Playboy's Lesson (17 page)

She gave him a fleeting smile. ‘I’d have to have a vodka chaser or two first.’

‘Why are you afraid of standing up to her?’

She slowly traced the
C
on the Chatsfield coaster on the bar in front of her. ‘I don’t know...I guess it’s because she’s never put a foot wrong. She never makes a blunder.’ She pushed the coaster away as if it had suddenly annoyed her and looked at him. ‘Is must be wonderful to go through life without ever making a mistake.’

Lucca didn’t like to think too closely about some of the mistakes he’d made. There were too many of them to think about. They were backed up behind him like a row of wrecked and abandoned cars, going all the way back to his childhood. He brushed his knuckles beneath her chin. ‘Want to go somewhere a little more private?’

Her eyes got that sparkle in them that always made his groin tighten. ‘Where did you have in mind?’

He took her hand and pulled her to her feet. ‘I have an etching to show you.’

* * *

Lottie held the painting Lucca had done of her in her hands. It was no bigger than a postcard even with the frame he’d organised for it. ‘It’s beautiful....’ She traced the gilt edge of the frame with her fingertip. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever been given anything more beautiful.’ She swivelled to look at him. ‘Thank you.’

He gave one of his indifferent shrugs. ‘Count yourself lucky. You’re the first lover I’ve ever given a gift to.’

She put the painting down on the dressing table, watching him covertly in the mirror. ‘What will you do with the one of me in the palace gardens?’

‘File it away somewhere, I suppose.’

‘I think you should show it to a top gallery owner in London or New York. Set up a solo exhibition. It would be a way to launch your career as an artist. Painting a royal portrait is every artist’s—’

‘No.’

She wrinkled her brow. ‘But why? What’s the point of doing such delicate and exquisite work and hiding it in the bottom drawer as if you’re ashamed of it?’

His expression tightened. ‘My artwork is private. I want to keep it that way.’

‘But why?’

‘Because there’s nothing else in my life that
is
private.’

Lottie looked at him oddly. ‘But I thought you liked drawing all that attention to yourself. You seem to deliberately court scandal. You said it’s your brand.’

He pushed a hand through his hair. ‘Leave it,
cara
. I’m not after a big career in the arts.’

‘What
do
you want, Lucca?’

His eyes moved away from hers. ‘You know what I want. I want my share of the family trust fund.’

She rose from the dressing-table stool and came over to him. ‘You’ve had money all your life and it hasn’t made you happy.’

‘What makes you think I’m not happy?’

Lottie looked into his masked gaze. ‘Happy people don’t create negative drama, even if it’s mostly directed at themselves.’

A mocking smile tilted his mouth. ‘You should ask for a refund on that psychoanalyst degree you’re brandishing about. It’s rubbish.’

‘That’s a defence mechanism of yours. You make a joke of everything but inside you’re not laughing. You’re hurting.’

A line of tension rippled through his jaw but his smile was all easy laid-back charm. ‘Listen, sweetheart, we have two weeks to get through before your sister’s wedding. The world is kind of hooked on us getting it on so calling it quits right now would upset a lot of people and take the shine off your sister’s big day. Not to mention ruin my chances of claiming my trust fund. But hey, I’ll give you the choice. I’m cool either way.’

Lottie rolled her lips together. Did he really not give a damn whether their relationship continued or not? How could he be so easy going about it? Had she made no impression on him at all? Did he care nothing for her other than as just another lover he had taken to his bed?

It would serve him right if she did end it.

But of course she wouldn’t.
Couldn’t
.

Madeleine had already cautioned her about overshadowing her big day. Ending her affair with Lucca would draw a lot of unnecessary attention.

Besides, she didn’t want it to end.

Her heart gave a painfully tight squeeze. Admitting her feelings was dangerous. It made her want to think about things she had no business thinking about...Lucca and her together, not just for a couple of weeks but for a lifetime. Getting married. Having babies. Building a life of happiness and security for their family that he had missed out on in his lonely and traumatic childhood. Pipe dreams...all of them. That was the trouble with falling in love with a man who didn’t believe in love lasting. How many women thought they were the one to unlock a closed heart only to have theirs broken for their effort? Thousands. Millions.

‘I don’t want anything to spoil Madeleine and Edward’s wedding,’ she said.

He gave a slow nod. ‘Fine.’

There was a moment of silence.

‘You wouldn’t really forfeit your trust fund...would you?’

‘Not for the sake of two weeks.’

What about for the sake of me?
Lottie pushed the thought aside before it could get a foothold. ‘Is it a lot of money?’

He picked up her royal-crested silver hairbrush and turned it over in his hands. ‘Not by some people’s standards.’

‘But it’s what it represents, right?’

He stood behind her and started brushing her hair. Long, deliciously sensual strokes that made each hair on her head shiver in ecstasy. ‘I know you think I’m a blood-sucking parasite but—’

‘
Please
don’t remind me of how outspoken I was that day.’

He smiled at her crookedly in the mirror but it was another one of those sad smiles that made her heart constrict at the thought of the pain and loneliness he had experienced as a child. ‘Has anyone ever told you what beautiful hair you have?’

He was changing the subject, another defence mechanism he had perfected. But this time she didn’t call him on it. He had his reasons for wanting to claim his family’s money. It was no business of hers to criticise him for it or to try and dissuade him from following through on it. ‘You did...last night.’

‘So I did.’ He turned her so she was facing him. He tilted up her face and looked into her gaze for endless seconds, his thumb moving back and forth over her cheek like a slow-beating arm of a metronome. ‘It’s true, little princess. You are beautiful.’

Lottie put her hand over his. ‘I’ve never felt it until I met you.’

He slid his hand out from under hers and used it to tuck her hair back behind her ear as if she was six years old. ‘I have to get back to the hotel. There’s a staff issue my father’s CEO wants me to look into.’ Was it her imagination or had his voice sounded deeper and huskier than normal?

He was at the door before she could find her own voice and it too came out husky. ‘Lucca?’

He glanced at her over his shoulder. ‘Yes?’

‘Thank you...’

‘For?’

‘Just...thank you.’

His hand fell away from the doorknob as a frown settled on his forehead. ‘Lottie...you do realise this thing we’ve got going is not going to continue once I leave here, don’t you?’

Lottie fought hard to keep her expression serenely composed. ‘But of course. How could it? I live here. You live in England. Long-distance relationships never work. And I hate flying, remember?’

He gave another slow nod. ‘Good. Glad we got that sorted.’

‘You’re not having second thoughts, are you?’

‘Good God, no.’ His laugh was like a punch to her heart. ‘I’m surprised I’ve lasted this long.’

‘Not bored out of your brain yet?’

There was something about his smile that wasn’t quite right. It looked tight. Fixed. ‘Surprisingly, no. You?’

She rocked her hand back and forth. ‘So-so.’

His frown deepened and then it suddenly relaxed as he laughed again. ‘Little minx.’ He came back over and scooped her up in his arms and carried her towards the bed.

‘What about the terribly important staff issue at the hotel?’ Lottie asked.

He dropped her on the mattress and came down over her, pinning her with his weight, his eyes glinting at her darkly. ‘There’s something far more urgent I have to see to here first.’

CHAPTER TWELVE

THE MORNING OF the wedding dawned bright and sunny after almost two weeks of inclement weather. Lottie had listened patiently each day as Madeleine fussed and fretted about how her hair would be a disaster and her make-up would run and how the guests wouldn’t be able to see her for all the umbrellas, blah, blah, blah.

Privately she thought her sister was turning into a Bridezilla but of course she didn’t say anything. It was a big event in Madeleine’s life and as a royal princess and heir to the throne it was an even bigger pressure to have everything run according to plan.

Lottie had kept her relationship with Lucca out of the spotlight out of respect for Madeleine and Edward’s wedding. But rather than diminish the intensity of their relationship it had fuelled it. Meeting in secret, stealing moments or half-hours without anyone noticing, had given their relationship an even more exciting edge.

They had worked as a team to fine-tune the last details of the ceremony and reception. Lucca might not have been to a wedding before but he was fabulous at getting people to do what he wanted. He issued orders with such charm he had every palace and hotel staff member working overtime to please him.

Everyone was still talking about the spectacular success of the hens’ night. Even Lottie had enjoyed herself dressing up and dancing till the wee hours, especially as Lucca had sneaked in disguised as one of the waiters and stolen a steamy kiss behind one of the DJ’s subwoofers.

But even if they had not mentioned it again, Lottie was all too well aware that three days after the wedding their relationship would draw to a close. By staying the month Lucca would have fulfilled the terms of the arrangement made by his father’s CEO. His trust fund would be secure and he would go back to London to his life of living in the fast lane at supersonic speed.

Lottie had cleverly compartmentalised her brain. When she was with Lucca she was totally in the moment, pretending they were a proper couple with the potential for a future together. It was only when she was alone that the other side of her brain took over, leaving her unusually teary and agitated until she could barely sleep.

She hadn’t meant to fall in love with him. She hadn’t meant to even like him. But somehow over the past couple of weeks she had grown to know him as a person. Not the laugh-a-minute layabout lad-about-town image he projected, but the sensitive and artistic man who had greater depth to his character than he let on.

Knowing him on that level made her heart open like an orchid does to tropical sunshine. How had she ever thought love was something she could control? It had sneaked up on her, catching her unawares, dismantling her defences in a sensual ambush that made her body ache to be with him every minute she could. Every moment she spent with him made her love for him grow stronger. She felt her heart squeeze every time he smiled at her. When his eyes gave her that wickedly dark glint she melted. Would she be able to carry the pretence to that final goodbye, waving him off as if she felt nothing more for him than a mild affection?

However, if Lucca was suffering any apprehension about their imminent break-up he showed no sign of it. He was his usual affable playful self, making her laugh and teasing her with his usual good humour and filling their private moments with spine-tingling passion that made her body shudder and quake with pleasure.

* * *

Once the hair and make-up team had finished with the bridal party, Lottie took a moment to speak to Madeleine as she helped her with her veil. ‘You look amazing. Edward is going to be absolutely speechless when he sees you.’

Madeleine placed a hand on her stomach, her expression tight with panic. ‘I feel sick with nerves. I keep thinking something is going to go wrong. I’m going to trip in these heels or the back of my dress is going to split while the whole world is watching. Do you think I look fat? Oh, God, what if everyone thinks I’m fat?’

Lottie squeezed her sister’s trembling hands. ‘You look stunning. Just as a princess should look.’

Madeleine bit her lip. ‘Oops, can’t do that. I’ll ruin my lipstick. Have I got it on my teeth?’ She bared her teeth for Lottie to inspect.

‘No. You’re fine.’

‘I can’t believe this is my wedding day.’ Madeleine’s eyes shimmered with tears. ‘I’m so happy, Lottie. I wish you could find someone as nice as Edward. I know you think he’s boring but he’s such a sweetheart. So kind and thoughtful and loving.’

‘I didn’t say he was boring.’ Lottie carefully avoided her sister’s gaze as she straightened out a kink in the metres-long veil.

‘I know he’s nothing like Lucca Chatsfield.’ Madeleine smoothed her hands over her hips as she inspected her image in the floor-to-ceiling mirror. ‘But at least he’s in for the long haul. You do realise Lucca’s going to scoot back to London as soon as he’s pocketed his trust fund, don’t you?’

Lottie tried to ignore the stab of pain her sister’s comment evoked. ‘I’ve always known where I stood with him.’