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So it was fifteen days later that she found Raphael standing in the courtyard with a glass of white wine in his hand

He cast a tall shadow in the afternoon sun, his broad shoulders tapering into a lean waist and hs, the very ones that had cradled her There had been such power, such strength in hientle with her That she knew his body with such intih her veins

Not that she had any illusion that he belonged to her

She doubted Raphael would ever truly belong to any wo him stand there, Pia could only feel tenderness for hi a new facet out of this hardhe didn’t have or hadn’t known before

She sighed and trudged up the steep path His hair, grown overlong, curled over the collar of his shirt A pang beat through her chest as she noticed the dark shadows he sported under his eyes

Wineglass raised to his mouth, he froze when he spotted her That intense stare of hisof exciteh her veins

His dark eyes swept over her with such lingering hunger that Pia instantly knew that he felt this thing between thely as she did

Sweat had gathered over her forehead and her neck for she’d been walking for almost an hour Her hair was a nest around her face She wished she’d worn anything but another pair of old jeans and a collared T-shirt

Then hated herself for thinking that

“Hello, Pia”

Pia walked around hi near hilass of ice-cold water Only after she took a fortifying sip did she lift her gaze and meet his