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‘Well, yes.’
‘Sit, Maude.’ There was only so long they could discuss work-related issues before the conversation dried up. He didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable here. Whilst they had entered into this arrangement, having mutually agreed at the time that it was a good idea, it was his fault that they were now having to duck for cover from the slings and arrows his ex had decided to let loose. She didn’t deserve to feel awkward or, worse, trapped into having to work because she didn’t think she had a choice. She was in his villa, in his territory...the last thing he wanted her to think was that she was at his mercy.
‘There’s work to get through here.’ He waited until she was sitting opposite him, then he leaned forward, his elbows resting on his thighs, his dark eyes serious. ‘But, like I said, I want you to take time out and relax. The weather’s good...whatever you want is on tap...’ He slanted a slow smile at her. ‘No one’s going to be following us out here. I can show you the vineyard, take you to some of the local beauty spots...’
‘You don’t have to, Mateo.’
‘I know.’
‘I...it’s...very beautiful here.’ She reached for the glass of wine being offered and turned as a platter of canapés was placed on the table between them.
She made herself forget about the unnerving effect he had on her and gazed at the view.
‘How long have you had this place? All this land...the vineyards...it’s a world away from the rat race.’
‘Yes. It is.’
‘You sound surprised.’ Maude sipped the wine and smiled.
‘I’d forgotten how serene it is,’ Mateo admitted.
He’d angled his chair so that they were both contemplating the same view, watching the same stars studded against the velvet darkness of the night skies.
A wave of utter peace crept into him, slow and steady, filling every part of him. For the first time, Mateo went with the flow and allowed himself to kick back.
‘How often do you get to come here?’ Maude murmured.
They both reached for a canapé from the table between them at the same time and their fingers touched.
He didn’t pull away. Nor did he look at her. His hand lingered. Or was that her imagination?
The brush of his finger was as hot as the mark of a branding iron.
That dark, treacherous excitement she had felt before sizzled in her blood. Shewantedto leave her hand right there, wanted the thrill of it touching his.
She had to force herself to bring the canapé to her mouth and then keep her hand on her lap as she continued to stare straight ahead, heart thudding in her chest.
‘Not often enough.’
‘Why not?’
‘Work. Too much of it.’
‘I suppose that’s a blessing and a curse.’ Maude smiled, darted her eyes across to his aquiline profile and shivered. ‘If you don’t work, how can you become...er...as wealthy as you have?’
‘And is that where you’re aiming to go?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘To the top...in pursuit of wealth?’
‘Not at all.’ She sipped the wine and let the alcohol loosen her. It was excellent wine. ‘Money doesn’t mean anything to me.’
‘That’s because you’ve always had access to it.’ Mateo glanced at his glass to see that it was finished so he helped himself to another and topped up Maude’s as well.
He found himself thinking about his childhood, the road he never went down, and knew that the last thing he wanted to do was go there in yet more confessional mode.
‘Maybe. Probably. It would have been a lot easier to have become a spoiled brat.’
