Aware her emotions swam dangerously close to the surface, she gave herself a mental shake, sat a little straighter in her seat and firmly changed the subject. "Thank you, but it all happened a long time ago, and we're here to talk about you, not me. So, tell me, Chris, exactly what frightened you off after that impulsive kiss last week? And please don't say you were too busy checking the main fuse box to find the cause of the power failure, because Ruben already told me you left after receiving a phone call. Had you forgotten you had a previous date, or was I so inept compared to the other women you know that you couldn't wait to escape me?" "Neither," he said. "I had to go to work." "You work?" "Well, yes, Lara," he said, laughing. "Don't most men my age?" "Yes, but you don't seem the corporate type." "I'm not." "And it was the middle of the night."&

"Out on the town till all hours of the night with that no-good son of mine, were you?" Rocco inquired, glaring at her across the breakfast table when she joined him the next morning. "What if I'd needed you?" "If you had, Ruben knew how to reach me.""That's beside the point." "And exactly what point are you making, Rocco? That I'm under house arrest and not allowed to leave the premises without your permission?" Ignoring her sarcasm, he said baldly, "You're asking for trouble, getting involved with Chris. Women are nothing but toys to him, created solely for his entertainment and pleasure. He'll play with you for as long as you amuse him, then drop you for the next one who catches his fancy. He'll break your heart without a second thought and leave you to pick up the pieces, just like all the others who came before you." Not about to admit she's pretty much reached the same conclusion herself

He raised his head and looked behind her, then said, "I think we should try that again," and drew her closer to him, kissing her again, this time for longer.The moment was interrupted by an exclamation—most likely an expletive, judging by the indignant tone—and Lara spun around to find Rocco leaning on his walker, silhouetted in the open doorway. "Wouldn't you be aware of it?" Chris stated pleasantly as he let her go. "My disapproving father caught me in the act. Before he comes after me with a shotgun, I'd better make myself scarce. I'll refer to you as Lara. Soon." He was gone in a flash, speeding down the long driveway in a candy-apple-red blur, bringing with him all the happiness the afternoon had given. Because she was certain that the reason he kissed her for the second time had nothing to do with her. He'd done it for the sole purpose of enraging his father. Rocco's prior warning came back to h

She inspected her sanctuary with a mixture of relief and pleasure as she closed the door behind her. Aida had pulled aside the bedcovers and lit a fire to keep warm in the middle of December. The hearth's flames swirled, casting burnished-gold reflections on the polished antique furnishings. The aroma of burning olive wood permeated the room. Lara tossed her sweater on the foot of the bed and kicked off her shoes, thinking that she'd made the correct decision. She couldn't deny the magnetic attraction she felt for Chris, but she also couldn't reject her feminine sense. It had warned her from the outset that yielding but in peril to her desire to him.She'd find herself hopelessly, helplessly engaged with a man so far out of her league that she'd be guaranteed nothing but sorrow if she didn't step back now. After all, he'd made it abundantly plain that his attraction to her was solely sexual, and what else could she really expect? He didn't have place for

She stuffed racy new lingerie, sheer nightgown, sandals, and silk caftan, as well as shampoo, toothbrush, cosmetics, and all the other goods he'd specified, into a canvas tote made to contain far less, after supper that night. He'd assured they'd be absolutely alone, but he didn't seem to get that it wasn't about looking good for strangers, it was about looking good for him. Rocco had authorized an agency nurse to cover for her while she was away, but he had made it clear that he was doing so under pressure. He sulked all morning Friday and ignored Lara all afternoon to emphasize his point. He hadn't asked where she was going or with whom she was going, despite the fact that based on his frantic mutterings, he'd guessed it was Chris. So, rather than starting the weekend on a low note with a confrontation, Lara gathered her belongings and sneaked out of the villa a few minutes before six to meet Chris at the bottom of the road.