neatly back in her bag, which was on the ground, half open.
‘Nice outfit.’ Taking his time, he slid his legs over the side of the bed and sauntered towards the wardrobe to extract a shirt. ‘The bed’s very comfortable. Shame you won’t be experiencing it. You’ll be trying to find a comfy position on the chaise longue or on the floor...’
‘You’re... You’re...’
‘Shall we head down?’
He waited by the door for her, watching as she stepped into some sandals with little wedge heels. He didn’t think she realised just how damned sexy she looked in that strappy little sundress, with her long hair tumbling all over the place. Even her scowl couldn’t detract from the picture.
Difficult, feisty, mulish and prickly as hell. Who would have thought that sexy could come in that package?
He offered his arm and Alexa stormily hooked her hand in the crook as they descended the stairs. He was as cool as the proverbial cucumber, telling her about the history of the house and the antics of the infamous gardener who had landscaped the grounds. Admittedly it was very interesting, and she was big enough to tell him so before Bob and Felicity took over the rest of the evening.
It was relaxed, and they made charming, inquisitive and interesting hosts. Bob had hundreds of amusing anecdotes about the famous golf players he had met over the years...a golf game was arranged...the barbecue was exquisite and informal and champagne flowed. Alexa was even aware that she was laughing at one point as glasses were raised to toast the couple.
But could she relax? Not a bit of it.
Every nerve in her body was stretched to breaking point because all she could think about was that room...that bed...and Theo lying with the duvet half on, half off, possibly clothed but more likely not...
She was spent by the time the evening was at an end. She liked both their hosts, and she could see that they were thrilled at what they considered a wonderful love match. If only they knew!
‘So...’ Theo flung open the bedroom door and stood aside to let her pass, then shut it behind him and lounged against it, arms folded, a slight smile curving his mouth. ‘Did you enjoy the evening?’
The confines of the bedroom and the daunting prospect of the night ahead, not to mention all the other nights ahead, slammed into her with the force of a sledgehammer.
‘I...I really did, as a matter of fact,’ Alexa replied nervously. She remained standing by the window on the opposite side of the bedroom, with the yawning space of rug-covered floor between them. ‘I had no idea what to expect of your friends, but they’re incredibly nice and hospitable...’
And that, by association, said something about the man towering in front of her. She relaxed. She had nothing to fear in sharing a bedroom with him. He’d been nothing but decent in accepting her terms and, frankly, putting up with her moods. She’d sniped and argued and fought him every inch of the way when he hadn’t been the one who had dumped her in this situation. She had used him as a scapegoat for her own frustrations and, arrogant though the man was, he had not retaliated in kind.
‘I...er...just want to apologise...’
Theo looked at her in surprise and pushed himself away from the door to kick off his shoes. He began unbuttoning his shirt and Alexa fought to stay calm and hold on to her relaxed frame of mind.
‘Apologise for what?’
‘I haven’t been the easiest person to be around...’
‘Really?’ Theo said drily. ‘I’m glad you brought that to my attention. I wouldn’t have noticed otherwise.’
‘Not that you’ve been plain sailing!’
Theo burst out laughing and Alexa reluctantly smiled.
‘Some men might find your fighting spirit a little challenging, but I admit that I’m growing to rather like it. And now that we’ve established a fragile truce I wouldn’t want to ruin it by forcing you to build your nest on the chaise longue, so I’ll take the floor.’
Alexa nodded.
Good.
But it was a super king-sized bed, and the floor was going to be an uncomfortable resting place even for a guy who probably survived on only a couple of hours sleep a night.
She escaped to the bathroom, washed her face and brushed her teeth and changed into her pyjamas. Feverishly she decided that whilst she could continue ranting and railing and behaving like a child, she could also just...trust that new side of him she had seen. He wasn’t going to make a pass at her just because they happened to be lying on the same mattress, was he? She had been superimposing her own anxieties on to him and it was foolish.
He took the bathroom after her and she pretended not to notice the fact that he was already half naked...that the button to his trousers was undone...that she could see a sliver of his underwear where the trousers dipped down over his lean hips.
In the fifteen minutes during which she heard the whoosh of water and the sounds of him getting ready she tried to get her racing heartbeat under control, and she was burrowed down under the duvet by the time the bathroom door was flung open.
She sneaked a glance and heaved a sigh of relief that he was still in his boxers.
‘Well, well, well...’ Theo strolled into the room and registered that she was in the bed but that there was no pile of linen on the floor, waiting to be turned into a sleeping area. Instead she had banked some cushions down the middle of the mattress in a neat dividing line.
Alexa flipped over and feigned a yawn of exhaustion. ‘It’s silly for either of us to sleep on the floor. The bed is huge and there’s no reason why we can’t share it like two adults.’
‘I like your definition of sharing like two adults...’ He nodded at the military march of cushions along the middle of the bed.
Reluctantly she grinned. ‘I thought it might be a good idea to have separated sides.’
‘Of course.’
Theo was amused at just how innocent that gesture was. He climbed into bed, his antennae noting the way she shifted ever so slightly away from him. She was clearly awake, but she wasn’t reading her book and she certainly wasn’t about to engage in conversation. He reached for his laptop, propped it on his lap and casually asked if it would bother her if he worked for a couple of hours. He was even more amused when she didn’t answer.
Bother her? It bothered her that he was even breathing next to her, far less working.
Her body was rigid. She would never manage to get a wink of sleep. She knew that. Nor would she be able to toss and turn. If she tossed and turned he would guess that she was awake, plus she would keep him up, and then they’d both be awake...in a bed...just the two of them...
Sleep overcame her. It had been a long and tiring day and her exhausted body at last won the battle over her hyperactive mind.
She dreamt that she was skimming over the clouds, looking down. And then, as she looked behind her, over her shoulder, Theo was advancing, getting closer and closer. Part of her wanted desperately to run away, but another, stronger part was holding her fast and liked the fact that she couldn’t move, that he would get closer and closer, and their bodies would fuse... She would be able to skim her hands over his broad chest and feel the rough surface of muscle and tendon...
The dream was so real that she could almost feel his hands on her, brushing against her thigh and then curving between her legs. She moaned softly.
Her eyes fluttered open and...she wasn’t dreaming.
For a few seconds Alexa was completely disorientated. The strategically positioned cushions had hit the floor at some point during the night, and not only had she rolled towards Theo but right now the palm of her hand was flat against his hard chest and he was as awake as she was.
And holding her against him as if