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She reached out to take his hand and could have kicked herself for not grabbing the side of the ski instead when he effortlessly hauled her up in front of him, his strong thighs moulded to the outside of her own.
Lexi sucked in a quick breath. ‘I can ride behind.’
‘No,’ his deep voice rumbled beside her ear and Lexi held herself completely still.
‘And you dare to call me obstinate,’ she fumed, so tense she felt ready to snap.
‘Just sit still,’ he growled as he expertly turned the machine towards the yacht and revved the engine.
Lexi ignored the way her insides clenched and turned molten with desire at his rough command. She held herself stiffly within the cage his arms made around her and only dared breathe again when he pulled up alongside the yacht’s rear ramp.
A small welcoming committee was waiting to make sure she was okay and they clapped as Leo jumped easily onto the end of the yacht and held out his hand to help her up.
Lexi smiled up at everyone and then placed her hand in Leo’s. The muscles in his forearms rippled as he effortlessly hauled her up and it was only as their eyes met that Lexi realised that she hadn’t thanked him for rescuing her.
‘Thank you,’ she said, her voice husky and a little embarrassed.
She saw Leo’s nostrils flare but other than that he didn’t acknowledge her words and she turned her glazed eyes from his piercing gaze to focus on the others.
She reassured everyone that she was fine, mini drama over, and patted Tom’s arm. ‘Stop with the guilty look. I’m fine.’
‘I can’t help feeling bad. Let me take you up and get you a cool drink.’
She was about to say she’d like that when Leo interrupted, ‘The doctor ordered rest.’
Lexi turned to find Leo glowering at Tom. ‘I can—’
‘Go to your room,’ he said, his eyes on Tom.
Lexi felt her hackles rise at his proprietorial air. ‘I’m fine,’ she asserted.
He swung his blue eyes to hers and Lexi had to force herself not to feel intimidated. ‘Good to know.’ He stepped between her and Tom. ‘One thing, angel.’ He leaned close and lowered his tone so only she could hear and Lexi sucked in her breath to ensure that they didn’t touch. ‘If you’re going to be having sex with anyone this weekend it won’t be Tom Shepherd.’
Lexi blinked and before her befuddled brain could formulate any sort of decent response he had stalked past her and taken the curved staircase up to the next level, two steps at a time.
CHAPTER EIGHT
WHAT on earth had he meant by that?
Lexi had asked herself the same question over and over all afternoon. She wasn’t planning to have sex with anyone that weekend, let alone Tom Shepherd. And Leo’s comment had been insulting in the extreme, implying that she was inviting attention, which she most definitely wasn’t.
And if she wasn’t going to have sex with Tom, then who was he thinking would take his place? Certainly not him if the way he’d jumped on her request that they forget all about those scorching kisses back on the beach was any indication.
Lexi leaned towards her bathroom mirror and swiped bronze eye shadow across her eyelids and then rubbed at the corner of her eye when she applied too much.
To say that Leo’s behaviour confused her would be an understatement. Anyone would think that his behaviour towards her after the accident was possessive but, really, he was probably just concerned she was going to slap him with a law suit.
Deciding on a soft pink lip gloss, she stood back from the mirror and eyed herself critically. Her figure was neat and small and entirely unremarkable, although she did like the way her breasts looked in the halter-style amber maxi-dress she had bought in the sales last year and hadn’t had a chance to wear yet. At least it made her look as if she had cleavage.
Shoving it into her weekend bag while Leo had prowled around her living room while she packed had been a spur of the moment decision but now she wondered if it wasn’t a little risqué. Not that she had anything else suitable to wear to his soiree tonight. A soirée she didn’t even want to attend but had been informed she was expected to. And why was that? And why was her heart beating faster at the thought?
She stretched the silky fabric of her dress over her breasts, which suddenly seemed heavy and overly sensitive as they chafed the soft fabric. She traced her hands along the outer swell of each breast, remembering how Leo’s much larger ones had skimmed that exact place hours earlier and her nipples tightened into aching points. A light thrumming feeling took up residence between her thighs as she imagined his mouth at her breast, his tongue. She imagined him taking her flesh into his mouth, could almost see the back of his blond head as she gazed at herself in the mirror.
A small whimper escaped from her lips and Lexi dropped her hands, her eyes slightly dazed as she gazed at her reflection. This was ridiculous. The man turned on the entire female population. Was she really considering adding herself to their ranks? Knowing the type of man he was? And, worse, knowing he would undoubtedly be disappointed with her sexually—as Brandon had been?
Oh, why was she even thinking like this?
She viciously twisted her heavy mass of hair into a bun and started stabbing pins into it.
