LITMIR.BIZ

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probably thought she was simple. Most definitely useless. She tried putting her weight on her foot and winced. A second later she was flying through the air into his arms. His arms, as she’d suspected, were very strong. And the chest she was now pressed against was very solid. Fortunately the contact kick-started her rational thinking processes.

      ‘Put me down,’ she said stiffly.

      ‘And have you slip again and break your neck?’ he snarled, stalking back towards the beautiful villa. ‘You’re a liability. Not just to yourself. The sooner you’re off my property, the better.’

      ‘You’re going to carry me all the way to the gate?’

      He probably was strong enough. She could feel his muscles burning through the cold, wet fabric. The man was built. But he was also obviously unimpressed. Desperately she suppressed her appreciative shiver. So inappropriate and lamely predictable. He must get women literally throwing themselves at him all the time. She was not going to be another. But as he effortlessly strode over the manicured lawns towards that magnificently impressive building, she couldn’t hold in another giggle.

      ‘Are you hysterical?’

      She heard the unmistakable note of horror in his question.

      ‘No.’ She breathed in and steadied herself. ‘I’m embarrassed. Laughing is my nervous release. I’m sorry.’ She peered up to try to see into his face and braved another smile. ‘At least it’s better than crying.’

      ‘Well, that’s true,’ he answered grimly. ‘Heaven forbid I have a tearful trespasser on my hands.’ He climbed the wide steps and entered through the open doorway into the glorious large lounge. ‘I’m Rafael Vitale.’

      ‘I figured.’

      ‘And you are?’

      Now she was inside, it immediately struck her that the best way of minimising his insane effect on her was to scope out the amazing interior of the villa instead. But he didn’t stop in the eye-poppingly ornate lounge, rather he marched straight through it down a long corridor to a vast kitchen. He unceremoniously set her on the large table. Fascinated, Gracie gaped at the gleaming appliances.

      ‘Wow,’ she murmured as she stared at the elegance of the set-up. ‘State of the art.’ And that was an understatement.

      He gave the kitchen a dismissive glance and turned back to her with businesslike seriousness. ‘Is it sore?’

      ‘What?’ Oh. Her knee. ‘My embarrassment has numbed my knee.’

      She snatched a breath and tried to look anywhere but at him again. Except he was so close and so good looking, her attention was the iron filing to his magnetism.

      ‘How helpful,’ he commented dryly. ‘Ice will bring out the bruising.’ He strode over to the gleaming fridge and pushed some buttons.

      ‘Because I want a purple knee,’ she muttered.

      He didn’t respond as he walked back, holding ice in a glass and a clean cloth.

      ‘That’s an impressive fridge. The whole place is impressive,’ she babbled. ‘This kitchen is bigger than our one at the bakery and that’s a commercial operation. You could cook enough in here to feed an army. Though you’d need an army to use all the appliances at once.’

      He still didn’t respond, just neatly wrapped some ice in the cloth. She shivered before he got the cold pack anywhere near her, but at the same time was still sweltering with embarrassment. And awareness. And yet more embarrassment.

      She stared hard at her lap as he bent before her.

      ‘You’re not supposed to be here.’ She winced, desperately trying to ignore the brush of his fingers on her skin as he pushed up her skirt to reveal her grass-stained, bruised knee. ‘The villa was supposed to be empty until tomorrow. That’s what I heard.’

      ‘You talk all the time when you’re nervous too?’ He held the ice to her knee.

      ‘This isn’t usual,’ she muttered. Usually she went silent. She’d learned long ago that talking too much meant secrets might slip out and that habit was surprisingly hard to break. She preferred not to tell people about her upbringing now out of choice, rather than necessity. The difference of it made people awkward. ‘You know, it’s not that bad. You can stop with the ice now,’ she gasped. ‘I’m fine.’

      He ignored her and increased the pressure even more. ‘Here. Hold it firmly.’

      Mortified at the realisation that the last thing the man wanted was to press an ice pack against her leg, she slapped her hand down to hold it in place, inadvertently hitting his hand in the process.

      ‘Sorry,’ she muttered, dying all over again. If she were a cat, she’d be down to her last life by now.

      She pushed back a wet ribbon of hair and tried to ignore the fact that Rafael Vitale was unfastening his wet shirt. Ten timeless seconds later he wasn’t wearing said shirt. Her mouth dried as her brain shorted out. His chest was bronzed and, as she’d suspected, his muscles were ultra-defined. Furthermore, he had the finest trail of hair leading to the waistband of his perfectly tailored black trousers. He was officially a living freaking angel. When he turned away, she quickly pressed the wrapped ice against her burning cheeks instead of her knee and racked her brains for what Francesca had told her about him.

      Rafael Vitale had made billions from the kinds of financial transactions Gracie had no desire to ever understand and now he was amassing a property empire. Another thing she’d never understand. She wanted only the one place to call home—that would make her happier than anything.

      And if Francesca’s favourite websites were to be believed, the guy dated models and aristocrats—as in the aristocrats who were models. He had an endless supply of stunning well-connected women to warm his bed. Seeing him in the flesh—indeed seeing most of his flesh—Gracie could totally understand why.

      She pressed her legs together, primly rejecting the insidious warmth and restless kick deep within. The sooner she got away from here, the better. She’d embarrassed herself enough. She didn’t need to drool over a man who was so far out of her league and who’d never send her a second look in ordinary circumstances. But his kitchen was totally droolworthy—she could make amazing things in this kitchen.

      ‘Why did you take a photo?’

      Startled, she glanced at him, registering the distance in his demeanour as he waited for her answer. She’d taken that snap before she’d started watering the roses, so for how long had he been watching her? ‘I wanted to show him they were fine.’

      ‘Show who what were fine?’ He stepped closer.

      She chose to focus on the smooth marble pastry bench on the opposite side from her and think about cold, cold things so she could speak without stuttering. ‘Alex. The roses.’

      ‘Who’s Alex?’

      ‘You don’t know?’ She glanced at Rafael again before remembering the searing impact on her senses.

      ‘I assume he’s a caretaker? This is my first visit to the villa,’ he said briefly, his intense gaze not leaving her face.

      Caretaker? The man had worked on this estate for the last forty years!

      ‘You’ve not been here before?’ She wrinkled her nose in confusion. ‘Did you buy it without even seeing it and having that restoration work done?’

      His lack of response confirmed it.

      ‘Wow,’ she muttered.

      ‘This really is about the roses?’

      ‘Of course it’s about the roses. Why else would I be here?’

      He didn’t answer. She stared at him suspiciously. ‘Did you think I was here to, what...hope to meet you?’ The guy was unbearably arrogant.

      She

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