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And he knew why he didn’t want to knock down the palazzo.
He was in love with Flora.
And the palazzo wasn’t just some random building. It had been their home, somewhere he’d felt excited, happy, relaxed and safe. Safe enough to face his past. Only he couldn’t have done it without Flora—with her, he had become whole.
Looking down at his lap, he saw to his surprise that his hands were shaking. Lifting his head, he found Giorgio watching him, his broad face creased with kindness.
‘How did you know I was in love?’ His face twisted. ‘I mean, when...?’
The lawyer smiled. ‘I saw the two of you together—’ he cleared his throat ‘—in the garden, remember?’
Their eyes met, and Massimo breathed out. ‘Oh, yes,’ he said slowly. ‘I forgot you were there.’
Giorgio laughed. ‘That’s when I knew. You only had eyes for each other.’
Massimo stared at him dazedly. Had Giorgio really been there that day? He had no memory of him at all. Or of the rest of the day, for that matter. All he could picture was Flora, singing softly to herself, her near naked body still damp from the pond.
‘I don’t understand,’ he said shakily. ‘I can’t be in love. I don’t know how to love.’
Patting him on the shoulder, Giorgio smiled ruefully. ‘That’s what everyone says. I certainly did when I fell in love with Anna. I actually broke up with her because it scared me so much.’ He started to laugh. ‘Then I saw her one evening, all dressed up to go out, and I walked into a door. That’s what it took to knock it into my thick head.’ He grinned. ‘Then all I had to do was find Anna and tell her how I felt—’
Lowering his head into hands, Massimo groaned.
‘I don’t know where she is,’ he said slowly. He looked up at Giorgio, his expression strained. ‘We had a row and she stormed out.’
‘We can find her,’ the lawyer said firmly. ‘It won’t be that hard. She doesn’t exactly blend in, does she?’
Massimo shook his head. ‘It won’t make any difference. After the way I treated her she’s not going to want anything to do with me.’
Giorgio stood up. ‘Then you make her want to,’ he said, slapping Massimo around the shoulders.
‘If you can’t then you don’t deserve her. And you’re not the man who persuaded me to join his start-up business for less than half the salary I was getting from my previous job.’
Massimo’s eyes gleamed. ‘I was worth it, though, wasn’t I?’
‘Don’t tell me that. Tell her!’
Gritting his teeth, he felt a rush of determination—hot and strong-flowing, like blood. He’d been a fool. Never in all his business dealings had he been so blind, so utterly clueless. All the signs that he loved Flora were there. He’d looked forward to spending time with her. Not just having sex but talking and teasing, being teased. Listening to her talk about her mother’s death, he had cared that she was hurting. More than cared: he’d wanted to take away her pain.
But it had never occurred to him that he was falling in love with her.
He hadn’t even realised it was love he was feeling.
All he’d sensed was that for the first time since his childhood he’d felt vulnerable. Caring, loving, needing were all reminders of a past that had left deep and painful scars. So when he’d started to care about Flora, he’d got scared. Scared that a woman might once again have power over him—power over how he should feel, power to hurt him. And he’d panicked. So terrified by what he was feeling that he’d pushed her away, his fear blinding him to her kindness and her courage. Even to her love.
He breathed out slowly. That fear felt like nothing now. Not beside the realisation that he’d made the biggest mistake of his life: that having rejected her, he needed Flora and her love in order to live.
Pushing back the chair, he straightened his shoulders and stood up. Grabbing Giorgio’s hand, he shook it firmly. ‘You’re a good man, Giorgio. A good friend too. I’m going to take your advice, so I won’t be joining you for dinner.’
The lawyer frowned, then nodded. He was watching his boss intently. ‘Do you want me to reschedule a meeting with the Chinese next week?’
Massimo glanced around the boardroom. It represented his life’s work. His legacy. But it wasn’t enough. His eyes flared, but his face was calm and certain. ‘That depends... On when we get back.’
Giorgio raised an eyebrow.
Massimo grinned. ‘I’m going to Sardinia to find her, Giorgio. And when I do I’m going to prove to her that I love her. However long that takes.’
* * *
