200 Harley Street. Lynne Marshall

night and show him what I think about how he treated you.’

      She was struck by the intensity of his words. Maybe it was the aftermath of their lovemaking that had provoked such deep emotions in him but she could tell from the sincerity in his brown eyes that he’d meant every word.

      ‘Thank you,’ she whispered. ‘But this was about me dealing with things. I had to learn for myself that he wasn’t what I thought. I had to value myself enough to not allow him to treat me that way. He was never physical, he never laid a hand on me. But his constant comments on my face and figure wore me down. I’ve never felt so free than when I flung him out of our flat and dumped his designer wardrobe out of the window. At that point, it was probably the best moment of my life.’

      Iain lifted his hand and rested it between her breasts. ‘But we both know that all beauty is superficial. I can make the most hideous person in the world look stunning on the outside. But it doesn’t change what’s in here. Who that person really is. There have never been truer words than “Beauty is only skin deep”.’

      There was genuine warmth in his words, a warmth that swept around her like a comfortable blanket, shielding her from everything else. She could get used to this. She could get used to being shielded by Iain McKenzie.

      ‘I want you to know, Lexi Robbins, that you are one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met. Both inside and out. And no matter what happens in the future, where we both end up, I want you to keep that with you. And if any time you’re feeling down, if you’ve had a bad day and can’t face things, I want you to come back and remember this moment, here and now.’

      In one way the words were a comfort, and in another they made her stomach clench again. She’d no idea what she expected from Iain—none of this had been planned. But there seemed to be a little edge to those words. As if he knew there would never be a future for them so he was just giving her this moment instead.

      And the fact was she’d never felt so perfect as she did at this moment. She’d never felt so valued.

      He stroked his fingers down her face again. ‘We need to talk. There are some other things I need to tell you. But first I want to show you just how special you are.’

      And for the next few hours he did.

      By the time Iain woke up the sun was streaming through the windows. He turned to face Lexi. She was smiling. A real, genuine smile of contentment.

      ‘How long have you been awake?’

      She looked over at the clock. ‘About ten minutes.’ She lay back and stretched her arms above her head. ‘I was waiting for you to make me breakfast,’ she said with a glint in her eye.

      ‘Do you have any preferences?’

      ‘Do you have any food?’

      He cringed. ‘Have you already been up and looked through my cupboards?’

      She touched his chin. ‘You just strike me as a guy who doesn’t do a weekly shop.’

      He laughed. ‘You’re right. If you wanted dinner right now we’d be in trouble. But breakfast I can do. How does poached egg, toast and bacon sound?’

      ‘Heavenly.’ She glanced towards his en suite. ‘Can I use your shower while you make breakfast?’

      ‘Of course.’ Iain pulled on his dressing-gown and headed to the kitchen. His stomach was churning. He’d never brought a woman back to his London house before, let alone back to his bedroom. He’d spent so long partitioning these parts of his life and keeping himself away from people.

      Of course he socialised when he had to. He kept in contact with some of his old friends in Edinburgh—but those were fleeting hello-goodbye moments. But since moving down to London he hadn’t really been seeking the company of friends. He wasn’t really looking for friends. He was only looking for partial distractions. And his gut told him Lexi Robbins could never fit into that category.

      He started boiling water in one pan, put the bacon under the grill and the bread in the toaster. The coffee was easy, he had a bright and shiny machine he hardly used. All he had to do was flick a switch.

      He turned, his eyes catching on a photo on the window ledge. A photo of Bonnie, sitting on top of a hill in Edinburgh on a sunny day. She had wrapped her long pink flowered dress around her legs to stop it flapping in the wind and her hair was completely windswept.

      Something curled inside him. It was going to be the three of them sitting in this kitchen, having breakfast. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He wasn’t sure if he was ready for that.

      Everything with Lexi was so new. Attraction aside, he didn’t even know how he felt about her yet. Sure, she was beautiful. Sure, she was intelligent. But did that add up to anything else?

      For a split second he considered putting the photo in a drawer. But as quickly as the thought flew into his head he pushed it aside. He could never treat Bonnie as if she hadn’t existed. He owed her so much more than that.

      And Lexi was no fool. She knew nothing about his past. She would ask about the photo on the window ledge. It was if a dozen little pinpricks started on his shoulders at once. He would tell her. He would tell her about Bonnie. She’d been a big part of his life and she deserved her place there.

      The bacon sizzled just as the coffee machine started to splutter and the water in the pot boiled. He dropped in the eggs and pulled out some plates and cutlery.

      Lexi appeared a few minutes later, looking like the kind of pin-up poster a teenage boy would have on his bedroom wall.

      She’d clipped her hair haphazardly on top of her head and pulled one of his long-sleeved blue shirts from his cupboard. The bottom buttons were fastened and the top two left tantalisingly open. Along with her long legs and pink toenails, the effect was stunning.

      She shrugged. ‘I don’t think my dress will ever recover. It’s spent the night on the floor in a sodden mess. Hope you don’t mind.’

      ‘Of course I don’t.’ He set the coffee on the table. ‘Cappuccino okay for you?’

      ‘Of course.’ She lifted the coffee cup to her lips and smiled. ‘Don’t be too good at this. I might get comfortable.’

      There was that little tumble in his stomach again. He didn’t know how to react to that. The toast popped and he buttered it and placed it on the table, alongside the bacon and the newly poached eggs.

      Lexi started piling food on her plate and Iain watched with pleasure. It was the second time he’d eaten with Lexi, and for all her slim frame she wasn’t afraid to eat. Thank goodness. He couldn’t stand being around a picky eater.

      Iain took a few mouthfuls then set his fork down. He didn’t even get a chance to say a word.

      ‘You said you wanted to talk, Iain. What is it? Is this where you tell me this is a wham-bam, thank you, ma’am?’

      Boy, she was direct. Another thing he liked about her. This was getting harder all the time.

      He shook his head and took a quick drink of his thick, strong coffee. He took a deep breath, but when he exhaled it came out more like a sigh.

      ‘Spit it out, Scots boy.’

      He nodded and pointed to the window ledge before he changed his mind. ‘I wanted to introduce you to someone.’

      Lexi looked up at the photo of the pretty dark-haired woman. ‘She’s lovely. Who is she? Your sister?’

      ‘My wife.’

      Lexi set her cup on the table, her face frozen. ‘Please tell me you’re not still married. I don’t sleep with married men.’ She was deadly serious and her face was deathly pale.

      ‘I’m widowed,’ he said quickly.

      There was a visible sigh of relief from across the table. She took a deep breath, her eyes full of sympathy for him. He wasn’t sure that was