Her Italian Soldier

“I like being compared to him, but it makes for fireworks when he and I are on opposite sides of an issue.”

With a laugh she started the car and they were off. Lucca made a fabulous navigator and told her which roads to take for the most superb views. She chauffeured them through mountaintops and rows of grapevines blanketing the hillsides.

Hours later when darkness had fallen, they stopped for seafood at a charming fishing village outside Solerno, with its beach of black sand. The restaurant looked out over the water. People were dancing. Everything was perfect. Too perfect?

Afraid she was getting ahead of herself where Lucca was concerned, she didn’t want to make a mistake that could be fatal in the end. Already she sensed he meant far too much to her.

“Isn’t the fish to your liking?” He’d long since removed his sunglasses. His eyes traveled over her, taking their time.

“You know it is.”

“Then why do you look…anxious? Surely you’ve been out to dinner with other men since your divorce.”

“Only on business.”

“Is that the reason you can’t commit to staying on with me? Why do I get the feeling you’re concerned my father’s opinion of you will be altered in some way if you do?”

Annabelle stared at him over the flickering candle. Taking her courage in her hands she said, “Not just your father’s. Yours, too. You see, I’ve come to revere both of you.”

Revere was an interesting word, throwing Lucca for a loop. It went deeper than like or admire. Love didn’t come into it.

Her eyes had flecks of violet among the blue. Right now they stood out. Lucca had noticed they did that when she was in a highly emotional state.

He was damned if he could figure her out. While they were eating, he’d been tempted to dance with her, but the doctor had told him not to do that kind of activity yet. To his consternation, the face and body that had lain next to his for that short time the other night had taken hold of his mind and wouldn’t let go. After the time he’d been spending with her, he needed to feel her soft curves in his arms.

She smelled as good as the flowers surrounding the house. Better even, because she was a woman with her own feminine scent.

That time in the backseat of the car with her, the evening they did dishes together, the night when she’d arranged the pillows for his leg, he’d breathed in her essence. It filled him with longings more profound than those he’d felt with other women. He had the disturbing impression that one ni

ght’s possession of her body wouldn’t be enough for him.

The fact that he could admit it made him realize he was swimming in deep water himself. Never in his life had he been jealous of another man, but he suspected her ex-husband still had hold of some part of her heart. Otherwise she’d probably be married again by now or at least in a serious relationship.

She had that vulnerability about her that had brought out his father’s and Mel Jardine’s protective instincts. She brought out more emotions in Lucca than he’d felt in the whole of his life where another woman was concerned. Before she bewitched him completely, he pushed himself away from the table and got to his feet.

His gesture startled her. She jumped up, too. “Are you in pain?” she whispered softly.

Yes. But not the kind she was referring to. He put some bills on the table. “A little. It seems I was so eager to spend the day with you, I left the house without bringing my pills with me.”

A rose tint sprang to her cheeks. “Then we’ll hurry back.”

She turned and walked through the restaurant ahead of him, drawing the eye of every male in the place. Besides her long legs and other stunning attributes, her hair gleamed silvery-gold in the candle light, as if each strand gave off inner properties like the elements themselves.

When they reached the car, she opened the front door for him. The nurse in her proved to be ever attentive. Once he’d eased his sore leg in, she went around and started the motor. Was that all he represented to her? A patient?

The drive home didn’t take long. Neither of them spoke. He waited until they were back in the house and he’d taken another pill. She was on her way to the bedroom by the time he called to her from the hallway. She turned around, eyeing him with what he thought was mild trepidation.

“I enjoyed today, Annabelle.”

“So did I.”

“Knowing how you feel about my father, you need to hear that he ordered me to treat you like the princess you are. In other words, he gave his blessing because he has the highest regard for you and wants to trust me. With my reputation, which has had its moments of truth, I’m afraid I’m the one who has yet to prove myself worthy.”

That brought a smile. “So far I can vouch for you.” His jaw hardened. “Don’t count on that lasting too long. Would it shock you if I told you I’m a little frightened by the way you make me feel? Buona notte.”

Annabelle braced herself against the closed door, burying her face in her hands. Lucca, Lucca. Today he’d set her on fire with one look. Tonight at the restaurant when he’d helped her to the table, his touch had electrified her.

Given enough time she’d probably make an utter fool of herself with him. Intuition told her that once involved, she’d never want to get uninvolved. But she had to admit it was hard to walk away from him knowing he was still fragile.