New York, Actually (From Manhattan with Love 4)

Daniel hauled himself back into the present.

He hadn’t been able to help his mother, but he could help his client, just as he’d helped countless others. “He’s not going to stop you from seeing the kids, Elisa. New York custody laws protect the best interests of the child. And judges take a dim view of parents who use their child as a weapon or a bargaining chip.”

“Are you sure? He’s so convincing—you probably don’t believe me…”

“I believe you.” Daniel had witnessed something similar firsthand. Witnessed his father’s threats and seen his mother cowed and intimidated, too afraid to fight back.

“Elisa, look at me—do you trust me?”

She looked and nodded, her eyes swimming with tears.

“Good.” He handed her another tissue. “Have you been keeping that written record we discussed? Doctor’s appointments for Oliver? Parent-teacher conferences for Kristy? You remember everything we talked about?”

She nodded again.

“So this is what we’re going to do.” He talked to her for an hour, devised a strategy and then left his office to find Kristy and Marsha playing with a doll.

Kristy beamed at him. “The search party found her.”

“That’s great.” Daniel looked at that smile and wondered how much of her childhood this girl would take with her into adulthood. Would she be wary of relationships? Would she take the risk or decide to stay single?

Maybe she’d become a divorce lawyer.

Whatever the future held for her and Oliver, he was going to make damn sure this family didn’t go through the same hell his had.

* * *

Molly had chosen her outfit carefully. She didn’t want to seem overdressed, but still the occasion warranted more than a pair of jeans. After a few false starts, she had settled for a stretchy dress in a rich shade of blue that made her feel sexy. She took advantage of the ride in Daniel’s elevator to change into heels and replenish her lip gloss. And as for what was under the dress—she gave a small smile—that was for her to know and him to discover.

Valentine wagged his tail approvingly.

“You’re going to have to look the other way,” she murmured. “You’re definitely too young to witness what’s going to happen tonight.”

And she’d made up her mind that it would happen. She’d subdued the part of her that thought this was a bad idea. It had been a long time since she’d even been tempted to do something like this, which made it both nerve-racking and exhilarating.

As he opened the door, her heart kicked up a notch.

His gaze held hers for a moment and then moved lower, lingering on her mouth before sliding down her body to her heels. He didn’t touch her, and yet it felt as if he had. Her skin tingled and her tummy did a gymnastic flip.

The moment was threaded through with a delicious tension, the atmosphere electric. She had a sense that he was going to reach for her right there and then in the hallway, but Valentine decided he wasn’t getting enough attention and pawed his legs by way of a hint. Daniel transferred his attention from Molly to her dog. It could have been a moment of respite but her body and brain refused to take it. Instead she found herself looking down on his wide shoulders, at the powerful jut of his thigh and the gentleness of his hands and imagining what lay ahead. His kiss had been all things. Gentle and decisive, demanding and intimate. It was impossible not to imagine the next step.

He rose, held her gaze again for a protracted moment and then gestured inside his apartment without speaking.

She was well acquainted with body language and nonverbal cues, but she was sure that never before had so much been said by two people who hadn’t even opened their mouths.

She followed him into the kitchen, her eyes fixed on his shoulders, her heels tapping on his floor. She wondered whether she should remove her shoes, but when she paused and reached down he turned and caught her a

rm.

“Don’t.” Just that one word, and a look that offered up a thousand more.

She could feel his tension. It was in his shoulders, the set of his mouth and the way he clattered around the kitchen.

He’d changed into jeans and a shirt, but his hair was still damp around the edges, suggesting he hadn’t long left the shower.

“I hope you eat steak. It’s one of the few things I can cook.” His words added a touch of normality, and a brake on her imagination that was sweeping her away on a dizzying ride.

“I love steak.” She put her bag down. She didn’t tell him she felt so nervous she wasn’t sure she could eat. She hadn’t been involved with anyone in such a long time and it was impossible not to think about how it had ended the last time. She pushed that thought away. If she thought Daniel was anything like Rupert, she wouldn’t be here. “How was your day?”