Daniel watched her, screened behind the fine light curtain half drawn across the open balcony doorway. She was taking her time over that photo. He stood, his discomfort at having her in his apartment finally impelling him to move. Daniel didn’t entertain here. He far preferred to stay at his lover’s place so he could leave early in the morning and avoid any moments of intimacy over breakfast—moments that might lead the lady to think a relationship may be in the offing. Daniel didn’t do relationships.
But Lucy wasn’t such a lover. They’d had sex but that was it. Supposedly. He’d said himself it would only be the once. But he had to admit he’d really, really enjoyed it. She’d been wild. And his body had revelled in the heat and softness of hers.
He felt keyed up—as he had all night, knowing she was under his roof. For a moment there, after they’d had sex, he’d slept as comfortably as if he were in a bed made with pure cotton sheets and soft coverings, not on top of an old scarred pool table with scratchy felt.
Knowing that had happened made him tense, wary, and more determined to push her away than pull her close. Despite his basic instinct telling him to have her again. Right now his muscles and his mind were strung out from warring with each other, and with analysing why she’d been pushing too—away.
‘Seen enough?’
She jumped a clear foot. Stared as he walked in from the balcony. ‘I thought you weren’t here.’
‘Clearly.’ He pointedly looked at the picture still in her hand.
But it seemed she had no qualms about her inquisitiveness. ‘This your dad?’
He nodded. Regular Sherlock Holmes, she was.
‘Did your mum take the photo?’
He froze, blood colder than a snake’s. ‘No.’
‘Is it your graduation?’
So she’d moved on from the family questions. Excellent. ‘Admission to the Bar.’ Having secured his law degree, he’d then had to take some professional papers to be able to practice law. This was the formal presentation of that achievement.
‘Your mum wasn’t there?’
Damn. ‘She was there.’ Second to back row. She’d been late and almost not got a seat.
Lucy was silent as she looked over the shelves again. He counted the beats before her curiosity won.
‘No other family photos?’
Eight. Not bad—he’d been starting to think she’d be able to contain it. Should have known better. Lucy lacked control. He already knew that. ‘No other family.’
‘What about your mum?’
No stopping her now.
‘My mother left my father after fifteen years of marriage. She remarried and has two other children.’ Brief summary of fact. She’d cheated. Found herself someone else. Daniel had never been able to understand it. What the hell had the woman wanted? His father was rich, successful, driven to achieve—for her—and she’d thrown it all in his face.
‘Did you go with her?’
‘No.’ He could see her now, standing at the door, calling his name, just the once. He’d shaken his head. He’d been so angry with her for breaking up what he’d thought had been a perfect world. She’d turned and walked away. She hadn’t even fought for him.
‘How old were you?’
‘Fourteen.’
‘Your dad’s a lawyer?’
‘Yes.’ He answered in the way he instructed his defendants to—honest but brief. Never offer more than you were asked for.
‘He works long hours?’
‘Yes.’
Her frown was growing. ‘So what did you do after school?’
‘After swimming I would go to his office and do my homework in the library.’ He was heartily sick of this interrogation and irritated with himself for putting up with it this long. He had the horrible impression pity had just crossed her face. He certainly didn’t deserve that. He and his father had established a good life. Both had launched further into work. His dad had hired a housekeeper and given up on women—instructing Daniel never to bother with them, never to trust.
Daniel had worked hard at his studies, hard at his swimming and, when older, hard at playing the field. He’d found a happy balance—of enjoying what women had to offer without risking his heart.
Because nobody, but nobody, was walking out on Daniel again.
His greatest lesson had been self-reliance.
He took the photo, put it on the shelf and turned the questions back on her. ‘What about you—your parents split up?’ They all seemed to, eventually—in spirit, if not physically.
She looked surprised. ‘No, not at all. They have a really happy marriage.’ A look of rue crossed her face. ‘But they didn’t do such a great job of parenting.’
‘Marriage and children inevitably end in disaster,’ Daniel replied crisply. ‘I don’t intend ever committing to either.’
Lucy froze, meeting his wintry gaze squarely—and saw the implacable set to his jaw. That was her told, then. He really meant it too. Crazily, she felt sorry for him. Despite what he’d said at the temp agency, Lucy knew they differed. Sure, she didn’t commit to long-term work, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want a long-term relationship, or children even—in the future. A long way in the future. Maybe. Assuming she met someone who’d actually fall for her. Who’d actually believe in her—warts and all.
Her ‘feeling sorry for’ vibe turned inwards. She shrugged it, and the soft thoughts of him, off. ‘I have to get going. Thanks for the room. I’ll try to get a place sorted as soon as I can.’
Not waiting for a reply, not wanting to take in just how fine he looked at the moment, she left. Walking briskly towards town, she realised she was starving. She figured she’d head straight for the club and eat there. One take-out Thai curry later, she was temporarily warm on the inside again and kidding herself she’d moved on. Being with Daniel had definitely been a huge mistake and she’d totally done the right thing by breezing over it and putting it behind them. But she couldn’t shake him from her mind completely. Instead she slowly digested the info. Ruminated for several hours, in fact. She’d caught a glimpse of one very angry young man. His mother had left his father—and him. And though she knew he’d deny it, he’d been hurt and had frozen over as a result. Well, Lucy didn’t have the reserves to warm him through. She had issues of her own to deal with. Past demons that popped up when you least expected them, a permanent feeling of idiocy and inferiority, and the doubt that she’d ever find the place where she’d fit in.
But she still wanted him. Her body wanted more of the ecstasy he’d unleashed. She couldn’t look at the pool table without a tide of heat to her face. Grimacing, she reached across the bar and felt muscles stiff from a workout they hadn’t had in quite a while. Or ever.
Thankfully the doors opened and she became too busy to dwell on it further. There was no sign of Daniel the entire evening and she was glad, glad, glad.
She got home a little after four. She knew she was too pumped to have any chance of sleep and so, after stripping to her sleeping attire of singlet and panties, headed to the kitchen. She stood in the doorway of the fridge and nearly jumped a foot when she heard the front door opening. Daniel appeared. In full tuxedo. Oh, my. James Bond was nothing on this guy. His jacket sat snug across his broad swimmer’s shoulders. Clean lines. The black and white suited him, damn it.
She stared, wondering for a moment if her insomnia-addled brain was playing tricks on her and this was some sort of heavenly hallucination.
‘Can’t sleep?’
No. He was real.
She shook her head. ‘Just getting some warm milk.’
He nodded. ‘Put enough in for me, will you? I think I’ll be needing it too.’ His tone was bland but she risked a quick glance. With the only light in the kitchen coming from the open fridge door, those gold-tinged eyes were giving nothing away. She looked over his tux again. Tried not to be attracted to it but failed.
She reminded herself that people in power—and Daniel was on his way to that—didn’t listen.
Didn’t care. Daniel would be no different. She poured some milk into a jug. Painfully aware of how little she was wearing, she turned her back to him, keeping an eye on the milk in the microwave, compelled to make small talk to slice through her heavy awareness. ‘Good night?’
‘Yes. How was the club?’
‘Good. Busy.’
‘Good.’
End of conversation. Beginning of surreptitious looks. She encountered his gaze every time. Her stress level increased, and her body temperature soared as wicked wants started whispering in her mind. Too scary. She flashed back to the moment on the pool table when she’d come to—where after the initial terror she’d relaxed completely in his arms again. Too vulnerable. Thankfully the microwave pinged and she grabbed two mugs and filled them. Snatching one from the counter, she clutched it to her and headed away quickly. Her mind had latched onto the one thing that she knew would be an instant cure for insomnia.
Rampant sex.
‘Hope you get some sleep.’ His voice was low and a little husky and he didn’t move as she walked away from the kitchen, meaning she had to brush past just that bit too close. She squawked some sort of unintelligible reply and practically ran to her room. The recovery time was a good two hours.
Nights passed as Lucy worked in the bar. She worked hard and slept little. Tiredness made every bone creak but she refused to acknowledge it—she was determined to work harder than ever. She’d show Daniel exactly how good she was at this job—that she was mediocre no more. For once in her life she was going to shine.
The staff told her the bar was busier than usual. She’d love to think it had something to do with her, but probably it was a result of the incredibly warm weather they were having this week. The idea that she was influencing the success of the bar would be too good to be true.
Yet Isabel suggested otherwise. ‘Lara just liked having a place to hang with her mates. It was never a serious business venture for her. She never bothered with that side of it; she left it to the manager and he was useless.’
Lucy had figured that—given the state of the office. The club had only been open a year and the paperwork was in a mess. She rolled up her sleeves and discovered putting things in order was actually enjoyable. She must have inherited more of her father’s accountancy gene than she’d realised. She worked late night after night and hid in her room until she was sure Daniel had gone to work for the day. Really she should be moving out, but until she saw the first pay cheque she had little option but to stay where she was.
She didn’t see him again until after one of her shifts later that week. This time he was the one raiding the fridge and not wearing enough clothing.
‘Warm milk?’ The thread of humour was so thin she wondered if she’d dreamt it.
She shook her head. Unable to speak at the sight of him in his boxers. For a few days there she’d thought she’d got over him. It only took one second of seeing him again to return her pulse to agitated state and her desire to fever pitch. The worst thing was he knew—he saw the flame in her face before she established the control to cover it. His eyes narrowed. They engaged in one of their silent staring duels—and she was first to look away.
The following night she let Isabel and Corey finish up, getting herself to the apartment by eleven p.m. Vainly hoping for a decent sleep. Impossible. She listened for signs of Daniel—none. By midnight he still hadn’t walked in the door. He worked way too hard. She felt irrationally irritable and there was only one cure for that. She rifled through her CD file and, with favourite in hand, marched to his state-of-the-art stereo system. She put in the disc and pressed the button. The music blared. She smiled. Dancing was her answer to everything—freedom on her terms. Alone, wild and crazy—giving up control, just letting her mind go and her body move to the music. Safe. She didn’t go dancing to pick up a guy, she went to be free. To have fun. And that was why she found herself loving this job, because she could create the environment for others to do the same.
But in Daniel’s apartment right now she felt restricted—by her attraction to him, and the feeling of vulnerability that came with it. She was stunned she’d slept in his arms. It scared her. What scared her more was the feeling of safety she’d had in them. But her instinct had been well wrong on that count. He’d backed off faster than a hirsute man offered a chest wax.
She pushed the worry from her mind, turned up the volume and focused on the beat. Dance crazy and she’d wear herself out so she could sleep—that was the aim, and nothing beat dancing wildly to her favourite group. Stomping her feet and slapping her thighs, she was having a fine old time working out pure frustration.
Then the music suddenly stopped. She whirled around and saw Daniel standing at the stereo. He was impeccably dressed as ever except for the curious expression on his face. At least he wasn’t flat on the floor laughing.
‘You always do what you want, when you want to?’
She cleared her throat nervously. ‘No.’ If she did she’d be over there and on him about now. If he didn’t look so disapproving.
‘Music’s a little loud for my neighbours downstairs. It’s late.’
She snatched back her mettle. ‘Wouldn’t want them thinking you were having fun, Daniel.’
‘It’s not possible to have fun to country music, Lucy.’
‘You think? You should try it some time.’ She cast a disparaging look over him, flicked her hair with an air of studied nonchalance and hoped she could saunter to her bedroom.
‘What’s with this attitude towards honest, hard-working men in suits? Don’t you like the work ethic it represents?’
‘It doesn’t represent work ethic. It represents power, authority, status.’
‘What’s wrong with that?’
‘I have an aversion to authority.’ He stood for everything she couldn’t stand—arrogance and an inability to understand.
‘Really.’ He laughed. ‘Do tell.’
‘I prefer an individual approach to life. I don’t like being told what to do—by anyone.’
‘So you’re the arty, flaky type through and through.’
She stopped her bad saunter and glared at him.
He strolled towards her. ‘You think you’re so cool, don’t you? No boring office wear for you in your funky, feathery clothes.’ He gestured to her multi-layered look. ‘You couldn’t possibly be so dull as to hold down a nine-to-five kind of job, couldn’t bear to be in an office, behind a desk. Take on responsibility. How awful that would be.’ He moved a little closer. His voice lowered to a whisper. ‘Well, let me tell you something, Trouble. There is nothing remotely cool about country music.’
Lucy stared at him. ‘You’re so wrong.’ About everything. She stepped a little closer to deliver her parting shot. ‘I am cool, cool like funky. But you know what? You’re cool too—cool like frozen.’
A great white shark had nothing on his smile. ‘You think?’
‘Yeah, you’re so “in control”.’
Daniel watched her hightail it to her room. In control? Hardly. He was on a knife-edge. Dangerously close to acting on emotional impulse and grabbing her to him and kissing her senseless—until the biting backchat was replaced by the soft sighs and the screams of satisfaction he’d wrung from her last week.
She was the one who was wrong. About everything.
He prowled through his lounge feeling like an intruder. Her shoes were parked at the end of the sofa. Her sarong was draped across the cushions at the end. A magazine lay upside down in the middle of the floor. He picked it up to put it on the coffee-table. His eyebrow rose at one of the headlines on the cover—TEN WAYS TO DRIVE HIM WILD. She didn’t need the magazine. She could write the authoritative book on that in ten minutes. He sat on the sofa and flung the magazine out of sight. Stared straight ahead for a minute, but the bright sarong leapt out at the corner of his eye. He sighed, gave in, and picked it up. It was vividly coloured but soft to touch. Just like her. Beautiful, outrageous but with a hint of vulnerability—th
e chink he had yet to figure out but knew was there.
He’d honestly thought being with her once would be enough. He was dedicated to his work and ordinarily he refused the distraction of a monogamous series of dates, let alone an actual relationship. He’d never be humiliated the way his mother had humiliated his father. He wasn’t ever going to be left for anyone or anything. And his drive to succeed was for his own satisfaction—no one else’s.
But he wanted Lucy again and knew she still wanted him. It was apparent every time their paths crossed. Maybe he should take time out to ensure their paths crossed frequently. She was only going to be around a fortnight or so anyway. He wanted another experience with that hot, wild woman he’d discovered on the pool table.
Wanted, not needed. Just once more.
CHAPTER EIGHT
You enjoy an active and fast-paced environment
THAT night Lucy worked even later than usual, spending the whole time trying to ignore the memories of the previous Friday. She was trying to stop wishing it would all happen again. Regretting the way she’d nailed the lid on it so soon despite knowing it had well been for the best. He annoyed the pants off her—literally. But the last thing she needed was to get involved with a guy—hot as he was—who could offer as much emotional support as a stuffed frog. If she was going to open up to someone, he needed to be nice, and capable of showing some kind of understanding—not clashing with her at every opportunity and being Mr Bossy.
She got home at just after six in the morning—when the first joggers were already out pounding along by the waterfront. She’d attempted a grin at one woman speeding by but it was more of a grimace. She stood under the shower for a few heavenly moments before slipping straight into bed, pulling just the cotton sheet over her naked, warm, slightly wet body.
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