my lifestyle does not allow me the opportunity to practise my culinary skills as often as I would like. Why does that make you laugh? Do you not believe I can cook?’
‘Oh, it’s not that.’ She was quite prepared to believe he could do anything. ‘You have several chefs and think that’s normal … It’s just you’re so super-rich …’ Hands outstretched, she looked around the gleaming, stylish room. ‘It’s as if you live on another planet.’
He gave a fluid shrug. ‘We live on the same planet, Dervla. The important things in life still have no price tag.’
‘Unlike that little lot,’ she observed, nodding towards the gleaming state-of-the-art equipment.
‘The chef likes his gadgets, but I hope you do not think worse of me that I prefer a slightly more … hands-on approach. But a good knife, that is a different matter.’ He took a chef’s knife from a wooden block and balanced it lightly in his hand.
The less she thought about his hands, the better, Dervla decided, sucking a deep sustaining breath before she admitted, ‘I’ll take your word for it. I’m more of a microwave-meal girl myself.’
‘I honestly don’t spend much time in the kitchen myself,’ he admitted. ‘But when I do I find it relaxing. The secret of a good risotto is the stock,’ he said, rolling up his sleeves, and for the second time that day her attention was drawn to the sinewy strength in his forearms.
Actually she was pretty much riveted by him full stop. ‘Can I do anything?’ Like worship at your feet? suggested the sarcastic voice in her head.
‘You can take off your coat, pour us some wine … the wine cooler is just to your left.’ He tilted his dark head towards a glass-fronted cabinet. ‘And make yourself comfortable.’
He tugged out a chair beside the scrubbed table he had placed his ingredients on. Slipping her damp coat off, she folded it across a chair back and, dropping down to her knees, opened the cooler. ‘What wine?’ she asked, feeling totally out of her depth as she stared at the bewildering array of wines on display.
‘Just close your eyes and take pot luck,’ he suggested, before turning his attention to an onion that he proceeded to dice with professional speed. ‘Corkscrew,’ he added, reaching into a drawer to his right and tossing the item in question towards her. ‘Good catch.’
Dervla opened the bottle after a short tussle and filled the two glasses. Sitting in a chair, she set her elbows on the table and, nursing her glass of wine, watched as he continued to chop, slice and stir with economic dexterity.
It was not long before the room was filled with a nose-twitching smell.
‘That looks good.’
His eyes lifted from his creation. ‘You hungry?’
She nodded. Actually the empty feeling in her churning stomach had no connection with anything as simple as hunger.
‘Good.’ He lifted a spoon to his lips, gave a critical nod of approval. ‘About done. If you stir it I’ll set the table. Don’t worry, it won’t bite,’ he added, looking amused as she looked at the spoon suspiciously.
‘That’s it, just keep it moving.’ His fingers brushed hers as he released the spoon to her and the light contact sent a surge of tingling lust through her body that excited and terrified her.
What am I doing here? I don’t belong in this world. She turned her head to look at him through the silky sweep of her lashes and thought, His world. This is his world and I don’t belong in it.
‘Have a seat.’ He pulled out a chair and motioned her to sit as he lit the candle he had produced from somewhere.
Soft music and it would be the classic seduction scene.
Even the faintest possibility should have had her running for the door, but she wasn’t running. Her heart was beating faster, she felt breathless, almost light-headed.
Anyone would think I wanted to be seduced.
She rejected the idea with a tiny shake of her head. She had never been tempted by casual relationships; the idea of intimacy without love left her cold.
So why was her skin crackling with heat?
‘You really didn’t have to go to so much trouble on my account,’ she said, staring into the flickering flame worriedly.
‘It was my pleasure.’
She turned her head and saw he was watching her, his mouth curved into a sardonic smile. She had the horrible feeling he knew exactly what she was thinking.
‘But as I have gone to so much trouble, it would be churlish of you not to eat the results of my hard labour,’ he chided softly.
Not quite meeting his eyes, Dervla shivered inside, flashed him a half-smile and took her seat.
She would eat and leave. She was in danger, she told herself, of overcomplicating this, making way too much of a casual glance or an ambiguous comment. She had to stop seeing things that weren’t there.
Gianfranco took the seat opposite. He bent forward to top up her glass, but she shook her head and murmured quickly. ‘Not for me.’
She noticed he didn’t replenish his own glass either. He made no effort to pick up his fork, but waited, elbows pressed on the table, his chin resting on his hands, for her to try the food.
‘Well?’
‘It’s delicious,’ she admitted truthfully. ‘Are you going back to the hospital tonight?’
He shook his head. ‘No, Alberto has asserted his independence and thrown me out.’
‘He has more guts than the rest of us.’
While they ate the subjects of conversation remained similar safe, desultory topics and Dervla began to—relax was too strong a word, but her defences lowered slightly and the tension slipped out of her rigid spine. But all the time they spoke and said little she was still very conscious that this was Gianfranco Bruni who was a dangerous man accustomed to getting what he wanted.
And if he wants me?
Dervla took a jittery gasp and got to her feet so quickly that she almost knocked her chair over.
‘That was lovely, but it is late.’ Late to pretend she wasn’t attracted to him and hadn’t been from the moment she had laid eyes on him. ‘I really should be going.’ I really should never have come.
Gianfranco set aside his napkin and rose with the fluid grace that typified all his actions.
‘It’s early,’ he protested, walking around to her side of the table.
Dervla stood there, her heart hammering, twisting the white linen napkin in her hands, her feet nailed to the ground as he came to stand beside her, close enough for her to feel the heat radiating from his body.
She kept her eyes trained on her half-full glass on the table. ‘I really should …’
He touched his thumb to the full outline
