New York, Actually (From Manhattan with Love 4)

Molly decided these two were in no need of any relationship advice from her.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. Have you written many books for Phoenix?”

“I’m on my third, so I’m still very new.”

“She’s being modest,” Brett said. “Her first book hit the New York Times bestseller list. Rare for a debut author. The heroine was engaging and relatable and seemed to strike a chord with many women. You’d enjoy it, Aggie. I’ll have my assistant send you a copy.”

“I’d love that! Are you working on a book at the moment?”

“Yes, and I need to get it written before the summer.” She placed a hand over her abdomen and beamed up at Chase. “Because in August we’re going to be busy.”

Molly smiled. “Congratulations.”

“We’re very excited.”

They talked for a few more minutes and then someone approached Brett and Matilda and Molly stepped away, giving them space, only to slam straight into a solid wall of male muscle.

“Hello, Molly.”

She would have recognized that deep, male voice anywhere. She felt a thrill of pure adrenaline and turned. “Daniel? What are you doing here?”

She was so, so happy to see him. For the first time in her life she wanted to behave like Valentine and wag her tail and jump all over him.

“I was about to ask you the same question.” His tone was cool. Cooler than she would have expected given that twenty-four hours earlier they’d been intimately entwined.

It puzzled her. Maybe there hadn’t been emotional involvement but there had been friendship. A connection that had added an extra dimension for both of them.

But that connection was no longer in evidence and she sensed something different about him.

Was it because they were in public? No. It was something more than that. There was a glint in his eye that she didn’t recognize. A hardness she hadn’t observed before. Oh, she knew he was tough, but he concealed it under layers of charm and charisma that made you forget his reputation.

It was like playing with a tame lion, she thought, and forgetting that at the end of the day he was a wild animal.

She was looking at Daniel the lawyer, not Daniel the lover.

Her excitement dimmed, only to be replaced by panic as she realized something that hadn’t immediately occurred to her.

She wasn’t here as Molly.

He was going to want to know what she was doing here.

“Daniel!” Brett stepped forward and shook his hand firmly. “Good to see you. I hope this means you’re considering our proposal. And I see you’ve already met Aggie. I think you’ll have a lot to talk about. Aggie is a psychologist, and she writes the most insightful books on relationships. She was Phoenix’s biggest seller last year and we’re hoping for similar success with her next book.”

Molly closed her eyes briefly. By introducing her by her pseudonym Brett assumed he was helping protect her identity, instead of which he’d inadvertently revealed it.

She felt hideously embarrassed and aware that she’d laid herself open to accusations of hypocrisy. She’d been outraged when she’d discovered that Brutus didn’t belong to Daniel, but how much worse was this? What would he do? She felt a little sick. He’d told her things, personal things, and now he was probably feeling vulnerable. A man who felt vulnerable often fought to defend himself. Some might seek revenge, and what better way to take revenge than to blow her identity wide-open?

She waited for Daniel to challenge her, but he didn’t. Instead he listened attentively to Brett, who seemed oblivious to the tension in the atmosphere.

“Daniel is one of Manhattan’s top divorce attorneys. I’m trying to persuade him to write a book on how to make the divorce process as civilized as possible. Maybe we should commission the two of you to write something together.”

Daniel gave a noncommittal smile.

Molly felt a flutter of nerves. Was he going to say something right here and now, or would he at least wait until they were in private? She almost wished he’d get it over with because the suspense was killing her.

She downed her champagne in four large gulps, only vaguely aware that Brett had wandered off to talk to another group of people who were waiting for his attention.

Daniel lifted two more glasses of champagne from a nearby tray and balanced them on the low wall. “Help yourself. You look as if you need it, Molly. Or should I call you Aggie? I’m confused.”