The Italian's Blushing Gardener

chapter Seven



KIRA blushed as she realised her words could so easily hold another meaning. She held her breath. Once again she had said exactly what she thought, and that was the problem. Her words were intended to be a promise to make all his desires for his properties come true. Instead, she might as well have told him her deepest feelings. He was watching her intently. Surely it was only a matter of time before she betrayed herself to him? She wanted to give this her best, but felt the need to hide her true emotions. As usual, work came to her rescue. She hit Return on the keyboard with all the force she would have liked to use on herself. The screen leapt into life again. Simulated raindrops falling on the surface of water became a display of plant photographs.

‘Almost as beautiful as you,’ Stefano said.

Kira thanked him tersely. His words reminded her of Chantal’s patronising smile, and the way he could take his pick from all the lovely women in the world.

‘I’ll key in the details of your courtyard—its aspect, an estimate of the hours of sunshine it can expect—’

‘There won’t be much of that, I suspect.’

‘I have a few ideas that can help,’ Kira rallied. She always felt more confident when she could bring the subject around to the plants she loved. Dwelling on her own thoughts and feelings, and speculating on the way he might respond, made her uncomfortable. ‘Some discreetly placed mirrors will bounce light into the shadowy places.’


‘It sounds like the effect you have on me.’

He was leaning over her, only inches from where her fingers played on the keyboard. The subtle fragrance of his nearness was intoxicating. It was totally impossible to ignore. Kira felt her temperature rising as she logged all the details she had taken down so carefully. She tried to keep her eyes riveted on the screen, but within moments the effort was too much. They were constantly drawn back to Stefano’s face. As though to prove he was able to ignore the effect he was having on her, he kept watching the rapidly developing images on the computer screen. Anticipation rose in Kira like a column of mercury. When she was almost at the point of screaming with need for him, he turned his clear blue eyes on her with a smile of sheer innocence.

‘So you are confident you can give me what I want?’

His words were warm drops in a dipping pool of desire. He had chosen them with care. Knowing they were calculated for effect was the only thing that made it possible for Kira to resist him.

‘While I’m working for you, that’s all I’m interested in.’

Her voice was faint and strangely unsteady. Stefano continued to watch her, waiting for more signs that her resistance was weakening. Kira willed herself to return his gaze with equal candour, but she was powerless to stop a blush rippling over her skin. It was a firestorm of feeling. She needed distraction, and looked for it in a new computer image.

‘Here’s a mock-up of your quadrangle, with the rough shapes of some suggested plant groupings added.’

With one final flourish on the keyboard, she sat back and steadied her nerves with a sip of coffee. Stefano had drawn away slightly while she was typing, but now he leaned forward again. This time, Kira was strangely disappointed to find he was intent on the screen, rather than her.

‘That’s impressive.’ He nodded slowly, his clear blue eyes flicking back and forth between the sidebars of text and the interactive graphics of the screen.

‘It’s only my first thoughts.’ She basked in his approval, but tried not to show it. ‘The final version will take a lot more work. And this is only the courtyard. I seem to remember you mentioned a roof garden?’

He nodded. ‘There are some stark, flat areas resulting from repairs and building work done in the sixties. I like the idea of a hidden sanctuary that no one else knows about but me.’

‘And me, as your designer,’ Kira reminded him.

‘The best secrets are those we are willing to share.’

Picking up on his enthusiasm, Kira smiled. ‘Why don’t we go up and inspect what you’ve got to offer?’

‘I thought you’d never ask,’ he said, already heading for the door.





Stefano’s town house rambled over several floors. It was a warren of unexpected twists and turns. Kira always enjoyed the thrill of seeing how successful people ran their lives. She took in every detail when she visited their workplaces. This satellite branch of Albani International was no exception. Despite her solitary nature, whenever she took on a grand new job Kira spent her time idly wondering what she would tell her grandchildren. Today was different. There was nothing remotely idle about her thoughts. This wasn’t just any grand house, owned by a faceless billionaire. It was where Stefano Albani lived. He worked and walked about here, and today he was strolling along beside her. The sensation was so powerful it had an immediate effect on all her dreams. Her fantasy grandchildren gained names, parents and inherited their grandfather’s beautiful blue eyes and dark, dashing curls.

As Stefano piloted her along corridors scented by cream polish and fresh flower arrangements, she was torn. Admiring the modern, minimalist surroundings meant tearing her attention away from the gorgeous man at her side. He introduced her to everyone they passed by name. That was impressive. She wasn’t quite so happy with the way he spoke to all the women in the same flirty fashion that set her own heart hammering.

‘You’re very quiet, Kira.’ He smiled as they left the busy offices behind. Only the gentle burr of air conditioning followed them beyond a stained-glass door into his private quarters.

‘I’ve been resisting the temptation to contradict you,’ Kira said primly. ‘You’ve asked everyone we met to welcome me onto your team. That ignores the tiny fact that I haven’t actually agreed to sign your contract yet.’

Stefano’s self-confidence shone through his reply. ‘You will. You’re an intelligent woman.’

His voice was as smooth as the glass elevator that took them up the final two storeys. Letting her out onto the roof, Stefano stood back to let her take in the whole breathtaking panorama. At this distance, the circling shoals of traffic sounded very faint and far away. The click of Kira’s heels on the flat cement roof was loud, so she tried to make them sound efficient as well by striding straight over to the nearest parapet.

‘This view is astonishing,’ she breathed. ‘You can see to the hills in almost every direction! We’re so high I feel as though I could reach out and touch the dome of the cathedral. The light over the city is so beautiful. What do you suppose gives it that lovely golden glow?’

Stefano strolled to her side. Resting one hand against an ancient wall, he surveyed the scene with obvious pleasure. ‘It is the Tuscan sun. It has mingled with the inspiration of poets, and matured over centuries.’

Pleased by the image, she turned to him with an unguarded smile, and found that he had switched his attention from the city to her.

‘Do you think you can improve my situation?’

Kira considered her reply. She looked from the spectacular view to the dreary surroundings of his rooftop eyrie. Her mind went into overdrive. ‘The beauty of beginning with nothing is that you can try whatever you like. Nobody could top an aerial view of Florence—but I can give you a better backdrop to it, Stefano. When you bring a beautiful woman like Chantal up here, she deserves something a lot better than bare cement and these pigeon prickles…’ Patting the metal tangle that stopped birds perching on the parapet, Kira leaned out over the low wall. She was tempted to look straight down. It was a big mistake. Suddenly the events and emotions of the past two weeks rolled over her in a wave of dizziness.

‘Ohh…’

She swayed for a terrifying moment, until Stefano seized her with his strong hands and pulled her back from the brink. Her eyes flew open, and she found herself looking up into his lean, intelligent face.

‘It is never a good idea to stray too close to the edge,’ he said brusquely.

His voice was wonderfully resonant. Kira felt so safe, but it frightened her.

‘I—I know. I’m sorry, Stefano. I don’t know what came over me.’

‘This place can have a very strange effect.’ His words were quiet and almost hesitant. They were in complete contrast to his iron grip as it crushed her against the solid security of his body.

‘I’m beginning to realise that…’ Kira’s whisper rose between them like a dream.

‘It makes me want to tell you again how beautiful you are, Kira,’ he whispered.

She slowly shook her head. To her amazement, she felt Stefano contradict her with a definite nod. Neither of them moved for a long time. Then, in complete harmony, they came together in a kiss that made the world stand still.

After a long, long time, Stefano’s lips left hers and he pressed his cheek hard against her hair.

‘Come with me. Now,’ he urged.

‘I can’t.’

‘Why not?’

‘I don’t want to be hurt again.’

He stood back a little and looked down at her with a calm, forthright gaze. ‘I would never do that.’

‘I can’t take that risk.’ Desperation tore the words from her lips.

‘I’m offering you nothing but good things, Kira. How can that bring you pain? Nothing lasts forever. We both know that. As long as we never forget it, there can be nothing but pleasure for us.’

He had been drawing her closer and closer. As his whisper died away, he kissed her with a power that held her long after he had drawn back from her lips.

‘So let’s enjoy that pleasure while we can…’

Wicked thoughts ran crazily through her mind. It’s not as though he’s married—no one will ever know, and if they do find out, it won’t be like last time…

Her defences dissolved with the intensity of his smile. It was focused directly on her. There could be no resistance. Mirroring his expression, she nodded her head.





Stefano slid one arm around her shoulder and drew her back inside to the elevator. It took only seconds to reach his suite, but his hands were already dancing over the thin fabric of her clothes. He led her into the sophisticated setting of his private lounge. There he slid the jacket from her shoulders and flung it onto a glasstopped table.

‘I know what you said about mixing business and pleasure, tesoro, but you would be the first to remind me you haven’t actually signed my contract yet,’ he murmured.

Kira veered between nervous tension and excitement at the thought of taking a leap into the unknown. For the first time in her life, temptation felt good. There was no need to wonder why. It was an opportunity to indulge in the fantasy that had been teasing her from the moment she first set eyes on him. A throaty chuckle rose up from somewhere deep within her.


‘I think that’s the perfect reason to make an exception.’ Despite a tingle of fear, she wanted to find how far her body would go to quench this overriding fire for Stefano. She already sensed he would give her the ultimate in satisfaction. A strange combination of daring and desire unleashed all sorts of feelings deep in her body.

I know what I’m doing, she told herself. It’ll be all right this time, because I’m watching for the danger signs. I can’t resist him any more, but it doesn’t matter because I don’t want to try. I’m going into this with my eyes wide open. I’ll enjoy Stefano while he satisfies my every need, but if he dares to try and get inside my heart, that’s the end—no more.

From that moment on, there was no more thinking. She was aware of nothing but his touch on her arm and the movement of his body as he drew her into the silent sanctuary of his bedroom. The curtains were drawn against the afternoon sun. It was as cool and shadowy as an oasis at dusk, lit only by a narrow strip where the floor-length curtains were not quite fully closed. A tiny fragment of goose down spiralled upwards in the single shaft of sunlight. It looks as light as my heart feels, Kira thought. It was the last thing she remembered before a surge of need carried away all her inhibitions.

He was more gentle than even her fantasies had promised. His fingertips had a delicacy of touch that sent shivers of delight dancing over her skin. When his cheek brushed her face the roughness of his incipient stubble released a little cry of desire from her lips. It no longer mattered that he had travelled this route with one girl or a thousand. While she was in his arms, Kira felt like the only woman in the world. As the silk and lace of her slip slithered away, she was filled with the exuberance of being. Standing in a pool of sunlight beneath the warm appreciation of Stefano’s haunting gaze, she felt the life force thunder through her body. This was where she wanted to be, now and forever.

‘Carissima mia,’ he breathed in a way that drew Kira’s whole attention right back to him.

With a flutter of delight she saw a subtle change come over him. It wasn’t so much a new look in his eyes, as the sudden loss of something she had not wanted to acknowledge before. Playful amusement no longer danced in his expression. Stefano was a changed man. For once he was not the flippant lover of thousands. All his attention was devoted to her and her alone.

‘You don’t mean that,’ she murmured, while hoping with all her heart that he did.

‘Would you like to put me to the test?’ his voice rasped through the drowsy silence. It was thick with an emotion she had never heard from him before. He took one, two steps across the soft rug. Now they were so close, she could feel the warmth of desire radiating from him. His heat transformed her. With a moan of anticipation, her head fell back.

‘You are so lovely.’

His voice was a whisper. Kira felt fingertips dance lightly over her face, and then dive into the rippling luxuriance of her coppery hair. His kiss was a long, thoughtful expression of delight. Pressing his forehead against hers, he slid his arms around her body, drawing it close. ‘I’ve said that so many times, to so many different girls, but this is the first time it has been from the core of my being, mia tesoro.’

Kira opened her eyes. Another transformation swept over his face, and with delight she put her hand up to touch the uncharacteristic colour flushing his cheeks. He was holding her with a possessive strength as they sank into the yielding luxury of his bed. Stefano kissed his way down the curve of her neck, before lifting her arm to tease the delicate skin beneath. His lips pleasured her breasts and belly, encouraging her to stretch out languorously across his silken sheets. It was such a lovely, leisurely feeling that when he pulled away from her she tried to follow him, jealous of every second he spent away from her arms.

Stefano had no intention of disappointing her. He had only knelt up to strip off his clothes and give her the full benefit of his magnificent body.

‘I want to feel my naked skin against yours.’

His demand was husky but his movements were smooth and unhurried. Watching the relish in his beautiful eyes as he twined his lithe golden limbs around hers was the most wonderful aphrodisiac. As his body glided over and around hers, she floated in the clear blue of his admiring gaze. His hands and lips brought her to the peak of pleasure, time after time, and he left no room in her mind for any doubts. She was his, and she could not get enough of him. Only when she was almost faint from this glorious pleasure overload did he turn to his own satisfaction. With a wild cry his body convulsed in the sheer pleasure of orgasm.

The physical release was absolute, but a new kind of torment was about to begin. Kira had never known her mind and body meld in such a way, but it could not last. As Stefano enfolded her gently in his arms, she knew things could never be the same between them.

‘That was beyond even what I had hoped for,’ he murmured.

As he drifted off to sleep, he took Kira’s sense of proportion with him. She lay in the gloom, unable to put her fears into words and unwilling to wake him. She had never been in exactly this situation before, but something about it was frighteningly familiar. Her mind reeled back the years to her only other intimate encounter. She had been swept off her feet then, too. Before, during and after sex she had been suspended in a make-believe world which almost instantly unravelled. Her illusions vanished with the cold light of an Oxford morning. The tutor she once idolised had only used her to relieve his midlife crisis. How long would it be before the younger, more virile Stefano wrecked her dreams in a similar way?

She lay awake through all the long dark hours of the night. She knew exactly how this would end. The pain and humiliation were all too familiar. Listening to Stefano’s soft, regular breathing as he slept, it was agonising to think he would start taking her for granted from the moment he woke. The infatuation she felt would not survive the death of his sweet words and sensuous touch. She couldn’t bear to think he would never look at her in the same way again. What had she done? She had ruined all her own dreams by fulfilling his desires. From the moment she succumbed to his charm, the doomsday clock began marking time on their relationship.

She turned her head. Outside, dawn was breaking. She looked back at him. In sleep, his brow was smooth and untroubled. His finely carved features were heartbreakingly handsome. Such a man would never stay with someone like her. She could not endure the thought of never seeing him again, but what was the alternative? If she didn’t run away now, he would dump her. It was as simple as that.

As the sun crept above the distant rim of hills she agonised over what she should do. If she bolted now, she would lose everything—Stefano’s respect, any chance for another blissful coupling and all those wonderful opportunities he had promised her. Work seemed a million miles away when she was still being cradled in his arms, but she could not live without it. Her job was her reality. The rhythm and routine of it endured, although everything around her might be falling apart. Stefano’s starry list of contacts could ensure the survival of her business.

It took a long time, but Kira had plenty of experience in teasing out the good points of a bad situation. Eventually, she worked out a restless compromise. While Stefano was busy in Florence, she would make sure she was working on his Bella Terra estate. When he retreated to his country hideaway, she would turn her attention to his town house. That way, accepting his offer of a contract would give her the excuse to keep in touch while staying out of his hands.

Holding onto that thought like a lucky charm, Kira eased her way out of bed and headed for the bathroom. Stepping into the shower, she tried to blast away all her regrets. It was impossible. She couldn’t have any. Then, to compound her sin, she saw the bathroom door open. Stefano walked in.

He was naked, and joined her in the shower as though it was the most natural thing in the world. Already shamed by her complete lack of guilt, Kira squeaked and tried to cover herself with her hands. It didn’t impress him for a second.

‘There isn’t a single centimetre of your body that I haven’t admired and kissed, cara,’ he said as the water coursed over him.

‘Stefano, this has got to stop,’ Kira announced, with as much force as she could against the warm, relaxing water and the tempting sight of his naked body.

‘Of course. But not for a little while.’ His voice fell as softly as the water.

Squeezing shower gel over his hands, he stroked it expertly over her shoulders and back. The warmth of him in the confined space of the shower cubicle intensified the lemony fragrance of the bubbles he caressed across her skin. Despite her determination not to weaken, Kira could not resist. She closed her eyes, and let her head fall back as he worshipped her body with hands and lips. As they stood beneath the powering torrent of hot water, she felt the urgency of his desire match hers. She moved in close to the sheltering power of his body, pressing herself eagerly against the growing ridge of his manhood. Reaching around, he cupped her bottom in his hands and lifted her off the ground. Kira instinctively twined her legs around his waist. He entered her with a guttural sigh of satisfaction that echoed her own cry of need. Water coursed over their naked bodies as they coupled with a fierce, animal urgency. Kira’s orgasm clenched him with a grip as hard as iron, and with a gasp he stopped the water and carried her out of the cubicle. Pulling all the towels from the hot rail, he made a soft nest on the marble floor and settled her down in it.


‘Now I know exactly how to please you, I can delay my own pleasure for as long as I like.’ Testosterone lowered his voice and made his smile wolf like.

Kira moaned with anticipation as his mouth dipped to nibble one nipple while the pads of his thumb and index finger rolled the other into a hard peak of anticipation. She lost count of the number of times he sent her sweeping over the edge. When she was sure her body could take no more she opened her mouth to beg him to stop, but he anticipated her cry.

‘Now it’s my turn,’ he growled.





Stefano woke her with a kiss. Kira opened her eyes and realised that at some stage they had left the bathroom and moved on, in more ways than one. Stefano was standing beside the bed. He was fully dressed and ready for work. Kira smelled hot coffee and warm pastry, and saw he was holding a tray. She struggled to sit up, the sheet slipping away from her nakedness again. His business suit was beautifully cut, but could not conceal the sudden rise of his manhood as he looked down on her appreciatively.

She looked from him to the breakfast tray. It was set for one.

‘Are you leaving, Stefano?’

He placed the tray on her lap. It was complete with fruit, cappuccino and brioche, fresh from his kitchens. Kira gazed at the beautiful display in wonder.

‘I’m afraid I must.’

‘Two weeks ago, I stopped you coming upstairs in my own home. Now I’m in your bed,’ she said faintly. Kira couldn’t believe her luck, but wasn’t sure whether it would turn out to be the bad kind of fortune, or the good. A long shadow was lowering over the best, most exciting job prospect she had ever been offered. Any woman would be a fool to trust such a dedicated ladies’ man. She would be doubly stupid: mixing work and a man had derailed her life once already. It would take a special sort of idiot to fall into that trap a second time. Kira was determined to stay independent. And yet, to resist such an opportunity…

There wasn’t much time to decide. Stefano was already heading towards the door.

‘I must go. Multi-billion-dollar enterprises don’t run themselves, you know.’ He smiled at her. ‘Take your time to consider my contract, and let me know what you decide. If you make the sensible choice, I’ll send a car to collect you later today—I want to take you to Silver Island.’

Kira made a snap decision. ‘There’s no need. I’ve made up my mind—I’ll sign it.’

Stefano paused, one hand on the door frame. Genuine pleasure, but no real surprise, lit his eyes for a moment. ‘I am glad. We have a lot in common, Kira.’

At his reminder of what they had so spectacularly shared, nervous defiance flared in Kira again. ‘I can’t always be relied on to do exactly as anyone says, Stefano, and once I’m working for you we can’t carry on…’

He nodded, and his bright blue eyes became serious. ‘Of course. You are your own woman…apart from those moments when I make you mine. So, until later…’

He reached over and kissed her hard, driving all thoughts of rebellion from her mind and leaving her gasping. When he drew back she only just stopped herself reaching for him again. Stefano gave her a look that made her blush. It said he knew exactly what she was feeling. A moment later, he was gone.