Her throat was instantly dry, even though her mouth should be watering with the aroma of pasta and meat sauce beneath it. She was kind of flabbergasted. Although they’d danced together, been up close and personal, even held hands today on a number of occasions, their friendship hadn’t progressed any further. They still barely knew each other. But that didn’t mean that the sparks weren’t obvious. Of course he was attractive.

  But Darcy wasn’t sure she was ready to trust anyone again. Arturo had a distinct hint of mystery about him. She was sure there was much more to him than met the eye. Plus, there was the fact they moved in different circles. Arturo had never flung it in her face, but his casual comments about his office, where he was staying in Edinburgh, and the family estate in Verona made her know that money wasn’t an issue for him.

  Whilst she was financially independent and happy to be, she didn’t have millions in the bank, and didn’t aspire to either. She had an awful feeling that his sister might see someone like her as a potential money-grabber, and Darcy was too proud to let anyone treat her like that.

  She gave a small smile. ‘If we are talking about sisters, maybe I should warn you about mine.’

  ‘Warn me? That doesn’t sound good.’

  Darcy held up her hand. ‘Fizz is fabulous. But she can be intense.’ She pulled out her phone and turned it round so he could see a range of texts. ‘I sent her a picture earlier of us, saying that I loved Rome, and let’s just say I’ve been inundated.’

  ‘You never mentioned that we’d met?’

  Darcy swallowed. Was he hurt? Finally, she came out with, ‘I wasn’t sure what to tell her.’

  If he was offended at all, he didn’t let it show. His voice was smooth. ‘You could have told her you’d met a handsome Italian man at dance class, who waltzed you around the place as if you were floating on air.’ He had a wide smile on his face.

  ‘You’re already taking this too far,’ she said as she bent to sample some of the pasta.

  ‘You could have said that we agreed to do a mad twenty-four hours together, and I was going to be your—what do you call it?—right-hand man?’

  She thought he would stop but he continued. ‘You could have told her we’d been for drinks, or that I’d seen your house.’

  Darcy held up her hand. ‘And if I’d told her all of these things there is a chance she would have demanded to meet you.’

  ‘And that would be bad, how?’

  Darcy laughed. ‘She’d want to know name, age, place of birth, friends, family, job, intentions, past history, and even music and food tastes. Then,’ she added with a wave of her fork, ‘she would have asked for references.’

  ‘Sounds a bit like Cara, to be honest,’ he said easily.

  ‘Then maybe they could be a good match. They could spark off each other, whilst we just got on with it.’

  ‘And leave us alone?’ he asked with a small rise of his eyebrows.

  She licked her lips, taking a sip of her wine and saying playfully, ‘If we wanted to be.’

  The night was closing in around them. Darcy had thought she would be tired by this point—exhausted even. But she wasn’t. Not while she was in Arturo’s company. Something inside was keeping her going. A buzz. Biology told her it was pure adrenaline. But for Darcy it was about being around someone she felt a connection with.

  He leaned forward. ‘How do you feel about going to a club in Rome?’

  Her eyes narrowed for a second. ‘What kind of club?’

  ‘A nightclub.’ He smiled. ‘There will be dancing, just not the ballroom kind.’

  ‘Dubious dancing?’ she asked cautiously.

  Arturo laughed out loud. ‘I think my sister would always call my dancing dubious.’ But he clearly knew what she meant. ‘Don’t worry.’ He reached over the table and touched her hand. ‘All will be above board. You might even like it.’

  There it was, that gleam in his eye again. The one that meant she found it really difficult to say no. She heard his phone ping but, as before, Arturo just ignored it. It seemed he knew who was messaging, and was in no hurry to reply.

  They finished their wine, Arturo paid the bill and then he took her by the hand, leading her down some narrow streets. The walk was longer than expected, but the night was balmy and it was pleasant to see the streets of Rome while it wasn’t so hot, and so busy.

  There was a line outside the nightclub, but Arturo walked to the front and exchanged a few words with one of the stewards, who stood aside and gestured them both inside.

  Even before they descended the stairs, Darcy could feel the music reverberate around them. She put her hand on the wall as it vibrated next to her. She grinned. ‘This place is bouncing,’ she said.

  He nodded, smiling back. ‘Best nightclub in Rome, best music, best DJs.’

  The next few hours passed in a dark blur. The music was fantastic. Darcy had visited nightclubs when she’d been younger with her sisters and friends. But when Laura had become ill, all that had stopped. They’d all been worried because Laura was immunosuppressed. They didn’t want to take a chance of bringing anything more serious than a cold home.

  Because Darcy had been focused on work for the last few years, nightclubs hadn’t been her thing. She didn’t sit at home every night. She’d gone to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe a few times, and to the theatre to see various touring shows.

  But here? Now? It was all about having fun with her handsome companion. Whilst neither of them was a self-confessed dance lover, in this environment they both came alive.

  The beat of the music let them bounce when they had to bounce, groove a little when the tempo changed, and Arturo had hidden smooth moves when the music slowed to something more intimate.

  As Darcy wrapped her hands around his neck, he put his hands at her waist, pulling her closer whilst whispering in her ear. ‘So, what do you think of Rome?’

  She tipped her head up towards his. ‘Everything has been beyond my expectations so far.’

  They’d been together all day. Not only had a nightclub been the last place she’d expected to be, she was still wearing her black capri pants, white tied shirt and flat shoes. It was hardly nightclub attire. But being with Arturo made her forget about the little things. Years ago, she would have spent hours picking an outfit for a nightclub. She would have spent even longer fixing her hair and make-up. She’d walked in here without even giving it a thought. Having Arturo’s hand in hers, his skin touching hers was hypnotic, and made her not worry about things she would have considered before.

  ‘We have one more thing to do before it’s time to catch our flight home,’ he said, his lips brushing against her ear. ‘Are you ready for the next step?’

  Her heart fluttered, her mind immediately going someplace else. It could just be his choice of words, but what did the next step mean to him? Because she could think of a million things it might mean to her.

  They climbed the stairs, back out into the cooler night air. It was the early hours of the morning, but the streets weren’t empty. It seemed that Rome was the city that never slept.

  Hand in hand, they walked casually down a few streets to an open café. ‘Coffee?’ he suggested.

  She gave a nod and he ordered them coffees and panettone, and they walked along the street nibbling their cake and sipping their coffees. It had been a good choice as the coffee warmed her again, and the panettone filled with fruit revived her a little.

  As they disposed of their cups, Arturo gave her a sideways glance. ‘Do you recognise where we are?’

  Darcy looked around, scanning the street and shops and restaurants. With their shutters down it was hard to identify what part of the city they were in. She wanted to pull out her phone to try and get her bearings, but she trusted Arturo and just gave a shake of her head. ‘Not a clue,’ she admitted.

  He took her hand again and stood in front of her. ‘I wanted to bring you full circle,’ he said.

  ‘What does that mean?’

  ‘Come on.’ They walked along one more street and she was struck by the fact there were even more people around here. As they rounded the corner, she gave a little gasp.

  They were back at the Trevi Fountain. At night, it looked very different. White and blue lights highlighted the whole space. The backdrop seemed brighter and more stark, the water in the fountains even more blue. It had a magical quality to it that hadn’t quite been there in the heat of the day.

  There were still some people around. The fountain in the middle of the night was obviously some kind of not so hidden secret in Rome. The constant trickle of running water was peaceful, almost hypnotic.

  Arturo steered them over to a spot to sit, and as they settled he put his arm around her. A couple in front of them were throwing in their coins, lost in their own private moment.

  Darcy relaxed into Arturo. She reached up to grasp his hand on her shoulder. ‘This was a great final spot,’ she said, then gave him a sceptical glance. ‘You could have mentioned this before.’

  ‘And spoil our happy ending?’ he joked, and her stomach flipped. ‘Anyhow, it was a good place to visit earlier, because then you could appreciate the contrast at this time of night.’

  She heard him take a deep breath, and instantly her stomach clenched. ‘So, I’m going to ask you something on the way home, and it’s really important that I’m honest with you before I ask.’

  ‘This sounds serious.’

  He gave a sad kind of smile, but didn’t actually give an answer. He took another deep breath. ‘You know that I told you I was like Indiana Jones.’

  She smiled instantly. ‘Yes, it has kind of played on my mind.’

  He pressed his lips together. ‘I take it you’ve watched the movies?’

  ‘Hasn’t everyone?’

  He gave the slightest of nods. ‘In that case—’ his eyes fixed over towards the fountain ‘—you’ll remember that Indiana Jones got into trouble sometimes. He got chased. People didn’t like him.’

  She almost laughed. ‘Only the bad guys.’

  He turned to look at her. ‘Well, in my line of work, there can be bad guys.’

  Her skin instantly chilled. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I mean that, on occasion, I get threatened. My job can make me unpopular—usually because I’m retrieving things that have been stolen, that don’t belong to the people that currently own them. And sometimes, for me, and I think for my dad too, things can be a bit dangerous.’

  ‘Like getting chased by a giant rock?’ She was grasping at straws and it was the first thing she could think of.

  He gave a soft laugh. ‘No, I’ve never been chased by a giant rock. But I just want to be honest with you. I get threatened sometimes.’ He ran his fingers through his dark hair. ‘My family have never been threatened, I wouldn’t let any of my friends get threatened, my fiancée was never threatened.’

  ‘Your what?’ Her heart had just stopped beating.

  He winced. ‘Faye,’ he said without hesitation. ‘She was in the same line of work. She died five years ago, in Japan. A road accident. Nothing to do with either of our jobs.’

  ‘You were engaged?’ She just had to say the words out loud to make herself process them.

  To his credit, he didn’t look abashed at all. ‘Yes, I was. It’s been five years since she died.’

  It was Darcy’s turn to suck in a deep breath. ‘Oh, I’m so sorry.’ She reached over and put her hand on his chest. She’d thought what had happened to her was bad. But this? It didn’t bear thinking about. No wonder she’d thought Arturo seemed a little guarded around her. He’d had all this weight on his shoulders.

  ‘There’s never really a good time to say that, is there?’ he asked.

  Her stomach flip-flopped as she thought of what she hadn’t told him. She gave him a sad smile. ‘Not really, but you’ve done it. And I’m glad you have. I’m glad you told me.’ She leaned back against him because she meant it. She was glad to know. It gave her a bigger picture to look at and consider.

  But this news was huge. Maybe because she’d told him about Laura, he’d felt as if he should share about Faye. And he’d said it had been nothing to do with their jobs—but there had also been that other news that his job could be dangerous. How did a handsome Italian, with a partly dangerous job, end up at the same dance class as her in Edinburgh? Honestly, if she was writing a script for a film, she would never have thought of this.

  Even though she wanted to ask a million questions, this beautiful setting was just not the time and place. She didn’t want to put him on the spot. Indeed, she had no right to. She’d invited him here as someone to show her around a city in Italy. It had been convenient for her. And if she kept telling herself that, she could ignore that underlying pull towards him, and that obvious wave of attraction.

  He held her gaze for a second, and she wondered if he was gauging her reaction. Was he happy she’d been accepting, or was he curious she hadn’t bombarded him with questions? But Arturo seemed as unruffled as ever. He gave her a smile. One that danced down the nerves in her spine. So sexy...

  Then he pointed over to the right side of the fountain. ‘See that over there?’

  She squinted as she followed his finger and nodded when she worked out where he was pointing. ‘What is it?’

  ‘It’s called the Fountain of Love. Two simple water spouts that cross before landing together in the stone basin below.’ His voice was deep and low. ‘Legend has it that if two lovers drink from the crossing spouts together, they will remain in love for ever.’

  It was as if someone froze the world around them. Their gazes were locked together. Darcy licked her lips. ‘But we’re not lovers.’

  There was a soft smile on Arturo’s lips. ‘Not yet,’ he said in a whisper. Darn, this man was sexy. ‘But everyone has to start somewhere. How about with a kiss?’

  A light breeze blew across her skin. She could have sworn it was just to make all the hairs on her skin stand on end.

  She swallowed, then smiled. ‘I think we could start there,’ she said.

  He bent his head towards her, his lips brushing against hers at first, before his hand moved gently behind her head and slid through her hair. Now he was kissing her, his lips firm but still gentle. She didn’t even want to consider where Arturo had practised his technique—she just wanted to applaud anyone that had come before—and had helped him reach his current state of perfection. Because in this current state of perfection he was hers.

  She angled her body more towards his, still sitting on the steps. Her hand slid up the front of his shirt and he gave a little groan.

  Arturo pulled her closer, intensifying their kiss. His hand moved from the back of her head to the side of her face. His fingertip touch was butterfly-light, touching her cheek, her ear, then running down her neck and making her gasp for air.

  For a few moments, nothing else mattered. Nothing bad had ever happened in her life, or in his. She was floating in a pink fluffy cloud, with the most gorgeous man focusing all his attention on her. Her lips were in heaven, other parts of her body were coming to life and urging for more. She couldn’t remember a kiss ever doing this to her.

  There was a shout to the side of them that sadly jolted her back to reality.

  She laughed and leaned back. Another couple next to them—the one who must have shouted—gave a round of applause and Darcy could feel heat rush into her cheeks. Arturo gave them an amused nod and pulled her up, walking her over to the Fountain of Love, which was a little more secluded.

  They paused above the two water spouts. ‘Ready?’ he asked.

  ‘You’re sure we can drink this?’ she countered.

  ‘Live a little,’ was his wicked reply, and she flicked a little of the water at him, before they both bent to drink from the spouts.

  ‘Remind me what this means?’ she asked, wiping her chin.

  ‘Apparently, it guarantees love and faithfulness.’

  ‘Just for lovers?’ She was teasing, but she couldn’t help it.

  ‘Who knows?’ He gave a playful shrug. ‘Guess we’ll need to find out.’

  He glanced at his watch, and she knew what would come next. Already she could sense the sky starting to lighten in gradual elements around them.

  She stepped forward again and took his hands. ‘Thank you. Thank you for coming with me and showing me all the best parts of Rome.’

  He released one hand so he could put his arm around her, guiding her away from the Fountain of Love and back towards the main road, where they could hail a taxi.

  ‘It’s been my pleasure. But I did warn you that I might ask for something in return.’

  ‘Oh, yes. What?’ She was in a good mood and was relaxed, still recovering from that first kiss. Her lips still tingled.

  ‘Come with me to my sister’s wedding.’

  Her footsteps faltered. ‘What?’

  ‘I need a partner for my sister’s wedding. Who better than the person I’m dancing with? Who better than the person I’ve just spent twenty-four hours in Rome with?’

  She wrinkled her nose. ‘You’ve made your sister sound kind of terrifying.’

  He laughed. ‘Cara would love that you said that! But I refuse to tell her. Come with me. Meet my family. See the estate. I promise you, once you’ve seen an Italian wedding, nothing else will compare.’

  She looked at him warily. ‘Why do I think there’s a little bit more to this?’

  He gave the smallest shrug, but nodded. ‘I’ve warned you about my family. They can be a little full-on. Now my sister’s getting married, their attention will fully be on—’ He lifted his hand to his chest, and Darcy finished the sentence for him.

  ‘You.’

  He nodded. ‘I fear they may have a dozen lovely Italian daughters and nieces of friends lined up to try and pair me off with.’