Luciano had to remind himself not to scowl.
“Draping? That’s rich.” She shook her head, the earrings at her ears winking in the light. “No one expectsmeto flirt, and even if they suspected that’s what I was doing, which I can assure you no one did, they would consider it harmless. I do not have an endless array of famous, public lovers, Luciano.”
“No, indeed you do not.” And since he was feeling inexplicably frustrated, something he might calljealousyif he didn’t know better, he leaned into a scathing reaction. Into her and figuring her out so he stopped feeling this…unsettled thing. “In fact, you don’t seem to have a whisper ofany.”
She stiffened in his arms, and he knew he’d made a direct and interesting hit. She didn’t like that pointed out to her.
“I am discreet,” she said, with a little sniff and that prim, pompous tone she trotted out like a weapon.
“Discreet or a virgin?” he asked casually.
She tripped over his foot, but before he could maneuver them back into the simple dance, the sharp heel of her shoe found the top of his. She put her full weight on it, causing a shock of pain to erupt in his foot.
“Oops,” she offered with mock contrition. “Idoapologize. Would you like to end our dance early? Perhaps you want to put some ice on it?” She asked all of this with a sweetness that was fake as the day was long. “I am just so terribly clumsy sometimes.”
He gritted his teeth as he glared at her. “I will somehow survive your clumsiness,cara.” Survive it. Survive her. Use this farce as the start of a new direction for himself. He would win this battle of the wills, rather than withdraw, rather than obscure, rather thanhide. He had uncovered little hints at something softer under the icy demeanor, and he wouldn’t rest until he’d found them all.
So he smiled down at her and brought a hand up to tuck a curling strand of hair behind her ear, making sure his finger grazed her cheekbone.
He kept moving her on the dance floor even as her posture went rigid, her cheeks a fascinating shade of pink, and she could not hold his gaze.
Oh, she’d like to be immune to him, and there was something about that realization, thatdetermination, that she wasn’t that gave him a thrill. A sense of purpose and satisfaction that he hadn’t allowed himself in some time.
A challenge, because while he would no doubt win her over, charm her, get under that cold demeanor, it would not beeasy. Serenawasbrilliant, and different. He did not know anyone like her, and there would likely be surprises in store.
There was a strange little alarm bell in the back of his mind, a warning about getting in too deep, too involved, toointerested.
But this was Serena Valli he was contending with. No matter the challenge, he would win.
He had no doubt.
CHAPTER FIVE
SERENA WAS EXHAUSTED. Pretending was a chore and she did not care for it at all, but it was necessary. She wasn’t convinced all histouchingwas necessary, but she supposed it put forth the appearances she wanted, so she couldn’t complain.
But her muscles would be sore tomorrow from all the tensing against the strange reactions his touch elicited inside of her.
She had been on a few dates, because it was expected of her to carry onsomesocial life—and to prove to her father that she was not “defective,” as he liked to say, and that she might potentially marry. But the men she’d chosen had been just like her. Contained. Careful. Obsessed with work, usually.
And her work had been everything, just like proving herself in school had been everything before that. Her father required perfection, and she met it. Over and over again. She liked clear goals, and she liked keeping people relegated to business because it made it easy.
So thedatesnever becamerelationships, and there hadn’t been any since her father’s death.
Still, even without much experience, she had been confident she could pretend to be in a romantic relationship because she read novels and watched movies.
But the reality of pretending was…exhausting. She hadn’t expected that.
She wanted to lean into the seat, close her eyes, and sleep the whole way home, but Luciano was still right next to her, and she didn’t dare sleep in the presence of a scorpion.
Once home, she would take the longest, hottest bath imaginable. She would sleep in tomorrow—something she only allowed herself once a week anyway. She had earned her lazy day tomorrow.
Thankfully, Luciano did not speak the entire drive back to her house. Nor did he put his hand over hers again. He sat in the other seat, and his quiet and stillness made her nervous. Like he wasplottingsomething.
But she wasn’t about to askwhat. Maybe she’d think about it tomorrow, try to suss out what he thought he was up to. But not tonight.
The car pulled to a stop and Serena made a move to get out herself, but Lucianotsked. “Come, Serena. You know better.”
“We do not need to pretend in my front drive in the dark.”
