His Last Chance at Redemption by Michelle Conder Page B

motivating her to wade through the warm water towards him. There was plenty of room behind him anyway and if he went slowly enough she wouldn’t even have to hang onto him.
    ‘Promise you won’t go fast.’
    ‘Whatever you want,’ he drawled and Lexi’s eyes cut to his. Whatever she wanted. She wanted him to kiss her like he had on the beach and never stop.
    No.
    She blinked away the unwelcome thoughts—that was so not what she wanted. Tomorrow she would be back in London and this weekend would be a distant dream. A one-night stand with a Russian playboy with questionable morals was not what the good doctor had ordered at all!
    She reached out to take his hand and could have kicked herself for not grabbing the side of the ski instead when he effortlessly hauled her up in front of him, his strong thighs moulded to the outside of her own.
    Lexi sucked in a quick breath. ‘I can ride behind.’
    ‘No,’ his deep voice rumbled beside her ear and Lexi held herself completely still.
    ‘And you dare to call me obstinate,’ she fumed, so tense she felt ready to snap.
    ‘Just sit still,’ he growled as he expertly turned the machine towards the yacht and revved the engine.
    Lexi ignored the way her insides clenched and turned molten with desire at his rough command. She held herself stiffly within the cage his arms made around her and only dared breathe again when he pulled up alongside the yacht’s rear ramp.
    A small welcoming committee was waiting to make sure she was okay and they clapped as Leo jumped easily onto the end of the yacht and held out his hand to help her up.
    Lexi smiled up at everyone and then placed her hand in Leo’s. The muscles in his forearms rippled as he effortlessly hauled her up and it was only as their eyes met that Lexi realised that she hadn’t thanked him for rescuing her.
    ‘Thank you,’ she said, her voice husky and a little embarrassed.
    She saw Leo’s nostrils flare but other than that he didn’t acknowledge her words and she turned her glazed eyes from his piercing gaze to focus on the others.
    She reassured everyone that she was fine, mini drama over, and patted Tom’s arm. ‘Stop with the guilty look. I’m fine.’
    ‘I can’t help feeling bad. Let me take you up and get you a cool drink.’
    She was about to say she’d like that when Leo interrupted, ‘The doctor ordered rest.’
    Lexi turned to find Leo glowering at Tom. ‘I can—’
    ‘Go to your room,’ he said, his eyes on Tom.
    Lexi felt her hackles rise at his proprietorial air. ‘I’m fine,’ she asserted.
    He swung his blue eyes to hers and Lexi had to force herself not to feel intimidated. ‘Good to know.’ He stepped between her and Tom. ‘One thing, angel.’ He leaned close and lowered his tone so only she could hear and Lexi sucked in her breath to ensure that they didn’t touch. ‘If you’re going to be having sex with anyone this weekend it won’t be Tom Shepherd.’
    Lexi blinked and before her befuddled brain could formulate any sort of decent response he had stalked past her and taken the curved staircase up to the next level, two steps at a time.

CHAPTER EIGHT
    W HAT on earth had he meant by that?
    Lexi had asked herself the same question over and over all afternoon. She wasn’t planning to have sex with anyone that weekend, let alone Tom Shepherd. And Leo’s comment had been insulting in the extreme, implying that she was inviting attention, which she most definitely wasn’t.
    And if she wasn’t going to have sex with Tom, then who was he thinking would take his place? Certainly not him if the way he’d jumped on her request that they forget all about those scorching kisses back on the beach was any indication.
    Lexi leaned towards her bathroom mirror and swiped bronze eye shadow across her eyelids and then rubbed at the corner of her eye when she applied too much.
    To say that Leo’s behaviour confused her would be an understatement. Anyone would think that his behaviour