It felt divine having him inside her. As he sped her toward another orgasm, Angela knew she was on the edge of losing herself to this man, and not just physically. She couldn’t control or slow down her feelings any more than she could stop Daniel from moving in and out of her. She rose to meet his every thrust and he kissed her face, her neck, and she dug her fingers into his buttocks. And when ecstasy finally came, a million slivers of sublime pleasure spread through her and she sobbed out his name as she orgasmed. And in that moment, she realized how deeply she’d fallen in love with him.
CHAPTER 17
Daniel couldn’t focus on work. How could he when Angela had responded to him this morning with utter abandon? Something had shifted between them. It had been subtle at first, but he could definitely tell that somehow without him knowing it, they’d fallen into a relationship.
In Key West, they’d talked about a carefree, casual relationship. That’s what he’d thought he wanted. But now, when he wasn’t with her, he missed her, and he found a way to ensure they never spent more than an evening apart. And at work under his eagle eye, Angela was blossoming. She’d already managed to get a signed offer for one of the units in the new development by the strength of her own contacts.
She was on her way. Daniel wondered what that might mean. Would she need him anymore? He dismissed the notion. She still had a long way to go before she made one-tenth of his earnings in a year, but he was definitely proud of her.
More than that, he wanted to celebrate her big sale, which they’d yet to do since she’d had dinner with her parents, then he’d been preoccupied and she’d gone to bed angry at him.
He smiled when he thought about how he’d woken her up and how good she’d tasted as she came all over his mouth.
“Daniel?”
He glanced up to find Myrna in the doorway. “Yes, Myrna?”
“Several of us in the office were going to take Angela out to celebrate her big sale. You interested in coming?”
Daniel thought about it. He didn’t want the appearance of impropriety between them to hurt Angela at the agency. He was sure they’d already sparked some gossip when they’d both been absent on the same day, so he didn’t want to add any more fuel to the fire. He was still her boss. “You all go ahead.”
He would celebrate with her later. In private.
* * *
Angela anxiously tapped her feet at the reception desk while she waited with several of the other agents for Myrna to return. She couldn’t wait to spend some time with Daniel. After the revelation of her feelings last night, she was admittedly nervous, yet excited to see him.
So when Myrna rounded the corner without Daniel, her heart sank, but she plastered a plastic smile on her face anyway.
“Boss is too busy,” Myrna said.
“Of course,” Angela responded. “Let’s go, then.”
Throughout the lunch, Angela accepted praise and congratulations from her peers, but that’s not who she wanted them from. She wanted Daniel’s presence and his acceptance of her and how she was blossoming under his tutelage, but he was “too busy” to give her notice. She doubted that was the truth. Had he somehow guessed that her feelings for him had changed from lust to love? Did he need to let her down easy?
The look of worry on her face when she should have been celebrating caused Myrna to say, “For someone who just landed the biggest sale of their career, you sure don’t look happy.”
Angela laughed nervously. “Oh, you know how it is,” she responded. “Once I sell one, now I gotta keep right on selling.”
She knew her response was feeble at best, but she had to save face. She didn’t want Myrna to call her out. Hadn’t the young woman already warned her that Daniel never kept a woman for long? Why should she be any different?
When they returned to the office, Angela created a fake appointment so she could use the remainder of the afternoon for some much-needed retail therapy. She wasn’t upset with Daniel; she just needed to get her head back on straight. She couldn’t blame him if he didn’t feel the same way about her. She supposed she’d just been hoping against hope that he would fall for her as she had him.
By 6:00 p.m., she returned to her apartment having bought two new pair of shoes. A fierce pair of pumps from Alexander McQueen and a rocking pair of sexy sandals from Jimmy Choo. They’d cost her nearly a thousand dollars, but thanks to the hefty commission she would make on the development sale, Angela felt like she could splurge a little.
After showering, she decided to take a walk in her fabulous Jimmy Choos around her apartment. Turning on her iPod on the docking station, she was prancing around her apartment wearing a T-shirt and nothing but her heels when the doorbell rang.
Angela glanced down at her watch. She wasn’t expecting any takeout. She sashayed over to the door and glanced through the peephole.
It was Daniel.
“Angela, I can hear you on the other side,” he said from the doorway. “Let me in.”
She glanced in the mirror near her door. Her hair was piled high on her head in a messy bun, and she had on an old college T-shirt. She was far from the sex kitten he was used to.
“Give me a minute,” she yelled back.
“That’s ridiculous. I know how you look naked. Open up.” He knocked loudly on the door.
Well, if he didn’t want to give her time to get jazzed up, then it was his own fault. Better he see that she wasn’t glamorous like his other women every moment of every single day. Unlatching the door, Angela swung it open with a whoosh just as Daniel’s hand was about to knock again.
* * *
Daniel grinned when he saw Angela. She was wearing a ratty old T-shirt that had seen better days and barely reached her thighs, showing him and whoever was behind him an indecent amount of leg. And the sexiest heels he’d seen her in yet. Quickly, he shut the door, but not before he reached behind him to pick up the flowers and large box he’d brought with him to celebrate.
“Love what you’re wearing.”
She chuckled. “Sure you do.” And she turned to walk into the living room, not even glancing behind her to see him bring in the gifts. “I bet all those glam women you date wear heels and a T-shirt.”
“Not quite like you do.” Daniel appreciated the hint of her backside as he followed her into the room. “And as for this,” he said as he motioned to the tuxedo he was wearing, “there is an explanation.”
“Oh yeah, what’s that?” she asked, turning around.
He offered her the roses. “Congratulations.” He leaned forward to kiss her lips, but got her cheek instead.
She smiled halfheartedly. “Thank you. These are lovely.” She took them into the kitchen and he watched her place them in a vase. “But I have to admit I’m surprised to see you. What are you doing here? Did we have plans? You don’t usually like to come to my place.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Daniel fanned his hands up and down. “Slow down. Can’t I surprise the woman I’m seeing?”
She paused for just a moment longer than he would have liked before saying, “Of course.”
He released a heavy sigh. “I was hoping we could celebrate. I’ve come to take you out to dinner.”
“So we can celebrate. Just the two of us?”
He nodded. “Yes, is that a problem?”
She shook her head, and some of her hair spilled out from the messy bun atop her head. He liked her like this. Easy and carefree like she’d been in Key West when the subterfuge between them wasn’t necessary. When they didn’t have to worry about gossips and bloggers snapping a picture of them and posting it on social media. But the place he’d thought of to take her tonight was perfect.
“Here.” He handed her the large white box he’d come in with.
“What is it?”
“Open it.”
She raised a brow, but did as instructed. He watched her expression turn from wariness to awe as she lifted the designer gown from the tissue paper. “Daniel?” She peered at him. “What have you done?”
“We’re celebrating in style. Now go change. A celebration awaits you.”
“What? I look a wreck. I need more time.”
“You have half an hour.”
He was duly impressed with her efforts when she emerged from her bedroom on time wearing the floor-length beaded bronze gown with a side slit that reached her thigh. With her hair flowing in loose waves down her svelte back, she looked like a golden goddess.
“You’re breathtaking,” he said as she walked toward him.
She smiled. “It’s the dress.”
He shook his head. “No, it’s most definitely the woman.”
Five minutes later, they were seated in the limo he had waiting downstairs to whisk them away to the Vizcaya Museum & Gardens. He’d rented the place out for the night, so he could have a romantic candlelit dinner for two along the water’s edge.
Daniel could only hope Angela liked the surprise, since he’d sensed she hadn’t been happy with his failure to join their colleagues earlier.
“So where are we going?” Angela inquired.
“You’ll see.” Daniel reached for one of her hands and gave it a gentle squeeze. When she tried to pull away, he didn’t let her go. He didn’t know why but he wanted—no, needed—to feel connected. He didn’t want the distance between them he’d felt when he’d entered her apartment. She hadn’t even greeted him with her usual kiss and hadn’t kissed him even after he’d given her the one-of-a-kind dress. If he was honest, he missed her lips on his. The feel of them brushing against his mouth was the highlight of his day.
After the short drive, Daniel exited the limo first and reached for Angela’s hand to help her out. When she disembarked, she smiled warmly as she recognized the venue. “Daniel Cobb, you continue to surprise me. You do listen.”
“Yes, I do.”
They’d talked about the Vizcaya Museum and its beautiful gardens when they’d been in Key West. He remembered Angela mentioning it was one her favorite spots. The idea had come to him then that one day, he’d shut it down for her, for the two of them to share.
He offered his arm and she took it willingly.
“This is lovely,” she said as he reached for her hand and led her into the museum. The curator was waiting for him.
“Mr. Cobb, so lovely to have you and your guest join us this evening.”
“It’s truly a pleasure to be here.”
“Select areas of the museum are available to you for an hour before dinner service is set to begin.”
Daniel nodded. “Thank you.”
They strolled through the highlighted areas the curator had kept open, like the living room with its many artifacts from the Renaissance to the music room with its lush wall canvases. Eventually they made it to the loggia. “It was said this is where James Deering, the industrialist who built this home, had his guests relax and view the gardens. Would you care to walk them?” Daniel asked.
“So formal, Mr. Cobb.” Angela laughed but went along with his attempt at romance. “I would love to.”
They walked hand in hand through the formal European gardens. Dusk had long since gone and all they had was the soft ground lighting and moonlight to illuminate their view. Eventually, they walked toward the Tea House, guided by a lighted walkway. It had to be one of the most romantic settings he’d ever arranged, but Daniel sensed Angela was guarded tonight. And he didn’t like it.
Finally when he could take it no longer, he stopped inside the open-air room. Angela was staring up at the dome as if it were the most interesting piece of architecture, when he knew she’d seen it countless times. “Please don’t be angry with me anymore. I can’t take your silence.”
“Silence? We’ve been talking for the last hour.”
“Like strangers about art and history. You’re not your usual bubbly self.”
She frowned. “Well, I’m not sure what you want, Daniel. There are so many rules. When we’re at work, we can’t associate with each other. When we’re together, we can’t be seen in public. So pardon me if I’m not sure how to behave on any given occasion. Perhaps you should tell me?”
Daniel sucked in a deep breath. This romantic date wasn’t going as he envisioned. He was trying his best to show Angela how important she was to him within the boundaries he could live with.
He rushed toward her and hauled her against him. There was little doubt she could feel how hard he was, because that’s how she made him whenever she was near. He heard her sharp intake of breath seconds before his head descended. He brushed his mouth against hers, and an instant shimmer of lust surged through him.
He looked in her eyes when she pushed him away. “Sex is your answer for everything, isn’t it?”
“No, it’s not,” Daniel replied, “but you know how I feel about you, Angela, that I enjoy spending time with you.”
“Just not with other people around. I get it, okay? I agreed to a secret affair,” Angela replied, jerking away from him and walking over to look out over the dark water. “Putting it into practice has been harder than I anticipated.”
Daniel’s hands came to her shoulders. “Let me make it up to you. I have a beautiful dinner planned for you tonight. Can we please enjoy it?”
She spun around to face him and he held out his hand to her. He knew full well that the conversation between them was far from over, but he was trying to salvage the night. “Please.”
She nodded. “All right.”
* * *
Dinner was on the stamped concrete on the East Terrace overlooking Biscayne Bay, and Angela had to admit that Daniel had gone to great lengths to impress her tonight. Perhaps to make up for his embarrassing faux pas earlier at the office when he’d treated her like a leper?
“Did you know this outdoor space was originally considered to be the front of the house,” Angela inquired, “where small boats came to dock?”
“No, I didn’t know that.”
She shrugged. “Just little facts that I know.”
“You’re a wealth of knowledge and a talented real estate agent,” Daniel offered. “I know it and so does everyone at the office. It’s one of the reasons they came to your lunch today—to check out the competition.”
“You think so?”
“Oh, I know it,” he replied, “because it’s the same thing I would do.”
They continued talking over dinner, and slowly Angela began to relax and enjoy herself. Daniel had been right. At the start of the night she had been admittedly miffed by his behavior at the office, but she had only herself to blame. Daniel was a man who could compartmentalize his feelings. Work in one box. Angela in another. Millionaire Moguls in another.
It wasn’t so easy for Angela to separate her life. For her the boxes took on different shapes and sizes and melded together. She was trying to make sense of where she fit in Daniel’s world and whether she would be happy solely in the one box. For Angela, it had always been important to color outside the lines. Be her own person. It was part of her individuality.
Would staying with Daniel limit her in ways she wasn’t willing to compromise?
Dessert came nearly an hour later and Angela didn’t have the appetite to indulge in the three-chocolate soufflé because she was upset over Daniel’s actions earlier at the office. She picked at it until eventually the waiter came to take it away.
Just when she thought the evening was over, a saxophonist came down the steps of the terrace and began playing Kenny G’s “Forever in Love.”
“Would you care to dance?” Daniel asked, rising to his feet and extending his hand.
Angela scooted her chair back. “Would love to
.”
When Daniel pulled her into his arms, all ideas of how wrong things were between them flew out of her head, leaving Angela with only one thought. How good they were together and how great it felt to be in his arms. She knew it was crazy to wish for something that might never be, but maybe no other woman had tried to win Daniel’s heart before. And maybe she could.
She glanced up at him and when she did, she got lost in his dark eyes. Eyes that seemed to look into her very soul. And when he lowered his head to kiss her, she didn’t pull away, because she loved him. Instead, she circled her arms around his neck and drew him in.
“Ready to go home?” he whispered when they both pulled away, breathless and greedy with desire.
She nodded.
In the limo on the short ride back to her place, they were both quiet in their own thoughts. But once they reached the door to her apartment, there was no thought of talking, only action. They were hungry for each other as they stepped out of their shoes and began tearing at each other’s clothes. A trail of apparel, including her designer dress, was left from her living room floor to her bedroom in their quest to be naked.
They sank inexorably into each other on the bed, kissing with such unstoppable desire it left Angela feeling weak and dizzy. She could feel every taut muscle of his rock-hard body imprinted against her, and she couldn’t resist splaying her fingers possessively over his back. He was hers for now and that’s all that mattered. She watched him roll on a condom. Then he positioned himself, braced on his forearms and entered her. The sensation was slow, but felt so right, and when he lifted her bottom and went deeper she arched her hips, pulling him in to the hilt.
Angela felt powerful and she knew that no matter how it ended with Daniel, she would be open and vulnerable and give of herself as she’d never done before. As Daniel moved, an ache began to build inside her with such force, she felt like she might explode. She writhed her hips in rhythm with his and clutched his shoulders as sensations overwhelmed her. They both reached their peak at the same time, exploding with pleasure and crying out as one.
Harlequin Kimani Romance June 2017 Box Set Page 33