The Best Of The Year - Modern Romance 2016

In actual fact Alexa had packed a bikini. There was a rooftop pool at the hotel, and she had intended to make use of it during the day when she wasn’t out and about busying herself. She hadn’t banked on parading in it in front of Theo, and she certainly, even in her wildest nightmares, hadn’t envisaged staying at a private house, where she would be expected to hang around a pool with the rest of the guests in nothing but a sheer sarong and the bikini.

‘Before we head to Bob’s place we can fit in a whirlwind shop in Manhattan...’

‘We...?’

‘I can’t say that shopping with a woman is something I ever do, but I’m willing to make an exception...’

‘That’s very considerate of you, Theo, but I’ll manage just fine with what I’ve brought with me.’

Thank heavens for the two big books. She anticipated doing a lot of reading. Although she wouldn’t be able to hide away—not when there would be other people around whose mission it was to entertain the newly engaged couple.

‘I think I’m going to get some sleep now.’ She pointedly turned away and nestled herself into a suitably dormant position, although her mind was still all over the place.

She didn’t want to think about it. What was the point?

‘Don’t wake me for food,’ she muttered, turning her head, and Theo, who had already extracted his laptop from his case, grinned at her.

‘Are you sulking?’

‘I don’t like plane food.’

‘It will be far more relaxing at a house...away from the noise and chaos of the city...’

Alexa didn’t bother to answer, because she just knew that he was having a laugh at her expense. Instead she snatched the airline blanket and covered herself as much as she could without ducking under it completely.

Relaxing? How much ‘relaxing’ did a mouse do in a lion’s den?

But she was far more tired than she had thought. She had had a sleepless night... The low thrum of the plane’s engine, the dimming of the cabin lights...

She fell asleep for the duration of the seven-hour flight and was pleasantly surprised to be shaken awake when the sign flashed on for seat belts to be fastened.

Her mouth was dry, her hair had rebelled against its restraining braid and was a tousled mess, and she knew that her skin would look as rumpled as the rest of her did.

Too bad.

‘Somehow,’ Theo greeted her as she struggled into an upright position and stifled a yawn, ‘we got lost in conversation about our change of plan and I forgot to give you my little present...’

The man looked unfairly bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Had he worked solidly for the entire flight? Alexa hoped that she hadn’t flopped against him accidentally, or snored or dribbled, and she hastily undid her plait and sifted her fingers through her hair in an attempt to get it looking a little less like a bird’s nest.

‘I’m not sure I can deal with any more surprises,’ she told him truthfully.

Her nostrils flared as she breathed in his woody aftershave, and when she glanced down she was momentarily mesmerised by the dark sprinkling of hair on his forearm. She could see the strength of muscle and sinew when he flexed his fingers, and she wondered...

Appalled, she tore her eyes away to find him holding a box out to her. He flipped open the lid and there, nestled in a bed of dark blue velvet, was an engagement ring. Not the engagement ring, which was currently being altered, but a smaller version.

Alexa had privately thought the original one was a bit on the gaudy side, but she loved the tiny diamond twinkling up at her from this one.

He didn’t give her time to protest. Instead he simply stuck the ring on her finger and then looked at it with satisfaction. ‘That will do,’ he said, holding her finger between his and examining it.

‘What on earth is this for?’

‘Something to wear until the one you chose at the jeweller’s is returned.’

‘Why do I have to wear something in the meanwhile?’ She furtively looked at her finger. It was weird, but this much smaller, less conspicuous ring actually made her feel more engaged.

‘Humour me. I’m a traditionalist. I like the world knowing that you’re my woman...’

Their eyes tangled and he smiled slowly.

Laughing at her again! Yet Alexa couldn’t halt the liquid heat pooling between her legs or the tight pinch of her nipples scraping against her lacy bra. She couldn’t ignore the effect that low, husky, amused voice had on her weak, weak body.

Her breath caught in her throat and she turned away quickly, hoping that those shrewd, knowing eyes wouldn’t gauge her spontaneous reaction.

Thankfully, the plane was descending. She would focus on that, and on checking her bag—which she hadn’t opened at all, so there was absolutely no point in making sure that everything was correct and present. But it was a distraction.

They weren’t going to be driven to the Hamptons. Instead they would be whooshed there by helicopter, because Bob had extensive gardens—big enough for several helicopters to land and take off, it would seem.

Theo told her all this as they were whisked through Immigration and on to where they could collect their bags.

‘I really was looking forward to going to all the art galleries,’ Alexa returned wistfully as they were transported like royalty to where the helicopter was waiting for them.

It was hot and sunny and a perfect day for sightseeing.

‘Something can be arranged, I’m sure, if you’re really desperate. Felicity would probably love to accompany you. If my memory serves me right, she’s into that sort of thing... I shall be preoccupied during the day, at any rate...’

Alexa shuddered at the prospect of trekking down to Manhattan in the company of someone else. Strolling through art galleries had always been a pleasurable thing to do on her own—a time for quiet reflection and a bit of peace and quiet.

‘How many people are going to be there?’ she asked, gazing idly around her as the stretch limo removed them from the main airport,

‘A handful.’ His phone buzzed and he picked up the call and remained talking, only cutting short his conversation when their helicopter was within sight.

‘Work,’ he said crisply.

‘Is that all you ever think about?’ Alexa asked, eyeing the helicopter with trepidation. She had been on a helicopter twice in her life and had hated both experiences.

‘Not all...’

There was a small, knowing smile on his lips and she shook her head with exasperation.

‘Work and flings, then...’

Theo burst out laughing and made a big show of stepping back and helping her into the helicopter. He exchanged a few pleasantries with their pilot and then turned to her, the smile still lingering on his lips.

‘Don’t knock a good fling. Flings can be very satisfying—as I’m sure you’ve discovered for yourself, considering you’ve never married...’

‘I can’t see anything satisfying in meaningless sex!’ Alexa had to half shout as the scream of the rotor blades threatened to drown out conversation.

‘I prefer to call it no strings sex. And what about fun?’ Theo prompted. ‘Or is that something you disapprove of? Along with kicking back?’

‘I just think it must get very boring after a while,’ she bristled.

‘In which case your “meaningless sex” can’t have been very exciting.’

Alexa ignored that. Did he think that she spent her time hopping in and out of bed with random men? Hadn’t he seen for himself that she wasn’t like that? She didn’t know whether to be relieved or insulted at his one-track mind, but she did know that it was hardly surprising, because he was simply judging her according to his own standards.

He had no problem disengaging his emotions from the act of sexual intercourse. For him it was no more meaningful than a physical workout at the gym. And his relationships, if they could be called that, probably didn’t last much longer.

Thankfully, she had never been like that—which was some consolation considering she fancied the man.

At least she knew where her priorities were, and would never allow the physical to take over.

She didn’t reply to his provocative statement. Instead she stared down at the wispy clouds and thought that in a week’s time all of this would be over—and thank goodness for that.

CHAPTER SEVEN

ALEXA HAD NO time to let panic get a grip because the helicopter ride was over practically before it had begun, and then it was buzzing and lowering itself down to a section of lawn which had been converted into a neat helipad.

She had no idea what to expect, but she did know that if Theo had referred to his friend’s house as ‘a mansion’, then it was going to be pretty spectacular—and it was.

She had seen there was a pool from above—a rectangle of pristine bright blue—but the view of the top of the house didn’t do justice to its splendour, which only became apparent as they were transported in something resembling a motorised golf buggy to the curving courtyard.

On either side of the drive immaculate lawns stretched towards hedgerows that had been clipped with razor-sharp precision, high enough to ensure perfect privacy. The house was fronted by a series of striking columns that threw the sprawling veranda at the front into cool shade. On the first floor a similar veranda mimicked the one below, but circled the entire house, providing a massive outdoor deck space on which she could spot clusters of shaded furniture. The top floor was more modest, sheltered by an overhanging terracotta roof, and at the four corners of the house massive chimneys advertised indoor fireplaces.

‘Huge...’ Alexa was duly impressed, even though she was accustomed to grand houses. ‘How many people live here?’

‘Four, once upon a time. Now just two, because both kids have left home. As you might gather, they’re not my contemporaries. I met them a long time ago, when my father was involved in lending Bob cash to fund his dream of building a golf and country club. The golf and country club is now one of the most frequented by top professional golfers, and he’s dabbled in a series of other successful ventures since those heady days.’

‘You must have been very young at the time.’

Theo looked down at her and grinned. ‘I challenged Bob to a game of golf and whipped him. Since then we’ve been firm friends...’

‘That’s something else you do,’ she couldn’t resist murmuring.

‘Come again?’

‘By way of relaxing... You play golf.’

‘Would you like to know which form of relaxation I prefer?’

‘No, I wouldn’t!’

‘You’re so predictable in your responses...’

Suddenly he pulled her towards him and tucked her against his body—and, sure enough, waiting in the open doorway was a small blonde woman in her fifties, her face wreathed with smiles.

‘Bob never thought you’d do it, you great big lug! But I knew that a woman would come along and sweep you off your feet! I’m Felicity, by the way, and you have to excuse my shrieking like a crazy person but we were just so darned surprised when we heard that our favourite boy in the whole wide world was finally going to settle down!’

In between speaking at rapid-fire speed and introducing herself Felicity managed to plant a friendly kiss on both their cheeks while hustling them into the house and calling out for ‘Stanley’ to take their bags up.

Alexa had no time to say any of the usual polite things about the house or about their trip or about anything at all.

‘Like it or not, you’re gonna tell all! Bob! Bob’s in the middle of one those darned conference calls!’

This to Alexa, with a woman-to-woman wink.

‘You make sure when you’ve got a ring on this guy’s finger that you ban all conference calls! And make sure he doesn’t take up golf! I’ve had to start taking lessons or else lose that lug of a husband of mine to fairways and putting greens!’

No concessions were made to the fact that they had been travelling for several hours. Felicity dragged them through the house at breakneck speed, towards a massive kitchen which was the last word in high-tech. Glossy white built-in cupboards concealed everything, and the gleaming marble countertops were bare of all but the essentials. She led them on towards some comfortable seating in a conservatory that overlooked the manicured lawns, and once they were seated offered tall glasses of homemade lemonade whilst promising them that they could ‘go freshen up’ just as soon as they’d spilled the beans.

‘I’ve got to grab you two kids before the house becomes a hotbed for dull businessmen!’ She settled comfortably into one of the chairs and peered at them with lively curiosity.

Alexa could see fine laughter lines around her eyes and mouth. This was a warm, giving woman who loved to laugh and have fun. That was apparent in the way she spoke and the way she punctuated everything she said with a little breathless laugh.

‘So, what does it feel like to be in love?’ She directed the question to Theo, but her twinkling eyes darted between both of them. She was obviously delighted at their engagement.

Next to her, Theo still had his arm around her shoulders and it took a lot of effort not to shuffle a few inches away. Now that she had faced up to her inconvenient attraction Alexa was finding it impossible to keep her body’s responses under control.

‘A refreshing change,’ he said.

Alexa kept her smile pinned to her face and tried to wax lyrical when Felicity looked at her for more of a gushy explanation. ‘Wonderful!’ she chirped. ‘We never thought in a million years that...er...when we met we would end up...well...’

‘In the throes of heady love? Is that what you were going to say, my darling?’

Felicity needed no more encouragement to launch into an impassioned speech about the wonders of love, after which she quizzed Alexa about her family, about what she did, expressing earnest approval of her volunteer work. Everything was interspersed with smug, smiling nods that said Theo had indeed found the perfect woman.

At that point Bob appeared, and there were more introductions and an excited synopsis of everything that had been said in his absence.

These were Theo’s good friends and, looking at their interaction, Alexa could see a side of him that had not been in evidence before. He was warm, thoughtful, interested...and utterly, utterly charming. He had ensured that their daughter in Australia was introduced to a social network, thanks to his brother. He had personally chaperoned their youngest daughter when she had travelled to Europe as a sixteen-year-old, making sure that the family to whom she had been sent on an exchange visit was vetted and ticked all the boxes.

She had a new picture of him, and it wasn’t the sarcastic, ruthless guy who provoked her and rubbed her up the wrong way.

‘I feel like I’ve been tossed into a cyclone,’ she said, when they finally left their hosts to prepare a barbecue for later.

Theo grinned. ‘They like you. And you’ll get used to their high-octane energy.’

Ahead of them Stanley, one of the staff, had disappeared along the corridor. The house seemed bigger on the inside than it did on the outside, and it was furnished in a beautifully airy, plantation style. The paintings on the walls were bright and eclectic, and the marble flooring on the ground floor gave way to rich, deep wood on the first floor.

She was so preoccupied with admiring the rooms they passed that she only realised that they had arrived at a bedroom when she noticed Stanley disappearing back towards the stairs, and then, as she entered, she looked around her with mounting panic.

‘It’s a bedroom,’ she said in a high voice.

Theo had strolled towards the window, and now he turned to look at her for a few seconds, before moving to quietly close the door behind them. ‘Well observed.’

‘I’m not sharing a bedroom with you.’

Had it crossed her mind that they would be put in the same room? If it had, then the thought hadn’t registered long enough to take root. She had glibly assumed that they would be housed in separate rooms... The place must have dozens of rooms, for heaven’s sake!

‘That is exactly what you’ll be doing,’ Theo told her, his voice hard.

He stood in front of her, an implacable rock, until she had no choice but to look up at him.

‘Furthermore, you’re going to compliment Felicity on the room and tell her how fantastic it is being here instead of in a boring, impersonal hotel in Manhattan. Bob and Felicity have bent over backwards to have us here and you’re going to be suitably grateful.’

‘I’m not sharing a bed with you,’ Alexa said, stubbornly holding her ground.

Just thinking about that made the hairs on her hand stand on end. She could imagine his big, muscular body rolling accidentally against hers in the middle of the night and she cringed. She didn’t care whether he fancied her or not. She didn’t care that she wasn’t his type. She cared about the fact that she would combust if they were in the same bed together.

And furthermore... Did he even sleep with anything on? He didn’t strike her as the flannel pyjamas type...

Theo eyed the chaise longue by the window. ‘Fine. In that case the chaise longue is all yours... I’m way too big for that thing.’

‘A gentleman would offer to sleep on the floor,’ Alexa gritted through pearly white teeth.

‘Considering you’ve already written me off as not being one of those, it’s fair to say that I won’t be sleeping on the floor. However, you’re more than welcome to make your bed down there if you like. Now, I’m going to have a shower.’

For a few seconds Alexa remained staring at him in sheer, angry frustration—until it dawned on her that he was beginning to take his clothes off, at which point every nerve in her body was galvanised into horrified action and she spun round to speak with her back to him.

‘Do you mind getting undressed in the bathroom?’ she hissed, and she heard his throaty chuckle in response.

‘Why? Don’t tell me that you’ve never seen a man’s naked body before?’

Alexa seethed. ‘I won’t even bother to answer that!’

Not only did he continue chuckling, he actually whistled as he disappeared into the bathroom, thankfully closing the door behind him and giving her time to unpack her clothes at the speed of light.

He emerged ten minutes later, a towel casually wrapped round his waist.

Alexa, about to reach for her bundle of clothing, was frozen to the spot. Background noises faded and all she could hear was the frantic thud of her heartbeat.

The man was...spectacular.

Bronzed, muscled, broad-shouldered. Not an ounce of body fat. He was utterly, utterly perfect and she could feel her skin prickle with heat. It was as if something alien and unfamiliar had invaded every nook and cranny of her body.

‘I’m going to have a bath now!’ Her voice was high-pitched and she cleared her throat. ‘I’ll meet you downstairs.’

‘Oh, I think it would far more fitting if we were to head down together. Hand in hand.’

Right now his hand was reaching to hook the edge of the towel and she fled, slamming and locking the bathroom door behind her.

She barely noticed the over-the-top luxury of the marble bathroom suite, or the little touches that had been given to make it welcoming. The fragrant pot-pourri, the fluffy white towels, the dinky soaps and shampoos...

She couldn’t concentrate on anything but the fact that Theo was in the next room...probably strolling around in his birthday suit while he decided what to wear...

She took as long a bath as was humanly possible, and then dressed and applied her make-up in the bathroom, peering into the steamed-up mirror and finally abandoning the effort because she could barely make out her reflection. Her hair she left just as it was, long and tangled, and she finally emerged with only her shoes to put on.

He was sprawled on the bed, half naked, just his trousers on, with a book casually propped on his bare stomach. He peered at her over the top of it as she walked into the room.

‘How dare you go into my bag?’

Theo inspected the book cover and grinned. ‘Shall I tell you how it ends or will that spoil the surprise?’

‘I thought you might have got dressed!’

‘I was about to put my shirt on but this gaudy book jacket grabbed my attention. Of course I figured out who did it by page four, but I thought I’d check to confirm—and, sure enough, I was right.’

He chucked the book and it landed neatly back in her bag, which was on the ground, half open.

‘Nice outfit.’ Taking his time, he slid his legs over the side of the bed and sauntered towards the wardrobe to extract a shirt. ‘The bed’s very comfortable. Shame you won’t be experiencing it. You’ll be trying to find a comfy position on the chaise longue or on the floor...’

‘You’re... You’re...’

‘Shall we head down?’

He waited by the door for her, watching as she stepped into some sandals with little wedge heels. He didn’t think she realised just how damned sexy she looked in that strappy little sundress, with her long hair tumbling all over the place. Even her scowl couldn’t detract from the picture.

Difficult, feisty, mulish and prickly as hell. Who would have thought that sexy could come in that package?

He offered his arm and Alexa stormily hooked her hand in the crook as they descended the stairs. He was as cool as the proverbial cucumber, telling her about the history of the house and the antics of the infamous gardener who had landscaped the grounds. Admittedly it was very interesting, and she was big enough to tell him so before Bob and Felicity took over the rest of the evening.

It was relaxed, and they made charming, inquisitive and interesting hosts. Bob had hundreds of amusing anecdotes about the famous golf players he had met over the years...a golf game was arranged...the barbecue was exquisite and informal and champagne flowed. Alexa was even aware that she was laughing at one point as glasses were raised to toast the couple.

But could she relax? Not a bit of it.

Every nerve in her body was stretched to breaking point because all she could think about was that room...that bed...and Theo lying with the duvet half on, half off, possibly clothed but more likely not...

She was spent by the time the evening was at an end. She liked both their hosts, and she could see that they were thrilled at what they considered a wonderful love match. If only they knew!

‘So...’ Theo flung open the bedroom door and stood aside to let her pass, then shut it behind him and lounged against it, arms folded, a slight smile curving his mouth. ‘Did you enjoy the evening?’

The confines of the bedroom and the daunting prospect of the night ahead, not to mention all the other nights ahead, slammed into her with the force of a sledgehammer.

‘I...I really did, as a matter of fact,’ Alexa replied nervously. She remained standing by the window on the opposite side of the bedroom, with the yawning space of rug-covered floor between them. ‘I had no idea what to expect of your friends, but they’re incredibly nice and hospitable...’

And that, by association, said something about the man towering in front of her. She relaxed. She had nothing to fear in sharing a bedroom with him. He’d been nothing but decent in accepting her terms and, frankly, putting up with her moods. She’d sniped and argued and fought him every inch of the way when he hadn’t been the one who had dumped her in this situation. She had used him as a scapegoat for her own frustrations and, arrogant though the man was, he had not retaliated in kind.

‘I...er...just want to apologise...’

Theo looked at her in surprise and pushed himself away from the door to kick off his shoes. He began unbuttoning his shirt and Alexa fought to stay calm and hold on to her relaxed frame of mind.

‘Apologise for what?’

‘I haven’t been the easiest person to be around...’

‘Really?’ Theo said drily. ‘I’m glad you brought that to my attention. I wouldn’t have noticed otherwise.’