Misunderstood: In Love with the Nerd (The Miss Series Book 2)

by Peggy Ann Craig

  She had to fix him straight as soon as possible. This was not good. No, not good at all. Peering down the corridor, she saw him head for the elevators. “Daniel, wait.”

  He stopped and looked back. “Yes?”

  Still in her robe, she ran after him. “You don’t honestly believe that, do you?”

  He shrugged as if the subject already bored him and turned back to the elevators once more.

  “For pity’s sake, Daniel, don’t be ridiculous.” Reaching him, she looked up into his face. “Last night had nothing to do with love.”

  “If you say so.”

  “Of course I say so.” She demanded and crossed her arms over her chest. “People sleep with each other all the time, it doesn’t necessarily mean love. It can sometime mean purely unadulterated lust.”

  “That’s true.” He agreed and pressed the button to the elevator.

  She eyed him with curiosity. “So you understand?”

  “Of course.” Daniel’s face remained motionless as he watched her. “This has to do with Tristan. You still want to sleep with him.”

  To be honest with herself, Sonya hadn’t given the man a single thought since the long weekend. But, if it helped steer Daniel away from any silly notions regarding her feelings toward him, then so be it. “I have always led a carefree and promiscuous lifestyle. You know that. It isn’t going to change.”

  He slowly nodded and seemed to be concentrating hard. “So last night left no attachments? No emotional strings, and no commitments? You’re free to see whomever you please.”

  “Exactly.” She smiled with relief.

  “I suppose that goes for me as well?” He surprised her by asking.

  Sonya was struck silent for a moment before finding her voice. “Well, um, yes, I suppose. I mean if you wanted.” A sudden vision of the unknown redhead in the corridor that one morning came into mind. He had looked so pleased to see her. Were they sharing an illicit affair, after all? “Why? Do you want to?”

  Daniel studied her face for so long that she began to feel a bit uncomfortable and wondered what on earth was taking him so long to think about.

  At last he sighed and said, “Well, I’m glad we cleared that up.”

  “You are?” Of all things she hadn’t suspected that. As a matter-of-fact he looked down right relieved. She couldn’t shake the idea that he should be looking devastated right at this point. In no uncertain terms she had told him that she did not love him and the sex they shared meant nothing.

  It was this understanding that hit her like a bolt. Caught up in all the emotion she temporarily forgot who he was and who she was. It was very likely that he had been worried that she had formed an attachment when all it had meant to him was a night of wild sex. His real interests lay with the redheaded woman.

  He had never showed any interest in Sonya before, why would she think that one night of the most amazing sex she ever experienced would change his opinion of her. Daniel didn’t see her as the keeper type. She was the one-night-stand kind and he fully knew it and understood. In the end, she wondered who had taken advantage of whom.

  This, however, was not the Daniel she had come to know in the past year. Why was her perception of him suddenly changing? Truth was there was so much about him she continued to discover which she had known nothing about. Not long ago she would have thought him too moral to participate in illicit sex. However, last night changed that image forever. This made her wonder what more there was about Daniel she still did not know.

  “Good.” Sonya attempted a smile. “But then again, what we shared last night was wonderful and if we left love out of it, I’d consider doing it again.”

  His brow arched in surprise.

  “Well, you know, in today’s day and age it’s a good idea to stick to a partner that you know and have a history with. It’s safer that way, and you can never be too safe.”

  He produced a slight smile but was distracted with the arrival of the elevator. After boarding and turning to look back at her, he said, “That sounds like marriage if you ask me.”

  Her shoulders drooped in despair as the elevator doors closed and he was gone. She pivoted on a heavy foot and marched back to her apartment. With an angry thrust she slammed her apartment door. Marriage? Her? He obviously didn’t know her as well as he thought. Just the very idea made her either want to laugh with hysteria or hurl with disgust.

  * * *

  Daniel stilled his incensed emotions to a level that made him look more composed than he felt. The woman was impossible. Even after last night, she dared to deny what they shared.

  Oh, she admitted that their lovemaking had been a wonderful experience but implied that it wasn’t anything out of the extraordinary. As if she could duplicate the same effects easily and openly admitted she fully intended to. No less with Tristan Manning.

  When would she give up this foolish belief that Tristan was the man for her? It was very clear to Daniel that he himself was the man for her, and he was hell bent on proving that he was.

  He was no fool. Her emotions were laid out on her sleeves for him to read. They shone from the depths of her eyes and in every loving touch and stroke she bestowed. He received from her the exact same emotions that mirrored his own. The problem would be convincing her stubborn and obtuse mind that she loved him.

  However, right now he was so mad that the very last thing he wanted was to speak to her, let alone share another conversation with her. She had destroyed a moment that had been incredibly special and phenomenal beyond his imagination, without the slightest twinkling of consideration.

  Her ridiculous fears and beliefs were holding the both of them back. He wasn’t a romantic guy but he didn’t doubt that their relationship was destiny. From the moment he laid eyes on her, her beauty had taken his breath away. Then later, her enduring and radiant personality had captured his heart.

  Even with the pain and knowledge of her rejection of their lovemaking, he knew without a moment’s hesitation, he was meant to love Sonya Elliott.

  Chapter 12

  On Monday night, Robert Alto made an appearance as promised. With just the minimal clientele Sonya performed her best. Another man and a woman accompanied him and they selected a table near the back of the bar. Her voice was in perfect pitch that evening and she gave one of the best performances she had in a long time. Even Tristan had come out of his office to listen.

  She was on cloud nine and was excited about the notable patron whose only reason for being there was to hear her sing. However, Sonya couldn’t ignore the fact that her excitement was rather forced. It didn’t have the kind of natural happiness and excitement she would have imagined.

  Her eyes explored the bar and found herself wishing, not for the first time that evening, that Daniel was there for moral support. She didn’t need him, was what she continued to tell herself; it would just have been nice to have him there.

  However, after their night of lovemaking she shouldn’t have been surprised he was nowhere to be seen. She made it very clear that they were to go their separate ways. Since then he rarely spoke to her. They passed each other in the hall the few times and he always acknowledged her with a friendly greeting, but that was it. It was obvious he was mad. Or uninterested. She wasn’t sure which was worst.

  But tonight was important. Couldn’t he have put aside his pride and make an appearance? It was, after all, his doing that she was getting this chance. He above anyone else she wanted to share it with.

  She went through the routine of belting out the lyrics to her songs and made sure she gave nothing less than what she was capable. It was during her break that Robert Alto approached her.

  “Very nice performance.” He smiled with politeness. “I see Daniel was right. You do have a natural talent.”

  Her hand stilled as she raised a bottle of water to her lips. Daniel said? She shook her head at her own stupidity. Of course he would. He was, after all, the sweetest guy on earth. She didn’t think he had a single bad thing to sa
y about anyone.

  “Thank you.”

  “I tell you what.” He reached inside to the breast pocket of his blazer and retracted a small business card. “I want you to give this man a call.”

  She took the card from his hand and read the name. Her eyes nearly dropped out of their sockets. “This is—this is—”

  Robert Alto grinned and nodded his head. “Tell him I sent you.”

  “But he only manages famous singers.” She stared dumbfounded at the man.

  He nodded. “And he does a damn good job. There isn’t a manager better I prefer to work with.”

  Sonya blinked and looked down at the card once more then back at the record company executive. “Thank you.”

  Smiling, he held out his hand. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other soon.”

  After that, the day seemed to pass in a daze. It all seemed so surreal. Her disbelief began to slowly turn into genuine happiness. She couldn’t wait for her shift to end fast enough. All she wanted to do was rush home and share her exciting news. A flicker of disappointment nagged her conscience. There was nobody waiting for her at home and since Daniel seemed to be giving her the cold shoulder, she couldn’t even share her news with him.

  Finally, at six o’clock she punched out and hurried to her little car in the back lot. She couldn’t explain the rush. She simply wanted to get home.

  Traffic was thick and lights seemed to be taking longer to turn color as she made her way through the city until at last she pulled into her apartment’s parking spot. She leaped out of her vehicle and shot an automatic glance over at Daniel’s spot and noticed it empty. A feeling of disappointment made her shoulders droop.

  Nevertheless, as she hurried down the building corridor to her apartment she made a quick dash to his door and rapped swiftly three times. It did not surprise her when she received no response. Sighing, she turned toward her door and consoled herself with the reassurance that he would be home shortly. Probably held up at the Institute. She knew from recent conversation that they were having problems with a certain database and were unable to run one of their nightly batches accurately.

  She really hadn’t a clue what any of that meant, but she surprised herself by recalling this bit of information and that she actually retained it.

  Inside her kitchenette, she swung open the pantry door and pulled down a bottle of wine from the wine rack. Just because there was no one around to celebrate with, didn’t mean she should pass an opportunity to rejoice. This was after all big news for Sonya. He should be there.

  She shook herself out of a bout of self-pity and poured the bottle into the wineglass then walked over to the window overlooking the parking lot. His spot still remained empty.

  She took a swig of the drink then slid over to the portable stereo and put Tchaikovsky into the CD player. As the classical music filled her apartment, she listened while a smile played upon her lips. Daniel liked Tchaikovsky.

  Damn, she had to stop thinking like that. Hell, lots of people liked Tchaikovsky. With a frustrated flick, she shut the machine off. From a drawer she uncovered a lighter and lit some candles. They were nearly burned down to their wick and would soon need to be replaced. Maybe next time she would select temptation or devotion.

  Her stomach growled and reminded her that she ought to get some supper in her stomach. On her way back to the kitchenette she stopped by the window once more and looked out. Still no Daniel.

  The feeling of disappointment was giving way to sadness and Sonya resented the emotion. Today was a monumental step in her career and there was no way she was going to feel bad. Celebration and joy were the order of the day and she rightly deserved it. How many other wannabe singers have a huge record company executive come and listen to them perform. Next to none.

  Sonya fingered the lacy curtain and wistfully thanked Daniel once more. If it hadn’t been for him, she would never have gotten this chance. He hadn’t even bothered coming. Didn’t he know how big this was? Didn’t he know how important this was to her? Their night of lovemaking should have made her gratitude clear.

  She dropped the curtain and turned away from the window. He, however, had come to the mistaken conclusion. She wasn’t sure how he did, but his relief in her denial played itself out in her mind. He wasn’t looking for any attachments or commitments, especially from someone like Sonya. Her personality was very clear to him and he fully took advantage of what she offered.

  Decent, my ass, she thought as she slammed a cupboard door on an empty shelf. All this time she thought he was such a nice guy. She didn’t know him as well as she thought. However, as he had pointed out, that was due to her own lack of attempt.

  Opening the fridge door, she came face to face with the slow cooker, still full of leftovers. A sudden rush of emotion assaulted her and she felt an unexpected urge to cry.

  She slammed the fridge door shut then marched back over to the window and whipped back the curtain. Still no Daniel. Anger began to grow inside. Where was he? Could he possibly still be down at the Institute? An unexpected urge to call the place to check and see if he was still there toyed with her thoughts. Then rationality set in and she took a long gulp of her wine instead.

  What Daniel Keller did with his time, was his own concern. She held no commitments or ties to him. He owed her nothing. He had no fears. His absurd conclusion that she was in love with him was ridiculous. Terribly far-fetched ridiculous. Sonya in love? Never.

  She had nothing against the emotion, but it belonged to softhearted people like Maura and Patrick and Audrey. The fingers toying with the stem of her glass, froze. And Tristan.

  She hadn’t wanted to see it, hadn’t wanted to admit it, but it was there. As clear as the sun on a cloudless day. Tristan loved Audrey. The admission didn’t leave a pain in Sonya’s heart, but rather in her conscience. She didn’t believe that men like Tristan were capable of loving. Any more than women like Sonya were.

  Her belly argued with her once more to be fed and Sonya went and pulled out the slow cooker from her fridge. There was no sense in wasting food. If he had been home, she would have invited him over to join her. There was plenty for two.

  As she filled a plate, she scolded herself at her own blatant lie. She could care less if he ate a single bite, she simply wanted him there. To help celebrate her news, of course. Maybe even, if he was willing, move the celebrations into her bedroom.

  She shut the microwave door perhaps a bit too hard if the echo that resonated throughout the apartment was any indication. What a huge mistake it would be if they were to have that celebration in her bedroom. It didn’t fare so well the first time, why would she think it would do any better a second time around. Not that the actual act of lovemaking had been bad. She grinned at her reflection in the black microwave door, while a warm shudder of goose bumps ran down her arms. He had been terrific. Absolutely wonderful. And she would give anything to be with him again.

  The microwave beeped loudly snapping her out of her dangerous reverie. Lord, what a mistake that would be.

  She dropped into a seat in front of the table and idly wondered why it would be such a mistake. If she really thought about it, the first time they both went into it not knowing what the other expectations or reasons were. This time their motivations would be clear. No room for misunderstandings.

  Appeased by this conclusion, she was able to eat her meal whole-heartedly, then cleaned up her dishes and Daniel’s slow cooker. When he got home, she would use it as an excuse to go over to his place and return it. They always got along well, so naturally things would progress until Sonya was certain she could lure him back into bed.

  She smiled to herself as she slipped over to the window and peered out. Her smile dimmed a fraction of an inch. Still no Daniel. What time was it anyway? The digital clock on her portable stereo displayed nine fifty-eight. Where was he? Lord, she would really have to talk to him about the hours he put in down at the Institute. It just wasn’t humane.

  After releasing an
exasperated sigh, she flicked on the television set then dropped down on the sofa to surf for something interesting to watch while she waited. However, an annoying thought played with her conscience. What if he wasn’t at the Institute? What if he was out? Possibly with a woman?

  Then reality sunk in and she laughed at her own ridiculous thoughts. So he shared a night of illicit sex with her, didn’t mean he suddenly turned into a Casanova. Sure he took her by surprise by succumbing to their shared arousal, but for goodness sakes he knew Sonya. Knew what type of woman she was.

  The Daniel she knew would only make love to a woman he felt comfortable with if he decided it was necessary to release his male urges. A feeling of ease washed over. Of course, that made perfect sense. If he were to partake in sexual intercourse again, she was certain it would be with her. Even if he didn’t indicate as much when he left the other morning. Daniel Keller wasn’t the promiscuous kind. He would have one lover.

  A grin played along her lips as she closed her eyelids and fantasized about Daniel and that glorious body of his making passionate love to her. She stayed in that position so long that time slipped away and she had no realization that she drifted off into a deep heated sleep full of lecherous images of the two of them in the most erotic positions.

  * * *

  Sonya blinked once and focused on the living room furnishings around her. Glancing down, she noticed a large sofa pillow clutched between her legs. Memories of her dream resurfaced. A warm sensation stirred in the pit of her pelvis.

  She released a groan and tossed the pillow aside then ran to the window and looked out. His car was parked in its usual place. A smile lit up her face and she quickly ran a hand through her tousled hair. In the kitchen, she retrieved the slow cooker and took note of the time on the digital clock. It indicated she could jot across the hall, engage in small talk, tell him about Robert Alto’s visit, make mad passionate love, then quickly return to her apartment, shower, dressed and hurry off to work.