Free The Italian's Secretary Bride by Kim Lawrence Page B

grimly.
    â€˜No, we wouldn’t be, because, although you feel totally free to criticise me you’d be gobsmacked if I passed judgement on the way you live your life. No, we’re talking about my total lack of moral fibre and principles, aren’t we? A theme I sense is close to your heart!’ she finished breathlessly. ‘Tell me, Luca, how long is it since you touched base with Seth?’
    â€˜How should I know?’ He looked impatient.
    â€˜How long?’ she persisted.
    â€˜Six…ten months, maybe?’
    What Luca needed was a major dose of humility and Alice decided that she was going to provide it.
    â€˜It’s probably a little bit more than that because otherwise you would have known that Seth and his pretty wife are divorced. She ran off with a French count.’
    â€˜ French count! My God, couldn’t Seth do better than that? Mind you, I suppose he didn’t need to. Did you always walk around with gullible idiot in neon across your forehead?’ The angry finger he viciously dragged across his own forehead left a faint raised weal on his olive skin. ‘Or is that a recent development?’
    Alice found she couldn’t take her eyes off the minor blemish. In truth she couldn’t take her eyes off him. Every little detail, every tiny nuance afforded her endless fascination.
    â€˜I’m not about to apologise because I don’t automatically assume someone’s lying to me…unless of course they happen to be called Luca O’Hagan. Your problem is you believe everyone is as deceitful as you are,’ she contended scornfully. ‘The day I’m as cynical and twisted as you I hope someone’s around to tell me to get over myself.’
    White around the lips, Luca drew in a deep breath through his clenched teeth. ‘Is that a fact?’
    â€˜Yes, it is. Besides, it’s not the sort of thing Seth would make up, is it? I didn’t even know there were any real counts in France,’ she admitted. ‘But apparently this one is the genuine article and poor Seth feels particularly gutted because she met him at a health-spa break that he arranged as a birthday treat.’
    There was a degree of satisfaction in seeing Luca, for once in his life, look taken aback. But not as much satisfaction as she had expected.
    â€˜Are you actually serious?’
    â€˜Apparently the divorce was finalised last week.’
    â€˜So Seth is on the rebound. Congratulations. I suppose it was inevitable. I mean, if Seth thought that marriage would last for ever he was the only one.’
    â€˜I can see exactly why he didn’t confide in you,’ she snapped in disgust. ‘The supportive friend you are not.’
    â€˜I can see exactly why he confided in you,’ Luca returned. ‘A born bleeding heart. A suggestion of a tear in those spaniel eyes and you’d be gagging to comfort him.’
    She closed her eyes, almost weeping with anger. ‘You are disgusting, crude, vile and if you were sobbing your heart out I wouldn’t lift a little finger to comfort you.’
    â€˜I’d prefer to be crude than an idiot,’ Luca retorted. ‘I wouldn’t have trusted her as far as I could throw her.’
    Alice’s outraged glare focused on his lean face. How could anyone be that unfeeling to a friend’s tragedy?
    â€˜Kick a man when he’s down, why don’t you? That’s just typical of you,’ she accused. ‘You have all the empathy of a Great White…’ And, she decided furiously, he was just as ruthless and single-minded. Actually, now that she thought of it the analogy with the cold-blooded predator was extremely apt. Luca was top of the food chain and he had no natural enemies unless it was his own ego.
    â€˜I find it hard to empathise with a man who marries a woman just because she’s the woman that every other man wants. She was the original trophy wife. But then Seth likes