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‘I’m happy.’
‘Not every man is an immature skunk like Brandon, Lex, and it has been four years.’
Lexi pulled a face. She’d been best friends with Aimee since high school and she knew her friend had her best interests at heart. And she also knew Aimee was right, but Brandon’s betrayal had echoed that of her father’s just a little too closely and Lexi wasn’t at all sure she was willing to risk her heart again any time soon.
‘I know that,’ she said on a sigh. And she did. But even thinking about having a relationship brought up all her old insecurities and the truth, which she was far too embarrassed to ever admit to anyone—including Aimee—was that she wasn’t great at sex. Wasn’t overly sexual at all. Which, if she was being completely honest, was the main reason she didn’t want to go to Paris. That and the fact that she didn’t actually want to have sex with Simon. But admitting that made her feel as if there was something wrong with her.
And maybe there was … Wasn’t that what Brandon had implied?
She walked over to give the truck back to the three-year-old who had broken it. ‘Here you go, Jake. Just be a bit more careful when you play with it this time.’ She scanned the group and didn’t even hear the high-pitched sounds of kids digging to China in the sandpit and chasing each other around the various climbing frames during their free play session. It was getting towards the end of the day and half the kids had already been collected. Her eyes fell on Ty Weston playing quietly by himself hammering at the small wooden table, and her heart gripped a little.
Professionally, Lexi would never admit to having a favourite at the centre, but personally she and Ty had clicked. Had done from the moment he’d joined the centre as a runty one-year-old. Small for his age back then, he was now veering on the taller end of the scale for three.
‘You know,’ Aimee began almost tentatively when Lexi picked up another tangled ball of wool and started winding it, ‘we could always ditch the idea of the second childcare centre.’
‘What?’ Lexi was genuinely shocked by Aimee’s suggestion. This was their dream and the area of London they were planning to open their new centre was in desperate need of decent childcare. ‘I can’t believe you would say that after all we’ve put into it. And I have no intention of quitting just because my love life is suffering and because we’ve had a few setbacks.’
‘Lex, you don’t have a love life and we’re paying rent on an empty building that’s nowhere near finished. Maybe you need to give up on the idea of us becoming the saviour of the childcare world.’
Fortunately for Aimee, Lexi didn’t get a chance to respond to that because one of their co-workers interrupted them.
‘Excuse me, Lexi.’
Lexi turned as Tina stepped through the double glass doorway leading into the main room.
‘What is it, Tina?’
Tina grinned. ‘There’s a hot guy wanting to pick up Ty Weston but I don’t know who he is.’
Hot guy? Probably a model, Lexi thought dismissively.
‘His mother is supposed to be collecting him tonight,’ Lexi said. But she wouldn’t be surprised if the flaky Amanda Weston had forgotten. The woman didn’t seem to care about her son and ever since her mother, Ty’s grandmother and main carer, had passed away two weeks ago, Amanda had become even worse. ‘What’s his name?’
‘Didn’t say.’ Tina waggled her eyebrows. ‘But I think he might be a movie star.’
Lexi laughed at Tina’s stage whisper.
‘I’ll be sure to get his autograph for you,’ she whispered back.
‘Forget the autograph. Just let him know I’m single.’
‘How do you know he is?’ Lexi countered.
Tina raised her left hand. ‘No rings.’
‘Maybe I should go,’ Aimee interrupted gravely. ‘This sounds serious.’
Lexi rolled her eyes and swiped her hands down her grubby peasant skirt. ‘Yeah, I’m sure Todd would love that! Watch Ty for me, can you? He’s been a bit fragile lately.’
She stepped inside the softly lit main room and noticed the outline of a tall, broad-shouldered man just visible through the window into her office. A sense of trepidation settled in her stomach at the very stillness he seemed to project through the glass.
Telling herself not to be dramatic, Lexi straightened her shoulders and opened the door to her office, stopping short when possibly the most divine-looking man she had ever seen turned to face her.
Hot guy?
The man was scorching. Tall and leanly muscled in a beautifully cut grey suit and black open-necked shirt. He had a chiselled jaw sporting a five o’clock shadow, heart-stopping blue eyes framed by jet-black lashes, close-cropped dirty blond hair and enough sexual confidence to make a courtesan blush.
Various film star names ran through her head but none of them seemed to match. No star she could recall had that air of controlled menace about them. Not that she’d met that many … or any, in fact. Her gaze rose back up over his superb physique and her breath stalled somewhere between her throat and her lungs as their eyes met. His gaze was that of a predatory animal sizing up its prey. Or maybe an army general contemplating war. Whoever he was, he was no ordinary movie star.
Lexi curved suddenly dry lips into a professional smile and ignored the way her stomach seemed to have bottomed out. ‘Good afternoon. My name is Lexi Somers. How may I help you?’
Those dangerous blue eyes raked her from head to toe and made the strange feeling in the pit of her stomach slide lower.
‘I’m here to collect Ty Weston.’ His voice was dark, accented. Russian? Something East European anyway. Which explained the slashing cheekbones and strong jaw. Against her better judgement, she looked into his eyes again and was surprised not just because of her unexpected physical reaction, but because he also seemed familiar.
She had seen him before.
No. She shook her head and then masked the unconscious movement by stepping past him to the relative safety of the other side of her oak desk. She would definitely remember him if she’d seen him before. And his smell. Clean, citrusy with a hint of wood. She would definitely have remembered that.
Lexi thought about sitting down, but immediately discounted the idea. Even in her three-inch heels he towered over her and instinct warned her not to concede one of those inches to him or he’d steamroll right over top of her. She’d been cursing the shoes all day, having dressed formally for her meeting at the bank this morning and only realising she’d left her comfortable flats at home when she’d changed out of her business suit. Now she was glad for the extra height.
‘And you are?’ She kept her voice courteous, calling on years of defusing difficult situations in an attempt to lighten the tension in the room.
‘Here to collect Ty Weston.’ He looked down his slightly crooked nose at her and Lexi felt the first stirrings of irritation she usually had no trouble keeping in check.
‘Yes. You said that. But I’ll need a little more information before I can release him into your care.’ Even saying that last word felt like a misnomer given his steely demeanour.
He folded his arms across his chest and the room seemed to shrink. ‘What kind of information?’
‘Your name for one.’
Despite her better judgement, Lexi dropped into her comfortable chair. Her feet were killing her and she hoped it would induce him to do the same; anything to make him seem a little less imposing. ‘Please, take a seat,’ she offered with forced equanimity.
He didn’t answer, nor did he take up her suggestion. Just scanned the room like some sort of secret service operative and Lexi felt her pang of unease turn into a shiver of real dread. Should she be calling the police right now? Did the man have a gun thrust into the back of that expensive-looking suit?
Lexi gave herself a mental head slap. It wasn’t like her to overdramatise situations. Still … ‘I have to say you’re making me feel distinctly nervous.’
His eyes found hers again and a jolt of something other than fear shimmied through her. ‘I am Leo Aleksandrov.’ His tone told her she should recognise who he was but she didn’t. Her life was far too busy to read gossip magazines.
‘I can tell that’s supposed to mean something to me, but I’m sorry, it doesn’t.’
He shrugged. His first human movement. ‘That is of no consequence to me. Now, please—’ he inclined his head in what Lexi imagined was supposed to be a demonstration of politeness but just came across as an incredibly superior gesture ‘—I am short on time.’
She frowned. ‘What is your relationship to Ty Weston?’
‘Not your concern,’ he said, his nostrils flaring slightly as if the question was beneath him.
‘Actually, it’s very much my concern—’ Lexi barely controlled her growing annoyance ‘—if you’re serious about taking him with you.’
‘Did I not say I was short on time?’
Lexi’s eyebrows hit her hairline at his condescending tone. Just who did this guy think he was? ‘And did I not say I required more information from you? We don’t usually allow the children in our care to just go off with anyone who happens in off the street. There are procedures to follow. Forms to sign.’
He looked as if he hadn’t considered that. Then his eyes raked over her again and Lexi wished she was still wearing her professional suit from earlier. ‘I’d like to speak to the manager.’
She smiled, never more pleased at being able to utter her next words. ‘I am the manager.’
He stared at her and Lexi couldn’t drag her eyes from his intense blue eyes.
‘I apologise,’ he said finally, a mocking lilt in his voice that suggested otherwise. ‘It seems we are at loggerheads, Ms Somers—’
‘Miss.’
Now why had she said that? She preferred Ms!
‘Miss Somers,’ he intoned. ‘And while I appreciate your concern for Ty Weston’s welfare, I have permission from the boy’s mother to collect him this evening as she is apparently out of town.’
Lexi frowned at his use of the word ‘apparently.’ ‘I’m sorry, but it doesn’t seem as if she has informed the centre of this change. Do you have proof of this permission?’
He paused and his mouth quirked slightly upwards. ‘Alas, I left it back in my office.’
Lexi nodded, not at all convinced by what he was saying.
‘Well, alas, Mr—’ Damn, what was his last name again? ‘—you’ll just have to come back when you have your proof.’ She stood up. ‘Now, if you’ll excuse me—’
‘You’re dismissing me!’ The shocked outrage on his ruggedly handsome face would have made her laugh any other time but right now butterflies were tap dancing in her stomach and making her feel strange.
‘Yes, I do believe I am.’
He planted his hands on top of the paperwork on her desk and leaned towards her. ‘Listen, Miss Somers, I’ve had just about as much as I can take of your obstinacy.’
‘My obstinacy?’ Lexi leaned back in her chair and tried to stare him down. Which wasn’t easy. In his anger his eyes had taken on a cold precision that could cut through lead. ‘That’s rich.’
Maybe she should call the police.
Some of her nervousness must have shown because his eyes narrowed. ‘I can assure you this is all completely above-board.’
‘Then you won’t mind if I contact Amanda.’
He straightened up and pulled at his cuffs. ‘Please do. And if you get through pass the phone this way.’
Frowning even harder Lexi collected Ty’s file from the corner cabinet, conscious of his eyes on her the whole time. Ignoring him she returned to her seat and dialled Amanda Weston’s mobile number.
After a minute the phone clicked over onto voicemail and Lexi left a brief message asking her to call and hung up.
‘She’s not available,’ she said a little unnecessarily, given he had heard her message.
The man, Leo Alek-someone, didn’t seem surprised.
Just then another parent arrived at the gate to be buzzed into the centre and Lexi rose to her feet. ‘If you’ll excuse me, I need to attend to someone else and while I do I’ll double check with my colleagues as to whether Amanda passed on a message about you.’
She headed towards the door and felt his body move infinitesimally, as if he planned to follow her.
‘I wouldn’t,’ she warned him coolly, heart pounding a mile a minute. ‘We have panic buttons carefully placed throughout the centre and if you follow me I’ll set one off.’
He stared at her for a long moment and then smiled.
Lexi’s breath caught at the dazzling effect of that smile. Then it turned lazy as he noted her reaction. ‘You’re bluffing, Miss Somers.’
Yes, she was. They had one panic button in the centre and she had no doubt he’d be on her before she could even instruct someone to activate it.
‘Follow me and find out,’ she dared, wondering at the husky challenge in her voice. Something about this man’s inherent sense of authority, that came with being super rich, or super famous, rubbed her up the wrong way.
He cocked his head, his eyes running over her as if she was a delicacy he wouldn’t mind nibbling. Heat constricted her throat and when his gaze dropped to her chest her breasts seemed to expand and tighten in a completely visceral response that was as shocking as it was unexpected.
His eyes, no longer icy, met hers and lust, the like she had never experienced before, exploded deep in her belly as she registered the inherent interest he didn’t have the good manners to hide. ‘Don’t be long.’
Don’t be … Lexi stalked out of the room.
Had she ever met a ruder, more charismatic man in her life?
CHAPTER TWO
LEO watched the petite brunette sweep out of her office as if the hounds of hell were after her, her ponytail bobbing behind her head like an overwound pendulum.
Run, angel, run.
He smiled to himself, unable to take his eyes off her trim figure.
He shouldn’t have goaded her like that but he couldn’t resist the way her exotic golden eyes had sparkled at him crossly and the way her creamy skin had flushed pink.
She’d had the strangest effect on him the minute she’d come striding through the door like some field marshal about to do battle. Her heart-shaped face tipped at an angle that said she could easily take on Alexander the Great and win.
Okay, maybe it wasn’t the strangest effect. Maybe it was a purely sexual one, but it had hit him from left field because she wasn’t his usual type. Too uptight—despite the Snow White attire—and too small. Delicate even. Her waist appearing so slender he could wrap his hands around her without any trouble at all. He liked his women a little taller, a little more sophisticated and a lot more accommodating.
He cupped his hands behind his head and spied the contents of her desk. Papers, brightly coloured pens, cotton dolls and a computer keyboard, all neatly arranged. Soft pink curtains hung from the single window and various child related paraphernalia lined the walls.
And some New-Agey smell had got up his nose and he had yet to locate the source. He wondered how Lexi Somers smelled and whether her neat figure would live up to the promise outlined in her prim blouse and red skirt. Then he told himself to quit it—he wasn’t here for that.
Only his mind had already conjured up a pleasurable image of the hint of puckered nipples beneath the lacy bra she wore and his mouth watered as he wondered at their colour. Their taste. He’d noticed her response to his perusal of her body earlier and as much as she might be trying to appear cool and calm—he could tell she was a fireball of nerves inside.
What would she be like in bed? Coolly efficient, or hot and abandoned?
The thought hadn’t fully formed in his mind before the annoying bell over her office door tinkled. His senses stood to attention at the sound of her determined footsteps crossing the linoleum flooring in shoes more befitting a party-girl than a childcare manager. And what was up with that? Clearly she was a woman who played on her sexuality.
Definitely hot and abandoned, he decided, and unconsciously breathed deep as she skirted past him. Just the hint of vanilla and … musk? Seductive, whatever it was, he thought, slightly bemused at his one-track mind.
‘I’m sorry you’ve wasted your time, Mr …’
