Stealing Luca's Heart (6 page)

“It will be just one moment,” said the man with the radio.

She nodded, unsure if she should ask him if he knew what she was supposed to do next. She decided against it and observed her surroundings. There was an empty baggage cart zipping away from the others, coming around the plane and stopping in front of them. The driver had only one bag, hers!

Nervous excitement suddenly sizzled through her system. Even under the green John Deere hat and aviator sunglasses she recognized him. Luca Tetari eased his body out of the cart and strode easily up to the immigration officer. They shook hands and exchanged greetings like old friends.

“Cheers, John, thanks for your help.” His rich voice held the New Zealand accent that she had always found fascinating. “I’d be happy to get you some box seats for the next match.”

“No, that’s all right. I’m glad I could help you out, Luca. We do this type of thing occasionally. Give Australia hell, will ya, in Christchurch? Hey, do you have time for a quick photo together?”

“Of course, it’s the least I can do,” Luca said warmly.

John took his phone out of his pocket, thrusting it toward her, nodding to suggest she take the photo.

Exhaling, she put down her backpack and wondered where on Earth she had actually landed. Be gracious, she reminded herself. This guy is paying for your flight. Luca put his arm on John’s shoulder and both grinned ear to ear as she snapped the picture. She handed the phone back and stood idly as John shook Luca’s hand once more, clearly very excited, and scurried back into the airport.

Luca turned his attention to Ally. He pulled his sunglasses off, revealing brilliant eyes the color of green sea glass underneath dark lashes. Her breath caught while she scanned his face. Damn, those internet photos didn’t do him justice.

He walked toward her and held out his hand. “Ally, I’m Luca Tetari. First off, I can’t tell you how very sorry our family is about your dad. I can only imagine how worried you are.”

Ally smiled politely. “It’s nice to meet you, Luca. I’m glad to finally be here to see how he’s doing.” She felt her palm start to sweat and wasn’t sure if it was because of the temperature or the man holding it. She gently pulled her hand away.

“I can imagine. We’ve seen that Cal is taken care of. Your dad, man, he’s a tough bird. I think he would’ve taken the bullet out himself if he hadn’t passed out first.”

“My dad passed out?” she exclaimed, taking a step back. She knew she still didn’t know the full extent of his injuries, but hearing it from him was upsetting.

As if realizing his mistake, he countered, “But he’s doing better. My mum’s down there, and believe me, she’s got things under control. What do you say we get out of here, and I can fill you in on the plane?”

“I’m ready.” Luca reached out to take her backpack from her, but she shook her head. “No, I’ve got it. Thank you.”

“Hey, sorry about sneaking you out the back of the plane, but I really didn’t want the hassle of crowds today,” he said, turning to her and placing his hand on her shoulder. “Believe it or not—and my guess would be ‘or not’—this was a lot easier than navigating through the airport with us trying to get your bag and hopping on a commercial flight.”

She studied him, wondering what that was supposed to mean. Luca must have read her expression because he nodded behind them toward the airport glass windows. Ally followed his gaze and immediately recognized the flight attendant she had been sitting next to staring in her direction along with dozens of other people. All of them had their noses up against the gate windows, and some were even taking pictures.

“What can I say,” he said, shrugging. “I play rugby and kiwis love their rugby.”

She was beginning to think that this attention wasn’t solely because he played rugby. “Wow, maybe I should get my picture taken with you too?” she teased.

Luca shook his head, giving her a full, unguarded smile. “I only pose for All Black fans. I am simply your chauffeur today.” He waved his hand, motioning for her to get into the baggage cart.

She was aware of him watching her as they both climbed into the cart. She held on while he navigated around the airport chaos, stopping abruptly in front of a private jet.
This just keeps getting better and better
, she decided, looking from Luca to the plane. A lovely lady with a short cap of red hair and wearing a gray pantsuit with a logo on the breast of the jacket hustled down the steps.

“This doesn’t look like a commercial flight,” she said, turning to Luca. There was amusement on his face when he glanced briefly over to her.

“Ally, this is Sue,” Luca explained, jumping out of the cart and reaching for her suitcase. “She’ll help you get settled on board, and I’ll be up in just a minute. I’ll just get your bag stored.”

She decided it might just be easier to do as she was told as she stepped out of the cart with her backpack and followed Sue up the steps. She’d put up with all the fancy Tetaris until her dad was able to travel. Ally hoped Tara would be able to fly down soon. She really should send another text to her when she had the chance. When she reached the top of the steps, she turned around, glancing down at Luca. He had the cell phone to his ear and casually looked up, meeting her gaze. He gave her a thin smile and turned away to talk into his phone. Ally hesitated on the steps as she listened to his conversation.

“Hey, Mum, it’s Luca.”

She may have prejudged this guy. Luca Tetari seemed like a nice guy. Actually, a nice, very rich guy.
Damn.
She immediately decided he was a little too smooth for her taste and boarded the plane.

*

Luca shifted the phone to his other ear as he glanced up to the plane’s door and the shapely figure moving inside. He pushed Ally’s bag into the jet’s storage area and then slammed the cargo hold shut. “She’s on our plane now. I told her things were under control on the hospital front.”

He finished his conversation with his mum, who gave him Cal’s update. She had asked how Ally was doing. Luca’s first thought on Ally wasn’t the answer a guy shared with his mother. He waved back to the pilot who signaled that take-off was in five minutes.

He was told Ally was a college instructor, but with that body he was definitely envisioning something else. Cal had completely neglected to mention what Ally looked like in all these years.
Man, was I ever misled.
Who could blame Cal for being protective?
I’ve never been to college, but I thought Ally would be a studious, intellectual type, sporting thick glasses, not a sports cap.

She doesn’t seem to know or care who I am. Not only is she an absolute stunner, but those large eyes hold some spunk.
“Very interesting,” he said, climbing the steps.

Chapter 6

Ally had only ridden in two private planes in her life, both in the last twenty-four hours. Yesterday’s plane looked like a crop duster compared to the luxurious cabin of this one. The pilots were behind a polished wooden door on her left. As she moved inside there were two long leather couches on one side and single leather seats and tables on the other. There was a small galley in the middle, covered with deep wood paneling, and looking through the galley there seemed to be a room, perhaps a bedroom, in the rear of the plane.

After embarking off the back of the 747, nothing should surprise her. But the big, blond man sprawled out on one of the couches made her look twice. He was lying flat out on his stomach with an arm dangling down to the floor. His wavy blond hair covered his eyes, so she assumed he was asleep. He was wearing black suit pants, an untucked white button-down dress shirt, and no shoes. She noticed his dress shoes, socks, and jacket were in a heap on the floor in front of him.

Sue appeared from the rear of the airplane. “Take a seat anywhere.” Following Ally’s gaze, she added, “Don’t mind him.” She skirted by Ally and into the cockpit.

She wasn’t sure where to sit so opted for a chair and waited for takeoff. She pulled off her cap and ran her hand over her hair. The sound of deep laughter coming from outside on the plane’s steps caused her to turn her head. Luca appeared in the doorway, pushing someone back behind him with his hand.

“Aw, always too slow,” Luca yelled, grinning back behind him. Noticing Ally watching, he announced, “I get the couch.” He gave her a wink as he passed by, taking his place on the end of the couch opposite her. “Look who just barely caught a ride?”

Behind him was another man carrying a computer bag over his shoulder. Noticing the scowl on his face, she guessed he didn’t share Luca’s enthusiasm of being manhandled on the stairs. By the look of his tailored navy suit, light blue dress shirt, and yellow-and-blue striped tie, she would have pegged him for a Wall Street executive. She didn’t know much about men’s dress shoes, but the black leather ones he wore screamed money.

She extended her hand as the man approached, “Hi, I’m Ally Edwards.”

He automatically shot his hand out, “Sean Tetari.” His hand held hers in his grip while his dark eyes considered her and then softened. “You’re Cal’s daughter. Sorry, I forgot you’d be on board.”

“I appreciate the ride.” Sean was leaner, shorter, and younger than Luca. Ally wondered what was up with the crew cut.

“We’re all here. So if everyone can take a seat, we’ll be on our way,” announced Sue, stepping out of the cockpit. “Sean, please sort out Phillip so he’s buckled in,” she called out over her shoulder. She continued toward the back of the plane, checking that all of the bins and doors were secure.

So these are the Tetari brothers.
She looked up from her seat belt to catch Sean heave his sleeping brother onto the floor with a thump, taking the spot on the end of the couch. As soon as Phillip’s body hit the floor, he shot back up, giving Luca a totally pissed-off look. Luca glanced up from the newspaper he was reading and nodded over to Sean. Phillip’s retaliation on Sean was averted by a message from the pilot telling them they were cleared for takeoff.

Phillip had barely sat back down next to Sean when the plane started rolling and was quickly rocketing skyward. Phillip kicked his clothes out of the way and gave her a sheepish grin. Then without even turning his head, his left arm sprung out in a hard jab at Sean’s shoulder. Sean shrugged it off and continued digging in his computer bag.

Phillip attempted to tuck in his shirt with one hand and held out his other to greet Ally. “You must be Ally. I’m Phillip Tetari.”

She loosened her seat belt and reached over to shake his hand. “Nice to meet you, Phillip.” Having the three of them lined up in front of her, she could see how these three were brothers. They shared the same facial bone structure, albeit in different packages.

“Sorry to hear about Cal,” Sean said absently, pulling out a magazine from his bag. “Sounds like he was lucky, though, and coming around.”

She nodded. All of them really were tracking his progress. “Thank you for telling me that. It’s all pretty strange.” Actually, she thought it was more than strange. Suspicious might be a better word.

Phillip’s expression turned serious. He leaned forward, resting his hand on her knee. “Hey, trust me, your dad will be fine. You’ll see for yourself in just a couple of hours. Man, he gave us all a scare, though.”

She looked down at Phillip’s hand as he pulled it back.
These guys are very touchy-feely.
Phillip had soulful amber eyes that made one want to trust him. She decided she did. His appearance suggested he was most likely hungover, but he was making an effort at manners. “I keep hearing that he’s doing okay, but I’m anxious to see for myself,” she admitted.

Phillip nodded, sat back, and closed his eyes. Perhaps to resume his nap.

She glanced over at Luca. He’d taken his hat off and was running a hand through his hair, bringing the natural waves back to life over his ears and neck. She watched him put on black-rimmed reading glasses. They looked identical to the ones her dad wore.
So he wasn’t perfect after all
. It was a small observation, but somehow it satisfied her. She admired his jawline and figured he could be a model for eyewear. He divided his newspaper and offered her a section.

She shook her head. “No, thanks,” she murmured.

“You don’t have a very good poker face, love,” Luca said, studying Ally over his glasses. “You’re digging my specs, aren’t you?”

Shit.
He’d caught her staring. When he turned toward her, she’d become transfixed by the myriad of green hues in his eyes, intensified by the sunlight streaking through the window next to him. Ally felt the heat instantly rise to her face. Why should she be embarrassed? She’d just tell him the truth, which would likely stoke his ego. So what? He had nice eyes.

Luckily, she didn’t have to answer his question. Sue came into the cabin to take drink orders. Ally ordered a black coffee while everyone else had water. Sue was back quickly with their drinks. She watched Luca place his water in a cup holder behind the couch, and she followed suit.

“I like her. She’s very efficient,” Ally said to Phillip, who had come back to life when Sue appeared. He smiled and nodded in agreement. Sean remained quiet, choosing to read. She contemplated trying to talk with him, if just to be polite, but figured he wasn’t into small talk.

“Ally, you’ll have to excuse me,” Phillip said, standing up, “but I’ve had an extremely late night entertaining our Chinese business partners.” He pointed to his clothes, which she figured meant he hadn’t been to bed yet. “I think I’ll just go in the back and carry on with my nap.”

Her eyes followed Phillip as he grabbed extra water from the galley and closed the door to the back of the plane behind him. She unbuckled her seat belt and shifted her seat to face Luca. There were so many questions that needed answering, and this seemed like as good a time as any to find out who these people were.

“I read a little about your farm before I came.” She figured that was close enough to the truth. No need to mention she read all about him in a bar with her friends. “Phillip just mentioned your Chinese business partners. What do you and your brothers do, specifically?”