Page 10 of Match Point

“The one on the right leads upstairs. The one on the left is your room. They should both be unlocked. I’ll give you a set of keys for your place.” His voice echoed in the cavernous four-car garage, empty save for the SUV. “Howler and Raina are gone for the weekend and Trent is dog-sitting.”

“Trent?” she asked, opening the door to the apartment. Her accent came out when she was upset. He made a mental note to mark that trait. It might give him some insight into her moods.

“He’s a friend of Raina’s. I forgot to ask; do you have any allergies to dogs? They have a golden lab puppy. He’s a friendly dog but a handful.” He hadn’t done much research on her after their initial meeting. He’d had too many loose projects to tie up before he could focus his full attention on her.

She said nothing, just shook her head.

He stepped back to allow her to enter in front of him. The floor was open-concept, with a bank of windows overlooking a rock garden, giving the space a ton of natural light. A kitchen opened to the larger media room. “There are four bedrooms down here, each with their own private bath.”

Leo waited for her to move further into the room, the casters on her suitcases making a soft sound across the dark hardwood floors. He’d overseen the redesign of the house and even put the floors in himself, a labor of love.

Yet another nod from her in reply. He swallowed his irritation and set down the two suitcases. Leaving them in the living room, he led the way down a central hallway. “I’d recommend this room, it’s the biggest and has a spa tub.”

Sorcha followed him, inquisitive eyes peering into the room. A smile tugged at her downturned lips as she rolled her suitcases into the suite. At least she’d taken his suggestion, a good sign. “I’ll finish giving you the tour. Down here is a guest bathroom and here we have a gym, just think, right beside you and at your disposal every second of the day.”

. She rolled her eyes at his teasing, a trace of sassy Sorcha coming back. Turning on the ball of her foot, she moved back to the suite. Panic hit him. If she went into that room, she’d close the door and shut him out. While it was for the best, he balked at the idea.

“Before you disappear”—and refuse to come out— “I have a surprise for you.”

He opened one last door and an herbal aroma drifted out of the room, along with calming instrumental music.

She sucked in a breath and her bright blue eyes met his, the pouty expression wiped from her face. “Now this is what I’m talking about.”

Chapter Seven

Sorcha relaxed on the massage table, face in the cut out while the massage therapist worked the tightness out of her muscles. She’d been prepared to hide in her room on principle, but her plans had changed the moment she spied the massage tables. Just when she wanted to distance herself, he’d discovered a weakness. She’d soften toward him if her entire body wasn’t aching from the abuse he’d put her through.

You can do anything you put your mind to, her father used to say. Not only was he her coach, he was her biggest champion.

The massage therapist had strong hands, and before she’d taken her position, she’d noted his boyishly charming smile. The day was looking up, after all. While she would never admit it to Leo, there had been something soothing about being out in nature. She’d been troubled for months, moving through the motions until an opportunity to change her life nestled its way into her head. Moving back to the States had felt like the right thing to do.

Leo’s female massage therapist spoke in a low voice, and Sorcha’s good mood lessened. Leo was on the table next to her, and from the way the woman giggled, he was flirting with her. She wrinkled her nose, unsure why it bothered her. He’d made himself clear and she wasn’t about to make a fool out of herself for no reason.

“Your father was your coach before Compo?” Leo asked.

“I had a few others between them. My father, he played tennis in college. I miss him.” He’d been her champion, the person who was her support and her harshest critic when she needed it.

Silence met her confession and she closed her eyes against the ever-present tears when she thought of him. Death wasn’t an easy subject with many people. They sympathized, but most didn’t know how to handle the raw emotion it evoked.

“Do you have someone in the industry you’re leaning towards?” he asked.

Nobody could replace her dad, and it was difficult not to compare each person with him. “I’d assumed you’d picked out someone already.”

“Would you roll onto your back?” the massage therapist said, his African accent a slight caress. He held the towel up for her privacy as she complied with his request.

She turned her head and swallowed.

Leo was on his stomach, a towel covering his rounded butt, bare, smooth skin over defined muscles. The massage therapist touched her thigh and she sucked in a sharp breath. She forced herself to relax and closed her eyes against the visual of Leo laid out naked beside her, close but a world away. It was hard to maintain her aloofness when she wanted to inspect him one more time.

“Does your leg hurt?” the therapist asked.

Hell yes. She shook her head. If Leo weren’t in the room, she’d tell the guy the truth, but she wouldn’t give Leo the satisfaction of knowing he was right. Again. She was out of shape and she was no longer a teenager. At twenty-six, she was still young, but she felt ancient.

“The contract says you get to choose. Didn’t you read what you signed?”

She rolled her eyes. Just when she was starting to get over his earlier coolness, he’d managed to insult her again. The fact that he was right annoyed her even more. His intuitiveness was downright disconcerting. Either that or she was becoming predictable.

“Give me some names and I’ll see if they’re available.”

---