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The awareness heightened when, ten minutes later, Rafaello turned to her and said suddenly, ‘It is time to cool down—and I am sure Benji would enjoy a swim Come—’

As he spoke he are of a degree of disingenuousness about his invitation True, he would like to cool down, and probably both mother and child would enjoy a swi what Magda looked like in a decent swimsuit

His thoughts flew back to the previous afternoon, when he’d been surprised to see that, hideously saggy swiure Now, after awhat he kneould be a beautifully styled piece of sear, the results would be, he anticipated, even …

His expectations were rewarded Magda did, indeed, look every bit as good in the sleek peach-coloured one-piece as he had hoped Cut high in the leg, it ehs and hips, her hand-span waist and, entle swell of her breasts

Her skin tone had ripened from the Tuscan sun to a warm honey, and with her lovely hair loose over her shoulders as she slowly and self-consciously walked into the pool area, her little boy held by the hand, he could not take his eyes from her

How had she been hiding all that natural loveliness all this time? He cursed himself for his own blindness—he’d been blinded by that muddy-coloured hair, scraped back, her total lack of attention to her appearance and those atrocious, unspeakable clothes And now—

Whatever the size of the bill Olivia presented to him, he would have paid it ten tida walk towards hirace…

He ca but his trunks, and he realised froe of blood he felt, as powerful as it was instinctive, he would need to get into the water pretty damn fast if those faint stains of colour on her cheeks were not to turn fiery red Already he could tell she could not cope with his aled doards, from where it seemed to be fixated on his torso, then she would have cause to blush indeed!

With a lithe movement he launched himself into the water The cold had the effect he wanted—for now, at any rate Several strongly executed lengths later he surfaced to find Magda sitting nervously by the shallow flight of steps leading into the water, Benji already iracefully and effortlessly out of the water, and reached for Benji’s inflatable ball

‘Catch!’

He tossed it towards the little boy, who gave a crow of delight and started to paddle towards the floating ball as fast as his chubby little legs and rubber ring would carry him He batted at it, and it swirled away, and he chased after it Magda laughed, and so did Rafaello He lowered himself into the pool and started to play with the child