Jo almost winced. ‘I know but—’
‘I suspected that buying you something would be the wrong thing to do, so I passed on the flowers,’ he murmured flatly, sliding a hand into his pocket as he sidestepped her question. ‘But then, as you will see, I succumbed all the same.’
Gritting her teeth in confusion at that declaration and discomfort because she didn’t want Gianni thinking that he could buy his way out of trouble, Jo flipped open the jewellery box with its famous logo to reveal a delicate platinum necklace. She lifted it out to examine the diamond and sapphire studded pendant, which was in the shape of a bouquet of flowers. Gianni intervened to click open the bouquet to let her see the words engraved within.
‘I’m sorry,’ it said, with the addition of his name and the date.
‘In case I didn’t get the right words out fast enough,’ he breathed tautly.
The backs of her eyes prickled horribly with a surge of tears and she blinked rapidly. ‘It’s very pretty. I appreciate the thought behind it,’ she told him quietly. ‘But, you know, you didn’t need to buy me anything.’
His hand closed over hers. ‘I hurt you. I do very much regret that.’
Sofia bustled out with a tray of drinks and Jo tugged her hand free. Her stiff knees began to give way to the strain of standing so unnaturally still and straight and she sank down into a padded chair, grateful to have a glass to curl her restive fingers around.
‘Let me put this on for you...’ Gianni lifted the necklace from the box and stepped behind her to loop the pendant round her neck and fasten it. She felt his fingertips brush her nape and a shiver of awareness shimmied down her tense spine.
‘Thank you,’ she said unevenly as Sofia lit the candles on the table, determined, it seemed, to make the most of what she deemed to be a romantic occasion for theoddcouple, Jo reflected in chagrin. After all, the bride and groom had occupied separate beds on their wedding night, enjoyed a huge row the next day and that had been followed by the departure of the bridegroom.
As the older woman moved back into the building, Jo lifted her head, her blue eyes very serious. ‘Why did you just assume that I was guilty?’
Gianni tensed. ‘I had a blazing row with Federico when he arrived and first voiced his allegations. In the beginning, I didn’t want to credit what he was telling me. I was furious with him for attacking your reputation...and then he gave me the newspaper. Unfortunately, the few facts I knew seemed to fit. I was appalled,’ he admitted tautly.
Her smooth brow furrowed. ‘But I don’t understand why. Although I didn’t do what I was accused of doing, you’re notthatnarrow-minded and you yourself—’
Gianni lifted soothing hands to silence her. ‘I know, but I’ve always seen you as being special, as being a cut above me in your behaviour. Why do you think I never tried too hard to persuade you to join me for dinner?’ he asked her with gleaming dark eyes. ‘I suspected that I would upset you and I was determined not to do it.’
As Sofia set a variety of tiny savoury tarts before them as a starter, Jo stared at Gianni, his words still echoing inside her head.Special?A cut above?
‘Look,’ Gianni murmured very softly. ‘I am not a gentleman and many of the women I have been with have only been ladies in the strictest sense of the word. They had few boundaries and no illusions. Their only desire was to have a good time. I know my limitations,cara. I knew that you and I would want different things.’
‘Only until you decided that I was exactly what you needed to rehabilitate your image,’ Jo reminded him as she lifted a tiny tart with determination. ‘Therefore, I’m a plaster saint and you’re a sinner, so you pretty much kept your distance. Actually, I’m a little more human than that, and rather more flexible and flawed.’
Luxuriant lashes dipped low over his golden gaze. ‘Not as flawed as I am,’ he admitted on the back of a rueful sigh. ‘My whole outlook on life is pessimistic. That’s why I jumped so fast to my conclusion that I had been mistaken in your character.’
Jo countered, ‘You lost your head. You erupted like a volcano.’
‘That my father was present put my temper on a hair trigger. It was bad enough that I should be forced to view you in such a light, even worse that he should have instigated that exposure.’
‘You felt humiliated by his witnessing that scene,’ Jo whispered. ‘But he was upset on your behalf. I think he was trying to protect you in some clumsy way just by being there.’
‘My father has never tried to protect me from anything. Eat up,’ Gianni urged, sneaking another tiny tart onto her plate. ‘Sofia said you’ve been skipping meals and you’re too slender to do that.’
‘I don’t get very hungry when it’s this warm. You contacted Sofia before your arrival,’ Jo guessed then.
‘I knew you wouldn’t mention that I was returning.’ Gianni dealt her a shrewd look. ‘You didn’t quite trust that Iwouldreturn.’
Jo shrugged a slim shoulder. ‘Do you blame me?’
But Jo was still struggling to come to terms with what he had already told her, shaken by what he had admitted about his view of her prior to his proposal. A woman he had seen as prim and proper and above suspicion, squeaky clean in mind and body. What did it say about her that it cut her to the bone to recognise that he had never seen her as a normal sexy, adult woman? Was it any wonder that he had really only been teasing her when he’d invited her out to dinner? She wasn’t his type, hadneverbeen his type of woman.
‘You walked out on me,’ she extended tightly. ‘I find that hard to forgive.’
As Sofia’s daughter delivered the main course, Gianni gritted his teeth. ‘I was afraid of what I might say if I stayed any longer. I felt...out of control. I thought it was wiser to leave until I had got a grip on my temper again.’
‘But leaving me here...alone,’ Jo persisted. ‘That was unacceptable. I was ready to go home but I didn’t know how to get off this blasted island!’
‘It didn’t occur to me that I was leaving you stranded.’ Gianni grimaced. ‘I have to learn to start thinking for two, rather than one.’