‘Here, here,’ Lukas drawled, raising his beer in a toast. ‘So you won’t mind if I get her number and text it to a few of my single friends?’
‘Don’t be an ass,’ Sebastiano said. ‘I doubt she’d have time to see any of your friends anyway.’
Not with the amount of nights she worked. Which bothered him immensely. He hated the idea that Poppy had to work nights to make ends meet. Damn it, that third wish of hers better be for ten million pounds or he was going to give her a piece of his mind.
‘Castiglione?’
Unaware that he had started drumming his fingers on the table, Sebastiano frowned. ‘Sorry, I missed that.’
Lukas smiled. ‘I asked when you wanted to come to St Petersburg to go over the plans for the hotel restoration at Prospekt Avenue.’
‘I’ll touch base with the Head of Marketing as soon as she’s back from New York and let you know.’
Sebastiano only faintly heard Lukas’s reply, his eyes trained on Poppy as she wove her way towards them between the tables.
‘By the way, I highly recommend it.’
Sebastiano stared blankly at the slow grin that spread across Lukas’s face. ‘Recommend what?’
‘Married life.’
Mouthing a rude word, Sebastiano pulled Poppy’s chair out for her as she sat down. Fortunately his friend didn’t labour the point about marriage and the conversation resumed an easy flow.
The whole night had been easy, he realised. Poppy fitted in beautifully with the other couple. Not that Sebastiano had thought she wouldn’t—but he’d just never done the double date thing before. Usually he met a woman, took her for a meal then back to either his place or hers where they had sex and went their separate ways, the pattern continuing until one or the other tired of it.
Sebastiano frowned. Running a global operation as successful as his meant a lot of contact hours, which didn’t leave much down time.
Even nights out with male friends usually revolved around work. He rarely had time to indulge in boring chitchat and yet that was exactly what tonight had morphed into. But it hadn’t been boring. In fact, it had been relaxing and highly enjoyable.
His eyes ate up the woman at his side. It had been enjoyable because of Poppy Connolly. She was smart, caring, challenging, and the most sexually responsive woman he had ever known.
Which was when it hit him that his end goal had shifted without him even being aware of it. This was no longer about him trying to convince his grandfather that their relationship was real, it was about—it was about... He frowned. He had no idea what it was about; he just knew that he wanted her again.
He brooded over that, unable to take his eyes from Poppy’s mouth as she devoured her ice-cream dessert, enjoyment evident every time she licked the spoon clean.
She chose that moment to look at him, her eyes darkening as she caught his gaze. ‘Want some?’
She held the spoon out and his eyes never left hers as he dipped his head and sucked the ice-cream inside his mouth. Her eyes darkened even more, her long lashes lowering to mask the desire he’d already registered.
A strange sensation fluttered inside his chest.
He had always believed that true happiness was something he would never feel again but it welled up inside him, unexpected and full. A tentative, bubbling brook that scared him as much as it ensnared him.
‘Okay, lovebirds,’ Lukas drawled, breaking their connection and causing Poppy to blush. ‘Time for us to hit the sack.’
‘Lukas!’ Eleanore whacked his shoulder with her clutch bag. ‘Please excuse my husband, Poppy,’ Eleanore implored with dignity. ‘He’s not usually so rude.’
‘Not at all. It’s been amazing meeting you both. I had a wonderful night.’
Sebastiano pushed his chair back. ‘Time for us to go too, bella.’
CHAPTER TWELVE
SETTLING HIS HAND at Poppy’s lower back, Sebastiano led her to the main foyer. ‘Wait here while I order a water taxi.’
A thrill raced up Poppy’s spine at the thought of returning to their hotel room. A thrill she needed to find some way to contain. Her intention to keep her heart safe from Sebastiano had gone up in smoke as soon as he had kissed her again. But it didn’t change anything, did it? He only wanted her physically while she...she... Was she really falling in love with him?
No. She couldn’t be. She was just doing the age-old thing of confusing lust with love even though she thought she knew better.