Before she could finish, almost out of nowhere, the atmosphere changed and the razor-sharp, dominant veneer for which Louis was so famous slipped back into place.
‘Ah, your chocolate soufflé. Savour it, I’m assured it’s the best in Europe.’
The conversation was over and Louis was sampling his dessert and throwing compliments to the chef as if every mouthful wasn’t sticking in his throat the way she knew it would have done for her.
But she wasn’t fooled. He wasn’t unmindful or unaffected. He simply didn’t trust her. Alex wondered if he had ever trusted anyone.
How long had he isolated himself in this way?
As long as she had?
It shouldn’t matter and it certainly shouldn’t make a difference. But it did. She understood him better now, and what she’d learned had thrown her somewhat. He wasn’t at all what she’d imagined, even with the twist of the surgeon she’d seen in action the previous month. Every time she saw him, spoke to him, it felt as though she was discovering a man no one else even knew existed. And even though she knew she should know better, she craved to learn more.
It was thrilling, and nerve-racking, and utterly bewildering. How was she supposed to react to everything he’d told her? She could barely even digest it all. She needed time, in particular to ensure that she wasn’t at risk of losing all perspective and actually doing something as foolhardy and foolish as falling for the man.
But her biggest fear was that time wasn’t a luxury she had right now.
* * *
The decadent dessert felt like wet concrete in his mouth. Worse, Alex was looking at him as though she could see straight through every bluff he cared to conjure. The way she had almost from that first encounter.
Still, he shouldn’t have told her that. He shouldn’t have told her any of it. If he could have shovelled back his words and rammed them all back inside then he would have.
Except that he wasn’t sure that was even true.
No one had ever been able to read him the way she seemed to, a fact that ought to concern him far more than it did.
They finished their so-called date in strained silence. The only consolation was that, from all the covert glances and barely concealed smirks they were receiving, people were only too happy to draw their own, rather different conclusions.
For all her mental reservations about the two of them, Alex’s body language right now betrayed the fact that on a purely physical level she was far less hesitant. Without the benefit of hearing their conversation, any casual observer would no doubt mistake her awkward fidgeting for eagerness to conclude the meal and get back to more private surroundings so they could continue the date on more intimate terms. Whether Alex liked it or not, she wasn’t schooled enough in the art of seduction to mute the sexual attraction that crackled between them, blazing as brightly as a beacon warning of impending invasion.
The irony wasn’t lost on Louis.
Neither was the fact that fooling the press into thinking they couldn’t get enough of each other was only the first part of the plan. But the idea of sex and Louis was practically a given. What they really had to convince people of was that there was more to it than simply sex. They had to make the world believe the two of them shared a connection, an area of common ground. A foundation on which they were about to build a real relationship.
It should ring more alarm bells that he knew just how to snag Alex’s focus.
‘Did you enjoy your morning with our team? In the end?’
A man could quickly grow to love that wide, uninhibited smile. The one that told him she’d already forgotten herself. And their surroundings.
‘I loved it,’ she breathed. ‘You get some incredible cases. Well, of course you do. But, I mean, you’re one of most fascinating s
urgeons to observe. Your entire team is so well knit.’
‘It’s taken years to build the perfect unit, people with not only the skills I need but also the attitude I like. And the ability to leave all egos at the door.’
‘Yes, I saw that.’ Alex nodded, then blushed. ‘Even you. I hadn’t really expected that.’
‘I’ll take it as a compliment,’ he commented wryly. ‘I was impressed at just how easily you slotted into the team.’
‘I did?’ She looked inordinately pleased and something tugged inside him.
It felt good to compliment her. Especially as it was so well deserved.
‘You were everything that Gordon said you were, and more.’
‘I wondered if...?’