Page 55 of Tempting Her Forbidden Boss

‘You don’t want to talk?’ He looked at her searchingly. ‘Don’t you think we both could do with a little comfort right now? Some companionship? At the very least, aren’t we friends?’

His words thickened the ice around her heart. He’d said they couldn’t be friends. And they couldn’t. He was much more than that to her. ‘You have other friends. You have Lorenzo.’

‘I haven’t told him about my father. I haven’t told anyone but you.’

A tiny bird fluttered its wings, wanting to fly in her heart. Silly to be so moved by that one little comment and its implication of intimacy, of trust. Surely she couldn’t trust it—it was just that she’d been there at the time when he’d needed to share. She couldn’t believe it was anything more than that. She couldn’t believe in anything right now. ‘I really want to go, Alex.’

‘Not tonight.’

Dully, she supposed he was right. Where would she go? It wasn’t practical. He was so generous, wasn’t he? But she didn’t want any more of his tender pity. ‘Okay, but I need to be alone.’

He swallowed. ‘Sure.’

‘I promised Sara I’d go to the meeting on Monday. I said I’d be there when she delivered her presentation. I’ll go after that.’ It was all she could think. She couldn’t let her down.

She’d let her mother down.

When they reached the house, she took far too much care undoing her seat belt but he didn’t even move. When she looked at him he was staring at the garage wall, his face so expressionless she wondered if he’d even heard her. She slipped out of the car and suddenly picked up speed. She’d meant it. She needed tonight to be alone to lock away her demons.

But he moved faster, grabbing her hand as she got to the lounge. She stopped. Eyes closed, she kept her back to him. ‘Don’t—’

His fingers squeezed hard.

‘You know where I am if you need me.’ His voice was so husky it shattered her.

She swayed, holding on by the last thread.

But he let her hand go and walked past her, going straight up the stairs, not looking back.

She stared at nothing as he disappeared, utterly unable to move. She couldn’t let herself need him.

Hours later she stumbled to the kitchen, poured a glass of iced water and didn’t look at the tray on the table she knew was meant for her.

‘You’re staying home today.’ He walked up to her and touched her nose with a light finger. ‘You’re tired.’

So was he, but he was in his suit and ready to go. She was no less capable than him. ‘I can go.’

‘Stay home, Dani. You need to.’ He was gone before she could reply.

She sipped the icy water and glanced at the plates he’d prepared for her—fruit salad, a bagel, juice. Then she saw the file on the other side. She didn’t need to open it to know what it was—the information from the private investigator. Alex had left it deliberately for sure. She stared at it as if it were more terrifying than an armed intruder.

Jack Parker.

Could she bear to know any more than that?

She perched on the edge of one of the dining chairs. Pulled the folder towards her. She turned the cover, read the words. Dates, school—it was like a CV. How could someone’s life be reduced to a couple of A4 pages?

She turned the next page and stopped.

Photos. A baby, a boy, a youth. Brown eyes. Brown hair. Like hers. So much like hers.

She slammed the file shut. Pain burning her inside out. She couldn’t do it. Couldn’t bear to see what she’d lost before she’d even been able to find it. Couldn’t bear to face the fact that she’d failed her mother.

She stood. Ran. She wasn’t going to sit here and mope all day. There was work to be done at the Whistle Fund. She wasn’t going to let Cara down.

Cara looked up when she walked in, a surprised smile brightening her face. ‘I didn’t expect to see you today. Alex called to say you weren’t feeling well.’

‘Just a slight headache,’ Dani covered. ‘Gosh, if you can work with morning sickness then I can manage a mild headache.’

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