Page 81 of Modern Romance October 2025 5-8

His voice had an intriguingly rough edge as he said her name. She felt it abrade her skin beneath the gauzy coverup she’d put over her bikini.

‘I was thinking how blissful it is here. Not just beautiful and luxurious but private. No stress, no expectations. It’s like stepping out of time.’

Though despite the peace, she hadn’t got closer to resolving her problems. Instead she’d spent her time daydreaming about her companion.

She saw him watching her, felt him weighing her words, and the intensity of his stare.

In Rome he’d kissed her and she’d felt his desire. What held him back now? She wished she knew what he was thinking.

‘You sound like a woman who hasn’t had a break for a long time.’

Stella lifted one shoulder. Her old school friend Ginevra had accused her of being a workaholic, of not taking time for herself. ‘Maybe you’re right.’

‘How long since you’ve had a vacation? It feels to me like this isn’t so much a holiday as a chance to regroup.’

She frowned. Gio understood so much about her, even things she hadn’t explained in detail. She wasn’t used to people taking time to learn her the way this man did. It was unsettling and at the same time thrilling.

‘I don’t remember.’

School trips didn’t count and since she’d begun working full-time, any trips were work-related.

‘You know the saying about all work and no play?’

Gleaming eyes snared hers and her pulse pounded. ‘You’re accusing me of being dull?’

His gruff laughter belied the idea, but almost instantly his expression sobered. ‘Far from it.’ He leaned in, near enough that her skin prickled in awareness. ‘I’ve never known a more intriguing woman.’

Yet he didn’t look particularly pleased. Intent, yes, but frowning too.

Maybe he prefers women who aren’t ‘intriguing’. Maybe he appreciates women who say what they want without second thoughts.

She imagined him with gorgeous sophisticates who flirted easily and had scintillating banter. Who wouldn’t think twice about declaring their interest in a man.

Stella had never been such a woman. She’d grown up serious and cautious, scoping situations for pitfalls. Always thinking before she acted.

The few times she’d been tempted to believe in a man’s apparent interest she’d discovered it wasn’t really about her.

Was that why she’d actually been considering her father’s monstrous suggestion—to marry a stranger to further her career and cement her place in the family? Had she become so used to letting her father dictate her life?

There are times when you just have to jump. When you have to trust your instinct and go with it.

Stella’s chair ground back across the flagstones as she shot to her feet. Her pulse thudded, hard as a hammer against her ribs, but as she looked into Gio’s face an unexpected calm fell over her.

She knew what she wanted, had known from the first. She’d wasted days telling herself it wouldn’t be sensible to act on her feelings, though nothing she’d ever felt had been as undeniably right as this.

She moved around the table, Gio twisting sideways in his seat to face her.

He wore a dark shirt over swim shorts and his hair was tousled where he’d towel-dried it then run his fingers through it.

Stella wanted him with every atom of her being.

She stopped when her legs touched his knees. Instantly he sat straighter, knees opening, and she stepped between his legs. It was delicious and something rose, pure and powerful inside her.

The half-hidden lights cast intriguing shadows as he tilted his head up, holding her gaze. Silver eyes gleamed with a fervour that seemed to reflect her need.

Suddenly it was easy to be impulsive. ‘I’m attracted to you, Gio. I want you.’

For two heartbeats he didn’t respond but she sensed,knewthis was mutual.