‘Toni?’ he whispered as he slipped inside the room.
There was no response.
He pulled off his shirt and groped for the blanket in the darkness, waiting for her to roll over and say something, but she didn’t. ‘Toni?’
As his eyes adjusted to the faint moonlight, he made out her face, her features smooth and slack, her mouth slightly open. She was sound asleep. Gabri was a little disappointed. But at least it eased his dilemma as he climbed into bed as quietly as he could.
Maybe they could snuggle in the morning, except – darn. He’d promised a foraging trip. She hadn’t come to his island just to see the inside of his bedroom.
17
When Toni was jolted awake the following morning, she was so befuddled, she felt as though she’d woken up in someone else’s body. Her blood seemed to pump differently. Her core temperature was somehow higher than usual, as though she’d been sleeping in direct sunlight.
Immediate concerns and long-term worries were miles away – back on the mainland. Ah, she remembered she was on an island in the glistening Tyrrhenian Sea. And someone was shaking her awake rather roughly.
‘Hey!’ She blinked her eyes open to find the face that was strikingly familiar already: blue eyes under a furrowed brow, soft lips that didn’t smile enough. ‘If I’d known this was how you’d wake me up, I wouldn’t have invited you to share the bed.’
She didn’t remember him coming to bed. Had he even joined her? She’d been wary of the intimacy of sleeping next to each other, especially when the last person who’d shared her bed was her son. Last night had been only the third time she’d slept all night with a man in over nine years, and she didn’t remember a thing. Now Gabri was up and dressed and waking her as though she were a lazy teenager.
‘You wanted to go foraging, yes? It will be hot later,’ he said, his tone far too rational.
‘All right, all right,’ she said with a groan, rolling away and stretching slowly, out of contrariness.
The muffled sound that came from behind her made her glance over her shoulder to find Gabri’s head on an angle, his gaze moving avidly up her bare legs. ‘Is that what you were wearing all night?’ His voice was high.
A pleasant flush rippled up her chest. ‘Do you regret getting out of bed now?’
The mattress dipped as he kneeled next to her, slipping a hand up her thigh before propping himself above her – thrilling, but too far away. ‘I regretted getting out of bed the moment I did it,’ he said gravely, his serious expression making Toni smile.
He dropped a light kiss on her lips, then her cheek, sliding to her neck, which sent goosebumps blooming up her arms. Then he forced himself back up with a groan.
‘Your decision, Toni. But I don’t want to see this beautiful skin sunburnt.’
Beautiful skin, she repeated doubtfully in her mind. ‘All right. Let’s go – after a cup of coffee.’
With another quick kiss that was nowhere near enough to feed this new, sensual being inside her, he flashed her a real smile. ‘Of course. Coffee is already on the table.’
‘For next time,thatis the way to wake me up.’ She scooted out of bed, heading straight for the door without bothering to change out of her pyjamas – especially not if he was going to admire her legs again.
‘Noted,’ he said in a clipped tone, ‘if a little disappointing.’ Although his expression was as serious as ever, she could tell in his voice he was smiling.
Instead of taking the zippy electric Fiat, Gabri led her to a white moped with scratched paint that looked as though it had seen at least a decent part of the previous century. But Toni was thrilled because it meant she could settle on the cushion behind him and hold on tight.
The wind whipped her hair as the road zigzagged up from Marciana Marina, gaining altitude. She had the sea air at her back and the mountains rising before her, thickly forested, with pines poking their crowns out at the top. Behind her, the vast expanse of air over the sea.
A town loomed above, perched on the steep hillside. Toni craned her neck to take in the squat terraces rendered in a hundred shades, the cracks and faded lettering bearing witness to the years the town had clung to this spot, staring out to sea.
As they buzzed past the town, Toni glimpsed a paved piazza, flowerpots overflowing with petunias, and a handful of restaurants that promised rest and cold drinks.
‘We’ll come back there later,’ Gabri called over his shoulder, as though he’d read her thoughts. She wondered where he’d lived before coming here and what kind of work he’d done, that he’d learned about batteries and renewable energy – and why he’d given it up to become a florist.
Perhaps she’d have the courage to ask him now.
The road climbed farther, the sea on one side, far below. Although they were high up now, the trees were still thick and lush – and Toni guessed Gabri knew all of the different varieties.
He pulled the moped to a stop at one of the sharp turns in the road, by a set of charming buildings tucked into the hillside.He tugged off his helmet and Toni followed suit, watching him expectantly for an explanation.
‘Pit stop,’ he said cryptically, then yanked up her seat cushion to reveal the space beneath that was empty except for a few large plastic water bottles – empty bottles. ‘We just have to collect Napoleon’s water.’
