by Lee, Nadia
“Why don’t you come here and find out?”
* * *
Meredith couldn’t believe at how confident and sassy she sounded. Normally she stayed neutral with men. But with Daniel it seemed pointless to play a game.
You’re crazy about him.
That too. Knowing what was in her heart made it easier for her to be around him. She didn’t know if Daniel reciprocated her feelings. She’d never told him, and he’d never said anything. But she didn’t feel love for him with the expectation that he loved her back. Even if he never did she would still feel this way.
She lowered her feet from his lap and rose. Somehow her shaky legs didn’t fold and crumple. She crooked a finger.
His eyes on hers, he undid his tie and tossed it on the floor before reaching for her. Instantly she wrapped her arms around him and pressed close. His mouth swooped down for a hot, demanding kiss, and she rose to her tiptoes and gave herself over to it.
The notion that their relationship couldn’t continue like this with her hiding the truth about Eric lurked in the back of her mind. She would tell Daniel as soon as she gathered enough courage. Right now, she wanted to show Daniel what he meant to her.
She unbuttoned his dress shirt. His crisp hair tickled her palms as she buried her hands under the warm fabric. She explored his hard, lean muscles, enjoying the way they twitched in response. His heart thundered, and the blood roared through her body with need. She ran her fingertips over his flat nipples, dragging her nails over them with care.
He hissed out a breath. “Merry.”
“I want you so much, Daniel,” she whispered into his ear. “You have no idea how much I want you.” How much I love you.
“You drive me crazy,” he said, picking her up. He carried her easily down the hall to the master bedroom. It was just as monochromatic as the rest of the penthouse, except for the big burgundy bed. He lowered her, sliding her body along his. His erection prodded against her, and she shivered at the physical evidence of his desire.
She reached for her blouse buttons, but he put his hands on hers. “Allow me.”
Her arms dropped to her sides. He’d never undressed her before, and it made her heart pound to stand there as he slowly and deliberately undid each button. He kissed every square inch of exposed skin, his five o’clock shadow scraping her deliciously, and heat began to pool between her legs. He pushed the silk blouse off her shoulders and kissed them too. Then he tossed the blouse aside and knelt behind her, reaching for the zipper on the back of her skirt. He cupped her buttocks and squeezed, and she gasped at the hot, tingling sensation. She’d never known her butt could be so sensitive. He pulled down her satin panties and kissed her gently. “You’re so gorgeous, Merry. Flawless.”
She trembled, unable to speak. The combination of his hot, soft lips and the sharp scratching of his stubble was driving her insane. She was so slick, she was certain he could sense it with his face so close to her sex. He took his time, however, and his tongue traced the curvature of her behind with care and attention. “I wonder what I did to deserve you. You’re incomparable, so special,” he murmured. “I don’t think any man’s worthy to have you.”
Her breath got caught in her chest, and she bit her lower lip to contain a moan. His finger slipped between her legs and rubbed the opening gently.
He swore. “You’re so wet.”
“For you,” she murmured. She felt utterly shameless as he explored her folds. She felt like she would die if he didn’t touch her clit. At the same time she didn’t want it to be like this. She wanted to be pressed against him, feel his heart pound against her chest.
She turned around and sank to her knees so they were on a more even level. She pushed him back until he was lying flat on the thick carpet, and unbuttoned his shirt. She pulled it out of the way and unbuckled his belt and slacks. “You have no idea what I feel for you,” she whispered, kissing the hard planes of his chest.
She stripped him naked, then straddled him and positioned herself so she cradled his thick erection between her legs. She felt the air hiss out of him as she rocked against him.
“If you keep that up, it’s going to be over too soon,” he said.
“I don’t care,” Meredith said. “I want to make you feel good.”
* * *
Jesus. If she made him any better he might just die.
Daniel picked Merry up and moved her to the bed. She looked up at him with such bright eyes, so full of emotion, it made him ache with longing for things he couldn’t even articulate.
She spread her slim thighs and pulled him closer. “Take me, Daniel,” she whispered, her voice honey-sweet.
Gladly, he thought. He pushed into her. She was so slick, it was easy to glide into her depths. Sweat popped on his skin, and he held back, trying to rein himself in. He wanted it to be incredible for her. She’d had quite an ordeal, and he wanted to make her feel so good she forgot all about it.
He set a slow, sensuous rhythm, then picked up his tempo as she raked her nails along his back. She made sexy little noises in the back of her throat, and her head tossed back and forth. He rolled his hips, trying to intensify the sensation for her, and slipped his hand between their bodies to tease her clit.
Her response was instantaneous. She came hard, her back arching. His balls tightened, his whole body desperate for a release, but he fought it, wanting to give her another orgasm.
Then, as aftershocks shook her, she said, “I love you, Daniel,” and he lost the fight. He pumped into her one more time and surrendered himself to her.
Breathing hard, he buried his face in the crook of her neck. Had she known what she was saying? A woman would say anything in the throes of orgasm, and he knew he shouldn’t put much stock in Merry’s I love you.
But his idiotic heart seemed unable to accept the improbability of her declaration and leapt in joy anyway. And why the joy? Normally when his girlfriends said the L-word, he felt mild shock, even panic, and wanted to run like hell the other way and never look back.
Right now he wanted to run, all right. Run along the rooftops screaming, “Merry loves me!” while pumping his fist.
Jesus. He turned over so he could stare at the ceiling. Was he—?
No. No way. There was no way he was in love with her. He never left himself that open and vulnerable. Not that he thought she’d change or betray him, but this was a serious thing…love.
She turned and snaked her arm around his waist. “Hey.” She gave him a sleepy smile.
“Hey back.” See? She wasn’t fishing for an answer to her declaration of love. She probably hadn’t meant it. She probably didn’t even remember she’d said it.
He should be relieved. The ball of tension in his chest should be easing off. But somehow he felt annoyed and disappointed…and hated that he felt that way.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Meredith waited until Daniel fell asleep before she laid her hand over his heart. It beat steady and slow, and she tried not to let his silence over her declaration bother her. She hadn’t meant to blurt it out like that, and he probably hadn’t known what to say.
It was better he stayed quiet rather than try to say something to make her feel better about the fact that he didn’t love her the way she loved him.
She’d totally deluded herself all along that she didn’t care if he loved her back. She’d told herself the only thing that mattered was that she loved him. But a part of her shook with a longing to hear him say he loved her too.
For the first time, Meredith understood why her brother Gavin had come so close to losing his wife despite the love between them. What Meredith thought she wanted and needed—what she’d told herself all long—seemed somehow insufficient in reality. And unlike Gavin and Amandine, the love she felt for Daniel wasn’t reciprocated.
Sighing, Meredith closed her eyes. Men were generally obtuse about things like this. She just needed give Daniel a little time to get used to the idea and realize that he loved her too.
Daniel opened his eyes precisely at five thirty, just like he did every day. As he shifted, Merry snuggled closer. “Mmm,” she mumbled against his side.
“What time do you need to go in?”
“Fi’ more minutes,” she said, squeezing her eyes shut.
His mouth twitched. Merry was obviously not a morning person.
“Don’t you have to pick up something to wear?” he asked.
“Extra change of clothes in my office,” she sighed, finally turning over. She stretched and yawned. “What time is it?”
“Five thirty-two or so.”
“Ugh. And why are we up so early?”
“Because it’s a work day.”
“Oh my god. You’re as bad as Gavin.” She yawned again and finally sat up. “He’s out of bed at the crack of dawn.”
“The early bird catches the worm.”
“And all the money that’s floating in the air, apparently.” She sighed and lay down again. Her tousled hair looked super sexy, tumbling around her torso. “I’m getting a bit more sleep while you shower.”
Watching her, Daniel felt conflicted. He never deviated from his morning routine: up early, shower, coffee, hit the office before anybody else showed, and work. By ten o’clock the string of meetings that would define his day would start and then he wouldn’t be able to give Meredith anything more than a minute of his time.
But she’d said I love you, and he had the oddest feeling he had to say or do something in return, except it was one good night’s sleep too late. And there was no sin like poor timing.
Cursing silently, he got up and showered quickly. By the time he got out of the bathroom, she was asleep again. He frowned and glanced at the clock. Not yet six o’clock. She could sleep a bit longer.
Meanwhile he went to the kitchen and started breakfast. Being a bachelor, that generally meant a toasted bagel with plain cream cheese and smoked salmon slices. His coffeemaker had the brew ready. He poured some coffee—strong and black and full of caffeine—and took a big sip. He remembered Merry liked hers sweet. He found a jar of sugar cubes in the pantry and placed it on the counter for her.
As he was checking his email, he heard the shower. A bit later, Merry came into the kitchen. She had a bathrobe tightly leashed at her trim waist, and a thick ivory towel was wrapped around her head like a turban. She came closer and bumped him with a hip in a friendly way. The contact made him stir and he sucked in a breath.
“Any leftovers?” she asked with another yawn. “And I smell coffee.”
“Here you go.” Daniel pushed a mugful her way and suppressed his urges. The fact that she’d said the L-word and he hadn’t reciprocated in any way nipped at the edge of his mind like a persistent puppy. If she hadn’t made that declaration, he would’ve been free to indulge, but now it felt sort of wrong, like he was insisting on dessert without having eaten all his veggies. He should let her make the first move.
“Ahhh…” Merry took an appreciative sip and nibbled on a toasted bagel covered with cream cheese.
Unlike many of his exes, she didn’t want to chatter away. But then she didn’t seem to be a morning person.
He forced himself to return to his routine. An email from Claude in the inbox caught Daniel’s attention, reminding him of the conversation he’d had with Ernest. If Claude had hired some less than scrupulous people…could they have been behind the break-in at Merry’s place? The idea seemed awfully extreme. It would’ve been easier for his uncle to just approach her himself. They knew each other from the time when Merry and Judy had been best friends.
“Merry, have you seen Claude recently? Or been in contact with him in any way?”
She frowned at him over the rim of her mug and shook her head. “You mean personally? I haven’t seen him since…gee, since before Judy and I left for our European trip. Why?”
“I thought maybe he’d been in touch with you about the construction,” Daniel said smoothly.
“Oh. He’s not my contact at Aylster Resorts. There’s a management guy… I’m not far enough into this cup of coffee to remember his name. Uh…”
“George Sanderson?”
“Yes! That’s it.”
Daniel nodded, closing his laptop. George was the vice president of asset and property management. “Want me to drop you off at your place?”
“No. Nancy can pick me up from your office,” Merry said.
“You don’t mind if she knows?”
Merry gave him a coy look. “I don’t mind. Do you?”
He smiled. If he had it his way, everyone would know she was his. “Not at all.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Her relationship with Daniel had taken on a much more interesting twist after that break-in. Meredith couldn’t sleep at his place all the time, not with Eric and Bear. Ethan insisted they stay at his penthouse until the experts Gavin had hired could install some super security system at her townhouse, and she had no choice but to accept.
“But absolutely no bodyguards.”
“They’re good,” Gavin said over the phone. “They’re former Force Recon members.”
Ethan folded his arms and nodded grimly.
“I don’t even know what that is,” Meredith said. “And I certainly don’t need to have scowling men in black tagging around with me and Eric everywhere we go.”
“Fine. But you’re getting a gun for self-defense.”
“Yes, Gavin.” She sagged with relief. She could deal with that.
Meredith and Daniel started to meet during lunch for their little rendezvous. Not that she minded. They met at different hotels, and Daniel said they should test every one of his competitors’ beds.
Meredith’s toes curled in her boots as she recalled Daniel’s insatiable kiss upon seeing her at The Ritz earlier that day. It was their seventh hotel.
Unlike some of her previous dates, Daniel never seemed to regard Eric as an obstacle. He respected that she had obligations as Eric’s mother, and that Eric deserved her time and attention. If nothing else, that showed her he was a keeper.
Her phone buzzed and she checked the message. It was a text from Daniel.
I wish I was with you right now.
Where are you? she texted back.
In a meeting with internal auditors.
Poor baby.
Just then her assistant announced Kerri and Natalie were there. Meredith gestured okay, and the dynamic duo walked in. Kerri and Natalie dressed similarly—expensive and elegant—and moved with such confidence that Meredith couldn’t help but wonder if they were sisters in spirit.
“What’s that goofy grin about?” Kerri said, draping her long cashmere coat over the back of her chair. “I don’t think it’s for us.”
“Definitely not.” Natalie nodded. “It’s a man-happy grin.”
“A man-happy grin? Seriously?” Meredith said.
Natalie shrugged. “I wasn’t an English major.”
“I just had a really good lunch, that’s all,” Meredith said.
“You got laid.” Kerri leaned closer and lowered her voice. “Still hot-n-heavy with Daniel?”
Meredith nodded.
“He must be pretty good.”
Meredith sighed. “Amazing.”
“You have it bad,” Kerri said. “But then I had it pretty bad with Ethan too.”
Meredith covered her ears. “Aaahhhh! Don’t say that. My brother does not have sex.”
Kerri and Natalie laughed.
“Okay, before we talk business, you have to tell me everything,” Kerri said. “And seriously…are you in love or something? Because you’re positively glowing.”
Meredith nodded.
“Have you told him?” Natalie asked.
Meredith paused for a moment, unsure what she was asking. Did she want to know if Meredith had told Daniel the truth about Eric? Her gaze darted to Kerri’s curious gaze, and she nodded. “I said I love you once.”
Natalie leaned in avidly. “And?”
>
“And…” Meredith scratched the side of her neck. “Nothing.”
“What?” Kerri’s jaw slackened. “He didn’t say it back?”
“No.”
“And you’re still sleeping with him?”
“Well…it sort of slipped out during sex. I don’t think he heard it.”
Kerri’s cheeks hollowed out. Finally she said, “You’re probably right. Men can be pretty obtuse during sex.”
“Single-minded,” Natalie agreed.
“Exactly.” Kerri nodded and clapped her hands once. “Anyway, let’s talk business. That’s why we’re here, right?”
Meredith nodded. She needed to focus. Mooning over Daniel wasn’t going to take care of TLD.
* * *
“Just where is Claude?” Daniel asked.
“I don’t know, sir.” Claude’s executive assistant Yana Hachette sounded pained over the phone. “Everyone’s been asking about him, but I can’t seem to reach him. He told me he had an urgent family matter to look into last Friday, but since then he hasn’t checked in.”
“It’s been a week.” Daniel rubbed the back of his neck. It was so damn stiff from having to sit in on the meetings where Claude should’ve been instead. “Email him and call him again. He can’t just disappear like this on a whim.”
“Yes, sir.”
After hanging up, Daniel leaned back in his seat. Ella and Ashley were fine, and Claude didn’t have a family of his own. He’d been a childless widower since his early thirties and had his own share of beautiful women on his arm. That probably hadn’t helped him form a stable image with the board members. Despite living in the twenty-first century, they often acted like their minds were stuck in the dark ages. Daniel had probably failed too, but at least he had the excuse of still being young. That, combined with Claude’s lack of ambition to take the top spot at Aylster Resorts, had helped Daniel get the support he needed to be able to manage the company so far.
What was the meaning of Claude’s disappearance? It had started two days after the break-in at Merry’s…and Daniel couldn’t shake the feeling that they were somehow related.
But how?