brown eyes narrowed. ‘Why?’
‘Because I’ve said I love you, and it’s only fair. And if you don’t,’ he added with an air of triumph, ‘well, no breakfast. I shall just have to seduce you all over again.’
Desperate to eat, Maxine said in a small voice, ‘I love you.’
‘Louder.’
‘I love you.’
‘Come on, don’t be shy,’ Bruno persisted. ‘Much louder than that.’
She sighed. Then, at the top of her voice, screamed, ‘I LOVE YOU!’
‘Tell us something we don’t know,’ came the shouted reply from the room adjoining theirs.
‘You’ve been proving it all bloody night. Bloody honeymooners!’
Maxine burst out laughing.
‘Honeymooners,’ Bruno mused. ‘Now there’s an idea.’
‘I think you have to be married to come into that category.’ Still grinning, Maxine ruffled her hair and glanced at her reflection in the mirror. Not bad, considering the excesses of the past nine hours. Thank goodness for smudge- proof mascara.
But Bruno was giving her an odd look. For the first time he no longer seemed entirely sure of himself, ‘That’s what I mean.’
‘Oh,’ she mocked. ‘So now you think we should get married?’
‘That’s exactly what I mean.’
Maxine’s eyebrows shot up. The next moment she started to laugh once more, so uncontrollably that the bed shook.
‘Don’t do that,’ Bruno retaliated crossly. Jesus, would she ever take anything he said at face value? ‘I’m serious.’
It was a while before she could manage to speak again. ‘Oh please! Bruno, you just aren’t the marrying kind.’
He looked offended. ‘Nobody is, until they meet the person they want to marry. Think about it, Max, you and me, together.’
‘How can I think about it?’ she gurgled. ‘It’s the most ridiculous idea I ever heard. Look at our track records; we were born to cheat! Can you imagine the chaos it would cause if we ever tried to stay faithful to each other?’
He watched her fling back the bedclothes, and make her way to the door. Naked, she briefly checked that the coast was clear before reaching for the breakfast tray.
‘But that’s just it,’ Bruno protested, meaning every word and willing her to take him seriously. ‘We’re the same, so we understand each other. God, you’re such a pig,’ he added, as Maxine tore into a croissant. Within seconds it was gone and she was starting on the toast, slathering it with butter and honey and sprinkling brown sugar on top before stuffing it greedily into her mouth.
‘There, you see?’ she countered between mouthfuls. ‘You’re going off me already.’
He watched her set to work on the second slice; she looked like a bricklayer on speed, and the butter was going on thicker than cement. It didn’t stop him loving her, but it was a miracle she wasn’t the size of a Sherman tank.
‘I’m a restaurateur,’ he reminded her. ‘I like to see people enjoying their food, not shovelling it down like porridge.’
‘I am enjoying it.’ With immense satisfaction, Maxine licked her fingers one by one. Then, with a determined smile she added, ‘And there’s another good reason why you can’t leave Nina.
You love that restaurant. Imagine how she’d react if you told her about us — she’d have you out of there like a shot.’ She fired an imaginary pistol into the air for emphasis. ‘Boom. And then what would you be? An ex- restaurateur.’
Bruno shrugged. It wasn’t a welcome forecast, but it was fairly accurate, given the circumstances. The restaurant belonged to Nina; giving her up would mean giving up his livelihood. Until now, such an action had been unthinkable.
It was a measure of his feelings towards Maxine that it no longer even seemed to matter.
‘Sacrifices have to be made,’ he said lightly. ‘I can always get another job. The lifestyle may take a bit of a dive, but ... well, I happen to think you’re worth it.’
‘Don’t.’ Maxine felt suddenly afraid. This was so unlike Bruno, so totally out of character for him. ‘In five minutes you could be telling me it’s all a joke.’
But when Bruno reached for her, the expression in his eyes was deadly serious. ‘No joke.
I’ve waited nearly twenty years for this. ‘I don’t even know if I like it, yet. I love you more than you love me, and that makes me the vulnerable one. This has never happened to me before.’
More moved than she dared admit, Maxine said briskly, ‘Evidently not. Rule number one is never tell people you love them more than they love you. It’s asking to get kicked in the teeth.’
‘I know.’ Bruno kissed her collarbone. ‘But it’s the only way I can think of to convince you I’m not bullshitting.’
A shudder of sheer longing snaked its way down her spine. ‘OK,’ she said simply. ‘I believe you. But it still isn’t going to be easy.’
‘And I’m going to be poor. Well,’ he amended with a forced smile, ‘relatively poor, anyway. Is that a major problem for you?’
To her absolute horror, Maxine realized she was in danger of bursting into tears. Staring hard at the tops of the
