‘Issy. What the hell am I going to do with you?’ he murmured.
Despite the fuzziness of exhaustion, she heard the confusion in his voice and felt her heart stutter in response.
Become my friend again.
She nestled deeper into his embrace as the warm, languid afterglow of sensational sex pulled her into a dreamy sleep.
CHAPTER SEVEN
‘WAKE UP, Sleeping Beauty, you need to get out of the sun before you end up with third degree burns.’
Issy shaded her eyes to see Gio standing by her sun-lounger, looking tall and delicious in chinos and an open-necked shirt.
‘You’re back already?’ She stretched lazily, ignoring the persistent flutter beneath her breastbone at the sight of him. He’d left for a meeting in town after breakfast, and she’d taken a swim in the pool. It was a surprise to see him back so soon.
He crouched down on his haunches until they were eye to ey
e. ‘I’ve been gone for over two hours.’ He rested his arm across his knee and touched her nose. ‘And you’re looking a little pink.’
‘What’s the time?’ she asked groggily, determined not to read too much into how her spirits lifted at his look of concern.
Despite Gio’s assertions that all they had was animal passion, they had drifted into friendship again as easily as breathing. After only a few days the companionship they shared had become as exciting as their sexual relationship.
If the first day’s sightseeing had been magical, yesterday’s had been even more so. They’d brushed shoulders with businessmen and market traders alike in a trattoria at the Mercado Centrale, while Gio had chuckled at her pathetic attempts to order in Italian. He’d taken her to see the stunning golden mosaics in the Romanesque basilica of San Miniato al Monte, then cuddled with her under the stars as they watched La Dolce Vita in flickering black and white on the ten-foot open-air screen in a nearby park.
In the last twenty-four hours she’d seen a man emerge who was cultured and charismatic, had a decidedly mischievous sense of humour, and was passionate about his work and the beautiful city he lived in.
Maybe they hadn’t talked about their past or anything else too personal again—something she knew was deliberate on Gio’s part—but she hadn’t pushed. Taking the sweet, steady glide into friendship and getting an enchanting glimpse of what that unhappy boy had made of his life had been enough. Frankly, friendship didn’t get much better than this. Why ruin the mood?
Gio glanced at his watch. ‘It’s after one,’ he replied. ‘And about the hottest time of the day.’
‘Oh.’ She’d been asleep for over an hour. And would probably be a bit sore tomorrow as a result. Thank goodness she’d slathered factor fifty sunscreen on before she’d dozed off.
She gave a jaw-breaking yawn and sighed. ‘I don’t know why you’re looking at me like that. This is all your fault.’
‘How?’
‘You’re the one who hasn’t let me sleep since I got here,’ she teased, although it wasn’t far from the truth.
This was a friendship with some exceptional benefits, she thought, as her pulse spiked at the sight of his trousers stretching across muscled thighs.
They’d done hard and fast, slow and easy, and everything in between. Gio’s powers of recovery had proved to be Herculean, and she’d never been more satisfied, more sated—or more exhausted—in her life. When she’d woken up snuggled in his arms that morning, inhaling the familiar musk of his scent had sent shockwaves through her over-sensitised flesh, but her hunger had been as insistent as ever when his morning erection had brushed her bottom.
Okay, so she’d felt a strange dragging sensation when he’d left her to shower alone this morning because he had an important meeting. But she hadn’t let it bother her. The let-down feeling was to be expected. They were having a fabulous time, but it would be over soon. The ennui was probably just to do with endorphins, or something.
‘Exactly how long have you been out here?’ he asked. ‘Did you even put on any cream?’
Her grin widened. ‘Yes, boss.’
‘It’s not funny,’ he said, all serious and intense. ‘You’ve got very fair skin. Sunburn’s no joke.’
‘Spoken by a man who’s probably never had it.’ She ran her fingernail over one tanned bicep, enjoying the way the muscle bunched. ‘Honestly, Gio. You sound like my mum.’
‘Oh, yeah?’ His eyebrow lifted, the frown replaced by a slow smile.
‘Yes, yeah,’ she said, desire curling anew in her belly.
‘Just for that…’