Second Chances in Chianti (Escape to Tuscany Book 2) by T.A. Williams (online e reader .TXT) 📕

almost too hot to touch. As she waited for the interior to cool down a bit, she felt his arms encircle her waist and his lips touch her ear. She leant back against him and sighed happily.

‘I’m really sorry I have to go.’ His voice was little more than a whisper.

‘So am I.’ She took a big breath and half-turned her head towards him. ‘At least we have Friday to look forward to.’

He kissed her and she felt herself melt but then, all too soon, he pulled back.

‘A venerdì.’

‘A venerdì. See you on Friday and hope it goes well.’

Then, mildly surprised that her knees were still working after the effect his lips had had upon her, she left him and his lovely dog, and drove back to the village.

When she got back home, she lost no time in jumping under a long, cool, refreshing shower. It had been a lovely, if hot, day and she was now under no doubt that he liked her a lot, but she could still sense hesitation in him. Was something – or someone – holding him back? He hadn’t mentioned a girlfriend or relationships of any kind, but was it credible that a most desirable man like Matt – and no doubt a millionaire to boot – had really been living a celibate life, just like one of the old monks in the monastery in the valley back in the Middle Ages? Was the real reason for going to Rome even business? Maybe there was another woman…

With a snort of frustration – directed more at herself than at him – she pushed the shower control far over to the right and gasped as a stream of freezing water landed on her head. Apart from making her jump, this did at least achieve the desired result, and she managed to start thinking more logically as she stepped out of the shower and dried off. She made a mental note that it would be wise to try to avoid descending into paranoia. It had been a wonderful day and their relationship was blossoming. When she saw him on Friday, she would make a point of finding out just exactly who Mr Matthew Livingstone really was.

But so far so good.

Chapter 22

The following day proved to be far more eventful than Alice could possibly have expected. After yesterday’s long walk, she decided not to go for her usual run and instead she strolled across to the cafe for her morning cappuccino and a chat with Rita. It was another hot day, although there was a bit of hazy cloud building, and she wondered if that might indicate that much-needed rain was on the way. As they had walked through the fields yesterday, she could almost hear the parched earth and equally thirsty plants crying out for water. For her part, she couldn’t complain. She had been here in Tuscany now for three weeks and had only had a couple of rainy days. It occurred to her that she only had ten days left in the little house and she would soon have to decide what to do next. Of course, she knew full well that much of that decision rested upon what might or might not happen between her and Matt, and she wouldn’t see him again until the day after tomorrow.

She had also been thinking long and hard about what Fliss had said about the upcoming movie. Although she was adamant that she wanted to put her five years of study to good use, there was no great rush. None of the universities to which she had sent her CV had been able to offer anything, and none of her other applications had resulted in any more interviews so far, so it was probably prudent to let Fliss put her name forward for the role. If the producers decided she was right for the part, there would then be time to make the final decision. The downside, of course, would be being catapulted once again into the public eye, with all the aggravation that would bring, but the more she thought about it, the more she felt it worth the risk. The big unknown, of course, was Matt and just how things might develop between the two of them. It would be ironic if she were to fall in love – and she now found herself actually using the word, albeit just in her head – with somebody who lived in Tuscany only to take a job that involved a move to the other side of the world.

Later on that morning, just in case there really was rain on the way, she decided to go for a leisurely stroll up the road and around the perimeter of the villa. She decided to take her sketch pad with her as well, in case anything caught her eye. Then maybe later on she might head up to Florence for a bit more retail therapy.

The walk past the now-deserted villa gates to the top was as lovely as ever, and the cloud increasingly covering the sun meant that it wasn’t too terribly hot, although she could feel it was becoming ever more humid. As she reached the woods near the turn-off for the tower, she had a rare treat. Hearing movement and sensing she was being watched, she stopped and scanned the trees, until a movement high up revealed the culprits. A pair of delightful little red squirrels were studying her from the safety of a gnarled old pine and, as she made eye contact with them, they turned and scampered off deeper into the trees, leaping acrobatically from branch to branch until they disappeared. She gave a happy little sigh as she watched them go. She turned left onto the track and spared a thought for Matt, as she approached his gates. He would probably be having his first meetings in Rome about now and she couldn’t help wondering yet again just what it was he did.

When she reached