Accepting Her Billionaire’s Ring - Chapter 10

Roxy looked up at him and her lungs constricted as his grey eyes turned molten. She wanted him so much it hurt; every fibre of her being remembered the blissful magic his lips could wreak. But she knew she mustn’t kiss him, however much her body yearned, burned for him. Because a kiss wouldn’t be enough, and anything more would cause havoc with her heart.

Using every single ounce of willpower she possessed, Roxy stepped away. Forced herself to continue the conversation. ‘So maybe give Jemima a chance.’ Leo blinked, looking as though he were having trouble remembering who Jemima was. ‘You said yourself you’d stopped dating whilst you focused on Harding’s Bikes. Maybe now is the right time to start again. This is such a beautiful place, maybe you should think about settling down.’ Roxy wasn’t sure what she was doing, but she couldn’t seem to stop the self-torture. ‘Have a family. Here. Surely that appeals.’

‘Yes. It does. I would love a family, a big family. I’d like a chance to do it right, differently from my parents. I wouldn’t send my kids to boarding school. I’d spend time with them, build them a tree house, kick a football round the garden, take them to ballet.’

Every word he said smote her, confirmed what she already knew, that she and Leo could never have a future. In truth she couldn’t have a future with any man who wanted a family. ‘There you go, then,’ she managed. ‘Give Jemima a shot.’

‘No. I want to choose my own bride and I don’t care about her social standing or whether she fits with my family. I want her to fit with me.’ His tone was intense, and as if he realised it, he relaxed his stance and smiled. ‘So I need my mother to quit on the matchmaking. And I need to make it clear to Jemima I am not available. Which means I need a date tonight. So, please, will you come with me?’

Roxy knew she should refuse, but the temptation to spend just a little more time with Leo was too much to resist.

Roxy looked stunning. When she’d walked from her apartment door to his car, he’d simply stared. The peacock-blue dress flowed in a smooth waterfall of folds, showed off her slender waist, long legs, and gave the merest glimpse of cleavage. Somehow combined elegance and class and a promise that under the demure cut there was a wealth of passion. Or perhaps he thought that because he knew exactly how passionate this woman was, the silken texture of her skin, the curve of her hip under his hand.

Stop. Their attraction had always been off the Richter scale. But there was way more to a relationship than attraction. ‘You ready?’ he asked now as they sat in his car outside his parents’ huge London house.

‘’I’m ready.’ They got out of the car and Leo saw his sister head towards them.