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Aurora felt her skin heat in response to Leonardo’s curious glance.
“A love interest, Aurora?” Rita said, leaning forward with an encouraging smile on her face.
“Hardly,” Aurora responded breathily, not meeting Leonardo’s eyes.
“It would be if you’d stop being so fussy.” Beatrice turned her attention to her older brother. “You remember Alec? You met him last time you were in town.”
“At the bar.” His nod was curt. Beneath the table, his hand crept to Aurora’s knee and gripped it. His fingers sent little jolts of awareness through her limbs, making her stomach roll.
“Yes. He’s got
a huge crush on Aurora but she won’t go on even a single date with him.”
His fingers moved higher, along her thigh, and Aurora had to bite down on her lip to stop herself from exclaiming. And yet she didn’t reach down and flick his hand away. It would have been easy enough to do. In fact, her body seemed to be pressing closer to his, giving him greater access.
“That doesn’t seem fair,” he said with a thoughtful look. “He was surely nice enough to deserve a chance with the great Aurora Jones.”
Aurora lifted her peppermint tea and sipped it slowly.
“She thinks he’s too nice for her.” Beatrice rolled her eyes. “Tell her that’s not true. She’s had enough guys moving through the revolving door that is her love life! It’s time to settle down with someone really great. And Alec is.”
Aurora risked a small glimpse at Leonardo’s face. It was shuttered, but she knew him well enough to understand that he was as besieged by emotions as she was. “I don’t know,” he said finally. “I’m quite a fan of the revolving door policy myself. I think you might be on your own in the ‘happily ever after’ camp, little sister.” And though he’d sort of come to her defence, Aurora felt a sludge of sadness run through her.
His fingers moved a little higher, until they were pressed against the slender expanse of her upper thigh. Aurora’s eyes flew to his, but his face was averted. “Anyway,” she said unevenly. “This isn’t about me. Let’s talk weddings.”
“Yes. Let’s.” Now, he turned to face her, and his eyes were mocking as they took in the way her cheeks were lightly flushed.
Wedding planning with the Fontana family should have been fun for many reasons. Namely, because money was no object, Beatrice was at liberty to create her dream wedding, and her parents were adoring, supportive champions of the vision. Anything Beatrice suggested was met with rapturous agreement; claps of hands and sighs of delight. Yes, it would have been a very enjoyable way to spend a Sunday morning except that Leonardo was an anchor, constantly drawing her back to the deep dark depths of the ocean floor.
“I hate to interrupt the creative genius mid-flow,” she said as midday came, and went, and Beatrice was showing no signs of slowing. “But I have to get going.”
“Oh, jeez! I’ve kept you all day. Sorry, Rors. You know what I’m like once I get on a roll.”
“I know,” she grinned at her best friend. “And it’s quite a roll. It’s going to be amazing. It’s just that I’ve got that thing this afternoon.”
“Yes, I know. Time just got away from me.”
“Hot date?” Leonardo interjected. His tone sounded pleasant enough but there was no way he could ask that question without sending a flash of awareness through Aurora.
“Hardly.”
“Aurora’s getting a preview of a Victorian fashion exhibit that’s going into the V&A.” Beatrice’s words were loaded with pride. “It’s for her blog.”
“Blog?” Leonardo frowned, trying to remember something Beatrice had mentioned about Aurora’s new career. It had been years ago, when he’d been actively working to forget everything about his beautiful ex-girlfriend, and so he’d forced himself not to pay attention to the details.
“Just a thing I write,” she said self-consciously, waving a hand through the air.
“Vogue said she’s the most relevant fashion blogger of our time.”
“The most relevant fashion blogger of our time?” He said with an unmistakable hint of disdain in his voice. “It’s practically a Pulitzer.”
Aurora smothered the hurt in her expression, but not quickly enough. He saw it, and felt like an absolute asshole.
“I love your site,” Rita said with a wide grin. “You’re the only place I go when I need advice on what I should look for when I’m shopping.”
“Thanks.” Actually, Aurora was proud of what she’d started. Her statistics were truly humbling, and with most people, she didn’t try to downplay that success. But Leonardo was not most people. Telling him about the online presence she’d carved out for herself, only to have him make fun of it, would be reasonably soul destroying.
“Anyway,” she stood up and brushed his hand away in one swift motion. “Thanks for breakfast. I’ll see you for the next meeting.” She turned to Leonardo, her eyes cold. “Though not you. Perhaps I won’t see you until the wedding.”
