question their role in nurturing their brother and Tia had spent more time holding a teatowel than a conversation.
But here he was, cooking for her. Or at least trying to!
She picked up a fork and started to eat.
‘Does it taste all right?’ His need for reassurance was so unlike Luca that she almost dropped the fork.
Was this really the same arrogant, self-assured man she’d known in Italy? It was the first time she’d ever witnessed him express doubt about anything. Was he really seeking her approval for something as simple as an omelette?
‘It tastes great,’ she said finally, unable to resist teasing him slightly. ‘Better than it looks.’
After a moment’s hesitation he returned the smile, his cheeks creasing in the way that made her heart stop. Luca Zattoni was without doubt the sexiest man she’d ever seen, and no matter what he did she would probably always want him.
The thought effectively removed her appetite and she put the fork down on the plate with a clatter and a shake of her head.
‘I’m sorry, Luca, but I’m not really hungry,’ she said quietly, her eyes sliding away from his. ‘It isn’t your omelette—really. It’s…nice and I’m grateful to you but…’
He watched her steadily and for a wild, uncomfortable moment she thought he must have guessed the reason for her sudden lack of appetite. But he merely removed the plate without comment, shifting slightly on the sofa so that he was facing her.
‘In that case, this is as good a time as any to finish our talk. You’ve had a sleep, so hopefully we should manage it without you being sick or passing out.’