page53 (1/2)

“That would be lovely, Luca” Her voice was soft, but it cut straight to the heart of him

“I have some calls to make, first,” he said bluntly, and without another word, she left his office, shutting the door behind her

He picked up the phone and began to put his plans in motion

Mari studied her reflection with a froondering for the umpteenth time if she should have worn the dress But the Panorama Room was forht after their gallery trip Still heady from Luca’s kisses, she’d stared at the dress in thefor only a few seconds before darting inside to try it on Mari had been under a spell that day, she was sure of it now The rich scarlet silk of the dress see as it swept fro the other shoulder bare, the skirt then falling negligently to the floor

It ht have beenher other backs

She didn’t want to be here She wasn’t sure how to gracefully say goodbye, not when she wanted htened her so badly her knees were shaking

Mari swiped a finger beneath her eyelids, wiping away any stray s a smile to the other occupant of the public bathroom

Her life had been devoid of affection for so long, and she wanted desperately to be roht

She gathered her pashmina firmly around her and squared her shoulders It was i for Luca as she did and still knowing he wasn’t for her gave even a simple farewell dinner a bittersweet taste

She turned toward thefor her at the top

Her heart gave a single, satisfying thump, as if to say, “This is it”

For a few seconds her feet refused to oneon the curve of the elaborate iron railing The night of shared secrets ceased to exist; the tense atmosphere at breakfast and in the moments since drifted fro tiny clicks on the Italian veinedat how very splendid he looked in evening wear