by SJ
Just then Giovanni returned and Emily sipped gratefully from the glass of water he handed her, leaning forward slightly to watch him as he placed the ice pack, which he’d wrapped in a small towel, around her foot.
‘This will help,’ he said, supporting it in place with two cushions. ‘And presently I’ll go and fetch the car and take you back to the hotel.’ He paused. ‘Do you have an early start tomorrow? What time’s your flight?’
‘Two p.m., if I remember rightly,’ Emily replied, feeling suddenly as if she were in a dream. The whole day had turned out so unexpectedly, she thought…and being with Giovanni for so much of it was the most unexpected thing of all. But she knew that she’d enjoyed every minute of it, had enjoyed being with this—all right, say it, she told herself—being with this heart-throb of masculinity. And even now, being here with him in his flat, was rather unbelievable. It was certainly nothing which she could have anticipated.
He was still kneeling on the floor beside her, pressing the ice pack more firmly against her foot now and then, and looking up at her occasionally with that special sensuous smile which Emily was getting used to, and which had the effect of sending delicious shivers down her spine. She looked over his shoulder, nodding at the photographs on display. ‘Are you fond of photography?’ she asked casually, hoping he’d tell her who all the people were in the pictures. Tell her who that girl was.
‘Oh—off and on,’ he replied non-committally. ‘I’m not someone who likes to snap away at everything in sight and clutter up my home with hundreds of albums, that’s for sure.’ He leaned back slightly. ‘But it’s my mother who’s snap-happy. She keeps giving me fresh ones to put on show.’
Emily glanced up at him quickly as he spoke. Something in his tone, something in the unusually dark expression flickering across his features made her wish she hadn’t shown any interest in his belongings. He’d already intimated that there was some friction somewhere in the family…
And Giovanni, acutely aware of Emily’s vulnerable presence so near to him, couldn’t help thinking how ironic the situation was. She was a beautiful woman, he enjoyed her company, enjoyed everything about her, had already imagined what it would be like to make love to her—and here she was, lying on his sofa with a sprained ankle! How different it might have been if he could have invited her here for an intimate meal, if they could have talked long into the night, and then, later, much later, from the comfort of his king-size bed, could have watched the dawn break together. Some hopes!
After a while, Emily slid off the chaise longue and gingerly tried putting her foot to the floor—and, thankfully, Giovanni’s treatment had worked like a miracle.
‘It’s fine now—really,’ she said, looking up at him. ‘Thank you, Dr Giovanni. I’ll be OK now.’
He had got to his feet, still holding her protectively around the waist, then stood back. ‘That’s good-you stay right here and I’ll fetch the car,’ he said.
While he was gone, Emily limped over to the cabinet and peered closely at the girl in the picture. Her facial expression was so lively that Emily felt she could discern what the girl was thinking when that shot was taken. Whoever she was, Emily thought, she was a living part of this room. A presence. No wonder she had pride of place, right there in front of all the others.
Emily turned away, shrugging slightly. So what? What did it matter to her, anyway?
CHAPTER FOUR
‘WELL, you’ve certainly made a night of it!’ Coral exclaimed. ‘Do you realize what the time is-I was beginning to get worried,’ she teased.
Coral was sitting up in bed, half dozing, half reading, but now that Emily had returned she soon became fully awake and ready for a long chat. ‘Come on,’ she said. ‘Where did you go…and was the sumptuous Giovanni good company—or shouldn’t I ask?’
At this point Emily wished with all her heart that she had her own room, rather than sharing. She definitely did not feel like giving Coral a blow-by-blow account of the last few hours. But she knew she wasn’t going to be let off easily.
‘Oh—we had dinner in a lovely restaurant,’ she said casually, ‘and there was a pianist playing all my favourite numbers.’ She went across to the bathroom. ‘But how about you? Did Nico come up to expectations?’
Coral couldn’t wait to pour out all the details. ‘Ellie, he is just gorgeous! We strolled all around the city—to places you and I haven’t been to—and we stopped by the Trevi Fountain and I threw a coin in and made a wish! Then we sat outside at a small restaurant and had a nice meal—nothing too extravagant, of course, because I don’t think he’s rich or anything, but Emmy he was so…so…special. So attentive. Made me feel like a princess,’ she added somewhat wistfully. ‘I mean, Steve never treated me like that, ever—but Nico, he did, and he was so charming…wanted to know all about me, what I did, where I lived.’ She paused for breath. ‘And, guess what—he’s going to come to England—maybe next month, especially to see me! What do you think of that?’ She flopped back on her pillow. ‘I never dreamed for a second that I’d meet someone—anyone—who could make me feel so…so…romantic.’ She looked up at Emily. ‘I think I’m in love. Do you think I’m mad?’
‘Yes,’ Emily replied, going into the bathroom and shutting the door firmly.
She switched on the shower and stood under the rush of warm water for several moments before beginning to soap herself gently. Coral was so—so—suggestible, she thought, so ready to read something into nothing. Of course, Nico seemed a nice enough man, but he was young—significantly younger than Coral—and he was obviously cutting his emotional teeth on this impressionable Englishwoman—and she would not have been the first, either. And now Coral was letting herself believe that she was about to have the grand love affair! Honestly!
Emily stepped out of the shower and started towelling herself briskly, feeling distinctly rattled. Suddenly, she didn’t want to be here. Then she paused, glancing at herself in the mirror as she rubbed gently at her soaking wet hair. She knew very well why she was feeling suddenly miserable and deflated. And it was nothing to do with Coral’s enthusiastic and immature reactions, either. It was everything to do with Signor Giovanni Boselli—how could she have allowed him to get to her so easily, to engender feelings in her that she thought she had got well under control? Emily realized how easily she had fallen under his spell—the dangerous spell of a handsome Italian who was obviously well practised at flattering the opposite sex. He’d certainly made her feel special—as no doubt he’d done with that girl in the photograph. And plenty of others like her.
She took her gown from the hook on the door and went back into the bedroom. Coral was still awake and Emily knew that there’d have to be more lively chat before sleep was allowed. Reaching for the hairdryer, she tried to smile brightly.
‘So—has Nico been to the UK before?’ she asked. ‘Does he know anyone over there?’
‘Not a soul,’ Coral said, ‘so I said he could stay with us—it would only be for a week or so, Ellie.’
Emily made a face. ‘Coral—you shouldn’t be quite so free with your invites,’ she said. ‘We only have the extra sofa bed in the sitting room, remember.’
‘I told him that, and he said that would be great.’ Coral sighed. ‘He’s going to teach me Italian,’ she said. ‘That’s what we were doing over dinner. I’ve learned a few phrases already.’ She sat up, drawing her knees to her chin. ‘Now, tell me more about Giovanni…I can’t believe that my evening was more exciting than yours.’
Emily filled in a few details, describing the moment that she’d fallen down, but when she went on to say that she’d been to Giovanni’s flat, that was something else!
‘You went to his place? Ellie! No wonder you were a bit slow telling me that! What was it like—and what was he like?’
‘I have no idea what you’re implying,’ Emily said loftily, ‘but his flat is in a luxury block—and it was quite sparsely furnished, but all obviously very well planned and very expensive.’ She pause
d. ‘And the only human contact we had while I was there was when he continued pressing a huge ice pack on my foot. Very romantic,’ she said sarcastically.
‘That was bad luck—you twisting that ankle again, Ellie,’ Coral said seriously. ‘It’s about the third time you’ve done that lately, isn’t it…and next time the gorgeous Giovanni may not be there to rescue you!’
They had plenty of time to spare the next morning, so after a leisurely breakfast Emily and Coral packed their belongings and went down to the hall to await the taxi which would take them to the airport.
‘It’s Nico’s day off today,’ Coral said, glancing across at the reception desk, which was being manned by yet another good-looking Italian. ‘Where do they get all these men?’ she added, lowering her voice. ‘Just look at him!’
Emily sighed. ‘I think it’s high time we got back to London and reality,’ she said. But she was relieved to find that this morning she herself felt more grounded, more normal. She realized that being away from home, with sunshine and good food and wine, could all be a heady combination and, although it would be a long time before she’d forget Giovanni’s mesmerizing gaze, today she was totally in control once more. Today she wasn’t experiencing those ridiculous schoolgirl feelings that she’d felt last night…The only physical hurt that remained was a slight twinge in her ankle now and then. Just enough to make her careful where she walked.
They arrived at the airport in good time and after they’d checked in Coral announced that she was going to use the Ladies’ room.
This was not nearly so crowded a place as Heathrow, Emily thought as she stared around her—and the gathering queues seemed to be mostly holidaymakers. Glancing up at the monitors, she saw that their flight number had not yet been announced—but there was plenty of time, she thought idly.
Suddenly, to her total astonishment, she saw Giovanni. He was standing at the far end of the hall looking around him, and for a few seconds Emily didn’t get up from her seat, aware that her heart was fluttering madly again…Well, he had to be the most fantastically attractive man in the building—in the universe, she could have added—so why wouldn’t any woman’s heart beat just that little bit faster? And how did he always manage to look so elegant—even in casual clothes?
She got up then and walked across to him slowly. He spotted her almost immediately and his face broke into a wide grin as he quickened his pace to come and stand by her side. He was holding an elegant spray of red roses. Emily was the first to speak.
‘Giovanni…’ she began, trying not to sound breathless. ‘What…what are you doing here?’ she said, though the answer was pretty obvious. The way he was looking down at her spoke volumes.
‘I just had to see how you were today, Emilee-a,’ he replied easily. He wasn’t going to say that he’d lain awake most of the night, thinking about her. Wanting her. He put his hand lightly on her shoulder. ‘Your ankle…I was worried that this morning it would not be good—that you might have difficulty walking.’ He paused, then handed her the flowers. ‘For you,’ he said simply. ‘To say sorry.’
Emily took the flowers from him, then bent her head to smell them. They were fragrant and perfectly shaped. She looked up at Giovanni. ‘To say sorry? What for, Giovanni?’ she asked.
‘I felt responsible, Emily,’ he said. ‘You trusted yourself to my care last night, and I should have spotted that loose stone…I should have prevented you from falling.’
Emily smiled up at him. ‘Of course you shouldn’t, Giovanni, it was my own silly fault,’ she said quickly. ‘I told you, it’s happened before. You’d think I’d be more careful!’ She looked down at the roses again. ‘But I can’t say I’m sorry that you’ve brought me these beautiful roses! Thank you—thank you so much, Giovanni. They’re lovely.’ She paused. ‘But you really must not feel guilty. I should have looked where I was going.’
Although she hadn’t imagined for a moment that she would be seeing him today, Emily couldn’t help feeling flattered—and excited—that he’d turned up, despite the talking-to she’d given herself earlier about the perils of being in the company of gorgeous Italians. But it was really good of him to be so considerate, she thought. And, anyway, he was only being kind.
Just then Coral appeared, and when she saw the pair standing together, her reaction was fairly predictable. ‘Goodness me…Gio…’ she began, her eyes wide, and Emily cut in quickly.
‘Giovanni was worried that I might be crippled this morning,’ she said, ‘so he just looked in to make sure I was…everything was…OK. Wasn’t that thoughtful of him?’
‘Very thoughtful,’ Coral said, her interested gaze going from one to the other with unashamed interest. ‘Don’t worry, Gio,’ she said, ‘I’ll make sure that Ellie gets home safe and sound.’
Giovanni looked down at Coral with his usual disarming smile.
Presently, it was time for them to go through to the departure lounge, and for Giovanni to take his leave.
‘Safe travelling,’ he murmured, his gaze lingering on Emily’s upturned face. ‘I’ll…be in touch, Emilee-a,’ he added softly.
‘Goodbye, Giovanni,’ she said, ‘and thank you so much…again.’
Then he turned and walked rapidly away without a backward glance, and Coral stared at his retreating back. ‘What a yummy Italian,’ she said sadly. ‘You’ve made a hit there, Ellie. He couldn’t take his eyes off you.’
‘Rubbish,’ Emily said. ‘He’s just that sort…He was really concerned about me falling down last night, felt it was all his fault. That’s the only reason he bothered to find me today. Just to make sure.’
When they got back home, Coral left for her parents’ house and Emily took Giovanni’s card from her bag and dialled his mobile phone number. Well, it was only polite…They’d barely had chance to say goodbye properly. He answered almost immediately and when he heard who was calling he said, ‘Ah…Emilee-e-a,’ with just that lingering intonation at the end of her name which had the familiar effect of making her knees feel slightly shaky.
‘Giovanni,’ she said quickly. ‘I thought…I thought you’d like to know that we got home safely but really I want to thank you again for the roses…They are absolutely lovely. You shouldn’t have spoiled me like that. But thank you so much…What have I done to deserve them?’
There was a moment’s hesitation before he answered. ‘All beautiful women deserve to be spoiled,’ he said easily, and Emily shook her head briefly. She wondered how many times he’d used that one before.
He cleared his throat. ‘I’m glad you called, Emily, because I’ve just heard that I need to be in the UK next week—just for a few days. It would be good to see you,’ he added.
Emily bit her lip. This felt all wrong—it was wrong—and she knew it. During the flight home, she’d made up her mind that she wasn’t letting this—association—with Giovanni go any further. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him as a person—it was more to do with not trusting herself, and relationships in general. The problem was, he’d said he sometimes came to the UK so it was obvious that they’d meet up—something told her he’d make sure of that! And each time they did would make it more difficult…difficult to refuse to see him, and even more difficult to deny herself the pleasure! And, in any case, with the choice of women he so obviously would have, she’d soon slip down his list of priorities. No, thanks, she wasn’t going down that road again, she thought firmly.
She waited before answering, trying to find the right words. She’d so enjoyed herself yesterday evening—the meal, the atmosphere in the restaurant, the slow stroll afterwards—even if it had ended rather dramatically. And she remembered all too clearly the feel of his arms around her, holding her so protectively after she’d fallen, remembered the feel of his hands, warm and consoling as he’d massaged her ankle in that firm but gentle caress. She cleared her throat.
‘It’s been really great to have met you, to have known you, Giovanni,’ she said, adding softly, ‘I’ve…enjoyed it. But I’m goin
g to be very busy at work next week, so I don’t think we’ll be able to meet up. Sorry.’
Giovanni grinned to himself. He knew a rebuttal when he met it.
‘No worries,’ he said easily. ‘I understand.’ And, after chatting for a few more minutes, they finished the call and he rang off. And Emily sat where she was for several moments, staring at the phone. Well, that was easy enough, she thought. He had accepted her very firm refusal to see him again with no attempt to make her change her mind. He hadn’t even bothered to prolong their conversation, keeping it short and sweet. She shrugged. Oh, well, it had been an experience, being with him for that brief interlude.
Standing by the window in his flat, a slow smile spread over Giovanni’s dark features. The challenge ahead excited him. So, Signorina Emily was going to give him a run for his money, was she? Give him a hard time. But he was up for it, and he knew he’d win in the end. She liked him—he was sure of that—even fancied him, just a little. So he’d have to work hard at heightening any feelings she already had for him, until they burned with the same passion that he admitted, quite unashamedly, he had felt for her from the very first moment they’d met at the shop. She had seemed to light up the space around her with a kind of magic…and he’d wanted to be close enough to her to share in it. And he still felt exactly the same now—nothing had changed. But maybe he was changing, he thought, thanks to almost six months of complete rest from all the pressures, all the hurt that had weighed him down so relentlessly.