Where the hell did it end? Did he need her to remind him that the rules of the game precluded certain things?
‘Call it making polite conversation,’ he offered with cool politeness.
‘I overreacted. It’s just that...’
‘No need to explain yourself. I’m basically not interested in your past. Like I said, small talk...’
Chase was silenced. Of course he was basically not interested in her past. He was basically not interested in her. He was utterly focused on one thing and one thing only. She nodded, nonchalantly indicating that she understood, that she shared the same sentiment.
When he began telling her about some of the complex legalities of the deal he had just pulled off, she let herself slide smoothly into career-woman mode, and then the conversation flowed faultlessly onto the subject of Beth and the shelter. It was a happy story and Chase felt herself once again relax. This was an odd situation but she could handle it, just as long as she didn’t start feeling angst over stuff, just as long as she maintained the composed exterior that was so much part and parcel of her personality. She couldn’t let herself forget that she wanted this as much as he did. They both had their demons to put to rest.
They landed at Cristoforo Colombo Airport at Genova Sestri to a brilliant day. The wall-to-wall blue skies, which had no longer been in evidence in London after their brief appearance, were here in full force. As soon as they stepped into the waiting limo, she could feel a heady holiday spirit fill her.
‘It’s been ages since I’ve been away,’ she confided as she settled back to watch the stunning scenery gallop past from the back of the car. ‘In fact...’ she turned to him ‘...my only trip abroad in the past few years has been a snatched week at a spa resort in Greece.’
‘In that case, I shall make it my mission to see that you enjoy every second of my country...when and if we have the time; bed can be remarkably compulsive with the right companion in it.’ His dark eyes roved over her face, encompassing her luscious body, enjoying the delicate bloom of colour that tinged her cheeks.
This holiday would put an end to the game playing which he had sworn he wouldn’t tolerate, yet had ended up indulging that one night which should have seen this uncontrollable passion slayed. As she had pointed out in a timely reminder, this wasn’t about getting to know one another, this was about sex. Getting to know one another had been a pointless game which he had mistakenly played a long time ago, little knowing that he had been the only participant.
This time round, there’d be no more messing around and taking things at a snail’s pace. He would move only as slowly as he felt necessary to get her where he wanted her—which was out of his system so that he could return to normality.
Vaguely annoyed at the contrary drift of his thoughts, he was aware of telling her about the Italian Riviera, on autopilot, pointing out the grandeur of the mountainous landscape in such close and unusual proximity to the sea, giving her a little bit of history about the place. His voice warmed as he described the vast olive grove plantations stretching across the hills, vast tracts of which had once been owned by his ancestors, only to disappear over the years, mismanaged and sold off in bits and pieces—the last by his parents, who had needed the money in their quest for eternal fun.
‘You could always come back here...buy more olive groves. It’s so beautiful; I can’t see why you would want to live in London.’ Not even in her wildest, escapist fantasies could she ever have dreamt up somewhere as beautiful as this. The landscape was bold and dramatic, the colours bright and vibrant. Everywhere was bursting with incredible, Technicolor beauty. Alessandro might have had irresponsible parents but it had to be said that, whatever he had gone through, he had gone through it in some style.
‘I have a house here. It’s where we’re going.’
‘But how often do you visit it?’
‘As you’ll be the first to agree, taking time out gets in the way of a career.’
Chase bristled at the implicit criticism in his remark. It reminded her that what they shared was simply a truce but, behind that truce, there was a lot he just didn’t like about her. ‘My career is important to me.’
‘I’ve gathered.’
‘You say that as though you disapprove of women who work.’
‘On the contrary. Some of the highest positions in my company are occupied by women.’
‘But you would never actually go out with a woman who had a career...’
Alessandro shot her a sidelong glance. The car was air-conditioned but he had chosen to have the windows opened and the breeze blew through her hair, tossing it across her face in unruly strands. She was no longer the high-powered lawyer with the pristine appearance. She was the girl he had once known and he railed against the pull of memories. ‘There’s little I find attractive about a woman who puts her career first.’