to have sex with him. Whatever she was offering, he was going to take it.
And have a damn fine time doing so.
* * *
Mia wandered around the different groups of people, stopping to chat, talk shop, laugh with her friends and colleagues. And all the time she was conscious of Luca tracking her around the room. He hadn’t even said hello to her but she could sense his intense interest, feel the weight of his gaze, the heat of his laser-like focus trained squarely on her back.
Sure, he was playing the perfect host—attentive and charming as he moved around the apartment—but underneath that bronzed Latin skin she could sense the leashed desire he was just barely keeping a lid on. His glances may be smouldering with lust but she could also feel his impatience as they slowly circled each other.
She walked past a large bay window and stopped to admire the view. She knew he’d have one. A man with heated bathroom tiles would certainly have a view!
The iron arch of the illuminated Sydney Harbour Bridge and the floodlit white sails of the Opera House glowed like beacons in the night. Of course, these could also be seen from the upper floors of SHH but it was still a pretty amazing sight, no matter how many times she’d been privy to it.
The hairs on the back of her neck prickled and she was instantly aware he was zeroing in.
Luca sauntered up to her. ‘I didn’t think you were coming,’ he murmured.
Mia didn’t turn to look at him. She could see his reflection. Tall, broad shouldered, looking very fine in snug blue jeans and a close-fitting black T-shirt.
All he needed was Security emblazoned across the front. Or maybe Italian Stallion.
‘Nice view.’
Luca, who hadn’t taken his eyes of her said, ‘Indeed.’ He took a sip of his beer. ‘The view from my bedroom is even better.’
Mia smiled. ‘Don’t you have guests to entertain?’
Luca chuckled, turning so his back was to the window. Their arms brushed and he felt a kick in his groin. ‘They seem to be amusing themselves just fine.’
Mia turned too just in time to see Finn entering with a stunning-looking redhead she’d not seen before.
‘I didn’t think Finn would come,’ she mused. Evie had been sure of it but she herself hadn’t been convinced.
‘Why not?’ Luca frowned.
‘He’s not really the social type.’
He shrugged. ‘He is tonight.’
Apparently. Very social, if the redhead’s relaxed intimacy was anything to go by. Mia flicked a glance towards Evie and watched her friend’s face fall a little. She gave an inward sigh, wishing she understood Evie’s attraction to the maverick surgeon.
Sure, his legendary status was alluring and he was sexy in a rumpled kind of way. And single. But that just-rolled-out-of-bed look didn’t do it for her.
She preferred clean-shaven men.
Like the one standing beside her.
‘So …’ Luca dropped his head so his mouth was near her ear. ‘About that view?’
Mia felt goose-bumps break out on her arms as her belly constricted. But Evie was looking around with an overly bright smile on her face and Mia knew that her friend needed her.
‘Patience is a virtue,’ she murmured.
She heard Luca chuckling as she slunk away.
* * *
Half an hour later Evie was standing in a circle, ostensibly talking to Mia, Luke Williams and a couple of nurses from the emergency department. But her gaze kept wandering to Finn, who was sitting on the wide windowsill of the bay window, talking to Rupert. He had dismissed the redhead when Rupert had approached and now they seemed to be having quite an intense discussion.
Finn was nursing his usual Scotch and it didn’t look like he appreciated what Rupert had to say. After another minute Rupert shrugged and walked away.
‘Excuse me, guys. I’ll go and grab another drink.’
She felt Mia’s concerned gaze on her as she slipped away but no one else paid any attention. Evie grabbed a beer out of the ice-filled sink then wended her way through to Finn.
Finn watched Evie approach through the prism of his glass. She lifted a beer bottle to her lips and tipped her head back as she drew close. When she was done her lips were moist and he found himself wondering what she tasted like.
He tensed at the errant thought, which cranked up the throb in his already aching arm. That, on top of Rupert’s little chat, made him even crankier.
‘Well, well, well. I thought the Lockheart heiress would be into champagne.’
Evie let the insult slide off her back.