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'Goodness!' she exclaimed with embarrassment as the silence between them lengthened. 'I've been very boring, talking so much about myself.'

'You could never be boring.' He watched her thoughtfully for a moment. 'You speak with such loyalty and love about your family, your friends and your work. But what of you, Gina?'

'Me?'

She looked surprised, as if she didn't think she mattered, confirming his suspicions that she put everyone else before herself. 'Yes. When is Gina time? What do want? What are
your
dreams?'

'I don't know.' She frowned, her fingers fussing with the stem of her glass. 'It's a long time since I've thought about it,' she admitted then, her gaze lifting to reveal the confusion in dark eyes. 'I suppose I've defined myself for so long by family and work. They're important to me.'

He reached out and took her hand in his, relishing being able to touch her again, enjoying the feel of her soft skin against his own. 'As they should be. There is nothing wrong with that. But you are important, too. You should be happy, content, fulfilled.'

As he said the words, meaning them, it dawned on him that they applied equally to his own life. When had he bothered about his own needs? He'd thrown his whole self into his career, needing to succeed, covering up for the fact that it no longer brought him the satisfaction it once had.. .not since the hospital board had cajoled him into cutting back on the reconstructive work he did for those with birth defects or accident injuries in favour of the celebrity nip/tuck work that brought money and kudos for the hospital as well as himself. It was only now, talking with Gina, that he'd really opened his eyes and his mind to that. It gave him much more to think about regarding the future direction of his life.

'And is there a man waiting impatiently for your return to Scotland?' he asked, his voice less steady than he wanted. But he needed to know.

Spending this time with Gina had reinforced his desire for her, and confirmed how much he liked her as a person. He couldn't remember when he had last enjoyed himself so much, nor when he had been so interested and entertained talking with a woman—one who was not fixated on her appearance, her quest for fame, or what his money and contacts could do for her.

'There's no one,' Gina replied, lifting an anxious weight from his chest. 'I—'

Still holding her hand, he stroked her wrist, feeling the acceleration of her pulse. 'Tell me.'

'I've not really dated in a while,' she admitted, becoming colour staining her cheeks.

'Why not?' Were the men in Scotland blind? 'How long is "awhile"?'

She shrugged, her gaze sliding from his. 'About four years.'

'Four years?' he repeated, staggered at the information.

'I guess I've been so busy caring for my grandparents and doing my job. There was someone, but...'

'But?' he encouraged, seeing her frown, sensing this was important.

She paused, nibbling at her lower lip in a way that sparked a fire in his gut. 'My last relationship didn't survive my grandparents coming to live with me. I made a decision then about my priorities, and there hasn't really been the opportunity since.'

It wasn't hard to read between the lines. The man she had been dating at the time had been unwilling to share her attention, so Gina had devoted herself to the needs of others to such an extent that she had forgotten about her own. Seb admired her loyalty, her thoughtfulness. It made him like and desire her even more. But he wanted to help Gina remember just how much of a woman she was.

Before he could voice his thoughts, the waitress arrived and asked if they wanted dessert. Seb declined, ordering a coffee and chuckling at Gina's eagerness to sample the restaurant's home-made ice cream. Reluctantly, he relinquished her hand.

Midway through savouring her sweet treat, she glanced up, the expression on her face making him smile again. She looked self-conscious, but wryly amused.

'I'm being a pig, aren't I?' she bemoaned.

'Not at all. Honestly. It's a pleasure to dine with someone who enjoys their food and has an appreciation for what they are eating...and for the chef who prepared it.'

He thought of women like Lidia, taken to the finest restaurants, who made a fuss over every course, who picked at the food and refused to touch more than a few salad leaves. They cared little about the wastefulness, thought nothing of those who had less than they did, nor gave a mind to the people who had worked hard to deliver the food. Their selfishness and unnatural thinness were unattractive. Gina, on the other hand, was infinitely more sexy and enticing and head-turning for her true feminine curves. And she was natural, honest, completely uninterested in artificiality. It was wonderfully refreshing.

Seb watched her as she finished off her dessert, finding himself aroused by her almost sensual enjoyment of the taste and texture of what she was eating. She wasn't classically beautiful, and bore none of the carefully manufactured polish and sophistication of his rich patients, or the women who had vied—usually unsuccessfully—for his attention. But it was Gina's very naturalness that appealed to him and brought home how fake and unattractive all those other women were. Gina's was an inner beauty. Here was a woman who was comfortable with herself and who was not trying to impress or be something or someone else. His desire for her intensified.

There had been a few women in his past. He had been attracted to Antonella, but any interest had died when he had discovered she was an undercover reporter doing a kiss-and-tell story on him. That had hurt. He had never let anyone into his life again. There had been other women who wanted to be seen with him to further their own careers, to get their pictures in the papers, their names known. They were never interested in him as a person. His career had been pressured and time-consuming, the most important thing to him, and he'd had no time for a relationship.

Gina was the kind of woman he would once have run away from at full speed, but now his feet were planted firmly on the ground and weren't moving. Despite his initial caution, he'd known from the first that Gina was different. He had never been so instantly drawn to a woman. Not just her looks, but everything about her—her manner, her humour, her quiet intelligence, her sense of fun, her caring nature. Her loyal affection for her friends and the fact that she gave so much of herself to her grandmother said a lot about her, too.

He wanted to spend time with her—wanted to know everything about her. And he most definitely wanted to make love to her. He sensed hidden passions, an untapped sensuality he yearned to explore—a side of her she freely admitted she had selflessly restricted due to her responsibilities at home. While she was here on Elba he hoped to encourage the real Gina out to play.

Seb
was sorry when it was time for them to leave the restaurant. He had hoped to spend longer with Gina, to stroll along the harbour front, fringed with tamarisks, or go back to the villa and talk some more. But he knew she was anxious to return and check on Maria.

'You're sure you don't mind?' she asked as he called for the bill, although her relief was clear, too.

'Of course not.' Her sense of family and her thoughtfulness for others were two of the many things he admired so much about her. 'I understand.' He watched as she opened her bag and took out her purse. 'Gina, what are you doing?'

'Paying my share,' she stated, her eyes widening as he reached out and closed his hand over hers.

'Absolutely not.'

Doubt registered, and she hesitated. 'It's what I do at home,' she explained, and he wondered at the kind of men she had dated in the past.

'It's not what I do when I ask a woman to dine with me.' He stroked the back of his fingers down the smooth perfection of her cheek, touched by her generosity. 'Please, this is my treat.'

'OK.'

He drew her hand to his mouth, pressing a kiss to her palm, hearing her breath hitch. 'Thank you, Gina.'

The question of the bill settled, they left the restaurant and drove back to the hamlet in which Signora Mancini's house was situated. While he had enjoyed learning more about Gina, he realised that they had still not discussed the purpose of her and Maria's visit to Elba.

'Tell me more about your grandmother's wish, and this request she wants to make of the villa's owner,' he suggested, glancing at Gina and noting the way she nervously toyed with the hem of her wrap. 'She is hoping to revisit the beach?'

'Yes.' A deep sigh escaped her. ‘That was the plan.'

'You realise there is no way Maria is going to be able to use the cliff steps?'

'I know. It was obvious from the first moment I saw them,' she admitted with resignation, and he regretted dampening her spirits.

All too soon they arrived outside th6 bed and breakfast. He walked round and opened the car door for Gina. Taking her hand, needing to touch her, to keep her close, he went up the path towards the open veranda that ran along the front of the building. He halted at the top of the half dozen shallow wooden stairs so they could have some privacy and talk.

'Is there any other way down the cliff to the beach?' she asked now, hope in her voice.

'No. I'm afraid not.'

Her shoulders slumped in apparent defeat. 'I guess that's it, then.'

He turned her to face him, the light from the porch combining with the moonlight to cast a gentle glow over her skin, illuminating her pensive expression. 'Tell me, Gina. Trust me. What is so important?'

'My grandparents made a vow to each other...and I promised to help.'

'Go on,' he encouraged when she paused, still puzzled by her reticence.

'The place where they met was always special to them.'

He knew this, but he waited for her to get to the point in her own time. Ducking her head to avoid his gaze, she drew her wrap more tightly around her shoulders, and he stepped closer, rubbing his hands lightly up and down her arms.

'Nonna didn't want to tell anyone, to ask anyone but the owner, because...' Again she paused, taking a deep breath before she rushed out the final words. 'I'm not sure it's legal.'

'Not legal?' For a moment Seb froze. 'What do you mean?'

'Nonna promised she would scatter my grandfather's ashes on the spot where they first met. I did some research and, while the law banning the practice in Italy changed some years ago, you need official permission, and some places still don't allow it. We don't have a permit. It isn't something we could do without asking the people who own the beach, and Nonna doesn't want anyone to get into trouble for helping her.' She sucked in another breath, her voice little more than a whisper. 'She wants me to bring her ashes here, too.. .when the time comes.'

He heard the wobble in her voice, knew how much her grandparents meant to her and how hard this must be for her. Taking her in his arms, he held her close, knowing he would do anything he could to make her happy and help her deliver on her promises. Cradling her against him, he buried his face in the thick lustrous waves of her glorious hair, breathing in the subtle and arousing scent he was coming to know as uniquely Gina.

'We can do it,
tesoro,'
he told her, turning the possibilities over in his mind.

'But how? You said yourself there is no way Nonna can make it down the steps.'

'That is true,' he agreed, but an idea had taken root. 'I have another plan.'

He allowed her to draw back enough to meet his gaze, and saw the dawn of cautious expectation in her dark eyes. 'You do? What is it?'

'We can take Maria to the cove by sea. I have a friend who will help us. He has a boat he uses for tourist trips and to take out divers. We can both go with her to keep her safe. It can be done, Gina. If Maria wishes.'

'But what about the owner of the villa? And the permit? Time is running out,' she fretted, continuing to talk around the fingertips he'd touched to her lips to silence her. 'What is their name?'

It would do no harm to tell her that much. 'The family's name is Linardi. I know them well enough to be certain that they would be happy to help you. I promise you it will be all right.'

'You're positive?'

'One hundred per cent,' he stated, seeing tears spiking her lashes.

'Thank you.'

Taking him by surprise, she threw her arms around him in a spontaneous hug and pressed an all-too-quick kiss to his startled mouth. Instinctively his arms tightened around her, holding her close, but she was pulling back before he had the chance to savour or extend the kiss.

'Sorry about that,' she murmured, sounding shaken, her voice uneven.

'I'm not.' He saw the flame of awareness in her eyes, and something else she could not hide...a yearning need that matched his own. Smiling, he dropped his gaze to her luscious lips. 'Let's try it again. Together this time.'

Without giving either of them a chance to reconsider, he leaned in and touched his mouth to hers, swept along on a tide of passion more immediate and intense than he had ever known. At once he was engulfed in her heat, her sweetness, the scent of vanilla and woman exciting and ensnaring him. She moaned softly, her lips opening under his. He made full use of the invitation, startled by the way the desire between them flared out of control in an instant. That had never happened to him before. He had never lost control, never absorbed himself in a woman, yet just kissing Gina stripped away all his reserve, exposing his base instincts, his raw need. Her taste, her scent, the feel of her soft curves against him, drove him wild.

Madre del Dio!
Another few moments and he would forget himself, forget where they were, and take this whirlwind to its inevitable conclusion. He couldn't do that. Not here. Not now. When the time came—as he hoped it would—he wanted Gina in his bed, where he could take his time and spend all night savouring her, loving her as she deserved. Until this inexplicable storm of desire spent itself. And if it didn't? He tried to ignore the inner voice telling him that the passion between them would only burn hotter and hotter. Gina only had a few more days on Elba. He wanted to make the most of them.