away from the coastal road. Anyone who didn’t know it was there would never have noticed it, particularly at this time of the year when the blossom was out.
He was aware that Tess had turned to stare at him now and he guessed what she was thinking before she spoke. ‘You never had any intention of climbing down the cliff, did you?’ she exclaimed, but her tone was more relieved than accusing. Then as the car swung round a hairpin bend she groped for the edge of her seat. ‘Is this road going somewhere or are we likely to get stuck halfway down?’
‘Relax, cara,’ he said, taking a hand from the wheel to briefly touch her knee. ‘I know what I am doing.’
But did he? he wondered as he withdrew from that strangely intimate connection. Once again, he had acted on impulse and now her gaze was decidedly uncertain as it darted away from his.
‘I hope so,’ she mumbled almost under her breath, but he heard her and chided himself for causing more tension between them. He’d intended this to be a light-hearted interlude before he returned her to Porto San Michele, but he was in danger of creating problems that might be far harder to deal with than Marco’s boyish infatuation for her sister.
The track narrowed as it neared the bottom of the cliffs and he winced as the untamed bushes scraped along the sides of the car. A mistake in more ways than one, he thought ruefully, but that didn’t stop him from feeling an ungovernable sense of anticipation at spending a little longer in Tess’s company.
As he’d hoped, the shallow plateau above the beach was deserted. There was just room enough to turn the car and his satisfaction at their seclusion was only equalled by his relief that his memory of the place hadn’t been faulty.
And it was just as beautiful as he remembered. The untouched stretch of beach was enclosed on either side by a rocky promontory, and the sand was as pure and untouched as when the cove was formed. At the shoreline, waves broke into rivulets of foam, and beyond the dazzling brilliance of the sea the sky rose, a cloudless arc of blue above. They could have been alone on some desert island were it not for the sails of a yacht heading far out towards the horizon.
Tess thrust open her door as soon as he stopped the car. Getting out, she walked to the edge of the turning area and lifted both hands to protect the top of her head. He wondered what she was thinking as she stared out to sea. He hoped she wasn’t regretting coming with him. For the first time in more years than he cared to calculate, he was enjoying himself and he didn’t want anything to spoil it.
But he had been sitting there too long watching her, and when she glanced back over her shoulder he saw the doubt in her eyes. He at once opened his door and, pushing his feet out onto the sun-baked earth, he crossed the space that divided them.
‘I suppose you knew this was here,’ she said as he joined her. Then, turning back to the view, she added somewhat wistfully, ‘It is a marvellous place.’
‘You like it?’ He was pleased. ‘Thankfully, it has not yet been discovered by the tourists.’
‘Down that track?’ A smile was in her voice. ‘I dread to think what you’ve done to your car.’
‘It is only a car,’ he assured her mildly. ‘If it needs a paint job, then so be it.’
Tess shook her head. ‘You say that so casually. Most people have to take care of their possessions.’
Rafe sighed, realising he had been careless. ‘Perhaps I measure my possessions differently, cara,’ he said softly.
‘People are more important to me than—what shall I say?—pretty toys, no?’
She shrugged and as she did so he noticed how the sun had already tinged the skin of her upper arms with a rosy glow. She would burn easily, he thought, the knowledge increasing the sense of protection he already felt towards her. He wanted to—
But, no. He was already getting ahead of himself and, turning back to the car, he collected the bags containing their lunch from the boot. ‘Come,’ he said, stepping into the tangle of reeds and grasses that bordered the plateau. ‘We can have lunch in the shade of the cliffs, yes?’
‘Okay.’
He saw her give another glance back towards the car before she followed him down onto the sand. Then, kicking off her shoes, she seemed to relax, and by the time he had spread his jacket for them to sit on she was right behind him.
‘I know,’ he said as she dropped her shoes beside her. ‘This will not do my jacket any good either. But in this instance, it can be cleaned.’
‘If you say so.’
Apparently deciding she had no choice than to trust him, she seated herself at the edge of the jacket, drawing up her knees and wrapping her arms about them. Rafe dropped down beside her, trying not to stare at the smooth flesh disappearing into the cuffs of her shorts. Imagining what lay beneath the pink cotton was not only unforgivable, it was stupid, and he distracted himself by opening the bags and containers and setting them out between them.
‘What would you like to eat?’ he asked, when Tess seemed to be more interested in the tiny shells that dotted the sand at her feet than the food. ‘Salad? Pizza?’
‘What? Oh—’ He was suddenly sure she was only pretending not to have noticed what he’d been doing. ‘Um—salad sounds good.’
He met her wary gaze with a deliberately neutral stare. ‘Only salad?’
She shifted a little awkwardly. ‘Well—maybe a slice of pizza, too,’ she agreed, accepting the salad container from his hand. ‘Thanks. This looks good.’
‘I hope so.’ He helped himself to a slice of the pizza and bit into it with feigned enthusiasm. The tomato juice oozed onto his chin and he grabbed a napkin to wipe it away. ‘Hmm. Molto bene.’
‘I’m sure you’re only saying that,’ she murmured, forking a curl of radicchio into her mouth. ‘But it was kind of you to do this. I appreciate it.’
‘I did not do it out of kindness.’ Rafe was stung by the implication that there could be no other reason for him to want her company. He swallowed another mouthful of pizza, licking the melted cheese from his lips before continuing tersely, ‘It is I who should thank you for accompanying me to Viali.’
Tess hesitated. ‘I don’t know why,’ she said at last. ‘It would have been easier for everyone if I hadn’t been there.’
‘I think we covered that some miles back.’ Rafe was impatient. ‘Can we not forget the reasons why we started out on this expedition and concentrate on the here and now? Are you not enjoying yourself, is that what all this is about?’
Tess cast a brief glance his way. ‘All what?’ she queried tensely and he blew out a weary breath.
‘You know,’ he told her flatly. ‘Ever since we left the albergo, you have been as—as jumpy as a cat. What did I do? What have I said to upset you?’
‘Nothing.’
The answer came far too quickly and Rafe thrust his pizza aside and got abruptly to his feet. ‘If you would care to finish your salad in the car, we can leave immediately.’
‘No.’ That answer came quickly,
