Tempted by Her Italian Surgeon by Louisa George Page B

shouldero, matey . ‘I’m on my way over to Becca…’
    But he didn’t take the hint. Instead, he smiled. For a fleeting moment it was almost genuine. ‘How are you feeling, Ivy? No ill effects? No more fainting episodes?’
    â€˜I’m fine, thanks. Absolutely hunky dory. I’ll see you…Thursday? For my workshop?’ Round two .
    â€˜Again with this.’ His voice was grim, but his smile was infectious as he took her arm and gently steered her away from the busy bar to a quieter corner. And, to her chagrin, she went with him. Was it her imagination or could she feel everyone’s eyes on her back? ‘We’re away from work now on neutral ground, and it’s the weekend.People just want to relax and have a good evening, me included. How about we drop our guard a little?’
    This could be interesting. ‘This is where you lull me into a false sense of security then you pounce, right?’
    He shrugged. ‘I don’t need to do that. We could just have a conversation and see where we get to?’
    Nancy squeezed past them to get to the bathrooms. ‘Hey, Ivy. How are you feeling? Okay? Is Matteo giving you some tips?’ She winked. ‘He’s very good.’
    Ivy looked at the curve of his mouth and imagined a million things he’d be good at. Then ignored the flare of heat circling in her gut. ‘I’ll bet he is.’
    â€˜With fainting cures, that is…’
    â€˜Obviously.’
    As Nancy disappeared into the bathroom Ivy put her bag on the floor, took a long drink and felt the warmth of the wine suffuse her throat. ‘She’s a stirrer.’
    â€˜She’s a joker, but she has a good point.’ Matteo’s smile hadn’t dropped. ‘How on earth are we going to get you ready to face the scalpel again next week?’
    Aha. Plan A. ‘I’ll be fine. I was going to start by watching a few videos online. Type “kidneytransplant” into a search engine and there are hundreds of operations right there to pick from. You get a bird’s-eye view, too, and commentary. It’s almost as if you’re actually there in the room, without all the smells or noises or…’ Without you , she thought, all large and looming and stealing her breath. So it would be videos all the way until she was inured to the gore, with the sound turned to mute and a decent bottle of wine for Dutch courage. Anything not to lose face again next week.
    â€˜Ah, yes. The joys of the web. Amazing what you can find.’ His smile glittered teasingly.
    She ignored that, too, knowing damned well he was referring to his glorious backside. Which she did not want to see. Or think about. At all. ‘Like I told you, some people do actually put useful things up there. It can be very educational.’
    â€˜And you are not at work now, so you don’t need to give me the chat.’ He emphasised chat with a sarcastic twitch of his fingers. ‘Enjoy whatever you find on the internet…but make sure you take your hands away from your face first. And that you’re sitting…no, lying down. You’ll have less far to fall.’
    â€˜Ha-ha. You really are enjoying this.’
    â€˜What’s not to like?’ he said, in a voice filled with smugness, like the cat that had got the grappa-laced cream. ‘But I’m glad you want tocome back and see the wager through. You have strength. You have this hard outer shell, but underneath there is a softer side to you. A side you don’t always want other people to see.’
    That touched a raw nerve. She was only protecting herself, something she’d learnt to do because of experiences with men like him. She’d already lost enough to a selfish, inadequate man who’d wanted to play God, so she intended to keep herself whole and had no desire to fall prey to any guy’s wishes. Plus, she’d seen her mother curl up in a ball and weep over