BRONTE was doing a hamstring stretch at the barre when she heard the studio door open. She looked in the wall-to-ceiling mirror, her heart screeching to a halt when she saw a tall dark figure come in behind her. Her eyes flared in shock, her hands instantly dampening where they clung to the barre. Her heart started up again, but this time with a staccato beat which seemed to mimic the frantic jumble of her thoughts.
It couldnât be.
She must be imagining it.
Of course she was imagining it!
It couldnât be Luca.
Her mind was playing tricks. It always did when she was tired or stressed. And she was both.
She curled her fingers around the barre, opening and closing her eyes to clear her head. She opened them again and her heart gave another almighty stumble.
It just couldnât possibly be Luca Sabbatini. There were hundreds, no, possibly thousands of stunningly handsome dark-haired men who might just by chance wander into her studio andâ
âHello, Bronte.â
Oh, dear God, it was him.
Bronte took a slow deep breath and straightened her shoulders as she turned and faced him. âLuca,â she said with cool politeness. âI hope youâre not thinking of booking in for the first class of the afternoon. Itâs full.â
His dark eyes roamed over her close-fitting dance wearâclad body slowly, lingering for a heart-stopping moment on her mouth, before meshing his gaze with hers. âYou look as beautiful and as graceful as ever,â he said as if she hadnât spoken.
Bronte felt a frisson of emotion rush through her at the sound of his voice: rich and dark and deep and smoky with its unmistakable and beautifully cultured Italian accent. He looked the same as the last time she had seen him, although perhaps a little leaner if anything. Well over six feet tall, with glossy black hair that was neither short nor long, neither straight nor curly, and with the darkest brown eyes she had ever seen, he towered over her five feet seven, making her feel as dainty and tiny as a ballerina on a childâs music box.
âYouâve got rather a cheek to come here,â she said with a flash of her gaze. âI thought you said all that needed to be said two years ago in London.â
Behind his eyes it looked as if a small light had gone on and off like a pen-sized flashlight. It was a tiny movement and she would not have seen it at all if she hadnât been glaring at him so heatedly. âI am here on business,â he said, his voice sounding a little rusty. âI thought it might be a good chance to meet up again.â
âMeet up and do what exactly?â she asked with a lift of her chin. âTalk about old times? Forget about it, Luca. Time and distance has done the trick. I am finally over you.â
She turned and walked back to the barre. âI have a class starting in five minutes,â she addressed him in the mirror. âUnless you want to be surrounded by twenty little girls in tights and leotards, I suggest you leave.â
âWhy are you teaching instead of dancing?â he asked as his gaze held hers steady in the mirror.
Bronte rolled her eyes impatiently and turned back to face him. She placed one hand on her hip, her top lip going up in a what-would-you-care curl. âI was unable to make the audition at the last minute, thatâs why.â
A small frown pulled at his brow. âWere you injured?â
Bronte suppressed an embittered smile. Heartbroken and pregnant sort of qualified for injury, didnât it? âYou could say that,â she said, sending him a cutting look. âTeaching was the next best option. Back home in Melbourne seemed the best place to set up to do it.â
His dark gaze swept over the old warehouse Bronte and her business partner Rachel Brougham had fashioned into a dance studio. âHow much rent do you pay on this place?â he asked.
A feather of suspicion started to dust its way up Bronteâs spine. âWhy do you ask?â
One of his broad shoulders rose and fell in a non-committal shrug. âItâs a sound investment opportunity,â he said. âIâm always in the market for good commercial property.â
She frowned as she studied his inscrutable expression. âI thought you worked in hotel management for your family?â