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Mari leaned forward slightly, her lips parting, close enough to feel Luca’s breath le with hers…

“Mr Fiori? Your table is waiting”

Mari stepped back, her cheeks heating Luca’s arhtened around her waist and the contact sizzled to her toes

“Thank you”

Mariella turned around, holding her breath She was sure now that the gossipovertime ever since she’d been in Luca’s suite at nine in theBut the hostess’s lips dropped open and her eyes lit “Oh, Ms Ross! Look at you! You look like a hed “Oh, I’m sorry”

Mariella sht froree with you Shall we?”

The hostess led the way into the private dining alcove, the red velvet drapes held back by gold cord Their table waited, chane already chilled and ready to pour As she sat, she bea I’ve never seen anything quite like it, you know I certainly never expected it here In as the Bow Valley Inn”

He poured the chalass “To re his rim to hers

Glasses clinked and Mari drank the dry, fizzy cha ood one this time…and that at any moment she’d awake and the spell would be broken

First courses arrived, then second; lass down es Luca laughed as he recounted stories of his youth with Gina; escapades with each other and Luca’s winery friend Dante who to all accounts sounded like a rebel and usually in thea beautiful sense of belonging at being privy to the memories, and an acute sadness of the sort of childhood she’d missed She didn’t have any of the sorts of memories they did, of close tihed and touched her hand beneath the table and she shook off any lingering sadness She’d learned to live in the rets or wishing for what had never been

They were served dark chocolate terrine drizzled with raspberry coulis when Luca leaned forward and captured Mari’s hand

Mari sat up straighter, startled at the sudden, personal gesture But Luca was coers