Tall, Dark and Italian. Carol Marinelli
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only unforgivable, it was stupid, and he distracted himself by opening the bags and containers and setting them out between them.
‘What would you like to eat?’ he asked, when Tess seemed to be more interested in the tiny shells that dotted the sand at her feet than the food. ‘Salad? Pizza?’
‘What? Oh—’ He was suddenly sure she was only pretending not to have noticed what he’d been doing. ‘Um—salad sounds good.’
He met her wary gaze with a deliberately neutral stare. ‘Only salad?’
She shifted a little awkwardly. ‘Well—maybe a slice of pizza, too,’ she agreed, accepting the salad container from his hand. ‘Thanks. This looks good.’
‘I hope so.’ He helped himself to a slice of the pizza and bit into it with feigned enthusiasm. The tomato juice oozed onto his chin and he grabbed a napkin to wipe it away. ‘Hmm. Molto bene.’
‘I’m sure you’re only saying that,’ she murmured, forking a curl of radicchio into her mouth. ‘But it was kind of you to do this. I appreciate it.’
‘I did not do it out of kindness.’ Rafe was stung by the implication that there could be no other reason for him to want her company. He swallowed another mouthful of pizza, licking the melted cheese from his lips before continuing tersely, ‘It is I who should thank you for accompanying me to Viali.’
Tess hesitated. ‘I don’t know why,’ she said at last. ‘It would have been easier for everyone if I hadn’t been there.’
‘I think we covered that some miles back.’ Rafe was impatient. ‘Can we not forget the reasons why we started out on this expedition and concentrate on the here and now? Are you not enjoying yourself, is that what all this is about?’
Tess cast a brief glance his way. ‘All what?’ she queried tensely and he blew out a weary breath.
‘You know,’ he told her flatly. ‘Ever since we left the albergo, you have been as—as jumpy as a cat. What did I do? What have I said to upset you?’
‘Nothing.’
The answer came far too quickly and Rafe thrust his pizza aside and got abruptly to his feet. ‘If you would care to finish your salad in the car, we can leave immediately.’
‘No.’ That answer came quickly, too, but this time it was accompanied by an embarrassed glance at his face. ‘Please, I didn’t mean to annoy you. It’s just—well, I’m sure there are places you’d much rather be than here.’
‘And if there are not?’
Her tongue appeared between her teeth and he felt the sudden tightness in his loins as she wet her lips. ‘You’re sure you’re not just saying that?’
‘No.’ He hunkered down beside her, one hand moving of its own accord to cup her cheek. He tilted her face to his. ‘Believe me, cara, at this moment there is no place I would rather be than here.’ His eyes darkened as they rested on her mouth. But only for a second. He was on dangerous ground, he realised, aware of what he really wanted to do. Withdrawing his hand abruptly, he got to his feet again, looking down at her. ‘Bene,’ he said tensely. ‘Enjoy the rest of your meal. I will not be long.’
Her eyes widened. ‘Where are you going?’
Rafe stifled a groan. He wondered how she would react if he told her the truth. That he was desperate to put some space between them before he did something unforgivable. He didn’t just want to stroke her cheek or make casual conversation as they’d done in the car. He wanted to put his tongue where hers had been a few moments ago, to cover her mouth with his and find a partial release of his frustration in a kiss.
‘I thought I might take a walk,’ he offered at last. ‘I need to stretch my legs.’ And cool my libido.
Tess’s eyes moved from his constrained features to the undulating water and he glimpsed the wistful look that crossed her face. But, ‘Okay,’ was all she said and it was left to Rafe to feel a heel for behaving so callowly. He’d brought her here, per amor di Dio. It wasn’t her fault that he couldn’t control his rampant desires.
‘Io—come with me. If you wish,’ he said, before he could stop himself, and she sprang eagerly to her feet.
‘You don’t mind?’ she asked, dropping the carton containing the remains of her salad onto the sand. He gave a faint smile of acquiescence. It seemed the decision had been made and he would have to live with it. It wasn’t as if he wanted to leave her alone.
Tess left her shoes with the rest of their belongings, practically skipping across the sand to dip her toes in the cooler waters of the gulf. She shivered dramatically, laughing as the incoming tide swirled about her ankles. She was like a child, he thought ruefully. As natural and uninhibited as his own children had been before adolescence, and their mother’s desertion, had had such an impact on all their lives.
‘Oh, this is heavenly,’ Tess said, linking her fingers together and stretching her arms above her head in obvious delight. ‘Thank you so much for bringing me.’
‘I am happy you are enjoying yourself,’ he said politely, forcing himself not to linger. He was quite sure she was unaware of the effect she had on him but it was far too easy to imagine his hands circling that deliriously bare midriff as he tumbled her onto the sand.
Unknowingly, he had quickened his step and by the time he realised it and glanced over his shoulder Tess was some distance behind him. She was following much more slowly, splashing through the shallows, her delight in her surroundings apparently dissipated by his indifference. Once again he felt the familiar pangs of guilt. It wasn’t fair of him to spoil the day for her.
Despite his reluctance, he waited for her to catch up with him, but now she wouldn’t meet his gaze. She halted beside him, her eyes seemingly glued to the yacht that was now disappearing over the horizon. She had obviously sensed his ambivalence and misread the reasons for it.
‘What is wrong?’ he asked, as if he genuinely didn’t know. ‘It is very hot, is it not? Have you had enough?’
‘Have you?’
Her retort caught him unawares and he didn’t have an answer for her. ‘It is—getting late,’ he said lamely, although it was barely three o’clock. ‘I would not want you to get burned.’
She lifted first one arm and then the other, looking at them as if she hadn’t considered them before. But she didn’t look convinced. Despite the fact that the skin of her shoulders looked slightly sore, she gave a careless shrug. ‘Perhaps you’re right,’ she said without conviction. ‘If it’s what you want.’
Rafe stiffened. ‘What I want does not signify.’
‘Oh, I think it does.’ He caught a glimpse of indignant green eyes, quickly averted. ‘I should have realised before. When you said you were going for a walk. You didn’t really want me to come with you, did you?’
‘Io—’ Rafe was nonplussed. He hadn’t realised he had been so transparent. ‘That is not true.’
‘I don’t believe you, signore.’ She used the term deliberately, he was sure, and it infuriated him. ‘All this—buying the food, bringing me down here—was just a way of appeasing your conscience.’
Rafe’s jaw dropped. ‘Appeasing my conscience?’ he echoed, stung by the accusation. ‘Why should I feel the need to appease my conscience? I have not done anything wrong.’
Yet.
‘You feel as if you have,’ said Tess doggedly, and for a moment he wondered if she’d read what he was thinking. He hoped not. And, to his relief, she seemed to confirm it. ‘You think you’ve upset both your daughter and me,’ she continued. ‘So you decided to pacify one of us with a peace-offering. In this case, an hour of your precious time, right?’
‘Wrong.’