LITMIR.BIZ

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better. Not well enough to face food but a glass of water went down and stayed down, which was saying something.

      He picked up his phone and checked out the newsfeed. It was laughably ironic that every paper was carrying the story of him holed up in the Chatsfield Monte Carlo with Princess Charlotte in a love-in.

      Seasoned Playboy Spends Second Night with Prim and Proper Princess.

      Is This the End of the King of One-Night Stands?

      Could Wedding Bells Ring Twice for Preitalle Royals?

      He switched off the screen in irritation. What was it with these people? Who made this stuff up? Did they seriously collect a wage for such drivel? He hadn’t even slept with Lottie.

      She was not the sort of girl to have a casual fling. She’d already been exploited in the most appalling way. His insides twisted to think of how she must have felt to have her most private intimate moments exposed in such a sleazy way. He was pretty laid-back when it came to issues of modesty, but even so, any photos taken were with the consent of his partner at the time. He might be a little promiscuous but he still had some standards.

      He picked up the drawing he’d started of her. He had to admit it was a good likeness. He’d captured that otherworldly look she had about her. It would look even better once he put some colour to it. That was the part he enjoyed the most, the detail going into a subject, the layers of meaning that each tiny brushstroke laid down.

      There was a light rap on the connecting door. ‘Lucca? Are you decent?’

      Good question, he thought. He hadn’t felt decent in a very long time. Maybe never. He opened the door to find Lottie looking up at him with those clear big green eyes sans glasses. Was she wearing contacts? Her eyes looked particularly bright. In fact, all of her looked particularly bright. She was dressed in a sundress with bright yellow daisies on it, a wide white patent-leather belt cinched around her waist. Her hair was loosely tied behind her head with a matching yellow silk bow. She looked fresh and young and … decent. He felt like someone had sucked the air out of his lungs. He couldn’t find his voice for a moment. ‘Wow.’

      Her eyes sparkled. ‘Do you like it?’ She turned in a full circle and the skirt of the dress lifted just enough to give him a tantalising glimpse of her pretty knees and slim thighs. ‘I went shopping yesterday. There was this really helpful stylist at a boutique who showed me how to put stuff together. I maxed out my credit card. Actually, it was the paintings that did that.’

      ‘Paintings?’

      Her look was sheepish. ‘I bought another three at the auction. I couldn’t resist them. I’d never seen a miniature landscape painting up close before. Do you realise the incredible detail that goes into them? They look like a normal painting only smaller but when you look at them with a magnifying glass you see the amazing detail….’ Her voice trailed off and her cheeks coloured up. ‘But I guess you already know that.’

      Lucca couldn’t resist brushing a finger down the slope of her cheek. ‘Are you always this bright and chirpy first thing in the morning?’

      Her small white teeth momentarily sank into the pillow of her lower lip. His eyes went to the tiny spot where his mouth had bruised her and his chest flinched as if someone had just kicked his heart with a work-booted foot. ‘Sorry, it’s just I haven’t felt this excited in a long time. I have my very own art collection. Of course, three paintings isn’t much, but it’s a start. Do you know of any other auctions I could attend?’

      Lucca smiled at her fresh-faced enthusiasm. Smiled and yet felt that twinge of sadness he’d felt the evening before. She was so young, still a little naive. There were sharks out there that would circle her and gobble her up in a heartbeat. Only forty-eight hours ago he had been one of them. ‘Sure. I’ll email you some links.’

      Her eyes drifted away from his. ‘The papers are saying a heap of ridiculous stuff about us.’

      ‘Yeah, I know. I’ll have to work extra hard to get my reputation back in the sewer where it belongs.’

      Her lips twitched as if she were holding back a smile. ‘It’s funny in a way. What they’re saying.’

      ‘Hilarious.’

      Her smile broke free along with a little giggle that sounded like a tinkling bell. He had never heard her laugh before. He had never seen her dimples before either. They made her look adorably cute. ‘I thought I’d be appalled but in a way I’m enjoying it,’ she said. ‘They think we’ve been up here swinging from the chandeliers when in fact I’ve been playing nursemaid and housekeeper. If only they knew.’

      ‘I’m glad you’ve found the irony of the situation so vastly entertaining.’

      Her eyes danced with what suspiciously looked like mischief. ‘Apparently we’re the new “it” couple. Madeleine called me to tell me my popularity rating is through the roof.’

      Lucca frowned. ‘You’re not worried about your reputation being besmirched by being associated with me?’

      She gave a little up-and-down movement of her shoulders. ‘I’ve decided to get over myself. I’ve been hiding away for the past five years because some guy was a jerk. By staying locked away I’m letting him win. I’ve decided to come out. I want to party and who better to teach me how to do it than you?’

      He held up his hands. ‘Uh-uh, I’m not going there.’

      She gave a little pout that did crazy things to his heartstrings. ‘Oh, come on, Lucca. You do nothing but party. You’d be the best one to show me how to have a good time.’

      Lucca found himself in the unfamiliar role of responsible adult. ‘Listen, sweetheart, I’m not sure you’re ready for the party scene. It’s a jungle out there. You could get into all sorts of trouble.’

      She smiled at him with a knockout sparkly smile. ‘But not if I have you as my bodyguard.’

      After talking to Lucca about her disastrous love affair Lottie felt a weight come off her shoulders like throwing off a heavy suit of armour. She didn’t like admitting it but he had been right. She had been acting like a coward. Scared of life. Scared of stepping out of her rigid routine in case life threw up something she couldn’t handle. How would she know if she could handle stuff if she didn’t even try?

      She had gone back to the dungeon and survived, hadn’t she?

      She had flown in a helicopter again and survived.

      It was time to reclaim her life. She didn’t care what the papers said. She was going to have a good time doing all the things girls her age would do. Dancing, drinking delicious cocktails, flirting with handsome men, kicking up her heels and feeling normal.

      Lucca proved to be as wonderful an escort as he had been listener the night before. He hired a top model sports car and drove her down to Nice where they had dinner in a fabulous restaurant overlooking the beautiful turquoise blue of the water and the startling-white sand of the beach.

      After dinner he took her to a nightclub owned by a friend of his. The music was loud and the patrons hip and übersophisticated, but after her second champagne cocktail she felt herself loosening up a tiny bit. But while Lucca went to the bathroom, his friend the barman insisted on her having a vodka chaser ‘on the house.’ Worried she might offend him by refusing, especially since he was Lucca’s friend, she politely drank it.

      It was like drinking a magic potion, an instant cure for introversion. The potent brew flooded her system, giving her a boost of confidence and gaiety. There would be no wilting daisy petals tonight. No way. She was ready to stand up and party!

      She grabbed Lucca’s hand as soon as he got back and pulled him towards the dance floor. ‘Come on. Let’s dance.’

      His expression was more in line with an elderly guardian than a promiscuous fun-loving playboy. ‘Do you think you should’ve had that last drink?’

      Lottie couldn’t remember feeling

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