Rebecca Winters - The Italians - Alessandro, Luca & Dizo

She caught the flashbulbs of eager paparazzi, foreseeing how her reluctance would appear on celluloid, and she slid into the passenger seat with a forced smile, which she maintained until Alessandro cleared the venue and entered the main stream of traffic.

‘I could easily have summoned a taxi.’

‘Not unless you chose to wait in line for up to an hour or more. Something I would refuse to allow you to do.’

She opened her mouth to verbally damn him, only to close it again.

Silence seemed the best option, and she maintained it until Alessandro drew the car to a halt outside the entrance to her apartment building.

With undue haste she released her seat belt and reached for the door clasp, only to have him cut the engine and step out from the car.

‘Thank you for the ride home.’

The external lighting accented his profile as he stood tall, like a dark angel for a few measurable seconds before he crossed to her side and held out his hand.

‘I’ll see you indoors.’

Lily tilted her head and threw him a dark look. ‘It isn’t necessary.’

His eyes speared her own, and with slow deliberation he cradled her face and lowered his head to capture her mouth with his own.

For a stark moment she became helplessly caught up in the sensual magic of his touch. A soft groan rose in her throat as she wavered between kissing him back or attempting to move away, instinctively aware she should take the latter action if she wanted to preserve her emotional sanity.

Except … ohmygod, he was good at this. Far too good.

A kiss … it was just a kiss.

Yet it became more, almost as if he was intent on staking a claim.

The temptation to wind her arms around his neck became difficult to resist, and she leaned in, threading her fingers through his hair as she kissed him back, loving the way his tongue stroked her own, teasing a little in an erotic dance that drove her wild.

She wanted to touch him, skin on skin, so she could explore his hard-muscled body. To nibble a little, taste and savour until he groaned and sought more; to become lost, beyond rational thought as she indulged in the release sex would provide.

Except that was all it would be … sex. And she didn’t do one-night stands. Or sex without commitment.

Worse, what in hell was she thinking?

Two months ago she’d caught James in flagrante delicto, and vowed never to place her trust in another man ever again.

So … chill. Stop this now, before it gets out of hand.

Alessandro sensed the moment she began to withdraw, and he lightened his touch, sliding his hands up her arms to cradle her face as his mouth lingered a little, caressing the soft swollen contours before he slowly raised his head to search her features.

Eyes dark with passion, cheeks slightly heated, the faint quiver of her lips, and the edges of his mouth lifted a little in a gentle smile as he caught hold of her hand.

‘I’ll see you to your apartment, then leave.’

He crossed to the lift, pressed the call button and when the doors slid open he led her inside.

Lily didn’t offer a word as they reached her floor, nor did she object when he took the key from her nerveless fingers and unlocked her apartment door.

Seconds later he handed her the key and gently pushed her inside.

‘Buona notte, Lily.’

The door closed, and she automatically deactivated the alarm system, then she crossed into her bedroom, discarded her clothes, pulled on sleepwear, and slipped into bed to lie awake into the early hours of the morning.

‘TWO veal parmigiana, one salad, one steamed vegetables,’ Lily read, and she began plating up the order for Hannah to collect and serve.

Day two on the lunch shift, and the restaurant was almost at full capacity.

Giovanni, the head chef, was a tough but fair taskmaster, ensuring the food chain worked at maximum efficiency.

Very little, if anything, escaped him, his eagle eye known to catch the smallest imperfection.

Ego didn’t exist in his kitchen, although Cristo, the second chef, while not verbally temperamental, could on occasion lift his hands in the air and throw the darkest of looks at anyone who dared get in his way.

Lily loved the energy necessary to prepare the day’s menu … The delicate sauces for the various pasta dishes. The exquisite desserts that resembled a visual work of art.

Food—watching her parents select the best quality, prepare, cook and present it—formed her earliest memories, developing her own creativity with the need to explore, experiment, study at home and abroad, in a bid to perfect her expertise in the art of cuisine.

Osso buco was next up, and Lily plated up, added spinach and pine nuts drizzled with olive oil, together with toasted ciabatta.

Any time soon the orders for mains would dwindle, and be replaced by dessert orders, followed by coffee. By mid-afternoon she’d be able to toss her apron in the laundry bin and finish for the day.

Just as she was about to do so she heard Giovanni call her name, and she turned as he moved to her side.

‘Cristo has a family emergency. Can you work his shift this evening?’

She didn’t hesitate. ‘No problem.’

Together they went through the dinner menu, Cristo’s work was re-assigned, and Lily checked the large pantry and cold room.

Busy didn’t cover it as the restaurant began to fill with evening clientele, and deft speed became essential as the wait-staff presented order after order for the kitchen staff to fill.

The need to work well together became paramount, and Lily did what she did best, worked under pressure by focusing on what needed to be done.

There were a few moments of light relief as Hannah’s sense of humour came to the fore.

‘Canadian on table five isn’t happy with his steak.’ She achieved an impressive eye-roll. ‘Medium rare in Canada is not what we served him. He wants the meat pink with a red-blood centre. No oozing blood, but close.’

A fussy customer needed to be a happy customer. ‘OK.’ Lily fired up the grill, cut a fresh beef fillet, seared, checked and plated it. ‘Good to go. With the chef’s compliments.’

Within minutes Hannah reappeared to collect another order. ‘Success. Although he would have preferred Canadian beef.’

‘Really?’

‘Really. I very politely explained the restaurant only bought the finest beef from a hill farm owned by a caring family whose stock was personally hand fed.’

Lily’s eyes gleamed as she tamped down the urge to laugh. ‘You didn’t.’

‘Uh-huh. He appeared impressed.’ Hannah collected the order and sailed back to the restaurant.

The pace was fast, and it was good to reach the late evening plateau where most of the customers had moved on from their main course and were content to linger over dessert and coffee.

It was almost the end of the evening shift when Giorgio, the maître d', entered the kitchen and crossed to Lily’s side.

‘There is a gentleman who wishes to speak with you.’

She cast him a look of surprise. ‘Did he give you his name?’

‘James. Signor James.’

Her ex? Ex-fiancé, ex-friend … ex-everything?

James? Here in Milan, at this particular restaurant? You have to be joking?

Coincidence didn’t stretch that far.

While it wouldn’t have been difficult for him to connect her to Sophia, there was no way her aunt would divulge where Lily lived or worked. Yet somehow James had managed to find out, and for some reason, he’d decided to board a flight to Italy and force a personal confrontation.