Free Italian Surgeon to the Stars by Melanie Milburne

it held mine, his expression as enigmatic as ever. ‘Don’t you think you’re worth it?’
    I licked my lips. Not in anticipation of allthat money, or even the sex—although the thought of having smoking hot jungle sex with him did make my pulse skyrocket like crazy—but in panic. I couldn’t possibly agree to such an outrageous proposal. Could I? The sex I could handle. No-strings sex. No-promises sex. No-plans-for-the-future sex. The fact that money would be exchanged for it made me feel a little uncomfortable…but, heck, it was a lot of money. A truckload of money. Besides, it had been ages since I’d had sex. Years, actually. Why shouldn’t I indulge in a hot fling with him?
    Because he broke your heart the last time, you idiot!
    Yes, well, there was that to consider. But five million pounds was nothing to be sneezed at.
    I could buy my own Georgian mansion with loads of acreage, instead of living in a tiny flat where I could hear every petty little argument my neighbours had. I could wear ridiculously flashy jewellery and be driven around by a chauffeur in a Bentley or a Rolls-Royce with personalised number plates. I could wear bespoke designer clothes and have a flock of servants to see to my every whim. I could have my very own beautician and nailtechnician. I could have my hair washed and styled and straightened every day.
    My capitalist-hating parents would probably never speak to me again, but still…
    I stared at Alessandro’s outstretched hand while this inner dialogue ran through my head. With that sort of money I could have anything I wanted…except the thing I most wanted.
    I brought my gaze back up to his and gave him a tight smile. ‘Wow. You nearly had me there.’
    ‘You think I don’t mean it?’
    I gave a tinny-sounding laugh. ‘You must have a very expensive sex-life if you have to dish out that amount of money every time you want to get laid.’
    His dark eyes smouldered as they went from my mouth to my gaze and back again. ‘I’ve never had to pay until now.’
    I turned away to scrape my hair back into a knot on top of my head, using the hair tie. It gave me something to do with my hands, because I was worried one of them might be tempted to reach out and shake on his deal.
    He surely wasn’t serious? He was playing with me. Teasing me. Of course he was. I was an idiot to think he would pay five pounds,let alone five million. He was just stringing me along, making me out to be some sort of greedy little gold-digger. The fact that I’d started it by using that old cliché was beside the point.
    ‘You’ve got the wrong person, Alessandro,’ I said, swinging back round with another forced smile. ‘Thanks, but no thanks.’
    If he was disappointed or annoyed, nothing in his expression showed it. In fact I thought I saw a gleam of respect shining there. ‘Would you like a look around the house before you leave?’ he asked.
    ‘Sure—why not?’ I said, thinking it best to keep casually cool and easygoing in spite of the fact that I might have just rejected— gulp —five million pounds.
    Alessandro led me out of the reception room into the hall. ‘As you can see, there’s still a lot of work to be done,’ he said. ‘There’s a lot of structural stuff that has to be sorted before I can get the painters and decorators in.’
    ‘My sister does a bit of home renovating,’ I said as I looked around at the paint-stripped hall and bare floors that were in need of a polish and stain. ‘She finds it relaxing. ButI can’t think of anything worse. I guess I’m not so good with my hands.’
    His eyes met mine across the distance that separated us. ‘I disagree. I seem to remember your hands had very special skills. Skills I haven’t come across before or since.’
    I turned my face away so he wouldn’t see the blush I could feel creeping all over my cheeks. The same heat was pooling between my thighs. Pulsating need was like a raging fire, racing out of control. I could feel it