been sensible enough not to tie herself to a man sheâd already grown out of. Tommy had left to see the world with Emmaâs blessing. But maybe sheâd missed out on the subtle thrill of a manâs appreciation.
In fact, even with the little exposure to Gianniâs attention today sheâd begun to revel in the unfamiliar feeling of being a fragile flower to be cherished and taken care of. Not something she had any experience of and no doubt it would irk her very quickly in the real world, but this was an out-of-the-ordinary opportunity to let herself be spoiled.
And there was something about Gianni that called to her in a way sheâd never heard before. Heaven forbid, there might be a fabulous encounter her body was trying to tempt her into, and the idea had a compulsive magnetism, like the man did. As long as she was careful and it didnât get out of hand.
Gianni was right out of her comfort zone. And he was leaving soon. To go back to Italy. If she made a fool of herself, he was a ship in the night with a home port she couldnât get much further away from than inland Queensland.
She looked at her watch and bounced away from the door as if someone had poked her with a cattle prod. Sheâd wasted five minutes!
CHAPTER THREE
T WENTY-FIVE minutes later Gianni knocked on Emmaâs door and the sound echoed through Emmaâs chest and under her ribcage. Boom. Boom. Boom. He was here. She couldnât remember the last time sheâd had a real date. Probably never.
She sucked in her breath and ran her tongue inside her gums to make sure she didnât have any lipstick on her teeth. Still not convinced, she grimaced toothily at the mirror on the way to her door. Yep. All was well. Another deep breath as she paused and hoped sheâd dressed right. She opened the door.
Christo. Gianni sucked his own lungful of air. Emmaâs blonde hair was loose over her shoulders and sheâd abandoned the pink lipstick for a deep sultry red that matched the lush material of her blouse. To call it a blouse was a blasphemy. The soft material clung like a skin and lingered like his eyes on the swell of her breasts and plunged, also like his eyes, down into a V of paradise.
His breath jammed for a moment and then resumed,like his mesmerised surveillance of her preparations. All this in half an hour?
Heâd never been attracted to trousers on women, preferring the femininity of a swirling skirt, but when she twirled to show him, the way her firm buttocks snuggled into the stretchy black material made his eyes blink. Then she moved back further to open the door for him and he could see it hung almost like a skirt, lots of fabric swirling around her legs from the tight tapering waist, teasing him with the thought of it in a pool of darkness at her feet.
âHello?â Her voice broke the spell and he blinked and swore again in his head. What was it about this woman that grabbed him by the throat and demolished his brain? â Bella. You are beautiful and took my breath away.â
She laughed. Softly, and to him like the musical bells of his favourite chapel. Everything she did entranced him. âThank you.â she said. âThe men around here would be far too embarrassed to say that out loud.â
He frowned. âI speak the truth.â He glanced around the inside of her house. A welcoming room, evidence of a family and very clean. But he wanted her in the dark, beside him in the close confines of the car, somewhere he could inhale her scent and absorb the vibrations her body caused in his. With no distractions. âShall we go?â
âDid you manage to get a table in the restaurant?â
He frowned again. Why would he not? âOf course.âShe glanced away and shook her head slightly, and he was teased by the tiny smile she tried to hide. âI amuse you?â
âVery much so. But itâs nice because you are so very different from the men around