I turned to look at him, entirely confident and unembarrassed by his nakedness, the veil of smoke lending a vaguely film-star appearance to his narrowed eyes and tousled blond hair. ‘Oh, nothing much.’

‘Been on the phone to the little husband, have you?’ He threw me a mischievous look. ‘Checking up on him?’

I shrugged noncomittally and unbuttoned the crisp, white shirt I had found in Leo’s wardrobe. I was planning to go straight home, but then I looked at Leo and decided that I had a bit more time before I needed to leave. He looked too irresistible.

I walked over to the bed and straddled him, before taking the cigarette out of his hand and inhaling deeply. Leo smiled as I blew the smoke, slowly and deliberately into his face. I could feel him hardening beneath me. ‘You’re so damned sexy.’

‘I know.’ I eased him into me and moved rhythmically back and forth, watching his eyes glaze over with lust. Then I leaned down and placed the burning tip of the cigarette next to the side of his torso, holding it just long enough to create a sizzling sound, as it made brief contact with his skin.

Leo held his breath, watching me with a half-smile, half-grimace. ‘Do it,’ he whispered in a thick voice. I increased the pressure until I had left a satisfyingly symmetrical blister of red.

Leo exhaled with an agonized groan and gripped me tightly, his fingers digging into my flesh, before flipping me off him and rolling on top of me. He pinned my hands to the bed and thrust hard until he came with an almighty shudder.

We lay in silence for a few minutes, until Leo lifted his head and looked at me with a gleam in his eye. ‘You are a bad, bad girl, Bella.’

I pushed him off me and shuffled to sit up. ‘I know. That’s why you like me so much.’

‘It is,’ Leo agreed, also sitting up. He lit another cigarette, gazing at it for a second, clearly thinking about what had just happened. ‘So what have you told him, about where you are tonight?’

‘He thinks I’m at home. He’s gone to visit his bitch of a mother, so he doesn’t know I’m not there. Or at least he didn’t, until I called a few minutes ago and told him I needed him to come home as soon as possible because I was ill.’

Leo looked at me with a combination of horror and admiration. ‘Jesus. You’re such a bitch.’

‘I know. I surprise myself sometimes.’ I paused. ‘But he shouldn’t have gone to see her in the first place. And he certainly shouldn’t have taken my daughter with him.’

‘Ah, yes. The daughter that isn’t his …’ He tilted his head and looked at me with one eyebrow raised. ‘So that means the mother isn’t related to her at all, then?’

I shifted uncomfortably. I had always felt nervous about Leo knowing the truth and wished for the hundredth time that I hadn’t drunkenly blurted it out that night. But I had been missing Peter and feeling maudlin, so the alcohol had loosened my tongue, along with my inhibitions. ‘No.’