Page 61 of Teasing Her Grumpy Boss

His smile broke into monumental proportions. ‘You do. And I can’t live without that love.’ His eyes gleamed, hot gold pouring out brilliant light.

Entranced, she gazed at him. Beautiful. Gifted. But a lover to whom she had no right—she wasn’t right for him. The full force of fear flooded her—love, doubt, despair. This was a mistake that might scuttle his career.

So she loved him. Someday she’d get over it. ‘The answer’s still no. I won’t come back to the bar.’ She inhaled deeply. ‘Or you.’

SEVENTEEN

You find it difficult to talk about your feelings

He froze.Sound finally emerged, half strangled. ‘Ineedyou, Lucy.’

‘You need me like you need a hole in the head. Come on, Daniel. Aside from sex we have nothing in common.’

‘That’s not true. We both can’t get to sleep at night. Not without each other.’

‘We have nothing in common in the things that really matter, Daniel.’ She pushed him away. ‘You’re so much more… worthy than I am. You’re living this life where you’re going to make a difference. You’re an achiever. Someone who’ll make the world a better place. You should be with someone similar. Someone like Sarah—who has beauty and brains to match yours.’

‘Your belief in me is flattering, Lucy, but I’m just another lawyer—there are thousands of us graduating every year.’

‘That’s not true, Daniel. You’re special and you know it. Why else are they all clamouring for you? Daniel—be a partner! Daniel—be a professor! Daniel—be the Chief Justice!’

‘So?’

‘So you can’t be with someone like me. A guy who’s maybe going to be a judge one day can’t have a barmaid for a girlfriend.’

‘Why not? And I don’t want you for my girlfriend. I want you for my wife.’

‘Daniel.’ Pleading for him to stop offering her the moon when she couldn’t accept it. She loved him but she wasn’t what was best for him.

‘Lucy. You have talents too. You have amazing talents.’

‘Like what? Playing second violin? Come on. I’m nowhere near your league and you know it.’

‘I know that no one runs that bar better than you, I know that you get those bar staff working and happy. You get punters coming back in those doors time and time again. Since you started there the sales have gone way up. You know how to entertain people, Lucy. You make an environment that people can relax in. That’s just as important as winning someone’s case for them.’

He read her ‘yeah right’ expression.

‘It is, Lucy. What’s life without pleasure? It can’t all be hard work. I love my work—you know I do. But I need to relax too—I understand that now. And I need you to help me relax.’

‘It’s the sex again. That’ll fade. You’ll get bored soon enough.’

‘I will not. And it’s not just the sex—we’re better than bed mates. You challenge me. You pull my head in when it’s sticking out too far. You make me laugh. You point out the fun things when I’m too busy with my head in books. You make my lifereal, Lucy.’

The shakes were back and worse this time. Daniel was in winning-lawyer mode and his arguments were wearing her last shred of resistance down.

‘Daniel…’

‘Look, on the one hand you’re crediting me with a brain and the next you’re saying you know what’s best for me. I know what’s best for me. And that’s you.’ He paled. ‘I cannot go through another week like this, Lucy. I cannot be without you. Anyway. I’m not going to be a judge, I don’t want to be a judge. Never have.’

‘What are you going to do?’

His arms were around her again, smoothing down her back; she knew he could feel her shaking, knew he was being gentle to calm her.

‘They’re offering me a position at the university—lecturing with guaranteed time for research. I want to study, Lucy. It’s where my heart lies. I’ve never been able to leave that university. You’ll be pleased—I’m teaching evidence and ethics.’

She leant into him. ‘I feel sorry for your first-years.’

‘Why?’

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