There was no excuse for this. He had instructed his private secretary to commission the finest hairdressers and beauticians to assist Callie with her preparations for tonight. He couldn’t believe her personal maid had failed to get her out on time. Did Callie hope to slip in unnoticed? Was she coming at all?
He gave a grim shrug. Callie Smith was the one woman he could never predict. Summoning a footman, he sent a message to Signorina Smith’s maid to ask how much longer she would be. The man hurried off, leaving Luca to seethe in silence.
* * *
Well, this was it, Callie concluded as two liveried footmen swung the gilded double doors wide. She had politely asked the hairdressers and make-up artists to leave, preferring to get ready by herself, and now there was just this small hurdle of a ballroom packed with the great and good to overcome. She inhaled sharply at the scene of dazzling glamour, and was almost blinded by the flash of diamonds and the light flaring from countless chandeliers. Trust me to forget my tiara tonight, she mused wryly. Lifting her chin, she walked forward.
‘Signorina Callista Smith.’
Callie glanced around as the disembodied voice of a famous television personality announced her arrival at the ball.
‘That’s you, miss,’ one of the friendly footmen who’d opened the door for her prompted in an exaggerated stage whisper.
‘Thank you,’ she whispered back.
In the time it had taken Callie to say this, every head had turned her way. Even the orchestra paused, leaving her at the top of a dizzying flight of marble steps. The solid mass of people below her looked impenetrable, and not exactly welcoming. Her throat dried. She clenched her hands into fists at her side. She could only pray the stiletto heels fairy was on her side tonight.
‘Wait...’
Every head swivelled to stare at Luca. His familiar v
oice stripped the tension from her shoulders. Her gaze fixed on him as the crowd parted to let him through. Whatever remained of her breath flew from her lungs as he strode forward. In full dress uniform, with his sash of office drawing attention to his powerful chest, this was the man she remembered, the man her body rejoiced in, the man she laughed with, slept with, and enjoyed challenging, as Luca relished tormenting her, and right now he looked good enough to eat.
‘May I?’ he asked, offering his arm as he prepared to lead her down the stairs.
‘Thank you.’ She smiled—graciously, she hoped.
If a pin had dropped, it would most certainly have deafened her. It appeared that no one breathed, let alone spoke, as Luca steered her safely down the steps.
‘You look beautiful,’ he whispered.
‘I’m sorry I took so long,’ she whispered back. ‘The hairdresser made me look like a freak, so I had to redo everything. And don’t even ask about the make-up.’
‘But you aren’t wearing any.’
‘Exactly,’ she murmured. ‘If you’d seen me with false eyelashes and red-apple cheeks you’d have run a mile.’
‘Would I?’ he murmured, sounding unconvinced.
They’d reached the dance floor by this time. Everyone was staring, but just being with Luca reassured her, and she didn’t hesitate when he asked her to dance.
Callie came into his arms like a rather lovely boat floating effortlessly into its mooring. The intimacy between them must have been obvious to everyone, and the shocked silence that had first greeted her changed at once to a buzz of interest.
‘I can just imagine what they’re saying,’ she breathed.
‘Do you care?’ he replied.
‘No,’ she assured him. ‘I just wish I was barefoot. You’re in serious danger of being stabbed.’
‘Not a chance,’ he whispered.
He laughed. She relaxed, and the glamorous ball continued.
‘Where did you get the beautiful dress?’ he asked. ‘You look stunning. It’s so elegant. I didn’t see it on the rail. It’s so delightfully simple, compared to other women’s more elaborate gowns.’
‘That’s the secret of its allure,’ she assured him with a cheeky smile. ‘Ma Brown,’ she whispered discreetly.
‘Well, wherever it came from, you couldn’t look lovelier.’