Free Pretending with the Greek Billionaire by Kira Archer Page B

the jeweler finally asked.
    “I…” Constance glanced at Luca, clearly pleading for help.
    He took pity on her. It was impossible not to with those eyes of hers gazing up at him like a puppy begging for treats.
    “Perhaps something a little simpler,” he said.
    He was immediately rewarded with a relieved smile.
    “Yes,” she agreed. “Something simple.”
    The jeweler’s forehead creased in a minute frown but he produced a tray of solitaires; simple, yet each large enough to cover her finger from base to knuckle. Constance chewed on her bottom lip, her eyes roaming over the selection.
    Luca spied a ring tucked in among a display of sapphires and leaned down for a closer look. The center stone was a decent sized, probably three carats or so, a square-cut sapphire that shined with deep-blue fire under the lights. It was surrounded by small diamonds with another round sapphire nestled beside them on each side, set in a simple platinum band.
    “That one,” he said, pointing to it. “Let’s see that one.”
    Constance glanced at him in surprise and then down at the ring that they handed to him. Her face softened, a small sigh escaping her lips. He took her hand and slid the ring on her left ring finger.
    “Luca, it’s beautiful,” she said, gazing down at it.
    He brought her hand up to his lips, his eyes locking with hers as he pressed a kiss to the ring on her finger. “It’s not as beautiful as those big blue eyes of yours, but it’s close,” he said, loving the blush that stained her cheeks.
    He’d said the words to keep up his part in the charade, but the moment he said them, he realized he meant every word. Instead of exploring that concerning thought, he turned back to the jeweler. “I think we’ll take this one.”
    “Very good, sir,” he said.
    Luca let go of Constance long enough to take care of the details and then rejoined her. He caught her staring at the ring, holding it up to let the light shine through and spread blue-tinged rainbows throughout the room. A smile touched his lips before he recognized the emotion gently warming him. He’d felt a range of things for the women in his life over the years. Lust, certainly. Protectiveness, sometimes. Affection, occasionally. Love, not to any significant degree, but tenderness…never. Until now.
    He didn’t know what it was about her. Maybe it was because she despised him, or acted like she did. It was a novel experience being loathed by a woman. Or maybe it was that the things that mattered so much to everyone else in his life meant nothing to her. She didn’t care about his money, fame, fancy cars, or famous friends. That stuff made her want him less, not more. She might spend most of their conversations criticizing him and his lifestyle, but at least when she spoke he knew it was the real her speaking, not some version of her she thought he might like. There were few genuine people in his life—Joe, his housekeeper Mrs. Lasko, his father, and now Constance.
    Before he could reflect too deeply on the bombardment of unwelcome feelings trying to creep their way into his heart, dozens of blinding lights flashed through the window. Constance jumped, a hand covering her mouth to try and contain the startled squeak that he heard anyway.
    Luca sighed. Time to get the show on the road.
    He slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close, pressing a kiss to her temple to keep the hovering jeweler from overhearing. “When we go out we’ll walk straight to my car. I’ll open the door for you. Please don’t fight me on it. It’ll just leave you in the middle of the vultures for longer, but make sure they get a good shot of the ring.”
    Her panicked expression melted into annoyance. Her lips might have been smiling but her eyes were shooting daggers. “How do I do that?”
    Anger was good. Anger didn’t make him want to cuddle up with her on some overstuffed couch and watch old movies in their fuzzy pajamas. And anger would serve her better