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His smile was instinctive. “To my home. Come, meet my family, stay a couple of nights.”
“It’s too complicated.”
He lifted a single brow. “Why?”
“Because –,” she shrugged.
He wanted to ride roughshod over whatever she had to say but in yet another uncharacteristic behaviour, he was silent: waiting, watchful.
Her sigh tickled his throat. “Gabe, you’re –,”
More waiting.
Another sigh.
Her hand lifted and curled in his shirt. “Is that really what you want?”
That he could answer without missing a beat. “Si, Isabella. Or believe me, I would not have made the offer.”
His helicopter was the last word in luxury – all sleek, modern and expensive looking, with white leather seats, wood grain details and darkly tinted windows. She sat in the front with him, the buckle fitted between her legs making her conscious of him the entire flight. Or perhaps that was the way he expertly navigated the helicopter, his tanned fingers spinning dials and flicking buttons, his concentration fierce at take-off then relaxed as he tracked them south, the movement and direction obviously innately familiar to him, as though he did this trip often.
“I have no idea what to do about my car,” she said into the headset as they took off, her eyes peering through the window, trying to see a remnant of the vehicle to no avail.
“I’ll have my staff retrieve it and deal with the hire car company. They can send your luggage to your preferred forwarding address.”
Surprise had her brows lifting. “Gosh, this hotel really offers five-star service...”
He bared his teeth in a swift grin. “Nothing but the best for guests at Il Nido.”
“Even the unwanted ones.”
“You were never unwanted.”
Her heart stammered and doubts plagued her, regret already forming that she’d agreed to join him at Villa Fortune. Not because she didn’t want to, but because she did, with – she feared – all her heart. Was it possible that desire for Gabe was morphing into something else? Something much, much more dangerous, because it was an impossible reality? Falling for him in anyway outside of the narrow parameters they’d established would be foolish in the extreme. She couldn’t do it.
She wouldn’t.
Used to being pushed away, she would never let Gabe become another person she’d loved who’d let her down. It would taint everything they’d shared. Developing feelings for him would ruin everything, even her memories. She smiled in an attempt to push the dangerous and dark thoughts from her mind.
“How far is it?”
“Only forty minutes or so.”
In fact, it took less – a half hour later, the helicopter was descending over a stunning, verdant vineyard, rolling lanes of vines running down a hill and towards a valley. An historic farmhouse sprawled at the crest of the hill, everything she would have imagined if she’d been asked to describe something quintessentially Tuscan. A red tiled roof stood above limewashed walls in a terracotta colour, the gardens were a mix of formal Italianate design and rambling country wildness. Bursts of colour – bright red geraniums and deep purple Bougainvillea were visible and happy-making even from the sky. As they drew closer, she saw hallmarks of wealth: an enormous fence surrounded the property at a discreet distance, walling it off from the world. There were tennis courts and a small golf course, as well as a swimming pool that looked like heaven, with its glistening water and sun beds. True, it was still winter – far too cold for swimming, but they’d travelled a vital distance south. The sun was shining and there was no snow in sight.
He brought the helicopter down with expert ease, waiting until the blades had slowed before reaching across to her seatbelt clasp. His eyes held hers for several seconds and she felt the question on the tip of his tongue: are you sure? But she was glad he didn’t ask it, because the truth was, she wasn’t sure, and if he gave her a chance to back out, Isabella was a little afraid she might take it.
“Let’s go,” he murmured, his smile warming something suspiciously close to her heart.
Her pulse skipped a beat. “Are you sure they’re not going to mind that I’m here?”
His look was rich with amusement. “Believe me, that’s going to be the last thing they feel.”
“But I’m invading…”
He pressed a finger to her lips. “My family will love you. Come on, Yaya will have heard the helicopter and already be wondering what’s keeping me.”
My family will love you.
