page3 (2/2)

‘I will contrive to bear it’

Halfway towards the wonderful blaze of the log fire illu the dim interior, Holly spun round with a hed ‘You’re a sarky one, aren’t you?’

In the firelight her eyes were bright as sapphires and that illu smile made the breath catch in his throat because it lent her incredible appeal And Vito was not the sort of male who noticed women very often and when he did he usually swiftly stifled the impulse But for a split second that playful tone and that radiant s He scanned the glorious dark hair that fell free of the Santa hat as she whipped it off, before lowering his appreciative gaze to the wonderfully generous thrust of her breasts above a neat little waist, right down to the he dress that revealed sliruously encased in cowboy boots He threw his shoulders back, bracing as the pulse at his groin beat out a different kind of tension

Holly connected old se visceral tightened low in her pelvis as she let her attention linger on his lean, hard bone structure, which was stunningly hard and ant classic nose and his strong, sculpted jawline Just looking at hih her and she reddened uneasily, and deliberately spun back to the fire to hold her hands out to the heat So, he was very good-looking That didn’t ape like an awestruck fan at a rock star, did it? She was only inside his house to use the phone, she reminded herself in embarrassment

She flexed her fingers ‘Where did you put my phone?’

As she half turned it was settled neatly into her hand and she opened it and scrolled through the numbers He handed her the handset of the house phone and she pressed out Bill’s nuain in her host’s direction

Vito was engaged in subduing his sexual arousal and reeling in shock froain? She wasn’t his type…if he had a type The woant blondes and she was very small, very curvy and very, very sexy, he conceded involuntarily as she moved about the roo across her shoulders, her rounded hips swaying She was apologising for disturbing soth instead of getting straight to the point of her problem with her car

What were the chances that she was a particularly clever ade? Vito had flown into the UK on a private plane to a private airfield and travelled to the cottage in a private car Only Apollo and his mother, Concetta, knehere he was But Apollo had warned hiths to steal photos and find stories they could sell His perfect white teeth gritted At the very least, he needed to check that there was a broken-down car at the foot of the lane

‘Boxing Day?’ Holly was practically whispering in horror

‘And possibly only if the snowplough has been through ahead of ht as it is Where exactly is the car?’

The olderthe road well, was able to establish where she was ‘Aye, I know the house down there—foreign-owned holiday home as far as I know And you’re able to stay there?’

‘Yes,’ Holly said in as reassuring a tone as she could contrive while wondering if she was going to have to bed down in Pixie’s car ‘Do you know anyone else I could ring?’

She tried the second nu hard, she set the digital phone down ‘I’ll go back to the car now,’ she told Vito squarely

‘I’ll walk doith you… See if there’s anything I can do—’

‘Unless you have a tractor to haul it out of the ditch I shouldn’t think so’ Holly buttoned her coat, tied the belt and braced herself to face the great outdoors again