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Her phone rang. She picked it up. ‘Yes?’
His dark drawl came down the phone. ‘How are you feeling?’
Stupid? ‘Fine, thanks.’
‘You were wiped. I let you sleep in.’
Because he’d turned her into a mindless wreck. ‘Thanks.’ But she couldn’t bring herself to hang up. Holding the phone tightly, she held her breath, hoping that he’d suggest taking her to lunch or something. A picnic on the beach? Anything that might indicate he was interested in developing a side of their relationship that wasn’t about sex.
‘Get some rest today. I will see you tonight.’ That statement was clearly supposed to fill her with warmth and anticipation. Instead it filled her with despair.
He didn’t have any feelings for her and yet she couldn’t wait for him to come home.
Utterly miserable, she poured all her love and affection into her son. At least that relationship was good and it was some consolation to observe Luca’s delight at the presence of his father. It was impossible to feel this had been a bad decision when she saw the two of them together.
And so a new routine started. A naturally early riser, Santo took to sharing breakfast with Luca, allowing Fia an extra hour in bed. And she needed it because whatever problems they might have, they had none in the bedroom. And she schooled herself to switch off that part of herself that craved emotional warmth. And if keeping the barrier up between them made it hard to interact with him on any other level, then that was made easier by the fact she hardly saw him during the day. He’d taken personal charge of the redevelopment of the hotel and spent each and every day there, overseeing everything. She cooked Luca an early lunch and ate with him before she started the madness of lunchtime service. Then she handed him over to Gina while she concentrated on the busiest time of her day. Her own business was flourishing. The chef who had helped out when her grandfather had been in hospital continued to help and she found it stimulating to work with someone who’d had formal training.
It was a Monday afternoon, two weeks after they’d moved into their new home, when Fia finally felt able to take a full afternoon off. Having finished lunchtime service and experimented with two new dishes, she left her team to finish the preparation for the evening and took Luca back to the villa. Confident that Santo would be fully occupied at work as he always was, she changed into a bikini and took Luca into the beautiful pool that she only ever used when Santo was safely out of the way.
Luca clung to her as she slid into the water. Kicking his legs in the water, he looked beyond her. ‘Papà.’
‘Papà’s working,’ Fia said happily, holding him firmly round the waist.
‘Not any more he isn’t.’ Santo’s cool drawl came from the edge of the pool and she spun round, horrified to find him standing there with his phone in his hand. From his polished handmade shoes to his beautifully cut suit, everything about him shrieked of spectacular success. But it wasn’t the intimidating businessman that made her shiver, it was the raw sex appeal that lurked under the veneer of smooth sophistication. He dropped his phone onto the nearest sun lounger. ‘That looks like a good thing to do on a hot afternoon. I’ll join you.’
‘Join us?’ Self-conscious in her bikini, Fia held Luca in front of her. ‘You’re in a suit.’
A sardonic smile touched his mouth as he shrugged off his jacket and removed his tie with a few flicks of his fingers. ‘Not for much longer.’
She had no intention of arguing with him. She didn’t want him to stay around long enough to argue. What was he doing here? She never saw him in the middle of the day. Never. ‘D-don’t you need to go back to work?’
‘I’m the boss.’ The shirt followed the jacket. ‘I decide when I work. And I always spend a few hours with Luca every afternoon before his nap. This is our time together.’
This was news to Fia. ‘Every afternoon?’
‘Of course. Why are you surprised? I have no intention of being an absent father.’
She had no idea that he’d been spending every afternoon
with their son. ‘How do you find time for that? You have a punishing workload.’
‘And a competent workforce who can manage while I play with my son for an hour.’
‘You didn’t tell me.’
‘I have missed out on almost two and a half years of my son’s life,’ he said quietly. ‘Is it wrong to want to catch up and spend quality time with my family?’
‘No.’ Guilt stabbed her. ‘It’s nice for Luca. Obviously I’ll leave you together.’ Trying not to mind that her afternoon with her son had been hijacked, she started to move towards the steps but Santo frowned.
‘Where are you going?’
‘You said you wanted to spend quality time with your family.’
‘Which includes you.’ His eyes lingered on her pink cheeks. ‘Why would you think otherwise? You are too sensitive. I was stating a fact, not trying to make you feel guilty.’
‘It will be nice for Luca to spend time with you.’ It annoyed her that she felt so weak whenever he was near. Her legs trembled and her stomach fluttered with an excitement that never quite went away when he was around. ‘But honestly the two of you should focus on each other and I’ll just—’
‘—you’ll just stay right there or I’ll throw you back into the pool myself.’ Naked now apart from a pair of boxer shorts, he strolled over to the pool house and emerged moments later wearing a pair of swim shorts.
