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‘I know you don’t approve of Jack’s lifestyle, Angelo, but he’s happy and I have to say most of his women do remain friends with him’

‘That’s by the by,’ Angelo dis on you for advice? If you want my opinion, the relationship you have with hi to have the strength to do anything on his own if he knows that you’ll always be there, picking up the pieces and dusting hi his priht have far too ood

Francesca was bewildered ‘I’ up the pieces,’ she refuted hotly ‘Jack confides in me as a friend—’

‘And offers advice to you as a friend as well, I assume? A little word here, a little insinuation there? Has Jack been saying anything to you that would make you dissatisfied e have? I can feel youryou tales of what you should expect out of this? Maybe steering you towards so like commitht away that it’s not going to work What we have is sex and there’s no point spoiling a perfectly good situation by entertaining thoughts that it ht lead anywhere’

Francesca inded by the onslaught and barely had ti, voice hard ‘There’s nothat I will end up the fool that I was three years ago, because I won’t’ They had reached his place and she followed in a daze as he slipped his hand into his trouser pocket to withdraw his keys so that he could unlock his front door

He flicked on the light in the hallway and, without looking at her, strode into the kitchen so that he could pour hi

‘Oh, co from my mind’ Francesca couldn’t stop a note of bitterness fro her voice ‘Anyway, Jack would never preach to anyone about coic reactions just at the sound of the word’

‘So what’s bugging you?’

Francesca recognised the disgruntlement in his voice and told herself that she had no one to blame It was her own damn fault She had et while she could, knowing full well that it was an ill-conceived decision, but allowing her heart to rule supreme over her head Every choice had a price and the selfish ones carried the highest stakes She wouldn’t think about that Not just yet She went up behind hi some of the tension seep out of his body

‘Can’t a girl have an off moment?’ She rested her head on his shoulder and then stood on tiptoe so that she could kiss the back of his neck

Angelo laughed and turned around He pulled her in to him and smiled ‘When she’s in my company? How is it possible to have an off elo Falcone?’

And now his tension had completely evaporated, like rain on a hot summer’s day The power of physical contact At least as far as he was concerned, it made a nonsense of words He didn’t want to hear hesitancy or doubt in her voice He wanted her to be upbeat, cheerful and in a state of constant exciteain

‘You’re right It’s ielo Falcone the ent? The sexiest?’

‘A cynicsarcastic but thankfully I’ht, teasing kiss that evolved into a hungry deainst him

‘Shall we continue this inoff to tuck a few strands of hair behind her ears

‘A bed ht be reed

They made it up to the bedroom in double speed By now she was as fah the familiarity was only skin deep She knew the for normal inside it, like flop around with cups of coffee or watch television or even sit in soood book or a newspaper on a Sunday , it still had the feel of a very nice, very co she did there, aside from make love, was have a shower