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“Thank you,” she ht the first scent of her perfume

“That dress is stunning You have fabulous taste, Mari” Gina s all his changes”

Mari smiled “Thank you And he tries, believe me”

Luca sat down “I’ with the two most beautiful ladies in the room”

Gina laughed lightly “Only the room? Mariella, I think we should be insulted”

But Luca’s eyes had locked with Mari’s She’d left her hair down and his fingers itched to touch it, to be buried in the any richness of it It curved around her face and shoulders, and as she brushed a little of it back, he caught sight of her necklace, a silly little creation of silver and sapphire leaves

He wanted to lift her tiny hand and press a kiss to it, but he knew she’d frown on it “I can see I won’t stand a chance with the two of you”

Mari smiled and her eyes twinkled at him “Somehow I think you can hold your own”

Luca ordered cha to Mari and Gina speak as if they’d known each other forever But Gina had always had that way about her Open and interesting She had the grace and ease about her that brought Mari out of her shell like he hadn’t been able to And seeing Mari relaxed made her shine She was open in a way she’d never been with him

They were partway through the second course when one of the waitstaff approached Mari with a problem

“I’ll get it, you enjoy yourself,” Luca said, beginning to push back his chair

“No, I will” She smiled easily “It is my job, after all I won’t be a minute”

He stood while she rose fro her as she followed the staff member toward the kitchen

He looked over at his sister, who kept insisting she was happy in her e Was Luca the only one who could see what she was doing? She kept saying Angelo was her happy ending and he wouldn’t be the one to shatter the illusion He wanted it for her, after all they’d been through as children when theirher when she was little, when she cried for their ht and didn’t want Papa to hear Re between her and Dante But then Dante had gone to Paris with hielo And he’d known she was trying to make up for the life they hadn’t had and he’d been powerless to stop it

He’d been by her side during the darkest time in her life He’d been the older one He’d understood more He sincerely hoped Gina wasn’t in for the saain He certainly wasn’t in theNeither were the women he usually dated, and that suited him just fine