Jo breathed in deep, afraid to interrupt him. ‘How long were you together?’
‘Two years. But only a couple of months after we met, Fliss started finding bruises in random places. She went to the doctor. Blood tests were done. Leukaemia was diagnosed,’ Gianni continued in a curt undertone. ‘She went straight into chemotherapy. The doctors were hoping for a remission, but the treatment didn’t make her any better, although the sessions probably extended her life. She got weaker and sicker, and in the end she died.’
Jo was utterly appalled by what he was telling her in that flat, unemotional voice. Only a few years after his mother had passed away after her long struggle with cancer, Gianni had found himself in love with a very sick girl.
‘I was devastated,’ Gianni admitted gruffly. ‘Fiona helped to get me through it. She was very close to Fliss and was with us from the beginning. I wanted them to move into my apartment with me, but Fliss didn’t want that. They didn’t have any other family. Their uncle had raised them and he died shortly before they started university.’
‘I’m so sorry, Gianni. I can understand why you didn’t want to talk about her now,’ Jo said uncomfortably because her throat was thick with tears. She was thinking about Gianni, whose childhood had been staged against the daunting backdrop of his mother’s illness, falling in love with a girl who had also become ill and ultimately died. She realised now why he had told her at Ralph’s funeral that falling in love only got you hurt, because the only two people he had loved in life had died and left him behind. Her heart broke for him and her eyes stung and she had to breathe in deep to stay in control.
‘Fiona is still in your life, though,’ she remarked carefully.
‘She’s like the sister I never had,’ Gianni said warmly. ‘I set her up in business after we finished university and she’s gone from strength to strength, one of the best investments I’ve ever made. She renovates and decorates houses with real flair. She’s made quite a name for herself abroad.’
‘I look forward to meeting her some time,’ Jo replied.
‘Are you satisfied now that I’ve told you everything?’ Gianni enquired as he walked her upstairs.
‘It wasn’t a matter of needing to know so much as a need to know that you trusted me enough to tell me,’ Jo explained tautly. ‘Don’t make a secret of things just because you would prefer to avoid talking about them.’
In their bedroom, Gianni slowly turned her round to face him. His dark golden eyes were very serious and his hands flexed on her slim shoulders. ‘Stay in touch with me when I’m away. Send me your silly texts telling me what Duffy said or how McTavish got frightened off by a fox. I like hearing from you. That connection is important to me,cara.’
‘I do not send silly texts,’ Jo declared with amusement.
‘You do and they lighten my day.’
‘Then what about the text about the missing scaffolders that irritated the hell out of you?’ she dared.
Gianni groaned. ‘Once again, my apologies. Federico and my uncles were with me complaining about profit margins in this new company we’ve acquired.’ He fell silent, recognising that she was smiling and that he was forgiven.
In relief, Gianni bent his dark head and brushed his lips very gently across hers before sliding his tongue against hers in a hungry exploratory foray. ‘What do you think of early nights?’
Her slender body quivering against the hard muscularity of his, Jo struggled to catch her breath. ‘One would be very welcome right now,’ she muttered unevenly.
Gianni scooped her up into his arms and tumbled her down on the bed. ‘I like this dress but it’s coming off,’ he warned her. ‘We’re going away for a week on the yacht tomorrow and sailing round the Greek islands.’
‘But I can’t leave—’
‘Yes, you can, it’s all organised,’ he overruled as he stood back and peeled off his shirt. ‘Sybil will take over supervising at Ladymead. Trixie’s shop is closed at present, so she’ll be able to keep your grandmother company until her ankle heals.’
Involuntarily deprived of speech, Jo stared up at him.
‘I discussed it all with your family while you were sleeping. I want you all to myself,’ Gianni admitted with a slashing smile. ‘The honeymoon part two.’
Jo sat up to lift her dress over her head and discard it before coiling back against the pillows like an embryo temptress with a glint in her bright eyes. All of a sudden the world felt as though it was full of infinite possibilities. ‘I may pack my wedding dress and those lace gloves. I seem to remember making you a promise.’
Gianni flat-out grinned, lean muscles flexing as he came down on the bed and shifted over her, sliding between her slender thighs. Smouldering dark golden eyes glittering, he was all sensual heat as he strung a line of kisses across her collarbone and arrowed off into the sensitive skin of her neck to press his mouth there, making her hips arch up and a little gasp escape her.
Jo laced her fingers into his tousled black hair. ‘I want you,’ she said for the first time ever. ‘I missed you.’
‘I’m not sure you had time. According to Sybil you’ve been racing around like the Energizer bunny.’
Jo tugged his head up. ‘Very funny. I kept busy because you weren’t here,’ she told him.
Gianni gave her a smile that was pure invitation and shifted lazily against her, the sensual spell he could cast holding her fast as her heart rate climbed. ‘I’m here now...ready, waiting and very willing...’
CHAPTER NINE
JOBOUNCEDHERsandalled feet to the annoying pop song playing in her head. She had heard it in a restaurant on Corfu and still couldn’t get it out of her head.