Lexi remembered how her own mother had been so deeply affected when her father’s double life had come to light she had never risked her heart on another man again, turning instead to fostering children to fulfil the void his defection had left behind. Lexi had admired her mother for providing such a caring environment for other children, but she had always struggled when a child who had become part of their family had been returned to their own home.
‘Okay, okay, my friend; I can see you’re upset.’ Tom held his hands up towards Leo in a conciliatory nature. ‘We’ll talk later by which time I hope your ire has cooled enough to accept my most humble apology.’
Lexi was surprised at Leo’s aggressiveness and felt sorry for the retreating Tom. It had been remiss of him not to remind her to wear a life jacket but …
‘Leo, really … it was an accident,’ Lexi protested.
‘It was avoidable.’ Leo turned to face her, his blue eyes rapier sharp as he glared at her. ‘If you had been wearing a life jacket you wouldn’t have gone under,’ he rasped forcefully.
‘I didn’t know I had to.’ Was this really the same man who not twenty minutes ago had kissed her into a liquid puddle of need?
‘I know that,’ he snapped. ‘And you know the reason Shepherd didn’t tell you to put one on.’
His icy gaze raked down over her body and it took her a second for his meaning to register. ‘Are you suggesting …? That’s ridiculous,’ she said indignantly.
‘It’s the truth. He probably took his cue from your flirting with him during lunch. Probably earlier in the pool, for all I know.’
Lexi felt a blast of anger curl her hands into fists. ‘And I suppose that kiss before on the sand was my fault as well? I encouraged you by lying back, unable to catch my breath.’
Leo rubbed the back of his neck. ‘That kiss was the result of an extremely stressful situation,’ he grated.
‘Do tell.’
‘Do tell what? As I recall, you weren’t exactly reluctant a few minutes ago.’
Lexi shut up then. He was right; she’d been far from reluctant and she needed more time to reconcile her attraction to a man she didn’t respect and who confused her mind and her senses in equal measure. She still felt light-headed from his kiss and the heat of his body pressing her so firmly into the sand.
‘Yes, well, as you said, it was stress. And I think we should just forget it ever happened.’
‘Fine with me.’
Lexi felt lost for words at his easy acceptance of her rebuttal and leant forward to brush the sugar-soft sand from her legs. What had she wanted him to say? That his kisses had been special? As if.
‘We should get back,’ he bit out tersely.
‘Yes,’ she agreed absently, too caught up in her own tumultuous response to this man to wonder at his irritation.
Leo led the way down to the water’s edge and it wasn’t until the hot sand gave way to the coolness of the water that she realised just how she would be getting back to the yacht.
‘I’m not riding with you on that,’ she protested a little too vehemently.
Leo waded towards the jet ski. ‘What are you going to do—swim?’
He swung himself up onto the bobbing ski with envious athleticism, his leanly muscled torso rippling beneath his still damp shirt from where he’d held her wet body against him. ‘It’s not that far,’ she said, trying to calculate the distance between the island and his yacht.
‘It’s over two kilometres and you’ve had a fall.’
‘I was only winded,’ she reminded him.
Leo gunned the engine and stretched out his hand. ‘Get on,’ he snarled, not bothering to hide his annoyance.
‘You’ve ruined your trousers,’ she commented inanely, noticing for the first time that he was still wearing suit trousers that were wet up to his knees and moulded to his muscular calves.
‘My trousers are the least of my concerns,’ he dismissed, beckoning to her. ‘Come. You need to get out of this hot sun.’
Lexi eyed the jet ski dubiously. ‘Can’t you call the tender?’
‘What with?’ His lips curved into a mocking smile. ‘My bat phone?’
Lexi didn’t know if he was being humorous or not, she just knew that touching him was a bad idea. She fiddled with her necklace and his eyes narrowed on the movement.
‘Don’t make me have to come over there and get you,’ he warned softly.
Lexi’s heart skipped a beat, images of him lifting her up with those muscular arms and cradling her against his solid chest motivating her to wade through the warm water towards him. There was plenty of room behind him anyway and if he went slowly enough she wouldn’t even have to hang onto him.
‘Promise you won’t go fast.’
‘Whatever you want,’ he drawled and Lexi’s eyes cut to his. Whatever she wanted. She wanted him to kiss her like he had on the beach and never stop.
No.
She blinked away the unwelcome thoughts—that was so not what she wanted. Tomorrow she would be back in London and this weekend would be a distant dream. A one-night stand with a Russian playboy with questionable morals was not what the good doctor had ordered at all!
She reached out to take his hand and could have kicked herself for not grabbing the side of the ski instead when he effortlessly hauled her up in front of him, his strong thighs moulded to the outside of her own.
Lexi sucked in a quick breath. ‘I can ride behind.’
‘No,’ his deep voice rumbled beside her ear and Lexi held herself completely still.
‘And you dare to call me obstinate,’ she fumed, so tense she felt ready to snap.
‘Just sit still,’ he growled as he expertly turned the machine towards the yacht and revved the engine.
Lexi ignored the way her insides clenched and turned molten with desire at his rough command. She held herself stiffly within the cage his arms made around her and only dared breathe again when he pulled up alongside the yacht’s rear ramp.
A small welcoming committee was waiting to make sure she was okay and they clapped as Leo jumped easily onto the end of the yacht and held out his hand to help her up.
Lexi smiled up at everyone and then placed her hand in Leo’s. The muscles in his forearms rippled as he effortlessly hauled her up and it was only as their eyes met that Lexi realised that she hadn’t thanked him for rescuing her.
‘Thank you,’ she said, her voice husky and a little embarrassed.
She saw Leo’s nostrils flare but other
