before him, Bastian realised that something that should have been easy—that he dealt with as a matter of course in his business life—suddenly felt tiresomely difficult.
Mulling over what she might have meant when she’d confessed that her life had been rather difficult lately and things had made her lose faith in her ability, he quickly ran his mind through the gamut of possibilities. Had she been bereaved? Was she recovering from an accident or an illness? Or had she lost her money in one of those deplorable financial scams?
Then it dawned on him.
She’d been recently divorced, his father had said. No doubt her confidence had been shaken by her marriage not working out. It must have been harder still if she’d really loved the man...
Because the idea disturbed him more than it ought, he steered his thoughts back to the matter in hand and said firmly, ‘Very well, then. We will talk business. Regrettably, my father and I need you to vacate the property as soon as possible, signora, and we will gladly compensate you in order for you to do that. As you have already been advised, we will even find you similar suitable accommodation in the area.’
Lily rubbed her hands up and down her bare arms as if she was feeling cold. His heart thudded at the thought of a very particular way of warming her. It had been a long time since he’d felt so attracted to a woman, and the fact that he did so now, with this woman, would turn out to be a major inconvenience should he succumb to it.
‘Do you really expect me to agree to leave just like that?’ she demanded, tucking a long strand of hair turned golden by the sun behind her ear. ‘I have rights too, you know.’
‘Of course you do. That’s why we have made you a very good offer to help you agree to go. You will not be out of pocket, or left to find alternative accommodation on your own.’ Taking a deep breath in, Bastian felt oddly ill at ease as he garnered himself to say what he had to say next. ‘If you do not agree to leave, I’m afraid we may have to resort to having the authorities evict you.’
Immediately she pushed to her feet. Bastian saw her upper lip quiver and a vivid rose tint spread over her cheeks.
It made him feel like an absolute louse that he’d put her in such an untenable position. Never before had the necessity to do such a thing in the name of business overly disturbed him. From early on in his career he’d learned that he couldn’t please everyone, that sometimes it was necessary to stick to his guns in order to get what he wanted. But it perturbed him that he was going to disappoint her.
‘You would really do that? Do you honestly think that’s fair?’
Lifting a broad, hard-muscled shoulder and dropping it again, he aimed to keep his tone matter-of-fact and not resort to getting into a disagreeable confrontation. He was well aware that on rare occasions heightened emotions could get the better of him.
‘We gave you plenty of notice.’ Standing up, he drove his hand exasperatedly through his hair. ‘Surely that was enough?’
‘It wasn’t...it isn’t.’
Determined to let him know she was no pushover, Lily stood her ground. Bastian Carrera wasn’t going to treat her as though she was some meek little lamb whose needs weren’t important and get away with it! Other people had treated her in such a cavalier fashion before and she wouldn’t tolerate it.
Memories came of being mocked at school for being shy and awkward and refusing to be part of any clique—it had singled her out to the class bullies. Their cruel taunts and efforts to exclude her from school activities had made her feel even more isolated and alone than she’d already felt at home. Hers had not been a loving household. But the pain of what she’d endured then made her even more determined to stand up to her landlord now.
‘How would you like to be ousted from your place of residence as though you don’t matter? As if your needs are inconsequential?’ Her tone rang with temper. ‘People like me clearly don’t matter to you so long as you get what you want, do they?’
‘What do you mean by that?’
‘You know very well what I mean. It’s obvious you believe my needs are nowhere near as important as your own. I’m just an ordinary woman, trying to make her living in the best way I can, and I won’t be dictated to by a man who thinks he’s superior just because he’s inherited wealth and land and doesn’t have to depend on anyone for the fundamental things in life...like a home!’
‘You think I don’t appreciate what I have? That I take my good fortune for granted?’ Bastian’s glance was steely. ‘You have no idea how wrong you are. I work as hard as—if not harder than—any of my employees who need to put food on the table for their families because that’s what I learned from my father. His example taught me that a business is only as good as the people who run it—that we have to value those who work for us and let them know their contribution is essential to the success and wellbeing of us all.’
The passion in his voice made Lily realise how much her comment had got to him. She knew she’d sounded accusing and jealous of his good fortune and she hadn’t meant to convey that at all. That wasn’t the way she felt. All she wanted was to be treated fairly and not to be pushed aside like some annoying inconvenience.
‘I didn’t say that you took anything for granted. I take pride in working hard myself. It’s just that...’
Disturbingly, she somehow found herself face to face with him, and she tried hard not to be distracted by his arresting presence for long enough to finish speaking her mind and let him know how furious she was at what appeared to be his distinct lack of understanding in her case.
‘Couldn’t this necessity of yours to turn over the land to more organic olive groves wait a while longer? At least until the agreed length of my tenancy expires? Can’t you at least think about it?’
Breathing hard, she felt the uncomfortable sensation of sticky perspiration breaking out on her skin, making her feel damp. It was a particularly hot day, but the external temperature wasn’t the only reason for the enervating heat that had descended on her...
It was Bastian Carrera himself.
When he didn’t immediately reply she added lamely, ‘Honestly...you make me so angry.’
His smile was wry—taunting, almost. The fury he’d displayed just now had suddenly dissipated. Yet the residue of that heightened emotion seemed to be unaccountably turning into something far more threatening.
When she glanced back into those haunting, dark eyes of his she saw they were unapologetically sensuous.
‘That is just the kind of thing a lover would say.’
‘What are you talking about?’
She was too flustered to understand how or why events had taken a sudden one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn, but they had. However, deep inside she did know.
The tangible tension between them that was now electrifyingly real had simply had to find an outlet.
As if to confirm it, the Italian’s warm, slightly callused hand was suddenly on the back of her neck as he brought his face down to hers. There was no time to think about anything other than the urgent feelings that shockingly made her ache to know him in the most intimate way, to touch and explore him and see
