She felt ridiculously safe in his arms—which was like saying a bunny was safe with a wolf—but did she feel safe enough to talk about Brandon?
She hesitated and remembered all that he had told her the night before. ‘I was younger and he was immature—I was too, I guess. We met at university, in the library, and he was persistent. It wasn
’t till later that I found out a couple of his friends had made a bet that he couldn’t get me into bed … We were intimate a couple of times but … sex has never been my forte and he soon found someone else.’
Someone else to take her place before he’d even told her their time together was over!
Leo swore. ‘He was your first lover.’
Brandon had been her only lover besides him. Not that she was going to tell him that.
‘Lexi?’ He stopped moving and took her chin between his finger and thumb and forced her eyes to his. ‘He was your only lover.’ The statement was made with quiet conviction and she cringed.
Oh, God, was it so obvious? ‘I never knew nights on the Aegean could be so balmy,’ she announced cheerfully as she tried to pull her chin away to look out over the sea.
He tightened his grip, his eyes boring into hers. ‘He made you feel inadequate?’
Finally the man asked a question. And if she could be more embarrassed she didn’t know how. ‘Can we please talk about something else?’
‘Lexi, you are the most beautiful, sensual woman I’ve known and last night was …’ He hesitated. ‘Moy bohze, I get hard just thinking about last night.’ He swore softly. ‘I get hard just thinking about you!’
Lexi was shocked by the vehemence in his tone. ‘Is that unusual?’
Leo groaned. ‘Angel, that’s unheard of for me. But I can see you’re having trouble believing that and I’m sorry for my contribution in making you feel that way. Whatever that jerk said to you, I can guarantee he was speaking of his own inadequacies, not yours. This morning I was an ass and … Angel, you take my breath away. I thought that was obvious.’
His voice resounded with raw emotion and Lexi felt years of angst and uncertainty fade into the atmosphere. ‘Not to me,’ she said huskily.
Leo made a growling sound low in his throat and a thrill of excitement shot through her blood. ‘Then it’s time I did something about that.’
He drew her slowly back into his arms and tilted her chin up so that she was looking at him. ‘I want to make love with you, Lexi. I want to pleasure you and banish whatever negative memories your first lover erroneously planted in your beautiful head once and for all.’ He swallowed heavily. ‘Tell me you want that too.’
Lexi’s breath caught and she stared at him. Emotions bubbled up inside her and her mouth went dry. How did someone resist an invitation like that, knowing what was likely to happen next?
They couldn’t.
At least she couldn’t. Maybe it was time to stop thinking so hard about the future and to just live in the present. She knew he still had secrets but she wasn’t looking to marry the guy. This was just … well, she didn’t know what this was other than another night in the arms of a man who made her feel fantastic about herself.
Banishing her doubts and deciding to take a chance, she raised her eyes to his. ‘Yes.’
He expelled a rough breath as she placed her hand in his and let him lead her to the corner of the deck to a white sofa, wide enough to encompass ten people with room to spare. He moved back from her and leaned against the side of the boat, his arms folded across his chest, his eyes enigmatic in the light cast by the moon and a few well-spaced down lights. ‘Take off your blouse.’
Lexi stood before him and let out a ragged breath of her own, self-doubt tightening her throat. But then she saw the fierce hunger shining in his eyes and it just seemed to melt away. It was time to reclaim her femininity and she realised that was what Leo was helping her to do.
And rather than feeling inadequate, she felt excited. Sensual. Thrilled.
Lexi stepped back and held Leo’s gaze as her fumbling fingers worked the buttons down the centre of her blouse. When she was done, she slowly shrugged out of it and goose bumps rose up over her skin as Leo’s gaze dropped to her breasts. The night was cool, but she knew her nipples were pointed because of the way this man was looking at her more than the temperature of the air.
‘Now the bra.’ His voice was thick and as slumberous as his eyelids.
Lexi reached behind her and unhooked her bra. She crossed one arm over her breasts and let one strap fall to her elbows and then the other before cupping her hands over both breasts, feeling even more empowered as she saw his nostrils flare. She held her hands in front of her like some practised courtesan and his eyes cut to hers. ‘Drop it.’ She held her breath and did as he asked, not sure what to do with her hands as he stared at her.
So maybe not such a great courtesan after all …
He was so still as he looked his fill of her it was almost unnatural and, as if she’d done this a thousand times before, she arched her torso slightly in his direction in silent supplication. Last night she had worried that he would find her too small, now she felt as if she was without equal.
His eyes dropped to her legs. ‘Lose the skirt.’
Lexi’s lower body flooded with warmth at his rough command. She didn’t know how it was that he turned her on so completely but her body was ready for his, even though he hadn’t touched her yet—this striptease seducing her as much as it was him. Feeling sexually charged, she ignored her skirt and bent forward instead, hooking her fingers around the edge of her black silk knickers and, making sure that her skirt didn’t ride up, she let them slide to the floor. Then she slowly straightened, running her hands up her legs as she did so. Enjoying the way his breath hitched at her provocative movements.