‘You never know when the urge might take me over again,’ Leo drawled, the wicked grin on his face sending her pulse rate soaring. ‘They are all in your size. Choose one to wear tonight and do what you want with the others.’
Lexi ran her hand over the beautiful gowns. If she sold them she imagined she might just make enough money to pay for the renovations to the building for her new childcare centre! ‘This is too much, Leo.’
‘Enough.’ He waved his hand at her imperiously. ‘We are going to dinner. You have nothing to wear. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t mind—but tonight there will be other diners around and I am nothing if not possessive with what is mine.’
Oh, if only she was.
Lexi cleared her throat. ‘Where are we going?’
‘Get dressed and you will find out. You have half an hour.’
‘Half an hour! I’ll need longer than that to do one of these dresses justice,’ she exclaimed with real panic.
‘You do them justice already.’
‘Too smooth,’ Lexi complained and shooed his grinning face out of the door.
When he closed it behind him she returned her attention to the dresses, not knowing which one to choose.
‘Athens! You’re taking me to Athens!’ Lexi had felt sick the whole time they had been travelling in the helicopter that felt no safer than a tin box being tossed around by one of her toddlers. She had only just now prised her hands from her eyes at Leo’s insistence.
Athens sprea
d out below her like a bejewelled cloak, the Parthenon sitting atop it like a porcelain crown.
The helicopter circled lower and Lexi once again covered her face, ignoring Leo’s husky chuckle but glad of his strong arm holding her close.
She felt a jolt and then Leo said, ‘We’re here, angel.’
He unclipped her safety belt as the whine of the rotors ebbed, then jumped down onto the ground and placed his hands around her waist as he lifted her out. ‘Lucky you’re so small,’ he said huskily against her ear. ‘Not to mention exquisite in that dress.’
‘It’s black,’ Lexi said almost apologetically, ‘but I loved the design.’
‘It’s beautiful.’ Leo looked over her shimmering strapless dress, which fell in elegant waves to her feet with frankly male appreciation. ‘I can’t wait to tear it off you later on.’
‘You will not.’
He laughed at her tone and she knew that if he wanted to tear it off her she could do nothing about it. Then she looked around and realised that they had landed on the top of a building with a clear view of the Parthenon. ‘Oh, my …’
‘You wanted to see the Acropolis at night. And here it is.’
Lexi swung her gaze back to his and tried not to let every one of her overawed emotions show on her face.
‘Thank you. This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.’
He seemed to be caught up by her gratitude and blinked before holding his hand out to her. ‘Come. We have a booking in Athens’ most revered restaurant and then you can take a tour.’
‘Really? We can walk around it?’
‘Of course. I didn’t bring you all this way just to look at it from afar, angel moy.’
Lexi laughed and tried not to be dazzled by his arrogant confidence.
‘My mother would love it here,’ Lexi mused, gazing around the posh old-world restaurant, with tables set at discreet distances from each other and draped in heavy white linen. ‘She’s half Greek herself.’
Leo leaned back in his chair. ‘That explains the dark hair and golden eyes.’
Lexi laughed. ‘My eyes aren’t golden; they’re a hybrid.’