English Rose for the Sicilian Doc

Neither of them moved, as if wanting to hold on to this brief closeness for one moment more. Then they heard a voice from the patio, and Matteo swiftly stepped back, turning towards the countertop.

‘Mum.’ William ran inside. ‘Don’t you want to see?’

‘Yes, of course I do...’ Rose took a breath, almost choking on it. ‘We’ll get some lemonade, and I’ll come and take a look at what you’ve found.

* * *

They ate on the patio, a glass of red wine from the bottle that Nannu Alberto had brought, along with the best pizza that Rose had ever tasted. Then Matteo sent her back upstairs to work while he did the washing up.

Fifteen minutes later he appeared at the doorway of his study, two cups of coffee in his hands. Putting them down on the desk, he pulled up a chair.

‘What do you think?’ Rose had been staring at it for a while now, getting to know the emerging shape of the face and deciding what to do next.

‘It looks great.’ He sat down. ‘Nannu Alberto and William are both having a snooze downstairs.’

Rose laughed. ‘My son’s getting more like your grandfather every day.’

‘Frightening, isn’t it? But it gives us a chance to get on...’ Matteo was looking at the model, frowning slightly in concentration. ‘You’ve done the basic shape of the neck and shoulders.’

‘Yes. I was hoping you might help with building up the muscle groups, I’m a little hazy on what goes on below the chin.’

‘Really?’ He gave her a smouldering look, laughing as Rose shot him a hard stare.

‘I’m sure you have a diagram somewhere.’

‘I’m sure I do.’ He got to his feet, walking over to a row of thick, heavy medical books, running his fingers across the spines and pulling one from the shelf. ‘Here we go, skeletal and muscular systems.’

‘Sounds perfect. Find the page on necks and we can get started.’

* * *

It had been a good day. A great day. Matteo wondered what would have happened if William and Nannu Alberto hadn’t been there. Another kiss maybe. More?

He dismissed the idea, staring out at the dark sea. There had been more than enough opportunity to kiss Rose, he’d been alone in his study with her for almost two hours before the crashing downstairs had indicated that William and Nannu Alberto were back from their afternoon beachcombing trip and had decided to lay waste to his kitchen.

But today had been about things that were much more important. Showing Rose that she could trust him, and that he wouldn’t make her choose between him and the other things that were important in her life. Tending the bright shimmer that had ignited between them the moment she’d pulled him down and kissed him, and nurturing it into a flame.

So he hadn’t kissed her, and somehow the closeness had grown between them even more than if he had. Sharing a common goal. Watching her work while William dozed on the sofa after Nannu Alberto had gone home. It was a closeness that had been fed by distance.

It probably wouldn’t last, though. Rose clearly didn’t want to risk a relationship any more than he did, and one or the other of them would back off soon enough. Or maybe they wouldn’t. Maybe they’d share something more, keeping it discreet and away from William, so that no one could be hurt.

The thought almost made Matteo gasp as his heart beat faster. Feeling her body against his, pushing back against his strength, to make something so sweet and heady that he’d be lost in her arms. His fingers jerked suddenly on the arm of his chair, as if reacting to the sensation of a touch.

He shook his head. He’d go for a swim and then go to bed, because tomorrow would be another early start. Rose would be coming to finish the model and this time she was going to be alone.

* * *

William was going to a children’s party, along with Elena’s children, so she’d have the whole day to work. The idea of taking the model back up to the site and finishing it there was unthinkable. This was Matteo’s project, just as much as hers. They’d started it together and they’d finish it together. Rose drove to Matteo’s house and he greeted her fresh from the shower and still a little sleepy-eyed as he ushered her through to the kitchen.

Two breakfast pastries were on a plate. Just enough and no more. She’d learned that Matteo didn’t keep things like that, preferring to get up a little earlier and buy fresh. Just enough coffee beans, ready to grind. The day that Matteo used coffee that had been ground yesterday would be the day that anything could happen.

‘I can’t wait to see how the model’s looking.’ He was taking his time over making coffee, but that was Matteo. His sense of urgency seemed to revolve around moving straight from one thing to the next, rather than rushing anything.

‘Didn’t you see it last night? It’ll be much the same this morning.’

‘I won’t be.’ He turned and grinned. ‘Fresh eyes. The same as when you paint a room, you have to wait until the following morning to see the real effect of it.’

He was right. When they’d carried their coffee upstairs and Rose removed the wrappings, her breath caught in her throat.