Wishing he’d take her in his arms and kiss her again.
No, no, no! She refused to go there.
‘Hello, Angelo.’
Her voice was a husky croak that she feared betrayed her libidinous thoughts.
Because Angelo Ricci was extraordinarily handsome and he’d actually been pleasant these last couple of days. He’d been gentle and supportive when he’d presented the daypack with her meagre belongings and her hopes had taken a nosedive because they didn’t spark recognition.
He’d been kind as well, giving her free run of the English language books in his library and organising new clothes for her. Not just any clothes. They were beautifully made and expensive. Rosetta had obviously been told to buy the best.
But Ally refused to find him addictive. Or attractive. Others might, but her taste ran to...
Her breath snagged. She had no idea what her taste in men was like.
Like Angelo Ricci, insisted the voice in her head.
Once she’d found pleasure with this man. Earthy sexual pleasure. For all his air of buttoned-down control, there was a raw masculinity about him, an air of sensuality, that beckoned to some breathless, needy part of her.
Ally stifled the thought.
‘I thought you were going to read by the pool.’
He frowned down at her. Not with anger like before but with something that made her pulse trip faster because it made her feel cared for. How crazy was that? Was she so desperate for affection?
‘I’m helping Enzo.’ She ignored the catch to her voice, just as she ignored the way Angelo’s hand on her elbow sent warmth spilling through her.
‘You’re supposed to be resting.’
There it was again. That note of concern appealed too much. She pulled free, not liking the way her nerve-endings sparked and crackled at the contact as if from an electric shock.
‘I’ve been resting for days, Angelo. I got bored sitting by the pool. Besides, this is restful. I’m just strolling, passing tools to Enzo and putting a few prunings in the wheelbarrow. It’s lovely to be in the garden.’
She didn’t add that she’d also been drawn by the company. Rosetta had still to crack a smile in Ally’s presence, though she wasn’t quite so frowningly remote. And Angelo, despite his changed attitude, wasn’t a comfortable presence. The undercurrent of awareness or doubt or whatever it was between them was palpable.
Ally fought it by peppering him with questions at mealtimes. About Italy, his home, the island—anything impersonal. Because when things became personal between them everything got out of control.
Her blood effervesced whenever his hand brushed hers or she discovered him watching her, eyes glinting with something she couldn’t identify.
Once or twice she’d imagined it was approval she saw there, even attraction. After all, he’d kissed her passionately. But then his expression would change and she knew she was fooling herself. Angelo had admitted to curiosity about kissing her. But now he’d moved on.
‘You have to be careful not to overdo it.’ He turned and spoke to Enzo in Italian.
Ally watched, frustrated. She’d felt at home pottering among the plants, like it was something she was used to doing. That, of itself, made her want to stick at it, in case it sparked a memory. It gave her hope, made her feel she was doing something useful.
It also kept her mind off her fraught relationship with her host.
‘No, please.’ Ally interrupted. ‘Don’t say I can’t help.’ She heard the desperation in her voice and stopped. After a breath she continued. ‘Enzo’s been very kind and I enjoy his company. I’m not doing any damage, I promise.’
Angelo stared down at her, wishing the brim of that disreputable hat didn’t shadow her face.
Had he imagined that taut, woebegone look? The edge of panic in her tone?
That made him wonder if she should be in hospital after all. It would be easy to get her there now. But the doctor thought it best Ally stay quietly here. Which made her Angelo’s responsibility.
‘I’m sure the garden is in no danger from you.’
He smiled reassuringly, conscious as always of the disparity in their sizes. For despite her feistiness he’d been shocked to read something like fear in her eyes a couple of days ago. That look had stopped him in his tracks, making him abruptly aware that he loomed over her.