The Italian's Blushing Gardener. Christina Hollis

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СКАЧАТЬ seeing the grounds. That made Kira nervous. The bulky clouds rising up over the far ridge of hills were backlit by a blood-red sun. Despite that warning, he kept heading away from his helicopter, and towards the storm. Kira didn’t share his confidence.

      ‘Shouldn’t you be going, Stefano?’ she called, needing to draw his attention to the threatening sky.

      He turned. ‘Anyone would think you were trying to get rid of me! I like this place, Kira. I want to see the rest of it.’

      ‘But it’s going to rain!’

      He was unimpressed. ‘Get wet, get dry again. That’s my motto. I’m going to be living in this beautiful villa, so I should start thinking like a country person. Maybe I can learn to look on the trees as nature’s umbrella.’

      Kira wasn’t sure if he was joking. She hated uncertainty, and followed him to find out. A growl of thunder prowled into the valley, which was something else she didn’t like. She stopped dead.

      ‘You’re going to walk around the grounds in this weather? You might get struck by lightning! Are you mad?’

      He paused. ‘I’ve been called many things in my time, but never that!’ After another second’s thought, he started towards her as rapidly as the storm. As he reached her side, he narrowed his eyes. ‘Are you scared? Is that it?’

      ‘Of course not,’ Kira said, raising her chin defiantly and determined to shadow him whatever the weather might throw at them. ‘Nothing scares me.’

      He didn’t look convinced, but swung away across the terrace again.

      ‘Come on, then. I’ve seen enough of your landscape work from the upper floors to know that I want you to work for me,’ he announced, leaving her to run and catch him up. ‘After hearing about what you did for Sir Ivan, I’ve decided my town house in Florence needs a new designer. I want more greenery, and a roof garden. When you’re not busy with that, you can act as consultant to some inner-city work I’m funding. Currently, it lacks focus. Community projects have been successful elsewhere. Your input may be exactly what I need. I’ll want you to design something to appeal to everyone, and then organise working parties to—’

      ‘Wait!’ Kira tried to halt the imperious flow of instructions. ‘That all sounds good and important, but I can’t simply drop everything on your say-so!’

      He stopped, as the sun went behind a cloud.

      ‘Why not?’ He stared at her, uncomprehending.

      ‘Because…I’ll have to consult my schedule,’ Kira replied with dignity. She decided that Stefano was clearly far too used to getting everything his own way. Still, a chance to design the roof garden for a no doubt exceptionally beautiful town house in Florence…

      ‘With the loss of the Bella Terra’s owner, you’re one client down. You’ve already said as much. I can fill that gap for you,’ Stefano announced affably. ‘You’ve already told me you hate canvassing for jobs and courting publicity. I’ve seen what you can do, and I’m offering you a valuable, long-term contract working for me. Where’s the problem?’

      The problem, Kira thought desperately, is you.

      ‘I’m not sure I want to work for you, Signor Albani,’ she said a little stiffly. ‘We’re so different. We might not get on.’

      He trapped her gaze for a long time. ‘What you mean is, you’re afraid we might get on too well. And remember—my name is Stefano…’ he added with a tempting smile.

      Kira stared at him. His self-confidence was astonishing, and yet somehow she could not bring herself to resent it. He could read her mind—how could she criticise him for that?

      ‘I appreciate your concerns, but you don’t have to worry,’ he went on. ‘I have so many properties and projects, my contractors are dealt with mainly by email and text. I wouldn’t be there in person to tempt you.’ With that, his smile came dangerously close to laughter.

      Kira had to look away. His body wasn’t the only thing tempting her. She tried not to think of the begging letter, waiting for her on the table at home. There were so many calls on her slender finances. She needed money. The fabric of her house was so old there was always something that required repair. The security of a long-term contract appealed to her cautious nature. Her problem was, whenever she earned more than she actually needed she always felt bound to send any extra money back to England.

      Her natural generosity might feel right, but she knew in her heart it was wrong. She would soon live to regret it, as she had done every single time in the past. What she earned ought to be hers to keep. She tried to harden her heart. It was difficult, and that was why she was such an easy target. Emotional blackmail was an ugly thing. Kira knew a steady contract to work for a billionaire like Stefano Albani would be a perfect new start. With that security behind her, maybe she could manage to make a stand. It would give her some badly needed confidence, and she could make sure that anything she did for Stefano would be strictly on her own terms. Yes, of that she was certain.

      Well…almost certain…

      ‘Your projects sound pretty interesting,’ she told him carefully. ‘When I get back home I’ll check my diary, and see if I can fit you in somewhere.’

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