The Beautiful Widow

CHAPTER FOUR



‘WELL, HOW DO YOU think Mummy looks?’ Toni twirled round for the twins’ inspection. ‘Neat and efficient?’

‘What’s ‘ficient?‘ Daisy asked worriedly.

‘Someone who can do things well.’

Amelia’s big brown eyes had made a thorough examination of her mother’s tailored grey suit and crisp white blouse, and now she nodded along with her sister. ‘You look very ‘ficient,’ she declared positively.

‘An’ pretty,’ put in Daisy. ‘Very, very pretty.’

‘Thank you, my honeybees.’ Toni carefully knelt down and the twins hugged her, nearly dislodging the tight chignon at the nape of her neck, which had taken her ages to secure. Her thick hair didn’t take kindly to being confined. ‘Now Grandma is going to take you to nursery today as it’s Mummy’s first morning at her new job, but tomorrow and most other days I can take you. OK?’

They nodded again, their brown curls bobbing. Although identical at birth there were definite dissimilarities occurring the older the twins became. Amelia was taller than her sister and altogether more robust-looking, and Daisy’s brown hair was becoming a shade or two lighter than her sister’s. Facially, though, they were still peas in a pod.

Toni stood up, loving them so much her heart ached and hating to leave them, although the twins seemed unconcerned. They had been going to nursery for the last few months to prepare them for big school in September after their fourth birthday at the end of July, and both girls had settled in well. One good thing that had come out of their father’s lack of interest in them was that his passing had affected them less than it would have done if he’d been a hands-on type, Toni reflected, not for the first time. Indeed, they had barely mentioned him in the last month or two, but then perhaps that wasn’t so surprising. Sometimes a whole week had passed with Richard leaving the flat before the girls were awake and returning home when they were asleep. He had admitted once, when the girls were still babies, that he didn’t like children much, and when she had got upset had promised her that of course that didn’t mean his own and he would take more interest in the twins when they were out of the baby stage. But he hadn’t. Just the opposite, in fact.

‘You look very smart, dear.’ Vivienne bustled into the sitting room, her voice brisk and uplifting. She knew how her daughter was feeling. ‘And you shouldn’t have put away the bed. I can do that when you’re gone.’

‘It’s no trouble.’ Toni liked to restore the sitting room to order before her parents rose in the morning; the twins’ toys and books and other paraphernalia inevitably seemed to end up all over the house, although she told the girls to keep their things in their bedroom. The least she could do was to remove all evidence of the lodger in the front room! Leaning forward, she kissed her mother’s lined cheek, saying softly, ‘Thanks for being you, Mum. I don’t know what I’d have done without you and Dad in the last months.’

‘Go on with you.’ Vivienne never did like being thanked, but her voice was tender. Only she knew just how much her daughter had suffered before and after her son-in-law’s death, and what a change it had wrought in the trusting, confident young woman Toni had been before Richard had come along. It was awful that her son-in-law’s life had been cut short like that, but—and she’d never admit it to a living soul—she had felt an element of relief when she’d heard the news, and that was before they’d found out about his gambling. He would have been a millstone round her daughter’s neck all her life, Vivienne thought as she watched Toni say goodbye to the girls, because Toni would never have left him. Till death do us part was just that in her daughter’s book.

‘Wish me luck, Mum.’

Vivienne smiled at her daughter before giving her a hug. ‘You don’t need luck. Just be yourself and that will be enough. James said you were the best interior designer he’d ever had working for him, and this Landry fellow was obviously impressed else he’d never have given you the job.’

Toni repeated her mother’s words like a mantra all the way to Steel’s offices north of Edmonton. She’d received a letter and various correspondence including a contract of employment from Steel’s secretary the week before, so once in the impressive reception she gave her name and was directed to the lift, where she travelled to the top floor and knocked on the door marked ‘Joy Maclean, Secretary to Steel Landry'.

There was no answer, and when she tentatively opened the door and looked inside the office was empty. Steel’s secretary clearly hadn’t arrived yet.

She knew she was early. Toni glanced at her watch. It was only eight-twenty but she’d wanted to arrive before the rush. She didn’t admit to herself here that the ‘rush’ translated into her formidable employer.

The secretary’s office was large and comfortable, even luxurious, the far wall mostly glass, which gave a panoramic view over greater London, and Toni was wondering whether to venture in and sit and wait when a deep smoky voice some way down the thickly carpeted corridor almost made her jump out of her skin.

‘Good morning, Toni.’ Steel had opened what was obviously the outer door to his office and was leaning nonchalantly against it, hands thrust in the pockets of his perfectly creased trousers. He was wearing a deep blue shirt and his tie was hanging loose, his shirtsleeves rolled up to expose tanned, muscled forearms. He looked sensational, even better than she remembered. No man should have so much; it wasn’t fair.

Somehow she managed a smile although her facial muscles felt as stiff as a board. ‘Good morning.’

‘Joy’s rarely here before nine; I keep her working late most evenings so she arrives when she arrives,’ he said lazily.

Flexible working hours, of course. She was dry-mouthed and rooted to the spot and desperately tried to pull herself together. Say something intelligent, she told herself. Speak.

‘Come and have a coffee.’ He moved back into his office without waiting for a reply, leaving her with no choice but to walk down the corridor.

Steel’s office was massive. A giant desk was positioned so the light from the huge windows streamed over his shoulder, and there were a couple of easy sofas and chairs grouped round an enormous coffee table close to a unit holding a coffee maker, a water filter and what looked like a small fridge. A biscuit tin holding a vast selection of biscuits had its lid off, and he took one as he poured her a coffee.

‘Breakfast,’ he said wryly, indicating the tin. ‘There was a panic over the weekend and I’ve been here since five o’clock. Joy’s bringing some bacon butties with her when she comes in.’

‘Five o’clock?’ She’d have had to be up with the larks to get here before him then.

He smiled, handing her a cup of coffee. ‘Help yourself to milk and sugar, or there’s cream in the fridge if you prefer,’ he said, before adding, ‘Five’s OK. I often get here around six anyway. I don’t sleep much.’

Superman. Only to be expected really. Why would Steel Landry function like a mere mortal?

He nodded to the plans tucked under her arm. ‘Come and sit down and tell me how you’ve got on,’ he said, taking the plans and spreading them out on the coffee table before sitting down on one of the sofas.

Toni looked down on the dark head for a moment. His hair was severely slicked back but a wayward tuft was defying the austere style and attempting to fall forward into a quiff. She felt a trickle of something hot surge through her veins and hastily sat down, so hastily she spilt a few drops of coffee onto the plans. Horrified, she blurted, ‘Oh, I’m sorry,’ reaching into her handbag and dabbing the drops with a tissue, which only spread the stain further.

‘Hey, don’t worry.’ His hand on her wrist was cool and although the contact only lasted a second she felt the impact for moments afterwards. ‘Leave it, it’s nothing. I have several other sets anyway. Now, show me what you’ve done.’

Hot and flustered, she began to speak, wondering what he must be thinking, but after a minute or two she became absorbed in her ideas, enthusiasm steadying her voice. Oblivious to his gaze moving to her animated face now and again, she outlined the different themes to the properties, her manner eager and natural. ‘So, what do you think?’ she said at last, raising her head and looking straight at him.

What he thought was that he’d like to feel the soft curves of her delectable lips beneath his and free her hair from that bun thing so he could run his fingers through it, Steel told himself ruefully. Hell, he wanted this woman more than he’d wanted anyone for a long, long time.

To give himself a breathing space he stood up and walked over to the coffee machine. ‘Another cup?’ he asked her, turning slightly. ‘I’m afraid I drink this stuff like water.’

‘No, I’m fine.’

He poured himself a black coffee and drank it straight down, scalding hot as it was, before saying, ‘I’m impressed. You’ve captured the vision of making each apartment different without any one lording it over another. Important with my clientele—they can be touchy about their status,’ he added drily. ‘The use of beautiful textiles, bold patterns and the vibrant gemstone-inspired colours will go some way to offset the somewhat utilitarian façade of the building, which cannot be changed to any great degree, but remember in winter the apartments will need to feel cosy with fires and the warmth of wooden floors, and in summer we need to get light flooding in where possible. I presume you have a source for the modern art and some of those more unusual materials and fabrics?’

Toni nodded. ‘Several. When I worked for James we had a client who wanted his hotel designed with a modern take on ancient Rajasthani architecture and interior design. It was a fascinating project. He even incorporated a lotus-patterned swimming pool and a bar with a stargazing deck.’

‘Our clients will have to make do with their bathrooms and wet room, but I like your idea of iridescent glass mosaic tiles. OK, full steam ahead, Toni.’ He saw her cheeks flush pink with pleasure and as she gathered up the plans and drawings he caught a discreet glimpse of creamy cleavage and his body hardened instantly. ‘I’ll take you to the site later today so you can get a feel for the place, but for now let me show you where you’ll be working. For the time being you’ll be sharing Joy’s office. I trust that’s acceptable?’

It was a rhetorical question but Toni answered it anyway, her breathless, ‘Of course,’ lost as he opened the interconnecting door through to his secretary’s office and stood aside for her to precede him. She saw a large desk and chair, a filing cabinet and various items of drawing equipment had been arranged in one half of the room, but even so there was plenty of space. She hoped Joy didn’t mind her imposing, though.

Steel glanced at his watch. ‘Joy should be here shortly so settle yourself in and she’ll tell you what’s what.’

‘Thank you.’

He leaned against the door, his expression slightly quizzical. ‘Don’t look so scared,’ he said softly. ‘I don’t know what you’ve heard about me but I can assure you it’s bound to have been grossly exaggerated. I rarely bite.’

Toni reacted immediately, straightening and giving him a cool smile. ‘I’m merely a little nervous, as everyone is on the first morning at a new job, and in my case it’s been a while since I’ve had to earn a crust.’

Her tone had his eyes narrowing slightly but he made no comment, merely nodding slowly before shutting the door and leaving her alone.

Toni put her hands to her flushed cheeks. Great start. Offending the boss. She sank down on the comfortable leather chair behind the desk and took stock of her surroundings. This would be a lovely place to work. Her corner of the main office at James’s practice had been cramped and on the dark side, as well as noisy. This was altogether different, and she was being paid handsomely to boot. If only Steel were more of an average boss everything in the garden would be coming up smelling of roses. But then, if he were an average kind of guy she wouldn’t be sitting in a fabulous office with a terrific project to get her teeth into and with a salary that had caused her mother to sit down suddenly when she’d told her the good news. Steel was larger than life in every respect and she needed to adapt to that and fast. She couldn’t keep going to pieces around him or, worse, acting as she had just done when all he’d been trying to do was put her at her ease. If only he weren’t so good-looking and aggressively masculine and big, she thought despairingly.

And the sexiest man on the planet, another part of her mind added relentlessly, with that certain something that made it impossible to be in his company without wondering what it would be like to be made love to by a man like him.

There, it was out at last—the thought she’d been fighting against admitting since she’d first set eyes on him. And he had been right a minute ago. He did scare her. She didn’t want to feel attracted to another man for the rest of her life, or certainly a long, long time, and, although she knew there wasn’t the remotest chance of anything happening between Steel and herself, it still terrified her she could feel this way.

But this was her problem, not Steel’s. She simply couldn’t go on being so awkward and jumpy in his presence. To him she was just another employee and she would die, on the spot, if he guessed how she felt. And the irony was that if the impossible happened and he made a move on her she would run a mile. Steel was the last man in the world she’d ever get involved with. Her life was Amelia and Daisy now, and she would never allow a man into their precious threesome. She owed her daughters that at least. They had their grandfather as a stable male influence when one was needed and that was perfect; she could rely on her father not to let the twins down. Anyone else was suspect.

The door opening cut into her thoughts and a tall, slim blonde woman smiled at her, saying, ‘You must be Toni? Hi, I’m Joy, Steel’s secretary. Nice to meet you.’

The rest of the morning flew by. Joy spent some time showing her where everything was and introducing her around. The top floor of the building housed Steel and Joy’s offices, Steel’s private bathroom, a large conference room and another cloakroom. The floor below was used by Steel’s legal people and the accounts department, and the ground floor consisted of Reception and the team who controlled the outside contractors Steel used for various projects, along with various other employees Toni lost track of. It was a much larger organisation than she had expected but everyone seemed friendly and cheerful.

The two women lunched together in a small bistrotype café a stone’s throw from the office, and it was here that Joy filled her in on some facts about their illustrious boss.

‘Don’t be fooled by the old adage that men can only think of one thing at once, at least not where Steel’s concerned,’ Joy said, once they’d ordered their soup and rolls. ‘He can think of several things at once and he expects everyone else to keep up with him. He’s a workaholic but he plays hard too, although he never, ever gets seriously involved with a woman. Love ‘em and leave ‘em, that’s Steel’s style.’

‘The original bachelor?’ Toni put in drily.

‘And how.’ Joy nodded. ‘Work is his motivating force; women have to fall into line and accept an affair with him is only semi-permanent and strictly sexual. They queue up for the privilege,’ she added wryly. ‘And I’m not joking.’

Toni hadn’t thought she was.

‘He adores his sister though.’ Joy spent a few moments explaining how Steel had brought Annie up, finishing with, ‘You know she was in danger of losing her baby recently?’

‘Uh-huh. How are things?’

‘OK. Annie’s confined to bed from here on.’

They talked some more and Toni found herself wishing Joy weren’t leaving at the end of the summer. She felt the two of them could have become good friends. Joy had already started advertising for her replacement; Steel wanted his new secretary in place long before Joy left so when the time came everything ran as smoothly as he expected.

‘Patience is not one of Steel’s virtues,’ Joy had murmured earlier that morning, eyebrows raised meaningfully, and Toni had nodded that she understood. It wasn’t exactly reassuring on her first day when she felt she knew nothing about anything.

Steel had gone out to lunch with a business colleague and the two women were deep in their respective work when he returned. The interconnecting door opened and he put his head round long enough to say, ‘Five minutes and we’re leaving for the new site, Toni. Bring the plans and anything else you need.’

She must have looked somewhat alarmed because when the door shut again, Joy said, a touch of laughter in her voice, ‘His bark is worse than his bite. He’s quite human really.’

Toni smiled weakly and began to collect her things together. She was ready and waiting when Steel buzzed Joy to say he was leaving, and as she joined him in the outside corridor and they walked towards the lift he reached out and took the plans and other data from her, tucking them under his arm. ‘Settled in?’ he asked briefly, his voice deep and slightly husky in the quiet surroundings as the lift doors glided silently open.

Toni’s stomach muscles tightened. Once in the carpeted mirrored box he seemed very close, even though there were a good few inches between them. ‘Yes, thank you. Joy’s been very kind. She’s shown me around and introduced me to everyone.’

‘She’s a damn good secretary. I’ll be sorry to lose her.’

Toni nodded to this, even as she thought, Joy has worked for you for years. Won’t you be sorry to lose her, as a person, and not just a secretarial machine? And then she answered herself immediately. Of course he wouldn’t. The smooth running of his precious office was all that mattered; the man was barely human. Perhaps he was really a futuristic robot, a creature from a sci-fi film with the appearance of a flesh and blood man? It would fit in with Joy’s warning that he was capable of carrying out a complex series of thoughts and actions simultaneously.

As they exited the lift and walked towards the huge glass doors that led into the street, Toni felt she knew what it was like to be in the presence of royalty. Everyone seemed to stop what they were doing and smile and murmur a ‘Good afternoon, sir,’ as they passed, and the burly security man in the foyer practically saluted.

‘Philip has brought your car round, Mr Landry. He said you didn’t want him to chaffeur you this afternoon? I hope that’s right?’ he added, jumping forward to open the outer doors.

Steel nodded. ‘Quite right, Bill. How’s the wife? Over that last hospital spell, I hope?’

‘She’s doing all right, Mr Landry, and still going on about the holiday you sent us on. That week in the sun did her the world of good. Set her up, it did.’

‘Good. Glad to hear it.’

They exited the building into the street. A smart young man was standing by a black Aston Martin parked at the kerb, which had the passenger door open. As they walked towards the car Steel murmured, ‘Bill’s wife’s fighting a particularly nasty form of cancer and it’s been touch and go a few times. He worships the ground she walks on and they’ve never had kids, so it’s just the two of them. It’s hit him hard.’

Toni didn’t have a chance to reply before they reached the car. The young man helped her into the leather-clad interior while Steel walked round the gleaming bonnet to the driver’s side.

It was just as well she had a few moments to collect herself; his kindness to the security man had thrown her completely. She wouldn’t have put Steel Landry down as a philanthropist in any way, shape or form. First mistake, then, and probably not her last.

The man was an enigma, she told herself crossly. He wouldn’t stay in the box she’d parcelled him up in in her mind. Which was unsettling. And then she was even more unsettled when he slid into the low sleek car, so close the faint, delicious smell of him swamped her senses. He reached round and threw the plans and other documents into the back seat, his shoulder brushing hers and causing a chain reaction right down to her toes.

‘OK?’ He gave her a brief smile, clearly not requiring an answer before he started the car and pulled out almost immediately into the London traffic.

She wouldn’t have said OK, no, Toni thought wryly. Taking a deep breath, she composed herself and tried to concentrate on anything rather than the hard male body at the side of her. It wasn’t easy. In fact it was impossible and as closing her eyes wasn’t an option she did the next best thing and stared determinedly out of the side window until she had control of her breathing.

They had only travelled a couple of miles when the car’s Bluetooth phone system cut into the tense—at least Toni felt it was tense—silence. It was a business call, and Steel had barely finished speaking before the phone rang again. It set the tone for the journey.

Did he ever stop working? Toni asked herself as Steel manoeuvred the powerful car in and out of the heavy London traffic while discussing facts and figures as decisively as though he were sitting at his desk with the relevant papers in front of him. But then she knew the answer to that; Joy had told her he played as hard as he worked.

She closed her mind to that particular avenue of thought before it took hold. Over the last few nights she’d had one or two particularly erotic dreams, which had been embarrassing to recall in the light of day. And they’d all featured Steel. Thank goodness he’d never know. A little frisson of horror at the notion he might suspect she’d fantasised about him—albeit subconsciously, which was hardly her fault—slivered down her spine. This was so unlike her, it really was.

A good few miles—and a good few phone calls—later, Steel pulled into a parking space in front of a huge, somewhat grim-looking factory building, which still had ‘E. C. Maine & Son, Quality Furnishings’ over the massive arched front doors. ‘I think the most you can say about the exterior is that it looks solid,’ Steel murmured wryly. ‘I doubt we can do much there.’

‘Oh, I don’t know …’ Toni gazed up at the seemingly hundreds of small windows. ‘We’ve already got permission to join some of the windows together to make large, more attractive ones and they’d look great with outside shutters to break up the brickwork. And look at the detail above the windows; the Victorians did that sort of thing so well. If we follow that through with the alterations and pick out some of the brick patterns with gold and black paint, just above the windows and nowhere else, I think it might look quite charming.’

Steel nodded. ‘I see what you mean.’

‘And the yard at the back which is going to become the communal garden could be enclosed with ornamental iron railings augmented with the same design to tie in with the building.’

‘I like that.’ He smiled. ‘I like that very much. Do it.’

His approval brought pink into her cheeks but Steel was already striding up to the main doors. By the time he had unlocked them and stood aside for Toni to precede him into the old fusty factory she had gained control.

Seeing the building in its raw state made the project come alive. Carried along on a wave of enthusiasm, Toni found it easier to concentrate on the job in hand and ignore the attraction of the tall dark man prowling about at her side. She was full of ideas, some practical and some not so practical, but by the time they left she knew she could make each apartment spectacular. Initially the vast basement had been designed as a caretaker’s flat, but on seeing it Toni had suggested a much smaller, more compact one-bedroomed dwelling with the remaining space kitted out as a gym with sauna and steam rooms for the occupants of the apartments. ‘And a jacuzzi,’ she’d added, after Steel had approved the idea. ‘For the ladies.’

One dark eyebrow quirked. Steel turned from locking the front doors, a lazy smile twisting the stern mouth. ‘That’s a little sexist,’ he protested mildly. ‘Males like jacuzzis too.’

‘Not as much as women do.’

Steel shrugged, his silver-blue eyes watching the way the evening sunshine brought out the red in her dark brown hair. It was natural, he’d swear to it, he thought inconsequentially. When had he last seen a beautiful woman with hair that owed nothing to a bottle for its rich colour? ‘Don’t the pins and what have you in that thing make your head ache?’ he said suddenly, nodding at her tightly secured coil of hair.

She stared at him as if he’d gone mad—and perhaps he had, Steel thought ruefully. Personal remarks to employees weren’t his style.

‘A little, perhaps,’ she said slowly after a moment or two. ‘But it’s neat and out of the way for work.’

Steel glanced at his watch. ‘It’s nearly half-past five. You’re officially in your own time.’ He could hear himself speaking but didn’t seem able to stop himself.

If she understood she didn’t give any sign of it. ‘I can sketch out some of our new ideas and have them ready for you in the morning.’ Her voice was cool, businesslike. ‘Of course the cost will be pretty general at this stage.’

Damn the ideas. His body had been throbbing with sexual frustration all afternoon and now he gritted his teeth as he walked to the Aston Martin and opened the passenger door, helping her into the car. ‘There’s no rush.’ He leant one arm on the roof of the car and smiled at her. ‘Leave them till tomorrow. Fancy a drink now the working day is done?’

What are you doing? another part of his brain ground out. You’re breaking every rule in the book.

Ah, but they were his rules. He was the boss. He could break them if he chose to do so. Anyway, what was the matter in two working colleagues enjoying an end-of-day drink?

She seemed a little flustered but her voice was firm when she said, ‘Thank you, but no, I ought to get home. The girls will be having their bath soon and I like to be there when I can.’

Steel blinked, disconcerted to find he’d forgotten her children existed in the last few minutes. ‘No problem.’ He shut her door, mentally kicking himself as he walked round the bonnet.

When he slid into the car he saw she was sitting very straight and still. He cursed silently. During the afternoon she had relaxed with him and now they were back to square one. ‘How about I take you straight home now, unless you need to call in the office for anything?’ he suggested quietly. ‘That way you shouldn’t miss time with your children.’

She glanced at him and he saw her eyes were wary. ‘Thank you,’ she said after a moment or two. He got the feeling she would have liked to refuse the offer and wondered why. Was she bothered about what the neighbours would think when she was brought home in a nice car by a strange man, or didn’t she want to run the risk he might meet her family? Neither reason sat well and he felt an edge of anger to his curiosity about what made this dark-eyed, honey-skinned woman tick.

Toni sat hugging the folder of plans and her notes to her chest during the journey as though she needed their protection. Steel wondered what she’d do if he suddenly pulled into a quiet side road and cut the engine, and toyed with doing just that to see her reaction for a second before he had the grace to feel ashamed of himself. But she made him want to do something outrageous, he told himself in justification for his crassness. She was so in command of herself, so restrained. She made him feel like one of the lecherous villains from the old silent movies. He could understand why her opinion of the male sex was at an all-time low, but did she seriously think he was so boorish as to make a move on her in his car of all places?

The thought of having her in the back seat, of making her shake and shiver and moan beneath him as his hands and mouth explored every inch of her delectable body, nearly caused him to drive into a large family saloon. After this Steel gave all his attention to the rush-hour traffic and let his self-induced arousal subside.

When he drew up outside the terraced house where her parents lived Toni opened the door even as he cut the engine. ‘Wait, I’ll help you,’ he offered as she began to scramble out of the car, but by the time he’d walked round to her the inevitable had happened and the plans and papers were all over the pavement.

He bent to help her retrieve them, wincing as their heads collided and then catching her as she stumbled.

‘I’m so sorry.’ She was scarlet. ‘It’s your car, it’s so low.’ And then she blushed still more if that was possible.

He thought it showed remarkable restraint when he didn’t point out that if she had waited as he’d suggested there wouldn’t have been a problem. He managed a creditable laugh. ‘I’ll use the four-by-four next time.’

‘No, I didn’t mean—’

She was still in his arms and every muscle in his body had tightened as evidence of the fact. He looked down at her face, noticing a tiny indentation in her nose—the result of an injury when she was young maybe?—and the way her full lips were slightly apart showing small white teeth. He wondered what she tasted like. Sweet as honey. Without a doubt.

It took more will power than he knew he possessed to resist kissing her, to resist plunging his tongue into the moist, undefended territory of her mouth. He wanted her so badly he was in danger of shaking with the need. The scent of her was warm and inviting, teasing his nostrils, and her hair smelt of summer fruit—peaches, apples perhaps.

He straightened, letting his arms fall to his sides and taking a step away from her before he gave in to the sensual desire turning his blood to liquid fire. She didn’t move, staring at him with huge eyes, her body as still as his. How long they would have stood there he didn’t know, but when the front door to the house opened and shrill shrieks of ‘Mummy!’ broke the unnatural silence that had fallen she reacted with a speed that took him by surprise. One moment she was staring at him with great dark eyes, the next she was meeting the two little girls who ran pell-mell towards her with outstretched arms.

Steel found he was transfixed. It was an effort to raise his gaze to the stout, grey-haired woman in the doorway who called, ‘I’m sorry, dear, but they’ve been watching from their bedroom window for you to come home and once they caught sight of you …’

‘It’s all right, Mum.’ Toni disentangled herself, turning to Steel with a strained smile as she said, ‘These are my children, Amelia and Daisy.’

He’d been right with his second guess. She hadn’t wanted him to meet her children. The knowledge hit at the same time as he acknowledged he was experiencing a feeling of tremendous relief that the twins were tiny copies of their mother, apart from their hair, which was a riot of tight brown curls. He couldn’t see any obvious evidence of the man who had sired them.

‘Hello, Amelia and Daisy,’ he said smilingly. ‘Who is who?’ He crouched down to make himself less intimidating.

‘I’m Amelia. She’s Daisy.’

One of the twins was burying her face in her mother’s neck but the other little girl surveyed him with the penetrating, steady gaze of a child as she spoke. Steel nodded at the tiny figure. ‘My name’s Steel Landry, Amelia.’

‘Steel?’ The minute nose wrinkled. ‘That’s not a name, that’s what things are made out of.’

‘It’s what I’m made out of,’ he counteracted swiftly as Toni murmured an agonised ‘Amelia'.

‘Like a robot?’ Amelia asked interestedly.

‘Sort of.’ Steel found himself laughing.

The little girl thought for a moment, then she said, ‘There’s a boy at nursery, his name’s Tyler, and he’s always picking on Daisy. If I tell him my mummy’s got a friend who’s made of steel I bet he won’t pick on her again.’

‘It’s worth a try,’ said Steel seriously.

Amelia beamed. ‘I’ll tell him tomorrow.’

‘Hello, Mr Landry.’ Toni’s mother tottered towards him, holding out her hand. ‘It’s very nice to meet you. Can I offer you a coffee? My husband’s just made a fresh pot.’

Toni was looking at her mother and he could see her rejection of the idea on her face before she had time to hide it. It was the spur he needed to answer, ‘That would be most welcome. Thank you. If you’re sure it’s no trouble.’

Crazy. As he followed the women and children into the house Steel knew he was playing with fire. This was a woman with more baggage than royalty travelled with, but it didn’t make any difference. It should have; everything in his orderly, controlled life to date was screaming that fact at him. But it didn’t. He wanted to see her in her natural habitat and the fascination wouldn’t be denied. He might regret it—he very probably would, he acknowledged wryly, but he hadn’t got to where he was today without taking chances.

He needed to—he had to—peek under the façade Toni presented to the world and see her, the real woman. He’d ached with a combination of lust and uncertainty since the first moment he’d laid eyes on her and that just wasn’t the way he was made. He was a mature, experienced man, rational and logical, even sagacious. He didn’t do reckless and impetuous, he told himself again.

‘Are you very old?’

Amelia faced him in the small narrow hall and, somewhat taken aback, Steel murmured, ‘Not very old, no.’

‘My grandad is. He’s got white hair. When he came to our sports day last week he couldn’t run in the fathers’ race and Tyler said he was rubbish.’

Steel found he didn’t like this Tyler very much.

‘Amelia, that’s enough.’ Toni’s face was burning. ‘I want you and Daisy to go up and get ready for your bath and I’ll come up in a minute. OK? Go on, scoot.’

Steel found himself practically pushed through a door that led to a compact little kitchen and dining room, then out into a patio area where a tall, slightly stooped man rose to shake his hand. ‘I’m Toni’s father, Mr Landry. William Otley. Do sit down. I normally have a cup of coffee out of the way here while the twins get ready for bed. I find I’m in great need of the caffeine.’ He grinned. ‘I’m not as young as I used to be.’

Steel smiled back. ‘I can imagine they keep you on your toes.’

‘Oh, yes, but I wouldn’t miss a minute.’ Toni was hovering at their side and now her father turned to her. ‘Go and see to the girls, dear. I’ll look after Mr Landry.’

Her hesitation was visible. She clearly wanted him anywhere but here, Steel thought grimly.

She gave him a hunted smile, murmuring something about she wouldn’t be long, and then reluctantly went back into the house.

Steel smiled faintly to himself. Whether she liked it or not she wasn’t indifferent to him as a man; the way she had stilled in his arms had told him that. It was a start.

Yes, another part of his mind answered wryly. But a start to what?