But she hated to hand her own shortcomings tohimon a silver platter. Even if they were partners, short term, they were long-term adversaries. And she knew, from having to deal with her parents her entire life, that letting adversaries into your inner thoughts, inner worlds, only lead to hurt.
She would not let this man hurt her. And maybe that was why his smile, his touch, upended her, the strange sensations they elicited. These were not the actions of adversaries. There was some warmth under it all, and she only knew how to fight her parents’ frigidness.
“It is not so much that I think I am not good at something, but I do have some concerns that, even with this wardrobe choice, some people will question the likelihood of…anus. We do not have anything in common, except hating one another.”
“I suppose you have not heard the concept ofopposites attracting.”
She sighed. Heavily. “Except a woman as smart as I am would not be foolish enough to be attracted to the opposite of everything she valued—truth, intelligence, loyalty. And so on.”
“You would be surprised at the amount ofintelligentwomen I have had in my bed,cara.”
She hated that her cheeks heated, because she had no doubt he had said it for that very reason. So that she would have to fight anyimaginingof such a thing from happening in her head.
But it was far too easy to imagine. Perhaps she had never been inanyone’s bed, but she enjoyed love stories. Reading them, watching them. She liked believing that for some, that kind of companionship, dedication, romance and, yes, enjoyable sex, was possible.
Even ifshewasn’t made for it. There had been no physicality in her life to make her believe she was. Even her grandfather, for all his kind points, had not been a hugger. Her parents somehow less so. She had grown up with such a lack of physical touch, she did not know how to be comfortable with theideaof it in her romantic life.
So the fact he was mentioning it, the fact she was even…thinkingabout it, jumbled up all her certainties and plans, andthatcould not be born.
“I would never be surprised by the amount of people in your bed, Luciano,” she managed to say, hoping she sounded sophisticated and casual about the whole matter. “But I feel it imperative to remind you that for our purposes, in public you must refrain from behaving your usual way. Flirting with anyone in a skirt. Touching other women. The crowd must believe that you care forme, and that will require the great lothario of Italy to keep his eyes and hands to himself.”
There was a beat of silence where she thought maybe she’d shocked him, or offended him or scored some kind of point. She would have felt triumphant and celebrated that, but he seemed to purr out his response.
“Ah, but not tohimself. I will have to keep my eyes and hands on you. No?”
He asked this like a kind of dare, so she kept her placid smile in place and refused to blush as his dark eyes held hers. It felt like his hands were on her all the same.
Her heartbeat seemed totremblethere in her chest and, for a breathless moment, she could almostimaginejust that. His hands on her. Skin to skin. Warmth to warmth. A physicality that only existed in her imagination.
But, good lord, not withhim. That was ridiculous. They would only ever have to pretend physical intimacy in public, like a hand hold. Perhaps a dance.
A brushing of bodies, of lips.
But no more. Nomore. Because this was a ruse, and she could not allow him to think he had some upper hand, like he no doubt wanted. Maybe he thought he was charming. Maybe he wanted her off balance and thought this was the way to do it—no doubt, he used his charm and innuendo as a weapon as easily as breathing. So that was it.
So she did not wilt. She wouldnotlook away. She would not allow him the upper hand, no matter how her heart seemed to riot there in her chest. So she didn’t justactunaffected, she made sure to put him promptly in his place.
“I suppose you are right.Me. I know it will be a great challenge, testing your wherewithal deeply—something you are not accustomed to. But I will endeavor to have faith in you, Luciano. Sometimes the most challenging people only need someone to believe they are capable of them being better than they behave.”
She kept his gaze the entire time. Watched as a chill moved through his expression, a sharp-edged anger he did not unleash. She had insulted him.
Good.
* * *
Luciano had agreed to this party assuming that Serena might beannoying, insulting and her usual bland self, but he had not expected her to challenge him in quite such a way.
He wasn’t certain how to combat it just yet. He knew whathewanted to do. Seduce every woman in the room simply out of spite. She seemed to expect it of him anyway, and he had no doubts he could do it, more or less.
As if he needed herbeliefin his ability to bebetter.
Oh, he’d be better. His usual approach to any problem was to live down to whatever low expectations he could muster, then dig even lower. It suited him well. People underestimated him, and he succeeded around that. Then, if they had to come face to face with his successes, they’d easily brush it off as a consequence of his name.
But Serena’s expectations weresolow, he found himself challenged to rise above them. Because as much as they couldn’t stand each other, they had the same goal. So why not beat her at her own game? Why not, for once, be the victor in plain sight?
He liked that idea quite a bit.
He had never had reason to play the besotted lover. In fact, he tended to discourage such…connection. He made certain the women he dated understood that he was not looking for a Mrs. Ascione. That there would be nofuture. That he was interested in fun and fun alone.
