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'Come, Gina, I have a treat for you.'

She allowed him to lead her indoors, finding a bubble bath awaiting her, with scented candles casting their flickering light around the room. His thoughtfulness touched her. Her physical need of him obliterated the unasked questions in her mind, and her fingers went to work dispensing with his clothes, as his did with hers. After she had wound her braid into a knot and pinned it up, he took her hand, balancing her as she stepped into the large corner tub. With a contented sigh, she sank down into the water, making room for Seb to join her before resting back against his chest, sighing as he nibbled the back of her neck. He took the soap, his hands enjoying a leisurely journey over her body before allowing her to turn and do the same for him.

A while later, her skin tingling and her pulse scudding through her veins, they were out Of the bath and patted dry. Then Seb surprised her again, leading her naked to the bed and spreading out a dry towel.

'Lie face down for me,' he instructed huskily.

Trembling with anticipation, she did as she was bid. The bed depressed under his weight as he knelt over her, straddling her thighs. His body brushed against her as he leaned down and kissed the back of her neck, before running lips and tongue slowly down her spine to linger over her tattoo. She shivered in reaction. When contact was withdrawn and he paused, she turned her head on the pillow to see what he was doing.

'Seb?'

'I borrowed some of your oils.,' he told her, reaching out to a bowl on the bedside chest and pouring some of the contents into his palm.

'That's fine.' She had been massaging his hands and arm every day. The thought that he was now going to reciprocate all over—made her body hum with feverish expectancy. As she had already discovered, he had amazing hands. A subtle waft of her favourite fragrance stirred her senses. 'Vanilla...'

Moving back into position, he leaned down again, making her squirm as he sucked her earlobe into his mouth. 'It always makes me think of you...makes me hot and needy.' His voice was a rough, sexy murmur, and he deliberately rubbed himself against her, letting her feel his arousal before he moved away again.

'Seb...'

His hands settled on her back and began to glide over her with just the right pressure, the sensuous strokes making her sigh with pleasure. When his thumbs sank into the cheeks of her rear and set up a circular rhythm it was so unexpectedly arousing that she buried her face in the pillow to smother her moans. He moved on, journeying down each leg in turn, and she wriggled as' he hit the most sensitive spots, hearing him chuckle as he lingered to torment her.

'Turn over,
amore mia.'

Wicked fingertips tickling the soles of her feet made her hasten to comply with the demand. Gentle light spilled across the bed, allowing her to see the raw desire in Seb's eyes as he looked at her, and she sucked in a breath, not sure she was going to survive whatever else he had planned for her. All she could focus on was Seb, and how amazing he made her feel. She wanted him..
.now.

'You are so beautiful,' he whispered, the emotion in his voice almost making her heart stop. His reverential appreciation of her made her feel supremely confident in her power as a woman—a power only Seb had given her.

Taking more oil, he started at her feet, driving her insane as he worked slowly up her legs, skimming the insides of her thighs but stopping short of where she most craved his touch. His knee between hers prevented her pressing her legs together to try and stop the terrible ache of need building inside her. Then his hands moved on to stroke and massage her belly, circling her navel, dipping to press just above her pubic bone, making her hips lift in involuntary response, begging him to fill the emptiness.

'Please,' she whimpered.

'Soon.'

Her protest was choked off as he turned his attention to her breasts, his firm, clever caresses almost too much to bear. Her muscles felt boneless, relaxed, yet her body was wound up like at top. There was no way she could wait any more. Sitting up, she caught him by surprise, and he laughed, his arms closing round her as she tumbled him to the bed and settled on top of him. His mouth opened hotly under hers as she kissed him with all the pent-up desperation coursing through veins.

'Are you that hungry?' he teased, fingers skimming her heated, trembling flesh.

'Yes.'

The fire in his own eyes matched that which burned inside her as he reached out for a condom and handed it to her. 'Then take what you need, Gina. I am all yours.'

How she wished that were true—at least beyond this moment. She knew without doubt that she loved him. But she didn't know what he felt—if anything. In a couple of days she and her grandmother were due to go home. She couldn't bear the thought of saying goodbye to him.. .knew that when she did she would never see him again. As much as she loved her grandmother, her friends and her work, home would mean responsibility, an end to the freedom and romance she had found here. Seb was the only one with the key to unlock the sensual woman inside her.

Unable to say the words aloud, she gave everything to show with her body what he meant to her.

Seb let Gina take the lead, giving himself up to the indescribable joy of making love with her, hoping it meant as much to her as it did to him, that what she might feel for him was strong enough to survive what he had to tell her tomorrow.

They finally fell asleep, bodies tangled together—only to be woken at dawn by the incessant ringing of the telephone.

Frowning, Seb struggled awake, reluctantly releasing Gina as he reached for the receiver.

'What is it?' he demanded in Italian. The shocking news imparted to him brought him to immediate alertness.
'Madre del Dio.'
He listened a moment longer, aware of Gina stirring beside him, then fired off some rapid questions. 'How many? What about supplies? Yes, of course. I will be there as soon as I can.'

Seb hung up the phone and flung back the duvet, reaching for his clothes. 'Gina. Wake up,
tesoro.'

'What's happened?' she asked sleepily.

'There has been a building collapse at a tourist resort not far from here. There are many injured and missing. All medical help is needed, as well as blood donors, translators, and men to help dig. I have to go.'

'I'm coming with you.' Without hesitation, Gina was up and hurrying to dress.

'Put on layers,' he advised her.

'What about Nonna?'

Seb sat down to pull on his boots. 'I'll ring Evelina. She'll come to be with Maria.'

'Thank you.'

Already he was on the phone and making arrangements. By the time they were ready to leave, Evelina was hurrying up the drive, urging them to take care as they drove off with no idea what awaited them.

'Do you know what caused it?' Gina asked, and he was thankful for her calm.

'All I know is that this new development was built recently by a foreign company who brought in their own workers. There were rumours of corners being cut in the construction, safety regulations not being complied with,' Seb informed her, concentrating on negotiating the cliff road as safely but as rapidly as possible. 'The storm yesterday and the sudden large amount of rain caused a collapse of the unstable hillside ground and brought the building
down. There are still many tourists on Elba, and this new complex of holiday apartments was nearly full.'

'How many people does the building hold?'

'Possibly two hundred. Maybe more.' It didn't bear thinking about. 'Men, women and children.'

Minutes later they arrived on site, to a scene of devastation. For a few Seconds they both sat in silence as the enormity of what lay before them sank in.

'Oh, Seb,' Gina breathed, her dismay obvious.

'I know.' He shook his head, trying to focus on what needed to be done. 'For now we must do all we can to assist those most in need, until more help arrives.'

Another more personal problem reared its ugly head, and Seb swore aloud.

'What's wrong?' Gina asked, turning to him.

He took her hands in his. 'Before we become swallowed up in this emergency, I need you to know that I care about you—that I never meant it to happen like this,' he told her urgently, the words rushing out in his need to try and limit the damage.

'I don't understand.'

'I know, Gina. And that is my fault. It is
all
my fault. And it is about me, not you, OK?' He glanced out of the window and saw the policeman who had phoned him hurrying in their direction. Desperate, he turned back to Gina. 'I am sorry. When this is over I need to tell you things about me— things I should have said ages ago and was going to tell you today. Just remember how I feel about you and what we are to each other. Please.'

'But—'

'Dottore Adriani—thank goodness you are on the island. We need your expertise at once,' the policeman exclaimed, pulling open the driver's door.

Gina's eyes widened in shock. 'You're a doctor?'

Bio!
He should have listened to Rico. And to Maria. If only he had swallowed his stupid pride and his fears, told Gina the truth from the beginning. But he had kept putting it off as it became more and more difficult. And now Gina had found out in the worst of ways.

'Later I will explain. I promise.' He cupped her face and gave her a quick, heated kiss, knowing this was not the time or the place. 'Come, Gina. I need you to be my hands. For now we have to help others.'

Withdrawing, she stared at him for a long moment as if she didn't know him at all, her eyes dark and wounded. 'All right,' she agreed, her voice cool and distant.

As she opened the passenger door and climbed out, Seb hurried after her. He had to focus on why they were here. The injured needed them, and that had to come before his own selfish concerns. But he didn't think he would ever forget that look on Gina's face—incomprehension, followed by disbelief, only to be replaced by hurt betrayal as realisation dawned. It drove a stake into his heart.

How was he ever going to make things right between them again?

Confused
and hurt, Gina battled to put her shock at the revelation about Seb aside and focus on what needed to be done. Her years of experience working in A and E, as well as being part of a trauma response team for major incidents such as serious accidents on the motorway, would stand her in good stead now. Even so, she surveyed the chaotic scene in front of her with bemusement.

It was almost impossible to believe that a modern four-storey building had stood here such a short time before. More than three-quarters of the curving structure cut into the hill had been brought down. The part of the end block still standing looked as if it had been sliced through by some giant axe, sheered away to reveal the remains of the rooms inside. Furniture balanced precariously on the edge. Clothes and possessions, dust and debris, were strewn everywhere. At least people in that section would have had the opportunity to get out. What chance would the holiday-makers in the rest of the now demolished building have had to escape, sleeping in their beds and unwitting of the disaster about to befall them?

A few survivors milled around in a daze, bleeding, bruised, concussed, crying...searching for missing loved ones. They were being comforted by a handful of early risers who had been away from the building, walking on the beach or swimming before breakfast. Local men and firefighters continued to arrive, working to clear and search the vast expanse of rubble for trapped tourists, awaiting specialist teams with heavy-lifting equipment, search dogs and heat-seeking cameras.

Moments after she and Seb arrived on scene an advance party of two more doctors and several nurses came from the hospital in Portoferraio, over half an hour's drive away, bringing much-needed supplies with them. Seb took charge, his quiet authority unquestioned by anyone present as he organised teams and assigned them tasks. He also appointed a dedicated triage officer, responsible for the classification of the injured. Following standard procedure for incidents with a large number of casualties, patients would be placed into one of four groups: life-threatening, urgent, minor, and—sadly—dead and beyond help.

'I know what we face seems overwhelming, but we must do the best we can with what we have,' he told them in Italian, succinct and efficient. 'There are up to two hundred people injured and trapped—this could go on all day, even longer, as people are found and freed. More emergency medical personnel are on the way, but the first casualties need our help
now.
Watch for shock, crush injuries and crush syndrome, internal bleeding, fractures and head wounds. If you are unsure, or anything worries you, ask for advice. Those casualties beyond hope we will make as comfortable as possible, but we must concentrate resources on those with the chance of survival. The most severely injured will be taken by helicopter to the mainland—we have to stabilise and evacuate them as quickly and safely as possible. The walking wounded not requiring immediate care should be watched by volunteers until they can be dealt with. The police will record names, nationalities and details
of the missing. Any questions?' There was silence. Seb nodded, his expression solemn. 'OK—let's get on.'

Everyone dispersed to their allotted tasks, and Gina found herself working alongside Seb. She still couldn't believe that he was a doctor, that he had never said a word despite all they had talked about. What else didn't she know about him? Could she trust anything he had said and done? Shaking her head, she forced away the painful questions and anxious doubts. People needed her, and she couldn't let them down. There would be time when this was over to get some answers.

'Are you all right, Gina?'

'Fine,' she murmured, unsure if his softly voiced question referred to what they now faced professionally or to the overwhelming shift in their personal situation.

She busied herself preparing instruments, drugs, oxygen, dressings and sundry supplies, so that everything they might need would be to hand. After they had both pulled on some hospital scrubs over their clothes, Gina took two pairs of gloves from the box and handed one to Seb.