filled him at the progress the team had made. Most of the overgrown shrubbery and vines had been cleared and new temperature-controlling tubing had been installed all over the ceiling. A huge industrial-size porcelain sink sat along one wall with gleaming granite counter space.
That, along with the perfectly placed overhead lights in a crisscrossing design through the center line of the high ceiling, made it eons different from the abandoned shell he’d discovered months ago.
There was one corner of the huge greenhouse where the overgrown, climbing vine had been left in place. The small area stood like a piece of the past he never seemed to let go of.
Cristo, he was in a strange mood tonight.
The lounger he’d ordered in a moment of self-indulgence stood like a throne in an abandoned castle. Her gray sweatshirt lay discarded on the lounger while Neha walked around the long aisles, drifting aimlessly, in deep thought. Even the ping of the door hadn’t disturbed her. Leo took the time to just watch her.
The rational part of him wanted to turn around and walk out, leave her to her midnight rambles. She’d made it clear before the party tonight that she was never going to cross that line that she had drawn around herself and let herself be vulnerable to anyone, much less him.
The loose, sleeveless T-shirt and cotton shorts she had on should have looked anything but sexy. But the slightly damp fabric stuck to the outline of her curves and the shorts—Cristo, her legs were long and lean, packed with muscle.
He’d never gone for the delicate, wispy, stick-thin kind of women. He liked curves, and from every glimpse he got of Neha’s, it felt like she was tailor-made to fit into his hands.
Her face scrubbed free of the makeup only highlighted the dewy silkiness of her skin. Her wild hair had been braided into submission into a single braid, already half undone and framing her face.
It was only when she raised her gaze to his and gave a soft gasp that he saw the wet tinge to her eyelashes. Cristo, she’d been crying?
He pushed away from the wall, all thoughts of leaving her to her own problems fleeing. “Neha?”
She scrubbed a hand over her face. “What’re you doing here?”
“That is for me to ask.” He tucked his hands into his pockets. She looked crumpled, a little broken, and the last thing she needed was for him to paw at her. “Massimo told me he found you walking out here. That he gave you the code.”
“Oh.” Her fingers played with the hem of her T-shirt. “I couldn’t sleep and was walking the grounds. I can’t come down from the high of the evening that quickly, y’know? Especially when... It was a lovely party, yeah?” He didn’t for one second believe the glassy, too-bright smile. She looked around herself self-consciously. “I’m sorry for intruding. Again.
“Massimo thought it was better if I wandered inside here. I gathered from what he said this greenhouse...is off-limits to guests. But he wouldn’t leave my side until I went in or returned to my bedroom.
“I didn’t want to lie down when my head’s spinning.”
“This apologizing of yours is becoming a bad habit, cara. You’re welcome to walk into any part of the estate.”
“I think I’ve done enough midnight meandering. I’ll wish you good night.”
“You are upset,” he said, reaching for her arm as she passed him. He kept his grip slack. She didn’t pull away and, this close, he could feel the tension emanating from her. All his protective instincts went into overdrive. “Did Mario get to you? I made sure he came nowhere near you. And when I was busy with Greta, I asked Massimo to keep an eye. What did he say? Did he scare you?”
“No, he didn’t. It’s not that,” she said, stepping back from him, trying to hide her face in the shadows.
Leo was in no mood to be fobbed off.
One hand on her shoulder, he gently tugged her toward him until the overhead lights illuminated her face. He clasped her chin. Her eyes were puffed, her nose slightly red at the top.
Dio, the woman gave new definition to self-sufficiency. Usually he was the one who maintained those boundaries in a relationship religiously.
“Keeping the lines between us separate is one thing. But this isn’t just about you anymore, even before a child comes into the picture. I dragged you into this battle against him, after you told me it’s been near impossible to decouple yourself from him.
“So tell me what happened. The last thing I think right now is that you’re weak. Infuriatingly stubborn, however, comes to mind.”
She bent her forehead to his shoulder, her body shuddering with shallow breaths. Running his palms over her bare arms up and down, he waited. In the damp air, the faint vanilla scent she used mingled with her skin to create a musky fragrance that filled his nostrils. Her warm breath coated his neck. He gritted his teeth, willing his body to not betray him.
“You’re right. I’ve got to talk about this.”
When she pulled back, she looked composed, strong again. And he realized how similar they were.
“Mario didn’t get to me,” she said, her long lashes looking thicker with wetness. “I saw his ugly scowl the moment they arrived and stayed well out of his way. The last thing I wanted was to make a spectacle at Greta’s celebration. Even when I saw your exchange with him, I ignored it. But Mario is nothing if not clever.”
Leo knew what she was made of, and he knew that the ache in her eyes had its origin a long time ago. He waited patiently, understanding in a way no one could how hard it was to show vulnerability when you spent most of your life making sure there wasn’t any.
It only made him respect her more.
“But he got to her.”
“Your mum?”
“Yep.” A smile that was nothing but a caricature of the usual loveliness twisted her mouth. She ran a hand through her hair, a violent physical energy vibrating from her frame. “Frankly, I’m a fool to be surprised by this. I know the kind of hold he has on her. I know how his mind works. But she...” She swallowed, and then looked up at him. “After a long time, today I realized how nice it is to have someone in your corner. I know it was all for show but still it felt good to belong with people who like and respect me, with whom I don’t have to walk on eggshells.
“And bam! She ruined everything.”
Leo wanted to tell her that it hadn’t been for show, that he did have her back in all this. That inviting her to be a part of his family’s celebration while the whole world watched had come naturally, easily. That with every deeper glimpse into her, he wanted her by his side. The strength of the urge was inexplicably overwhelming.
Physical attraction was one thing...this quite another.
“Mario constantly feeds her lies and she swallows it all. Apparently, the only reason you could be interested in me is to get at him. The only reason, after years of a purely platonic relationship, that you’re taking this to a new level.
“For so long, I tried to be strong for her. I let him manipulate
