Page 18 of His Housekeeper's Twin Baby Confession
‘What is this?’ She looked up at him.
Massimo lifted the necklace from the box and put the box down. He said, ‘Turn around.’
She looked stricken. ‘I can’t wear that...it’s too much.’
‘I’ve been given strict instructions by the stylist that it’s an integral piece of your ensemble. Plus, the jewellers who have loaned it to me will be at the event this evening.’
Some colour came back into her cheeks. ‘It’s on loan?’
‘Yes. Now, turn around.’
Slowly, she did so, and Massimo reached over her head to place the necklace at her throat and close it behind her neck. His fingers brushed her skin and it felt warm and soft. Was it his imagination or did a little tremor go through her body?
He took his hands away. ‘Okay, you can turn around again.’
She did so, her hands touching the necklace as if she was afraid it might fall off. She was avoiding his eye. His blood pulsed.
She was as aware of him as he was of her. She wanted him.
Except normally when he realised a woman wanted him he felt a sense of satisfaction. Now all he felt was intense hunger. The kind he hadn’t felt in a long time. Raw and urgent.
‘Carrie, look at me.’
Carrie really didn’t want to look at Massimo. Her skin was still tingling from where his fingers had brushed against her. Her eyeline was on his bow-tie. Even in heels the top of her head only grazed his jaw. The necklace felt cold and heavy around her neck. No plastic gems here. Real emeralds and diamonds.
She’d seen Massimo dressed in a tuxedo a million times before, but it had never impacted on her the way it did this evening. Even his scent seemed stronger. More potent.
Boundaries and lines felt very blurry right now, standing here in front of her boss, dressed like someone who was not her—plain old Carrie Taylor, a girl who hadn’t even done her A-levels, nothing but a humble housekeeper...
‘Carrie?’
She forced the cacophony out of her head, took a deep breath and looked up. Everything about him should be signalling danger to her—he was so much bigger and stronger physically than her husband had been—but she felt no danger. Only intense excitement and anticipation.
Her heart skipped a beat when she registered the intensity in his dark gaze. She instantly felt self-conscious. As if she’d been caught playing dress-up.
She took a step back. ‘If you’ve changed your mind it’s okay, honestly. I don’t mind.’
Massimo frowned. ‘Why would I change my mind? You look stunning.’
Self-consciousness turned to awareness. Even though she knew he was only being polite. ‘I think the team you provided could make anyone look presentable.’
‘You’re more than presentable, Carrie. You’re beautiful.’
Her heart hitched again. Warning bells rang in her head. Memories of her husband...
‘Carrie, you’re so special. I want to protect you.’
She forced her brain to cool down and slow down. ‘Thank you, but it’s really not necessary to say things like that. It’s not as if this is a real date.’
‘I’ll spare you the platitudes, then?’ Massimo responded dryly.
Carrie just managed to stop herself from reminding him that she wasn’t one of his usual lovers.As if he needed reminding.
He seemed to wait a moment for a response, and when she said nothing he said, ‘My driver is waiting downstairs. We should go.’
Carrie welcomed the respite from his focus and let him lead her out of the apartment and down to the waiting car. They got into the back and it moved smoothly through the evening Manhattan traffic.
She looked out at the crowds of people. Some rushing home, some just strolling along, some lovers holding hands. And here she was, dressed in a gown she could never afford in her lifetime, sitting beside one of the world’s most eligible bachelors, about to attend a glittering event. She was living out a fantasy she’d never even admitted to having.
