The Arrangement .(13)

She took her time up the stairs to the room she would once again share with her husband. The master bedroom suite was at the end of a hallway in the east wing of the house. The balcony leading off of it overlooked a swimming pool. Concrete steps led from the balcony to the private courtyard below.

The main room was minimally furnished, with a large king-size bed in its center, a wall-mounted flatscreen television, two nightstands, and expensive original paintings from several contemporary artists hanging on the walls. A sitting room complete with large cushioned chairs was off to the side.

It also included a desk, chair, and a networked laptop and printer so Leonardo could work late at night if he chose to without having to go to his office on the ground floor.

Three doors opened into two large walk-in closets and a gigantic bathroom decorated with slate gray imported Italian marble tile, a jetted tub, and two sinks.

Leonardo’s assistant had arranged for Alexa’s luggage to be brought to the house, but she didn’t see her personal belongings in the room when she entered. She assumed one of the servants had already unpacked her few bags and put away her things. She walked over to the closet that used to be hers before she left—and gasped.

Alexa stood immobile in front of the immense closet, staring at the contents in disbelief. The built-in shelves and hangers were filled almost to capacity. Everything she’d left behind was still there: the designer clothes, shoes, handbags, accessories—everything. No wonder he’d seemed unconcerned about whether or not she’d have something to wear tonight.

The closet doubled as a dressing room, with a vanity and mirror in a corner, and a full-length mirror nestled between shelves that held neatly arranged shoes and boots. She opened several drawers and discovered more clothes, undergarments, lingerie, all neatly folded where she had left them. It was almost eerie how perfect everything remained, as if she’d never left—or as if he’d known she would be back.

Her one-of-a-kind jewelry box dominated one of the shelves where she’d left it and the contents. Other pieces were locked in the safe. She hadn’t left with any of the jewelry or clothing Leonardo had given to her, although she knew it was rightfully hers. It was obvious if she did an inventory of what was still there, she would find not one single item had been removed.

A faint sound made her swing around. Alexa found herself face-to-face with Leonardo in the suddenly confining space.

“Don’t look so frightened.” He began tugging on his striped tie as he spoke. “I don’t plan to maul you.”

Alexa licked her suddenly dry lips, focusing on his face instead of allowing her gaze to drift down to the smooth, swarthy skin of the newly exposed column of his neck. She was embarrassed by her instinctive reaction to his small movement.

“It’s the middle of the afternoon. I didn’t expect you home so soon.”

He couldn’t seem to take his black gaze from her moistened lips, and Alexa felt the shimmer of awareness hum between them.

“I wrapped up a business deal sooner than expected. When you’re the boss, you can leave work early.”

Alexa wanted to ask if he had a habit of leaving work early nowadays, but she didn’t. Before they separated, she hardly ever saw him before the middle of the night. She couldn’t count the number of nights she ate dinner alone.

On the days when he did arrive early, after they made love, he would work in the sitting room or shut himself in his office so that she was forced to entertain herself.

With a short hand gesture, Alexa indicated the contents of the closet. “I thought you would throw everything out once I left. Why didn’t you?”

Leonardo didn’t answer right away. He strolled over to the far side of the closet, where the jewelry box was located.

“Sentimental reasons,” he said, his voice laced with cutthroat sarcasm.

He lifted the top of the box and pulled something out. “You forgot these when you left.” He held out his open palm to Alexa.

Her stomach tumbled over itself when she saw what he held. The large diamond in his palm captured the overhead light. The matching platinum wedding band lay nestled next to it.

“I didn’t forget them,” Alexa responded, barely above a whisper. The painful constriction of her chest made it difficult to speak.

She stared at the jewelry. She left them because she hadn’t wanted a reminder of her marriage, which to her was already over. She also wanted to make a point of showing Leonardo how serious she was about leaving him.

At the time, she never knew she would be back here again, still married to him.

“I didn’t think you did,” Leonardo admitted. He made his way over to her. “Give me your hand.”