Ways To Ruin A Royal Reputation (Mills & Boon Modern) (Signed, Sealed…Seduced, Book 1) by Dani Collins (best ebook reader ubuntu .txt) 📗

His villa was a comfortable and well-guarded compound.

Luca texted back.

Grazie. We’re fine, but I’ll be in touch about the solar tiles we discussed last year.

Luca moved on, but Emiliano promptly texted back.

Sounds good. The invitation is open anytime. Tell Amy I said hello.

Just like that, Luca’s agitation turned to a ferocious swarm of stinging jealousy.

Jealousy was the most childish of all emotions, but he was bothered and even more bothered by the fact he was bothered. He was having feelings about his feelings, and it was annoying as hell.

Amy returned wearing a concerned frown.

“Is everything all right?” he made himself ask, trying to overcome his sudden possessiveness.

“Clare’s overseas and Bea has gone off with a client,” she said with a perplexed shake of her head. “When we talked her into joining us, it was purely for legal support, but she got roped into working directly with Ares Lykaios. You would have seen his name on our website. He’s our biggest client. We owe him for putting us on the map.”

“I know who he is.” And there was no reason Luca should feel so threatened that he would ask, “Would you rather be in her place right now?” He hated himself for it.

“A little. Bea must be out of her depth. He’s tough and assertive, and Bea’s shy by nature. It’s always been our dynamic that she helps me work through my internal rubbish and I play her wingman in the external world. She might not know how to handle Ares.”

“But you do?”

Her air of distraction evaporated and she narrowed her attention onto him. “He’s a client whose professional needs dovetail with the services I offer. Why? What are you suggesting?”

“Nothing,” he muttered, disgusted with himself.

“You meant something,” she accused. “I don’t have personal relationships with clients, Luca. That’s why you no longer are one.”

“Is Emiliano Ricci a client? Is that how you know him?”

Her expression blanked with surprise, then she shrugged. “Not that it’s any of your business, but no. He’s not. Why? You said you didn’t care what I’d done or with whom.”

“I don’t,” Luca insisted, pacing the lounge. “You were lovers, though?”

“I met him on a weekend cruise for app developers. We talked about social media and how to play the algorithms to become an influencer. I think I’d rather return my mother’s phone call than continue this conversation.”

He let her walk out. He told himself to let her go, to hold himself at a necessary distance. His feelings were too strong as it was. But the farther away she got, the more he knew he was totally blowing this.

“Amy,” he called from the bottom of the main staircase.

She paused at the top to give him a haughty look from the rail.

“I don’t want to care—” he bit out what felt like an enormous confession “—but I do.”

“Good for you. I don’t.” She sailed along the gallery.

The hell she didn’t! He took the stairs two at a time and opened the door to the guest bedroom that she had just slammed in his face.

She swung around to glare at him.

“I don’t like having emotions I can’t control,” he said through his gritted teeth. “Perhaps I should ask your friend Bea to help me work through them?”

Such outraged hostility flashed in her bright green eyes, he nearly threw his head back and laughed. “See? You don’t like it, either.”

She folded her arms, chin up. “You chased me all the way up here to see if you could make me as pointlessly jealous as you are?”

“I’m not proud of it.” He closed in on her. “But I needed to know whether you were capable of it.”

“Jealousy comes from insecurity. I’m not an insecure person.” She narrowed her eyes and held her ground. Temper crackled around her. She resisted his attempt to unfold her arms.

“Neither am I.” He managed to draw her stiff arms open and kissed the inside of each of her blue-veined wrists. “But we haven’t had time to become confident in each other, have we? So we’re failing the test.”

“You specifically told me not to believe in this!” She freed a hand to fling it out with exasperation. “You’re the one who said it was a meaningless affair.”

“I never said meaningless.”

She tried to pull her arm away, but he held on to her wrist. Her struggle drew her closer. Her nose was even with his chin, her gaze wide and surprisingly defenseless beneath the sparks of anger.

That vulnerability dug into him the way her temper and his own conflicting emotions hadn’t. He drew her in with great care, twining her one arm behind his lower back, then massaged her stiff shoulders.

“I’ve always known exactly what was expected of me,” he said. “And I’ve always met and exceeded those expectations.” His lips were tickled by flyaway strands of her hair. “But from the moment I met you, I have been off-center. I know what I should be thinking and saying and doing, but I can’t make myself do it. Every instinct in me wants to have you.” His arms tightened around her. “But I can’t let that animal win. Not when I know how dangerous it is. The war inside me is killing me so you’ll have to forgive the snarls.” He ran his hand into her lower back.

It took a few circles of his palm before she released a noise that landed somewhere between defeat and petulance.

“This is new for me, too. From the job you hired me for to how I react to you...” She picked one of her red-gold hairs off his sleeve, then rested her hand where it had been. “I’m not being coy. This is hard to navigate.”

“I know. I’ve made it hard. You have a right to be angry with me, which makes me less sure of you.” He let one hand settle above her tailbone.

“I’m not angry or blaming you.” Her brow pulled with consternation.