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‘Talking of swimming…’ she took a step backwards and kept her tone light ‘…you certainly go to extreme lengths to pull the women, Dr Moretti. Plunging into the jaws of death and acting like a hero. Does it work for you?’
He paused, his eyes on hers, his expression thoughtful. ‘I don’t know. Let’s find out, shall we?’ Without warning, he reached out a hand and jerked her against him, his mouth hovering a mere breath from hers. ‘We have unfinished business, Dr Anderson.’
He kissed her hard and she felt her knees go weak but she didn’t have the chance to think about the implications of that fact because something hot and dangerous exploded in her body. She wound her arms round his neck for support. Just for support.
He gave a low groan and dug his fingers into her hair, tilting her head, changing the angle, helping himself to her mouth.
‘You taste good, cara mia,’ he muttered, trailing kisses over her jaw and then back to her mouth. He kissed her thoroughly. Skilfully. And then lifted his head, his breathing less than steady. ‘I’m addicted to your mouth. It was one of the first things I noticed about you.’
Her head swam dizzily and she tried to focus, but before she could even remember how to regain control he lowered his head again.
With a soft gasp, she tried to speak. ‘Stop…’ His lips had found a sensitive spot on her neck and she was finding it impossible to think straight. With a determined effort, she pushed at his chest. ‘We have to stop this.’
‘Why?’ His mouth returned to hers, teasing and seducing. ‘Why stop something that feels so good?’
Her head was swimming and she couldn’t concentrate. ‘Because I don’t do this.’
‘Then it’s good to try something new.’ He lifted his head, his smile surprisingly gentle. ‘Courage, tesoro.’
Her fingers were curled into the hard muscle of his shoulders and she remembered the strength he’d shown in the water.
‘Talking of courage, you could have drowned out there.’
His eyes searched hers. Questioning. ‘You’re telling me you were worried, Dr Anderson?’ He lifted a hand and gently brushed her cheek. ‘Better not let Mary hear you say that. She’ll be buying a hat to wear at our wedding.’
‘Oh, for goodness’ sake.’ She knew he was teasing but all the same the words flustered her and she pulled away, trying not to look at his mouth. Trying not to think about the way he kissed. About the fact that she wanted him to go on kissing her. ‘What took you so long, anyway? I was beginning to think you’d gone back to Italy.’
‘I hurried the twins through A and E, we got a ride home with one of the paramedics and then I dropped them home.’
‘And that took three hours? Did you drive via Scotland?’
‘You really were worried. Careful, Alice.’ His voice was soft, his gaze searching. ‘You’re showing emotion.’
She flushed and walked past him to the kitchen. ‘Given the distance between here and the hospital, with which I’m entirely familiar, I was expecting you back ages ago. And you didn’t answer your mobile.’
‘I was with Harriet.’ He followed her and went straight to the espresso machine. ‘She had a nasty shock and she was blaming herself terribly for what happened. She needed TLC.’
And he would have given her the comfort she needed, because he was that sort of man. He was good with people’s emotions, she thought to herself. Unlike her.
‘I stayed with her for the first two hours,’ she muttered, raking fingers through her hair, feeling totally inadequate, ‘but she just kept pacing and saying she was a terrible mother. And I didn’t know what to say. I’m hopeless at giving emotional comfort. If she’d cut her finger or developed a rash, I would have been fine. But there was nothing to see. She was just hysterical and miserable. I did my best, but it wasn’t good enough. I was useless.’
He glanced over his shoulder, his eyes gentle. ‘That’s not true. You’re not hopeless or useless. Just a little afraid, I think. Emotions can be scary things. Not so easily explained as some other things. You’ll get better with practice. She’s calmer now.’ Reaching across the work surface, Gio opened a packet of coffee-beans and tipped them into a grinder. ‘And she definitely has postnatal depression.’
Alice stared. ‘You’re sure?’
‘Certain.’
‘So what did you do?’
‘I listened.’ He flicked a switch, paused while the beans were ground and then gave a shrug. ‘Sometimes that’s all a person needs, although, in Harriet’s case, I think she does need something more. Tomorrow she is coming to see me and we are going to put together a plan of action. I think her condition merits drug treatment but, more importantly, we need to get her emotional support. Her husband isn’t around much and she needs help. She needs to feel that people love and care for her. She needs to know that people mind how she’s feeling. She doesn’t have family to do that, so we need to find her the support from elsewhere.’
Alice watched him. He moved around the kitchen the same way he did everything. With strength and confidence. ‘You really believe that family holds all the answers, don’t you?’
‘Yes, I do.’ He emptied the grinder and turned to look at her. ‘But I realise that you may find that hard to understand, given your experience of family life. You haven’t ever seen a decent example, so why would you agree with me?’
She stiffened. ‘Look, I wish I’d never mentioned it to you. It isn’t important.’
‘It’s stopped you believing in love, so it’s important.’
