Master of Her Virtue - By Miranda Lee Page 0,64

and arrogant and bloody presumptuous.

‘You thought I’d just do everything you wanted me to do, didn’t you, without offering me anything in return? Nothing of any real value, anyway. No commitment. No caring. Certainly not love. My God, do you even know what love is? I doubt it. All you feel where women are concerned is lust!’

By then Violet felt like she was going to explode, but she hadn’t finished with him yet. ‘You thought you could buy my body with your first-class flights and your fancy holidays and your five-star restaurants. Well, let me tell you that you can’t, you cold-blooded bastard! I’m not for sale!’

Violet was aware that Leo had stood rooted to the spot during her tirade, his back to her. So, when he turned around and she saw he was half-smiling, her blood pressure went up another notch.

‘You love me, don’t you?’ he said, his simple statement of fact smashing Violet’s defences to pieces. No point in denying it now. He knew.

‘Of course I love you, you stupid man,’ she blurted out. ‘Why do you think I agreed to come here in the first place? What kind of girl do you think I am?’

‘I’ll tell you what kind of girl I think you are. I think you are the nicest, sweetest, smartest, sexiest girl I’ve ever met and I love you more than I can say.’

Violet’s mouth dropped open, all words failing her.

‘I didn’t want to say anything earlier because I didn’t want to rush you,’ he went on, walking up to her and taking her frozen hands in his. ‘You’re right about my being stupid. I didn’t realise how it would sound, suggesting we meet up all over the world only once in a while.

‘I’m so sorry, Violet, for making you think I only wanted you as a part-time mistress. That’s not what I want at all. I want so much more. First, I don’t want you to go home. I want you to come back to London to live with me. No, no, that’s not what I really want, though it would do for starters. What I really want is for you to be my wife.’

‘Your wife!’

‘Yes. My wife. So, for pity’s sake, tell me now if that’s not what you want,’ he said fiercely, his fingers crushing hers. ‘Don’t leave me dangling. I told you once before I’m not fond of dangling.’

‘Oh, Leo,’ she cried, tears flooding her eyes.

‘God help me, is that a yes or a no?’

When she nodded, he swept her into his arms, not kissing her, just holding her tight, cradling her head against his shoulder. ‘I never believed I could feel this way,’ he told her in an emotion-roughened voice. ‘When I thought you didn’t love me just now, or even care about me at all, my whole world was in imminent danger of collapsing. But then you started tearing strips off me and I knew immediately that I was wrong.’

Violet drew back and smiled up into his handsome face. ‘How could I not fall in love with the nicest, sweetest, smartest, sexiest man in the whole wide world?’

He laughed. ‘What happened to selfish, arrogant and presumptuous?’

She shook her head from side to side. ‘You’re none of those things.’

‘Yes, I am. Often.’

‘Well, none of us are perfect, Leo. I’m certainly not.’

‘You’re perfect to me.’

She sighed with happiness. ‘I think I should marry you quick before you find out otherwise.’

‘I think you should too. But are you sure, Violet?’

‘I’m absolutely sure.’ Silly man. Why on earth wouldn’t she be sure? It was her dream come true!

‘In that case, there’s something I have to do straight away. Before we go down to dinner.’

‘What’s that?’

‘Ring Henry.’

Violet winced. ‘Oh, dear. He’s not going to be happy, is he?’

‘He might surprise you.’

He did. After an initial few seconds of shock, followed by some rather sticky questions, Henry came round to acceptance of the situation with good grace and, Violet thought after she talked to him, sincere congratulations. He seemed genuinely happy for them both, which made her even happier. She would have hated for Henry to disapprove.

‘I could still work for you from London,’ she suggested to him. ‘You don’t really need an assistant on site, not with email.’

‘An excellent suggestion, and one which I aim to take you up on.’

‘Great,’ Violet said. She didn’t want to give up work and become a lady of leisure. That didn’t appeal to her at all. ‘You could sell that other apartment as well,’ she added.

‘No. I