Page 35 of Cipriani's Innocent Captive
‘We did what we set out to do,’ Lucas said flatly. ‘You only spent a short while with Ken Huang and his family, but let me tell you that he was charmed by our tale of love at first sight.’
‘Oh, good.’ He had already turned away and she followed him, hearing herself say all the right things to the businessman while sifting through her conflicting emotions to try and find a path she could follow. In a show of unity, Lucas had his arm around her waist lovingly, and she could see how thrilled Ken Huang and his wife were by the romance.
Mission accomplished, indeed.
‘Time to go, I think.’ Lucas turned to her the second Huang had departed.
‘Where?’
‘Where do you think? We’re engaged, Katy. Getting my driver to deliver you back to your flat is a sure-fire way of getting loose tongues wagging.’
‘We’re going back to your place?’
‘Unless you have a better idea?’ He shot her a wolfish smile but this time her blood didn’t sizzle as it would have normally. This time she didn’t give that soft, yielding sigh as her body took over and her ability to think disappeared like water down a plughole.
Mission accomplished.It was back to business for Lucas, and for that read ‘sex’. They would go to his apartment, like the madly in love couple they weren’t, and he would take her to his bed and do what he did so very, very well. He would send her pliant body into the stratosphere but would leave her heart untouched.
‘We need to talk.’ Nerves poured through her. She couldn’t do this. She’d admitted how she felt about Lucas to herself and now she couldn’t see a way of continuing what they had, pretending that nothing had changed.
‘What about?’
‘Us,’ Katy told him quietly, and Lucas stilled.
‘Follow me.’
‘Where are we going? I mean, I’d rather not have this conversation in your apartment.’
‘I’m on nodding acquaintance with the manager of this hotel. I will ensure we have privacy for whatever it is you feel you need to talk about.’
The shutters had dropped. Katy could feel it in his body language. Gone was the easy warmth and the sexy teasing. She followed him away from the ball room, leaving behind the remaining guests. He had said his goodbyes to the people who mattered and, where she would have at least tried to circulate and make some polite noises before leaving, Lucas had no such concerns.
She hung back as he had a word with the manager, who appeared from nowhere, as though his entire evening had been spent waiting to see if there was anything he could do for Lucas. There was and he did it, leading them to a quiet seating area and assuring them that they would have perfect privacy.
‘Will I need something stiff for thistalk?’ Lucas asked once the door was closed quietly behind them. On the antique desk by the open fireplace, there was an assortment of drinks, along with glasses and an ice bucket. Without waiting for an answer, he helped himself to a whisky and then remained where he was, perched against the desk, his dark eyes resting on her without any expression at all.
Katy gazed helplessly at him for a few seconds then took a deep, steadying breath.
‘I can’t do this.’ She hadn’t thought out what she was going to say but, now the words had left her mouth, she felt very calm.
‘You can’t do what?’
‘This.Us.’ She spread her arms wide in a gesture of frustration. His lack of expression was like an invisible force field between them and it added strength to the decision she had taken impulsively to tell him how she felt.
‘This is as far as I can go,’ she told him quietly. ‘I’ve done the public appearance thing and I’ve had the photos taken and I... I can’t continue this charade for any longer. I can’t pretend that...that...’
Lucas wasn’t going to help her out. He knew what she was saying, he knew why she was saying it and he also knew that it was something he had recognised over time but had chosen to ignore because it suited him.
‘You love me.’
Those three words dropped like stones into still water, sending out ripples that grew bigger and bigger until they filled the space between them.
Stressed out, stricken and totally unable to tell an outright lie, Katy stared at him, her face white, her arms folded.
‘I wish I could tell you that that wasn’t true, but I can’t. I’m sorry.’
‘You knew how I felt about commitment...’
‘Yes, I knew! But sometimes the heart doesn’t manage to listen to the head!’
