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Marco began to frown Whilst he had to admit how poorly the decor of his villa compared with that of the London apartrandfathers reaction if he were to return to the island with her at his side, clairandfather wouldn't believe him for onehis orders Perhaps he should flout them in this way Marco reflected ruefully; it would be a sure and certain way ofto be pushed around And Emilys presence on Niroli and in his life wouldn't directly impact on their subjects

The ht about it the more Marco could see the benefit to himself of Emily's te to his grandfather not to trespass into his privacy Certainly in the unlikely event of E to return to Niroli with him he would want her to share his bed He would be a fool not to given the level of his current sexual hunger Was that really why he was here now? Not solely because of his pride, but because he still wanted her too?

No!

He was already pushing open the shop door, but then he paused, half inclined to turn round and walk away just to prove how unfounded that e his mind: Emily had seen him

She was sitting behind a desk talking with her assistant Jeht she had lost and how pale and fragile she looked Because of him? It shocked him to discover that a part of hi him Why? Why should he feel like this when, in the past, with other women, he had been only too pleased to see them move on to a new partner after he had broken up with them But in the past he hadn’t continued to want those other women, had he?

He pushed his thoughts to one side, watching Emilys eyes widen as she looked up and saw hi it a deep pink He saw her lips frame his name She pushed back her chair to stand up and then he saw her sway and start to cruh her body were no more than one of the swathes of fabric draped over the back of another chair nearby That deep pink glow had receded fro her so pale that she looked almost bloodless

He reacted ih the pieces of furniture, reaching her just in ti to faint’ before she did exactly that

Through the roaring blur of sick dizziness Emily could hear voices: Jemma’s sharp with anxiety Marco’s harsher than she wanted it to be their words, h the darkness she was trying to free herself fro her and she exhaled on a s she was safe and that she didn't have to battle on alone any more Gratefully she let the darkness take her as she slid into a faint

‘What the hells going on?' Marco asked Jeht have entertained that there was so about Emily’s reaction to him had disappeared now banished by his realisation of just how fragile she was In all the tiether he had never once known her faint, or even say that she thought shethat she had done so now

‘I wish I knew’ Je properly She says it’s because of that flu bug she had earlier in the year She just can’t seem to throw it off She isn't the only one of course I read in a newspaper the other day thatfrom its after-effects The health authorities say that the best cures are rest and sunshine to build up the ih I can’t see her taking a holiday I'lad you're here I've been really worried about her'

‘Will you both please stop talking about ht'

The blackness was receding and with it her nausea She was sitting on a chair—Marco must have put her there, and no doubt he was the one who had pushed her head doards her knees as well She turned her head slightly and saw that he was standing next to her So close to her in fact, that she could easily have reached out and touched hiuished sound of protest

‘Emily?' She could feel Marco's hand on her shoulder, her flesh responding to its familiar warmth, weirdly both soothed and excited by it The hardness of his voice lacerated both her pride and her heart This was not how she would have wanted them to meet for the first time after their split; sheMarco to step in andvery kind to her at the moment, she reflected wearily