by Unknown
The door to the closet opened. Footsteps tapped on the hardwood floor. Dani’s heels.
Bryce turned.
Hot! Attraction hit fast and hard, sending his already warm blood into the red zone. “I didn’t think you could look more beautiful than you did at the store. I was wrong.”
Dani radiated beauty and warmth. He’d picked out the dress because the color matched her eyes. But the style accentuated pretty much every other part of her body. “You are totally captivating and very sexy.”
And his.
Dani spun around on the balls of the silver slingback shoes. The fabric of her dress wrapped around her hips and thighs. The asymmetric hem made her legs look even longer. She gave a slight curtsy. “Thank you.”
Her shy smile contrasted against her curvaceous body was a total turn-on. “If my father hits on you, I’m going to slug him.”
“Don’t worry, I’m too old for him.”
Bryce’s gaze lingered as he went from the top of her shiny blond hair to the V between her breasts to the curve of her hips to her delicate ankles and her hot-pink painted toenails. His heart rate kicked up a notch. No doubt other men’s would, too. A protective instinct kicked in. “A couple of extra years won’t matter in your case. But he’s not the only one I’m worried about.”
“Well…” Mischief gleamed in her eyes. “On the farm, parties never got going until a fight happened.”
He laughed. “The Delaney crowd is much too civilized for throwing actual punches. They resort to verbal barbs to one’s face and gossip behind one’s back instead.”
“Sounds like high school.”
“Pretty close.” The look of vulnerability flashing across her face brought him to her side in an instant. Bryce wrapped his arms around her. “But you won’t have to worry about a thing. I’ll be right there with you to make sure you feel safe and comfortable.”
Dani gazed up at him. “I figured you weren’t the kind of guy to desert me while he went off to socialize.”
“Never. I have everything I need right here.” He brushed his lips across the top of her hair. The scent of grapefruit filled his nostrils. “Is it totally sexist of me to say I’m going to like having the sexiest, most beautiful woman at the party on my arm?”
“Yes.” A seductive smile spread across her shimmering glossed lips. “But since I’ll be on the arm of the hottest man at the soirée, I’ll let it slide.
“Soirée?”
She shrugged. “When in Rome…”
“You’re going to fit in just fine, Miss Bennett.”
Dani fluttered her eyelashes. “Why, thank you, Mr. Delaney.”
He extended his arm, no longer dreading the evening ahead. “Shall we?”
Maeve Delaney-Stuart-Whitney-Roya-Mayer’s house reminded Dani of Pemberley, with its marble floors, crystal chandeliers and uniformed servants milling about with trays of champagne and hors d’oeuvres. Dani glanced around the mansion, trying to imagine Bryce, an active and inquisitive little boy, growing up among the valuable artwork and antiques.
Tried and failed.
Standing at the doorway to a balcony, she watched Bryce weave his way through the crowded room with two drinks in his hands. He looked suave and debonair in his tailored suit, white shirt and tie. He stood out from the others. It wasn’t his height or his looks, but his presence. He exuded power and, though he’d disagree with her, wealth. People followed him, trying to get his attention or catch his eye. Men who wanted his advice. Women who wanted him.
Dani didn’t blame them. She wanted him, too.
Bryce said a word to one, nodded to another and continued toward her, his steps never faltering and his gaze never leaving hers.
Outside on the patio, he handed her a Cosmopolitan. “Did the animals leave you alone while I was gone?”
“I had a couple of close calls, but I survived unscathed.”
A man with his tie askew yelled Bryce’s name from the doorway. Bryce acknowledged him with a wave, then lowered his hand. His fingertips stroked her arm, sending tingles shooting up and down from the point of contact. “What happened?”
“Nothing you need to worry about. It was more funny than awkward.”
“I just want to make sure you’re comfortable.”
“I’m better than comfortable.” She raised her glass. “I’m Cinderella at the ball with Prince Charming at my side.”
“At least you won’t have to worry about the clock striking midnight,” he teased. “Your dress and ride home have no expiration time.”
“Good to know.” She stared up into his concerned eyes. “What?”
“Please tell me what happened while I was gone.”
“It was nothing.”
Bryce raised a brow.
“If you really want to know, your cousin Simone asked me who did my breast augmentation because she thought they looked so natural.”
“She’s been redoing herself part by part,” he explained. “Breasts are next.”
“No wonder she seemed so disappointed to find out mine are real, but I appreciated the compliment.”
“You should.” He eyed her chest momentarily. “Anything else?”
“I bumped into your great-uncle Edward. Or he bumped into me.” Dani grinned. “I think he wanted to cop a feel.”
“He’s known for that.”
She took a sip of the pink-colored drink. The martini was strong. Better limit herself to two tonight. Especially since they’d already drank champagne during a toast to Caitlin and Mark. “See, it was nothing.”
“I’m not leaving you again,” Bryce said. “I told you I wouldn’t desert you.”
“I told you I wanted a drink, but didn’t feel like pushing my way through the crowd to the bar. It’s okay,” she said. “I’m doing fine. I was intimidated when we arrived, but everyone has been so welcoming, especially your mother. Things have been much better than I imagined. And Caitlin and Mark are such a cute couple and so nice.”
“That’s because they, and the rest of my family, like you.”
Music played. She couldn’t tell if it was a live band or a DJ. “Good, because I like them.”
“Even my great-uncle Edward?” Bryce asked.
She nodded. “He’s funny. He told me if he were fifty years younger he’d give you a run for your money over me. Then he said if I wanted to fly to Las Vegas and marry him tonight he wouldn’t make me sign a prenup.”
“What did you tell him?” Bryce asked.
“I told him I couldn’t desert my date tonight, but if things didn’t work out with you, we could talk later.”
Bryce laughed. “No wonder he stopped me on my way back from the bar and asked my intentions toward you.”
“Oh, no.” She cringed. “I thought he knew I was kidding.”
“I’m sure he did, but hope springs eternal, especially when enchanting young women are involved,” Bryce said. “His words, not mine.”
Dani smiled.
“So is this the woman who Edward called dibs on?” A handsome man with black hair and green eyes approached. Dressed in a tuxedo, he looked like an older, bronzed version of Bryce. “Hello, son.”
Bryce’s eyes narrowed. He placed his hand on Dani’s lower back. “Father, this is Dani Bennett. Dani, my father, Peter.”
Peter kissed the top of her hand, holding on to it too long to be considered proper or polite. “Edward wasn’t kidding. You are stunning.”
The man looked at her as if she were the special of the day he could order off the menu, not his son’s date. “Thank you.”
A photographer asked them to pose. Dani stood between the two Delaney men, both of whom had an arm around her. The flash of the camera blinded her.
She blinked.
When the spots went away, she noticed Peter checking her out. Bryce might resemble Peter in looks, but that was where the similarities ended. His father exuded charm, but his tone and mannerisms came off as too smooth. Too practiced. Too superficial.
No w
onder Peter Delaney went for younger woman. Any older female would see right through his gentlemanly façade to the player underneath. He seemed like the type of guy who would trade in wives along with his cars when their leases expired.
Dani appreciated Bryce’s protective, almost possessive hand on her, and inched closer.
“Don’t get all territorial on me, son,” Peter teased. “I promise not to steal this one away from you.”
This one? Dani thought.
“Not that you don’t have excellent taste. But your last girlfriend cost me a bundle.” Peter laughed. “Of course, she would have cost more if I’d married her.”
Ick.
“It’s not marriage that cost you, Father. It’s the divorces,” Bryce said dryly.
“What can I say? I’m a sucker for a beautiful woman. And so, apparently, are you.” Peter smiled again at Dani.
His words rankled. “Bryce is no sucker, Mr. Delaney. Not that I would ever try to sucker him in the first place.”
Peter’s eyes widened. “A woman with a sharp tongue who speaks her mind, eh?”
“Dani’s more than beautiful,” Bryce said. “She’s also smart.”
“Then you’ll need to watch yourself even more, son.” Peter appraised her from head to toe. “Those smart ones are dangerous.”
No doubt the history between these two involved more than your typical father/son issues. She wondered if Bryce had gotten over what had happened or if that was why an attractive man like him was still single.
Sipping her drink, Dani stared at the two men.
An undercurrent charged the air.
“I’m not worried,” Bryce said finally.
“Maybe you should be.” Peter’s gaze bounced between her and Bryce. “Well, I’m off to find my fiancée. She’s probably gotten herself lost trying to find the restroom.”
“Same thing happened when she was here for one of Caitlin’s sleepovers in high school.” Bryce raised his glass. “Good luck.”
“You, too.” Peter turned his attention on Dani again. Her breasts, actually. “It was a pleasure meeting you. Catch you two later.”
He disappeared into the crowd.
“Sorry about that,” Bryce said.
“No worries.” She had questions, lots of them, but tonight was neither the time nor place to ask about something that had happened long before she’d entered the picture. “Let’s just enjoy the party.”
He kissed her cheek. “Come on.”
“Are we going to meet more people?”
“Nope.” Bryce held her hand and led her inside and through the throng of guests toward the door. “Cinderella should dance at the ball.”
She stopped. “You don’t like to dance.”
He grinned. “But you do.”
Later that night, Bryce stood with Dani at the door of her apartment. This was only the beginning for them. “Tonight was…”
“Magical,” she finished for him, then rose on tiptoe to kiss him on the lips.
Magical was right. Especially her kiss.
“Thank you so much for inviting me to the engagement party and dancing with me,” she said, her cheeks flushed and her eyes sparkling. “I had the best time.”
“Uncle Edward and my father aside.”
“Uncle Edward was cute.”
“And harmless. My father, however, is the ultimate player,” Bryce explained. “He doesn’t respect women or treat them well, but he has enough money he’s willing to spend that some don’t mind.”
“Like your girlfriend?”
“Ex-girlfriend,” Bryce clarified. “She had her eyes on my father from the beginning and used me to get to him.”
“I’m sorry.” Dani reached up and caressed his face. “I hope you know I would never…”
“I trust you, Dani.”
He kissed her gently, soaking up the feel and taste of her. And then something changed. Something in him ignited, catching fire. He couldn’t get enough of her kiss—of her. With his hands in her hair, he backed her up against the door. She pressed against him. His lips moved over hers. Dani tugged at his shirt, impatient. She was with him all the way.
Bryce pulled back to look her in the eyes; her pupils expanded.
Her face flushed, she moistened her swollen lips. “I think we know where this is going.”
“I hope so.”
That shy smile of hers appeared. “I really like you, Bryce. I want to invite you in, but I don’t want to make any mistakes or do something we might regret later if we go too fast.”
Not what he wanted to hear, but so what? She was worth waiting for.
He took a deep breath. And another.
“You are a smart one.” Bryce looked into her eyes. His affection for Dani grew with each passing second. “We’ve got plenty of time ahead of us.”
“Us,” she repeated, her eyes twinkling.
Bryce nodded. He liked the sound of us. More than he’d thought he would.
“And, for the record,” he said, running his finger along her jawline, “I like you, too.”
On Monday, the clock still hadn’t struck midnight. Sure, Dani was back in her routine and at work, but she felt as if she were still floating from Saturday night. The entire weekend, really. She’d joined Bryce and his family for brunch on Sunday. All of the Delaneys made her feel so welcome. And Bryce made her feel so…loved.
Forget about falling for him.
She’d fallen, body and soul.
Dani might as well wrap her heart in pretty paper, tie the package with a neat bow and stick a tag with Bryce’s name on it.
Could love happen so quickly?
Marissa and Grace thought so. Dani wanted to believe, too. She didn’t know what else this all-consuming wonderfulness could be.
An emergency meeting at Blinddatebrides.com meant she couldn’t see Bryce tonight, but he’d called, texted and e-mailed her. That had kept a wide smile on her face the rest of the day at work.
At her apartment, Dani found a breathtaking bouquet of stargazer lilies waiting for her with a note:
Thinking of you. Missing you. Can’t wait to see you. B.
Happiness consumed her. Definitely love. She held on to the vase and swirled. She couldn’t wait to hop onto chat and tell her friends. A happy ending might be in her future after all. She sure hoped so.
Tuesday morning, Dani sat in her cubicle, thinking of ways to build the Hookamate.com community. Even though she had two job interviews, courtesy of Bryce’s contacts, lined up for later in the week, she wouldn’t allow herself to do a lousy job at Hookamate.com, even if she hated working here. She’d made up for not going on any more dates by writing some killer content for the site that had earned her high fives from the engineers.
But each ping from her e-mail in-box captured her attention. She wanted to hear from Bryce, even though she was meeting him for lunch in less than an hour.
“I knew you were good, Danica,” James said from the opening of her cubicle. “I just didn’t know how good.”
She kept working at her computer. “Is revenue up again this month?”
“Yes, and traffic, too, but that’s not what I’m talking about.” Paper crinkled. “Way to go, getting on the inside. I’ve got to hand it to you, Danica. I didn’t know you had it in you.”
The approval in his voice made her nervous. Made her turn. He held a copy of the Life section of the newspaper in his hand. “What are you talking about?”
He showed her the society page, specifically a picture of her with Bryce and his father. The description identified her as the date of Bryce Delaney, CEO of Blinddatebrides.com.
Her stomach roiled. She hadn’t wanted James to find out about her and Bryce this way. Not until she had a new job and was ready to quit.
“Congrats on hooking a really big fish,” her boss said. “What kind of inside info have you found out?”
Inside info?
And then she realized…James thought she was using Bryce for information, not dating hi
m for real.
“Nothing. I—”
“Take your time.” Excitement filled James’s voice. “Get him to trust you.”
Dani raised her chin. “Bryce already trusts me.”
“So soon? You must be good.”
She frowned at James’s suggestive tone. “I’m not dating Bryce to get information. I really like him. Our jobs have no impact on us.”
At least no longer. Thank goodness.
“Perhaps not on him, but you can use this to our advantage.”
The emphasis on the word our made her straighten. “I’m sorry, James, but I can’t do that to Bryce or myself. I have more ethics than that.”
“Ethics, huh.” James’s features hardened. His eyes narrowed. He stood, towering above her, boldly intimidating. “Don’t forget you signed a non-disclosure agreement and a non-compete clause when you accepted this position.”
“So?” Dani asked.
“So if you’re not getting info out of Bryce, I will have to assume you’re spying on Hookamate for him. And that’s a job-terminating offense.”
Bryce hated seeing Dani so torn up. He sat next to her on a park bench and put his arm around her. “But James didn’t actually fire you.”
“No.” Dani’s voice trembled. She clasped her hands together. No doubt if she hadn’t, she’d be wringing them. “Not yet anyway, but his intent was clear. I use my being your new girlfriend to get info or I lose my job.”
“That’s blackmail.” Anger burned. She didn’t deserve to be treated this way. “James is using you to get to me. He’s had it in for me ever since I quit and founded Blinddatebrides.com. That’s the only reason he decided to start his own online dating Web site.”
“Did you know he won’t even say the name of your Web site? He calls it bdb.com.”
“The guy is an idiot.” Bryce pulled Dani against him. “Just quit. I’ll cover your expenses until you find a new job.”
She straightened, drawing away from him. “I appreciate the offer, but I can deal with James on my own.”
Her independence was admirable, but unnecessary. “This isn’t only about you now. I feel responsible for what’s happened. And I know James better than you—”