His Last Chance at Redemption

‘For?’ She stared down her nose at him and he realised she wasn’t going to make this easy. He could hardly blame her. Last night had been beyond sensational and he’d treated her like a one-night stand. Maybe worse.

He spread his hands out over his desk, choosing his words carefully. ‘I should have been there when you woke up this morning. In my defence, I wanted to let you sleep and I had guests to see off. Meetings to finish up.’

‘I only asked what time we were leaving, Mr Aleksandrov,’ she said dismissively. ‘I don’t need a breakdown of your whole day.’

Mr Aleksandrov? She was seriously peeved and he felt irrationally annoyed with her. What did she think last night had been about, anyway? He’d made no promises to her.

‘I’ve apologised for my behaviour and I’m sorry I hurt you.’

She arched a brow. ‘You didn’t hurt me, but it’s clear you regret last night and I’m happy to forget it as well.’

‘I regret a lot of things about last night, angel, but the sex isn’t one of them.’

‘Well, that’s the part I do regret!’ she cried and then clamped her mouth shut as if she’d said too much. Which she had.

He relaxed back in his chair. ‘Last night was phenomenal.’

‘Whatever.’

‘You don’t agree?’

‘I’d just like to go home.’

Leo tapped his fingers on some papers on his desk. He wasn’t used to women wanting to forget a night in his bed. Quite the opposite, in fact. He glanced down at the folder he was absently tapping and noticed it was the prospectus for a hotel in Santorini his investment team were planning to visit at the end of the week. It was old and barely standing but, still, the proprietor would no doubt pretend he had the upper hand. It was the way business was done here.

But why would his busy team need to travel out here when he was already in Greece? It would be no skin off his nose if he detoured to view the property before leaving the country. It would take half a day at the most and would give him more time to figure out what to do about Ty if his security team failed to locate Amanda any time soon.

‘That’s not possible, moya milaya.’ She blinked at him, looking as surprised as he felt at coming to such a rushed decision.

‘Excuse me?’

Committed, he continued. ‘Unfortunately, I have further business to attend to in Greece and have decided to stay on a bit longer.’

‘So why do you need me?’

‘I would have thought that was obvious.’ Let her interpret that as she would.

‘Ty has bonded with Carolina and she’s great with him.’

‘Maybe so,’ he said, recognising that what she said was most likely true, but not ready to have her leave him just yet. ‘But yesterday when he hurt himself no one could comfort him but you.’ She looked frustrated. ‘And last night did you not suggest I should stay on?’ he reminded her.

‘I suggested you take a holiday with Ty. Not work.’

‘And so I will.’

He hadn’t planned to do that at all but there was a saying in his country: ‘One who sits between two chairs may easily fall down.’ Once he found Amanda and worked things out with her he’d hand Ty back, but in the meantime maybe it wouldn’t hurt to get to know him a little.

An image of Lexi and Ty lying on the carpeted floor of his private library drawing and laughing together the afternoon before came into his mind. At the time he’d been reminded of images of his own dysfunctional childhood but what had stuck the most was that, rather than feeling awash with the cold sweat of fear he’d felt when he’d first seen Ty at the childcare centre, he’d felt something else. Something calmer. And for the first time he hadn’t seen Sasha when he had looked at his son.

Yes, maybe it was time to sit on the chair—at least for an hour here and there between work.

‘I can’t stay. I have to work tomorrow.’ Lexi’s words sounded loud in the loaded silence and he frowned. What she had to do was to get back into his bed, but right now he didn’t think she’d be too amenable to that suggestion.

She couldn’t stay. Not when all he wanted was for her to help him out with Ty. Already her heart was racing at the thought of spending more time with Leo, her mind telling her all sorts of fanciful things. That she cared for him—more than cared for him. Which she didn’t, of course. She just wasn’t the type to have casual sex and her mind automatically wanted to attach meaning to what they’d done last night. It was what had happened with Brandon. Back then she had ignored her instincts that had warned her he was a player and convinced herself she was in love with him. Thankfully, she was mature enough to see the potential for that now, but still … staying in this man’s orbit would be like putting Ty in a chocolate shop and telling him he couldn’t eat anything.

‘Don’t you have someone else who can take care of the centre in your absence?’ he asked.

‘Sure. I’ll call up one of my many minions, shall I?’ she tried to joke, but it fell flat.