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‘But I’m not anyone.’
Her soft lips were parted and he could see a pulse beating in the side of her throat but she was still glaring at him.
‘Sure of yourself, aren’t you?’
He smiled, intrigued by the complexities of her character. On the outside she was prickly and sassy, but on the inside—his guts clenched as he remembered the way she’d handled the children—on the inside she was soft and all woman.
And he wanted her.
He lifted a hand and brushed her flushed cheek with a lingering touch that made her stiffen. ‘Remember the fireworks, Libby.’
He could tell by the expression on her face that she didn’t want to remember them. That remembering them disturbed her.
They took Adrienne for a pizza and then drove her back to school.
Libby helped to settle her into her room while Andreas went to talk to the headmistress.
Noting the awed expressions of her roommates as they stared at both Andreas and his incredibly sexy sports car, Libby privately doubted that Adrienne would have any more trouble fitting in, but she chatted away to the other girls, trying to help Adrienne bridge the gap.
When they finally left the school it was dark and Andreas drove back towards her flat.
‘I owe you a big thank you.’
She glanced at him briefly, suddenly conscious of the intimacy created by the confines of the car. ‘For what?’
‘For being so kind to Adrienne.’
‘She’s a nice girl.’
His strong fingers tightened slightly on the wheel. ‘I feel somewhat out of my depth,’ he admitted wryly, sounding very Greek and very, very male. ‘Dealing with twelve-year-old girls is new to me.’
His broad shoulders were only inches away from hers and she shifted slightly in her seat to try and create some distance.
‘How did she come to be living with you?’ Maybe if she stuck to neutral subjects she’d be able to forget how good-looking he was. ‘She said something about her grandmother deciding that she was too old to look after her.’
Andreas gave a short laugh. ‘My mother isn’t too old for anything,’ he said dryly. ‘She was just playing games.’
‘What sort of games?’
He hesitated and then cast
her a smile. ‘It’s history now.’ There was a brief silence and he returned his attention to the road ahead. ‘I was very grateful for your help tonight. She seemed happy by the time we left her and that was because of you.’
Libby frowned slightly, wondering what he’d meant by the statement that his mother had been playing games. ‘It’s early days,’ she said. ‘It always takes a while to settle into a new school, particularly when you start halfway through a term.’
She gave a little shudder, remembering all too well the nightmares of school.
‘You sound as though you’re speaking from experience.’
‘I am.’ Libby stared out of the window into the darkness. ‘We all went to boarding school. Alex was fine—he’s as tough as nails—but Katy and I hated it.’
‘Katy is your sister?’
Libby nodded. ‘She works in A and E. She’s married to Jago Rodriguez, the consultant.’
‘Really?’ Andreas pulled up outside her building and switched off the engine. ‘I met him earlier tonight. Bright chap. But at least you and Katy had each other at school. Adrienne has no one. That worries me. And I hate her boarding. As soon as I find a suitable housekeeper she can live at home with me.’
‘She’s a lovely girl,’ Libby said. ‘She’ll make friends, I know she will. She just needs a little more confidence and her appearance needs a bit of a tweak. I must admit I’m surprised that your mother expects you to keep an eye on her. You’re a single guy and teenagers can be a handful at the best of times.’
