Page 12 of Royal Valentine

Then he took a step toward me, his hand cupping my face. “Thank you for your kind words.”

“I was only telling the truth,” I said, my heart thrumming in anticipation of his mouth on mine.

“You dinnae ken what it means to me.” He lifted his fingers up to run them along the length of my hair, and I was torn between wanting him to touch me more and not wanting him to notice how messy my hair was. “All I ever hear is how I’m wasting my life.”

“If this is what you’re doing, you’re not wasting anything. You’re a man who feels deeply.”

“You can tell that from my photographs?”

I nodded. “I can.”

“Are you someone who feels deeply?” he asked, tracing the outline of my face with one finger.

At this moment? I felt so much that I didn’t know how to deal with it. “I ...”

“Callum!” An older man interrupted whatever had been about to happen. He turned out to be the gallery owner, and Callum introduced him to me.

“Signor Emiliano Greco, this is Anne Smith.”

I tried not to flinch when he said Anne and instead held out my hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Signor Greco leaned in and kissed my cheeks instead. It was such a familiar gesture that it made my heart clench in response.

“Buonasera, my little American! Isn’t Callum’s work magnificent? I feel fortunate that I discovered him!”

I nodded. “He is brilliant.”

“This is your Valentine’s date?” Signor Greco asked Callum in Italian. “She is darling.”

“I agree,” he responded, and I pressed my lips together. “She’s beautiful inside and out.”

It was so hard not to react to his words, but I did my best.

Maybe I really could have had a career as an actress.

“You should take her someplace more romantic than my art gallery,” Signor Greco chided him.

“I have plans,” he said.

Plans? What kind of plans? My heart beat a bit faster with anticipation.

“Excellent!” Signor Greco shifted back to English for my benefit. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Smith. Make sure he treats you like a princess this evening.”

Every cell in my body froze in panic. Did he know?

But instead of revealing who I was, he walked us back to the front door and told us to have a good night.

“Lucia’s uncle is having a large family dinner if you’d like to go,” Callum said when we were alone again.

“Yes. I don’t want this day to end.”

“Nor do I.”

I was going to have to tell him the truth. If I wanted more than just this one day with him, I would have to be honest.

But not yet, though.

I wanted more memories first.

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