be.
Sidonie forgot about the trolley and whirled around. Alexio was standing there, as gorgeous as she remembered. Not a dream. Shock mixed with relief and joy jumped in her belly.
‘What are you doing here? You were gone,’ she breathed, half afraid she was hallucinating.
Alexio’s mouth tightened as if he didn’t like admitting it. ‘I doubled back...just in case.’
Sidonie made a gesture behind her. ‘All the flights are full. A rugby match is on between England and Ireland. I can’t get home till the day after tomorrow at the earliest...’
‘So you’re stuck here at the airport? That’s unfortunate.’ His eyes were glinting with that dark humour again.
Incredible joy was bubbling up inside Sidonie. He’d come back. For her . He hadn’t forgotten about her.
She fought back the goofy grin threatening to erupt. ‘I was going to rebook my flight and then I was going to find somewhere to stay.’
Alexio put one hand in the pocket of his trousers. His jacket hung open. He was stunning, blinding. Mesmerising.
‘I happen to have a very spacious apartment here in London. If you were to agree to accompany me to dinner this evening I’d let you stay. And then I’d make sure you got home at the earliest opportunity.’
Warning bells went off in Sidonie’s head again but she ignored them. She was getting a second chance. She’d never thought she’d see this man again, because she would never have had the nerve to call him.
She made a mental decision and took a step into the terrifying and exhilarating unknown.
‘I’ll accept your offer.’
Something within her leapt to see his eyes flare and his cheeks darken with colour.
She held up a hand. ‘On one condition.’
‘What?’ he bit out, clearly impatient now.
‘That you allow me to buy dinner...for letting me stay with you.’
Sidonie had a mental image of her bank account and her already close to maxed-out credit card after the flights she’d had to take back and forth to Paris in recent months. She bit her lip.
‘Except I hope you like cheap Italian, because that’s about the best I can offer.’
Alexio stepped up to her and reached around to get her trolley, taking her small case off it as if it weighed nothing. He took her elbow in his hand and looked down at her, taking her breath away.
‘I’ll tell you what. We’ll eat in—that way we don’t have to worry about who’s paying.’
‘But...’ Sidonie spluttered ineffectually as he handed her into the back seat of his car.
He came around and got in the other side and then just looked at her, and it was so stern that she stopped.
‘Okay—fine. I get it,’ she said a little mutinously, ‘but I just don’t want you to think that I’m not grateful.’
Alexio issued a terse command in a guttural language and Sidonie saw the car’s privacy window slide up silently. Then he was reaching for her and pulling her sweatshirt up and over her head before she had the wits to stop him. When she emerged he had his hands in her hair, taking it out of its confines and making it fall down around her shoulders.
Then he plucked off her glasses—which weren’t doing much for her sight anyway.
She slapped at his hands ineffectually. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’
Sidonie hated that her whole body sizzled at his masterful actions, knowing she should be objecting vociferously.
He took her face in his hands, holding her still. Sidonie’s heart skipped and her breath stopped.
‘Much better,’ Alexio breathed approvingly, just before his head bent and his mouth met hers.
Sidonie groaned deeply, because from the moment she’d pulled away from that first kiss she’d craved this again. In her mind she ordered herself to stop thinking and gave herself up to the dark fantasy of Alexio Christakos, who had just turned her world upside down and inside out.
By the time they pulled up outside a huge, impressive building Sidonie felt completely flustered, aching and undone.
Sidonie forgot about the trolley and whirled around. Alexio was standing there, as gorgeous as she remembered. Not a dream. Shock mixed with relief and joy jumped in her belly.
‘What are you doing here? You were gone,’ she breathed, half afraid she was hallucinating.
Alexio’s mouth tightened as if he didn’t like admitting it. ‘I doubled back...just in case.’
Sidonie made a gesture behind her. ‘All the flights are full. A rugby match is on between England and Ireland. I can’t get home till the day after tomorrow at the earliest...’
‘So you’re stuck here at the airport? That’s unfortunate.’ His eyes were glinting with that dark humour again.
Incredible joy was bubbling up inside Sidonie. He’d come back. For her . He hadn’t forgotten about her.
She fought back the goofy grin threatening to erupt. ‘I was going to rebook my flight and then I was going to find somewhere to stay.’
Alexio put one hand in the pocket of his trousers. His jacket hung open. He was stunning, blinding. Mesmerising.
‘I happen to have a very spacious apartment here in London. If you were to agree to accompany me to dinner this evening I’d let you stay. And then I’d make sure you got home at the earliest opportunity.’
Warning bells went off in Sidonie’s head again but she ignored them. She was getting a second chance. She’d never thought she’d see this man again, because she would never have had the nerve to call him.
She made a mental decision and took a step into the terrifying and exhilarating unknown.
‘I’ll accept your offer.’
Something within her leapt to see his eyes flare and his cheeks darken with colour.
She held up a hand. ‘On one condition.’
‘What?’ he bit out, clearly impatient now.
‘That you allow me to buy dinner...for letting me stay with you.’
Sidonie had a mental image of her bank account and her already close to maxed-out credit card after the flights she’d had to take back and forth to Paris in recent months. She bit her lip.
‘Except I hope you like cheap Italian, because that’s about the best I can offer.’
Alexio stepped up to her and reached around to get her trolley, taking her small case off it as if it weighed nothing. He took her elbow in his hand and looked down at her, taking her breath away.
‘I’ll tell you what. We’ll eat in—that way we don’t have to worry about who’s paying.’
‘But...’ Sidonie spluttered ineffectually as he handed her into the back seat of his car.
He came around and got in the other side and then just looked at her, and it was so stern that she stopped.
‘Okay—fine. I get it,’ she said a little mutinously, ‘but I just don’t want you to think that I’m not grateful.’
Alexio issued a terse command in a guttural language and Sidonie saw the car’s privacy window slide up silently. Then he was reaching for her and pulling her sweatshirt up and over her head before she had the wits to stop him. When she emerged he had his hands in her hair, taking it out of its confines and making it fall down around her shoulders.
Then he plucked off her glasses—which weren’t doing much for her sight anyway.
She slapped at his hands ineffectually. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’
Sidonie hated that her whole body sizzled at his masterful actions, knowing she should be objecting vociferously.
He took her face in his hands, holding her still. Sidonie’s heart skipped and her breath stopped.
‘Much better,’ Alexio breathed approvingly, just before his head bent and his mouth met hers.
Sidonie groaned deeply, because from the moment she’d pulled away from that first kiss she’d craved this again. In her mind she ordered herself to stop thinking and gave herself up to the dark fantasy of Alexio Christakos, who had just turned her world upside down and inside out.
By the time they pulled up outside a huge, impressive building Sidonie felt completely flustered, aching and undone.
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