Chapter Four #2
That’s because Leo’s eyes are on you. She scowled inwardly. She knew that it wasn’t for the thrill of shocking the public. It was this thrill, the way he was looking at her, as if he were about to blow a gasket.
‘I can assure you that, while daring, this dress is entirely acceptable.’
Leo sounded grim. ‘At least you know better than to say respectable.’
Angelica’s cheeks got warm. ‘Yes, well, Idrina is known for pushing the boundaries.’
Leo waved a hand in her direction. ‘Pushing the boundaries, is that the name for it, then?’
Angelica rolled her eyes. ‘You sound like an outdated outraged father.’
Leo’s eyes met hers in a snap movement that almost felt like the sting of a whip. ‘Believe me, there’s nothing fatherlike about how I feel right now. Except perhaps for the urge to tell you to go to your room and change into something more appropriate.’
‘I’m not changing. Take me, or leave me. I’d be quite happy to stay in, order takeout and watch the latest series on cable TV.’
Angelica held her breath. The tension in the air was like a live crackling force. Leo’s jaw was gritted so hard, she could see a muscle bulging and had an urge to go over and put her hand on him, smoothing away the tension. That she had put there.
‘Fine. Let’s go, we’re already late, which will ensure your entrance will be as headline-grabbing as possible.’
Angelica barely had time to grab her bag and register that he wasn’t caving as he took her arm and led her out of the apartment, into the elevator and down to the lobby area, and out, to the waiting car.
She hardly noticed the chill in the air because the chill emanating from Leo on the other side of the car was more frigid.
As they made their way through traffic uptown she felt him glancing at her periodically.
She was very aware of her bare legs and the material barely covering the strategic middle of her body from mid-thigh, which had become upper-thigh sitting down, up to where the dress sat over her breasts.
In spite of its skimpyness, Angelica felt relatively secure. What Leo couldn’t obviously see was the flesh-coloured lace that held everything in place.
‘What’ll be next? Just a thong?’
Angelica turned to look at Leo. His face was all harsh lines and dark brows. More stubble on his jaw. She pointed out, ‘You’re obviously not overly concerned with your appearance.’
He frowned. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
Before she realised what she was doing, Angelica reached out and touched a finger to his jaw, tracing the short spiky hair along his jaw-line. Too late, as her blood surged at that touch, she tried to pull her hand back but it was caught in his.
And somehow she seemed to have gravitated closer. So close that their thighs were almost touching. The air between them now felt hot and volatile. Angelica couldn’t take her eyes off Leo’s mouth.
His gaze was locked on her mouth too, and then it dipped down to her chest and back up again. She could see those golden depths in his eyes now. Fires burning. She wanted him to kiss her, to root her in some kind of reality even if it was an inferno. Everything had been upside down for so long…
She didn’t even notice the car coming to a halt. And neither did Leo. The driver cleared his throat in the front and Leo tensed. He dropped her hand so fast it fell uselessly into her lap. She realised she was leaning towards him, her body betraying her spectacularly.
She pulled back too but Leo was already out of the car and coming around to let her out.
Door opening, reaching for her hand. She’d prefer not to touch him again but it was impossible to get out of the vehicle gracefully so she had no option but to slide her hand into his, sparking a million nerve endings to life again.
They were walking up another set of steps now. Angelica was only vaguely aware of the location but it was a suitably formidable building and there was a steady stream of New York’s glittering crowd entering the main door.
Paparazzi spotted them and went predictably wild, but Leo didn’t want to stop.
He tugged her with him until Angelica dug her heels in and he had to stop.
He looked at her, his expression stormy, and bit out, ‘While the news coverage isn’t entirely unwelcome, I think I’d like to avoid hitting the front pages of every paper two days running. ’
Angelica didn’t have time to ask him what he meant by that. She said, ‘I promised my friend I’d get the maximum coverage for her dress.’
Leo snorted. ‘Your altruism is to be commended. I’m sure it’s nothing to do with the fact that getting photographed in little more than a lace napkin is the main aim here.’
Angelica pulled her hand free with a forced smile and made a motion to shoo Leo aside so she could be photographed on her own. To anyone else it would look like the kind of exchange that happened between celebrities on the red carpet all the time.
Angelica took her time, making sure they got all the angles and made sure they knew who the designer was. When she finally gave a wave and turned to walk up the steps, Leo practically had steam coming out of his ears.
Angelica slid her arm through his, even though that brought her uncomfortably close to his body. But she steeled herself against her reaction and said, ‘If this is all too much for you, there’s a very quick solution.’
‘What’s that?’
‘A divorce.’
‘Not before everything is back in my name.’
Angelica pounced. ‘So you will divorce me, then, when I sign everything back to you?’
They were at the top of the steps now. Leo stopped and looked at her. ‘Not a chance, not even if you decide to attend an event in nothing but body paint. We agreed to three months, and that’s the minimum I’ll accept to rehabilitate my image.’
Angelica swallowed down her frustration and smiled sweetly. ‘It just so happens that I know a very talented body-paint artist who I’ve worked with on several campaigns. I must drop him an email.’
Leo urged them forward and into the event, where thousands of lights lit everyone and everything in a golden glow. Ominously he said, ‘Do your worst, Angel, it won’t change a thing.’
They were at the top of a set of grand marble steps that led down into a vast ballroom.
Almost as one entity the crowd seemed to stop and turn to face them.
A hush fell. Once again Angelica was pricklingly aware of herself.
She would wear clothes like this for a shoot, no problem, but out in public was another matter.
But she couldn’t regret it now. He’d just confirmed she was doing the right thing.
A couple of events drawing all the wrong sort of attention and he would be begging for a divorce once she’d signed everything back over to him.
Leo started walking down the stairs and she could feel his tension.
She gritted her jaw against the urge to turn and flee and return in something more suitable.
Did he really mean it when he said he’d make her wait out the three months?
She had the sinking feeling that if she did appear in just body paint, he would call her bluff and parade her in front of everyone, rendering her little sartorial rebellions futile.
The hush became a chatter of voices that stopped and grew loud again as they passed through the crowd.
People seemed to be crowding around them and in the middle of the room, Leo stopped.
Angelica felt his hand tighten on hers, almost painfully, and looked up at his face and her belly swooped.
He was pale and there was visible perspiration on his brow.
She squeezed his hand. ‘Leo, what is it?’
His voice sounded thick. ‘Need to move, get some space.’
Angelica spied an opening and moved forward, tugging Leo behind her until they’d got to the side of the ballroom, where the crowd dissipated and there was space.
She turned to face him. ‘Are you OK?’ Theatrics with her outfits and everything was forgotten.
She felt a real stab of concern. She’d never seen Leo like this.
She saw his throat swallow. A waiter passed nearby with a tray of glasses. She snagged one. Luckily it was water. She handed it to Leo. ‘Drink this.’
He clasped the glass and she could see the knuckles of his fingers, white. The concern got more pronounced. He took a gulp of water and Angelica took the glass back.
‘Leo?’
He shook his head. ‘I’m sorry… I felt something like this at the last event but it wasn’t as bad.’
‘Felt what?’
‘Claustrophobic. The crowd, around me…nowhere to go. Trapped.’
A chill went down Angelica’s spine. ‘You experienced this in prison, didn’t you?’
The deathly pallor was finally lifting from his face. The faintest colour coming back. He nodded slowly. ‘Something like that.’
Until now Angelica hadn’t truly appreciated what he must have gone through in prison but this was giving her a glimpse.
Leo put an arm across his body as if to hold himself. Angelica instinctively moved closer and put a hand on his back. He looked at her and she saw a bleakness in his gaze for a moment that shocked her. But then it was gone. He seemed to straighten up. He took his arm down. ‘I’m OK now.’
Angelica was sure he wasn’t but she could read the determination in his demeanor. ‘We don’t have to stay, you know that. It’s just a social event.’
He shook his head. ‘No, we’re staying.’
We. Angelica tried not to let that impact her, a sense that they were in this together, when it was anything but, but she couldn’t shake it.
Leo took her hand and they skirted around the edges of the room, before she felt him literally steel himself and they moved back into the crowd.
She looked at him as he conversed with a steady stream of people who came to talk to him and marvelled that unless she’d seen what had just happened—a near panic attack—he looked as vital and powerful as ever. As if it hadn’t happened.