Page 66 of Modern Romance July 2025 #4-8
‘I’m guessing there’s no lucky man on the scene,’ Leo murmured, moving to stand so close to her that she could breathe him in, and she did, nostrils flaring, eyes reluctantly and defiantly pinned to his face.
She couldn’t tear them away. That dear, dear face she had held in her hands so many times, crazy in love and wanting a future with him more than she’d ever wanted anything in her life…
‘Good,’ he murmured with satisfaction.
And then he reached out, very, very gently pushed some hair away from her face and cupped her cheek with his hand.
That was it—nothing more—and his hand barely rested on her for longer than a few seconds but that touch sent her body racing towards meltdown.
She could feel the heat pour through her, lighting her up inside until her skin was burning.
‘So?’ Leo stood back and shoved his hands into his trouser pockets.
‘What’s it to be, Cassie—a trip down memory lane with all your financial worries sorted along the way, or no deal?
Because, if you go for the no deal option, then there will be no turning back, ever.
Whatever money worries you have to deal with, you’ll have to manage them on your own.
I will walk away and you’ll never see me again. ’
Cassie’s mouth went dry.
‘And if I agree? What exactly would you have in mind?’
Leo smiled slowly. ‘Terms and conditions to be agreed but, as I’ll be running the show, I’ll be honest and say that they’ll mostly be my terms and conditions.’ He paused. ‘The one thing you’ll have is my signature on the dotted line that all your financial worries will be over.’
Cassie’s head was spinning.
Leo…as a lover…? The very thought of it made her want to pass out.
His offer was brazen, arrogant and utterly selfish but could she say no to what he had put on the table?
Yet, if she did agree, what would those terms and conditions amount to?
She had a lot of thinking to do but he wasn’t about to indulge that need.
He’d thrown his offer down and he was waiting for her answer.
Say no, and he would walk away and she would never see him again.
She should have been outraged and she was! Yet underneath the righteous anger that he could use his power and money to twist her arm the way he had was a certain simmering excitement that she didn’t want to feel but which she couldn’t seem to suppress.
Oh, she had relived their love-making on a loop, night after night, week after week, year after year.
To have that again…
He would give her ten minutes to consider his proposal.
He left the room, ordered coffee to be brought to them and by the time he returned he had decided that, from here on in, things would move in a business-like direction.
So much for his original decision to make an appearance, listen to her sob story, see how the years had treated her and then walk away.
An eye for an eye… . He hadn’t looked at it as revenge.
He didn’t do revenge. He’d justified it as simply doing whatever it took to lock the door for ever on memories that had no place in the present.
But then he’d seen her, and every single bit of him had known that a baseless act of walking away would never kill the hold the past still seemed to exercise over him.
She had stood there in the doorway, with that look of defiance, innocence and trepidation on her face and he had seen the blushing shy girl who had stolen his heart and managed, somehow, to keep a piece of it in the palm of her hand.
Her body was long and strong, athletic rather than willowy. Her breasts, those breasts he had held and kissed just that one, beautiful time, were full and round, her legs were shapely and slender and they made him think how badly he wanted the feel of them wrapped around him once again.
Walking away, knowing that he was in a position to deny her the money she wanted, would mean he’d never get rid of those feelings she still stirred in him. The love might be gone but the memories were still too sharp. He’d tuned in to her as though no time had passed.
What was surprising, though, was that it hurt to see her in the position of supplicant when he’d thought he would feel satisfied.
But he refused to let nostalgia and whimsy get the better of him.
He’d moved on from that place but something inside had twisted when she’d told him about her father’s debts.
No, to destroy whatever hold she still had over him, he would have her again, feel her body move beneath his again and touch her in all the places he remembered with a clarity that shocked him.
If she accepted his proposal, he would soon know whether the physical pull was still there for her as it was for him. He thought it was. He’d felt the tremor in her body when he had touched her.
Of course, he would have to lay down some ground rules…
‘Coffee is on its way.’ He closed the door behind him. She was sitting now, frowning and chewing her lip. Her eyes were distant and thoughtful when they met his.
‘Is this the part where you tell me that I need a clear head…?’
‘I hadn’t thought of that,’ Leo drawled, amused, ‘But a clear head might be a good idea.’
‘You already know what I’m going to say,’ Cassie said quietly, pausing as coffee was brought in and deferentially put on the coffee table. She continued when they were once more alone. ‘I told you how awful the situation was. I accept your deal.’
‘So let’s relax and talk about the terms and conditions. I wouldn’t want any crossed wires or misunderstandings when it comes to this little arrangement.’
He noted her casual outfit with satisfaction. The lack of designer gear was a turn-on for him because it reflected something authentic about her he used to find irresistible. He imagined ripping her clothes off, and then he imagined her ripping them off herself, wanting him so much it hurt.
Leo wasn’t trying to conceal his thoughts and, watching him, Cassie could feel the hot burn of his desire, the anticipation of touching her.
She freed her own thoughts and admitted that it was the same for her—that pull of lust and desire to touch the thing she’d been denied for eight long years.
How many nights had this man surfaced in her dreams?
Since Leo, she’d had only one brief, disappointing affair and, after that, she had abandoned that side of her.
She’d pushed forward with her life, and enjoyed her work, just as she enjoyed spending time with her friends, but he’d stuck in her head and she had never managed to rid herself of the memory.
So maybe this was her time to clear her head of him once and for all. She could never feel about him the way she had before, but she could see this as a situation that benefited them both.
Why not? Why should she play the shrinking martyr, dragged into something because she had no choice?
She had a choice. This was her choice and she was going to own it.
Sleeping with Leo wasn’t just going to be about doing something for the sake of her mother.
It was also going to be about doing something for herself.
‘I have one or two terms and conditions of my own,’ she said coolly.
‘Have you? Interesting. Fire away, but bear in mind that I reserve the right to completely disregard them.’
‘I want a timeline to this situation.’
‘What did you have in mind?’
‘A week.’
‘But what if you decide that you want things to keep going for longer?’ Leo purred.
‘That’s never going to happen.’
‘A week sounds about right. I can’t see either of us wanting to extend things beyond that.’
‘Agreed. I want to have closure as much as you do. I also want to finish what we started eight years ago. And a week? Perfect, just long enough to exorcise old ghosts.’
‘Never a word truer spoken. Anything else now that you’re on a roll? I’m keen to hear if there are any more conditions I’m willing to allow.’
Cassie ignored the sarcasm. ‘It’ll have to fit around both my work and family commitments.’
‘I’m afraid,’ Leo said mock-sadly, ‘That particular condition falls into the category of “to be jettisoned”.’
‘Why?’ Cassie cried.
‘Because I want my time with you to be uninterrupted and it’s going to be interrupted non-stop if we’re here—catering emergencies, phone calls from friends, your mother popping round… None of that’s going to work for me. Not on any level.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘A change of scenery might be in order and, before you continue protesting, you’re not going to change my mind on that.’
‘A change of scenery to where?’ she demanded.
‘To be decided. Let’s stick to the programme in the meanwhile. You’ll be having a week off from your routine and you’ll need to sort that out.’
‘But my mother’s already stressed with everything that’s happening. I need to be here for her.’
‘A week is hardly an eternity in the great scheme of things.’
Cassie looked down at her hands knotted on her lap.
She pretty much lived with her mother, looking in on her once a day, sometimes more.
How was Mary going to cope without her around?
She would have to depend on the two friends she actively kept in touch with.
Would that be enough? Could they be relied on? People had their own lives to live.
‘What are you not telling me?’ Leo pressed.
‘Mum’s not in the best of health,’ Cassie confessed unwillingly.
‘What’s wrong with her?’
‘I… I’d rather not discuss that, if you don’t mind.’
The silence lengthened between them.
‘There’s something serious in your expression. I’m sorry,’ Leo said quietly. ‘I know you have a close bond with your mother. Is that why you’ve agreed to do this?’ His dark eyes were suddenly shrewd and speculative.