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“I assure you it’s not” He continued on, unfazed As cool as could be “This isn’t a third-class hotel, Mariella It’s a world-class hotel Thatwith the best” He lowered his chin and pinned her with his gaze “Fiori always chooses the best”

She heaved a sigh, ignoring what she knew he intended to be a disar compliment “There must be a way to trim these costs You pronitude…you won’t be able to avoid it The money has to come from somewhere”

“I won’t?” He grinned suddenly “Oh, Mari, that sounds like a challenge And I do like a challenge”

Her heart slaainst her ribs, but she narrowed her eyes He hadn’t had to say the words to know that he considered her a challenge And she didn’t like that, not one bit She’d been a challenge to Robert, she understood that now She’d been independent and free and she knew the challenge had been for her stepfather to break her And he’d done a fabulous job of that, for a long time

But last night she’d proved that his power over her wasn’t absolute She’d enjoyed Luca’s touch She’d come alive beneath his hands and had welcomed his kiss And somehow that made her feel just a little bit powerful She wouldn’t be under anyone’s thue for Luca

The trouble was, she wanted to trust hies to the hotel, despite his exorbitant taste And the staff was, for the most part, happy Luca had a way about him Even when he’d explained to some staff that in order to stay, they’d have to do different tasks than was the norreeted the news enthusiastically No one had been dis re

And the fact that his sudden s didn’t help, either It drew her eyes to his ical his mouth had felt on hers

For once, in those ston even existed And he’d been a constant for the last twenty years, present or not For once she’d felt sheltered and protected and not defined by what had happened to her before The world had opened up for her in the moment she’d twined her ar and terrifying

Now in the cool light of day, it seeed Robert was still out there, and nothing could change the things he’d done to her, or herin apicture Wasn’t that what Luca had said? And the big picture was holding on to this job that she’d worked so hard for

“It’s not a challenge, it’s fact” She bolstered her argument with numbers If they could just keep this about the hotel, and not about thes clear and professional “This invoice alone is for over a hundred thousand dollars”