Italian Doctor, Sleigh-Bell Bride (Lakeside Mountain Rescue 6)

Liv stood at the top of the sweeping staircase that led down to the ballroom. ‘Oh my goodness, it’s so pretty. I feel really Christmassy all of a sudden.’

Beneath her the room sparkled with festive lights and every table was sprinkled with tiny silver stars and decorated with generous bunches of holly and mistletoe. In the centre of the room a Christmas tree rose up towards the ceiling and a huge star rotated slowly, sending shards of light across the dance floor.

A jazz band was playing Christmas songs to welcome the guests and Liv smiled, so caught up in the excitement of the atmosphere and the sheer indulgence of the moment that it took her a moment to realise that the hum of conversation had dipped and that everyone was staring at her.

‘Oh…’ Her courage faltered slightly and then she felt Stefano’s hand cover hers.

‘You’re stunning. That’s why they’re staring.’ His tone was amused as he smiled down at her and his smile was so intimate and sexy that she couldn’t look away.

‘They’re probably wondering how long it’s going to take me to fall out of this dress,’ she muttered. ‘I don’t want to create a spectacle.’

With a slow, deliberate movement, he pulled her against him and brought his mouth down on hers, kissing her in full view of the entire hospital staff. His kiss was as skilled as it had been that first time and Liv melted like wax under a flame, oblivious to the stir they were causing. It was only when Stefano reluctantly lifted his head that she realised that a dreamy silence had descended on the ballroom. And everyone was still staring.

‘I was trying to stay out of the limelight,’ she said in a strangled voice. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’

‘Staking my claim,’ Stefano said calmly, leading her down the stairs. He stopped a waiter, helped himself to two glasses of champagne and handed her one. ‘Every man in the room was looking at you. I just wanted to make it clear that you’re mine.’ His possessive declaration made her stomach flip.

‘I’m not yours!’

‘Not yet…’ The devil danced in his eyes as he lifted his glass in a silent toast. ‘But you will be, tesoro.’

His words robbed her of thought and breath and Liv forgot about the people watching them. Standing in the full glare of his appreciative masculine gaze, she felt truly beautiful. And desperately nervous. He really did seem to be suggesting that—He was implying—

‘I’ve been living under your roof for two weeks and you…’ she licked her lips ‘…you haven’t—’

‘No, I haven’t.’ His eyes held hers and a faint smile touched his mouth. ‘Max was understandably unsettled by all the changes and I didn’t want to make things worse by introducing yet another new factor into his life. I’m assuming from Anna’s comments about your sex life that he isn’t used to seeing you with a man.’

‘So is this what tonight is all about? Are you delivering Anna’s Christmas present?’

‘This has nothing to do with Anna.’ Stefano lifted a lean brown hand and gently brushed his fingers over her cheek. ‘This is about us. I’m doing what I’ve wanted to do since the first moment I laid eyes on you. The past fortnight has been a real test of willpower, believe me.’

Liv had to force herself to breathe. Stefano Lucarelli wanted her. This staggeringly handsome, rich, sophisticated man wanted her. And this time she didn’t doubt his sincerity because it shimmered in his eyes in a blaze of raw sexuality.

She felt light-headed, dizzy and ecstatic, as if she’d just swallowed the entire glass of champagne in one gulp. Having lived like a nun for four long years, believing that no man would ever find her attractive again, it was a heady experience to suddenly have an incredibly sexy man looking at her in the way Stefano was looking at her. The fact that he wanted her filled her with elation and trepidation.

He didn’t love her, she knew that.

She wasn’t going to fool herself that for him it was anything more than sexual attraction.

But what was it for her?

She didn’t know. She certainly hadn’t contemplated another relationship.

And while he was looking at her the way he was looking at her, she couldn’t think rationally.

Maybe it didn’t matter, she thought helplessly.

Even if she only had this one night, maybe that was just what she needed. Proof that she was an attractive woman. A boost to her confidence.

He was still holding her, his strong hand in the centre of her back, his thumb stroking her bare flesh as the chemistry devoured them both. His head was bent towards hers, and she found herself mesmerised by the sheer masculinity of his features. His face was lean and handsome and his jaw was already showing the beginnings of dark shadow, but what really held her attention was the heat in his eyes.

The atmosphere between them was so charged that Liv couldn’t think straight. Trying to catch her breath, she placed her hand in the centre of his chest and felt the steady thud of his heart under her fingers. For a moment she was totally lost in him, transfixed by the look in his eyes, seduced by the feel of hard male muscle and warm skin.

Neither of them said a word and yet with look and touch they shared something impossibly intimate and she knew that had they not been in public, it would have been now. Right now. Right here.

Stefano said something in Italian and released her with obvious reluctance, and she sensed the sudden dramatic increase in his tension levels.

Breathless, excited and dizzy with longing, Liv was wondering why he’d let her go when she realised that everyone was sitting down to dinner.