He suddenly wanted to kiss her again, just to experience that same thrilling feeling of being connected.
No. No. Not a good idea.
Obviously, it had been much too long since he’d been physically involved with a woman if he was contemplating messing with this precariously balanced business relationship he’d negotiated so carefully.
‘You know, it occurs to me that I didn’t ask anything about you when we did that getting to know each other exercise last night,’ he said, taking a deliberate step back away from her. ‘Want to chat now over coffee?’
The look of surprise on her face made him feel equal parts amused and guilty and a hot sort of discomfort trickled through him. Apparently, she’d not expected him to take any interest in her as a person.
‘Just in case we’re caught out like that again,’ he added quickly, not wanting her to read too much into his offer of friendship.
‘Er… yes, sure. If you like,’ she said, folding her arms around her middle and looking suddenly a little uncomfortable about standing in front of him in her nightwear.
‘Feel free to get dressed first,’ he said with a reassuring smile, ‘but only if you want to. Don’t do it for me.’
‘Nah, I’m fine,’ she said, letting her arms swing down to her sides and pushing back her shoulders. ‘Let’s do it now.’
He really liked her self-confidence.
So they started off by chatting about simple things like their favourite books and films and music, then they moved on to which countries they’d like to visit and why.
‘So, it sounds like you haven’t travelled much yet,’ he said as she reeled off the long list of places to visit on her bucket list.
‘I’ve not had much chance,’ she said with a sad smile. ‘Ever since my dad died, I’ve had to spend all my time working and looking after my mum and sister.’
‘Yes, of course,’ Xavier said, chastened. He’d almost forgotten how much she’d had to deal with during her relatively short life. ‘That must have been pretty tough.’
‘Yeah, it was at the beginning,’ she said, hunching her shoulders, but maintaining her sunny smile. ‘My mum got very depressed after we lost him and started really struggling with her Parkinson’s, and Domino was too young to help out. She still needed someone to look after her and I was the only one available. It didn’t leave a lot of time for me.’
‘No. I bet,’ was all he could muster in response. It made him realise how easy he’d had it being an only child with family money behind him. Glancing at his watch, he gave a start of surprise. He’d been enjoying chatting with her so much he’d not noticed how the time had flown. ‘Hey, it’s nearly lunchtime already.’
‘Oh!’ she said, looking slightly panicked. ‘I’d better get dressed and grab some lunch. I have a hair appointment at two o’clock.’
Once she’d dashed off and changed her clothes they reconvened in the kitchen and ate their fill of the delicious food that Soli had loaded the fridge with – which mostly consisted of Mediterranean-inspired fare like brightly coloured salads, a cold meat platter and a range of healthy grains – before she excused herself to go to her appointment, leaving him on his own.
Experiencing a strange surge of energy once she’d gone, he took himself off for a long, hard session in the gym, followed by a lengthy swim in the pool.
Finally feeling as if he’d got past the odd edgy tension that had kept him moving, he went for a scorching hot shower, coming down from his bedroom to find a wonderful smell wafting from the direction of the kitchen.
Striding in, he found the room empty, though it was clear Soli had been in here recently because there were mixing bowls in the sink and a dusting of flour on the work surfaces. The smell seemed to be coming from the range oven and he peered through the glass to see a large cake rising inside its tin.
Despite having stuffed himself at lunchtime, he heard his stomach give a growl of hunger. He’d told her he didn’t have much of a sweet tooth, but he’d make an exception for something that smelt that good.
‘I thought we could take it to the party as a gift for your friends,’ came a soft voice behind him and he spun around to see Soli standing in the doorway with a tentative smile on her face.
There was a strange rising sensation in his chest when he noticed how her wild curls had been tamed into sleek blonde waves, making her look a good few years older than she was. Not that he didn’t like her usual hairstyle. In fact, he probably preferred her hair au naturel, but he appreciated the effort she’d gone to for the party.
‘Your hair looks nice,’ he croaked through a suddenly dry throat.
It must be the heat from the oven getting to him.
She gave him a wide, delighted smile. ‘Thanks, I’m glad you like it.’
‘Are you going to be wearing that later?’ he asked jokily to distract himself from the inappropriate way his body seemed to be responding to her now, pointing to the bathrobe he’d loaned her that morning, which she had wrapped tightly around her.
She smiled back. ‘I wasn’t planning on it, no. I bought a dress especially for the occasion. I hope it’s the right sort of thing.’ He noticed her jaw twitch and realised she was probably as nervous about going tonight as he was.
‘Don’t worry, they’re a friendly crowd, on the whole.’ He took a stabilising breath. ‘I probably ought to warn you that there’s a good chance my ex, Harriet, might be there, and there could be a bit of tension.’ He frowned, wondering how best to explain this without having to go into too much embarrassing detail. ‘We didn’t part on great terms.’
