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She frowned.

‘I would never let sex enter into a business decision. You were right in your assessment; the fee should cover most of the expenses for the next year. If it were just about me, I would walk away tomorrow,’ he told her. ‘In fact, I already have a team on standby to take care of it all, enough that I never have to go back. That was always the plan.’

‘What changed?’

‘I don’t know,’ he admitted. ‘My grandfather asked me not to make any decisions for a year.’ He shrugged. ‘I found mio Signora Maria in the chapel in tears, and I don’t believe it was just my grandfather she was weeping about.’

My Signora Maria.

She heard the affectionate term for his governante and knew that, even if he denied it, Gabe had a warm heart.

‘You couldn’t do it?’

‘I’ll have to at some point. I can’t keep a vast property on just for the staff but…’ he looked over to her ‘… I shall employ an estate manager and art consultant to take practical care of things. I don’t want to be bothered with it all.’

‘You won’t return?’

‘Only if I absolutely have to. But I shan’t be there while you’re there, nor for the filming. It would complicate things.’

‘How?’

‘We are wildly attracted to each other, remember. I wanted you then and I want you now, that is a given.’

She pressed her lips together, shocked that he could be so direct, so matter-of-fact about something that should be more delicately approached. Yet she also admired his matter-of-fact ways, how he could look her in the eye and give her the reasons it would never work.

‘I think I could be quite jealous,’ he admitted, though his eyes widened as if it surprised him. ‘I wouldn’t want you with another, and so a year of chastity for you seems a rather harsh condition.’

‘Would there be a year of chastity for you too?’ she said, pouring more tea and laughing a little at the old-fashioned expression.

‘I’ve just gone more than two weeks,’ he said, ‘and that was difficult enough.’

She flushed, and not just at his rather sultry words, but there was a flood of relief too that there had been no one since.

‘I asked you to come here this evening to explain things. But you are right in part; one of the reasons I have insisted your name is on the contract is because I do feel I owe you something.’

‘You don’t.’

‘Stella, please.’ He looked at her with those dark grey eyes that made her feel giddy and held so many things, all without a word, just the pause where they stared at each other while silent felt like the most wonderful place in the world. ‘I agreed to the location being used for business reasons, but the inclusion of you in the contract is personal. I want you to have job security, I want you to have this chance. I took your virginity…’

‘Shh.’ She glanced around.

‘No one can hear.’

‘They might!’

‘Well, aside from that, you gave me a wonderful night with my grandfather.’

‘It was wonderful, wasn’t it?’ She forgot she hadn’t told him. ‘I had the best birthday.’

‘It was your birthday?’ He frowned. ‘Why didn’t you say?’

‘Because—’ she shrugged ‘—I didn’t want a fuss. It wasn’t relevant, I guess.’ She paused, because it had been relevant, they’d made love on her birthday, and all without him knowing he’d made it so precious. ‘I didn’t want a cake and candles…’ She tried to make a joke.

‘You wouldn’t have got them.’

‘So there was no need for me to mention it.’ She wobbled a bit. ‘I hate birthdays usually.’

‘Did your parents not make a fuss or…’ He had always known there was more.