‘Georgia, you look stunning,’ Luca said, closing the distance between them and making her feel far less awkward as he took hold of her shoulders and kissed one cheek and then the other. ‘But what are you doing standing out here?’ He looked around, before a dark cloud passed over his face. ‘You’re waiting for someone? Are you?—’
‘No,’ she said quickly, not wanting him to think she was there with anyone else. ‘I actually couldn’t get past security. It seems that in my haste to get here I forgot entirely about notifying the museum I’d be attending.’
‘Ah,’ Luca said, his smile returning. ‘If you’d only toldme, I would have RSVP’d for you.’ He shook his head. ‘Did you prefer to give me a heart attack? Waiting on the steps like that? I nearly tumbled all the way back down again when I saw you.’
She laughed. ‘Truly?’
‘Truly,’ he confirmed, his mouth still kicked up into a smile.
‘I had every intention of calling you before I left London, and then going straight to your office when I arrived, but I just, well, I didn’t know if you’d want to see me.’
He frowned. ‘See you? Did you not receive my email?’
She glanced away, but he took her hand and then she couldn’t help but look up at him.
‘I wasn’t sure if your email was business or…’ She didn’t finish the sentence.
‘Pleasure?’ he asked. ‘You weren’t sure if I meant business or pleasure?’ Luca moved closer to her, standing one step belowher, which put them on more of an even footing heightwise. He was a smidge taller than her, but with her heels and the step, he’d almost lost his height advantage.
‘Georgia, what do I have to do or say to convince you that I very much want to see you, for reasons that have nothing to do with business?’ he murmured, his fingers stroking through her hair and then playing down her spine as he kept his gaze fixed on her. ‘As far as I’m concerned, any business we had together is finished now. Which means the only reason I want to see you is for pleasure.’
Something about his whispered French accent made every word he said even more appealing, and when she didn’t answer he kept his hand to her back and drew her forward ever so slightly. She slung her arms over his shoulders, grinning as his mouth met hers, in a kiss very slow and gentle, their lips barely touching and yet somehow making her entire body tingle with anticipation.
‘Now, shall we go inside before we miss the official opening?’ he whispered in her ear.
Georgia went to take his hand, but he let go and strode ahead to the security guard, speaking to him in such rapid French, Georgia couldn’t make out a word that was said. But she did understand the look that passed over the security guard’s face, and when Luca indicated that she should come forward, she took his arm, keeping her gaze down as she stepped through the door.
‘I apologise for the inconvenience,’ the guard called out. ‘Enjoy your evening.’
‘Merci,’ she said, knowing that he’d just been doing his job, but also annoyed that he’d taken Luca at his word and not hers. ‘What did you say to him?’
‘That this evening wouldn’t be going ahead if it weren’t for you, and that you could recall the main display piece with one phone call and end the night for everyone.’
Georgia laughed. ‘Except I couldn’t take it back even if I wanted to,’ she said.
‘But he doesn’t know that, does he?’
Georgia held tightly to Luca’s hand then, wishing she’d gone to see him before turning up at the event.
‘Luca,’ she began, trying to find the words she wanted to say.
He stared down at her, his expression difficult to read.
‘I missed you,’ she eventually said.
‘I missed you, too,’ he replied. ‘More than I could have imagined.’
She tilted her head slightly to look up at him. ‘I should have come straight to see you when I arrived, but I didn’t know how you felt. I mean…’ Georgia sighed. ‘This is all new to me.’
‘This is all new to me, too,’ he said. ‘I’ve been married to my work for most of my life, and then suddenly you walked into it.’
‘But we’re ill-fated,’ she said. ‘My life is in London and yours is here, and the longest relationship I’ve had is with a houseplant.’
‘Mine is with my cat.’
She groaned. She didn’t even know he had a cat. What was she thinking? They barely even knew each other. What they had was nothing more than lust.
‘Where are you staying tonight?’ he asked, his voice husky as he kept his fingers around hers and tugged her closer.
