Page 35 of In Bed with Her Billionaire Bodyguard

‘Best place in town,’ he commented.

‘It’s theonlyplace in town,’ she observed, making a show of looking around at the miles of snow-covered landscape.

‘Doesn’t mean that it’s not good,’ he said, holding his hand out to her. When she took it, he led her up the busy wooden steps and towards the entrance.

Stop.

It was a feeling. The raising of hairs on his neck. He’d never not trusted it because it had always been right. He stopped and turned. Something had caught his eye; he just couldn’t quite work out...

There.

The man had his back half-turned now, but Luca could just make out the high-quality camera. And yes, it could have been a skier using personal equipment, but there was something about him that was familiar.

The club. He’d seen the guy at the club. Luca remembered him because of his tooth, having tried to work out if it was a stain or a gold replacement that had caught his eye when the guy smiled.

Before he could think it through, Luca covered the distance between them and crowded in on the man, using their height difference to maximum effect. The photographer turned, ready to lash out, but shrank back instead when he realised it was Luca.

‘Give me the camera,’ Luca said, his voice low but determined.

‘Hey, man, I’m just doing my—’

‘Not today,’ Luca said, reaching for the camera.

‘You can’t do that,’ the photographer complained.

‘I can delete the ones from just now, or I can take the SD card. Your choice.’

‘How magnanimous of you,’ the pap whined.

‘Card it is,’ Luca said, flipping the camera, pressing the button.

‘No, wait—wait. That’s my work.’

‘And this is mine,’ Luca said, a penetrating glare forcing the photographer’s eyes away.

‘Just the ones from now,’ he said, his tone placating but his eyes furious. ‘Please.’

Luca probably should have taken the SD card, but he knew he was skating on thin ice. With no justification for removing the pictures, other than the fact that he had wanted to give her, give them, this one day, he scanned through them. The clearest one showed Hope—and it clearly was Hope Harcourt—looking up at him and taking his hand. He paused for a heartbeat before hitting the delete button on the pictures.

Luca thrust the camera back at the photographer and stalked back to Hope, who stood waiting nervously, casting furtive glances over his shoulder at the man behind him.

‘How did he find us?’ she whispered.

‘I don’t know, but he has nothing now.’

‘You deleted the images?’

He looked down at her, wanting so much more than he could do in public. It had been a timely reminder of the promise he’d made to her, and one that could have cost them greatly. And from the look in Hope’s eyes, she felt the same.

‘Yes,’ he said, answering her question about the photos, and gestured with his head towards the chalet, careful to keep his hands to himself.

Luca led Hope to the greeting desk. On one side of the chalet’s floor was a large canteen-style buffet where families, couples and even a ski class were busy piling plates high with delicious-smelling food, the other where tables and chairs were rapidly filling up.

Hope watched as he spoke to the waitress behind the desk, who smiled and nodded, gesturing for them to follow her up the large wooden staircase to the second floor, which opened up to a restaurant dining area. Tables covered in white cloth and silverware were half full with slightly more sedate customers than the raucous ski groups downstairs. Hope thought that they might stop there, but the waitress continued on to the balcony and, pulling back glass sliding doors, she led her and Luca out towards a private table for two. Luca thanked the waitress while Hope simply stared at the view.

Discreet outside heaters gently warmed them from above, and though only glass separated them from the dining room, there was the impression of privacy—they were alone with the view. Their chairs, covered in rich white faux fur, suited the silver, glass and green fir sprigs decorating the table. It looked like a winter wonderland but while her designer’s eye appreciated the touches, it was the natural beauty of the mountains that called to her the most.

‘You’re spoiling me today, Luca. I’m going to have to come up with more words than stunning, beautiful, awe-inspiring.’

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