Surely that meant something?
He was no longer the flint-eyed stranger who had made her want to disappear into the ground when she had first shown up in his office.
She had caught him on the hop, crashed slap bang straight through all the plans he had made for himself, and of course he had been knocked for six, but he had recovered and she wondered whether he wasn’t now finding himself at the mercy of feelings he couldn’t really express. He gave every semblance of enjoying her company. He was tender and considerate with her, making sure she ate all the right stuff at all the right times. He was the guy she had rescued from the stormy ocean...the guy with no background, no past and certainly no vast fortune to his name.
And they were lovers once again.
Passion was a powerful force and, accompanied by genuine affection...well, how far were those things from love? Not very. There was no point to viewing the future with anything but optimism and, right now, Cordelia was happy to put on rose-tinted spectacles that made the world look so much better.
She snuggled and closed her eyes and enjoyed his nakedness against her.
‘Sailing,’ Luca murmured drowsily into her hair. ‘It awaits us.’
‘I thought you were going to try and get through some work before we left...’ She ran her fingers along his chest and felt him shudder in instant response, before he absently covered her hand with his. ‘You wanted to nail your guy about that project with the refined olive oil...you said he seemed to be digging his heels in on the quality-check front and you were going to push him where you wanted him to be...’
Luca frowned. He must have told her about Giuseppe without even thinking about it.
Disturbed for some reason, he edged off the bed and headed for the shower.
He was gone for a handful of minutes and when he re-entered the bedroom, he was all brisk business as he got dressed.
‘You shouldn’t have reminded me, amore.’ He was concentrating on his mobile, only looking up to glance quickly in her direction with his hand on the doorknob. ‘Now I’ll have to deal with him or my guilty conscience will get the better of me. The great outdoors might have to be put on hold until tomorrow.’ He watched her disappointment with a veiled expression.
This was all going swimmingly but it was fair to say that disappointment was part and parcel of life. He should know. His father, embroiled in his own emotional world, had largely been a bystander in his life. Luca had learned from an early age to expect little from a guy who never attended sports days and had shown scant interest in the personal goings-on of his son. Disappointment, he had long ago concluded, did wonders for developing tough independence.
And she would need it because she would realise soon enough that long days doing nothing were not the norm and weren’t going to last for ever.
He frowned and restlessly raked his fingers through his hair, because her attempts at a bright, sympathetic smile were worse than outright annoyance that plans had changed.
‘Sure,’ she said cheerfully. ‘I get it.’
‘I will arrange for someone to show you around.’
‘No need. I can explore on my own. I might even do a bit of sailing. I could probably give a few courses to the instructors out here. You keep telling me to take it easy but that’s not what I’m used to. A little exercise will do me the world of good.’ She waited for a light-hearted response, which didn’t come so she shuffled off the bed, for some reason self-conscious of her body because of the sudden drop in temperature between them.
Freed to do what Luca knew he did best, namely bury himself at work, which would be a timely reminder this mini break was a means to an end, he found himself hovering and watching her through narrowed eyes as she took herself off to the en-suite bathroom, making sure to lock the door behind her.
‘Don’t take any risks,’ he warned gruffly, as soon as she was back in the bedroom, fully clothed in some khaki shorts and a white tee shirt.
‘Risks like what?’ She looked at him, perplexed.
‘You’re pregnant.’
‘I know. Go slow.’ Cordelia’s smile felt forced. Of course she was. It was a simple statement of fact but it felt like cold water being dashed over her. That shift in atmosphere—the sudden need to attend to work... Had Luca sensed something in her? Something tender and vulnerable? Something that wasn’t part of the package deal? Had she transmitted feelings to him by osmosis and had he reacted by pulling back the way he had?
It made sense.
‘I’m strong. I’ll manage and, don’t worry, I won’t take any risks. I may just have a nice stroll and explore what’s around.’ The smile broadened and felt more forced. ‘What time shall I aim to be back here?’
‘I would rather you had a personal escort.’
‘And I would rather do my exploring on my own without someone trailing behind me to make sure I don’t trip over any paving stones.’
‘Why are you suddenly being difficult?’
Tension spiked and, for a second, Cordelia was sorely tempted to come right out and tell him what was on her mind. Was he worried that she might be getting too emotionally involved with him when he’d specifically told her that love wasn’t on the menu? Was he afraid that she might start making demands he wouldn’t be able to meet?
Fear at where such a conversation might lead gripped her and she backed away from it fast.
‘Nothing. I guess I’m just a little disappointed that I’ll be spending a whole day without you.’
Luca visibly relaxed. He strolled towards her and smoothed his hand over her arm. She had skin as soft as satin.
‘Me too.’ He was tempted to dump the work
