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His interior designer had told him that the space by the window was for circulating during drinks parties, and the seating area was for sitting. Leo usually conformed to tho
se instructions but it was typical of Alex that she should subvert the plan within two minutes of arriving here.
He found an unopened carton of juice in the fridge and poured two glasses. Moving a side table over to where Alex was sitting, along with a chair for himself, he wondered why he’d never thought of doing this before.
She’d stripped off her heavy sweater and scarf to reveal a thick checked shirt and she was rubbing at her leg fitfully, her hand slipped down inside her boot.
‘Okay?’
‘Yeah. My phantom foot itches. If I rub the other one, it usually goes away.’
She’d talked about her leg on the show, fluently and without any embarrassment. But Leo had left the subject alone when they were off-air, leaving Alex to dictate what was said. Mentioning this small detail seemed like a breakthrough of some kind. Not a big one but the beginning of some kind of trust.
‘You get that a lot? Phantom pain?’
‘No, just occasionally. And it’s more of a sensation than a pain now.’
‘And rubbing the other one works?’
‘It seems to. Fools the brain into thinking you’re doing something about it.’ She grinned at him. ‘It’s a trick they taught me in rehab.’
Leo hesitated. In any other circumstance this would be crossing the line he’d drawn for himself. But if he concentrated on the medical aspect, tried to learn a little about what worked and didn’t work...
‘I do an outstanding foot massage.’ It was just a matter of not succumbing to temptation and getting carried away.
She flushed a little, snatching her hand out of her boot. ‘Outstanding sounds...a bit like overkill. A bit of a rub is enough.’
Maybe that was what friends really were for. Stopping you when you were about to rush headlong into a mistake. And right now it felt as if there was no just about this friendship. It had the potential to be as big and beautiful as the glittering panorama they sat beside.
He should leave her alone to rub her leg in peace if she wanted to. Leo looked at his watch. Another twenty-five minutes before they were due to call Carys, which would give him time for a shower that was cold enough to bring him to his senses. ‘I’ll get going, then. Are you okay here, or can I get you anything?’
She shook her head, motioning towards the window. ‘No, I’m fine. I have company.’
CHAPTER FIVE
IT WAS LIKE sitting in a sparkling bubble. She could see the city below her but she couldn’t hear its din. The air outside had to be freezing but she was warm and relaxed. Leo would be taking a shower around now but, in the substantial structure, she couldn’t hear the sound of water running.
Just as well. She didn’t want to think about him in the shower, emerging from the shower... Anything even remotely connected with showers was way out of line. The idea of his touch, let alone what a massage could do, had made her feel giddy.
Alex slipped her foot out of her boot, closing her fingers around it and rubbing gently until the phantom feeling in her other leg subsided. The high tone of a phone penetrated the wall of silence and she ignored it. Leo had kept checking his phone, seeming anxious about missing the call, and it was no surprise when the tone cut off abruptly and she heard the muffled sound of Leo’s voice from the bedroom.
The conversation seemed to be taking a while. She looked at her watch. Another ten minutes before they were due to call Carys. She couldn’t hear his footsteps on the thick carpet, but the sound of his voice seemed to be getting closer.
‘Carys... Would you like to talk to Alex? I can pass the phone over to her if that’s okay with you...?’
Alex twisted round in her chair. Carys must have picked Leo’s number up from the call he’d made earlier, and not been able to wait for him to call her back. Suddenly, the whole world seemed to tip in a dizzy, vertiginous burst of rapture.
Leo’s hair was wet from the shower, spiking on the top of his head as if he’d just rubbed it hastily with a towel. Perhaps the one that was currently wound around his slim hips, and the only thing he was wearing. She’d imagined that his body was perfect, but it was so much better than that. Strong, well-muscled, with smooth tanned skin. Perfect would have been an understatement.
And the best thing about it was that he was entirely unaware of it. Leo was concentrating on the voice on the other end of the line, and nothing else seemed to matter to him. Innocent as the day he was born, and yet far more delicious.
‘Okay. Would you like me to call you back...? Yes, I’ll do it straight away and then put you on to Alex. All right...’
Leo walked over to where she was sitting, which was just as well because Alex was paralysed with something that felt suspiciously like lust. He was focusing on his phone and she took the opportunity to give him one last look. Fabulous. He moved so well, the right mix of control and almost animal grace.
‘It’s Carys. Will you have a word with her while I get dressed? She lost her leg six months ago and she needs to talk...’ He switched the phone to loudspeaker and put it down on the side table next to her. Alex caught the scent of soap and skin, and swallowed hard.
Six rings and then the call went to answerphone. Leo shook his head, cursing softly. ‘Come on, Carys. Answer—I know you’re there...’
