Page 51 of The Daredevil

She glanced at the clock on the wall. “I’m going to get some work done.” She rose from the chair, holding her cup of coffee. “I’ll see you later. Don’t forget, it’s banquet day.”

Fearing she’d go and take all the warmth from my home with her, I asked, “You’re staying here to work, right?”

“The devilish Viking needs the lost angel to show him the way, correct?” She grinned. “This is the only place that makes no sense and at the same time feels right. I guess I’ll have to stay.”

I laughed at her accuracy.

“Maybe we can swing by my apartment before we head to the banquet. I want to see if your men have finished repairing the window.”

It was selfish of me, but I didn’t want them to finish the window repair.

“Sure, we could do that.”

CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE

MICHELLE

I sat at my desk,turned on my laptop, opened the folder for NewYou Beauty, and stared at the images. Though I stared at the pretty pictures, I didn’t see or think about anything regarding beauty products. My mind was swamped with Royce and the dream that had supposedly unsettled him.

When I first stepped into the kitchen, I sensed his frustration before I spotted him or even spoke to him. One thing was obvious: we both had something to hide. We skimmed the edge of truth by sprinkling the conversation with sarcasm and humor, none of which was bad or wrong. But it showed we weren’t ready to share that intimate part of ourselves yet. I didn’t know why, but I wanted him to trust me.

Then I need to trust him too.

Pushing that thought aside for now, I entertained something more lighthearted. I wanted to erase his nightmares and give him hope and laughter.

I didn’t know why I felt the need to help him, but sometimes I had no choice but to go with the flow. Right now, the flow told me to give him the pillow fight of his life.

Laughing at the ridiculous idea, I planned a scenario that would either embarrass me or make him find me irresistible.

What if my plan backfired, and I became the victim whocouldn’tresist him?

I stopped my brain from thinking further because I sensed more what-ifs emerging, and self-doubt sabotaged my confidence.

Clearing my head, I focused on my next blog post.

CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR

ROYCE

After slippingon my Eton shirt and adjusting my black bowtie, I put on my black Canali tuxedo. I had a selection of custom-made suits to accommodate my broad shoulders. Paying a little more for the enhanced fabric with stretch allowed for extra comfort. I wasn’t one of those men who preferred wearing a suit all day.

With all my travels, I’d met many suppliers who produced innovative materials and introduced them to my tailor, whom I’d also referred to my friends. Enzo’s tailoring business soared just from my referrals.

All dressed and ready to go, I glanced at my watch. We had plenty of time to swing by Michelle’s apartment to check on the window repairs. Oskar had already notified me that everything was all set, and Tomas was also present, overseeing the repairs of his building.

I’d gotten an email from him thanking me and confirming his repayment to my company’s account.

I walked out to the kitchen island and reviewed my schedule for the upcoming weeks on my phone. An alert highlighted in red caught my attention.

Dinner date with Michelle.

Smiling, I checked my schedule for tomorrow. I had two conference meetings regarding renovations I needed to approve for two excursion sites. They’d been pushed back twice already. I moved the meetings to Monday, allowing me more time to review the updates.

I heard the clicking sound of Michelle’s shoes, turned around, and lost my breath. The power of her presence—her beauty—stole my senses. Writers often described this moment in books, but I’d never fully understood it until now.

She wore a long black dress with a draped neckline that teased a lovely bosom. Thin straps hung over her elegant shoulders, making me want to drag my mouth along them. My gaze followed the flowy fabric down her hips to the floor, where pink toenails peeked out from black-heeled shoes. When she took a step toward me, the side slit revealed a lovely, toned leg with smooth skin that made my throat dry. I envisioned her long legs wrapped around me, and my cock pulsed.

“Sorry it took me longer than necessary. I had to send a file over to Becca.”

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