Leo was about to object when Danny walked into the room. ‘Everyone is seated for lunch, Leo.’
Leo nodded but didn’t take his eyes off Lexi. ‘You will dine at my table.’
Again she shook her head. He was too virile, too male. And the way he towered over her made her too aware of her own femininity, her own vulnerability in his magnetic presence. ‘You were the one who told me I was staff.’
‘And you were the one who reminded me that you weren’t,’ he informed her silkily.
Lexi sighed. ‘I’m hardly dressed for a proper luncheon.’
Leo slowly ran his sizzling gaze down over her casual clothing and down her bare legs and sandalled feet and all the way back up again.
‘You look fine.’ His voice was gruff, the tone sending frissons of sensation skittering into her belly. Given that she found it hard to keep her eyes off him she would really rather eat a hundred miles from where he was.
She was about to try some other excuse when her phone rang and she reached into her pocket and pulled it out. Recognising the number of her builder, Lexi smiled with relief. She’d been waiting for his call since yesterday and mentally crossed her fingers that he had good news about the renovations on the new centre. ‘Excuse me,’ she murmured, ‘but I have to take this.’
Leo scowled as he watched Lexi Somers’ toned legs take her to the other end of the room, wondering who was on the other end of the phone that had made her face light up with such obvious delight. Her lover?
He felt his good mood at the progress he’d made in his meetings this morning evaporate into thin air.
His scowl deepened when he saw Lexi’s expression turn worried. Was lover boy giving her a hard time? And why did it rankle so much to see her so affected by it?
‘What’s up?’ Danny looked at him quizzically and Leo realised that Danny had picked up on his keen interest in the obstinate brunette.
‘Nothing. Just see that Lexi Somers has lunch at my table,’ he said curtly.
He stalked off but instead of his mood picking up when Lexi did eventually grace his table with her presence, it only worsened. She was too natural and friendly for his liking. A little too natural and too friendly with the American filmmaker, Tom Shepherd. And he didn’t like that he’d noticed and liked even less that it was bothering him so much. He couldn’t concentrate on the lavish meal his world-class chef had prepared, or the conversation that was going on around him.
All he could hear were snippets of conversation as Tom charmed her with stories about the documentary film he was producing—the one Leo was bankrolling—and how interested she was in it, her smile generous and warm, her golden eyes sparkling as she sipped her Riesling and unselfconsciously de-veined prawns before popping them into her mouth. He could see Tom was fascinated with
her and it would appear that his interest was reciprocated. And where was her loyalty to her Parisian lover as she flirted with Tom Shepherd?
Leo snorted out a quiet breath. She was no different from any other female who saw a better meal ticket come along. But, if that was the case, why hadn’t she latched onto him? Because he knew, without conceit, that he was the best meal ticket on this yacht, even with some of the world’s most influential men currently dining at his lavishly set table.
Logically, Leo knew he was being ridiculous since he’d already decided not to pursue her, but for once logic and his libido were diametrically opposed to each other. He couldn’t look away as Tom touched Lexi’s arm and leant close to indicate for her to look at a flock of pelicans soaring overhead. The whole table seemed mesmerised by the majestic birds but all Leo could do was stare as Lexi’s face lit up. Unbidden, an image of her pale figure in his bed the other night came to mind, her hair spread over his pillow just before he’d speared his fingers into it and crushed her mouth beneath his. The way she had met his demands with a hunger that had seemed to match his own. Her soft mews of pleasure as his hand had cupped her breast, the silky skin of her bottom—
‘Did you say something?’ Danny murmured.
‘Only that I should have let her go to the mess hall,’ Leo growled, turning away from the amused glint in his EA’s eyes and striking up a conversation with the Greek minister about the reason they were even able to watch birds circling above his damned yacht this weekend.
‘Jet skis?’ Leo repeated blankly as he stared at Tom Shepherd.
‘Yeah, you know? Motorbikes on water.’ Tom smirked. ‘You don’t mind if we take them out for a spin, do you? Lexi’s a jet ski virgin and I said I’d show her what she was missing.’
Leo’s jaw clenched at Tom’s provocative comment. The yacht was temporarily anchored between two small private islands and the water was deep enough so there wasn’t any reason for him to say no. But he wanted to.
‘I need to speak with Miss Somers.’ He flashed his teeth in a tight smile. ‘Take someone else.’
Before Tom could stage his protest, Danny stopped at his side. ‘Leo, the men are waiting in the stateroom to resume the meeting, as you requested.’
Leo muttered a curse under his breath. If he’d been dealing with Australians or the English the negotiations would have been finished by now. No way would they have pulled up stumps to be wined and dined with a decadent lunch midway through an important meeting. No, they would have put up with soggy sandwiches and finger food at the conference table until the deal was signed, sealed and delivered. Then gone out and got drunk by way of celebrating.
‘Well, that settles it.’ Tom clasped Lexi’s shoulder lightly and Leo was glad to see her eyes flicker to Tom’s hand uncertainly as she shifted out from under his hold. ‘Come on,’ he said to Lexi. ‘I promise you’ll love it.’
‘Where’s Ty?’ Leo found himself asking. ‘Your charge.’
Lexi looked at him but he couldn’t read her expression. ‘He’s still asleep. He probably will be for another forty minutes at least.’
With no other way to prevent her from going with Tom, Leo signalled a nearby steward. ‘Have the jet skis organised for Mr Shepherd and any other interested guests.’ Then he turned back to Tom. ‘Be careful.’