The Correttis (Books 1-8). Кейт Хьюит
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Ferrari. ‘This had better be worth it. Is everything in the back?’
‘Just as you instructed.’
‘Then go.’
The couple drove off in the Ferrari and Luca yanked open the door of the battered car. ‘Maledezione, is this piece of junk even roadworthy? I’ve owned toothbrushes with more impressive engineering.’ He hauled a bag out of the back of the car and thrust it at her. ‘Put this on. And do it quickly before someone drives into this garage.’
Taylor opened the bag gingerly. ‘A wig?’
Busy pulling on his own wig, Luca ignored her. ‘I hope you appreciate the lengths I’m going to for you. Do I look hot as a blond?’
She glanced at him and gave a choked laugh. ‘You look…unbelievably weird. the hair doesn’t match the suit.’
‘The suit! I have to get rid of the suit.’ Reluctantly, Luca stripped off the exquisite Italian suit he’d changed into following his altercation with Rafaele. ‘I can’t believe I’m doing this for you.’
‘Why are you doing this for me?’
‘Because you said it’s what you want more than anything and I wanted to make that happen for you. I wanted you to have fun.’ His eyes met hers and he saw the shock there and he knew she was seeing the same thing in his eyes because the only fun he was usually interested in having with a woman involved getting naked. ‘Cristo, you ask too many questions. Can’t you just enjoy an evening out without dissecting it?’
‘Thank you.’ She whispered the words and there was a sheen of something that looked scarily like tears in her eyes as she stepped towards him and pressed her lips to his. ‘No one has ever done anything like this for me before. You’ve made me feel really special.’
Luca jerked back, rocked by emotions he hadn’t expected and had no idea how to deal with.
Maybe this had been a bad idea.
He had no problem with making a woman feel special as long as it was only for a short time, but he didn’t want to make one feel so special she decided to stick around. ‘Really special’ sounded suspiciously like a warning alarm that in normal circumstances would have had him running. But he couldn’t run because he was the one who’d arranged this.
‘I’m not surprised no one has done it before. The wig itches and the car is unlikely to make it out of the car park.’ Unsettled by his own feelings, which he had no intention of analysing, he took refuge in humour. ‘Get dressed.’
Checking that there was no one in the small car park, she shimmied out of her trousers and Luca set his teeth. He wondered if he were the only one thinking about sex all the time. He couldn’t look at her without wanting to strip her naked.
‘I said get dressed, not undressed.’
‘One comes before the other.’
He dragged his gaze from her long, slim legs. ‘You’re doing it on purpose.’
‘Doing what on purpose?’
‘Driving me crazy.’
‘Am I driving you crazy?’ She lifted her arms and removed her top in a graceful movement, exposing her lean fit body. She was sexy and she knew it.
Taylor Carmichael didn’t need anyone to reassure her. She made her own choices and was confident in herself.
‘What would you do if I said I didn’t like what you were wearing?’ The question fell from his lips before he could stop it and she raised her eyebrows.
‘You don’t like me in my underwear?’
‘That wasn’t what I meant.’ He wished he hadn’t spoken and truthfully he could hardly concentrate. He was so hard his brain had ceased to function on any level above basic.
She looked at him thoughtfully. ‘To answer your question, if you told me you didn’t like what I was wearing I’d probably just take it off. Is that what you want?’ Her fingers toyed with the lacy edge of her panties and his mouth dried.
‘No, Cristo, don’t take any more off. Put something on. Fast.’
‘But you said you didn’t like what I was wearing.’
‘That wasn’t…’ His flesh throbbed and his mind blurred. ‘Never mind. Just get dressed.’
‘Maybe I won’t.’ She stepped closer and slid her arms round his neck. ‘Maybe I’ll tease you just a little bit longer. I still owe you for the opera.’ Her mouth was a breath away from his and Luca felt his control unravel.
‘Taylor—’
‘Is there a problem?’ Her lips curved slowly as she covered him with the flat of her hand. ‘Because I could probably fix that.’
The skilled stroke of her fingers made him groan. Her confidence in herself was as sexy as her body.
He’d grown up with a woman who needed constant reassurance and worked with women who were body obsessed.
He’d never met anyone like Taylor.
‘I thought you Were careful not to be caught doing naughty stuff in public.’
‘We’re not in public. We’re in your private, hightech garage with just your car as witness. And anyway, you’re talking about Taylor Carmichael and thanks to you she’s currently driving back to your palazzo. Which means we’re alone.’ Her hand slid slowly down his shaft and he groaned and hauled her against him.
‘This wasn’t part of my plan.’
‘It’s always good to be flexible. And talking of flexible…’ She curved her bare leg around his thigh and he gave in to it and pressed her back against the car, breathing hard.
He looked deep into her eyes and then his hands were in her hair and he was kissing her and she was kissing him and it was exactly as it had been the night before. Exactly as he’d remembered it. The intense chemistry, the desperation, the clawing need that made him ignore the fact that his relationship with this woman wasn’t following the usual pattern.
It was the wrong place, the wrong time and not part of his plan but his hand slid low and found the wet warmth of her and he heard her moan against his mouth.
A loud crash in the distance had them both pulling apart.
Frozen, they stared at each other and then Luca gave a soft curse. He would have taken her right there. Right then and not paused to think about the sense of it.
‘Oops.’ A strange smile on her face, she eased away from him and finished dressing in a flash. ‘Maybe this isn’t such a good place after all.’
‘We could go back to the house.’ His mind was a blur, his body rock hard.
‘No. You’ve arranged a secret night out for me. No one has ever done this for me before. I want to do it.’ She grabbed the bag and tugged on a pair of floral shorts. ‘These clothes are hideous. Who chose them?’
‘Someone with no taste whatsoever.’ But it made no difference, he realised. Whatever she was wearing, she was the hottest woman he’d ever met. Trying to think cold thoughts, he changed into jeans and slid into the car, ducking his head so that he didn’t bang it on the roof.
‘Do you really think we won’t be recognised?’
‘I sincerely hope not or my reputation as the head of a fashion house is for ever destroyed. I would rather shoot myself than have someone think I chose to wear this. Come on. Let’s do this.’ Making an effort not to look at her, Luca turned the key in the ignition, rolling his eyes as the engine coughed and spluttered. ‘Believe me, even if the clothes don’t convince people, this car is a perfect disguise. Everyone who knows me also knows I wouldn’t be seen dead driving this piece of garbage.’
Still laughing, Taylor