“Do you know what I want?” Leonardo asked in a lowered voice, taking a step toward her. She didn’t move, afraid if she did her legs wouldn’t support her. “I want you to stay.” He took another step forward, and now he was standing directly in front of her, looking down at her, all six feet three inches of magnificent male. “I want to put my fingers between your thighs and see if you’re already moist for me.”
She wished he wouldn’t say such things. It made her nipples perk up and chafe against the robe.
“It’s over,” she insisted with difficulty.
“No, it’s not. I set the terms.”
Her knees almost buckled when she took two steps back. He took two forward. Seconds later, one hair-sprinkled arm whipped out and grasped the nape of her neck. His head descended toward hers, and his tongue plundered its way into the warm recesses of her mouth.
She held back for as long as she could, fisting her hands against his chest in the closest act to rebellion she could muster, even while her lips clung to his like a lifeline. His large hand easily pushed aside the robe to uncover the curly hairs between her hips. He’d barely touched her, but she was spreading her legs to accommodate him.
“Just as I suspected,” he murmured hoarsely when he discovered the evidence of her desire. He stroked across her damp, swollen flesh, lighting a fire deep within her that threatened to burn out of control. She sank her teeth into the flesh of her inner lip to resist the urge to moan aloud. “What are we going to do about this now?”
Alexa sunk her nails into his wide shoulders. “Stop torturing me.”
His grin was one of satisfaction. “Whatever you want.”
Lifting Alexa up into his arms, Leonardo exited the office, and they were through the doors of the bedroom so fast he must have taken the stairs two at a time. They disrobed quickly, kissing and nipping at each other as each inch of flesh was exposed.
But Leonardo had plans for her. He lifted the belt of the silk robe from the floor and held it aloft for her to see. “I want to make sure you don’t go anywhere.”
As if she would leave now, knowing what was so close. Anticipation licked at her spine, and heat warmed her inner thighs when Leonardo bound each wrist to the cool iron bars of the bed. He was focused, resolute, testing each knot before he began his attack.
Everywhere his hands went, his mouth followed: across her swollen breasts, skimming the sensitive flesh of her abdomen, lingering at the damp juncture between her thighs. Tied as she was to the bed, she could do nothing except accept the invasive thrust of his tongue and fingers between her legs.
His assault on her was merciless, but all she could do was whimper and writhe against him, because he refused to untie her. Her begging was in vain. She tugged on the belt, but it was an exercise in futility. He would keep her there as long as he wanted, and she wouldn’t be released until he was finished.
Chapter Eight
Later in the day, after dusk fell on the city, Leonardo stood bare-chested and barefoot on the balcony outside the bedroom. He’d slipped back into his jeans after easing out of bed so as not to disturb Alexa, who was fast asleep.
They’d made love several times and then fallen into exhausted sleep. Upon awakening, he’d requested a late lunch be brought up to their room, and then they’d drifted into sleep again.
He stared, unseeing, into the pool of water below him. He still craved her. She was like a drug—the only drug that could assuage the painful throbbing in his groin.
The last thing he ever expected was that she would call his bluff about Xander. When he set his plan in motion, he knew he was taking a risk. It was quite possible she and Xander could have found someone else to help them, but he betted against the odds. What did he have to lose? If Plan A didn’t work, then he would simply have to create a Plan B.
It worked, but not for long. She was furious now she knew he influenced the decision to demand the full amount of the loan. His plan had backfired, and it was rare Leonardo found himself in a predicament where all the loose ends didn’t tie up neatly. Yet here he was.
There was only one way to handle this, but he was concerned about the response he would get. Deep down, Leonardo knew the right thing to do was to allow her the option to go. Even though they made love as if they could never get enough of each other, that wasn’t enough, either. She had to want to stay.
If she didn’t want to stay, he would have no choice but to let her go—again. He shut his eyes as the worst pain he could ever imagine suffused him.
* * * *
For the second time that day, Alexa awoke to find herself alone in bed. Only this time, the person she searched for was standing at the foot of the bed, watching her. When her eyes met his, however, his face became shuttered, as if he quickly rearranged his features to hide something.
“Did you get enough sleep?” Leonardo asked.
The darkening day amplified the husky intimacy of his voice. He was breathtaking in just his jeans. The silken hairs on his chest arrowed down below his waistband, toward the part of his body she’d thoroughly enjoyed three times today.
Alexa nodded and then swallowed. Despite looking irresistible, she couldn’t miss that he also appeared very somber. He must have something very serious weighing on his mind.
“We need to talk about us,” Leonardo said.
Alexa sat up slowly, tucking the sheet under her arms. She ran her fingers over her rumpled hair. He had her undivided attention, and hope leapt in her chest. “What about us?”
“We can’t continue like this. Every time we fight, we end up in bed.”
Alexa cleared her throat. “And whose fault is that?”
“I would have to say both our faults, since you don’t give any indication you want me to stop. Unless I’ve misread the signs?”
He knew good and well he hadn’t misread the signs. She was an enthusiastic participant.
“No, you haven’t,” she admitted.
Leonardo nodded before continuing. “We don’t resolve our problems. We need to address them head-on.”
Alexa held her tongue. She didn’t want to comment until she understood his direction. Did he think they needed marriage counseling, maybe? Whatever it took to get them back on track, she was willing. If salvaging their marriage was a priority for him, it certainly was for her.
“We haven’t addressed our problems,” he continued, “and of course, I’ve been somewhat of a bully. Therefore, I’ve decided to change the terms of our arrangement. You may leave. I have no right to keep you here.”
“What are you saying?” She spoke so lowly she could barely hear herself. It was a wonder he even heard her. Rubber band-like tension squeezed her heart relentlessly, making it difficult to think. Her brain was frozen, in shock. Hours before he’d insisted she could not leave until he was ready, until the terms of their arrangement were concluded. Now, he was more or less kicking her out.
His jaw tensed noticeably. “I’m saying you’re free to go—if that’s what you want.”
Free to go. That had been what she wanted, but now… Now she was calmer, she was back to wanting to stay.
“What about Xander and the…money?” Alexa couldn’t look at him anymore. Her gaze settled on the cream-colored sheets, and she began to pluck at nonexistent loose threads. She couldn’t bear for him to see the pain in her eyes.
“The money is his.”
There it was. She no longer could use the excuse that he’d forced her to come here, because it was an excuse. Even though consciously she rebelled against the idea of returning as Leonardo’s wife, she now had to admit that on a subconscious level, she’d missed him, their lovemaking, and their friends, and her life hadn’t been the same. Without him, her life was empty, barren. Now he was relegating her back to that paltry existence, and just the thought of it made her want to sob out loud.
Alexa lifted her gaze to his, but she couldn’t read his expression. His stoic face didn’t indicate what he was thinking at all. Did he still want he
r in his life? Not just as a lover, but in her role as partner and mother of his children? If only she could see some softening in him, anything to give her a hint in which direction to go. If she only knew whether or not he wanted her to stay, or was telling her she was free to go his way of politely getting rid of her?
“Well, then,” she said, forcing herself to sound upbeat and trying to act as if her heart weren’t breaking. “That’s good news.” If she weren’t careful, she would start blubbering like an idiot. Remain calm. “I could leave tonight.” Or never.
“That won’t be necessary, but of course, the choice is yours. We can move as quickly as you like.”
He was still as cool as a cucumber. She was as hopeless in her efforts to read his expression as she was in reading Portuguese.
“I’ll leave tonight.”
There was no other choice. She couldn’t stay in one of the guest rooms, pining away for him. She was worried she would find herself back in their suite, pleading with him to find a way to work things out. She couldn’t remain here, in the room with him, because it would be too difficult, and if he touched her and made love to her again, it would make leaving in the morning even more difficult. Her only choice was to leave tonight so she could run back to her small condo and weep in private.
He didn’t respond to her statement. Instead, he turned away from her and unzipped his jeans.
“I’m going for a swim.”
It wasn’t unusual for Leonardo to go for a swim in the nude because of the privacy afforded by the private courtyard. Nonetheless, it was jarring to watch the jeans lower down his bronze, muscular thighs and expose his taut buttocks. She took a mental photograph of his magnificent body as he exited the door, because she realized that would be the last time she ever saw him naked. Perhaps the last time she ever saw him, period.
That last thought was too much. The tears erupted out of her like an uncontrolled geyser, flooding her cheeks and seeping through the fingers covering her face. She sobbed for several minutes before finally rushing into the bathroom and locking the door. She couldn’t risk him seeing her like this. It would be too humiliating.
Everything she’d been feeling over the past four months, and even the months before that, burst out. All her insecurities. All her feelings of neglect when he seemed to want to spend more time working than he did with her. All her fears of starting a family and not having him as a willing co-parent in the life of their children. She couldn’t stop the tears. The dam had burst, and since she couldn’t stem the flood of tears once they were unleashed, she leaned against the wall, sobbing until they stopped on their own.
* * * *
The motion lights on the ground floor shone their light onto the pool area. Leonardo’s sinewy muscles glistened as he torpedoed through the water, doing his best to burn off the pain of Alexa’s rejection. She couldn’t have been clearer that she wanted out of their marriage. She became giddy at the prospect. To insist on leaving tonight was proof that no matter what had transpired between them over the past couple of days, she couldn’t stand to be there a minute longer than was necessary.
He’d suspected what her answer would be. Yet, to watch her transform so immediately, it was a crushing blow. She couldn’t wait to get away from him.
Levering himself out of the pool, Leonardo swept his wet hair back from his face.
It couldn’t end like this. She had loved him once. He’d never heard her say the words, but he was sure of it. He could see it in the way her brown eyes used to light up when he approached. Surely they could work on their marriage and find something that was still worth salvaging.
Leonardo made it up the stairs in record time, but when he entered the bedroom, the familiar heavy quiet that was over the room made his heart beat faster than the laps he had swum.
“Alexa!” he called.
Like a madman, he pushed open the door to her closet. The lights were turned off. He looked over toward the bathroom. The door was cracked, and he could see the light was on in there. Maybe she hadn’t heard him. He rushed over to the door, but he knew the truth before he pushed it open so hard it slammed against the wall with the force of a storm gale.
“Alexa!” Her name was torn from his throat and reverberated in the empty bathroom.
Two platinum rings jeered at him from the counter.
She was gone.
Chapter Nine
The first few days after Alexa left, she’d secretly hoped Leonardo would come after her. She clearly hadn’t learned her lesson from the first time. He didn’t come. He didn’t call.
She didn’t tell Xander right away that she and Leonardo were no longer together. She couldn’t face her brother, but he soon found out what had taken place. The Monday after her weekend with Leonardo, Xander showed up at the mansion with a large cake and some smaller, specially made desserts. Congratulations and Thank You the cake read, serving the dual purpose of recognizing they were back together and showing his appreciation for the money Leonardo had given him.
When he arrived at her doorstep forty-five minutes later, she fell apart and let him comfort her as she sobbed out an explanation of how nothing had changed and she and Leonardo were no longer going to be together. She carefully skated over Xander’s innocent role in the argument that ultimately forced them apart again.
* * * *
Five months after her second departure from the mansion, Alexa stood in the ballroom of the Royale Hotel in Atlanta. Tonight was a fundraiser for Second Chance Closet, and she had arrived early to ensure the final details were handled and everything went off without a hitch.
The huge room was still empty except for the local jazz band setting up onstage and the servers making last-minute touches to the room. The musicians were friends of her brother’s, and Alexa appreciated the generosity of them volunteering their time and talent.
She felt the butterflies resurface in her stomach as she looked around for the event planner, Clarissa Beauchamp. Alexa had met and been impressed by Clarissa’s efficiency when she’d attended a party at the hotel with Leonardo two years ago.
Just then, she saw the dark-skinned woman enter from a door near the back of the room. When she saw her, the tension she’d been harboring left her body.
Clarissa hurried over, wearing a pair of ballerina flats that Alexa knew she would exchange for pumps once the festivities were underway.
“Everything’s fine,” Clarissa said, giving Alexa a big smile and reassuring hug. She was petite and spoke in a soft, but firm tone, her Caribbean accent giving a melodic quality to her voice. She directed a smile over Alexa’s shoulder to Xander, who had just walked in, looking handsome in a charcoal gray suit. Xander slipped his arm around his sister, and she leaned into him. “The food is ready, and the band’s setting up,” Clarissa continued.
The hotel had made an exception and allowed Xander’s bakery to donate the dessert for the event. It hadn’t been easy, but somehow Clarissa managed to convince them to do it. Alexa was very grateful because it not only cut down on costs, but it would give Xander’s business exposure, as well.
“You’ve done such an exceptional job,” Alexa said. “The room looks great.”
Her eyes swept over the round tables of six. Each one held a small floral centerpiece and place cards for the invitees. There was a microphone and stand on the floor below the stage.
Grinning from ear to ear, Clarissa motioned with her hand and led Alexa and Xander to a table at the front.
“This is where you’ll be seated with Edna and the volunteers from Second Chance Closet.” Clarissa twisted her wrist to look at her watch again. “I’m going to the back to make sure we’re still on schedule. If you need anything—anything at all—just tell one of the servers, and they’ll find me, okay?”
“I will, but I’m not worried. I know I can be a bit anal, but I trust you, and I know the evening will go well.”
“Well, you shouldn’t be concerning yourself with trivialities anyway. You don’t want all tha
t negative energy going into the baby.”
Alexa nodded her agreement. She slid her hand slowly over her five-months belly, which protruded just below the Empire waist of the black evening gown.
Two months after leaving Leonardo, she found out she was pregnant. It had been a shock because she was still on the Pill. However, her doctor reminded her the Pill was 99.9 percent effective when taken correctly, and she happened to fall into the very rare smaller percentage this time.
After Clarissa walked away, Alexa turned to Xander, who was now seated at the table, his ankle resting on his knee.
“Let Clarissa do her job,” he said. “She’s good at what she does, and that way you can relax.”
“I will, but you know how I get. I can’t help myself.” She sat down next to him.
“How are you holding up?” Xander asked, concern in his soft brown eyes.
Alexa glanced away. Whenever he looked at her like that, she would get choked up. “I’m a grown woman. You should stop worrying about me.”
“You’re my sister. Just like you worry about me, I worry about you.”
She reached for his hand on the table. “I’m healthy. My baby is healthy. My charity is successful. What more could I ask for?”
Xander shook his head, signifying his disapproval. “Come on, Lexie. This is me. You shouldn’t do this on your own. It’s not right, and it’s not fair to Leo.”
“I’m not doing it on my own.” She withdrew from him. This conversation was a repeat of one they’d had several times since she found out about her pregnancy.
“Yes, you are!” He leaned forward. “You haven’t even told him you’re pregnant. I couldn’t imagine what that would feel like to find out my wife was pregnant and she didn’t tell me.”
“Your relationship is different.”
“How?”
“You two love each other. Leo and I… Leo doesn’t love me.” When he looked about to argue, she rushed on. “I know I have to tell him, and I will. I promise you, I won’t keep it from him indefinitely.”
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