Perhaps it was this villa that had made the difference.
Everything seemed so still. So full of possibility. A white clean space just begging to be filled with activity and life and—
A loud clattering, quickly followed by a low mumble, banged out on the wooden floorboards and she practically jumped over the railing. The sound ricocheted like a bullet around the terrace, shattering the deep silence.
Holding her breath, she clung on to the railing and listened for any further indication of movement. Or for the sound of his voice.
He did have a remarkable voice—deep and intense, yet quiet. With that faint touch of an American accent. It truly was quite delicious.
She wondered for a moment what it would be like to hear that voice speaking her name with intimate, loving tenderness. To fall into those strong arms and not let go for any reason.
No! Wipe that image from your brain!
If she wanted a fantasy she would stick to thinking about her mother’s engagement party and all the work they needed to do to make it as magical as possible.
So what if she was attracted to him? It was only natural. But there could never be anything between them. And she had better remember that.
Lexi took another step along the small balcony, gazing out over the olive groves towards the sea.
A ship was sailing on the horizon, the rows of coloured lights on its decks bright and sharp against the darkness of the night. Perhaps it was a cruise ship, or a large ferry from Italy. And above the ship the sky was a breathtaking blanket of stars. She leant on the balustrade and stood on the tips of her toes, but the overhanging wooden eaves were blocking her view.
There was only one thing for it: she would have to go outside to get the full benefit of the night sky.
Lexi skipped lightly down the staircase, carefully turned the creaking handle of the heavy door that opened onto the patio, anxious not to disturb Mark, and stepped out onto the stone floor.
She stood silently with her head back for a second, lost in the bliss of cool air against her skin. A gentle breeze was blowing in from the sea between the pine trees, and Lexi could smell flowers and pine resin mixed in with the slight whiff of chlorine from the swimming pool.
A tiny sliver of new moon peeked out from behind one of the cypresses across the lane, and the only light was from the solar-powered lamps around the car park and stone steps leading to the house. But as she made her way gingerly towards the side garden in her bare feet even that background light was blocked by the house.
Perfect! Lexi stopped, pressed her back against the wall, and looked up towards the night sky.
Without streetlights or a city glow, the sky was wonderfully dark and clear of cloud. Spread out above the trees was a magnificent display of stars which seemed dazzlingly bright in the unpolluted air. She even recognised a few of the constellations, although they were aligned in slightly different shapes from the ones she knew in England.
It was stunning. Without realising it Lexi exhaled a long, slow sigh of deep satisfaction and relaxation. Her shoulders slumped with pleasure.
‘Stargazing? Can’t blame you. It is rather spectacular.’
She practically jumped out of her skin.
There was a creak from the sun lounger at the far end of the patio, and as Lexi’s eyes became more accustomed to the low light she saw Mark stretched out flat, hands behind his head. He seemed to be fully dressed, and she could only hope that her thin pyjamas were not too transparent.
‘Well!’ She tried to keep her voice light, jovial and her heart from exploding. ‘This is a surprise. The famous businessman Mark Belmont is actually a closet astronomer. One more attribute to add to your résumé.’
He chuckled, and his voice was low, deep and resonant in the absolute stillness of the night.
‘Guilty as charged,’ he replied. ‘Always have been. Even had a telescope at one time—much to my family’s amusement. My sister could probably find it somewhere in the attic if needed. How about you? Long history of solar exploration in your family?’
‘Oh, just one of my many talents,’ Lexi replied and was just about to make some dismissive quip when it struck her that from the tone of his voice he sounded relaxed and comfortable. At home. Unencumbered with responsibility.
So she fought back the urge to be sarcastic and strolled over towards his lounger in the dark. Except that her bare toes connected with something solid on the way.
‘Ouch!’ She winced. ‘What have I just banged into?’
‘That would be the other lounger,’ he replied, sounding concerned. ‘Any damage done?’
‘To my toe or your furniture?’ she asked and flexed her toes. ‘No, I don’t think so. I still have some movement. I can’t speak for the other party.’
‘Excellent,’ he replied. ‘Then please feel free to sprawl and enjoy the free floorshow. No charge.’
‘Well, in that case, I think I might just do that.’ Lexi smiled as she sank her bottom into the sumptuous cushion and stretched her legs out. ‘Oh, that’s better.’
They lay there without speaking for a few minutes, disturbed only by the sound of the cicadas in the olive groves and the occasional car horn from miles away. It was so bizarrely quiet that when a weird whooping, screeching noise broke the silence Lexi sat bolt upright and clutched the sun lounger in alarm.
‘What was that?’ she whispered.
‘An owl. They nest in the trees,’ Mark replied. ‘So, tell me more about your star-watching.’
Lexi knew from the warmth of his voice that he was smiling as he said it. ‘I can’t say it was a popular hobby in my family, but I’ve always been fascinated by the stars.’ She snuggled deeper into the lounger and tried to find a comfier position. ‘I can still remember the first time one of the teachers at school told us that each star was actually a sun and probably had a moon and planets going around it.’
Lexi chuckled. ‘He had no idea what he’d started. I dragged my poor mother out on cold winter nights, huddled up outside the back door of our little London house, just to stare up at the sky. I remember asking her if there were people like us living on those planets around those stars, looking back at us at that very minute.’
‘What was her reply?’ Mark murmured in the dark.
‘She said there probably were creatures and possibly even intelligent beings living on those planets, orbiting around suns we can’t even see because they’re so far away that the light hasn’t reached us yet from those distant worlds.’ She paused for a second. ‘Which totally made my head spin. Clever woman, my mother.’
Except when it came to choosing husbands. Then she was a disaster.
‘Do you still live with her? In your little house in London?’
‘Mum? No. I moved out earlier this year—although we still live in the same part of London. I spend a lot of time overseas, but we make the time to catch up with each other every few months. Our telephone bills are pretty enormous. It works well. She recently got engaged, so the next few months are going to be a bit wedding-crazy.’
Lexi pursed her lips for a second. The conversation was starting to get a little personal, and way too close to home for this audience. Especially when it came to her parents.
‘How about you, Mark? Tell me about your place in London.’
‘I have the penthouse apartment in my office building.’
‘You live in your office building?’ she replied, realising even as she spoke that her voice was stinging with criticism.
A low snort came from the other lounger,