Chapter 6 - DANCING WITH THE DEVIL
The reception was a blur of champagne toasts, laughter, and orchestral music. But through it all, Luca never let me out of his sight.
He had moved my place card from the table near the back to his head table at the front of the room. When the waiter served dinner, Luca leaned over, quietly informing the waiter about my seafood allergy before I even had the chance to speak.
"How did you know that?" I asked, looking at him in surprise.
Luca took a sip of his bourbon, his eyes fixated on me. "I told you, Mara. I pay attention to everything concerning you."
When the evening shifted to dancing, the slow, romantic strains of a waltz filled the ballroom. Guests drifted onto the dance floor.
Jeremy—the best man—boldly attempted to approach our table, carrying two glasses of champagne. But the moment Luca turned his head and offered him a single, icy stare, Jeremy froze in his tracks, swallowed hard, turned around, and walked straight toward the bar instead.
I covered my mouth, trying not to laugh. "You are terrible."
Luca stood up, extending his hand to me. "May I have this dance, Miss Thornton?"
I looked at his open hand, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Are you going to threaten anyone else tonight?"
"Only if they try to cut in," he replied smoothly.
I placed my hand in his.
He led me to the center of the dance floor. Pulling me close, his right hand settled firm and warm against the small of my back, drawing my waist flush against his. My hands rested against his broad chest, feeling the solid, rhythmic beat of his heart.
We moved together effortlessly, as if we had been doing this for years.
"Why the red dress tonight, Mara?" Luca murmured, his chin lightly brushing against my hair as we swayed to the music.
"Because I was tired of hiding," I confessed softly, looking up into his dark eyes. "I spent two years waiting for you to notice me. Tonight, I wanted to wear something that proved I wasn't afraid of standing out."
Luca paused in the middle of the dance floor, gazing down at me with an intensity that made the rest of the world melt away.
"I noticed you the exact second you walked into my office eighteen months ago," he said, his voice filled with raw honesty. "And I've spent every single day since trying to convince myself I wasn't worthy of you."
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"And tonight?" I whispered.
"Tonight," Luca said, stepping even closer until there was no space left between us, "I stopped caring about being worthy. I'm taking what's mine."