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It was impossible not to feel flattered by his possessive interest.
“Not at all,” she managed to respond, though her voice was lightly croaky and her tummy in knots. “I’m very happy here, thank you.”
The flavours of their meals were delicious, but she could barely taste anything, because it felt so perfect to be with Alessio. Their knees touched beneath the table, their fingers grazed whenever they reached for their wine glasses, and he continued to feed her forkfuls of his own meal, so they were frequently close. It was eating as foreplay and by the time they left, Charlotte’s nerves were stretched thin.
“My apartment is around the corner. Would you like to see it?”
She could barely find the words to answer, but that didn’t matter. One look into her eyes and he understood.
“Andiamo.”They walked hand in hand through the sunlit streets of Rome, much warmer here than it had been in the north, until they reached the stunning stone façade of a large apartment building. Two footmen stood on either side of the door and as Alessio approached, they greeted him formally, by name, and swiped a keycard to open the doors. Inside was just as impressive as outside. Double height ceilings, marble floors, gold detailing, enormous floral bouquets, it was the last word in opulent beauty.
The lift was very old but moved quickly, making a delicate dinging noise as the doors opened on the top floor, where only one door was on display in the entrance foyer.
He unlocked it and held it open for Charlotte. She stepped in and barely bothered with a cursory inspection despite her curiosity, for the simple reason she was already getting an idea as to what she’d find.
Everything in Alessio’s world was decadent and expensive.He only dates supermodels.
It made sense. She could imagine a beautiful, slim glamazon would just complete the image of elegance, draped over the white leather sofas or perhaps elegantly atop the shiny grand piano in the corner.
Charlotte didn’t feel like she belonged in this world at all, until Alessio looked at her and not only did she belong, she was somehow integral.
It was all an illusion of course. Alessio was one of those people with the ability to make you feel as though you were the most important person in the world, when obviously that wasn’t the case. He was just killing time with her, while he was visiting family.
But why bring her to Italy then?
Why not spend his time with one of the many women who were no doubt saved in his phone or Tinder account or whatever he did to meet his supermodel harem?
The voice in the back of her mind was unwelcome, because it was pulling her in a direction that was seductive and dangerous, that made her want to wonder if he was enjoying Charlotte’s company more than he’d presumed he would, if maybe he didn’t want more from her than he’d first thought.
It was a fool’s wish, and even if that were true, which she knew it couldn’t be, Charlotte had no room in her life for a boyfriend.
A boyfriend!
Alessio wasnotboyfriend material. He was…a lover, at most. Sophisticated, European, magnetic, not the kind of guy you cuddled up on the couch with to watch Netflix. And that kind of thing was beyond her, anyway. She was Dash’s carer, the closest thing to a mother he had. That was her sole focus. It was vital that she maintain her perspective on this.
Charlotte moved towards the piano, running her fingers over the glossy timber surface. “Do you play?”
“Si.”
She turned to face him. “Would you play something now for me?”
“If you’d like.” He dipped his head in agreement then walked towards the piano. “What would you like to hear?”
“Surprise me.”
He sat down, and Charlotte’s breath caught in her throat because he looked sorightthere. Despite his big, tall frame and overtly masculine bearing, there was something incredibly perfect about seeing him at this fabulous instrument. He lifted his hands, long fingers, tanned skin, and began to play. Somehow, the inert rectangles had magic and life breathed into them with his touch, so the instrument was singing, a classical song, somber and moving.
Charlotte stood where she was for a moment and then, as if drawn by some invisible magnetic force, moved closer, until her body was right at the side of the piano, her hip connecting to the timber, her eyes watching his fingers as they flew across the keys, before lifting to his face. His eyes were straight ahead, his face even more beautiful as he seemed to channel this music straight from the centre of his soul and out into the world.
Charlotte didn’t realise she was holding her breath until he played the very last note and silence fell in the apartment, but not silence as it had been before, a silence that was somehow still humming with the electricity of his performance, infusing her with emotions she’d never experienced before. She exhaled roughly.
“That was beautiful,” she said, finally, her voice cracking. “You play so well.”
He turned to face her, his eyes assessing, one side of his mouth quirked upwards in a smile that was half amused, half mocking. “I studied for a long time.”
“Did you?”
He dipped his head, pressing his fingers to the keys once more and playing a quick scale. “You never learned?”
