Page 28 of Hard Lessons

He looked at her from between the two seats. “Hello, Serena.”

“I have somewhere to be.” She pouted.

“I know you do.”

“And it’s not here.”

“Ah, but it is.” His mouth tilted—a damn infuriating smile that made her heart skip a beat and her stomach clench. Love and fury at war.

“I need a proper cab. Call me one.”

“There is no need.”

“I have a need of transport. I’ve got an appointment.”

“With a BA flight?”

What? How the hell could he possibly know that?

“A one-way ticket to New York,” he went on.

“Yes, actually, so you’ll understand the time-sensitive nature of my day.”

“And why are you going to New York?” His eyebrows twitched.

“A holiday.”

“Ahh...” He nodded slowly. “You want a holiday?”

“Yes. I need to get out of London.”

“Easily arranged.”

He withdrew from the car and slammed the door. The next thing she knew he’d pulled the back door open and dropped down next to her.

The suspension jolted with his bulk and he seemed to fill up the entire space, his left leg touching hers.

She snapped away, pressing up against the other door.

Door.

Quickly, she reached for the handle, pulled it.

It opened an inch but then his big hand wrapped around hers and he slammed it shut. “Oh, no,mio amore, you’re not getting away from me, not now.”

“Luca, get the hell off me. You have no right to...”

“Drive, Paulo. I need to get as far away from this place as possible.”

“Gotcha.” The locks clicked down.

Serena yanked her hand but to no avail. Luca had captured her wrist. “I swear I’ll—”

“What?” he said. “Spend all my money? Act as though I don’t exist? Watch me go down without batting an eyelid? Tell the world you’re a whore? Oh... no, wait, you’ve done all of those things already.”

“That’s not how it was. And an escort is not a whore.”

“I disagree.” His face was so close to hers their noses were almost touching.

---