‘No—absolutely not,’ she lied.
He laughed softly, his eyes warming and his expression full of undisguised charm. ‘So hotly denied, but can it be true?’
She tried to pull her fingers from his hand, but he held her firmly. She had no choice other than look up into his face. ‘It’s true.’
‘So if I kiss you right now, just as I did last week at the charity dinner, you will not respond with such undisguised desire?’
What was she doing, encouraging this conversation? But she couldn’t help it, couldn’t help wondering how he would kiss her this time.
‘There is nobody to witness the kiss. What possible reason could you have now to kiss me?’
‘Because you are a very beautiful woman, one who should be kissed.’ He moved towards her, brushed his lips over hers, as if tasting them.
‘No, Liev, this is not part of the deal.’ She kept her voice firm but couldn’t help staying dangerously close to him.
‘No, but admit it, Bianca. You want me to kiss you. You want me to melt that sleeping heart the gossip columns are all talking about.’
She put her hands firmly on his chest, ignoring the spark that flew from that contact. ‘The only time I will kiss you is in public and then only because it is part of the role of being madly in love with you.’
‘Are you sure, Bianca?’ His voice was now a hoarse whisper that made her stomach flip and her heart race.
Before she had time to respond, he lowered his head, claimed her lips in a kiss that verged on demanding. Her head spun, and although she knew she shouldn’t, she moved her lips against his, tasting the forbidden. Her fingers clutched the lapels of his jacket as he put his arms around her, pulling her close.
It was insane. It was also amazing.
‘No.’ She pushed against him and he pulled back but didn’t let go of her. ‘That can never happen again, not like that.’
He drew in a deep breath and let it go slowly, as if curbing an angry response. ‘It will if we are in public. If it’s part of your role, as you called it.’
‘Just go,’ she snapped, and relief and disappointment washed over her as he moved back from her. ‘Go, Liev. This charade is over for tonight.’
‘Until tomorrow, Bianca.’
With those words haunting her, she watched him stride back to the elevator, wondering what had just happened. Why had she taunted him, but more importantly, why had she kissed him?
It would not happen again.
BIANCA’S NERVES WERE almost frayed as she waited for Liev the next evening. She anticipated this would be their last public outing, but she’d arranged a publicity interview for him at the shelter, and together with tonight’s photos appearing in the glossy celebrity magazines, she hoped he would be satisfied and have what he wanted. After the interview she fully intended that their engagement could become more low-key. The thought of spending more time with Liev was not something she relished, especially when he could provoke such new emotions in her.
She wasn’t sure if their engagement would achieve the acceptance he wanted, something she still wasn’t convinced of, but if they remained engaged, as far as everyone else was concerned, he could continue to pursue that himself, leaving her free to concentrate on Dario’s forthcoming launch.
Her brothers and sisters were another matter entirely and she’d prepared herself for the onslaught of further questions from them. She had no idea what she’d say to her grandfather and hadn’t bargained on the request from him to meet her fiancé. Just thinking of the lies she would have to tell made her nauseous. Grandfather deserved better than that—but he also deserved to be able to be reunited with the bracelet he’d owned when he arrived in New York all those years ago. That in itself was a story Bianca longed to hear more about, but first she had another date with her fiancé—and hopefully her last. After last night’s kiss and her obvious loss of control, it would have to be.
Prompt as ever, Liev knocked on her apartment door and she took in a deep breath and prepared herself to spend the evening with a man who unsettled and intrigued her all at the same time. Until last night’s kiss, she’d been beginning to enjoy his company and had found herself more relaxed, but she must never forget how he was blackmailing her. This was not an ordinary love affair and they could never be a normal couple.
She opened the door and drew in a sharp breath. Liev stood calmly waiting, dressed in a tuxedo which hugged his body, more than hinting at his latent strength and sending her wayward thoughts awry once more. His brow was furrowed into a frown, yet still he very definitely was the most striking man she’d ever met.
‘Good evening, Bianca.’
She shivered as his gaze slid down her black silk dress, which skimmed the floor, neither concealing nor revealing. Shyness suddenly swept over her and she looked away from him as heat infused her body as hotly as her cheeks.
She had to ask him now. There was no way she was going to be able to spend the entire evening at his side and look relaxed and happy if she was worrying telling him about her grandfather’s unexpected request.
‘Before we go, I have two suggestions that will further this charade of yours hopefully to its goal.’ She heard her voice, steady and matter-of-fact, and marvelled at her ability to be one thing when inside she was something else completely different.
‘I’m intrigued.’ He stepped closer to her and she trembled like a new leaf in the spring breeze as she looked up into his eyes, shocked to see his darken until they resembled slate, reminding her of that kiss last night. ‘What could possibly achieve that? Another kiss? Perhaps I should kiss you at the party—really kiss you, like you wanted me to last night?’
‘I—I wanted no such thing.’ She stammered over her words, the thought of being kissed by him making her pulse race wildly. If that last kiss was anything to go by, to be really kissed would be amazing. She’d never been kissed until the world spun and her heart felt light. Quickly she pulled her attention back to the reason for doing all this. The bracelet. ‘That was not what I had in mind though.’
He moved closer, so close she thought he was going to kiss her right there and then. She breathed in and inhaled his newly applied aftershave, exotically spiced and incredibly heady. She looked up, holding his gaze, trying for bold and confident, but all she could manage was a startled gasp as he brushed his fingers over her cheek.
The heat of that light touch seared her skin, but she couldn’t move away even when she knew she should. Every loving look, every caressing touch, was all an act. She was well aware of that, but it made her think of the love letter she’d found as a child tucked away between the pages of a book in the family library. One she’d read again and again over the years, each time wishing she, too, could find such a powerful love.
What was between her and Liev was not love. There was attraction, at least for her, but for him it was only a deal. A means to an end. Nothing more.
‘That is a shame. You were made to be kissed.’ His voice had deepened and his accent became so strong she could barely understand what he said.
How could she be made to be kissed when she’d hardly experienced more than a light touch on the cheek? Last night’s kiss had been a new experience, one that could distract her if she allowed it.
The night of her prom rushed back at her. She’d wanted to be kissed then, too, wanted to be loved. She’d thought she’d found her true love, but fate had dealt her a cruel hand. That disastrous night had set the precedence for the following ten years—never, ever, allow a man close enough to hurt her again.
She’d thought