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Saturday and Sunday flew by for Isobella. There were several panels and workshops that she found very useful, and they had the added advantage of allowing her to hide from Alex. Not that he seemed interested in keeping an eye on her. She’d seen him on more than one occasion with Sonya following closely behind, and she knew that they’d met for drinks in the bar on Saturday night.
Maybe running into each other again had rekindled old memories for Alex? Good ones as well. Maybe time had given him the distance he needed to be objective? Buffered the anger she had sensed in him while they had danced. Maybe he’d never really got over her?Whatever. He was a grown man and his personal life was none of her business.
She had sat in the audience and listened with rapt attention to his paper on Saturday—along with about every other woman in the room. His delivery had made somewhat hard statistical data eminently enticing, and she’d almost heard a collective whimper when he had finally finished.
His talk had been made all the more fascinating by the fact that for the first time since she’d met him he’d worn a tie. She’d got used to his open-necked style, and wouldn’t have thought a tie could have improved on his potent sexuality. But she’d been wrong. He’d looked utterly professional—like the successful doctor-cum-businessman he was. He’d exuded all his usual confidence bordering on arrogance, but the tie had lent him an edge of power.
Sonya had certainly noticed it. Isobella had spotted her sitting cross-legged in a tight short skirt in the front row, circling her ankle lazily, flirting outrageously. She’d beamed up at the stage as if she owned him, and when everyone had clapped at the end she’d looked around, nodding at people as if she’d written the damn paper herself.
Isobella’s paper had been well received, and she’d taken a full thirty minutes of questions, but she’d been disappointed that Alex hadn’t made it. Her gaze had scanned the lecture theatre repeatedly, hoping to locate him. But the lights had been too bright in her eyes and she’d eventually given up and concentrated on her presentation.
So it had been a full two days, and as Isobella climbed out of the shower on Sunday night, enveloping herself in the luxury of the fluffy white gown, she was pleased they were over. There was a knock on the door, and her stomach growled in acknowledgement that her room service meal had arrived.
She tightened the belt around her waist, pulled the lapels together and bunched the gown around her throat, holding it in place as she opened the door. She’d treated herself to her favourite things from the menu, and her mouth was salivating in anticipation.
‘Oh.’ Isobella clutched the robe closer to her neck. Alex stood at her door. Even in her blurry without-glasses world she could make out that he was still wearing his black trousers and turquoise shirt from earlier that day, minus the jacket.
He gave her a look of enquiry. ‘I’ve come at a bad time?’
Or a good one, as the case might be. He’d never seen her look so unclothed, even encased in towelling from neck to knee. The material was drawn tight around her body, showing off her slender build. Her hair was damp and her glasses were blissfully missing. She looked fresh-faced and rosy-cheeked. She looked very, very kissable.
‘I’m sorry, I was expecting someone else,’ she said, absently trying to calm the thrill of her pulse.
Alex bristled. She was opening the door dressed like this to someone else? ‘Really?’
It was low and husky, but nothing disguised the note of displeasure in his voice. ‘Room Service,’ she said hastily, although quite why she felt the need to set the record straight she wasn’t sure. If he could run around with his ex all weekend, who was he to say what she could do in the privacy of her hotel room? Bloody arrogant man.
Alex relaxed. The thought of her entertaining a man was disturbing, and he really didn’t want to explore why. ‘May I join you?’
Isobella gripped the door handle. ‘No.’
Alex chuckled at her unflinching rejection. ‘I hope you’re having the prawns. They’re divine.’
She nodded. ‘And the beer-battered chips. And the sticky date pudding.’
Alex chuckled again. How did she manage to stay so slender? Every time he’d seen her this weekend she’d been stuffing her face with some calorie-laden morsel.
Isobella gripped the neckline of the gown harder. His laugh was sexy as hell. ‘Is there something you want?’ she asked. It came out a little harshly, but she was acutely aware that she was very undressed beneath her gown.
