AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘And the village. And every tree, stream and building in the five-mile radius. But I bought this place primarily for the mountain. On the infrequent occasion the mood takes me, I know I can ski without being disturbed.’
Giada realised her mouth was gaping and hastily closed it when she caught his amusement. ‘Shouldn’t...isn’t there some sort of law against being so...?’
‘Yes?’ he encouraged when she paused. ‘A law against wanting privacy for myself and the clients who need it? Against bailing out a micro-economy that was at risk of being exploited by commercialism?’
Surprise popped like a cork in her brain. ‘You mean you saved this place?’
He shrugged. ‘It was in danger of becoming a mini Verbier or Val-d’Isère. I stepped in and stopped it.’
‘And yet somehow I don’t think you did it solely out of the goodness of your heart,’ she ventured dryly before she could stop herself.
His teeth flashed in a shark-like smile and her breath caught, both at his breathtaking male beauty and at the fact that the gesture didn’t reach his eyes. ‘Do megalomaniacs love boasting that they skied onmyprivate mountain? And do they get charged ridiculous sums for the privilege?Assolutamente.There’s no law that says I can’t make millions while saving a small corner of the planet, too. Notcapitalisingon that is just pure naïveté,cara.’
She hated that his argument was sound. That he was finding ways to shatter her preconceived notions about him. Hated that all the reasons she shouldn’t find this magnetising man attractive were being blown to smithereens. And that her reactions were getting stronger by the minute.
As she wrestled with her feelings, he tilted his head to one side, studying her with a shrewd look in his eyes. ‘Am I turning out not to be...what did you call me? A carnage-and vendetta-loving brute?’
Heat surged into her face and her gaze danced away from his, the look in his eyes too intuitive to engage with. His low laugh had the desired effect of raising her hackles, though. Her chin went up before she could register that a part of her enjoyed this challenge, this parry and thrust with him. Maybe a little bit too much. ‘I only go on what I see.’
‘Do you? And yet you condemn me for doing the same?’
Thrust.
Her soft gasp at the low condemnation drew a smile, this one more circumspect. Perhaps even a touch pity. Before she could take offence, he continued. ‘I don’t blame you. It happens. My job title is ambiguous enough to draw certain preconceived notions and, I dare say, intrigue.’
She couldn’t deny it. Shewasintrigued. Just as she’d been astounded by her sister’s interest in being in this man’s orbit.
The urge not to dwell on just how intrigued she was pushed her into speech. ‘How did you become a fixer, anyway? As far as I know there’s no degree course for it in mainstream education.’
One corner of his mouth quirked, then his face grew serious. Solemn.
Giada even thought she spotted a flash of bleakness before it disappeared. Suddenly, the lightness in the room was gone. Her heart hammered steadily as she wondered whether he would answer.
He set his wine glass down, but his fingers remained wrapped around the delicate stem. ‘From a very young age, my father drilled into me the advantage of being useful. To those with power, sure, but also to those without. There was no telling when the people who served you might be swayed away from you by someone with more power. If you treated everyone equally and with respect, you were always guaranteed loyalty, no matter what.’ His mouth twisted and harshness etched with grief on his face. ‘A good enough lesson, but unfortunately not one everyone ultimately believed in.’
‘What do you mean?’
One shoulder rolled, as if the memory unsettled him. When he dragged his fingers through his hair, Giada got her first glimpse of a ruffled Alessio. ‘People can be swayed by other things besides power and respect. They can be swayed by greed and jealousy. By the need to inflict cruelty. My father found out the hard way when he was betrayed by people he trusted. They colluded to lure him into a trap, and he paid the ultimate price.’
Not for a single moment had she expected the conversation to turn so dark and heart-rending. Or for the urge to offer sympathy to be so forceful. ‘Oh. I’m sorry, Alessio.’
He stiffened for a moment, his glance finding hers and staying, a look she couldn’t quite fathom. Dismay? Surprise? Acceptance?‘Grazie.’The response was low and husky.
For the next minute, he did nothing but stare at her, as if trying to work her out. Tension slowly wound its way through her.
Had she given herself away somehow?
She swallowed, casting around her mind desperately for something to dilute his intense scrutiny. But the only thing that came to mind was the subject they were discussing. ‘Does that mean you don’t agree with the lessons your father tried to teach you?’
He exhaled, his gaze moving slowly over her face once more before he answered. ‘Not at all. But there was one ingredient I wish he’d taken into account when practising what he preached. Perhaps he would still be alive today.’ There was bitterness and a touch oflongingin his voice she couldn’t miss.
‘What lesson?’ Giada asked, the need to know this man more digging deeper into her.
One curve of his mouth twisted. ‘Trust but verify. Or some words to that effect, I think the saying goes.’
‘But you don’t trust easily.’
He didn’t refute it. ‘Or rarely at all,’ he confirmed. ‘I find it serves me better that way. Blind trust is an exercise for fools.’ The certainty of those harsh words sliced across her skin, as if his words were personal when they absolutely shouldn’t be.
