He gently kissed both of her eyelids. ‘That was a great way to wake up.’
‘To be honest, I don’t quite know what happened,’ she said weakly.
‘We happened.’ Leon had a self-satisfied grin on his face. ‘I knew we’d be compatible.’
A tiny niggle of annoyance jiggled at her. Sexually, Leon couldn’t fail to please any woman ... and probably had. A man didn’t get to be this good without his pheromones getting plenty of practice! She didn’t like the thought very much and gave him a dirty look. ‘How many women have you been to bed with?’
Shock came into his eyes. ‘Excuse me?’
‘I said ... how many –’
‘I haven’t kept a count.’ His smile was replaced by a bland look as he pushed her aside. Scrambling out of bed he shrugged into his robe and strode towards the
en-suite.
He stopped in the doorway, saying just before he shut it, and with definite emphasis, said, ‘And I’m not about to satisfy your curiosity by doing so.’
‘Hah!’ she said, despite knowing it was a stupid thing to have asked him. Face burning she turned on her side and decided that going back to sleep would be less embarrassing than having to apologize.
But she couldn’t sleep, because the sound of the shower running kept her awake. After that Leon came back into the bedroom and opened and shut cupboard doors. A faint perfume of soap reached her nostrils as he moved about. Then came the slithering noise of arms being thrust though sleeves, and a zip being zippered.
‘Have you seen a pair of sneakers anywhere?’
‘Be quiet, I’m trying to sleep,’ she snapped.
‘Three-thousand, six-hundred and eighty-two and a-half,’ he said. ‘I hope you don’t expect me to name them all.’
‘What!’ She struggled up in bed and glared into his laughing face.
Suddenly his hands shot under the covers and gripped both her ankles. She gave a squeak of alarm, and then she was flat on her back and sliding rapidly under the covers.
She emerged from under the twisted bedclothes fighting mad, but he simply wrestled her arms above her head and held her there until she began to laugh, then he gently kissed her and let her go.
Tangled amongst the covers she watched his bare feet carry him towards the door, and remembering the sneaker clutched in Wee Georgie’s mouth, she grinned. Leon was bright, he’d soon figure it out.
He was cooking breakfast when she made her way through to the kitchen. The intimate grin he tossed her made her blush. ‘I figured you’d require a hearty breakfast to keep your energy levels up.’
‘Where’s Anna?’
‘I’ve given her a few days off.’
She smiled. At least she’d be able to cook the meals.
Leon flipped an egg over in the pan then grabbed at a couple of slices of toast springing from the toaster. ‘We can eat out if you like.’
‘I can cook.’
He slid her a dubious glance. ‘Really? You didn’t strike me as being all that good in the kitchen. By the way,’ he said before she could answer. ‘Did you move any of the lounge furniture around yesterday? I tripped over something in the dark last night and nearly broke my neck.’
He sounded a bit peppery about it. ‘Does it look as though it’s in a different position then?’
He slanted her a glance. ‘Should it?’
‘Perhaps you were in too much of a hurry to get to the bedroom and misjudged things,’ she suggested, her eyes gleaming.
Grinning, he laid two crisp strips of bacon next to the egg and tomatoes before setting the plate in front of her. ‘I must admit I was in the mood to throw you over my knee.’
‘So, what stopped you?’
He dropped a kiss on her head. ‘I’ve decided to save the punishment until you really step out of line. If you intend to move the furniture again, let me know in advance -and if you wish to lie convincingly you should get rid of the evidence, like the drag marks on the carpet.’
‘Thanks, I’ll remember that.’ She gave a gurgle of laughter. ‘I hope you didn’t hurt yourself. I was just trying it in a different position.’
His faintly mocking grin made her blush. ‘I understand, Darcie. You’re a bird who wants to build its own nest. Change things if it makes you feel more comfortable.’
‘No. It’s a very nice house.’ What was the use of changing it when she wouldn’t be living in it long enough to matter? Of more relevance to her ... ‘What’s the house like that you’re building at Petrel Point?’
‘I’ll show you the plans when we get back.’ Leon picked up his knife and fork. ‘Eat up before it gets cold, then we’ll take Georgie for a walk. Where do you fancy going for dinner tonight?’
She gave him an indignant glance. ‘Right here.‘
‘Are you really sure you can cook? You didn’t exactly make the grade as kitchen hand.’
‘And look where that got me.’
His smile was whipped cream sprinkled with spice. ‘You haven’t complained so far.’
‘Neither have you.’ She out-creamed his smile with a cheesecake one of her own. ‘Are you scared my cooking will bump you off and leave me a wealthy widow? Live dangerously, Leon. Name your poison.’
‘Italian.’
‘Simple.’ She allowed her eyes to wander in the direction of Wee Georgie’s basket, gave a small scream and widened her eyes. ‘Oh dear, Georgie seems to have commandeered your sneakers.’
‘As if you’d only just noticed,’ he murmured, smearing egg yolk over his toast.
‘I’ll buy you a new pair with my new credit card if you like.’
Everything in her melted when he sent a sizzling smile her way. ‘That’s very generous of you, Darcie. Size ten.’
Leon spent most of the morning on the telephone - and by lunch time came back with a frown creased between his brow. ‘I’ll have to go to a meeting with my lawyer this afternoon. Do you mind?’
‘No. I intend to go out and do a bit of food shopping anyway.’ She placed her finger against his frown and smoothed it away. ‘Is it all going badly?’
‘Nothing I can’t handle.’
He kissed her, slowly and lingeringly. Lust leaped like a tiger into her body. So easily did her desire come to the surface that she found herself murmuring shamelessly, ‘How soon must you go?’
‘Not until after lunch.’
He kissed her again, robbing her of her senses, then with his breath shivering against her ear he hoisted her into his arms, whispering, ‘But I’m not quite ready for lunch yet, are you?’
‘I guess not.’ She feathered tiny licks against his mouth until he stopped to capture her tongue in a tingling kiss that seemed to go on forever.
For the first time in his life, Leon was late for a business meeting. He dropped Darcie off at the local shopping center on his way out - and watched her walk away with a contented smile on his face, until she was lost in the crowd. Darcie headed for the bank, where, as if by magic, a large amount of money seemed to materialize out of the teller machine at her command - as if she’d just won the jackpot on a poker machine.
The amount Leon had credited to the account made her feel slightly guilty. He’d already provided her with enough clothes to last her a lifetime - what else did she need except for a few dollars in her purse for emergencies?
The shops in the trendy suburb were filled with high priced specialty goods. No supermarkets here to spoil the atmosphere, no garish adverts, just a discreet row of shops and beauty salons with unobtrusive toffee colored paint-work and dark green gables with gold lettering, all situated in a brick-paved mall.
The cafes had outdoor tables shaded by vine-covered pergolas and sailcloth umbrellas. Manicured plants in tubs graced the shop doorways. The center of the mall was shaded by Ash trees. The shoppers looked well dressed and relaxed - the pace was unhurried.
Darcie made her purchases quickly, placing them in the basket she’d brought with her. She was tempted to treat herself to a coffee, but knew she’d have felt out of the place amongst the well-dressed women who chatted familiarly together in pairs or groups as they sipped at their coffee.
Besides ... she smelled of Leon’s aftershave and intense love making, she excused, grinning as she strode back home. She didn’t want to make these smart women feel jealous.
The phone started to ring as soon as Darcie let herself in. She kicked the door shut with her heel, dumped her basket on the kitchen table and rushed through to the study just as the answering machine cut in.
‘Leon, darling. I got your message. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it this afternoon. I’ll be in after eight, a few friends are coming over so why don’t you join us if you can get away from ...’ Helen gave a light trill of laughter. ‘Well, you know who?’
The message clicked off just as Darcie snatched the receiver up to tell Helen that you-know-who had a name. A tidal wave of jealousy rolled over her. ‘Find yourself another man, you liposuctioned alligator,’ she muttered before slamming it angrily down again.
She missed the receiver rest and hit a row of buttons. The contraption lit up like New Year’s Eve at midnight and began to hum like a constipated alarm clock. After five unfruitful minutes of button pushing she impatiently turned it off at the wall socket, waited a few seconds then tentatively turned it on again. Fax paper rolled out of the slot and the display flashed on and off. Losing patience she flicked off the switch, tore the meter of dangling fax paper off, took it through to the kitchen with her and stuffed it in the bin. That problem solved, she turned her attention to the next one.
Wee Georgie was half way through eating one of the crusty loaves she’d brought home. ‘You thieving glutton,’ she scolded, making a dive for the basket he’d dragged on to the floor. She heaved a sigh of relief as she retrieved a paper-wrapped package. ‘At least you haven’t touched the mincemeat, but if you’d waited you could have had garlic butter on the bread.’
By the time Leon came home it was almost seven, and dinner was ready. She’d used the kitchen instead of the dining room. The table was set with a red checked tablecloth. A candle sputtered in a straw encased bottle with wax artfully trailed down the neck. A bottle of red wine breathed fire on the dresser.
‘
Ciao,’
she murmured with a smile.
‘Ciao Bella.’
‘My name’s not Bella, and I only know that one word in Italian.’
She looked seriously sexy in a thigh length purple shirt that matched her eyeshadow and a pair of snug black velvet pants that Leon could hardly keep his eyes - or his hands - off. She was in need of a good stroke.
Her hair curved against her chin like a sheet of polished ebony. Leon ran both hands through it before he brought her face up to his to be kissed.
‘Ti adora.
You taste of garlic and tomato paste,’ he said afterwards.
‘So will you after you’ve eaten. What did you just say?’
‘That I adore you ... at least, I think I did.’
‘Do you adore me?’
‘What do you think?’
‘That I could get used to the thought in any language.’
He loved her garlic prawns - asked for a second helping of lasagna - then washed down the garlic bread with the remains of the wine.
He was smiling as he leaned back in his chair and patted his stomach. ‘You were right, you can cook.’
Her smile was slightly smug, as befitting one whose skills had been questioned, and who’d been proved right. Her eyes were inscrutable. ‘Coffee?’
She rose when he nodded, and leaned over the sink behind him to fill the percolator, which allowed him the opportunity to run his hand over the black velvet curves placed temptingly within his range.
His long drawn out growl said it all.
Batting her eyelashes at him, she moved away, saying casually, ‘I’ll bring the coffee through to the lounge. How was your meeting?’
The last thing Leon wanted to talk about was the meeting. He’d eaten well, now all he wanted to do to romance his lady in front of the fire with some wine and seductive music, then take her to bed.
‘So-so.’ He rose, stretching to his full height to allow the lasagna to settle into the nooks and crannies. ‘I’ll check my messages whilst you’re making the coffee.’
She looked suddenly contrite. ‘The telephone was ringing when I came in from the shop. I must have touched the wrong button or something because it went sort of berserk.’
Leon tried not to laugh. ‘I see.’
‘It made an awful noise and all this paper came flying out of it so I turned the contraption off at the switch. Well, it wasn’t exactly flying ... more like flowing. I tore it off and put it in the kitchen tidy. There was nothing printed on it so I didn’t think it would do any harm, besides –’
Leon kissed her to shut her up, and this time he couldn’t taste any garlic at all, only a softly curved willing mouth.
She stared at him afterwards, half smiling, and he stared back. God, she had the most incredible eyes! She was enchanting. She took a deep trembling breath. ‘The coffee’s beginning to percolate.’
Reluctantly, he let her go and headed for the study. It would be wise to digest his dinner before making love to her. Besides, his fax needed reprogramming.
After he’d sorted it out he retrieved the stored messages, frowning when he heard Helen’s voice - and the barbed insult aimed at Darcie. He knew Helen had deliberately missed the meeting. It was her way of flexing her muscles - of telling him that if he wanted her signature he’d have to dance to her tune.
It was with disbelief that he heard Darcie’s retort. He played it again, and then grinning to himself, cleared the tape before joining her in the lounge.
If Leon had got Helen’s message he didn’t mention it. Bleakly, Darcie wondered it had been wiped off. ‘Was everything all right?’
Amusement came into his eyes. ‘There was no harm done.’
‘Did you get your messages?’
‘Uh-huh.’
‘I see.’ She gazed at him, half expecting him to say something, but he just sipped his coffee.
‘Did you get the message from Helen?’
He didn’t even blink. ‘Uh-huh.’
‘Well?’
‘Well, what?’
Her hands went to her hips. ‘Stop saying
uh-huh
in that infuriating manner. You know damned well what I’m referring to, Leon Price.’
She looked as though she might stamp her foot, so he tossed her a grin designed to infuriate her more. ‘You’re interested in knowing whether I’m going to see Helen or not, aren’t you?’