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“Yes?”

He bent down to her ear His voice was quiet “Today I think you were exceptionally brave You should be proud of yourself” He brushed a kiss to the side of her cheek, “Sleep well,” he said before disappearing down the corridor

Phoebe stood in the perfect silence Outside she could hear the rustle of trees and the chirping of birds The citrus sh the house

Maybe it was fatigue, or , but Matteo seemed different here More relaxed Moreaccessible

She put her hands up to her face The kiss was nothing A gesture of sympathy Or maybe of friendship

She walked up the stairs slowly and crossed into the airy bedrooli this house would be a joy and a pleasure

Andelse

He’d wanted to kiss her First, on the plane when she’d been so upset But that had hardly seemed appropriate when she’d mentioned the loss of her fiancé Then second, when her eyes had lit up with pure pleasure at the house

Her excitement was palpable And it felt infectious No s he had on hisaround Phoebe just seeht

She’d been in the villa five minutes before she’d been able to visualize what she could do to ht He’d known that instantly

A few hours later he was showered, changed and only slightly jet-lagged Phoebe appeared a little an, her bag on her aro

“Would you like to have some brunch?” he asked