An Inconvenient Desire (2 page)

Her discomfort at walking into Jonathan’s house yesterday, however, had all been internal. She had reacted to him in an entirely unhealthy manner—unhealthy for her peace of mind, that was. Her body had immediately suggested all kinds of ways she could relieve the pressure that grew inside with each caress of his sky-blue eyes.

Unlike many of the male models she worked with, she was pretty sure Jonathan’s muscles came from actual work, rather than hours spent in the gym. They weren’t disproportionate or just for show. And when she’d caught a glimpse of his tight, white arse in the reflection from the window, she’d nearly passed out. Yes, he was one smoking hot man. What surprised her was that her immunity to pretty boys didn’t seem to extend to Sophia’s friend.

Maybe it was because he was more like a Norse god than a mere mortal pretty-boy. It was as though he was used to walking into a room and being instantly in charge. Jonathan’s very presence was somehow powerful, disturbing; his touch almost electric. She’d had to physically force herself to move away from their contact over the water glass. His long, strong fingers could probably bring a woman to the brink of ecstasy within minutes. And his shoulder-length, light blond hair with its loose curls would give her something to hold on to as his fingers did their work. Even his blue eyes, heightened by his deep tan, could scatter her thoughts. No man had ever had that effect on her.

And that was the problem. Jonathan wasn’t a man who was easily forgotten. Too bad she’d sworn off men for the foreseeable future. He would have made one hell of a swan song.

She shut off the water and toweled herself dry. The cool air slid over her body, raising goose flesh. Sophia’s house was beyond magnificent. Her guest bedroom was larger than Olivia’s whole flat back in London. And the gardens and postcard village on the doorstep were gorgeous. No wonder her best friend had fallen in love with Italy. And Luca.

She’d worried for Sophia when she’d entered the marriage of convenience with a man she barely knew. Now, however, her friend not only glowed with love but also her newly discovered pregnancy. Olivia squashed a twinge of envy before it could develop into longing. Of the two of them, Sophia was suited to love and marriage and babies. Olivia, not so much. She had a career to build and didn’t have time to dance attendance on any man, no matter how sexy. An image of Jonathan hauling himself out of the pool, starkers, flashed into her brain, but she repressed that as well. Although, admittedly, with a little less vehemence.

She flicked through her clothes selection. What did you wear to a medieval festival? Especially in the company of a man you were trying to keep your distance from. Burlap? She hadn’t packed anything even remotely bag-like. Trousers and a loose-fitting top were as close as she could get.

The clock now showed 6:55
a.m.
Damn, she was running late. Too much time in the shower fantasizing about Jonathan. She skipped the rest of her usual routine, threw a few things in the oversized handbag she’d brought for sightseeing, and headed down the stairs.

All she had to do was make it through the day with her man moratorium in place and she’d be fine. Then she caught a glimpse through the window of Jonathan arriving in a sleek sports car and the deep breath she’d taken whooshed out audibly.

Maybe there was time for one last ill-advised affair.

Jonathan stood outside Sophia and Luca’s villa and questioned his sanity. Luca’s Land Rover was missing from the drive so he and Sophia had obviously departed already for their flight. That left Olivia. Thoughts of her had kept him awake all night. The last woman to captivate him had taken five years of his life and his self-respect.

It really wasn’t fair to compare Olivia to his ex-wife, but it did make him pause. He shook his head. Thoughts of his failed marriage were way too heavy for a Saturday morning. He was here to spend a pleasant day with a beautiful woman, his focus on friendship and not her body. She answered his knock immediately, as though she’d been waiting for him. And his plan to keep his mind—and hands—off her went up in a puff of smoke.

The biggest problem was she didn’t even look like she was trying to be alluring. She wore a pair of white trousers, a floaty, flower-print top, and a pair of comfortable looking shoes. A large, white bag slung over her shoulder completed her outfit. And her hair was piled once more on top of her head, her face clean of any discernible makeup, with the exception of a little lip gloss.

She looked like she’d rolled out of bed, threw on some clothes, and was ready. And all he could think about was removing the clothes and getting her back in bed. He plastered a relaxed smile on his face, hoping the rest of his body would follow the lead. Maybe it was time he went back to London. He’d had no problem walking away from beautiful women there.

“Your chariot awaits, milady.” He gestured toward his new convertible. A smile of appreciation lit up her face and his mouth went dry. She glided past him and ran her long, sensuous fingers along the side of the car in a silken caress. His heart rate went into sixth gear and he forced himself to take several deep, calming breaths. It was going to be a hell of a day.

He opened the door for her and waited while she squirmed in the seat a bit, embedding herself in the butter-soft leather.

“Did you swallow a book on chivalry or something?”

“I’m just trying to get into the medieval spirit.” He searched her face to gauge her mood. He’d had enough bitchiness from his ex. He wasn’t going to put up with it from a woman he wasn’t even dating, no matter how much he owed Sophia. Olivia winked at him and his tension fled.

“I was never good at history in school, but I’m pretty sure medieval people didn’t get from one place to another in this kind of vehicle. I’ve never even seen one before. What is it?”

“It’s an Alfa Romeo 8C Spider. I, uh, borrowed it for a few days.” He didn’t think Olivia was a gold digger, but old habits were hard to break. “Do you want me to put the top up?”

“Oh, no. I’ve got my hair up so it should be okay. Even if it takes a week to get the tangles out, it will be worth it.” She ran her hand along the dash and then settled back into her seat with a contented sigh.

His ex-wife would have insisted on the top up, in case the wind dislodged even one hair. But then he’d have waited an hour or more beyond the agreed upon time as well. Olivia was nothing like Celeste, and therefore he had no defense against her.

Jonathan slid behind the wheel and soon they were on the motorway. He resisted the urge to check out the car’s powerful engine, content instead to enjoy the journey and get to know the woman next to him. He wracked his brain for a topic of conversation that didn’t revolve around how good they could be together naked.

He finally settled on, “You didn’t get a chance to answer yesterday when I asked. How long are you planning to stay in Italy?”

She pulled a wisp of hair out of her eyes before answering. “I’d originally thought a couple of weeks. But now that Sophia is away I may stay a little longer so we have some time together once she gets back. How about you? Are you making Italy your permanent home now?”

“No, I have to go back to London in a few weeks. I took a year-long sabbatical from work and it’s almost up. Besides, the renovations on the house are nearly complete. Once that’s finished, there isn’t anything else to keep me here.”

“I bet it’ll be hard to leave your beautiful house here. Are you going to use it as a vacation home?”

“I’m not sure yet. I’ll keep it for a while, and if I don’t find I use it much then I’ll probably sell. Mind you, I have enough family, and once they’ve seen it, I’ll be lucky to get a weekend or two to myself.” He could just imagine his nieces and nephews frolicking in the pool while his siblings and their spouses sipped wine on the terrace at the end of the day. For a split second, a hint of longing for that type of domesticity swept through him. But he’d had his shot at marital bliss and failed miserably.

“You come from a large family then?” She sounded almost wistful.

“Yes, I have an older brother and sister and a younger sister as well. The older two are married and have seven children between them. My younger sister is engaged, and I’m pretty sure she’ll be adding to that number soon. When we’re all together you can’t hear yourself think. What about you? Do you have a large family?”

He glanced over and saw a flicker of pain in her features. She crossed her arms and rubbed them as though cold. “No. I have no one. Just Sophia.” Her voice was flat and she stared out at the passing scenery, avoiding him.

“Well, you’re welcome to some of my family,” he joked, trying to lighten the mood. She didn’t laugh and he mentally added family—and sex—to the list of subjects to avoid.

“So, what do you know about this festival we’re going to? I’m afraid I didn’t pay much attention when Sophia was talking about it.”

He told her about some of the area’s history and a few things they could expect, based on his Internet research. He skipped the bit about looking it all up in the middle of the night when he couldn’t sleep for thinking about her.

She’d relaxed again. Her hand rested casually on her thigh and tapped out the beat to a song on the radio.

“Do you like history?” She stiffened when he asked the question.

“I wasn’t a very good student in school. Too distracted by stuff going on in my personal life. I regret now not learning more about people and places. It probably would have taken my mind off ... things.” Her voice was low and once more she turned her head away from him.

Okay, add her past to his list of taboo discussion topics. He put a hand over hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Well, I’m not sure how historically accurate today will be, but it should be fun.”

He was rewarded with another of her devastatingly beautiful smiles, even if this one appeared a little forced. She seemed able to hide her true feelings behind a smile. It was impossible to tell where you stood with a woman like that. If he wasn’t careful, he’d find himself in over his head. He reaffirmed, in his mind at least, that he needed to tread carefully. Now, if only he could get his body on board.

• • •

Olivia fell into step beside Jonathan and concentrated first on putting one foot in front of the other. When she figured she had that mastered, she worked on getting the nerves in her body to stop focusing on every move her companion made. She moved her bag to her other shoulder so it was between them, in the vain hope it would stop her from rubbing against Jonathan.

When she’d opened the door this morning, his hair had still been damp from his shower, and his eyes had a slight sleepiness to them that made him even sexier. Tan chinos emphasized his long legs and the blue shirt, with the top two buttons undone, enticed her to undo the rest of them—to run her fingers through the light dusting of chest hair ... Damn, this wasn’t helping.

As they moved closer to the village center, the crowds became thicker and it was impossible not to brush up against him. To keep her mind—and body—off Jonathan, she checked out her fellow festival-goers. People in medieval costume and tourists wearing shorts and sandals mingled on the streets, creating an interesting mix of fashion styles.

The smell of garlic, fresh bread, and lavender filled the air. Children were laughing or begging for sweets, and already exhausted-looking parents were trying to divert their kids’ attention away from the enticing displays of treats. Two men dressed as jesters were juggling various fruits, tossing them back and forth between them, all the while keeping up a sing-song banter in Italian. It was a sensory overload. Olivia forgot about her attraction to Jonathan and concentrated on the scenes around her, snapping photos as each diversion caught her attention.

Thank God he’d given her a mini history lesson in the car. So much more of the festival made sense. As a teenager, she’d been busy trying to stay alive; history was irrelevant when you didn’t even know if you had a tomorrow.

Moving away from the center of the village and the mayhem there, they strolled along a street with three-story pastel houses on one side. After ascending a few stairs, they made their way along a passage marked “
Via degli Assini
.” With houses above and below, half arches let in muted daylight, making it feel oddly intimate. But maybe that was just her imagination.

“Is it common in Italy to have a covered street like this?” she asked. She’d never seen anything like it in England.

“I think this was built in the twelfth century to protect the donkeys carrying chalk from the quarry,” Jonathan said.

She stopped and stared out one of the arched windows and tried to imagine herself there all those centuries ago. Would she have been one of the peasants scraping by for each morsel of food? Or one of the elite, enjoying the riches of the time? She shook her head. Too much thinking wasn’t good for her equilibrium. Today was for fun. She was going to put aside everything, including her inconvenient attraction to this man, and concentrate on enjoying herself.

“Where do these stairs go?” She stared up the steep concrete steps that wound along the side of a tall hill.

“Shall we find out?” The mischievous smile he gave her set off another slow burn in the pit of her belly.

Friend of a friend, friend of a friend
, she repeated with each step. If Sophia could be Jonathan’s friend, surely she could as well. Although, in her defense, Sophia already had a gorgeous man in her life. Olivia had never really had a male friend. But she was going to give it her best shot.

“Wow,” she exclaimed as she made it to the top, slightly out of breath. From the fortress you could see miles in each direction. An odd clock on a tower caught her attention. “How do you tell the time when there are only six hours on the face of the clock? Do you think it makes the day go faster or slower?”

Jonathan glanced at his own watch. “Hopefully slower. It’s half past eleven. After we’ve taken some photos to show Sophia and Luca what they missed, why don’t we get lunch? It’s a bit early, but then we can beat the crowd and look around the market later.”