Page 91 of Modern Romance January 2025 1-4

‘Touché.’ The Greek woman laughed and Portia couldn’t help smiling. ‘It’s true, I’m the nosy one. No one else would dream of asking what’s going on between the pair of you. And I haven’t done that, have I?’

Portia held up her hands in mock surrender. ‘No, you haven’t asked. You’ve just drawn assumptions.’

‘Assumptions? Look to your right, next to the stout man and the woman in red.’

Portia already knew where Lex was. Her internal compass was always attuned to him.

She shot a glance to her right. Lex stood with the couple, apparently listening to something the man said. But his gaze was onherand the look in his eyes...

Instantly she felt the heat of it, like petrol poured on a bonfire. She could almost hear the whump of ignition then the sizzle and crackle as flames shot through her bloodstream.

For a second their gazes held then, abruptly, Lex turned his head, speaking to his companions.

Portia rocked back on her heels, equilibrium blasted to smithereens.

Now he was laughing and so were his companions, more guests clustering close. That searing shared moment might never have happened. Except shefeltits aftermath in her racing pulse, the febrile heat swamping her, and the tell-tale signs of arousal, her tightening breasts and the melting sensation between her legs.

‘See? It’s not my imagination. My brother’s locked onto you like a heat seeking missile.’

Portia’s nipples budded against her bra. That look had been unmistakable. It wasn’t the stare of a man obsessed with his unborn child. It was the look of a man obsessed with a woman.

‘Lex would say I shouldn’t interfere. But my brother’s been through a lot. I don’t know how much you know about his early life, but it was difficult.’

For the first time Zoe sounded completely serious, subdued even. Portia was about to explain shedidknow about that period in Lex’s life when the other woman spoke.

‘Let’s just say he doesn’t trust easily. Nor does he wear his heart on his sleeve. It took a long time for him to relax with us and believe he was welcome. Sometimes I wonder if he still feels he has to prove himself.’

Portia’s heart squeezed. That made so much sense. Lex’s early life was filled with rejection, even from his mother who was too self-absorbed to care for her child. More often it had been Lex looking after her.

Zoe hesitated for a moment. ‘With a past like his, there’s a lot for him to move past. Belonging is important to him.Familyis important.’

She wasn’t saying anything Portia didn’t already know. She’d witnessed Lex’s curiosity about his unknown father and the shadow it cast over him. Yet hearing Zoe spell it out, Portia felt the weight of that shadow. Did it still haunt Lex? Did he still crave family and belonging?

If so it made his ironclad determination to raise their child together poignant rather than selfish.

‘Lex is a strong man and proud. I know some people find that intimidating, but he has a good heart. I’d hate to see him yearning for someone who doesn’t reciprocate his feelings.’

Portia started.Hisfeelings? For her?Shewas the one who had feelings. Feelings for Lex that time and the brutal voice of logic couldn’t eradicate. She felt too much for him and he saw her only as the mother of his child.

But did he? The expression on his face moments ago...

It’s just sex. You can’t build castles in the air on that.

And yet... Was there a chance hedidfeel more? Was it possible that over time their relationship might develop?

Was she willing to take that risk?

Her younger self wouldn’t have hesitated. She’d have jumped in, confident and unafraid.

Portia liked to think she still had courage, but it was of a different sort now. Bravery was more often about endurance, about keeping going through tough times rather than taking a single, bold step.

But Lex’s look just now made her want to be bold again. To take a chance and see where it led.

She rubbed her arm, feeling the comforting weight of her wide bangle.

‘I love that piece. It’s antique isn’t it? It looks very special.’

Portia met Zoe’s bright eyes, then looked down at the wide bangle on her left wrist.

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