Page 13 of Where She Is
“I thought you might.”
I giggle before I go back to being serious. “Anyway, I wanted to say, whatever we had going on today, Richard was very aware of it and gave me a lecture when I got back. It’s not that he wants to stop us. He worries about me. I lived with someone in London and it didn’t work out, so I took this job. I suppose what I’m trying to say is, he doesn’t want me to get hurt again. He had to cope with my moods after my last break up, so I doubt he intends to go through it again.” Then Daniel puts his hand on my knee. It causes my pulse to accelerate.
“Did he hurt you?” I don’t register for a moment as I home inon his palm, which has moved and is now providing warmth to my upper thigh. It feels amazing.
“What—who? Richard?”
His tone is dark. “Your last boyfriend. Did he hurt you?”
My finger runs along the sharp edge of the knife in front of me, “Yes, he hurt me, but not in the physical sense. He slept with someone else and it wasn’t the first time. He broke my heart.”
Daniel squeezes my thigh, “I’m sorry.” Then I hear, “What a dickhead,” under his breath.
“That’s a good way to describe him,” I whisper while trying everything to control the buzz in my core. I want him to move his hand further up and touch me and I instinctively part my legs. I breathe deeply; lost in my own mucky thoughts. It’s time to pour a virtual bucket of water over us both. I stand, leaning over the table in search of a bread roll, which means Daniel having to remove his hand. I didn’t want him to take it away, but if he hadn’t, I would have exploded.
“So that’s why Richard didn’t look happy.”
“Well, if you think about it, you can see his point. You are a partner. That makes things awkward. Oh, and he’s worried because you have… a reputation.” Daniel squints, but I notice a spark as the light catches the slight part of his eyes.
“And you believe everything you hear?”
“I believe nothing. I don’t have a clue about your past or what Richard is referring to, but I’d like to get to know Daniel Grant for myself. The one in the cowboy hat.”
“Akubra,” he smirks. We’re both silent for a moment, then he breaks it. “Do you still love him?” I frown quizzically and he repeats, “The boyfriend in London. Do you still love him?” I stare into space. “You mean theex-boyfriend and no, I’m not in love with him.”
“Good,” he whispers as his palm returns to my thigh. I praise the Lord and panic in equal measures.What the hell am I doing?He is my boss’s boss!The problem is, now he’s told me how much he wants me, I badly want him too.
He is my forbidden fruit and I can’t wait to take a bite.
As dinner progresses, there is a natural flow, not only to our alcohol intake but also to our conversation. I can’t help but tease him about being the chairman’s son, but he takes it in good spirits.
“You need to get over it. I don’t want to sound rude, but that line is already boring the crap out of me,” he reassures while a smile spreads across his face. I laugh, but his next sentence nearly has me spraying my mouthful of champagne all over him.
“Something else about me, I’m a straight talker. For example, I regretted not kissing you today because you’re beautiful and sexy.”Shit! Is my hearing playing tricks on me?My face burns and my power of speech slips away. He moves close to my ear and blows—a soft chill runs over my neck. “I want to kiss you.”
I take a deep breath and spot the way he looks to my lips. I’m so close to letting go. His smile almost dazzles me and reaches all the way to his deep hazel eyes. “There will be a kiss. Maybe not now, but soon.” We both take deep breaths but do our best to hide them. I squeeze his hand and sit back. We need to cool off. A change of subject calms the ache inside me. “Can I say something?”
“Anything.”
“I think you owe Matthew an apology. He took care of me when there was no one else about and he didn’t want to leave me on my own. Frankly, I was grateful.”
His eyes darken, “You’re joking right?”
I shake my head slowly to show, no.
He squeezes his thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose and sighs, “All right.” Again, his voice reaches the verydepths of his tone. “I’ll apologise, but only because it will make you happy. I don’t like the guy. He’s an arsehole.”
There’s the arse word again. If only he knew what that did to me.“Thank you,” I smile, “Oh and one very last thing.” His eyebrows raise in question and my face is flushed with heat once again. I’m about to give him the clear signal he needs.
“This kiss you mentioned. Please don’t leave it too long. I really want to kiss you too.”
Chapter Three
I’munable to eat as much as I’d like, which is such a shame as the food is delicious. First, a warm prawn salad, followed by roast lamb with green vegetables and crispy potatoes for the main course, and for dessert, a summer pudding. I’m not even lured by the salted caramel chocolates served with my coffee because of the butterflies taking up residence in my stomach. I’ve just told Daniel Grant I want to kiss him and if we weren’t in such a prominent place and our main courses hadn’t arrived as the words fall from my mouth, I’m sure it would have happened. Why am I losing control like this? Daniel seems to have this amazing ability to send me reeling with one simple look or touch. His lips brush a trail to my earlobe, “So, when did it become okay for you to make demands?” My body shudders with anticipation when his hand touches mine and his eyes focus on my parted lips. The moment is lost by the vibration of Daniel’s phone as it dances on the table. I let out the deep breath I’ve held for the past few minutes while he looks annoyed by the interruption. He checks the display with a heavy sigh and answers, “Daniel Grant.” His eyes narrow. “Where are you? Your name didn’t appear on my screen.” He looks over, standsfrom his seat, and holds up one finger. “One minute,” he mouths and I nod in acknowledgement. Diana spots the perfect opportunity to catch up with our conversation and touches my arm to gain my attention. “How are you enjoying the evening?”
I swallow my last mouthful of champagne before replying, “Very much thank you. The food was incredible.”
“And how about the company?” I have a feeling she approves of Daniel’s blossoming interest towards me. It’s a shame not everyone shares her enthusiasm. I can only answer with a broad shy smile which she accepts as a positive.
