Alessandro did want her at the launch. That much was clear. But why? Was she disrupting his plans by dictating her own terms? She certainly hoped so. It was probably about time he learnt he couldn’t have it all.
‘Very well. I will be as quick as I can.’ She made to move past him and he stepped back away from her, giving her room. So much room that anyone would think he didn’t want her near him, but the heavy hint of desire in his eyes gave an entirely different message.
‘I’m not going anywhere, cara.’ The silky softness of his voice stirred the throb of desire which still lingered inside her body. She clutched the door frame of the kitchen as if it was the only thing that would keep her upright.
‘I wouldn’t expect anything less from a man like you.’ Before he even had time to respond, she fled, dashing up the stairs to her room, enjoying the rush of anticipation that ran through her. She paused briefly. She’d always been excited by the prospect of jetting off when she’d worked for Seb’s team, but never had such a handsome man been part of the reason.
He’s not, she scolded herself and quickly changed, before applying light make-up. Then, with practised speed and efficiency, she packed a small bag, just enough for a few days in Italy. She’d shop for anything else she needed once there.
His expression of shock made her smile as she returned to the kitchen. He hadn’t expected that. At least it proved he didn’t know as much about her as he claimed.
‘Have you your passport?’ His accent was heavy as he moved towards her to take her bag.
His fingers grazed hers as she gave him the bag and heat scorched her skin. She looked up at him and a flush crept over her face. In his eyes she thought she saw desire, the same desire she was sure must be shining from hers. Would he see it? Recognise it?
She hoped not. From the first second her eyes had met his, the pull of attraction had been strong. With each passing minute it had strengthened, but she could not and would not act on it. To do so would be disloyal to Seb. Whatever had happened the night of the accident, this was Seb’s business partner.
She hesitated. Could she do this? Should she be considering going anywhere with this man? The desire he lit within her contrasted starkly with the anger she felt at her brother’s death. As far as she was concerned, he was the reason her brother had crashed.
She’d do well to remember that.
* * *
This was going to be harder than he’d imagined. Sandro took the case from Charlie, taking in her change of clothes. Heels, tight jeans of soft beige with a white blouse and dark brown jacket. Chic. Elegant. Not at all like the dishevelled gardener he’d met on arrival. She was now very much the woman he’d seen on television promoting Seb’s team. The woman he’d admired more and more as Seb had enthused about her.
Don’t go there. He pushed thoughts of her to the back of his mind, focusing instead on maintaining a businesslike manner. One that would keep her where she needed to be in his mind.
He watched as she opened a drawer and pulled out her passport.
‘I should really let my neighbour know I’m going away.’
He frowned, unsure where that comment was going. ‘Why is this?’
‘She’ll keep an eye on the place, water the garden.’ Absently she picked up her phone and began tapping quickly onto the screen. ‘At least for a few days.’
Garden, he pondered. That didn’t fit with the glamorous image she’d built up as she’d promoted the team. Had this cottage, this garden been her escape from the media frenzy that had followed? He knew well about the need to escape. It had been something he’d had to do twice in his life now.
‘You gave up your career to become a gardener?’
She turned to face him, putting her phone in her handbag at the same time. ‘Why is that so shocking?’
‘Seb never mentioned you were a gardener.’
‘It is something I’ve always enjoyed, but I didn’t feel the need to change my life before Seb’s accident.’ She looked up at him, her expression serious and focused. ‘Seb’s death changed all that. That’s why I want to know all he did that day. I have to understand why it happened.’
Each word echoed with her accusation, leaving him in no doubt she blamed him. The only other person who knew the truth was her father—and he’d insisted that she must never know all the details of Seb’s accident.
Thoughts of Seb grounded him and the urge to tell her everything, just to clear his name of blame in her eyes, was overwhelming. But he wasn’t doing this for himself; he was doing it for Seb. He would do well to remember that when he next thought of succumbing to the temptation of Charlie. She was out of his reach. Put there by his sense of honour and his promise to Seb and subsequently her father. Out of his reach was where she had to stay.
CHAPTER THREE
AS DARKNESS BEGAN to descend the car pulled to a halt outside Alessandro’s offices and Charlie got her first view of the place she’d heard so much about from her brother. His calls had always been full of excitement and pride as he’d enthused about the Roselli factory, workshops and test track.
Sadness crept over her too. This was where Seb had spent his final weeks and she could have been part of that if she’d accepted his offer to come out and visit instead of being so tied up in her career. The same career she’d dropped after Seb’s death.
She got out of the car and stood looking up at the buildings, wishing she had come to see what he was doing. ‘I should have come when he asked me to,’ she said softly and was startled when Alessandro responded.
‘Seb always hoped you’d come here one day.’ His voice was gentle and not at all judgemental as he placed his hand in the small of her back. She drew in a ragged breath, her emotions all over the place. Memories of Seb mixed with the undeniable attraction she felt for Alessandro. Guilt added to the mix and washed over her. How could she even be thinking such thoughts? Quickly she blocked them out.
‘I wish I had.’ Her voice was a croaky whisper of raw emotion. She stood next to him in the warm evening air, her emotions exposed and vulnerable, as if she stood before him totally naked. She was certain that not only was he able to see every bit of her skin, but into her heart and soul.
He stopped outside a glass door and keyed in his pass code, his other hand sliding away from her back, the heat of his touch cooling, giving her space to think. Judging by the shiver which had run up her spine, she needed that space. Badly.
‘Why didn’t you?’ he asked, pushing open the door, stepping inside and holding the door open for her, but she didn’t miss the lightly veiled accusation in his voice.
‘It was busy. You know how the end of the racing season gets.’ She saw his jaw tighten, saw the sceptical look on his face and shame heated her cheeks. She’d also been worried about Seb’s blatant attempts at matchmaking. He’d often teased her on the phone about finding the perfect man for her.
She could have come. She’d wanted to come, but she had been a tiny bit threatened by this new life Seb had found. They’d always been so close and when he’d met Alessandro all that had changed overnight. She was pleased he’d found something he was so passionate about; she’d just never expected it to take him so far away from her, physically or emotionally.
He shrugged nonchalantly but she knew what he was thinking. She could almost hear his words, heavy and accented, telling her she was selfish, and she retaliated as if he’d actually spoken. ‘I didn’t know time was against me.’
He let the door go and she stood in the semi-darkness of the large reception. His face was a mask of hardened fury as the accusation in her words hit him. Did he feel any guilt? Did he have regrets? Did he want to go back and change things?
He stepped forward, coming closer, and she wished there was more light, something to lessen the presence of a man who excited and angered her so intensely. She veered wil
dly between those two emotions as he looked directly at her.
‘Whatever guilt you carry, Charlotte, I do not need it added to what I feel.’ His voice had deepened, become growly, anger lingering dangerously beneath the surface like a serpent waiting to strike. He loomed over her in the dim light, every bit the predator, but she wasn’t going to be his next victim.
‘Just by saying that you are admitting guilt.’ She rounded on him. The hours spent on the plane and in his car, when she’d thought everything through silently, had allowed her temper to brew and now it flared to life.
For a moment his gaze held hers, his eyes hard and glittering. Tension stretched almost to breaking point between them as silence settled after her angry words. In her head she could hear her heartbeat, the fast thump of blood rushing around her body. It should have been ignited by her anger, but the flutter in her stomach as he stepped closer made it something else entirely.
It was raw attraction. Something she didn’t want to feel. Not now and not for this man.
He stepped even closer, his height towering over her in the darkness, and she looked up into his eyes, wanting to appear fearless but afraid he’d see just what an effect he could have on her. Could he hear her heart pounding? Had he noticed her breath, ragged and unsteady?
‘Dangerous words, cara.’ Each word was low and soft like a cat purring, but she sensed the coil of tension in him, the cool detachment from the emotions that careered inside her. He was more like a tiger preparing to strike.
‘I came here to see what Seb had been working on,’ she said, trying hard to beat down the flutter of emotions, and walked away from him towards the stairs. ‘So, can we just do that? Then I’d like to check into a nearby hotel.’
She didn’t wait for his answer, didn’t look at his face, but every nerve in her body told her he was watching her—intently. She was about to go up the stairs when light flooded the reception area and she blinked against it and turned to face him. The sleek clean lines of the interior of the building were exactly as she would have imagined and, unable to help herself, she looked around her, trying hard to ignore the man who stood in the centre of the marble floor and the superiority which radiated from him.
‘This way,’ he said and passed her as she waited at the foot of the stairs, his scent of musk and male trailing in his wake. ‘We’ll take the lift.’
She bit her bottom lip, anxiety rushing at her. Was she really ready to see what Seb had been working on? She wasn’t, but this was what she had to do, what she needed to do before she could put the last year behind her.
She became aware that Alessandro was watching her, waiting for her to enter the lift. ‘We don’t have to do this tonight.’
Was that genuine concern in his voice? Her gaze locked with his and everything around them spun. Everything blurred as the dark depths of his eyes met and held hers. Time seemed to be suspended, as if everything was standing still. She lowered her lashes. Now was not the time to get fanciful. She’d never been that way inclined, had never hankered after notions of instant attraction. So why now? And why this man?
‘I want to.’ The words rushed from her as she stepped quickly into the lift. ‘I just hadn’t anticipated it. Today started just like any other, then you arrived...’ Her voice trailed off and she looked down at her hands, feigning interest in her unpainted nails.
‘I should have contacted you first but I didn’t think you’d see me.’ His tone was calm and so matter-of-fact she glanced up at him. He appeared totally unaffected by the whole situation.
‘I wouldn’t have.’ She flashed him a smile and, from the expression on his face, he hadn’t missed the sarcasm. ‘I wouldn’t have seen you and I would never have come here.’
The lift doors opened onto a vast office but she paid little attention to the hard masculine lines and marched out of the lift, drawn inexplicably to the wall of windows, offering an unrivalled view of Milan’s twinkling skyline.
She should feel too irritated by his assured presence to notice even one thing about his office, but that was so far from the truth it was scary. She should be thinking of Seb, should be focusing on what he’d done here, not the man he’d worked with.
‘Grazie.’ The deep tone of his voice unsettled her and, as she stopped to look out over the city, she saw his reflection behind her, saw him move closer.
‘What for?’ Her gaze met his reflected in the glass and a coil of tension pressed down inside her. She knew at any minute it could snap.
‘Your honesty. Saying you wouldn’t want to see me.’ His reflection shrugged nonchalantly, his gaze so intense it obliterated the view. All she could see was him. Then her heart plummeted in disappointment. None of this really mattered to him. It was all about the Roselli image and launching a new car.
‘I have no reason to conceal my dislike of you, Mr Roselli.’
Liar! a voice called in her head. She didn’t dislike him. She should. The fizz of attraction was at war with the blame she still laid at his door, despite his earlier assurances that the accident had been nothing more than a tragedy.
‘Dislike. Is that not a bit strong?’ He moved unbearably close, his eyes holding hers in the reflection in the window.
She had to stop this now, whatever this was. Something she couldn’t control was happening between them and she didn’t like it. Or did she?
‘Oh, I dislike you intensely, Alessandro.’ She turned, her words a hurried whisper. Who was she trying to convince? ‘And right at this moment I have no idea what I’m doing here.’
His eyes turned blacker than the night sky, their swirling depths mesmerising. She couldn’t break eye contact. The power he’d had as he’d looked at her reflection had been intense, but this all-consuming fire which had leapt to life in her was too much.
‘You are here, cara, because you couldn’t help yourself.’ His voice was deep and gentle, caressing every heightened nerve in her body into submission. ‘Because this is what you need to do—for Seb.’
At the mention of her brother’s name the spell slipped away like morning mist as the sun came up. She could see everything sharply and in focus again. She was here for Seb—a fact she had to keep in the forefront of her mind—or lose it to the seductive charms of the worst man she could possibly fall for.
‘Exactly.’ Her eyes maintained contact with his and she saw the moment they turned to glittering blackness. ‘So I’d like to see where he worked, what he did.’
* * *
Alessandro couldn’t move, mesmerised by the intensity of what had just passed between them. For the last few weeks he’d been irritated at the thought of contacting Seb’s sister, had put the moment off for as long as possible. But, whatever he had been expecting when they’d finally met, it wasn’t the raw desire that coursed wildly through him.
If she’d been any other woman he’d have acted upon that need; he would have kissed her and explored the passion that lingered expectantly, just waiting for the touch-paper to be lit so it could explode into life.
‘Si, così,’ he instructed her to follow, unable to gather his thoughts quickly enough to use English, a situation he’d never known before.
‘Thank you.’ Those two words were so soft, so seductive he almost couldn’t move. He fought the urge to press his lips to hers. Thankfully, she stepped back, enough to remind him what he should and definitely shouldn’t be doing.
With intent, he made his way across the vast expanse of his office, resisting the urge to look in the windows and see her reflection following. He didn’t need to. His body told him she was; even if he hadn’t heard her footsteps on the marble behind him he would have known she was there.
‘This is where Seb worked.’ He went through a door at the end of his office into the room Seb had claimed as his own, the emptiness of it almost too harsh. On the far wall was the first drawing that Seb had done of
the car. But still the office looked stark.
Something akin to guilt touched him. He should have brought Charlie here sooner and not left it until the last days before the launch. He should have done this a long time ago, but he’d been anxious to conceal the truth—for Seb’s sake as much as his sister’s.
As Charlie walked past him he caught a hint of her perfume; instantly he was transported back to her garden and the sweet smells of an English summer. Her deep ragged breath, inhaled quickly, drew his attention back to the present.
‘Is this what he did?’ She stood next to the desk, her fingertips tracing the outline of the car drawing. He noticed her hand shook slightly and, when she looked back at him, hesitation weaved with panic sprang from her eyes. He had the strange sensation his heart was being crushed.
‘Sì.’ His voice was so raw he couldn’t say anything else, painfully aware he was intruding on her moment of grief.
‘What else?’ She looked at him and he saw the gleam of tears collect in her eyes and the pressure on his chest intensified.
Thankful for the diversion, he walked over to the desk and opened the laptop, turned it on and looked across the desk at her. Her pretty face was pale, her eyes wide, reminding him of a startled doe. ‘There are lots of photos on here, as well as all he created in the design programme.’
She hesitated for a moment and he wondered if it was all too much. She stood and watched him as he opened the photos up on the screen and turned the laptop to face her. He felt her scrutiny and questions press down on him.
Slowly she reached out, one fingertip touching the screen. He watched her eyes, the green becoming much more intense as she looked at the photo of Seb sitting in the driving seat of the test car, and he inwardly cursed. Couldn’t he have selected a more appropriate photo for her to see first?
‘When was this taken?’ Her voice was fragile as she continued to look at the screen. She swallowed hard, trying to keep the tears at bay, and for the first time ever he wished a woman would cry. She needed to let out her grief.
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