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She studied his outstretched hand—capable, tanned, scarred—and the reckless streak she hadn’t even known she had shot through her like a drug.
And then she remembered what Ash had said what seemed like a million years ago in London.
‘There’s nothing wrong with mixing business and pleasure occasionally.’
Why not take him up on his offer? There was no reason she shouldn’t enjoy herself while she found out a bit more about him. It’s just a drive.
She raised her gaze to Luke’s and had the strangest sensation that she was about to step off a cliff. But before she could second-guess herself, she placed her hand in his. ‘Yes, I’d like to.’
His hand wrapped around her fingers and he lifted them to his lips. The chivalrous gesture was comprehensively contradicted by the heated purpose in his gaze when he mur
mured something in heavily accented French.
‘Laissez les bon temps rouler.’
She had no clue what the words meant. But as he led her through the crowd the jolt of adrenaline became turbo-charged.
CHAPTER TWO
SPELLBOUND.
That’s what he was.
Luke figured he probably ought to be disturbed by how much he had wanted Cassandra James to say yes. But as he placed his hand on her lower back and handed his ticket to the valet, and she shuddered violently, he found it hard to give a damn.
He hadn’t discovered a thing about her except that she was British, and she worked for a British billionaire investor whom he’d heard of but didn’t know much about. But that didn’t stop his yearning to place his lips on the nape of her neck below her hairline and inhale her scent.
Even gilded by the dusk, that killer blush still ignited her cheeks. Cassandra James presented a challenge—a challenge he hadn’t even known he wanted. She seemed unable to hide her physical response to him, and he sensed she lacked the sexual confidence of the women he usually dated.
He had no idea why he found that so refreshing. He wasn’t a guy who had ever prized honesty when it came to dating—everyone had their secrets, him most of all, and he respected that, understood it. Sex didn’t mean intimacy—certainly not where he was concerned—but she excited him on more than just a physical level.
The valet pulled up at the kerb, riding the vintage 955cc motorbike Luke had reconditioned himself last winter.
Cassandra swung her head round, her golden eyes widening to saucer-size. ‘You’re not serious? I can’t ride that.’
He chuckled—he couldn’t help it. Her shocked expression was as hot as her slight pout of disappointment.
‘Sure you can. I have a spare helmet,’ he said, as he handed a hundred-dollar bill to the valet.
‘How much change do you need, sir?’ the boy asked.
‘None, kid. I’m trying to impress the lady here.’
The boy grinned as he pocketed the cash, the flush of pleasure on his face more than worth the money. ‘Yes, sir, and thank you, sir. That’s the biggest tip I’ve had all night.’
‘I’ll bet,’ he replied. ‘Working service jobs for rich folks never tips as good as it should—am I right?’
‘It does now, sir,’ the boy said, still grinning as he saluted him before heading off to deal with another couple who had just arrived in the parking lot.
‘That was very generous of you,’ Cassandra remarked.
‘Like I said, I was trying to impress you,’ he replied, and her gaze was so rich with appreciation it suddenly didn’t feel like a joke any more.
‘You succeeded,’ she said, but then she tilted her head to one side and added, ‘But that’s not why you did it. You enjoyed putting that smile on his face. Did you work a lot of service jobs before you founded Broussard Tech?’
It was a probing question—the kind he usually avoided answering. He never talked about his past. He also didn’t much like being figured out so easily. Since when had he become so transparent? But, even so, her expression—perceptive but also impressed—had the truth coming out.
‘My fair share. And my takeaway was, the richer the customer, the more invisible you become.’
