He shrugged, a proper Gallic, lazy shrug. He had very nice broad shoulders … and there she went again. But she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t attracted to him.
‘I have no plans this evening. I finished early. I thought perhaps –’ he paused and his eyes rested on her face ‘– I might seduce you.’
Pardon! Hattie managed out a strangled gasp, even more grateful for the sunglasses that protected her outraged stare. What on earth did she say to that?
Apart from ‘Yes please, for God’s sake get on with it’?
What would he do if she said, ‘Go right ahead’?
Then he leaned forward and removed her sunglasses. The deliberate intent of the move made her freeze, her mouth opening slightly. There was a subtle change in the atmosphere and her nipples hardened in response. His careful gaze roved over her face and the twinkle in his eyes darkened to something a little more dangerous.
‘Do you want to?’ she asked in a whisper, hardly daring to believe she’d actually ask the question.
He stared at her, considering and studying her before a slow smile spread across his face that sent spirals of heat coursing through her.
He leaned forward, a gentle finger tracing her collarbone. ‘I think I do,’ he whispered back, ‘very much.’
She swallowed.
‘Luc!’
They both jumped at the curt shout followed by the tap, tap of heels down the stone steps above them.
‘I need to speak to you,’ called Yvette from the other side of the pool.
Luc groaned but he stood up. ‘I’ll see you at dinner time.’ His mouth quirked with mischief and she felt her cheeks grow pink but, feeling oddly daring, she replied in a sultry, unHattie-like tone, ‘You will.’
She liked the quick jolt of surprise in his eyes and felt quite proud of herself as without a word he pulled on a shirt, slipped his feet into flipflops and walked across the deck towards Yvette.
ChapterTen
‘What do you want, Yvette?’ asked Luc.
‘Hello to you too,’ she said with an arch look. ‘You looked like you were getting very cosy with the enemy there.’
‘She’s not the enemy.’ He wasn’t going to give away any more than that to Yvette.
‘Do I detect you’re a little smitten with our English invader?’ She arched an eyebrow.
‘She’s easy to spend time with,’ said Luc, trying to sound nonchalant. Actually he’d only meant to flirt a little with Hattie and tease her but that shy smile of hers had turned his insides out and when she’d turned the tables on him, he couldn’t think of anything he’d like to do more than kiss her.
‘Planning another Brémont conquest?’
‘What do you want, Yvette?’ It came out more sharply than he’d intended, irked by her insistence on tagging him with the wholly inaccurate playboy label. Was there a slight bitterness there because he’d never responded to her teenage crush? She always liked to insinuate he was the love-them-and-leave-them type but he really wasn’t. His parents’ glib attitude to relationships had left him with a desire to find something more meaningful. Much as he’d flirt with Hattie, that was as far as it would go. He was here to make wine. And if he met someone now, it would only be someone he could settle and build a future with, not someone who would be leaving in a few weeks’ time.
‘Did you knowshehas hired another caterer? She’s not even using someone local. Taking business away from the area.’
Luc almost laughed at her audacity. ‘And here’s me thinking that you had something to do with that.’
‘I don’t know what you mean.’ Yvette drew herself up.
‘Juliet’s an old friend of yours, isn’t she? How come she cancelled? I spoke to her. She didn’t give a good answer.’
Yvette gave him a cool stare and shrugged. ‘It’s not just me that should be worried about this wedding. You do realise that if it’s a success, your father will turn the château into a wedding business. It’s easy money, he wouldn’t need to make champagne to make money here, and then he could have you back at his beck and call. He could sell the grapes again without the costs of making wine and still have the St Martin Château money coming in. He’s not interested in champagne – that’s you.’
Luc flinched; she’d hit his weak spot. He didn’t want to have to travel all the time, he wanted to set down his roots, right here, in the place he considered home.
‘Just think of all the disruption weddings all summer would cause. People roaming around everywhere. You might have to give up some of the vines for more parking, for an outdoor marquee. Some people want the romance of getting married among the vines. Someone will have to manage it all. If you’re here your father will expect you to do it. You know what he’s like.’
