CHAPTER TWO
THEENGINETURNEDover with a delightful purr, so Lucinda closed her eyes and said a small prayer of gratitude. Mortification was heating her cheeks. Coming here had been a huge mistake. It had been bad enough to invade his personal space, but tostareat his half-naked—possibly even fully naked!—body? Unforgivable.
She flicked the car into drive, eager to escape. A quick glance in her rear-vision mirror and Lucinda was about to pull out, only a swift movement caught her eye.
Thirio.
Half dressed, still, his torso immediately drawing her attention. All of it. Every single iota of focus fell on his flesh, so sculpted and strong, so bronzed, and scarred on one side. Her heart thumped heavily against her ribs, making it almost impossible to breathe.
He stalked towards her quickly, a look on his face that was as thunderous as the clouds overhead.
As he approached the vehicle she forced her brain to connect to her body, and wound down the window. ‘Yes?’
‘You cannot leave.’
‘Why not?’
‘The storm will be here within minutes.’ As if nature wanted to underscore his point, another bolt of lightning split the sky in two; a crack of thunder followed. ‘You won’t make it down the mountain.’
Lucinda’s eyes slashed to the gates that led to the castle and, beyond them, the narrow road that had brought her here. Even in the sunshine of the morning, the drive had been somewhat hair-raising. She didn’t relish the prospect of skiing her way back down to civilisation.
She turned to look at him, but that was a mistake, because his chest was at eye height, and she wanted to stare and lose herself in the details she saw there, the story behind his scar, the sculpted nature of his muscles. Compelling was an understatement.
‘So what do you suggest?’ she asked carefully.
‘There’s only one option.’ The words were laced with displeasure. ‘You’ll have to spend the night here.’
‘Spend the night,’ she repeated breathily. ‘Here. With you?’
‘Not with me, no. But in my home, yes.’
‘I’m sure I’ll be fine to drive.’
‘Will you?’ Apparently, he saw through her claim. ‘Then go ahead.’ He took a step backwards, yet his eyes remained on her face and, for some reason, it almost felt to Lucinda as though he were touching her.
Rain began to fall, icy and hard. Lucinda shivered.
‘I—you’re right,’ she conceded after a beat. ‘Are you sure it’s no trouble?’
‘I didn’t say that.’
His tone made her flinch. He was truly the most unpleasant man she’d ever met, despite his physical appeal.
‘Maybe the storm will clear quickly.’
‘Perhaps by morning.’
‘Perhaps?’
‘Who knows?’
The prospect of being marooned in this incredible castle with this man for any longer than one night loomed before her. Anticipation hummed in her veins.
‘Now, can we go inside before I freeze to death?’
Of course! He was shirtless and the rain icy. She nodded, putting her window back up and turning off the engine of the car. In those precious few seconds, Lucinda tried to pull herself together. Ever the optimist, she realised that a night with Thirio Skartos at least gave her an opportunity to make him listen to her proposal. She’d worked so hard on it; she was sure that if he heard what she had planned, he’d want her to organise the wedding.
But was that just a fool’s hope? Because she could finally see a way to get rid of her stepmother and stepsisters and save her father’s company. Nothing meant more to Lucinda than that. He had built it from scratch and she wanted to honour her father’s memory. She’d finally take her place as his heir, and run things as he once had, restoring prestige to the company that was waning every day her stepmother was at the helm.