His Last Chance at Redemption

by Michelle Conder

  He wasn’t trying to hide his sexual interest in her and she was shocked to see it. She had convinced herself that what had happened last night was because they had both been half asleep and that the chemistry she felt was entirely onesided, but perhaps that wasn’t the case. Or perhaps he was just bored and toying with her to avoid talking about himself. That would make more sense but, whatever it was, she was just glad he hadn’t remembered his nightmare last night or what had followed.

  It would also help if she could stop thinking about how well the man kissed and how hard his muscles had felt pressing her into the bed. God, he made her feel desperate for sex and already her body felt hotter, heavier. But she wasn’t any good at sexual banter and her cup clattered as she put it down. ‘I think I might go to bed,’ she said, inwardly grimacing at her gaucheness.

  ‘Scared, angel?’

  ‘Of?’ she asked carelessly, glancing everywhere but at him.

  ‘The way I make you feel, for one.’ His voice was a lazy purr.

  ‘Excuse me?’ She coughed out a laugh as if he’d just told her an implausible joke.

  His smile said he didn’t believe her for a second and his stunning eyes glittered in the low light, laughing at her.

  ‘So tell me,’ he said in a way that put her even more on edge, ‘how did lover boy take your rejection last night?’

  ‘It wasn’t a rejection.’ She bristled at his arrogant confidence. Well, it was, she supposed, but it had nothing to do with him. ‘And his name is Simon.’

  ‘That wasn’t what I asked.’

  ‘I’m not telling you,’ she said, wishing now that she had headed for her room when the thought had first occurred to her.

  ‘It’s different when the boot’s on the other foot, isn’t it, angel?’

  ‘Stop calling me angel,’ Lexi fumed, feeling decidedly unsettled by his nettling. Especially when she conceded that maybe he had a point. If she wouldn’t answer his questions, why should he answer hers? ‘And of course he wasn’t happy, but he understood.’

  It was one of the qualities that had initially drawn her to Simon. Calm, methodical, rational, dependable.

  ‘Understood what?’ Leo’s dark voice broke into her thoughts. ‘That he came second to me?’

  Oh, what an ego!

  ‘That isn’t what happened at all,’ Lexi countered, uncomfortably aware that Simon would always come second to him if a woman had a choice.

  ‘No?’ He gave a wolfish smile.

  ‘No.’

  ‘So you told him what happened in my bed last night then?’ he asked silkily.

  Lexi’s breath lodged in her throat. Damn it, he had remembered what had happened and had only been toying with her. How had she thought even for a second that a man like him would be interested in her as a woman?

  ‘Your list just got longer,’ she said smartly.

  He disconcerted her by laughing. ‘Admit it, angel, you’re attracted to me.’

  ‘You’re wrong about that.’ She cleared her throat and nearly spilt her cup of tea.. ‘I would never be attracted to a man like you.’ It was a lie, but oh, she wished it wasn’t.

  ‘Trying to insult me to deflect how you feel isn’t very original,’ he said softly.

  ‘Neither is the size of your ego.’

  Rather than be insulted, he laughed again. ‘I liked you in my bed,’ he said softly.

  His lips curved into a lazy grin that made her stomach flip.

  ‘I was not in your bed,’ she insisted sharply, frustrated by her body’s automatic reaction to his suggestive tone. She had yet to find anything positive about this man and yet her body responded to his every move as if he was master of it. How could that happen when she didn’t even like him?

  ‘No?’ He scratched the sexy stubble on his jaw with well-shaped, capable fingers. ‘Then my imagination is very vivid because I can still taste your sweet mouth under mine.’

  Lexi stifled a gasp. ‘You were having a nightmare.’

  ‘Those kinds of dreams are never nightmares, angel.’

  She forced herself to hold his sensual gaze and decided the best thing she could do was to ignore his sexual banter. ‘Do you have them often?’ she asked, trying to redirect the conversation.

  ‘Erotic dreams? Not since I was a youth.’

  ‘Nightmares.’

  His eyes turned flinty. ‘You were mistaken if you thought I was having a nightmare. Perhaps you’re just looking for an excuse as to why you kissed me last night.’

  ‘You kissed me.’

  ‘That’s not how I remember it.’ He gazed at her through sleepy eyes.

  It wasn’t exactly how she remembered it either.

  ‘You were asleep. I was … We were both half asleep,’ she babbled stupidly.

  ‘And it was a lovely way to be woken up. I won’t be at all upset if you do it again.’

  ‘I would never go into your room voluntarily. You called out in your sleep. Someone named Sasha.’

  ‘You must have been mistaken. But now I’m going to bed.’ He stood up abruptly and towered over her. ‘Care to give me a goodnight kiss, angel?’

  Lexi stiffened at the audacious invitation and the instaneous ‘yes’ that leapt into her mind.

  ‘Just in case you’re labouring under the misapprehension that I find you funny, Mr Aleksandrov, I don’t.’

  She held her breath as his smouldering gaze lingered on her mouth. ‘Now there’s a pity. We might have had some fun together if you should ever lighten up.’

  If she …? Lexi’s face paled as his offhanded comment bit deep and shattered her confidence.

  Arrogant, stupid ass!

  CHAPTER SIX

  THE next morning Lexi didn’t see Leo at all, which was a good thing, she told herself.

  She was still frustrated at their conversation last night, realising too late that he’d used sexual innuendo to avoid talking about Ty and then had inadvertently hit on the same complaint Brandon had had with her. And if at times she appeared uptight it was because she’d learned to guard her feelings from a young age, her father’s betrayal having sapped all the happiness from her home for a long time after he’d left.

  She frowned. Maybe she should just give up on her goal to reunite father and son. Maybe it would be better if she avoided Leo at all costs. Ty wasn’t her child and she knew better than to become too attached to a child who was in her temporary care. And maybe Ty was better off with Amanda. It certainly seemed that way with the little interest Leo continued to display towards his son.

  Yes, she’d stop playing some modern version of Mary Poppins and keep well away from Leo Aleksandrov. Right after she spoke to him this morning about the young Greek girl, Carolina, he had apparently assigned to assist her. As if she needed an assistant!

  She rounded a corner of the yacht and smiled politely as yet another group of uber-trendy individuals passed her in the corridor.

  Leo’s weekend guests had arrived throughout the morning, some joining her and Ty by the pool and slipping into holiday mode as if they’d been born to it. One woman in particular, the supermodel Katya—no last name required, which was so yesterday, Lexi thought churlishly—had immediately rubbed her up the wrong way. Though whether that was because she had clung to Leo like the last autumn leaf on a tree or because she had that air of practised superiority about her Lexi wasn’t sure.

  Oh, who was she kidding? She’d been put out because of the way Leo had looked at her. A woman who was tall, stunning and exactly his type. Lexi wondered if she was his current mistress and felt her mouth pinch together. If she was, he was more of a cad than she had given him credit for. Flirting outrageously with her—kissing her and touching her—while his girlfriend was in transit from America.

  Lexi wandered from deck to deck and had no idea what level she was now on. She was almost out of breath and finally understood that the central glass elevator, beautifully inlaid with designer plants and flowers, was not just a showpiece for guests to appreciate as they wande
red past!

  This ship, which Leo called a yacht, had so many rooms it was more like a floating castle. A very sleek and richly furnished castle with more natural stone and marble than a Renaissance church.

  She stopped in the doorway of an elegant sitting room and noticed the supermodel, Katya, at the far end, shaking her finger at a young staff member, who looked as if she was about to collapse.

  Used to sorting out all kinds of problems Lexi didn’t think twice before approaching to offer her assistance. The younger girl, whom she had met downstairs earlier, looked at her with open relief.

  ‘Hi there; what seems to be the problem?’ she asked pleasantly.

  The supermodel swung around sharply at the sound of her voice. She looked Lexi up and down as if she was considering whether or not she was worthy of an answer, and then waved her hand dismissively at the other girl.

  ‘The problem is that laundry staff are not supposed to occupy the same room as a guest.’

  ‘I was delivering t-t-towels to the second pool area,’ the young girl stammered.

  ‘Does this look like a swimming pool to you?’ the model snapped.

  ‘Again, I’m sorry ma’am. I got lost.’

  Lexi threw the younger girl a sympathetic glance but Katya wasn’t finished reprimanding her.

  ‘You pass them onto the steward anyway, you imbecile. You shouldn’t be above deck yourself.’

  Not above deck in this glorious weather! Was that true? Lexi was flabbergasted and appalled at the model’s attitude in equal measure. ‘Excuse me, but that’s no way to speak to anybody,’ she reproved, not caring if this woman was Leo’s latest mistress.

  The model’s eyes widened at her tone. ‘And who are you to speak to me like that?’ She regarded Lexi as if she were an ugly bug—which was exactly how she felt, standing beside the couture-clad model wearing a chain store white vest top and khaki shorts. ‘Aren’t you some sort of servant yourself? You shouldn’t be up here either.’

  Lexi ignored the comment and was about to offer to take the towels and leave the model to her own horrible company when Leo’s deep voice cracked through the air like a whip.

  ‘Katya.’

  Lexi noticed the model curve her body into a provocative pose as Leo approached. He looked fit and utterly male in navy trousers and a crisp white dress shirt. ‘If I ever catch you speaking to my staff like that again it will be your last time on one of my yachts.’

  ‘Leo, darling,’ the model cooed, ‘I was just informing these girls of the rules and they got upset.’

  ‘You were being a bitch. Leave us.’

  ‘Leo!’ She tried to hook her arm through his but he cast her a look that would have turned mortals into stone.

  She sniffed and blinked a sexy glance from beneath her thickly coated lashes. ‘I’ll be by the pool.’

  They all watched her saunter out of the room and Leo turned to the laundress. ‘I apologise, Stella, for any offence my guest may have caused you. Here, let me take those.’

  He knew the laundress’s name? Lexi wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t heard it with her own ears. And he was going to carry towels?

  ‘Thank you, Mr Aleksandrov.’ Stella handed over her bundle and all but curtsied before scurrying out of the room.

  ‘Nice company you keep,’ Lexi said.

  ‘Not everyone behaves like that.’

  They stared at each other for a moment too long and then Lexi remembered that she’d been looking for him. ‘I wanted to ask why you assigned Carolina to assist me.’

  He hesitated before answering. ‘You have a problem with my decision?’

  How did he know she had a problem with it when she’d tried to keep her query light? ‘No. Well, yes. I’m a qualified childcare provider. I can look after one child with my hands tied behind my back.’

  ‘Ah, you think I’m questioning your professional integrity.’

  ‘Aren’t you?’

  ‘No, Lexi. I’ve seen how good you are with Ty. But I don’t expect you to be on call for him twenty-four seven. Carolina is to relieve you while he sleeps.’ He looked down at the monitor in her hand and his brows drew together. ‘Is that what he’s doing now?’

  ‘Yes. He usually has a midday nap at the centre and I thought the consistent rhythm would help him adjust.’

  ‘Then shouldn’t Carolina have this device?’

  ‘Carolina is sitting in with him and I’ll return once I hear him wake up.’

  He nodded. ‘Even better. Have you had lunch?’

  Lexi paused, something in his expression when she had said Carolina was in with Ty sparking an instinctive knowledge deep inside her. ‘You do care about him, don’t you?’

  Leo blinked slowly, his expression inscrutable. ‘I repeat—have you had lunch?’

  Lexi sighed, realising her comment had completely ruined the brief moment of accord between them.

  ‘No, I haven’t had lunch.’

  ‘Come. It is being served on the pool deck today.’

  Lexi shook her head. Having decided that she needed to keep her distance from him, the last thing she should do was sit down to lunch at his table. ‘I can eat in the mess hall with the other staff.’

  Leo was about to object when Danny walked into the room. ‘Everyone is seated for lunch, Leo.’

  Leo nodded but didn’t take his eyes off Lexi. ‘You will dine at my table.’

  Again she shook her head. He was too virile, too male. And the way he towered over her made her too aware of her own femininity, her own vulnerability in his magnetic presence. ‘You were the one who told me I was staff.’

  ‘And you were the one who reminded me that you weren’t,’ he informed her silkily.

  Lexi sighed. ‘I’m hardly dressed for a proper luncheon.’

  Leo slowly ran his sizzling gaze down over her casual clothing and down her bare legs and sandalled feet and all the way back up again.

  ‘You look fine.’ His voice was gruff, the tone sending frissons of sensation skittering into her belly. Given that she found it hard to keep her eyes off him she would really rather eat a hundred miles from where he was.

  She was about to try some other excuse when her phone rang and she reached into her pocket and pulled it out. Recognising the number of her builder, Lexi smiled with relief. She’d been waiting for his call since yesterday and mentally crossed her fingers that he had good news about the renovations on the new centre. ‘Excuse me,’ she murmured, ‘but I have to take this.’

  Leo scowled as he watched Lexi Somers’ toned legs take her to the other end of the room, wondering who was on the other end of the phone that had made her face light up with such obvious delight. Her lover?

  He felt his good mood at the progress he’d made in his meetings this morning evaporate into thin air.

  His scowl deepened when he saw Lexi’s expression turn worried. Was lover boy giving her a hard time? And why did it rankle so much to see her so affected by it?

  ‘What’s up?’ Danny looked at him quizzically and Leo realised that Danny had picked up on his keen interest in the obstinate brunette.

  ‘Nothing. Just see that Lexi Somers has lunch at my table,’ he said curtly.

  He stalked off but instead of his mood picking up when Lexi did eventually grace his table with her presence, it only worsened. She was too natural and friendly for his liking. A little too natural and too friendly with the American filmmaker, Tom Shepherd. And he didn’t like that he’d noticed and liked even less that it was bothering him so much. He couldn’t concentrate on the lavish meal his world-class chef had prepared, or the conversation that was going on around him.

  All he could hear were snippets of conversation as Tom charmed her with stories about the documentary film he was producing—the one Leo was bankrolling—and how interested she was in it, her smile generous and warm, her golden eyes sparkling as she sipped her Riesling and unselfconsciously de-veined prawns before popping them into her mouth. He could see Tom was fascinated with
her and it would appear that his interest was reciprocated. And where was her loyalty to her Parisian lover as she flirted with Tom Shepherd?

  Leo snorted out a quiet breath. She was no different from any other female who saw a better meal ticket come along. But, if that was the case, why hadn’t she latched onto him? Because he knew, without conceit, that he was the best meal ticket on this yacht, even with some of the world’s most influential men currently dining at his lavishly set table.

  Logically, Leo knew he was being ridiculous since he’d already decided not to pursue her, but for once logic and his libido were diametrically opposed to each other. He couldn’t look away as Tom touched Lexi’s arm and leant close to indicate for her to look at a flock of pelicans soaring overhead. The whole table seemed mesmerised by the majestic birds but all Leo could do was stare as Lexi’s face lit up. Unbidden, an image of her pale figure in his bed the other night came to mind, her hair spread over his pillow just before he’d speared his fingers into it and crushed her mouth beneath his. The way she had met his demands with a hunger that had seemed to match his own. Her soft mews of pleasure as his hand had cupped her breast, the silky skin of her bottom—

  ‘Did you say something?’ Danny murmured.

  ‘Only that I should have let her go to the mess hall,’ Leo growled, turning away from the amused glint in his EA’s eyes and striking up a conversation with the Greek minister about the reason they were even able to watch birds circling above his damned yacht this weekend.

  ‘Jet skis?’ Leo repeated blankly as he stared at Tom Shepherd.

  ‘Yeah, you know? Motorbikes on water.’ Tom smirked. ‘You don’t mind if we take them out for a spin, do you? Lexi’s a jet ski virgin and I said I’d show her what she was missing.’

  Leo’s jaw clenched at Tom’s provocative comment. The yacht was temporarily anchored between two small private islands and the water was deep enough so there wasn’t any reason for him to say no. But he wanted to.

  ‘I need to speak with Miss Somers.’ He flashed his teeth in a tight smile. ‘Take someone else.’

  Before Tom could stage his protest, Danny stopped at his side. ‘Leo, the men are waiting in the stateroom to resume the meeting, as you requested.’