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She wished he’d stop touching her.
She couldn’t think or concentrate when he touched her and she had a feeling that she was really, really going to need to concentrate.
CHAPTER TEN
THE moment the plane landed, Alice knew it was possible to fall in love. With a country, at least.
And as they drove away from the airport and along the coast, the heat of the sun warmed her skin and lifted her spirits. It was summer in Cornwall, of course, but somehow it didn’t feel the same.
As she relaxed in her seat and watched the country fly past, all she knew was that that she’d never seen a sky more blue or a sea that looked more inviting. As they drove, the coast was a golden blur of orange and lemon orchards and she wanted to beg Gio to stop the car, just so that she could pick the fruit from the tree.
As if sensing the change in her, he reached across and rested a hand on her leg, his other hand steady on the wheel. ‘It is beautiful, no?’
‘Wonderful.’ She turned to look at him. ‘Where are we going?’
‘Always you ask questions.’ With a lazy smile in her direction, he returned his hand to the wheel. ‘We are going to dinner, tesoro. Just as I promised we would.’
The warmth of the sun and the tantalising glimpses of breathtaking coastline and ancient historical sights distracted her from delving more deeply, and it was early evening when Gio pulled off the main road, drove down a dusty lane and into a large courtyard.
Alice was captivated. ‘Is this where we’re staying? It’s beautiful. Is it a hotel?’
‘It has been in my family for at least five generations,’ Gio said, opening the boot and removing the cases. ‘It’s home.’
‘Home?’ The smile faded and she felt nerves flicker in the pit of her stomach. ‘You’re taking me to meet your parents.’
‘Not just my parents, tesoro.’ He slammed the boot shut and strolled over to her, sliding a hand into her hair and tilting her head. ‘My whole family. Everyone lives in this area. We congregate here. We exchange news. We show interest in each other’s lives. We offer support when it’s needed and praise when it’s deserved and quite often when it isn’t. But most of all we offer unconditional love. It’s what we do.’
‘But I—’
‘Hush.’ He rested a finger on her lips to prevent her from speaking. ‘You don’t believe in love, Alice Anderson, because you’ve never seen it. But after this weekend you will no longer be able to use that excuse. Welcome to Sicily. Welcome to my home.’
She looked a little lost, he thought to himself, seated among his noisy, ebullient family. A little wary. As if she had no idea how to act surrounded by a large group of people who so clearly adored each other.
As his mother piled the table high with Sicilian delicacies, his father recounted the tale of his latest medical drama in his severely restricted English and Gio saw Alice smile. And respond.
She was shy, he noticed. Unsure how to behave in a large group. But they drew her into the conversation in the way that his family always welcomed any guest at their table. The language was a mix of Italian and English. English when they addressed her directly and could find the words, Italian when the levels of excitement bubbled over and they restarted to their native tongue with much hand waving and voice raising, which would have sent a lesser person running for cover. His grandmother spoke only a Sicilian dialect and his younger sister, Lucia, acted as interpreter, her dark eyes sparkling as she was given the opportunity to show off her English in public.
And gradually Alice started to relax. After eating virtually nothing, he saw her finally lift her fork. He intercepted his mother’s look of approval and understanding.
And knew that he’d been right to bring her.
The buzz of conversation still ringing in her ears, Alice followed Gio out into the semi-darkness. ‘Where are we going?’
‘I don’t actually live in the house any more.’ He took her hand and led her towards a track that wound through a citrus orchard towards the sea. ‘Years ago my brother and I built a small villa at the bottom of the orchard. The idea was to let it to tourists but then we decided we wanted to keep it. He’s long since moved to something more extravagant but I keep this place as a bolthole. I love my family but even I need space from them.’
‘I thought they were lovely.’ She couldn’t keep the envy out of her voice and suddenly she stopped walking and just stood and stared. Tiny lights illuminated the path that ran all the way to the beach. The air was warm and she could smell the fruit trees and hear the lap of the sea against the sand. ‘This whole place is amazing. I just can’t imagine it.’
‘Can’t imagine what?’
‘Growing up here. With those people.’ She took her hand away from his and reached out to pick a lemon from the nearest tree. It fell into her hand, complete with leaves and stalk, and she stared at it, fascinated. ‘It’s no wonder you believe in love, Dr Moretti. I think it would be possible to believe in just about anything if you lived here.’
He stepped towards her. Took her face in his hands. ‘And do you believe in it, Alice? You met my family this evening. My parents have been together for almost forty years, my grandparents for sixty-two years. I believe that my great-grandparents were married for sixty-five years, although no one can be sure because no one can actually remember a time when they weren’t together.’ His thumb stroked her cheek. ‘What did you see tonight, Alice? Was it convenience? Friendship? Any of those reasons you once gave me for people choosing to spend their lives together?’
Her heart was thumping in her chest and she shook her head slowly. ‘No. It was love.’ Her voice cracked as she said the words. ‘I saw love.’
‘Finally.’ Gio closed his eyes briefly and murmured something in Italian. ‘Let’s go—I want to show you how I feel about you.’
It was tender and loving, slow and drawn out, with none of the fevered desperation of their previous encounters. Flesh slid against flesh, hard male against soft female, whispers and muttered words the only communication between them.
