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The next thing he knew, Elena’s lips were pressed to his. They were warm and so very sweet. His eyes drifted shut as a moan swelled in the back of his throat. Did she know how excruciating this was for him? Did she know how many sleepless nights he’d spent thinking of their lovemaking?
r /> Remembering that they had an audience, he squelched the moan. It took all of his self-restraint to keep his hands to himself. He longed to crush Elena to him. He ached to feel her body next to him with their hearts beating in unison.
If they were alone, he’d kiss her slowly and gently at first. He’d let the hunger and desire build. And just when neither of them could take it anymore, he’d deepen the kiss. Just like before...
They’d been so good together.
It was like they’d been made for each other.
A moan started low and grew. Oh, yeah, her kisses were as sweet as berries and held the promise of so much more. If he were to pull her closer—
Elena pulled back.
And as quickly as the kiss began, it ended. His eyes opened to find her frowning at him. It would appear he’d lost his touch, and along with it he’d lost any semblance of a good mood.
CHAPTER SIX
“ELENA, WAIT!”
She didn’t stop. She didn’t slow down. In fact, Elena made a point of picking up her pace. The last thing she wanted to do now was deal with Luca.
She’d forced herself to remain at the party until it was over, but she’d made sure to keep her distance from Luca. She didn’t trust herself around him. That kiss had reminded her of their night together. And that wasn’t good. She had to keep her wits about her.
Steven and Luca weren’t the first men in her life who had said sweet nothings to sway her to let her guard down. The others had been photographers, models and other men in the fashion industry. She’d done well navigating her way between the truth and the lies—until Steven.
She’d thought she’d known Steven. He’d seemed so sweet and charming when she’d met him in the Paris café. When she’d dropped her phone, he’d picked it up for her. A bit of casual chitchat led to him asking her to join him for a cup of coffee. From there they’d had dinner. To say it was a whirlwind relationship was putting it mildly. Maybe that was why she’d held back. Maybe there was something in the back of her mind that had said it was all too easy.
She wasn’t used to things coming to her easily. Sure, she’d been raised on the royal estate of Mirraccino. But she was raised as an employee’s child—someone who was forced to keep to the shadows. When there were grand functions, she had watched them from afar. She’d never had any illusions that she was anything but the help’s daughter—a nobody.
When she’d moved to Paris, there was no modeling job waiting for her. She’d waitressed until she had enough money to have a portfolio made and then she started making the rounds of the modeling agencies. No part of her journey had been handed to her. But she’d never regretted any of it. She’d learned a lot and grown as a person.
So when Steven seemed more than willing to let their relationship escalate quickly, she’d put on the brakes. He’d been dropping hints about the future—their future. It had all been happening too easily—and too fast.
When their photo had been taken by an investigator his wife had hired, the whole truth about Steven came out. They had been caught kissing near the Arc de Triomphe, but luckily that was all they’d done. It was what she’d told Steven’s wife when the irate woman had confronted her. No matter what Elena said, the woman refused to believe that it was a kiss and nothing more.
Elena had tried to explain how Steven had lied to her about himself and hidden the fact that he was already married. His family had conveniently been on vacation in Australia visiting his in-laws while he’d been sweet-talking Elena.
By the time Luca had arrived in Paris, Elena had been at her lowest. And Luca had been so vulnerable—so open. She’d let her guard down—perhaps too much. Obviously too much, or she wouldn’t be pregnant.
She inwardly groaned. She shouldn’t have chosen the dare. She could still feel Luca’s lips on hers. She knew how easily his kisses could make her forget her common sense. The events of that night came crashing back to her. And the part that stuck out the most was how their night in Paris had all started with a single kiss.
And look where it’d landed them. But of course Luca didn’t know yet. She was trying so hard to keep everything light and fun until the week was out, but at every turn Luca was making that increasingly difficult. Just like now. Couldn’t he just let her go? Didn’t he understand that she needed some alone time?
His fingers reached out, touching her shoulder. “Hey, slow down. What is this, a race?”
She came to an abrupt halt. She spun around and faced him. “What was that kiss back there?”
“A dare issued by my sister.” He paused. Suddenly his eyes widened. “You surely don’t think I put her up to it, do you?”
Elena crossed her arms. “I’m not sure what to think.”
“Sure you do. We’re still best friends. Just like always.”
“Not like always. Things have changed.”
“You keep saying that, but we don’t have to let one night ruin a lifetime of friendship.” His eyes pleaded with her.
“Why don’t you understand that the bell can’t be unrung?”
