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She pounced on that, wondering what kind of glutton for punishment she was. ‘But sometimes it is?’
‘Does it make any difference to your plans if I have a lover here with me or not?’
A lover. So sensual. So intimate. So difficult to contemplate. She dug her fingernails into her palms and stared straight ahead.
‘A party is a party, no?’
‘Yes,’ she said, her voice husky. She took a gulp of wine to massage her vocal cords back into submission.
‘So this is personal interest alone?’
She dropped her gaze to the mountain of food in front of her and lifted her fork, spearing an olive. ‘Yes.’ There was no point in lying. As she’d explained, her curiosity was not only natural, it was reciprocal.
‘I’m not seeing any one particular woman at the moment.’
‘Are you seeing more than one woman?’
‘I am always “dating”.’
‘Like the redhead from the charity ball? I wonder what she would think of you bringing me here like this?’
‘She wouldn’t care. Caroline is under no illusions about my monogamy.’
The jealousy was unmistakable. It almost sheared her in two. She lifted her eyes to him, shocked by the visceral reaction—angry with it, too. It had been ten damned years. Of course he’d been with many, many other women since her. She knew that to be fact, so why did this hurt so much?
Because they were face to face, and time was no longer a linear constant but a vortex into which she could be sucked backwards. Sitting across from Graciano, they could be a decade younger, two hearts beating in unison, their futures unmapped, hope still a credible notion.
‘Good for you,’ she muttered to fill the silence and kill the hopeful sentiment.
His laugh was low and soft. It drifted across the table towards her, wrapping around her like a vice, as beneath the table, his leg kicked forward, his ankle brushing hers so she was trapped and stunned, stuck like a bug in a spider’s web.
‘Careful, Alicia. You sound jealous.’
‘I’m not,’ she spat. ‘Believe me.’
He lifted a brow, that same mocking smile tilting his lips.
She drove her fork into a piece of meat with anger. ‘Why would I be jealous?’ she demanded, the question one she was trying to answer herself. ‘What happened between us was over years ago. We’ve both moved on.’
‘Yes,’ he agreed easily, quickly, but his eyes narrowed slightly and he watched her intently, so her throat was parched. ‘And yet, when I kissed you—’
‘I already told you, that was a mistake. It won’t happen again.’ Something clutched in her chest, but she had to be strong. There was too much at stake to be drawn into conversations about their past, their chemistry. ‘Just...drop it, Graciano. I’m here to work.’ She blurted the reminder into the air between them, as if she could verbally raise a shield. She really just hoped it would hold out for the week.
CHAPTER FIVE
ALICIATOLDHERSELFshe was delighted that she didn’t see Graciano the next morning. She dressed in a suit, for lack of other options, and worked for several hours in her bedroom before hunger drove her out in search of some fruit or something light to eat. Isabella was dusting in the lounge room and intercepted Alicia, all too willing to help her with a far more substantial breakfast than Alicia had envisaged. Nonetheless, it was nice to be fussed over, and the savoury omelette, fresh-baked bread and butter, and coffee was a delicious way to start the day.
As she cooked, Isabella chatted, and every third word was ‘Graciano’. Graciano is so kind, so thoughtful, Graciano works too hard, Graciano is very generous, so Alicia found herself nodding and barely listening until, eventually, she said, ‘And where is Graciano today?’
Isabella had smiled apologetically, perhaps mistaking Alicia’s question for a desire to see the man, rather than avoid him. ‘He has flown to Barcelona, for work. I told you, he’s always working.’ She shook her head, but smiled as she placed another coffee in front of Alicia.
Alicia doubted he wasalwaysworking. After all, he’d been at pains to point out how active his love life was.
For Alicia, Graciano’s absence meant opportunity. It also meant she could breathe freely. ‘Do you think he’d mind if I had a look around?’ She gestured to her laptop. ‘It’s formywork.’
‘He would not have brought you here if he did not trust you. Just let me know if you need my help with anything.’
Alicia didn’t express her scepticism of that to the housekeeper. ‘Thank you.’
