Well, nothing, because he didn’t have anything else to offer, and she wasn’t ever again going to make the mistake of thinking he’d change on that front.
And was that really such a bad thing?
Flinging back the covers and getting into bed, Abby gave in and decided that maybe it wasn’t. By his own admission he wasn’t up for a relationship, and actually neither was she, at least not with him. Oh, she wouldn’t mind a boyfriend at some point in the future, but that clearly wasn’t going to be Leo.
In the meantime, though, and in the absence of a man who would be perfect boyfriend material, why shouldn’t she go for some hot, no-strings sex? Why shouldn’t she have some fun? She’d been working incredibly hard recently. Didn’t she deserve it?
Therefore what would be so wrong with an affair with him?
In fact, might it not instead be a teeny bit fabulous?
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THE DAY OF the party dawned bright and clear. And, for Abby, early. Not that she minded. She always woke up pumping with adrenalin and raring to go the day of an event, and this one had an extra edge, because tonight, when it was all over, she was going to take Leo to bed.
Oh, yes, she was, because it wasn’t only the day that had dawned bright and clear. Abby had too, and she now knew exactly what she wanted. Leo. For as short or as long as it lasted. Therefore she was going to get him into bed, and, seeing as how she didn’t anticipate much resistance, once she’d got him in it she wasn’t going to let him out, for the rest of the weekend at least.
The thought of it, the excitement and the anticipation, kept her going through the long day of final preparations. It gave everything she did an urgency she’d never experienced before, because unlike every other event she’d organised she was wishing away the hours, wishing away the party.
But the hours did pass, and in contrast to how churned up she felt inside they passed remarkably smoothly, as proven by her emergency kit being down by only one roll of duct tape, an extension cord and four sticking plasters.
Apart from a last-minute change to the table plan to accommodate the now non-attendance of Jake’s former date—which, with all the after-party plans swimming around in her head, she didn’t even lament much—nothing major had gone wrong.
Tables were now laid and flowers were arranged. The caterers were on schedule and the string quartet was tuning up. Parking attendants had been given their instructions and the waiting staff had been briefed. Everything was poised on a knife edge. Everyone was ready for the off.
Of Leo she’d seen neither hide nor hair all day, and for that she was grateful because if she had seen him she might well not have been able to wait till tonight to make her fantasies reality. But now, since all that remained to do was let him know how he was going to spend the night, she had to seek him out.
Having left her car in the field and road-tested the walkway designed to protect shoes from mud, Abby found him in the marquee.
He was standing in a corner of the tent, his gaze slowly sweeping over the tables, the decorations, and the giant arrangements of white hydrangeas that sat in urns planted about the place and the balloons tied to each chair, just sort of looking and faintly smiling. She stood in another corner and did the same, although her gaze was sweeping over him and not the room she now knew every inch of.
He wore black tie very well, she thought, her heart slowly flipping while heat and longing began to spread through her. He was so gorgeous. So intriguing. So complicated. And so perfect for a fling.
Propelled by the thought of that, she walked over to him. Halfway there, he noticed her. Turned and ran his eyes slowly down the length of her and back up, and by the time he’d finished and she was right in front of him her mouth was dry and her pulse was racing.
‘So, this is the calm before the storm,’ he murmured, his eyes dark, his expression inscrutable.
She nodded, and swallowed hard. ‘Ten minutes or so to go.’
‘It looks incredible.’
‘It does.’
‘So do you.’
‘Thank you.’
‘You’re welcome.’
‘Are you looking forward to it?’
Leo gave her the glimmer of a smile. ‘Contrary to all my expectations, I think I am a bit.’
Despite the heat, Abby couldn’t help inwardly flinching. ‘Were your expectations really that bad?’
‘Not at all. Seriously, Abby. I never doubted you for a moment. I just don’t really like giving parties.’
‘Oh,’ she said, mollified by the first half of what he said, taken aback by the second. ‘Why not?’