The Italian's Blushing Gardener (7 page)

The waiter delivered their main course, and the glorious scent helped to relax her further. She ate a forkful and almost moaned in pleasure. Stefano watched her appreciatively. There was something suspiciously predatory in his eyes, but, overwhelmed and exhausted from fighting her attraction to him, when he held her gaze Kira didn’t look away. He smiled slowly and she felt her hunger change into a more immediate desire.

‘I wonder if this is a good time to tell you I haven’t thought about another woman since we met,’ he murmured slowly, in a voice silken with charm.

‘It wasn’t the thinking I was worried about!’ Kira sighed reflexively before snapping her mouth shut and blushing bright red. Too late, she corrected herself. ‘If I was worried at all, which I’m not.’

His voice became a caress. ‘That’s good. I wouldn’t want to worry you, Kira. The fact is, you intrigue me. I’ve spent the time since I left your side wondering about you, pure and simple.’

‘I’ll bet there was nothing remotely pure or simple about it,’ she retorted, although it was hard to stay angry with a man who gazed into her eyes with such intensity.

Her tone had definitely mellowed. Stefano picked up on it. He put down his fork. For a moment his hands spoke for him. The fingers spread wide, his wrists rolled from side to side on the edge of the table.

‘Why block me when I’m trying to tell you something,
Kira?’ His words were quiet, but intense. ‘Let me into your life a little. You won’t regret it. I can do things for you that you would never dream were possible. With your skill and my backing, there is no limit to what can be achieved. I want to start finding my pleasure much closer to home, and you are the one who can make it happen.’

Transfixed by his expression, Kira let him slide his hand over hers as it lay on the table. Incapable of resisting him, her fingers went limp. He began to stroke the back of her hand. His movements teased her with thoughts of how he had held her willing body against his only two weeks before. From the second he swept out of her front door, he left a yawning void in her life. She had spent so little time with him, and yet over those long, lonely days she had missed him so much. Kira felt every moment she didn’t spend gazing into his eyes must be wasted.

A rising tide of emotion stirred her restlessly in her chair. Fine dining was nothing to the thought of Stefano making love to her. Suddenly she wanted him as urgently as she had desired him that day in her house. The colour of his eyes mirrored her needs. Beneath the long, flowing tablecloth she felt the slight movement of his foot as it slipped between hers. It happened as easily as his bare limbs might caress and possess her own.

‘The moment you agree to work for me and sign that contract, I shall take you to Silver Island and show you my new paradise. Sun, sand and warm blue waters. It is everything you deserve,
cara mia
…’ he whispered. His voice slipped over the words like a lazy tide lapping over land. Kira felt the last vestiges of her common
sense slipping away. It was the powerful seduction in his eyes…

She passed the tip of her tongue over her parched lips.

‘Stefano…I…’

The yapping of a pocket dog at the reception desk broke the spell. Kira blinked as though waking from a dream. As she came to her senses she saw an unmistakable look pass across Stefano’s face. He might be a master at hiding his feelings, but he wasn’t quite quick enough to conceal them from her. He was anticipating something. She looked across the busy restaurant. An impossibly tall, thin blonde was handing over her designer shoulder bag. The head of a noisy chihuahua poked out of it like a ripe russet apple. Relieved of the sum total of her responsibilities, the blonde turned around and surveyed the restaurant as though she was at the end of a catwalk. After jiggling a hand at several acquaintances, her eyes fastened on the table where Kira and Stefano were sitting.

In a cacophony of sleek designer fabric and sixinch heels she sashayed towards them. Kira tensed. Unconsciously her fingers went to her hair, then her smart but simple jacket, smoothing down its creases and fiddling with the buttons.

‘Ah, Chantal!’ Stefano turned as the woman got nearer.

Kira couldn’t see his face, but heard his smile and could imagine the rest.

‘Darling Stefano!’

With a winning smile especially for her, Stefano abandoned his plate and stood up. Greeting the blonde as though he was used to interruptions like this, he showed
more style than Kira’s one and only lover had ever done. She wondered how many times a seasoned philanderer had to run through this routine before it became second nature. Stefano had obviously put in the hours. He had turned it into an art form. Grasping his friend Chantal by the elbows, he air-kissed her with great pleasure.

‘It’s been a while, Stefano!’ The blonde returned his gesture, running cool blue eyes over Kira’s clothes and hair in a way that didn’t simply give Kira a hint, it dug her savagely in the ribs.

Stefano was totally unfazed. Taking Chantal’s hand, he pulled her fingers towards his lips for a real kiss. ‘How was Biarritz?’

Chantal sighed theatrically. ‘Nothing without you, darling, of course! Aren’t you going to introduce me to your new friend? I haven’t seen you about before, have I?’ she said, giving Kira a bright, shiny look.

‘Kira is a business associate,’ Stefano said with barely a flicker.

‘Pleased to meet you.’ Chantal sent her a vague smile which failed to reach her eyes, before turning her attention back to Stefano.

Kira wasn’t fooled for a moment. There was sympathy in that look. It told her—loud and clear—that Chantal didn’t see her as any sort of threat. That made her feel more alone than she had ever done in her life. Chantal and Stefano, two of the beautiful people, chatted easily about friends she knew only as employers. Several times, Stefano tried to include Kira in their conversation, but she was simply too self-conscious and had nothing to say. She sat in mortified silence until Chantal left. When Stefano turned his full attention back to her again, she
couldn’t meet his eyes. She looked down hurriedly at her meal.

He introduced me as his ‘business associate,’
she thought, catching sight of herself in the glittering silver cutlery.
That really puts me in my place. I suppose I should be glad—it saves me having to worry about getting jumped on at every opportunity.

At least it meant she could sign that contract safe in the knowledge nothing more than work would be on offer.

Somehow, having seen Stefano in action as he charmed Chantal, that didn’t feel like such a good thing any more.

He went back to his meal as though nothing had happened. Kira was left to burn with embarrassment in silence. She tried to console herself that an affair with Stefano would be like this all the time. There would be constant interruptions from glamorous women in designer dresses. It would be Kira’s idea of hell on earth.

After savouring another mouthful of lamb, Stefano looked up and smiled at her again.

‘Now, where were we?’ he said in a confiding murmur.

Kira put her heart and soul into a dazzling smile. It was the only way she could speak without screaming.

‘I was about to tell you I wasn’t in the ego-massaging business, Stefano. I’ve been fooled by a plausible rogue once before and I’ve got no intention of being caught out a second time, thank you!’

A look came into his eyes that she could not name, but it definitely wasn’t remorse.

‘I never for one moment imagined you would be,’
he said, looking so serious that she knew straight away he was telling the truth. ‘Although you’ve touched on something I’ve been unable to get out of my mind since I met you at Bella Terra. When we were talking the other evening, it sounded as though you left England under a cloud. If you feel able, I would like to know more about what happened.’

Kira stared at him. His eyes hadn’t left her since he said goodbye to Chantal. He had never once looked over his shoulder to see what the other woman was doing.
Whatever she might have been to him in the past, he’s gazing at me now
, she thought in a desperate attempt to steady her nerves. She thought of everything that had happened over the past two weeks. Throwing away that begging letter from her stepparents had been a wonderfully freeing gesture. She remembered how close she had come to unburdening herself upon their first meeting. It was so tempting to let him in, to give Stefano a tiny insight into her problems. She took a deep breath, trying to summon up the courage to shed a little more light onto her murky past.

‘Yes, I did—but the cloud wasn’t of my making,’ she began, but the memory of Chantal’s contemptuous gaze and how separate a world Stefano came from shook her, and at the last moment she could not bring herself to go into details. ‘Although I helped make it into the thunderstorm that sent me scuttling over here. I was escaping a disastrous affair. I abandoned the rat, and started all over again. I found myself a new life, and made a new start.’

Realising she would go no further, Stefano nodded. ‘I might have guessed. There are two sorts of people—those
who crumble at the first hint of disaster, and those who conquer it and thrive.’

‘I didn’t exactly bounce back the next day,’ Kira said ruefully, waving away his concern. ‘But you’re right—drawing a line under my mistake was the best thing I did. It let me move on. I took stock of my life, and then decided to apply for a course in horticulture. I’ve always liked working with plants, and it turned out I had quite a talent for it. One thing led to another so fast I was exhibiting before the world at Chelsea within three years. Shortly after that I found my home in La Ritirata. I’ve been here ever since.’

‘And achieved wonders.’ Stefano leaned forward and quietly pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. Kira melted. It would be so easy just to lean forward and kiss him…In less than an hour he had delighted, infuriated and confused her, sometimes all at once. She could hardly think straight. Then, from the other side of the room, she heard Chantal’s laugh and suddenly tensed.

Maybe she’s laughing at me, she thought, hopelessly hypnotised by a consummate seducer. If they’re not laughing now, then surely it’s only a matter of time…

That was all it took. Her mind cleared, but her words were unsteady. ‘I thought we came here to talk about work, Stefano?’

Lifting his glass of wine to her in a silent toast, he treated her to a devastating smile.

‘Yes, but there’s no need to restrict ourselves, Kira.’

Colour rushed into her cheeks. The days fell away and once again she was in his arms, her hands hungry for his perfectly formed body. The powerful bulk of him was so close she could have reached out and touched him.
Right now his body was hidden beneath the beautifully tailored lines of a white shirt and business suit, but the look in his eyes concealed nothing. He expected to take her to his bed. He demanded nothing less—and Kira wanted nothing more.

S
HE
fought to remain calm. Stefano wanted her, she wanted him—but she didn’t need all the problems that would bring. He had affected her deeply from the moment they met. Bitter experience told her that was dangerous. She didn’t want her illusions about him shattered by getting too close. He was bound to break her heart. She knew it. What happens when he dumps me—as he will, sooner or later? she asked herself. When he moved into La Bella Terra he would be living only a few hundred metres from her front door. Becoming the heartbroken doorstop of a faithless philanderer was definitely not on her ‘to do’ list.

Obviously deciding he’d let her suffer for long enough, Stefano seamlessly changed gear.

‘How do you feel about house-hunting? With access to my contacts, the world really is your oyster. If you see anything that takes your fancy, let me know. There’s no limit.’

Just as Kira felt herself taking off, Stefano’s words brought her back to earth. Grateful for the chance to nail her feet back to the ground again, she interrupted him quickly.

‘I hope you aren’t trying to buy me out again. I’m
happy living right where I am, in the house I’ve made my own, in the perfect position.’

Stefano said nothing, but his slowly widening smile was enough to make her body move uneasily beneath its warmth.

‘You are a stubborn woman. You have integrity and determination. Work with me and I can assure your future. It isn’t only a matter of beautifying my own properties. My company, Albani International, has a charitable arm which is involved in all sorts of exciting projects. I was deeply impressed when I saw the work you have done at Bella Terra. Once you have finished working on my homes, you can start bringing your influence to bear in many other places.’

‘I’m glad you’ve got such confidence in me.’ Kira blushed, her clear skin for a moment matching the intricate strawberry meringue the waiter set before her.

Stefano’s sensual lips parted in a half-smile as he saw Kira’s delight in the summery confection of pinks and white on the dish laid in front of her.

‘Look, why don’t we visit my apartment after we finish here? You can see where you’ll be working, if you decide to sign that contract. I told Prince Alfonse not to expect you back today.’

‘Oh, you did, did you?’ Kira said archly, inspired by a sugar rush. ‘I hope you also told him we’re out on business.’

Stefano didn’t answer. His expression was telling Kira everything she didn’t want to know, but her conscience was clear. For the moment, at least.

‘As it happens, I think visiting the site is a very good idea,’ she added coolly. ‘I never accept a job until I have made a thorough study beforehand.’

‘Good. I’m all for close scrutiny,’ he said. With a nod of his head he summoned the head waiter, who brought a bottle of chilled champagne to their table. When it had been poured out, Stefano lifted his glass to her in another toast.

Kira remembered the last time he looked at her like that. It was in the split second before he kissed her. His eyes had a way of stripping away everything from her soul. She tried telling herself that he must size up every one of his female conquests like this, but a viper’s nest of conflicting responses writhed within her body. His smile held out all sorts of possibilities. That was what made him so dangerous. At least she had no illusions, and could be on her guard.

‘To our new partnership,’ he said, his voice a sensual growl of anticipation which immediately created answering ripples in the pit of her stomach. Determined to quell them, she snapped

‘Are you always so openly provocative?’

He broke the tension with a sudden laugh. ‘I’ve never met another woman quite so woundingly honest! I can’t help it, I’m afraid. Some men are born to it, while others need to be coaxed out of their shell by a loving, sensitive hand.’

Kira felt colour riot in her cheeks. Before she could explode, Stefano turned his statement into a warning.

‘I am most definitely not one of those men.’

Stefano’s town house was such a short distance from the restaurant he didn’t bother calling up his driver. They walked. Kira had difficulty in keeping up with his long strides as he led her through the narrow streets. Without a word he fell back in step with her. Crossing a
sunlit square, he directed her into a narrow canyon between two impossibly high and ancient stone walls. Kira looked around nervously as they left the sun-drenched crowds and plunged into shady solitude. Suddenly she realised he was no longer at her side. With a start, she swung around. He stood beside a pair of large wooden gates, let into the anonymous wall. With one hand he turned the wrought-iron handle in a small pass door and pushed it open.

‘We’re here. Go ahead.’

Kira cast one last apprehensive look up and down the narrow alley.

‘Why are you so nervous? This is the best part of town.’ He chuckled. ‘Anyone would think I was trying to abduct you.’

A crazy vision of Stefano sweeping her away into the desert on a spirited Arab stallion flashed into Kira’s mind. That threw her into confusion, but her mind cleared the instant she stepped into his courtyard. It was like standing at the bottom of a dry well. High walls irregularly perforated by small barred windows closed in on every side. This was a place the sun only reached when it was directly overhead. The building was ancient and beautiful, but putting a garden here would require imagination and skill. When he first mentioned a town house, Kira’s mind had started playing with the idea of a private sun terrace. This place offered all the privacy anyone could want, but none of the rays.

‘Good grief,’ she whispered to herself, before adding aloud, ‘This is going to be a challenge.’

He looked concerned. ‘If you think it’s going to be too much for you, tell me. I’ll get someone to steam clean the whole place and leave it at that.’

‘No!’ Kira left his side and began pacing out the stark, stony area. ‘There’s nothing I enjoy more than a challenge. I’m not a quitter. If something can be imagined, it can be achieved.’

‘Like a holiday home on Mars, maybe?’

Kira ignored him. Rummaging in her bag for a notebook and pencil, she began scribbling instead.

‘I’ll tell you what I like—’ Stefano began, but she shook her head.

‘This will only work if I tell you what is feasible first. Then you can choose which plants from my list you prefer.’

Stefano lodged his hands on his hips. ‘What happened to “the client is always right”?’

Kira snapped her notebook shut, looked up and stared at him. He stared back. Despite her flinty expression, her mind was moving like quicksilver. This was one argument she could not afford to lose. Stefano could be infuriating, but he was offering her a series of lucrative contracts. He was also close to irresistible, and very easy on the eye. As long as she could harden her heart to stay out of his clutches, this would be a dream appointment. This site presented huge problems, but Kira would enjoy overcoming them. It gave her an unbeatable feeling to see a satisfied client, especially when it was a job other firms might consider too difficult. And she would be working for Stefano. The idea remained deliciously dangerous. She decided on a trial run.

‘Fine. You’re right—I’m not going to argue with you,’ she announced. ‘As long as you settle my bills, I’ll do whatever you want. I can’t guarantee you will be perfectly happy first time, though. The only plants that have a chance of surviving here are the sorts chosen
specifically for these conditions. Unless you do as I say, you may end up with plants that have to be replaced every few weeks, because they die.’

‘That’s not a problem.’ He shrugged.

‘It is for me. I’m no tree hugger, but I can’t stand the thought of all that waste. I’d rather we worked together as a team from the start and got this right straight away. Wouldn’t you?’

‘When you put it like that…’ he reasoned.

Kira smiled. ‘Great. My own website has a facility for choosing the right plant for the right place. I’ll take you through the process, and then you’ll be able to download the selection and spend as long as you like choosing what you want. The final decision will always be yours.’

His eyes narrowed. ‘I know. That’s why I’m looking forward to co-operating with you. Why don’t we go inside? I can check out your suggestions, and try to soften a few of your rough edges at the same time.’ He showed her towards the main door of his house.

Stefano ordered coffee and invited Kira into a stark, brightly lit office on the ground floor. It was full of the best and most expensive computing equipment, and the school-room stink of exam papers, solvents and printing ink. She recoiled. It was too sharp a reminder of the days when every exam success meant she was subject to more sneering at home.

With a computer logged in, Stefano stood to let her take his place at the keyboard. Kira called up her website. The moment he saw it, he looked impressed. That gave her confidence a big boost.

‘I want to feel the same affection you have for your
own home,’ he said, leaning over the back of her chair. ‘I enjoy property, yet somehow it never turns out to be the pleasure I expect it to be. Whenever I buy anything, it is a rock-solid investment,’ he said, but with an unusual lack of enthusiasm.

Kira was so surprised by the note in his voice, she swivelled her chair around to face him.

‘You don’t sound convinced, and I can’t say I’m surprised. I don’t care what my cottage on the Bella Terra estate is worth, but I suppose it will be a lot less than I paid for it.’

‘You’re right. For once, I don’t seem to care about the money. It’s something far more important that concerns me, Kira. I want Bella Terra to be much more than simply a run-of-the-mill investment.’ He grimaced, and twitched a shoulder.

Kira turned back to the computer screen. He sounded like the typical spoiled billionaire, bemoaning his idle lifestyle.

‘Ah, the curse of great wealth!’ she muttered.

‘I’ve told you—this isn’t about money.’ His retort was swift and sure. ‘You are a case in point—the first time I looked across the valley from the Bella Terra villa I assumed your cottage would be nothing but a horrible reminder of everything I was trying to leave behind. And yet when you let me get closer, I got a different angle on your little garden and the homely touches inside. I envy you, Kira.’ He stopped abruptly and straightened up. ‘But maybe that was a case of giving you too much information.’

She felt the exact opposite. ‘Why in the world would you envy me? I’ve got nothing, while you’ve got everything anyone could ever want!’

He modified his smile, and the angles of his fine face became acute. ‘Is that what you think?’

Kira swung back to her screen. Tapping a few names over the keyboard, she accessed her file of planting suggestions for shady places. ‘Pretty much.’

‘Then I’ll shut up. When I lived and worked on the streets, I spent too long listening to financiers and expats moaning. I was a tour guide, not an agony aunt—not that you would have believed it.’ He put his coffee cup down beside hers.

‘I’ll bet you only guided the women!’ Kira said with sly humour.

‘That depended on where they wanted to be led,’ he replied with an equally wicked grin. ‘I gave a top-class service to everyone, whoever they were—every time. And that is how I got here.’ He gestured around the IT suite of his impressive house. ‘I saw that tour guides were always in demand, and they were invariably a rip-off. There was a gap in the market for a first-class service. I set myself up with a second-hand suit and the right attitude, and cleaned up. The sky was my limit, and it still is. My firm has branches all over the world, publishes travel guides—’

He stopped abruptly and frowned. ‘And to think—I’ve had all that success, yet so little satisfaction.’

He leaned against the table beside the keyboard. Kira kept her eyes on her hands as she tapped over the keys.

‘I want to be as happy in my houses as you are in your home, Kira,’ he announced, and then chuckled. ‘That’s a tall order, but I believe you can give me answers to all my problems.’

Kira looked into his blue eyes and trembled to think
how much she wanted to do that. Attempting to sound crisp and businesslike, she said, ‘Rest assured, I’ve never disappointed a client yet. If I work for you, I’ll do my best to make all your dreams come true.’