“The one my sisters and I use to rate the men we date.”
“Obviously Max—”
“Was off the charts!” she finished for him. “Cesar came in a nine. All he lacks is husband skills.” Taking a risk she said, “If you’re interested in knowing where you weigh in, I’m afraid to tell you.”
“You mean I’m dull and boring like Fred.”
“It’s not so much that you’re boring as you’re morose and very aloof most of the time compared to your brother for example. You don’t know how to play, and you take your responsibilities so seriously I’ve only heard you laugh when you were mocking me.”
In an effort not to give away the plot in front of him, she deliberately gazed at him like he was some kind of alien species. “In fact you’re not like any other man I know. The normal labels don’t apply. Like I said, robotics pretty well sums you up. You’re the exact opposite of the exciting playboy I planned to win a proposal from when I came to Europe.”
“Tout ce qui brille n’est pas d’or,” he muttered.
“I give up. What does that mean?”
One black brow quirked. “All that glitters isn’t gold.”
“Spoken like the bona fide cynic you are! If you’ll show me where to go, I’ll get started on your packing.”
“Follow me.”
She fell in line behind him, feasting her eyes on his sensational male body. He handled the stairs very well with his cane. His was a powerful physique. Olivia wouldn’t be at all surprised to learn he’d been a world-class skier before his accident.
According to Cesar, Luc had been in excruciating pain for several months after getting out of the hospital. She’d listened in horror as he’d told her about the ghastly accident in Cortina that had almost severed Luc’s leg.
No wonder she’d seen deep lines of strain carved on Luc’s handsome features when she’d first been introduced to him aboard the Piccione.
This close to him she could tell he’d healed to the point that the shadows under his eyes and the slightly gaunt look to his cheeks were disappearing. But he hadn’t lost the remote quality that put a wall between them. She wanted to tear it down and find out what had caused it in the first place.
When they reached the large master bedroom with its semi-contemporary decor, she thought the shades of blue and burgundy against neutral walls stunning. She lowered her suitcase next to the king-size bed.
Luc sat back against the headboard and rested his leg. “You’ll find a valise on the wardrobe shelf. Everything else I’ll need should be in that long dresser beneath the window.”
She forced her eyes away from the incredible sight he made, then let out a quiet gasp when she looked out the vitrines. It was like getting a bird’s-eye view of the whole principality of Monaco. She almost forgot she was supposed to be packing.
The thrill of being here with Luc, of handling his personal clothes, caused her body to tremble, especially with him watching her movements. She soon found everything he would need; a few sport shirts, T-shirts, boxers, cargo pants, cutoffs and a black bathing suit.
“Done.” She smiled at him as she closed the lid.
It was a mistake to take another look at him. She might never recover. He resembled some gorgeous virile god lying there on the bed studying her through shuttered eyes.
That’s how Greer had first described Max when she’d seen him climb out of the swimming pool at the Splendido Hotel in Portofino. Now Olivia understood why her sister had looked like she’d been shaken to the foundations the night she came back to their hotel room.
Clearing her throat she said, “We’ll pack your grooming items in the morning before we leave for the hospital. Anything else I can do for you before I find a room to sleep in?”
Images of crawling on the bed next to him and lying in his arms sent her pulse rate off the charts.
“When we reach the boat, I’ll need my leg muscle massaged, but we’ll give it a pass for tonight. Do you have an alarm clock?”
She could hardly breathe thinking about touching him and having the right to do it. “I never travel without one.”
“Then I’ll need to be wakened at six. A limo will be here to take us to the hospital at quarter past the hour.”
“I’ll be happy to do that.”
“If you’re hungry, make yourself at home in the kitchen.”
“Thank you, but I ate on the plane. Would you like something to eat?”
“I was just finishing my meal when you arrived at the door.”
Uh-oh. “Since I interrupted you, I’ll go downstairs and clean up.”
“That’s what I employ a housekeeper for. You’re being suspiciously meek and humble all of a sudden.”
“It’s my true nature coming out.”
A burst of mocking laughter escaped his throat. “I have to wonder if you lied to me, and Cesar is on his way over as we speak.”
That stung. “While you wonder all you want, I’m going to pick out a bedroom to sleep in.”
“Bonne nuit, Mademoiselle Olivier. If you would be so kind as to turn off the light and shut the door on your way out. Note that I said shut, not slam.”
She could still hear his low evil chuckle after she’d left the room carrying her suitcase. Once she’d peeked in the various bedrooms, each one more elegant and inviting than the last, she chose the room next to Luc’s with the same view.
The warm yellow and cream decor delighted her. Substitute the dark furniture for a baby crib and dresser, and it would make a heavenly nursery. All you would have to do is create a connecting door between it and the master bedroom.
Filled with thoughts of what Luc’s baby would look like with her as the mother, she got ready for bed in the en suite bathroom.
After setting her travel alarm, she slipped between the sheets of the queen-sized bed, still pinching herself that her plan had worked to the point she was sleeping beneath Luc’s roof, next to his own room.
But there was one more thing she had to do, or she wouldn’t be able to relax. Turning on her side she picked up the receiver on the nightstand to make a credit card call to Piper. After giving the hotel operator her sister’s room number, she waited, then was told Piper had checked out.
While the operator was speaking, Olivia heard a click, like the kind when someone else picks up the phone from another extension.
Luc had his own cell phone to make calls. He was probably spying on her to see if she was trying to reach Cesar. The man in the next room had serious trust issues.
Olivia frowned before thanking the operator and hanging up. Apparently Piper had decided to take a night flight to New York instead of waiting until morning.
Unless Olivia tried to get a number through Greer’s new in-laws to reach her in Greece, it looked like she would have to wait until tomorrow for Piper to enlighten her about Luc. While he was in surgery, she would make the call.
Unable to do anything else for the moment, she sank back against the pillows, afraid she would never get to sleep. Luc lay on the other side of the wall. The knowledge that he was awake and might be thinking about her, even if they were negative thoughts, left her breathless.
Visions of him sprawled on top of his mattress were the last images in her mind before her alarm went off seven hours later.
The ground came rushing up to meet the helicopter. Olivia felt slightly unsteady during the rapid descent. This was Luc’s normal mode of travel, but it was the first time she’d ridden in one. Way back in Monaco she’d lost her stomach as it took off from the roof of the hospital.
But for most of the flight she forgot to be frightened or sick when her eyes beheld the glorious French and Italian Riviera from the air. People actually lived here, were born here in this paradise!
Olivia couldn’t imagine what it would be like to wake up to such beauty every day of her life. To be able to work here, to play, to eat, to go bed and start the whole process all over again the next day in surroundings captured on canvas by the great Impres
sionists—
Her mind could scarcely comprehend what kind of joy that would bring. But of course Luc would have to be part of that picture, or the magic wouldn’t be there no matter how captivating the ambience.
Since she hadn’t been able to reach Piper from the hospital, the mystery surrounding Luc loomed larger than ever. Thank goodness Cesar hadn’t shown up at the house early to make a liar out of her. Besides, today was not the day for any kind of confrontation.
Though Luc managed to sail through the medical procedure, the doctor had given him a heavy dose of painkiller. She noticed it made him quieter than usual, but other than that he still took charge.
An orderly had helped him from the wheelchair into the helicopter. After they’d landed at the small waterfront area in Vernazza, and he’d been assisted to the ground by the pilot, he was able to walk by leaning on his cane.
Olivia looked all around. The Piccione, named for the stylized pigeons on the sails, wasn’t in its berth or anywhere else. Puzzled, she turned to Luc. “I don’t understand. Where’s the catamaran?”
Noise from the rotors of the helicopter must have drowned out her question. After it lifted in the air he moved closer. “What did you say?”
“Why isn’t Fabio here to meet us?”
“I forgot to tell you he phoned me while I was in the recovery room. He explained that one of the engines went out, so he had to pull into port at Monterosso. It might take a few days to fix, so he made an arrangement with his friend Giovanni.”
Olivia blinked. “What arrangement?”
CHAPTER FOUR
LUC inclined his dark head toward a pathetic-looking sailboat tied up next to the Piccione’s berth.
“That dinky thing? You have to be kidding! It looks like something that barely survived the wreck of the Hesperus.”
He stared at her through veiled eyes. “I’ve sailed the Gabbiano before.”
“Gabbiano?”
“It means ‘seagull.’ She’s a worthy vessel.”
“In other words, we’re lucky it floats.”
“Fabio tried his best.” Luc remained unflappable. “It seems every available boat along this part of the coast has been booked months in advance. I’m afraid it’s this or nothing.”
His mouth looked taut. Probably the painkiller they’d given him in the hospital was wearing off and he needed to take more. Olivia felt guilty about keeping him standing there, especially when no one was available to help. Worse, the helicopter had disappeared.
“You need to lie down. Come on. We’ll get on board while we wait for Giovanni to help us make some other arrangement.”
Luc didn’t seem to need any urging. It meant his pain level was greater than she’d supposed.
She gathered their bags. Together they walked along the pier. When they reached the boat, she put them down again and told him to use her shoulders 58 for balance. The contact sent little darts of delight through her system.
Slowly he lowered himself into the boat. Even to her uneducated eye it needed an overhaul and paint job inside and out.
In this end of it she saw some fishing gear and one oar, but there were no water skis, no sun mattresses or jet skis—none of the kinds of water sport equipment that came with the luxurious Piccione.
She jumped down after Luc, leaving the suitcases on the pier. He held on to her as they descended the steps to the galley below that contained a miniscule kitchen and bathroom with a stall shower. Everything fit together like sardines in a can.
Luc opened the cabin door on the right, with its small window above the dresser and wardrobe. Bunk beds for two took up the rest of the space, leaving little room to maneuver.
Olivia had to confess the place looked clean, yet it was a far cry from the luxury she’d paid for the first time around.
Still, she’d accomplished her first objective. Except for Giovanni, who would probably sleep on one of the padded benches on deck if he couldn’t manage to find them something better, she would have Luc to herself for the next ten days.
If it had to be on this sailboat rather than the Piccione, she wasn’t about to complain. Secretly she was overjoyed to be with him at all.
What she’d give for Piper and Greer to see her now. They hadn’t thought she would get this far with him, but they’d underestimated her love for Luc, her determination to win his heart.
The object of her thoughts let go of her and eased himself onto the bottom bunk. After she helped lift his bandaged leg on top of the spread, he lay back with a deep sigh and closed his eyes.
Quickly she left the cabin and hurried into the kitchen. To her surprise the small fridge was fairly well stocked. She pulled out a bottle of mineral water, then rushed back to him.
The doctor had sent him home with some pills. She drew the bottle from her purse. According to the directions, he could take two every four hours.
“Luc? I’ve got something for your pain.”
His eyelids opened. In the dim light his normal silvery gaze had dimmed to pewter. “Ah…just what the doctor ordered.”
Rising up on his elbow he swallowed the pills and drained the bottle. He was thirstier than she realized. It had to be the heat.
“Thank you.” He fell back against the pillow and closed his eyes once more.
“When do you think Giovanni will come?”
“I have no idea.”
“Could we call him on your cell phone?”
“Of course.”
“It’s in your trouser pocket.”
“No. I gave it to you.”
“You did?”
“Hmm. Along with the pills.”
“I didn’t notice it in my purse.” She moved over to the dresser where she’d left it on the top. After rummaging through the contents she turned around. “It’s not here.”
“Then I have to assume it was left at the hospital by mistake.”
Oh, no— Now she couldn’t call Piper, either.
“Well—if Giovanni doesn’t come soon, I’ll walk to a shop near the waterfront and ask to use one of their phones to call him.”
“That sounds like a good idea. If you don’t mind, I’m going to sleep for a while.”
“Good. I need to unpack the suitcases anyway.” Oops. She’d left them on the pier.
She retraced her steps to the deck. Thankfully no one had walked off with them. Inside of twenty minutes she’d put everything away. Luc continued to sleep soundly. As Olivia tiptoed around finding places to stash their things, she derived great pleasure watching over him. It was like they were husband and wife.
When she’d arranged everything to her satisfaction, she acquainted herself with the kitchen. There was a tiny cupboard that held some condiments including olive oil. Against the wall was a table and stools you could pull down when you wanted to eat.
A further inspection of the fridge revealed bread, eggs, cheese and ham slices, fruit, wine, soda and some yogurt. Until Giovanni arrived to take over, she could fix Luc the latter. She doubted he would want anything heavier until tomorrow.
As for herself, she was hungry, so she made herself a sandwich and ate it accompanied by a cold orange soda. She loved Italian bread and could make a meal out of it. American bread was squishy and tasteless by comparison.
Once she’d cleaned up her mess, she checked on Luc, who was still out like a light. Helpless to do otherwise, she bent over to look at him.
The arrangement of his strong male features combined with his black hair and olive skin made him a striking man. Unforgettable. She studied him for a long time before tearing herself away to go up on deck and wait for Giovanni.
Most of the boats were out. That was probably the reason why there were so few people walking around. She sat down on one of the benches to take in the view of Vernazza, the same view she’d seen from the cabin window of the Piccione over six weeks ago.
Once before she’d marveled at the colorful port village with its cluster of tower-shaped houses, palaces and castles nestled against a
backdrop of emerald green steep cliffs. Little had she known then that one Lucien de Falcon would come into her life.
Just knowing he slept below sent a delicious shiver through her body. There was nowhere else in the world she wanted to be. It hurt to realize this was probably the last place he wanted to be, that she was the last woman he wanted to be with. Cesar was the sole reason Luc had been willing to recuperate here instead of his house.
But this was only the first day of their trip. They had nine to go. In that amount of time she intended to make her patient forget all about the brother he’d felt forced to protect from the female he’d branded a groupie.
By the time the boat returned to Vernazza, Luc would be in love with her, no matter what she had to do to make it happen.
A few more minutes of sitting in the hot sun and she felt perspiration break out on her skin beneath her blouse and skirt. Europe was suffering a heat wave right now. She would love to change into her bathing suit and go for a quick swim, but she wanted to wait until Giovanni had come and they’d left the port.
So far no one walking on the pier approached her. Something had to be holding him up. She decided to check on Luc. If he was awake, she would get the phone number from him and go ashore to make her calls.
As she started for the stairs she heard, “Signorina— Signorina—”
Olivia turned in time to see a boy of eleven or twelve waving to her from the pier. She moved closer to him. “Yes?”
“You are waiting for Giovanni?” he asked in heavily accented English.
“Yes!”
“He is not coming.”
“How do you know?”
“I know everything!”
“Where is Giovanni?”
“San Remo.”
“Is he coming back?”
“No.”
“But we need him to sail the boat!”
“His wife. She has a baby!”
A baby— Good heavens.
Her plan to go sailing with Luc had just gone up in smoke!
“Thank you. Grazie,” she said to him with a heavy heart.
He smiled. “Ciao!”
Devastated by this turn of events, she needed to think up a new plan before Luc found out and had her phone for the helicopter to come and get them. The next thing she knew she’d be deposited at the airport in Nice, left to her own devices.
To Win His Heart Page 5