Page 48 of Seduced By You

“Then I’m glad for you both. Maybe he’s found the right woman for him. I hope that’s true, for your sake.”

Fenella’s hands went to her hips. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, other than you should keep an eye on him. That’s all. Put him on a tight leash.”

A little furrow appeared between her eyebrows. “Why?”

“Because of what he did to me. My maman always says that once a man eats in another woman’s kitchen, then he’s likely to get the urge to sample lots of different food in different kitchens, no matter what you’re cooking for him at home.”

Fenella’s eyebrows flew up her head the second she figured out the message behind Maman’s saying.

She pursed her lips and kicked one hip out to the side. “Lucky I’m a brilliant cook, then, isn’t it?”

Pippa muttered under her breath, “You’ll need to be.”

I wasn’t sure whether Fenella heard her. She whipped around and flounced off, grabbing one of the women as she passed and lugging her into the next room.

“I’m sorry,” Pippa said when Fenella was out of earshot. “I’ve been cheated on and it’s the worst. Fenella isn’t a bad person, though.”

“She shouldn’t have cheated with someone she knew was in a committed relationship, but I lay the blame firmly at Benedict’s door. She was the free agent. He wasn’t.”

“That’s magnanimous of you. I’m not sure I’d be so forgiving.”

I shrugged. “It’s behind me now.”

“For what it’s worth, I think you came out on top. I’ve never liked Benedict. Now, your man, Kadon.” She winked. “He is fiiiine.”

I grinned. Pippa was my kind of people. “Yes, he is. And miiiine.”

Pippa threw back her head and laughed. “How did you two meet?”

“On the beach, right after Benedict dumped me.” At least I could be honest about this part of our relationship. “I was crying, and Kadon came over to check on me. We became friends, he offered me a job at his beach club, and the rest, as they say, is history.”

“I bet he swept you off your feet the first time you did it.” She gave my arm a little shake. “Be a doll and give me the deets. It’s been an age since I had anything approaching a romantic liaison. And given the men I met at last night’s dinner, vicariously living someone else’s sex life is as much action as I’m likely to get this weekend.”

I chuckled. “Remind me to take your number before we leave here.”

“You got it. And stop stalling.”

I felt all warm inside as I thought back to what Kadon had said at my house about our “pretend” first time. “Okay, well, it was—”

“Ready, ladies?” Fenella clapped her hands. That was such a weird habit. “Our masseuses await.” She spun on her heel and, like a teacher with a class of five-year-olds, raised her hand above her head and cried, “Follow me!”

“Fuck, that woman has the worst timing,” Pippa muttered. “This isn’t over, Leesa. My imagination needs a little kindling. Or, in far cruder terms, my wank bank is running low, and you’re the one to fill it.”

I spluttered a laugh. “I’ll do my best.”

I left the spa at four o’clock with fewer muscle aches and a new friend. I’d always longed for girlfriends to gossip with, and Pippa might fit the bill. I was grinning at some of her antics when I pushed open the door to our bedroom. She’d turned a tough day into the most fun I’d had in a long while.

Kadon was lying on the bed with his arms braced behind his head and his ankles crossed. A half-eaten plate of fruit was on the bedside table with the remains of a cup of coffee beside it.

“Hey.” I snagged a piece of pineapple and popped it into my mouth. “How was your day? Did you shoot anything? And by ‘anything,’ I don’t mean Benedict.”

“No shots fired. Not by me, anyway.” He didn’t look at me as he spoke. “I left them to it. Came back here.”

“Why?” I stole an apple slice. “Sorry, I’m finishing your fruit.”

“I didn’t want to do it. That’s all.”

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