Her response was so eager she didn’t even pause to fiddle with her bangle. Her eyes shone before she looked demurely at her empty cup. ‘I would, Gio. Thank you.’
Don’t thank me, Ms Barbieri. I’m going to see you get the comeuppance you deserve.
Stella planted her hands on the railing and surveyed the view of Rome. ‘You really are remarkable.’
In her peripheral vision she saw Gio turn. ‘Remarkable sounds good. What have I done to deserve that?’
She liked the amusement in his deep voice and how it warmed her, almost like an embrace. Yet she shut down the idea. Gio was different today, sometimes funny and charming and at others almost distant.
He had something on his mind. For him this outing was simply about getting fresh air. It wasn’t the beginning of anything between them.
Stella nodded at the vista before them. The deep cliff drop to ancient ruins below. Beyond that, tall buildings of yellow and ochre, topped with roof gardens. Then a jumble of venerable public buildings, including the Vittoriano and the domes of Roman churches. It was a splendid view yet they had the place to themselves. Most tourists had stayed below in the ancient forum.
‘I don’t know anyone else who’d happily spend their time strolling through historic ruins, even for a view like this.’
‘No one? Not even your family?’
Stella couldn’t contain her laugh. ‘Absolutely not. None of them are interested in history.’ Enzo’s sole entertainments were putting his sports car through its paces or watching car racing. Rocco enjoyed good food and wine and had a taste for gambling. ‘Once I suggested to my father that we visit a famous castle. He said his only interest was in new buildings, ones with all the modern conveniences.’
‘Did he take you there anyway?’
Her amusement faded. ‘He didn’t have time. I should have known better than to ask.’
It had been during her first couple of years in Italy, before she’d learned what her father would or would not countenance. The only points of interest he took them to were his own hotels or those of rivals.
‘Well, I’m glad to win such praise. I confess I’ve never been up here.’
She turned to him. ‘You’re not a history buff?’
‘Not really, though it was fascinating seeing where the emperors lived. They had an eye for prime real estate.’
‘What sort of thingsdointerest you?’
He shrugged. ‘Like you, I enjoy exercise.’ Did she imagine a sharp glint in his eyes as he looked at her? It must have been a trick of the light, for now it had gone. ‘Yachting, waterskiing, snow skiing too. But lately it’s been mainly work.’
They turned their back on the view and began retracing their steps, walking across the pavement towards the path over the hill.
‘What sort of work?’
Stella hadn’t asked before. By unspoken agreement their conversations had avoided business. But it was time to head back to the hotel and this was probably the last time she’d see Gio.
Strange how hollow that made her feel. Strange and ridiculous. She was in Rome to make the single biggest decision of her life, one that would dictate her future. Saying goodbye to a chance-met stranger should be easy.
Yet her short time with Gio had made her more than ever aware of how often she’d accepted second-best in her life. Was that what she wanted for herself? And if she didn’t, what were her alternatives?
‘I invest in property. Careful, it’s uneven here.’
Even as he said it, the toe of her sandal caught a crack in the old stone. Her momentum jerked her off balance, tipping her forward, arms out to save herself.
Large hands grabbed her, pulling her up.
Her breath escaped in a silent oof as she collided with a solid form, her hands splaying across Gio’s ink-blue shirt. Beneath the fabric she felt incredible heat and a cushioned hardness that spoke of taut, honed muscle.
Dazed, she swallowed and sucked in air scented with the heady fragrance of virile male. Trails of tingling fire spread through her body, from palms to soles, breasts to groin.
She closed her eyes and breathed deep, telling herself she was gathering herself to move. If she also happened to imprint the sense memory of Gio in her brain, no one needed to know.
There. She was ready to move. She opened her eyes and straightened her spine. ‘Thank you—’
