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'Seb...'

She reached up to kiss him, and he had to force himself to release her. 'Go. Before I change my mind. I will be here to collect you first thing in the morning.'

'Tomorrow,' she whispered with throaty promise.

His gaze clashed with hers. Electric tension sizzled between them... and then the door closed softly, with him on the wrong side of it. For a moment he rested a palm against the solid wooden barrier, the caveman in him wanting to break it down to get to Gina. Then he turned restlessly away and headed home, certain neither of them would sleep that night.

Their sensual chemistry and magnetic connection had left them suspended on the cusp of something extraordinary—scary and wonderfully exciting. He could only hope that tomorrow Gina would make her decision, and they would explore and discover the extent of their combined passion.

Everything
had gone according to plan, Gina acknowledged with a satisfied smile, sitting for a moment beside the bed as her grandmother, settled and contented at the villa, enjoyed an afternoon nap, propped up on pillows to ease her breathing.

After enduring a sleepless night, cursing herself for being all kinds of a fool for spending it alone, Gina had been thankful to welcome Seb's obscenely early arrival that morning. From the look of him, his night had been no more restful than hers. His urgent, demanding kiss in greeting had robbed her of breath and set her pulse racing.

Having said farewell to Signora Mancini, and moved the luggage to the villa, they had returned to Portoferraio and the hospital, where Gina had been delighted to discover her grandmother had enjoyed a peaceful night and was feeling considerably better. Dottore Vasari had been more than happy to discharge her to their care. A stop at a pharmacy in town to fill the prescription he'd given had followed, which had allowed Gina to buy some things she wanted for Seb, while pretending not to notice as he purchased condoms. She had been crazy with anticipation as it was. Now she was wound up tighter than a bowstring.

She wasn't sure when she had made the final decision to go for what she wanted and take this chemistry she shared with Seb to its natural conclusion. Her grandmother had encouraged her to grasp happiness when it came her way, not to be scared to acknowledge her feelings. Was this how the older woman had felt fifty years ago, meeting Matthew? All Gina knew was that Seb had changed her, awoken her, made her feel alive, special, confident in herself as a desirable woman. Elba's magic combined with the warmth of Seb's romancing of her made her feel free to explore the side of her she had ignored for years. Yes, it had happened quickly, but the way she felt about Seb was far from casual. Desire had grown to so much more.

Now, leaving her grandmother to sleep, Gina collected the bag of items she had bought that morning and went in search of Seb, finding him in the villa's airy living room. Sitting on an expensive leather sofa, a sports magazine discarded beside him, he had a frown on his face as he flexed his right hand. Gina hesitated, her nerves tightening as she wondered how to broach the subject of his injuries. As if sensing her presence, he looked up, and a smile chased away the frown.

'How is Maria?'

'She's settled and asleep. Her breathing sounds much better,' Gina informed him, stepping closer, aware of the edgy tension between them. Taking a deep breath, she sank to her knees in front of him and set down her bag. Gently, she took his right hand in hers. 'May I? Please?'

For a moment she felt his resistance, but although he remained wary, his expression guarded, he nodded. Struck by the strength of his hand in hers, the feel of his skin, smooth and supple but slightly coarser than her own, she tried to ignore her body's reaction, her awareness and shiver of desire. Opening the bag, she took a moment to prepare the things she had selected for him.

'Gina, what are you doing?' he queried, his uncertainty evident.

'I bought some essential oils,' she explained, concentrating on her task, mixing them with a base oil and then pouring some into her palms to warm it before taking his hand again. 'I'm using chamomile and lavender, both of which have anti-inflammatory and soothing properties. The carrier oil is calendula, which has anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic properties, vitamins, and is also good for healing wounds and bruising.'

As she talked, she carefully began a light, gentle massage of his right hand, paying special attention to the areas affected by the slashing cuts across his wrist, palm and the mound at the base of his thumb. She knew this was where he experienced most sensory and motor problems, with discomfort, tingling and locking in his thumb and forefinger. After several minutes she took some more oil and switched to his left arm, working down from the scar by his inner elbow to where some numbness lingered along the side of his hand and into his little finger.

The aroma of the oils scented the air around them, and she heard his breathing change as some of the anxiety drained out of him. She was far from relaxed herself, struggling to focus on her task and not on the sensuousness of gliding her fingers over his bronzed olive skin. Appreciating the benefits of massage and essential oils, she had done this often before, for her grandmother and for friends, male and female.
Never
had it affected her like this. Biting her lip, she shifted restlessly, returning her attention to Seb's more troublesome right hand, using the pads of her thumbs to work gently across his palm and into the heel and wrist.

'Gina.'

Seb's smoky voice vibrated along her nerve-endings. Looking up, she met his gaze, saw the fire in his eyes, the consuming desire. She couldn't breathe. Her heart was thudding. She felt warm and buzzingly alive. Then his fingers closed around hers, his left hand cupping her cheek as he drew her closer, his lips parting as they captured hers in a slow, thorough kiss.
Oh, my!
But just as she was losing herself in Seb's magic touch and taste, they were disturbed by the sound of the front door closing and someone calling his name.

'Dannazione!'

Cursing the interruption, Seb reluctantly released Gina and moved away, giving her a moment to compose herself. She had taken him by surprise with the essential oils, and her bold insistence on confronting his injuries head-on. When she had begun the massage he had been doubtful about its effects, but he couldn't deny how good it had felt. Whether that was just her touch, or whether the oils really worked, he couldn't say—and he had no more time to ponder on it, as Evelina Gilletti bustled into the room.

Short and rotund, with curly salt-and-pepper hair, the sixty-year-old had been part of the villa for as long as Seb could remember. She lived locally with her vast family, had a kind heart and a ready smile, and, despite her propensity to talk incessantly, she was the soul of discretion. She came in a couple of days a week to clean when any of the family were on the island, and checked up on things every day when the villa was empty. Knowing Evelina would be anxious to help, and the perfect person to keep an eye on Maria should he and Gina want to go out or have some time alone, he had phoned to brief her the night before.

'Evelina, how are you?' he asked in Italian, because her English was limited.

'I am good, thank you.' She glanced past him, brown eyes twinkling with mischief as she studied Gina with curiosity. 'You must introduce me, Sebastiano.'

Evelina was one of the few people who got away with calling him by his full name. He just hoped she would remember his request of the night before and not make any comments to Gina or Maria about who he was. Giving her a warning frown, he introduced her to Gina, thankful that the two very different women took to each other from the first and chatted comfortably.. .or rather Gina listened with a smile as Evelina talked twenty to the dozen.

'Gina, I thought that Evelina would be able to keep Maria company sometimes,' Seb said, when he could get a word in, explaining the woman's position at the villa.

'That would be very kind. I am sure Nonna will enjoy that. Are you sure it is no bother?'

Evelina gave a dismissive wave of her hand. 'But of course not! Your grandmother and I will have a fine time discussing Elba and life in general. How is she feeling?'

'She is much better. In fact, she's having a nap at the moment,' Gina informed her, and Seb was relieved to see that the anxiety shadowing her eyes had vanished now Maria was out of hospital.

'Bene.
You young ones must go off and enjoy yourselves,' Evelina insisted. 'I will be here for Maria. And I will prepare something for you all to eat later.'

Keen to have Gina to himself, Seb was happy to agree. 'A good idea. Gina, we shall go to the beach for a swim, yes?'

'Yes.' A tinge of pink stained her cheeks as her gaze darted to his and away again. 'I'll get my things. Thank you, Evelina.'

Seb went to his room to change into swim shorts and collect a towel, waiting impatiently for Gina to join him. He could still taste her. Every touch, every kiss increased the tension between them—the last days had been a lingering foreplay that was going to rage out of control when they couldn't stand the waiting any more.

At last she appeared, fresh-faced, her magnificent hair tied back in a braid, a robe wrapped around her delectable body.

'Ready,
tesoro?'
he asked, reaching for her hand.

'Ready.'

The word whispered out of her and carried such a wealth of meaning that he hesitated, his fingers locking with hers as he sought her gaze. The expression in her eyes left him in no doubt that she wanted him as badly as he wanted her. And that the waiting was becoming too much to bear. His own body tightening in response, he smothered a groan of needy frustration and led her out of the house, away from prying eyes, and across the terrace to the path that marked the way to the cliff steps. He remembered the last time they had been here together.. .the day they had met—the day he had caught her when she had slipped and he had held her in his arms for the first time.

Keeping hold of her hand, he ensured she was safe on their descent to the private crescent of beach. Once there, he dropped his towel and kicked off his shoes, letting go of her hand as he walked to the water. Turning, he waited for her in the shallows, sensing her moment of shy hesitation before she unfastened the tie of her robe and slowly slid it off her shoulders, allowing it to fall to the ground.

Dio!

His body sprang to instant attention at the sight of her voluptuous curves encased in a red halter-neck bikini. It wasn't skimpy or revealing, but it set off her womanly form to perfection, heated his blood to fever pitch and made his mouth water. His gaze began a leisurely journey up shapely legs to her soft thighs, smooth and golden in the sunshine. For a moment his focus lingered on the red triangle of cloth that hid the heart of her femininity from his view, then he forced himself to move on to the rounded swell of her belly and navel. How sensitive was she there? He wanted to explore
all
of her with his mouth, to seek out all the secret places that would drive her mad with pleasure.

His thought was cut off as he noticed the way Gina lowered her arms to try and cover her belly, as if self-conscious about her body shape. No way was he having that. She was perfect in every respect—something she would be in no doubt about by the time he had thoroughly loved every inch of her.

In the meantime his gaze continued up to the lush fullness of plump breasts, his heart hammering against his ribs as he remembered how it had felt to caress them and taste them last night. He ducked lower in the water, wishing it were several degrees colder to take the edge off his raging desire. Maybe coming to the beach had been a bad idea. He'd thought it might cool them off, but instead he was hotter for her than ever. The temptation of Gina was going to be impossible to resist.

Gina felt Seb's intense gaze on her as she walked the last steps to where he waited for her in the shallows. Her bikini was entirely decent, but she was very aware that he hadn't seen quite so much of her flesh before, and she was anxious she might have a few too many curves and extra pounds for his taste. But, given the flare of hunger in his eyes, maybe he didn't find her too lacking. The self-confidence that had been returning since she had met him expanded inside her, allowing her to acknowledge that Seb liked what he saw, that she was all woman and desired by a sexy man.

The sea was surprisingly warm, and crystal-clear. Once Seb had assured himself that she was a comfortable and
competent swimmer, he stroked away from her, as if needing to burn off some excess energy. She knew the feeling. She enjoyed herself in the water, then floated for a while near the rocky outcrop of Neptune's Spear, watching him moving effortlessly back towards her. Her eyes closed briefly as she soaked up the September sunshine, then she started in surprise as Seb's hands closed around her ankles.

His fingers glided slowly up her legs, drawing her with him nearer to the shore, until they were able to stand rib-deep in the water. Her skin quivered from the sure, confident touch of his hands as he helped her upright and urged her closer to him. Droplets of water glistened on his skin, reminding her of the first day she had seen him here. Her sea-god. Neptune was also associated with horses, dolphins and earthquakes, she recalled. Indeed, he was called 'the earthshaker'. Gina thought how apt that was in her own case. Seb had most definitely shaken the very ground beneath her from the second she had seen him, making her feel alive, changing her.

His wet hair was swept back from his face, and a hint of stubble darkened the masculine line of his jaw. Her fingers locked with his. She looked into his eyes, unable to halt the tremor that ran through her at the expression of sultry intent in them seconds before his mouth claimed hers. Her lips parted in welcome, and instantly she was swept away on the now familiar tide of passion that swelled so rapidly between them.

Their kiss deepened and flared out of control. Her hands glided up the corded muscles of his arms and over strong shoulders, until she could wrap her arms around his neck. Seb's hands stroked down her back, cupping the rounded cheeks of her rear, flexing sensuously in her flesh as he rocked her hips with his, making her excitingly aware of his arousal. Her breasts pressed into his chest, the thin bikini
no barrier at all, her sensitised nipples grazing against him as their bodies brushed together in the gentle swell of the water. She moaned, trying to get closer, consumed by the potency of his kiss, his taste, his scent. Their tongues teased and twined. As his retreated, hers followed, need spearing through her as he sucked on her, drawing her into his mouth. Every part of her craved more, and she pressed her thighs together in a desperate attempt to ease the ache.