Couldn’t he see that?
Did he care?
And how on earth had these two ended up at such loggerheads...?
She was curious. She shouldn’t be but she was. She was waved aside when she offered to walk Roberto up the stairs and it was only when he had disappeared from sight that she felt the power of Alessandro’s presence wrap around her like a stranglehold.
In the busyness of leaving the house and driving to the restaurant and then doing her utmost to carry the conversation to any topic that would demonstrate Roberto’s ties to the community, she had forgotten how uncomfortable she felt in the dress.
Now, as those dark eyes settled on her, she had to stop herself from tugging it down.
‘Drink?’ He looked at her for a few seconds. She was wearing a dress that was never going to win prizes at a fashion show. It was an awkward length and, twinned with serviceable boots, gave the impression of someone who wasn’t into clothes. His was a rich diet of catwalk models but he had still found his eyes straying time and time again over dinner to the way the fabric stretched over her full breasts, the way the neckline offered just a glimpse of cleavage, enough for his imagination to take flight. ‘Because I’m guessing that the only reason you volunteered to come in was because there’s something you want to say to me. A stiff gin and tonic might move things along.’
Laura scowled. With no Roberto around, he was back to being the arrogant, obnoxious guy who thought it was amusing to needle her. She could also tell from the way his eyes had skimmed over her that he found her get-up funny—the dress, which hadn’t seen the light of day since London, and even then had only been worn once, the boots, which were sturdy, useful and most of all warm, but hardly the height of fashion.
He headed towards the kitchen and she traipsed along behind him. In a dark jumper and dark trousers, he was just impossibly sexy and she really resented the way she even noticed that when she didn’t want to. She halted at the door and watched as he sauntered towards a cupboard, fetched two squat glasses and poured them both a drink.
‘So,’ he drawled, handing her a glass, ‘are you going to remain standing by the door like a sentry or are you going to sit down and say what you have to say?’
His fingers had brushed against hers and every muscle and nerve in her body had reacted.
‘You never mentioned how long you intended staying here...’ She inched her way towards the table and sat down. The first sip of the gin and tonic was pretty frightful but the second sip was much better and helped her relax.
‘Undecided. Why? Do I make you feel uncomfortable? I wouldn’t want to put a spoke in the wheel, but...’ he shrugged, sipped his drink and looked at her over the rim of his glass ‘...needs must.’
‘What needs?’
‘That’s a somewhat leading question, wouldn’t you say?’ If they were referring to his needs, then he might very well meet them by staying.
He had a vivid image of her in his bed, sprawled in all her glorious, lush beauty, her delicate, heart-shaped face heated with desire, her body his for the taking. He imagined her huge, green eyes riveted to his nakedness, her arms spread wide, her legs likewise...
Blood surged through him and he felt a fast, hard, painful erection.
‘You were desperate for me to discover the ins and outs of my father’s busy life here and if I’m to do that I’m going to have to rely on more than a question-and-answer session.’ His voice was terse as he dispelled the sudden eroticism of his thoughts. ‘For starters, answering questions has never been my father’s speciality. When it comes to answering personal questions...well, put it this way, I don’t foresee him putting out the welcome mat. Father-and-son chats have just never gone down that road.’
‘Why?’
‘Come again?’
‘You should be able to have an honest, heart-to-heart conversation with Roberto when it comes to something as important as this. He should tell you why he doesn’t want to move to London.’
‘And yet, as you’ve seen for yourself, that sort of explanation hasn’t been forthcoming, which is why I’ve gone ahead and done what I’ve considered best all round.’