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She realised she was staring. ‘Er, I hope the sun hasn’t burned you,’ was the first comment that sprang to mind. She immediately felt stupid, but it was better than the awkward silence.

Sadly he began buttoning his shirt. ‘No, no. It’s late enough that the sting has gone out of the sun. Besides, I have that sort of Viking skin that allows me to tan without burning.’

This made her laugh. ‘Viking? Why is this?’ She stood to clear the table, waving at him to sit when he made to join her.

He ignored her, collecting glasses from the table. ‘I like to say that because my father has Danish blood. He tanned easily too.’

‘I recall you weren’t very good friends with your father,’ she said.

‘You’re right. I don’t think he knew how to be with me. And I felt awkward around him because he was like a stranger. Curiously, though, I look exactly like him. We could pass for brothers if you compared photographs.’

‘I’m glad Danjel doesn’t look like his father.’ She quickly qualified her statement. ‘Lawrenz is handsome enough, but you know how I feel about him, so I’m pleased Danjel looks more like my side of the family. And that height he’s so proud of comes from my side, too. Lawrenz’s people are all short.’

As they both reached for the same dish and Peter’s hand accidentally covered hers, they both recoiled as if it had been white hot.

‘Sorry,’ he said.

‘No, it’s all right.’ She chuckled. ‘Come on, I can clear this later,’ she said, perhaps a little too brightly. ‘Go and sit down, let me bring you a coffee. We can have it on the balcony.’

She found him a few minutes later with his hands linked loosely behind his head.

‘Oh, let me help you with that,’ he said, taking the tray from her. Once again their hands brushed, but this time he managed not to react, even as he recognised a spark he hadn’t expected.

‘Thank you,’ she said, and watched him set it down. ‘Oh, it’s nice tonight.’ She opened another window and inhaled. ‘I love the smell of this city, don’t you?’

Her dress stretched across her breasts as she reached to push open the window and he quickly averted his eyes. Valentina, he thought silently. You are dangerously desirable. He needed to be careful. She was a married woman, happily or not, and he didn’t want to take advantage of her, single as he was these days.‘

What does Valletta smell like?’ he asked languidly, and she was highly aware that he was watching her.

Did she need to be careful? This situation felt suddenly dangerous, somehow; there was a kind of delicious charge between them.

‘Come here,’ she said, and as he came up alongside her, she felt the warmth of his long body next to hers. Maybe she didn’t want to be careful. ‘Close your eyes.’ He did so, lips breaking into a smile. ‘What do you smell?’

‘Hmm, first would be the fresh mineral smell of fish from the harbour, mingling with cooked fish from the homes around us.’

‘Obvious, but good. What else?’

‘Er, lovely cooking smells of olive oil, garlic, herbs,’ he said, sniffing again.

‘Yes, and tomatoes, bread baking…’

‘I smell the fuel from the port,’ he added.

‘Another obvious one.’ She let her smile come into her voice.

‘What’s one that isn’t obvious?’ he asked, opening his eyes.

‘Well, if I really concentrate, I can smell tar from the port… they use it on the wood and ropes.’

‘Oh, you’re good,’ he said, laughing. Then he closed his eyes again and inhaled. He still had those long, golden-tipped lashes, she saw. ‘All right,’ he said, ‘I can smell the salt, and that briny taste from the beautiful Mediterranean.’

She giggled. ‘And jasmine.’

He inhaled again. ‘Yes, jasmine.’ He opened his eyes again. ‘Hang on, wait here. I brought something else for you.’ He disappeared behind her momentarily but was soon back with his small bag. ‘I didn’t know if this was appropriate, so I held off, but given the game we’ve just played it feels right to give you this.’ He withdrew a box and held it out to her.

It was a perfume, she saw.

‘Er… why?’ she said, taking it from him and examining the design.