CHAPTER EIGHT
‘Where’s Amber?’ Aurelio looked for that sleek figure in silver as Allegra Davis walked back to join him and Luca.
The crowd was as thick as ever, but amongst the black suits and vibrantly coloured dresses he could see no silver. Aurelio turned, scanning the far side of the room with increasing impatience, ignoring his brother’s curious stare.
Aurelio didn’t care. He should never have let Luca pry him from Amber’s side. She might be clever and sassy but he didn’t like to think of her as prey to some of the wolves here tonight. He hadn’t missed the lascivious looks she’d received, which partly explained his decision to stay with her, rather than leave the networking to her as he’d intended.
Somehow, when he’d read the carnal interest focused on her, his aversion to socialising didn’t seem to matter anymore. He wouldn’t trust some of those men within five metres of her. If one of them had—
‘She left.’ The word cleaved through his composure, making him swing back to his companions.
‘Left?’ He scowled. Bad enough to have to suffer his eldest brother’s oh-so-subtle questions about Amber, thinly disguised as a business discussion about his PR campaign and how it might integrate with Luca’s expanding hotel interests. But now, to discover Amber had left, without even telling him?
‘Alone?’ The single word sliced from his tongue and he saw Allegra’s eyebrows lift as if he’d revealed something surprising, instead of asking a perfectly simple, reasonable question.
‘Alone.’
Without saying anything? That wasn’t like Amber.
Aurelio’s gut churned. Something bad had happened. Heknewit.
‘What happened? Is she okay?’ He tried without success to read Allegra’s expression.
The woman was a miracle of organisation, according to Luca and knew how to play her cards close to her chest during business negotiations. But why the poker face now in answer to a straightforward question?
‘Nothing happened,’ she said coolly. ‘Amber has been working hard and it’s almost the end of a very long night. She was tired. I gather it’s been a busy couple of weeks for her.’
Yet there was something disturbing in that unreadable slate blue gaze. Beside him Luca stirred, picking up the jarring vibe too.
It was true there’d been a lot of work to do organising the new campaign and getting ready for tonight, but Amber had been more than up to it. He hadn’t been driving her into the ground. Far from it, they’d worked together with an ease and a common purpose that had initially surprised him.
Aurelio stared at the bland, beautiful face of the woman before him, reading the tightness at the corners of her mouth that hadn’t been there before. The high angle of her chin reminded him of Amber in confrontational mood.
Was Luca’s partner angry with him? Momentarily curiosity stirred. But that didn’t matter. All he cared about was Amber.
‘Did she say anything before she left?’ He stepped closer and saw Allegra’s expression alter. Was that…sympathy in her eyes?
Damn it, now he really was worried. Something must have happened. Amber was a professional to the core. She’d never just walk out of an event like this. Unless some guy had persuaded her to go with him…
Nausea swirled in Aurelio’s belly at the idea.
‘Just that she was very tired. She was going to her room.’
Aurelio stared. That didn’t sound like Amber. The woman could face anything for the sake of her work. Look at how she’d bearded him at the winery, even threatening him with legal action if he reneged on the contract offered to her.
He was torn between worry and relief that at least she hadn’t gone far.
Luca had provided rooms for them both upstairs. At first Amber had demurred, saying it would be better to return to her own apartment, pretending it wasn’t convenient to stay in one of Rome’s most luxurious hotels. She’d only changed her mind when Aurelio reminded her they had an early meeting scheduled in the hotel tomorrow with an advertising executive who’d flown in to attend tonight’s function.
‘Right, in that case I’ll go and check on her.’
A speculative look passed between Luca and Allegra but Aurelio didn’t give a damn. His family, and their lovers for that matter, could speculate about him all they wanted. They’d been doing it for years after all.
He wouldn’t feel happy till he’d seen Amber for himself and checked she was okay.
‘She’s ordered room service,’ Allegra said, stopping Aurelio in the act of turning away.
Room service? After an evening of waiters offering wine and delicacies every time they turned around? Unlikely that she was hungry.