on the silk panties, she was momentarily sidetracked by the fact they felt so decadently luxurious against her skin. Then she tried the bra and was amazed to find that it not only felt secure, it looked fabulous.
He had excellent taste in underwear, she thought weakly, reaching for the jeans.
Braced for humiliation she pulled them up, but instead of becoming stuck on her thighs as she’d expected, they slid over her legs, moulded to her bottom and fastened easily.
Unable to believe he’d bought her a perfect pair of jeans when she’d never succeeded in doing that, Liv glanced at the label and then wished she hadn’t because she knew instantly that they’d cost him a fortune.
She knew she ought to tell him to take them back. But then she glanced at herself in the mirror and they looked so impossibly good that she almost giggled with delight.
Her legs looked long and slender, her bottom curvy and—
Eyeing her cleavage, she sighed.
She needed a top.
Opening another bag, she found a luxuriously soft cashmere jumper in a shade of green that she loved, together with a scarf, a hat and an adorable pair of gloves.
Feeling like someone completely different, she strolled out into the living room.
‘What is this? Make-over time?’
‘No, those are the basics.’ Stefano was reaching up to place a bauble at the top of the tree. ‘A make-over is something entirely different. Do they fit? It was a bit of a rushed selection. Max and I didn’t have much time.’ He turned to look at her and his eyes swept over her in blatant masculine appraisal.
‘These jeans are amazing.’ Disconcerted by the look in his eyes, she looked down at herself. ‘It’s like having plastic surgery.’
‘You don’t need plastic surgery.’ His tone exasperated, he strolled towards her and took her face in his hands. ‘You’re gorgeous, Liv.’
Her eyes slid towards Max and Stefano exhaled slowly and let his hands drop to his sides. ‘I’m glad everything fits.’
‘I don’t even want to know how you knew my size,’ she muttered and he gave a knowing smile.
‘Guesswork.’ The way he was looking at her made her feel dizzy and breathless and the clothes made her feel—well, they made her feel incredible.
‘Thank you.’
‘It’s a pleasure.’ His gaze lingered on hers for a moment and then he turned his attention back to the tree.
But there was a tension in his broad shoulders that hadn’t been there before and Liv felt a sudden rush of exhilaration because she knew that there was chemistry between them. She didn’t understand it, but it was definitely there.
The question was, would she dare to do anything about it?
By the middle of December the whole hospital was buzzing with excitement at the prospect of the Snowflake Ball. Those without tickets were hoping desperately for a sudden flurry of returns and those with tickets spent the day of the ball discussing how to look glamorous and stay warm at the same time.
‘Everyone has gone mad,’ Liv grumbled as she handed Anna a pile of notes. ‘It’s just a dance. With all the same people they work with every day.’
‘In case you hadn’t noticed, a dinner jacket is so much more attractive than a scrub suit.’
‘But once you’ve seen them in a scrub suit, there’s no going back.’ Liv said dryly. ‘I’m glad I gave my tickets to you. What are you wearing?’
‘Oh!’ Anna avoided her gaze. ‘I haven’t decided yet.’
Liv looked at her in amazement. ‘But it’s tonight.’
‘I know. But we finish at four. That gives me four hours to decide what to wear. That should just about be enough.’
‘You should have let me have Sam for the night.’
‘You don’t think that two little boys in Stefano’s flashy apartment would have been pushing things?’ Anna smiled. ‘Anyway, there’s no need. Dave’s mother has turned up for her annual Christmas take-over, so she might as well make herself useful. How’s Max doing? Is he sleeping in his own bed yet?’
‘Yes. He only slept with me for the first couple of nights. He seems to be fine, actually. And that’s because of Stefano. Max is so cocooned in this wonderful masculine world of football and Ferraris that I think he’s forgotten that his own home no longer exists.’
‘Sam told me all about Stefano turning up at school in the Ferrari to collect Max.’
‘Yes. That was probably the highlight of Max’s life so far.’
Anna looked at her closely. ‘And you’re not happy about that?’
Liv bit her lip. ‘I’m happy that he’s happy, of course I am. But I’m also worried about what is going to happen in the new year. At the moment Max is living in style. He’s made friends with the whole of the security team in Stefano’s apartment block and they play spy games with him all the time. He goes for rides in Stefano’s Ferrari. How is he going to adapt to returning to his own life?’
‘He’s just having fun. You’re the reality of his life, Liv. You’re the anchor. But that doesn’t mean he can’t have fun while it’s on offer.’ Anna touched her shoulder. ‘And you should do the same. Just enjoy it while it’s there. Life is a cold, hard thing as you well know. If there’s any warmth available, then take it and make the most of it.’
‘That’s what I’m doing.’ Liv thought of her new clothes and Stefano’s incredible apartment. ‘He has this balcony that wraps itself around the whole apartment. It’s fabulous. And it’s so, so peaceful.’ She took a deep breath. ‘And it feels safe. In the flat I always slept with one eye open in case someone tried to break in and there were often fights on the streets outside. Living in Knightsbridge is like moving to a different country.’
‘All right, I’ve heard enough.’ Laughing, Anna covered her ears with her hands. ‘Any moment now I’m going to thump you. Just don’t tell me that you’ve seen Stefano naked. That will really ruin my day.’
‘One of the advantages of an extremely large apartment is that it’s perfectly possible for two people not to see that much of each other.’
And that was a good thing, she told herself firmly. He’d been so generous that she was starting to imagine things she shouldn’t imagine.
Yes, he’d said that he wanted to have sex with her, but he was a man, wasn’t he? And she had no doubt at all that if Stefano ever caught a glimpse of her without the clothes he’d bought, he’d change his mind about finding her attractive.
Anna peered at her closely. ‘Is something going on I should know about?’
Liv felt her heart bump. ‘Nothing.’ She wasn’t going to mention that one incredible kiss in his office because since then he hadn’t laid a finger on her so obviously
