Virginia!'
'Stop ordering me around!' she snapped. 'I'm not your wife now!'
'No,' he growled. 'But the connection is still there and I refuse to stand by while you bring our name into disrepute—'
'Oh, the Brandon name!' she snapped, sighing extravagantly and adding a yawn for good measure. She picked up a mascara wand and carefully applied the first coat. 'I can't believe what you're saying! Because I was once foolish enough to be married to you, you're asking me to stay away from anyone who might tarnish the reputation of your ridiculously fussy family?' she scathed. Her perfectly shaped eyebrows lifted in astonishment. 'Please! Leave me to manage my life—'
'OK. Have it your own way.' Leo shrugged his big shoulders and started walking away, taking her tension with him. 'The headlines in the papers are full of your disappearance from the jetting scene,' he said, as if it were an afterthought. 'Some talk of kidnap. I'll put them right, of course—tell them where you are and—'
'No! You louse; you wouldn't!' she gasped, leaping to her feet in shock.
'Watch,' he said succinctly. Smugly.
Furious, Ginny flew across to him, grabbing his arm as he reached the top of the steps that led to the external door. 'No, Leo!' she cried urgently. 'I've longed for this time to myself! I'm enjoying being alone! You can't tell the Press!' she half sobbed in angry frustration. 'You don't know how much I need solitude! I want to mingle with ordinary people, to swim and shop, to sunbathe and laze around —Oh, Leo, it's been years since I did things like that! And I want to plan the rest of my life'-'
'Do you?' His eyes were veiled, his expression unreadable. But he was hesitating.
Ginny's eyes lingered on his mouth. So close. A sudden urge to kiss him overwhelmed her and her lips parted, glistening moistly with desire. 'Be nice; do as I ask for old times' sake,' she coaxed, her voice husky with restrained emotions.
His mouth granted another, unspoken request as he read her like a book. Gently his lips moved over hers, tasting, nibbling, savouring her. He inhaled and she knew that he was breathing in her scented skin as she was inhaling his. Then he was pushing her back a little, his eyes darkly mocking.
'Still a witch, using your charms as a weapon,' he drawled. 'Cheap trick, Ginny. Delightful, though.' She wriggled away, her eyes dark with anger. He smiled secretively. 'Shall we come to an arrangement?' he asked.
Her brows drew together in a suspicious frown and her heart pitter-pattered against her ribs. 'What for?' she asked warily.
Leo smiled again with a smug satisfaction and traced a line from her chin down to the hollow of her throat, sending her brain into reverse in the process. And her body into full steam ahead. She blinked, trying to clear the wool from where wisdom should have been and stop herself submitting to his seduction.
'Let's see,' he murmured, pretending to consider. 'How about this...? I don't reveal who you are to anyone, you steer clear of St Honore. Then you can have all the solitude and peace you want.'
'Oh.' Her face fell in dismay.
'Not a problem, is it?' he murmured, his finger seemingly fascinated by her collar-bone.
She cleared her throat of the choking lump in it. 'Yes. Leo... I can't steer clear of him.'
'Why?' he asked, a sliver of steel in his eyes.
'There's... there's a very special reason I've come to see him.'
'Which is?' he drawled laconically.
Her huge eyes lifted to his. It would be nice if he understood, she thought. Sharing her hopes and her anxieties with him might help. 'There's a strong possibility he's my father,' she said in a sudden rush.
The trailing finger stilled. She told him then everything she knew. Leo didn't move, but his jaw tightened and his mouth grew harder and grimmer with every second. When she'd finished, she waited, her glistening eyes fixed unblinkingly on his. Which were hostile and frightening.
'I think you're mistaken,' he said stiffly.
'Maybe. But
'Stop ordering me around!' she snapped. 'I'm not your wife now!'
'No,' he growled. 'But the connection is still there and I refuse to stand by while you bring our name into disrepute—'
'Oh, the Brandon name!' she snapped, sighing extravagantly and adding a yawn for good measure. She picked up a mascara wand and carefully applied the first coat. 'I can't believe what you're saying! Because I was once foolish enough to be married to you, you're asking me to stay away from anyone who might tarnish the reputation of your ridiculously fussy family?' she scathed. Her perfectly shaped eyebrows lifted in astonishment. 'Please! Leave me to manage my life—'
'OK. Have it your own way.' Leo shrugged his big shoulders and started walking away, taking her tension with him. 'The headlines in the papers are full of your disappearance from the jetting scene,' he said, as if it were an afterthought. 'Some talk of kidnap. I'll put them right, of course—tell them where you are and—'
'No! You louse; you wouldn't!' she gasped, leaping to her feet in shock.
'Watch,' he said succinctly. Smugly.
Furious, Ginny flew across to him, grabbing his arm as he reached the top of the steps that led to the external door. 'No, Leo!' she cried urgently. 'I've longed for this time to myself! I'm enjoying being alone! You can't tell the Press!' she half sobbed in angry frustration. 'You don't know how much I need solitude! I want to mingle with ordinary people, to swim and shop, to sunbathe and laze around —Oh, Leo, it's been years since I did things like that! And I want to plan the rest of my life'-'
'Do you?' His eyes were veiled, his expression unreadable. But he was hesitating.
Ginny's eyes lingered on his mouth. So close. A sudden urge to kiss him overwhelmed her and her lips parted, glistening moistly with desire. 'Be nice; do as I ask for old times' sake,' she coaxed, her voice husky with restrained emotions.
His mouth granted another, unspoken request as he read her like a book. Gently his lips moved over hers, tasting, nibbling, savouring her. He inhaled and she knew that he was breathing in her scented skin as she was inhaling his. Then he was pushing her back a little, his eyes darkly mocking.
'Still a witch, using your charms as a weapon,' he drawled. 'Cheap trick, Ginny. Delightful, though.' She wriggled away, her eyes dark with anger. He smiled secretively. 'Shall we come to an arrangement?' he asked.
Her brows drew together in a suspicious frown and her heart pitter-pattered against her ribs. 'What for?' she asked warily.
Leo smiled again with a smug satisfaction and traced a line from her chin down to the hollow of her throat, sending her brain into reverse in the process. And her body into full steam ahead. She blinked, trying to clear the wool from where wisdom should have been and stop herself submitting to his seduction.
'Let's see,' he murmured, pretending to consider. 'How about this...? I don't reveal who you are to anyone, you steer clear of St Honore. Then you can have all the solitude and peace you want.'
'Oh.' Her face fell in dismay.
'Not a problem, is it?' he murmured, his finger seemingly fascinated by her collar-bone.
She cleared her throat of the choking lump in it. 'Yes. Leo... I can't steer clear of him.'
'Why?' he asked, a sliver of steel in his eyes.
'There's... there's a very special reason I've come to see him.'
'Which is?' he drawled laconically.
Her huge eyes lifted to his. It would be nice if he understood, she thought. Sharing her hopes and her anxieties with him might help. 'There's a strong possibility he's my father,' she said in a sudden rush.
The trailing finger stilled. She told him then everything she knew. Leo didn't move, but his jaw tightened and his mouth grew harder and grimmer with every second. When she'd finished, she waited, her glistening eyes fixed unblinkingly on his. Which were hostile and frightening.
'I think you're mistaken,' he said stiffly.
'Maybe. But