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“That’s enough,” Luc said, a hint of anger sparking in his eyes. “Get out of here, the lot of you. Toni’s just been put to bed and I won’t have you waking her up again. We get little enough sleep as it is.”
“That answers that question,” Matteo said with a wicked grin. “Maybe you’d get more rest if you didn’t spend your nights—”
Luc silenced his brother with a single look. “Time to go. All of you, out of here,” he said, maneuvering them from the room and out the front door. This time, they didn’t make a sound as they left, though Matteo thumbed his nose at Mrs. Bumgartle’s door before anyone could restrain him.
Alone again with Luc, Grace glanced at him with a troubled expression. “Is it really wise to involve your brothers in this deception? I feel guilty enough, as it is.”
“Really? Did you feel guilty pretending to be engaged to Will-William?” he asked, crossing to stand in front of her.
She looked away, hot color creeping into her cheeks. “That was different.”
He hooked her chin with his finger and forced her to look at him. “Was it? Why?”
“You know why. I wasn’t trying to deceive the police or social services.”
“No, only me.” His watchful gaze sharpened. “You never did explain that.”
She stepped away from him. To her relief, he let her go. “Didn’t I?” she asked evasively.
“No. Care to take a stab at it now?”
“Not really.”
“Afraid?” he mocked. “Shall I guess why you did it?”
“We’ve already played this game, Luc.” She spoke more harshly than she’d intended. “It didn’t end well.”
“Did I win? I can’t seem to remember.”
“I believe it was a draw.”
“Then, I insist on a rematch.”
Not since their deception began, had she felt this vulnerable. Her attraction to Luc grew with each passing moment they spent together, as did her craving for his touch, his kisses, his passion. How, after holding him at a distance for eleven long months, could she now be on the verge of surrendering?
Catching her by the elbows, he tugged her close. He looked so large and enticing. She rested her hands on his chest, feeling the hard muscles tauten beneath her fingertips. It took every ounce of determination not to let her hands roam, exploring what lay beneath his crisp white shirt.
She bowed her head, fighting her wayward urges. “Luc, don’t,” she whispered.
“I think you disguised your appearance and wore that engagement ring for protection.”
“Protection?” She managed a light laugh. “That’s nonsense.”
He shook his head, eyeing her with a chilling intensity. “No. I think I’m right. My guess is you had a bad experience with your last employer.” His voice held a tender note that completely disarmed her. “Did he harass you? Is that why you went to such lengths to protect yourself? Because you thought I might be like him? I can understand, sympathize even. But why let the pretense go on for so long, once you knew I wasn’t that type of man?”
She felt like a worm. He’d gotten the wrong end of the stick entirely. How could she tell him that far from such a reasonable, sympathetic motivation, she’d gone to such lengths because of his father’s request and her own greed? She’d deceived him, pure and simple. How could she ever make up for that? How could she explain it in a way he’d understand? Or forgive. She couldn’t. “You’re wrong, Luc. I swear it.”
He lifted an eyebrow, a teasing smile tugging at his mouth. “After all the deception between us, I’m supposed to believe you?”
If he only knew! “For your information, until I started working at Salvatore’s I’d told a grand total of six lies in my entire life.”
He slid a hand along the nape of her neck, his fingers sinking into her hair. “Then I’ll assume you’ve been making up for lost time.”
She stirred within his hold. “We weren’t going to do this again, remember?”
“I remember.” His mouth hovered a breath away from hers. “But it was an agreement meant to be broken.”
His head came down and his kiss blocked all thought, all resistance. She slid her arms around his waist, desire racing like wildfire, threatening to flare out of control. He pressed her close, his thighs cradling hers, and she snuggled into his embrace, the feelings he aroused unlike any she’d ever experienced.
