Forbidden Heir (The Heirs 8)

Her gaze meets mine when I shake my head. “That will draw attention to us. It’s the last thing we want to do. Just blend in.”

Danny’s eyes darts around us. “Easier said than done.”

Reaching for her hand, I wrap my fingers over hers. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Her lips instantly curve up, and then she murmurs, “Hmm… my personal bodyguard?”

I let out a chuckle. “Amongst other things.”

I don’t let go of her hand, and it has Danny glancing down, then she asks, “Like?”

Our eyes meet again as I say, “Whatever you need me to be.”

For a moment, she just stares at me, but before she can comment on what I said, our food comes, and I have to let go of her.

Chapter 4

DANNY

We’ve been here three days, and with every passing hour, it becomes more challenging to focus on my work.

Ryker consumes my thoughts. His cologne is everywhere, and it’s beginning to feel as if I’m high on the masculine scent.

And the touching. God, the touching.

His hand on my lower back. His thigh pressing against mine. Whenever he takes hold of my hand.

All the touching is driving me wild with desire.

I’m standing out on the balcony, staring at the dark blue ocean while I try to regain control over my emotions for the hundredth time.

This is torture.

I close my eyes against the stab of heartache. Not being able to have Ryker might just kill me. I don’t know what I’ll do when he settles down with another woman. It’s only a matter of time, though.

I feel Ryker’s hand on my back, and it has my eyes snapping open. He comes to stand really close to me, showing me his cellphone’s screen, and once again, I feel overwhelmed from having him near me.

“There are two wine tours. Take a look and let me know which one you want to go on.”

“Thanks.” I take the phone from him and scroll through the tours. Knowing I’m going to butcher the word if I try to pronounce it, I point at the second tour. “This one looks good.”

Ryker glances over the information, then he says, “Great, we can go on Saturday.”

A smile spreads over my face. “Thank you.” I follow him back to the living room, and while Ryker secures our tickets for the tour, I force my attention back to my work. The meeting is tomorrow, and even though I feel prepared, I have an obsession with checking and rechecking everything.

When Ryker’s done, I say, “Can we go over the proposal one more time?”

“Sure.” He moves closer to me as he flips his laptop open on the coffee table in front of us. Every time he has to scroll down, his elbow rests on my knee, and after the fifth page, he doesn’t pull back.

Don’t read anything into it, Danny. He’s just comfortable with you. Nothing’s going on.

I focus on the screen and then say, “Clause four-point-one. Is it really needed?”

“Which one?” Ryker asks, and it has me leaning forward so I can point it out on the screen. The moment my left breast presses against his arm, my eyebrows shoot up.

“Ah… the… uhm,” I begin to stammer, and then I dart back against the couch. “Four-point-one,” I finally get it out.

Ryker glances back at me, a scrutinizing expression sharpening his eyes.

Oh God. He picked up on that.

I get up and walk to the fridge to grab a bottle of water. I take a couple of sips while I collect myself… again.

When I turn around, it’s only to find Ryker watching me, then he asks, “Are you okay?”

Time for another Oscar-worthy performance, Danny.

I let out a chuckle. “Yeah, of course. Why would you ask that?”

He shrugs, then turns his attention back to the laptop. “No reason.”

I drink some more water and take deep breaths to calm down my racing heart. Once I feel more in control of my hormones and emotions, I walk back to the couch and sit down again, leaving enough space between us to fit another person.

I actually manage to get work done after that and only glance up from my laptop when a light goes on in the living room. “Is it that late already?”

“Yep, which means it’s time for a break,” Ryker replies. He walks to his room, and then the door shuts behind him.

Knowing he must be hungry, I place an order for two steaks before I go to my own room so I can relax in a bath.

I let the water into the tub then strip out of my clothes. As I climb into the tub, I let out a sigh at how amazing the water feels.

I soak for a little while, but knowing they’ll deliver our food soon, I quickly wash then climb out. I let the water drain then dry myself. Opening the bathroom door so I can grab clothes, I freeze when my bedroom door opens.