Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 78155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
“Of course. Anything else, sir?”
“No.” Luca headed to the stairs and began to walk up.
I felt out of place in this villa, but I felt even more awkward just standing there with no purpose, so I followed him up the stairs. It wasn’t just one flight of stairs, but several, three to be exact. Luca made it to the top without being winded, but I felt the tightness in my chest, probably because I wore heels.
By the time I caught up to him, he was already heading into his bedroom. “Wait.” I gripped the banister as I stood with my hand on my hip, trying to catch my breath.
He turned to look at me, eyebrows slightly raised like he couldn’t believe I’d issued an order.
I caught my breath enough to approach him, the stitch still in my side.
His stare continued, growing in hostility.
“Why are you doing this?”
“What?” The coldness was in his voice, expressing his annoyance candidly.
“Letting me stay here.”
“Because I wasn’t given a choice.”
“You do have a choice. You could have just thrown me out, and to be honest, you seem like the kind of guy who would.” He’d saved me, but he didn’t strike me as some altruistic gentleman who would open a door for a woman or pull out the chair for her. He was complicated. That much was certain.
He stared at me with that hard gaze without needing to blink. “Would you like me to throw you out?”
“No—”
“Then don’t annoy me.” He turned to enter his bedroom.
“Wait—”
“Tell me what to do again in my goddamn house, and your ass is on the street.” He said he was no danger to me, but when he looked at me again, his eyes were like bullets. Once he squeezed the trigger, my entire body would be pumped full of lead. “You have three days. Use them wisely.”
2
ALIÉNOR
The guest bedroom was an extravagant primary suite. Parisian in every way, from the furniture to the wallpaper and the artwork, it screamed luxury in the sexiest whisper. I had large windows that showed breathtaking views of the city below and the adjacent buildings. It smelled like a garden when there wasn’t a plant or flower in sight.
I knew nothing about Luca, but I knew I was untouchable here.
Even if those assholes did follow me, they wouldn’t cross the threshold.
And if they tried, Luca would smile.
The butler served me breakfast at the door like room service, entering with a rollaway cart that had a small vase of roses that looked like they’d just been cut from the garden. A drop of dew was even on one of the petals. When he removed the steel lids over the dishes, he revealed an elaborate meal of eggs smothered in Gruyère cheese tucked into a crepe along with a side of French toast and bacon and a bowl of strawberries and blueberries so pristine they looked as if they had been hand-painted by Michelangelo. There was a pot of coffee and a side of cream as well.
I’d been shot at last night, and now I felt like I was on vacation. “May I speak with Luca, please?” I didn’t have his number, and while his bedroom was down the hall from mine, I wouldn’t dare rekindle his anger.
The butler stared at me like he didn’t understand what I said.
“He just expected not to see or talk to me at all?”
He returned the lids to the plates on the cart then left my bedroom without entertaining either of my questions.
“Well, that was rude.” But no amount of coldness could chase away my appetite at the sight of this feast. It was the prettiest meal I’d ever set eyes on—even more beautiful than Christmas dinner.
I ate alone, savoring the gourmet food prepared by a chef and forgetting my troubles for a while. I’d have to abandon my apartment and all my belongings because it was unsafe to return there, and now I’d have to start my life over again. New name, new paperwork, new job…everything.
Leaving Paris would be the smart move, but I loved this city too damn much to flee it. I was too stubborn to abandon my first love, the only city in the world that actually loved me back. The worst things had happened here…but the best things had happened too.
The door opened without a knock, and Luca appeared in nothing but black shorts and running shoes. Completely shirtless and bare-chested with a sheen of sweat across his beautiful skin, he looked at me with that same piercing stare.
I stilled at the sight of him and forgot how to speak again.
He stared at me as if he’d asked me a question, and the longer I didn’t answer him, the more irritated he became.
“I—I wasn’t expecting you to just walk in here.”
“In my own house? You called for me.”