Wish Upon a Star

How embarrassing was that?

What had possessed her to behave like that?

It was true that she and Alessandro had always been very physically compatible, but they’d always kept their passion for each other behind closed doors.

Tonight she’d thought about nothing except the desperate need to have him make love to her. And for her it had all been about love.

Whereas he’d thought about nothing but possession.

With a sniff and a determined lift of her chin, she stood up and turned back to the case and then froze when she saw Alessandro standing in the doorway.

His glossy hair was dusted with snow and his dark jaw shadowed by stubble. At some point—had it been before or after they’d had sex?—he’d undone his bow-tie and it was now draped carelessly around his neck, the open collar of his shirt revealing a tantalising hint of bronzed skin and curling dark body hair. ‘You’re not leaving.’

She closed her eyes to block out the vision of perfect masculinity. ‘This is never going to work, Alessandro. I’m going to sleep at my mother’s tonight.’

She didn’t trust herself to behave normally in front of the children.

He didn’t love her. He saw her as a possession and the mother of his children. Not as a woman.

‘It’s worked for the past twelve years.’ He kicked the door shut behind him and she opened her eyes, startled by the raw pain she saw in his dark eyes.

‘Alessandro—’

‘I told myself that if you loved Jake then I’d let you go, but now I find that I can’t do that.’

She gaped at him. ‘I don’t love Jake.’

‘You were kissing him. You’re always confiding in him.’

‘He was kissing me,’ she corrected swiftly, ‘and I confide in him because he listens.’

Alessandro’s eyes darkened. ‘And I don’t?’

‘Well, no.’ She refused to be intimidated by the black expression on his face. ‘No, you don’t. You never show any interest in me as a woman any more.’

He sucked in a long breath. ‘I admit that I may have made mistakes in our relationship.’ He jerked his bow-tie from his neck and flung it onto the bed. ‘But I think I at least deserve another chance.’

She stared at him. ‘Was that an apology?’ In twelve years she’d never known Alessandro apologise for anything. ‘Are you actually admitting that you might be in the wrong?’

He took a deep breath. ‘You should not have left and taken the children,’ he growled, ‘but, yes, I’m willing to admit that my behaviour may have fallen short of perfect.’

She wanted to laugh. As far as apologies went it was pretty pathetic, but for Alessandro it was a major step forward.

She dropped the suitcase on the floor of the bedroom. ‘So what are you suggesting?’

His jacket joined the bow tie on the bed. ‘Christmas is a week away. I want us to try again—we owe it to the children.’

Was that why he was doing this? Was it all about the children?

‘All right.’ Her heart was thudding. ‘But there are rules.’

‘Rules?’

‘I carry on working in A and E and I go out with the mountain rescue team and you stop frowning and glaring at me—’

‘I don’t frown and glare.’

‘You frown and glare.’