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‘Lucas is your brother?’ Emma mused. ‘Of course he is,’ she said faintly, suddenly seeing everything she’d missed in Karina’s likeness to Lucas. ‘But why didn’t you mention it before?’
‘I thought you knew. I thought Lucas would have told you.’
Emma hesitated. This was not the moment to admit that she didn’t have that type of close relationship with Lucas.
‘I know he’s got it bad,’ Karina added. ‘I just can’t understand why he hasn’t thrown you to the floor and had his evil way with you. Judging by that scowl on his face, he hasn’t.’
Emma forced a laugh. ‘You don’t seriously expect me to share trade secrets with his sister, do you?’
‘Please, don’t!’ Karina exclaimed, pulling a face. ‘But I will say this. You’ve certainly made an impression on him.’
She longed to tell Karina about the baby, but as Luc’s sister grabbed her arm to lead her away to chat about the party, she knew with a sinking heart that once again this wasn’t the right time to raise the subject.
* * *
She had used a whole bottle of shampoo on her hair, and then had to choose something from her well-stocked dressing room to wear, as the suit she owned had winged its way to the hotel’s dry-cleaning service, and her working day wasn’t over yet. Housekeeping had asked if she could add the finishing touches to some recently renovated rooms before the first guests arrived. She just had time to fit that in before Karina’s party. It was a job she was looking forward to. It didn’t involve industrial cleaning methods and gave her the chance to evaluate what improvements could be made for guests, if any. Checking out her reflection in the mirror one last time, she grimaced. There was a lot to be said for the high-end designer’s plain navy blue tailored suit teamed with a neat white blouse that Luc’s team had chosen for her. It could be summed up in three words: Boring. Boring. Boring.
Calling Housekeeping, she asked if they had any spare uniforms handy.
Happy now she was dressed appropriately in one of the smart Marcelos-branded outfits, she headed out to complete her last task of the day before Karina’s party.
A party. Hadn’t she vowed to steer clear of parties?
Yes, but she couldn’t let Karina down. And, as far as she knew, in spite of what Karina had said about controlling him, Luc wasn’t back from his travels yet.
But wouldn’t he make the effort to be there? Yes, he’d been away, but surely he’d be back for his sister’s party?
If he was, so what? She was going for Karina’s sake, not Luc’s.
But now her heart was thundering. Part of her hoped he’d be there, while the other part of her had more sense.
* * *
‘What are you working on today?’
‘What?’ Emma catapulted away from the bed she’d been straightening as Luc walked into the room. ‘Don’t touch me,’ she yelped as he placed a reassuring hand on her arm.
‘Steady,’ he murmured.
‘I’m not your horse.’ Still recovering from the shock of seeing him, she gave him a glare, but she couldn’t deny that she was pleased to see him.
‘Forgive me,’ he drawled, leaning back against the door. ‘I didn’t mean to surprise you.’
‘So you just guessed I was up here in this room?’
A smile hovered around his mouth. Luc knew everything that happened in his hotel.
‘How’ve you been while I’ve been away?’
Better. Calmer. A lot calmer than she felt now. ‘I’ve been fine. Why shouldn’t I be?’ She glanced at the door, which he’d just closed behind him. ‘How did you get in?’
Luc shrugged as he held up the master key. He was the master of all he surveyed—with one exception, who now straightened her spine to shoot him a hard look.
‘What are you doing here?’ he asked, frowning as he glanced around.
‘Putting the finishing touches to this room.’
‘Not bad,’ he approved.
She held back on the curtsey. Casually dressed in black jeans and a black shirt with the sleeves rolled back, she guessed Lucas had been back at the hotel for some time and that he was fresh from the gym. The clock was creeping steadily towards evening, yet his hair was still damp from the shower...
Either that, or he’s been in bed with someone.
‘Are you all right?’ he asked as she swayed.
‘Never better,’ she confirmed, sidestepping him neatly.
