"You've had a rough day. Take a shower. I have a few more calls to make then I'll come upstairs and join you in about an hour," he said. "I'll ask Meg to bring up some sandwiches for us." He dropped a kiss on her forehead. "Go on," he said and gave her a gentle nudge.Calista took his advice and climbed the stairs to Leo's suite. Instead of taking a shower, though, she gave into the temptation to take a bath. She had an hour after all. While she drew the water in the large, luxurious tub, Meg appeared with a glass of chilled wine. Calista smiled and thanked the woman. A thoughtful gesture from Leo, she suspected. She stripped and stepped into the tub, sinking into the hot water.
Her mind racing between worry for Pooh and concern for her sisters, she turned on the bathroom sound system to Michael Buble. She told herself to stop thinking for just a few minutes. Pooh was in good hands and she was working on her sister's future.
Lifting the glass of wine to her lips, she took a sip and closed her eyes.
"Well this is a sight for sore eyes," Leo said.
Her eyes flashed open at the sound of his voice and she sat up then sank under the water, her wine splashing on her chest. A sound of exasperation bubbled from her throat. "Did you consider knocking?"
"Hell, no," he said, resting one hand on his hip while his other hand held his glass of wine as his gaze seemed to devour her. "It was so quiet in here I wondered if you'd fainted." Moving toward her, he set his wineglass on the side of the tub, and her heart skittered like a stone tossed across a river.
"I obviously haven't," she said, watching as he pulled his shirt over his head and unfastened his slacks. Seconds later, his boxers hit the floor. Had the water grown hotter?
"You don't mind if I join you, do you?" he said more than asked as he stepped into the bath.
"You didn't exactly give me a chance to refuse," she said, trying not to be fascinated by the width of his shoulders and muscular body. His physique was impressive in every way.
"No need to thank me yet," he said with a wicked grin as he pushed her into a sitting position and slid behind her.
"Leo," she said. "I thought the objective was for me to calm down."
"You will," he said, skimming his mouth over her bare shoulder.
"How can-"
He held his wineglass to her mouth with the silent instruction for her to take a sip. She did, but she didn't feel one bit more calm. "I don't see-"
He slid her slightly to the side and tilted her head upward. "Trust me," he said and lowered his mouth to hers.
Trust him? How could she possibly? He slid both their bodies deeper into the water. She barely noticed the sound of him placing the wineglass on the side of the tub. His kiss was so compelling. A half-breath later, she felt his hand on her skin, skimming down to her breasts. The combination of the warm water, his seductive touch and the sensation of her back against his body sent every thought but him from her mind. He taunted her nipples at the same time as he drew her tongue deeply into his mouth.
She tried to roll over to face him, but he pulled back, shaking his head. "Uh-uh, not now."
Calista frowned, but his hand traveled down, further down between her legs and he found where she was already swollen and sensitive. She gasped against his mouth and he kissed her again. She felt his strength beneath her, his obvious arousal against her, as he kissed her and played with her sending her into the stratosphere. His caresses made her breathless, mindless. Her climax racked through her from head to toe. "Oh, Leo," she whispered.
"Now, you can turn over," he said.
She rolled over and covered his lips with her fingers. "No, now I want you to stand up."
He frowned, his eyes glittering with desire. "Why?"
"Just do it," she whispered.
Sighing heavily, he stood, the water coursing down his strong thighs, his erection jutting proudly. Still weak from the way he affected her, she rose to her knees and skimmed her hands up his thighs to cup him.
He let out a sigh of utter sexual frustration.
Holding his gaze, Calista lifted her lips and took him intimately into her mouth.
He said things that sounded like a combination of curses and longing. He wrapped his fingers in her hair and shook his head, drawing her head away from him. "Enough," he muttered.
Heedless of their wet skin, he picked her up and carried her into the bedroom, laying her on the bed, immediately following her down. "Hold on," he said. "I have to have you."
He took her in one sure thrust. She gazed into his dark eyes and the power she saw there made her feel as if she should look away. She felt as if he were taking more than her body. He was taking her soul.
When Calista awakened the next morning, she felt exhausted. Leo had made love to her several times during the night. She peeked through her fingers and saw that he was gone. She felt a twinge of disappointment, but told herself not to be surprised. Leo was almost always gone in the morning. A terrible loneliness sank inside her.Growling in frustration, she threw off the covers and rose from the bed. "This is ridiculous," she muttered. "Lying in bed like some pitiful, sappy, helpless woman in love. I'm not helpless and I'm not in love," she told herself and glanced into the bathroom mirror. She'd made a plan, and she was working the plan.
The woman in the reflection, however, told a different story. Calista lifted her fingers to her swollen lips. Her skin was pale, her eyes bloodshot, her hair a tumbled telltale tangle. Worse yet, the expression in her eyes was full of sadness and longing.
Unable to bear the sight of her naked emotions, she closed her eyes and turned away, taking a deep breath. She turned on the jets to the shower, determined to wash her vulnerability down the drain.
"Calista," Leo said from the doorway.
She jumped at the sound of his voice, wishing she was dressed. Instead, she crossed her arms over her chest in a feeble attempt to cover herself. "I thought you'd left."
"Almost," he said and offered her a steaming cup of coffee. "I waited to talk to the vet. They want to keep Pooh one more night."
Concern rushed through her as she accepted the coffee. "Did something happen? Did his condition worsen?"
He shook his head. "No, I just told them I want them to make sure he's well. In that case, he said they'd keep him another night on IV support. We should be able to pick him up tomorrow."
"You're sure?" she asked, setting the coffee on a table inside the bathroom.
He shot her a half grin. "Yeah, I'm sure." His gaze fell over her body. "Now, you'd better hop into that shower before I decide I need to distract you like I did last night."
Calista didn't know if her body or her emotions could take it, so she quickly stepped under the spray. She didn't linger, reaching for a towel as soon as she got out of the shower. She lifted the cup of coffee for a quick life-giving sip and noticed it was laced with vanilla and hazelnut. Surprised, she felt her heart take a dip. Leo took his coffee black. He wouldn't come within an inch of her girlie cappuccinos. She wondered if Meg or Leo knew her tastes.
Bombarded with more social invitations since they'd attended the expand-my-brain program on Saturday, Calista sorted out the few possible events she thought might interest Leo. She also talked with her sisters and cousin, reassuring them about Pooh.
Her cousin came back on the line after Calista finished talking to her sisters. "I hate to have to tell you this," she said. "But I'm pretty sure Tami has been smoking again."
Calista's stomach clenched. "But that's terrible for her asthma."
"I know. I've told her the same thing. I'm not sure what to do next. You know that when Fall rolls around, she'll go away to school and neither you nor I will be able to say a thing to her."
Calista sighed. "I'm not liking this," she said. "Not at all. Do you think it would help if she talked to a doctor?"
"I don't know. She's a teenager. It's hard to tell her anything. I'm keeping close tabs on her, though. I've told her I want her to start bringing her friends here instead of going out."
"What does she say to that?"
"She doesn't like it, but I'm not giving her much choice," Sharon said.
"Thanks. I'll think about this. There's got to be a solution," Calista said.
"I just wanted you to know. We'll talk soon," Sharon said.