Exotic Nights

‘Not that I blame you, of course,’ she whispered then, with a pointed glance in the direction of the two men who conversed nearby, both tall and both commanding lots of attention—mostly female.

Lucy sighed indulgently as she looked at her husband. ‘I can remember what it’s like …’ she said, and then, dryly, ‘Who am I kidding? He still makes the rest of the room fade away.’

Angel smiled tightly. Ari had greeted her with more warmth tonight, as if she’d passed some silent test. Angel had fleetingly and far too wistfully wondered what it might take to break through Leo’s wall of mistrust. She thought of how he’d caught her red-handed in his office, and had to concede it would take a lot. A belief that she could possibly be innocent when he had no reason whatsoever to believe otherwise, and zero interest.

Angel forced her thoughts away from that now, stung that she was feeling so vulnerable. She forced herself to smile more widely at Lucy. ‘Anyone would think you two were still on your honeymoon, not going home to two small children.’

Just then Lucy got pulled aside by an acquaintance, so Angel was left on her own again, with Lucy sending back an apologetic grimace. Immediately, though, Leo turned his head where he stood with Ari a few feet away and held out a hand. With an awful lurching in her chest Angel reached out and took it, feeling as if something slightly momentous had just occurred. Which was ridiculous. But she realised in that moment that Leo hadn’t once left her on her own since that first function. While he’d not exactly been demonstrative, he’d been solicitous and attentive.

But to be faced with Leo and Ari was nearly too much. They both packed a punch, even if Leo was the only one who made Angel’s pulse race and her legs turn to jelly. She tried to ignore him and smiled at Ari, shyly asking about his and Lucy’s children.

Ari rolled his eyes and groaned, ‘Zoe is walking as of this week, so with her and Cosmo underfoot it’s like an assault course. Just getting through the day and keeping them both alive is a feat in itself. Running a shipping fleet is a piece of cake in comparison.’

Angel smiled, inordinately relieved to see that Ari seemed to have definitely thawed towards her. She wondered if it was Lucy’s influence.

Ari looked at Leo briefly, and then back to Angel, ‘Actually, I have a favour to ask of you.’

Angel nodded. ‘Sure, anything.’

‘I’d like to commission you to make a set of jewellery for Lucy. Our anniversary is in a couple of months, and since she’s found out that you designed the necklace I gave her I know she’d love a complete set. I was thinking of a bracelet, and perhaps earrings to match?’

Angel felt a dart of pure pleasure go through her, and she blushed. ‘Well, I’m honoured that you’d ask … I’d love to do something …’

But then, just as suddenly, her spirits dropped like a stone when she realised that she had no way of being able to take on such a commission. ‘But unfortunately I’m not really in a position at the moment to make anything new … I don’t have the—’

‘I’ll make sure she has everything she might need.’

Angel’s mouth opened and closed and she looked up at Leo, genuinely stymied.

Ari was already responding. ‘Great. Angel, can you come to my office tomorrow morning and we can discuss the designs?’

Angel looked back to Ari, feeling as if the wind had just been knocked out of her. ‘Yes, of course.’

Lucy returned then, and reminded him that they’d promised to be home by a certain time. As they left, Ari gave Angel a discreet wink. When they’d gone, Angel looked up at Leo and said stiffly, ‘You shouldn’t have promised Ari that I could take the commission. You’ve no idea how expensive it mig

ht be to make what he wants, especially if he wants it so soon. Plus, I’ve no workspace.’

Leo pulled her into him, and that little move set off a host of butterflies in Angel’s chest. Apart from holding her hand, Leo rarely touched her more intimately in public. ‘The villa has a million empty rooms, and I’ve no intention of denying my friend what he wants.’

Why did her heart ache when his easy generosity to his friend was so apparent?

Angel stood at the door of the room, which had been found at the very back of the villa, and shook her head wryly. This was what untold limitless wealth did: it gave you a state-of-the-art jewellery-making workshop within days.

She walked in and touched the wooden table reverently, seeing the myriad tools and expensive metals and stones she’d listed for Leo all laid out. She hadn’t had access to facilities and equipment so fine even in college. It gave her a pain in her heart to know that just as quickly Leo would have it ripped out and replaced by the generic room it had once been when the time came. She sighed deeply.

‘Don’t you like it?’

Angel whirled around, her hand going to her chest. ‘You scared me half to death, creeping up on me like that!’ But, even so, her treacherous body was already responding to the way Leo lounged so nonchalantly against the door, hands in the pockets of his trousers, shirt open at his throat.

‘You look as if someone has just died, so the only thing I can deduce is that you hate your workshop.’

Angel shook her head, aghast that he’d seen her turmoil so easily. ‘No, I love it.’ She turned away, so he wouldn’t see how vulnerable she felt to be caught like this. ‘You must have spent a fortune on it.’

She turned back then, feeling more in control, and saw Leo shrug. ‘I just told them to install the best.’

Angel smiled, feeling hurt at his nonchalance. ‘Well, you got the best. I just hope it won’t cost too much to rip it all out again.’

For a long moment he said nothing, and then, ‘You don’t have to concern yourself with that.’