Unknown by Unknown Read Free Book Online

his family. 'I'm sorry.'
    'It's fine. I just wanted to fill you in on the official line.'
    'And that is?'
    Rico chuckled. 'That you have gone overseas. Well, it is kind of true, no?'
    'Thanks.'
    'No problem, cugino. Hang in there. I'll be in touch. Enjoy your dinner tonight with the lovely ladies.. .and tell them you're not the caretaker.'
    Seb set down the phone and rose to dress, trying to ignore Rico's advice. Instead, he thought of the evening ahead. He had been surprised to discover Gina and Maria sharing a small room in a cheap bed and breakfast—but, combined with a few other clues, he had guessed that money was tight and it had been a financial struggle for them to come to Elba. Despite the luxuries his career had brought him, he had not forgotten what it was like to live from hand to mouth, to be thrifty, to go without. As he tended to wear casual clothes on the island, he ignored the handful of designer suits hanging in his wardrobe and dressed down, wanting to put them at ease.
    Having learned that they both enjoyed seafood, he had chosen a restaurant that was inexpensive and friendly but had a reputation for excellent food. He'd not been there before, and he hoped no one would recognise him—or, if they did, that they would be discreet. He had not forgotten Rico's warning, but he was not yet ready to reveal his true identity to Maria and Gina.
    Gina. Anticipation gripped him at the thought of seeing her again. He had never felt such an instant attraction to a woman before. She was only here for a short time, so it would be crazy to act on the searing desire that charged through him whenever he was near her. But, fool that he was, whatever the consequences, he couldn't keep away.
    Picking up the keys to the basic runabout his uncle kept for driving on the island, he headed for the door, tension and expectation tightening inside him. It was time. Time to meet Maria again. Time to be with Gina.
     
    Gina dressed for the evening, conscious of the fact that she was taking far more care over her appearance than she had in ages. It was a long time since she had felt feminine and desired—just as long since she had spent any time thinking about a man. But meeting Seb this afternoon, experiencing an attraction the depth of which she had never known before, made her feel as if she was awakening from a long slumber. A self-imposed hibernation sparked when Malcolm had delivered his ultimatum. She had made her decision then and had stuck to it, never feeling tempted...until now.
    She thought of her grandmother's words of concern that she had put her life on hold. She didn't begrudge a moment of the time she had spent caring for her grandparents, but between them and the pressures of work there had been little time for an active social life. She saw her girlfriends when their shifts allowed, but she had neither the time nor the interest in dating, would never take the risk of someone trying to come between her and her family again. It had never crossed her mind before today just how long it had been since she had given any thought to her own needs as a woman.
    Seb was the sexiest, most compelling man she had ever met. And potentially the most dangerous to her resolve. Just being with him brought long-forgotten wants bubbling to the surface, and she tried to remind herself for the umpteenth time that she had to continue to set her own wishes aside and remember that this trip was all about her grandmother. She couldn't risk letting her desire for a man jeopardise that. On the other hand, Seb could be the one to help them gain the villa-owner's permission for what they had come to Elba to do. They needed him. She very much feared she needed him in a very different way.
    After moisturising her skin following a bath, she applied some mascara to accentuate her eyes and a touch of colour to her lips. Leaving her hair loose, she dabbed some vanilla-scented perfume on her pulse-points and behind her ears, then stepped back to take one