she were floating.
‘It could be someone important.’ Her hand shook slightly as she picked up the phone. Note to self, she thought. Don’t look at the guy unless you have to. ‘Hello?’
A woman’s voice came down the phone, smooth and sultry.
The dizziness faded in an instant and Tasha thrust the phone at him, plummeting back to earth with a bump. ‘It’s for you. Someone called Analisa. She doesn’t sound too happy.’ And that made two of them. Clearing the tray, Tasha stomped back into the kitchen.
What the hell was she playing at? Staring at a guy like some sort of dreamy teenager!
Scowling, she tipped the herbal tea down the sink.
If she’d needed reminding what Alessandro was like, it was that phone call.
She didn’t understand the language, but it was obvious that Alessandro wasn’t spending time placating the woman. Judging from his bored tone, it wasn’t going to bother him if Analisa or whatever her name was didn’t phone back.
And that, Tasha thought angrily, summed up Alessandro Cavalieri. He didn’t care how many women he hurt. Flirt today, dump tomorrow.
She took her time in the kitchen and by the time she strolled back into the living room, Alessandro was no longer on the phone. ‘Did you take those tablets?’
‘Yes. They would have gone down more easily with whisky.’
‘You’re going to need a clear head to handle all those women who keep calling you.’
‘Are you jealous?’
‘Oh, please!’ Tasha moved the crutches out of the way before he tripped and did more damage. ‘Don’t flatter yourself. Fortunately for both of us, I’ve grown out of the girl-meets-prince fantasy.’
‘Good, because girl-meets-prince has never done anything for me. It’s all fake.’ His tone was irascible and suddenly she wished she’d stayed in the kitchen.
The house was huge, and yet suddenly it seemed small.
It was all too intimate, too—terrifying?
‘You’re very bad-tempered. That’s probably because you’re hungry. If you’re sure I can’t tempt you with some of my lovely, delicious tea, I’ll go and make us some supper instead.’
‘You’d better phone for a take-away because there isn’t anything in the fridge.’
‘Actually, there was, but most of it looked ready for a post mortem so I threw it away. The only thing within use-by date in your fridge is the champagne, and last time I looked that wasn’t listed as one of the five major food groups.’ Ignoring the empty space on the sofa next to him, she sprawled in one of the chairs, curling her legs underneath her. ‘I gather you don’t cook.’
‘I have a chef, but while I’ve been in hospital I gave him time off.’
A chef? ‘Yes, well, next time tell him to clean the dead bodies out of the fridge before he leaves. Lucky for you I had the foresight to pick up some food on the way so we’re not going to starve.’
‘I don’t expect you to cook. That isn’t why you’re here.’ His face was paper white and she could see that the slightest movement caused him agony. ‘Anyway, I’m not hungry.’
‘If you don’t eat, you won’t recover. Why do you have a chef?’
‘I’m a useless cook. And I’m usually too busy to cook. I eat out a lot.’
With women like the sultry Analisa. ‘Well, that’s not a problem. It will be my pleasure to make you delicious treats.’ Generally she hated cooking, but Tasha decided not to share that with him. She’d already decided what she was cooking him for dinner. ‘In fact, why don’t I get started? You ought to have an early night.’
‘I’m not big on early nights.’ Those dark eyes found hers. ‘Unless there’s a reason.’
‘A broken ankle and bruised ribs are a reason.’ Rejecting the chemistry, Tasha uncurled her legs and stood up. ‘The body heals better when it’s rested.’
‘So you’re good in the kitchen?’
‘I’m good in every room, Alessandro.’ Leaving him to dwell on that comment, Tasha walked back to the kitchen and closed the door firmly behind her.
The irony didn’t escape her. Normally she avoided the kitchen. Here, it felt like a refuge from Alessandro.
Trying not to think about him, she emptied her bags over the shiny black work surface and picked up a small bag of extra-hot chillies.
Stir-fry, she thought, with a kick.
She couldn’t kick him herself, but this should do the job for her.
But as she chopped and sliced she discovered that it was impossible not to think about him. And thinking made her wonder about the dark clouds she saw in his eyes. She’d been a doctor long enough to recognise when someone was suffering. And she didn’t think the dark emotions swirling around him had anything to do with the accident.
Might have caused the accident, though, she mused, slicing onion with surgical precision.
Minutes later she had noodles cooking in boiling water and she was stir-frying a generous quantity of garlic, red chilli and ginger. Making a guess at the timing, Tasha gamely tipped in vegetables and juicy prawns and finally added the noodles.
As it sizzled, she turned to the other pan and stirred the contents. It looked identical except for one ingredient—it lacked the copious amounts of red chilli.
Just don’t mix them up, she reminded herself as she plated the meal, adding a touch of garnish to make the dish extra appetising.
Pleased with the result, she walked through to the light, airy living room. The sun had dipped below the horizon and the evening was cool. Alessandro lay sprawled on the low sofa where she’d left him, staring with brooding concentration at the waves crashing onto the shore.
‘The first time I surfed here I was twenty. Josh brought me.’
And she’d followed them. Egged on by her best friend from school, they’d hidden, giggling, behind the rocks, watching as her brother and his sexy friend stripped down to board shorts.
Tasha put the plates down on the table with a clatter. ‘I would have thought a playboy with a private jet and your surfing skills would have chosen North Beach, Hawaii, or Jeffreys Bay in South Africa.’
‘I love Cornwall. Staying with your family was one of the happiest times of my life.’
The words pushed her control off centre and Tasha felt her stomach lurch. It had been the happiest time of her life, too. Which had made the abrupt ending even harder. ‘Our home wasn’t exactly big—it must have felt like a shoebox to you after palace life.’
‘It felt like a proper home. And I envied the way you could all just get on with your lives without having to think about crowds and security.’
