to her whenever he was close?
She pointed to an area with smooth, expansive white surfaces exposed to the sunlight. “The marble cliffs are breathtaking. I think that’s a hawk.” Her words came out more animated then she intended and her nerves felt prickly.
“There is a nest not far from there. Often bird watchers will descend upon the quarry,” Marc told her.
Isabel worried about living in close proximity to him for weeks, already her body seemed drawn to him. “It’ll be interesting to see what I can capture on film.”
“You need to subtly discourage Alda from thinking that she is soon to have a niece.” As Marc spoke he turned his gaze from the view at the window and looked directly at her.
Isabel could feel the intensity of his words and without thinking said, “Alda is intractable when she sets her mind on something.”
Marc caught her arm and said, “I’d rather not have you encourage her…”
Isabel could feel the warmth of his hand penetrating the thin cotton covering her arm and became aware of his breath moving his chest. She avoided his eyes.
Realizing her mistake, Isabel quickly said, “Marc, I have no intention of——”
“Unless you want the next few weeks to become quite awkward, to say the least, then we should gently diffuse the situation. For my part, I intend to encourage Adrienne to become a regular guest. You need to convince my aunt you have no intention of falling in love and can’t wait to return to Boston.”
“Fine,” was her only response. She stayed very still waiting for him to release her arm, but he maintained his hold on her. Not until she glanced up at him with a challenging look did he release her. She took an abrupt step backwards. There was something in his eyes, something she couldn’t quite identify.
“ Ciao , Isabel.”
After he left, Isabel forced herself to unpack and explore the room. A carved mahogany four-poster bed anchored the room, and off to the side was a sitting area with two pink-and-gold-striped chairs. Set in front of the massive window was a beautiful antique writing desk, intricately carved and exquisitely feminine. The room reminded her of Alda.
A small carved statue on the desk caught Isabel’s attention. As she picked up the piece, the weight and coolness of the marble surprised her. It was a carving of a horse, but it strangely lacked the perfection normally found in marble sculptures. She ran her hands over the smooth surfaces and wondered who had carved the piece. Something about the work of art made her think of Marc. Could this statue be an early work of his?
For a fleeting moment, as she appreciated the smooth contours of the statue, she thought about gliding her hands over Marc’s bare chest. Would Marc stand still, allowing her to explore his body? Isabel imagined his intensity would require that he return the exploration in kind.
The pleasure washing over her was quickly followed by pain as she realized Marc would be repulsed once he knew what she looked like underneath the clothing she cloaked herself in. Suddenly it was her body she saw vividly instead of his: the deep scars and rippled contours instead of bronzed skin covering hard, masculine muscle.
Isabel put the statue down and wrapped her arms protectively around herself. No, she would never let Marc see her naked. She knew his perfection-seeking ideals would be repulsed by her flaws.
Chapter 9
On her first full day in Carrara, Isabel rose early to find a quiet, peaceful house. Alda must still be asleep, and except for muted noises coming from the kitchen, she could sense no activity. Presumably Marc hadn’t returned to the villa, leaving her on her own to explore the grounds.
Slipping out one of the large French doors onto a stone patio, Isabel breathed in the cool morning air. She followed a path with a beautiful arbor and was surprised to find a terraced marble pool. It was beautiful. The deep blue water seemed to float majestically out to
She pointed to an area with smooth, expansive white surfaces exposed to the sunlight. “The marble cliffs are breathtaking. I think that’s a hawk.” Her words came out more animated then she intended and her nerves felt prickly.
“There is a nest not far from there. Often bird watchers will descend upon the quarry,” Marc told her.
Isabel worried about living in close proximity to him for weeks, already her body seemed drawn to him. “It’ll be interesting to see what I can capture on film.”
“You need to subtly discourage Alda from thinking that she is soon to have a niece.” As Marc spoke he turned his gaze from the view at the window and looked directly at her.
Isabel could feel the intensity of his words and without thinking said, “Alda is intractable when she sets her mind on something.”
Marc caught her arm and said, “I’d rather not have you encourage her…”
Isabel could feel the warmth of his hand penetrating the thin cotton covering her arm and became aware of his breath moving his chest. She avoided his eyes.
Realizing her mistake, Isabel quickly said, “Marc, I have no intention of——”
“Unless you want the next few weeks to become quite awkward, to say the least, then we should gently diffuse the situation. For my part, I intend to encourage Adrienne to become a regular guest. You need to convince my aunt you have no intention of falling in love and can’t wait to return to Boston.”
“Fine,” was her only response. She stayed very still waiting for him to release her arm, but he maintained his hold on her. Not until she glanced up at him with a challenging look did he release her. She took an abrupt step backwards. There was something in his eyes, something she couldn’t quite identify.
“ Ciao , Isabel.”
After he left, Isabel forced herself to unpack and explore the room. A carved mahogany four-poster bed anchored the room, and off to the side was a sitting area with two pink-and-gold-striped chairs. Set in front of the massive window was a beautiful antique writing desk, intricately carved and exquisitely feminine. The room reminded her of Alda.
A small carved statue on the desk caught Isabel’s attention. As she picked up the piece, the weight and coolness of the marble surprised her. It was a carving of a horse, but it strangely lacked the perfection normally found in marble sculptures. She ran her hands over the smooth surfaces and wondered who had carved the piece. Something about the work of art made her think of Marc. Could this statue be an early work of his?
For a fleeting moment, as she appreciated the smooth contours of the statue, she thought about gliding her hands over Marc’s bare chest. Would Marc stand still, allowing her to explore his body? Isabel imagined his intensity would require that he return the exploration in kind.
The pleasure washing over her was quickly followed by pain as she realized Marc would be repulsed once he knew what she looked like underneath the clothing she cloaked herself in. Suddenly it was her body she saw vividly instead of his: the deep scars and rippled contours instead of bronzed skin covering hard, masculine muscle.
Isabel put the statue down and wrapped her arms protectively around herself. No, she would never let Marc see her naked. She knew his perfection-seeking ideals would be repulsed by her flaws.
Chapter 9
On her first full day in Carrara, Isabel rose early to find a quiet, peaceful house. Alda must still be asleep, and except for muted noises coming from the kitchen, she could sense no activity. Presumably Marc hadn’t returned to the villa, leaving her on her own to explore the grounds.
Slipping out one of the large French doors onto a stone patio, Isabel breathed in the cool morning air. She followed a path with a beautiful arbor and was surprised to find a terraced marble pool. It was beautiful. The deep blue water seemed to float majestically out to
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