by Lynne Graham
‘Just do it!’ she told him fiercely. ‘I’m not expecting rainbows and unicorns!’
‘Which is why we’re doing it my way,’ Leo countered with ferocious amusement.
With difficulty, Letty overcame a mortifying sense of being out of her depth and hating that almost as much as she loved what he was doing to her. Being in bed with Leo was one of the biggest learning experiences of her life, teaching her how much she had underestimated the power of desire to seduce. In a daze and still on the crest of an almost unbearable high of physical responsiveness, she watched Leo reach for protection and roll back to thrust his jeans out of his path with something less than the cool and control she had expected from him.
And then he came back to her with a hungry demanding urgency that taught her that, regardless of his patience, he was every bit as fiercely aroused as she was. He rearranged her with deft hands, scored an expert fingertip over the throbbing bud and triggered a breath-stealing climax that blew her away seconds before he angled his lean hips and filled her in one smooth motion. The sharp stab of pain was lost in a welter of other sensations that consumed her and within seconds he was tilting her up to drive in deeper with restrained thrusts.
He groaned something in Greek but Letty was way beyond asking him to translate, far too concentrated as she was on the eddying pulse of pleasure picking up pace with his every fluid movement. She arched up with a long gasping sigh to greet the wildly sensual and satisfying slam of his body into hers and the all-consuming excitement fired her afresh. He shifted to sink into her receptive core from another angle and grind down on her and her body ignited like oil thrown on a bonfire, tightening and burning and flying into renewed release.
Afterwards she wasn’t quite sure what planet she was on, even if she was actually present with her own body because she felt weirdly insubstantial and detached from the world. She was drained, exhausted but somehow happy in a way she had never known before. For the first time ever she didn’t feel alone, and the arms she had linked round Leo stayed in place until he pulled away, rolling off the bed to stride into the bathroom. Safe sex, she reminded herself. Of course the practicalities would disrupt the aftermath.
‘Did you catch a distant glimpse of even one tiny rainbow?’ Leo murmured huskily as he strode back to the bed.
‘The whole sky was full of them,’ Letty whispered, suddenly feeling self-conscious, which struck her as ridiculous after the intimacy they had shared. She had known Leo for only a month and already he had turned her inside out and upside down, she conceded worriedly.
Leo came down on the bed beside her again and it occurred to her that everything that had transpired between them had been entirely one-sided. Her face burned with guilt and embarrassment because she had been selfish. Sex was supposed to be a two-way activity and she had barely participated.
An unholy grin slashed his wide sensual mouth as he looked down at her. ‘I could swear I saw a unicorn,’ he teased.
And Letty shook free of her insecurities and laughed, responding to the charisma Leo emitted at every turn. Certainly, he knew how to dispel an awkward moment.
‘I’d love a rerun,’ Leo confided. ‘But I know that right now that wouldn’t be very comfortable for you.’
Hot colour washed Letty’s cheeks and she turned her face into the pillow and curled up. ‘I’m exhausted,’ she agreed ruefully because she was. Not only had it been a very long day full of stresses and strains but also her relationship with Leo had shifted into dramatically new territory and she wasn’t yet sure how she felt about that.
‘Sleep,’ Leo urged lazily.
Letty would have enjoyed a bath to relax in but that would’ve entailed getting out of bed naked and crossing the room in front of Leo and she wasn’t quite ready for that amount of exposure. He had given her a great deal of pleasure and presumably had taken pleasure in her. Or was it merely a matter of gaining sexual release for Leo? It was better not to dress harsh facts up, she told herself; it would be wiser to remain realistic.
But the knowledge that that was the sensible way to behave didn’t prevent Letty from wishing that he would close an arm around her and show her some affection and discovering that need, that craving, inside her chilled her blood. There was no point seeking more from a male who had spelt out the reality that he didn’t want or need more, that indeed a bloodless convenient marriage that included sex was the current summit of his ambitions.
At the same time, she ruminated, that prenup agreement she had signed would have to be updated and changed to reflect the major alteration that had taken place in their relationship. Letty looked forward to that. Even when she had believed that she and Leo would never have a normal marriage, it had gone against the grain to sign any document that sanctioned his infidelity. On that soothing thought of what she viewed as an innate wrong being righted, she went to sleep.
* * *
When the phone beside the bed rang in the early hours, Letty, inured to wake-up calls and early rising, answered it immediately before it could disturb Leo. It was one of the nannies. Popi had had a bad dream and was inconsolable. Letty crept out of bed and rustled in her suitcase for sensible clothes before allowing herself a last glance at Leo as he slept in a lazy sprawl that had left her sleeping on the far edge of the bed. She smiled as she hurriedly brushed her hair. Even asleep Leo looked gorgeous, a rumpled sheet barely covering his bronzed and muscular length, his black hair and his stubbled jawline very dark against the pale bedding. She brushed her teeth, regretted that she dared not waste time taking a shower and padded out of the beach house to be greeted by Darius, who looked equally tired at the wheel of the beach buggy that would take her up to the villa.
Popi had got herself really worked up and it took time to calm her, and her sobs had wakened Sybella, who curled up at the foot of the bed once Letty arrived and quietly went back to sleep. Letty rocked Popi until she had recovered enough to make herself understood and then it all came flooding out: the argument she had had with her mother the night of the accident, her fear that her bad behaviour could have somehow caused the tragedy. Letty soothed her with the truth that nothing could’ve changed events that fatal night and the assurance that her loving mother would’ve understood her daughter’s disappointment at not being allowed to accompany her parents to the hospital to collect her baby brother and bring him home for the first time.
Leo woke at dawn and sat up, surprised to find himself in an empty bed and then furious, stalking into the shower to cool off before pulling on jeans and a shirt. Letty would be with the children, he knew that, but he also knew that they needed to spend alone time as a couple and if she couldn’t even go a few hours without checking in with the kids, how were they going to get to know each other? Righteously annoyed, Leo left the beach house and found Darius seated bleary-eyed with lack of sleep on a chair on the veranda.
‘Popi had a nightmare,’ Darius told him. ‘The nanny phoned before I could advise her not to.’
‘Go to bed, Darius. You don’t need to be on call twenty-four-seven here on the island,’ Leo responded ruefully.
‘I stayed up to try and prevent you from shooting yourself in the foot,’ his oldest friend admitted ruefully.
‘And how am I going to do that?’
‘You have to share her with the kids and you’re accustomed to women who make you the centre of their world,’ Darius remarked warily.
‘There speaks the father,’ Leo quipped, for Darius had three children.
Darius stood up and grimaced. ‘Children change the dynamics of things,’ he said wryly.
Leo knew all about how the arrival of children changed life, but it still bothered him that Darius had stayed out of bed to intercept him before he confronted Letty for sneaking off before their wedding night was even over. Did he seem that intolerant? Was he, in fact, spoiled by too many women who had unquestioningly put him first? Was he suffering from wounded p
ride? After all, why was he concerned in any way? Everything had gone according to plan and the sex, the marital sex, had been superlative. Letty was also the one and only woman who had ever been his alone and he liked that; indeed he was surprised by how much he had revelled in being the first.
As Leo appeared at the door of his nieces’ bedroom, Popi held a finger to her lips, urging his silence. Letty was fast asleep on the little girl’s bed with Sybella tucked in at her back. Leo smiled and crossed the room to lift his bride gently off the bed and carry her down the corridor to his bedroom, where he settled her down on the big bed and, as an afterthought, tugged up a throw to toss over her.
Letty stirred, opening drowsy green eyes to take in his vibrant presence.
‘Go back to sleep. We’re heading out shopping later and you’ll need your energy.’
Her smooth brow furrowed. ‘Shopping?’
‘You need clothes,’ Leo reminded her.
‘I should tell you about Popi’s nightmare first.’
‘Later...’ Leo stressed. ‘She’s quite happy now.’
Letty subsided back against the pillows.
‘I also thought we could consider consulting the island doctor. You may deem it safer to take the contraceptive pill,’ Leo framed with caution.
‘Yes...that would be a good idea,’ Letty conceded, thinking that the last thing they needed was an unplanned pregnancy but that, in time, she would probably want to have her own baby. A family of five and a career and Leo into the bargain? She almost rolled her eyes at that enormous challenge. Other women coped though and so would she and she could hardly complain when she would have all the help she needed on the home front.
By that afternoon, they were walking into a designer atelier in Athens, where Leo was received like returning royalty. That started her thinking that Leo was disturbingly knowledgeable about where to buy expensive female clothing. The thought made her uncomfortable because it reminded her of her many predecessors. She swallowed hard, conceding that, for a womaniser, such familiarity went with the territory.
She was disconcerted to recognise her aunt, Elexis Livas, in conversation with a fawning assistant, a tall, voluptuous brunette by her side. The brunette instantly gave Leo her attention, throwing him a lingering look and a flirtatious smile before breaking away from Elexis to say, ‘I wasn’t expecting to see you here today, Leo. Elexis has been telling me all about the wedding.’
‘Letty...’ Leo murmured smoothly. ‘Dido Bakas... How’s the theatre run going?’
‘Brilliantly!’ Dido exclaimed, resting a hand on Leo’s sleeve with the familiarity of a lover. ‘You should try to make the show before it closes. I’d love to see you in the audience.’
Letty felt invisible. The other woman had ignored her extended hand and continued to focus solely on Leo.
‘Sadly, I’m a little too busy right now,’ Leo parried as Elexis joined them.
‘I can’t believe you’re out and about the day after the wedding,’ Elexis commented, shooting Letty an amused look as if it were a mortification for a bridegroom to be seen in public so soon after the wedding.
‘Letty doesn’t enjoy shopping, so I’m here to do it for her,’ Leo said lightly. ‘Excuse me. We have a private viewing organised and we’re running a little late.’
‘Are you sure you can’t make it to my engagement party on Saturday?’ Elexis pressed, big brown eyes pinned to Leo as though he hung the moon.
‘Unfortunately, we have a prior engagement,’ Leo countered. ‘My new nightclub is opening up in Athens on Saturday.’
Elexis looked pained. ‘But I thought that was next week.’
‘I moved it forward. Saturday is Letty’s birthday... It seemed fitting to change the date,’ Leo suggested lazily, spreading his hand across Letty’s taut spine and guiding her towards the woman waiting to welcome them.
‘How did you know it was my birthday?’ Letty whispered.
‘Marriage licence,’ Leo told her as they were ushered into a large showroom, shown to seats and offered champagne.
‘And you moved the opening date forward?’ Letty questioned in disbelief. ‘Because of my birthday?’
‘You’re my wife. It seemed appropriate, even if it did cast the organisers into a loop.’
‘And we’re attending this event together?’ Letty prompted.
‘Even I would not leave you alone to celebrate your birthday,’ Leo chided as models began to stroll out of the changing rooms behind the small catwalk and strut their stuff. It was an entertaining show, but Letty was intimidated by the height and slenderness of the models and could not picture her more ordinary self wearing such elegant, exclusive garments.
Leo, however, had no such inhibitions. He signalled the designer and indicated the outfits he preferred, seemingly impervious to the reality that she was very different in shape from the models and would not look the same.
An assistant escorted her into a changing room to be measured and within a very short space of time she was trying on clothes and the tailor was taking note of the adjustments to be made. A rack of lingerie was brought to her to try on next.
Her phone buzzed while she was striving not to think about Dido, who was clearly an ex of Leo’s. It was a text from Leo.
Come out and model the lingerie for me.
Letty was aghast at that suggestion, and the thought of displaying herself that way for Leo made her grow uncomfortably hot. Wide-eyed and flushed, she studied her reflection in the mirror. She was wearing a very pretty bra and briefs combination in pale blue. The bra fitted much better than the bras she usually wore. In fact, it seemed that she had been wearing the wrong size for years.
What’s made you so shy?
And Letty went pink. It was as if the wretched man was inside her head, rooting about and forcing her insecurities into the light of day.
In her head was an image of Elexis, pencil-thin in tangerine, and Dido, curvy but still skinny in all the right places with long legs. Letty was different, shorter and rounder, but she was still the woman Leo wanted, the woman he had made passionate love to the night before.
Only love had had nothing to do with it, she reminded herself ruefully. Even so, bodies came in all shapes and sizes and she did not like to acknowledge that she had a poor body image or low self-esteem. It was just... Her brow furrowed until she understood herself better. It occurred to her, for the very first time, that she was actually quite shy but that the need to focus on other people throughout her life had blinded her to that truth. And the women around Leo, the women he had actually been with, seemed so ridiculously beautiful that she was intimidated and shrank from the comparisons.
Enough was enough, Letty decided on the back of that lowering thought, stepping out of the changing room with a sway to her hips and an angle to her chin. And Leo, sprawled in his chair looking bored and clearly not expecting her, sat up with a jerk, stunned by her response to his challenge. And Letty liked that reaction; she liked it very much. She strolled across to the table and lifted her champagne to sip it, gloriously aware that Leo could not take his spectacular dark golden eyes from her.
‘So, basic is what turns you on,’ Letty murmured with a rueful sigh.
‘Pretty much,’ Leo admitted, his attention welded to that wondrous hourglass shape of hers and the swell of her breasts.
‘At least that’s fairly normal,’ Letty conceded, empowered by the reality that Leo, basic or otherwise, was visibly aroused. ‘At one stage early on I did wonder if you were insisting on keeping a mistress because you were into some sort of kink—’
Leo almost choked on his champagne and hurriedly set down the glass. ‘Kink?’ he stressed, his gorgeous eyes bright with disbelief.
‘It was a fair enough assumption when I didn’t know you,’ Letty parried, cool as a cucumber now. ‘Want to see anything else?’
‘Surprise me
again... You keep on doing that,’ Leo breathed, studying her with intense dark golden eyes. ‘I didn’t think you’d have the nerve to come out.’
Letty sashayed back to the changing room wearing a grin she wouldn’t have shown him for a million pounds. She emerged again in a black set ornamented with shocking pink lace and Leo lounged back in his chair to enjoy the show.
‘You do realise that I’m likely to jump you in the limo after this?’ he murmured thickly.
‘Promises...promises,’ Letty countered with a roll of her green sea glass eyes and with more daring than she had known she possessed.
‘I can’t wait that long,’ Leo breathed, striding into the changing room in her wake and catching her into his arms before she could guess his intention.
‘You can’t...here!’ Letty gasped, thoroughly disconcerted as he backed her up against the wall, pinning her hands to either side of her and caging her in with his lean powerful body. Yet looking up into the smouldering heat of his eyes, she found his dominance outlandishly sexy.
‘Nobody will disturb us,’ Leo murmured huskily. ‘I only need a little taste of you.’
His mouth crashed down on hers and she strained helplessly against him, a flood of hunger released instantly. He hitched one of her legs up and ground against her and her awareness of his arousal mounted a thousandfold and sent fireworks shooting through her pelvis. His tongue tangled with hers and a low moan escaped her, an ache forming between her taut thighs. He released her hands and glided his fingertips lightly down her ribcage, making her shiver convulsively. Her heart was racing so fast she could hardly catch her breath, and then he touched her where she most needed to be touched and she thought she would spontaneously combust from the surge of tingling tormenting sensation at her core.
Her eyes flicked open on the mirror behind Leo and a belated awareness of where they were engulfed her. She pushed her palms against his chest and looked up at him, hot and flushed and damningly conscious of how much she wanted him.