Daniel watched her, screened behind the fine light curtain half drawn across the open balcony doorway. She was taking her time over that photo. He stood, his discomfort at having her in his apartment finally impelling him to move. Daniel didn’t entertain here. He far preferred to stay at his lover’s place so he could leave early in the morning and avoid any moments of intimacy over breakfast—moments that might lead the lady to think a relationship may be in the offing. Daniel didn’t do relationships.
But Lucy wasn’t such a lover. They’d had sex but that was it. Supposedly. He’d said himself it would only be the once. But he had to admit he’d really, really enjoyed it. She’d been wild. And his body had revelled in the heat and softness of hers.
He felt keyed up—as he had all night, knowing she was under his roof. For a moment there, after they’d had sex, he’d slept as comfortably as if he were in a bed made with pure cotton sheets and soft coverings, not on top of an old scarred pool table with scratchy felt.
Knowing that had happened made him tense, wary, and more determined to push her away than pull her close. Despite his basic instinct telling him to have her again. Right now his muscles and his mind were strung out from warring with each other, and with analysing why she’d been pushing too—away.
‘Seen enough?’
She jumped a clear foot. Stared as he walked in from the balcony. ‘I thought you weren’t here.’
‘Clearly.’ He pointedly looked at the picture still in her hand.
But it seemed she had no qualms about her inquisitiveness. ‘This your dad?’
He nodded. Regular Sherlock Holmes, she was.
‘Did your mum take the photo?’
He froze, blood colder than a snake’s. ‘No.’
‘Is it your graduation?’
So she’d moved on from the family questions. Excellent. ‘Admission to the Bar.’ Having secured his law degree, he’d then had to take some professional papers to be able to practice law. This was the formal presentation of that achievement.
‘Your mum wasn’t there?’
Damn. ‘She was there.’ Second to back row. She’d been late and almost not got a seat.
Lucy was silent as she looked over the shelves again. He counted the beats before her curiosity won.
‘No other family photos?’
Eight. Not bad—he’d been starting to think she’d be able to contain it. Should have known better. Lucy lacked control. He already knew that. ‘No other family.’
‘What about your mum?’
No stopping her now.
‘My mother left my father after fifteen years of marriage. She remarried and has two other children.’ Brief summary of fact. She’d cheated. Found herself someone else. Daniel had never been able to understand it. What the hell had the woman wanted? His father was rich, successful, driven to achieve—for her—and she’d thrown it all in his face.
‘Did you go with her?’
‘No.’ He could see her now, standing at the door, calling his name, just the once. He’d shaken his head. He’d been so angry with her for breaking up what he’d thought had been a perfect world. She’d turned and walked away. She hadn’t even fought for him.
‘How old were you?’
‘Fourteen.’
‘Your dad’s a lawyer?’
‘Yes.’ He answered in the way he instructed his defendants to—honest but brief. Never offer more than you were asked for.
‘He works long hours?’
‘Yes.’
Her frown was growing. ‘So what did you do after school?’
‘After swimming I would go to his office and do my homework in the library.’ He was heartily sick of this interrogation and irritated with himself for putting up with it this long. He had the horrible impression pity had just crossed her face. He certainly didn’t deserve that. He and his father had established a good life. Both had launched further into work. His dad had hired a housekeeper and given up on women—instructing Daniel never to bother with them, never to trust.
Daniel had worked hard at his studies, hard at his swimming and, when older, hard at playing the field. He’d found a happy balance—of enjoying what women had to offer without risking his heart.
Because nobody, but nobody, was walking out on Daniel again.
His greatest lesson had been self-reliance.
He took the photo, put it on the shelf and turned the questions back on her. ‘What about you—your parents split up?’ They all seemed to, eventually—in spirit, if not physically.
She looked surprised. ‘No, not at all. They have a really happy marriage.’ A look of rue crossed her face. ‘But they didn’t do such a great job of parenting.’
‘Marriage and children inevitably end in disaster,’ Daniel replied crisply. ‘I don’t intend ever committing to either.’
Lucy froze, meeting his wintry gaze squarely—and saw the implacable set to his jaw. That was her told, then. He really meant it too. Crazily, she felt sorry for him. Despite what he’d said at the temp agency, Lucy knew they differed. Sure, she didn’t commit to long-term work, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want a long-term relationship, or children even—in the future. A long way in the future. Maybe. Assuming she met someone who’d actually fall for her. Who’d actually believe in her—warts and all.
Her ‘feeling sorry for’ vibe turned inwards. She shrugged it, and the soft thoughts of him, off. ‘I have to get going. Thanks for the room. I’ll try to get a place sorted as soon as I can.’
Not waiting for a reply, not wanting to take in just how fine he looked at the moment, she left. Walking briskly towards town, she realised she was starving. She figured she’d head straight for the club and eat there. One take-out Thai curry later, she was temporarily warm on the inside again and kidding herself she’d moved on. Being with Daniel had definitely been a huge mistake and she’d totally done the right thing by breezing over it and putting it behind them. But she couldn’t shake him from her mind completely. Instead she slowly digested the info. Ruminated for several hours, in fact. She’d caught a glimpse of one very angry young man. His mother had left his father—and him. And though she knew he’d deny it, he’d been hurt and had frozen over as a result. Well, Lucy didn’t have the reserves to warm him through. She had issues of her own to deal with. Past demons that popped up when you least expected them, a permanent feeling of idiocy and inferiority, and the doubt that she’d ever find the place where she’d fit in.
But she still wanted him. Her body wanted more of the ecstasy he’d unleashed. She couldn’t look at the pool table without a tide of heat to her face. Grimacing, she reached across the bar and felt muscles stiff from a workout they hadn’t had in quite a while. Or ever.
Thankfully the doors opened and she became too busy to dwell on it further. There was no sign of Daniel the entire evening and she was glad, glad, glad.
She got home a little after four. She knew she was too pumped to have any chance of sleep and so, after stripping to her sleeping attire of singlet and panties, headed to the kitchen. She stood in the doorway of the fridge and nearly jumped a foot when she heard the front door opening. Daniel appeared. In full tuxedo. Oh, my. James Bond was nothing on this guy. His jacket sat snug across his broad swimmer’s shoulders. Clean lines. The black and white suited him, damn it.
She stared, wondering for a moment if her insomnia-addled brain was playing tricks on her and this was some sort of heavenly hallucination.
‘Can’t sleep?’
No. He was real.
She shook her head. ‘Just getting some warm milk.’
He nodded. ‘Put enough in for me, will you? I think I’ll be needing it too.’ His tone was bland but she risked a quick glance. With the only light in the kitchen coming from the open fridge door, those gold-tinged eyes were giving nothing away. She looked over his tux again. Tried not to be attracted to it but failed.
She reminded herself that people in power—and Daniel was on his way to that—didn’t listen.