“So you packaged up all of the cookies?” she teased, dumping the boxes on Danielle’s desk.
“Cookies?” Oz queried, appearing out of nowhere to stick his head through the doorway. “Did someone say something about cookies?”
Danielle laughed and picked up a bag. “Here you go. All yours,” she told him, tossing one of the bags of cookies at him.
Oz immediately, opened the bag and bit into one of the soft, chewy cookies. “Oh, these are good!” he sighed. “I think you should marry me and make these cookies for me every day.”
“Don’t you have some sort of combat training today?” Carly demanded.
He shook his head. “Ryker is leading the training today. I’m meeting with a new client.”
She lifted her hands and shooed him out of her office. “Then go! I have things to discuss with Danielle.”
He shook his head. “Nope. You have that meeting with Percy about the extension on the building permit in San Diego.” But Oz walked out, heading down the hallway.
Carly frowned. “Shoot. He’s right.” Glancing at her watch, she noticed the time, then looked back up at Danielle. “We’ll talk more later.”
“Go!” Danielle laughed, but handed her one of the bags. “Take these and spread the joy.”
“Don’t want to save some of these for yourself?” she laughed.
She shooed the bag out of her office. “Absolutely not! I still can’t fit into my skinny jeans. No way am I keeping these around my house.”
Carly left, opening the bag in her hands and grabbing a cookie. Danielle beamed, happy to have the sweets out of her house, but also enjoying the smiles they created. Especially since tonight was the night. The one night of the week she dreaded, but felt guilty for dreading. It was a horrible issue and she needed to get her head on straight.
Grabbing the newest delivery box, she opened the package and stared inside. “Chocolates?” she asked out loud. Lifting the box of drug store chocolates out of the box, she stared at it, confused and not sure if she should be amused or offended. “He sent me inexpensive chocolates?”
Ryker poked his head into her office. “Who sent you inexpensive chocolates?” he demanded.
Danielle jumped. “Darn it Ryker!” she snapped, putting a hand over her heart, trying to calm her nerves. “You need to wear a bell! Why can’t you stomp down the hallway or something?” she grumbled.
“That’s a good thing,” he commented, leaning a huge shoulder against her doorway. “So, who sent you chocolates?”
“No one,” she lied. “I thought you had a client doing hand to hand something or other today.”
“Hand to hand combat.” He moved into her office. “You never say that word. Why is that?” he asked, his blue eyes sparkling. “You know that what we do around here mostly is combative in nature.”
One shoulder lifted dismissively. “Yeah, well, I prefer to think of it as protective services.”
He chuckled and took one of the cookies. “Whatever helps you sleep at night, honey. So, who sent you chocolates? What’s the guy’s name? I’ll do a background check on the guy.”
She shuddered at the thought of Ryker finding out who had sent her the chocolates. “No one. And yes, I got chocolates, but,” she held up the box, “There’s no name on the outside of the box.”
He leaned in to check out the address. “That’s strange. So you have a stalker.”
“No!” she gasped, shaking her head. If he thought a stranger was stalking her, all three of the men would go into hunting mode. “No stalker! I promise. My neighbor knows that I like chocolates and I gave him some cookies,” which was the truth. “So he must have just sent them.” Most likely not the truth! And she felt horrible about lying to Ryker but…she didn’t want him to know truth!
Ryker chewed as his eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Right. Good cookies,” he commented, then left her office.
Danielle sighed, relieved that he was taking her at her word. Even so, she needed to be more careful about what she said around here. There were eyes and ears everywhere!
“Yum!” she muttered as she took out one of the chocolates and nibbled on it while she carried the box of cookies. Dropping the rest of the bags off in the kitchen where others could grab one as they got a cup of coffee, she popped a second chocolate into her mouth, closing her eyes to savor it. “Divine!” she sighed.
“You go on ahead,” a deep voice echoed from the other end of the hallway.
Danielle’s eyes popped open in surprise at Mika’s voice. When she spotted him at the end of the hallway, she couldn’t pull her eyes away as he hurried towards her with a determination that caused her heart to pound rapidly.
“What are you doing here?” she whispered, unable to pry her eyes from his to make sure they weren’t being seen.
“I’m training with my guards today,” he told her even as he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her away from the wall and through the doorway that led to the empty stairwell. “What were you doing a moment ago?” he asked.
“Chocolates,” she gasped, her hands fluttering to rest on his upper arms. Unable to stop herself, her fingers slid along the ridges of his upper arms, marveling at how strong he felt underneath the cotton material of his black shirt. “Shouldn’t you…?”
Danielle didn’t have a chance to finish her question since he covered her mouth with his, kissing her with a ravenous determination.
At the first touch of her fingers against his body, Mika lost his ability to resist kissing Danielle. She’d looked so beautiful standing in the hallway, a look of lust making her eyes burn. Not to mention, the pink turtleneck sweater that hugged her full breasts and the long, black skirt that shouldn’t look sexy but because it hugged her hips while still covering her all the way down to just below her knees, it was hot! Sexy, hot, and tempting him to slide that black material up and over her hips to discover what was underneath. The leather boots with the skinny heel made his mouth water with need. He could easily picture her in those boots and la shay’ akhar! Nothing else! The image was damned hard to ignore!
So he didn’t! Unfortunately, because they were in her place of work, even though he’d pulled her into the relative privacy of the stairwell, he kept his hands from doing all of the things he wanted to do.
But allaena! The way she kissed him back, as if she wanted him as much as he wanted her, it was difficult to restrain himself.
Reminding himself that his guards were waiting for him, not to mention Ryker, who was a friend and a man Mika respected, he had to pull away.
Lifting his head, he noticed that her lips were swollen and she was struggling to breathe. He liked that. Liked that she was just as affected by his touch as he was to hers. When she’d slid those hands up his arms, it had felt like a lightning bolt going through him. And just as fast as that lightning bolt had surged through him, he’d kissed her until they were both a bit too far gone.
Pulling her against him, he rested his cheek against the top of her head, trying to slow down his body’s need. “Sorry. I hadn’t intended to do that. And by the way, you taste delicious. I gather that you received the chocolates I sent to you?”
He felt as well as heard her laughter.
“Yes. I know that you sent them as a joke, but they are delicious. Now stop sending things that are going to make me fat! I’m trying to lose a few pounds to get back into my skinny jeans. And the chocolates aren’t helping.”
“Or the wine last night?”
Her eyes widened at the reminder. “Oh, I’m so sorry about that!” she gasped and pulled out of his arms a bit more.
“I’m not. I didn’t even notice until I was driving away. And besides, the fact that you spilled wine meant that you were just as into the kiss as I was.”
He watched and waited, noticing the way her full, sexy lips opened and closed. She wanted to deny it, but couldn’t. “Yes, well, I was…you’re a very good kisser.”
He leaned in closer, not allowing her to pull away. Th
ankfully, she didn’t even try. He wanted to kiss her again. Training, he reminded himself firmly. And friends. Respected friends.
“I’m very good at other things as well. You’re still having dinner with me tonight, right?”
She swallowed, and he could see in her eyes that she wanted it too. But she wasn’t ready. Sure enough, her next words confirmed his instinct.
With wide eyes, she shook her head. “Shoot! Dinner! I can’t. I’m sorry. I know that I said I would last night, but I’d already had some wine and wasn’t thinking properly. Unfortunately, I have something to do tonight.”
“What?”
He watched as her eyes shuttered, hiding something that he couldn’t define. “Something personal. I can’t…,” she shook her head. “Just something I have to do.”
A bolt of jealousy flashed through him. He wanted to know what she was doing tonight. “Are you meeting another man?”
“No!” she gasped and pulled out of his arms, her eyes revealing how angry she was at him for suggesting such a thing. “Goodness, I’d never kiss you and then meet with another man! That’s just…wrong in so many ways! No! I wouldn’t do that to you or anyone!”
He relaxed, shocked that he was so relieved by her vehement response. “Hasan. What are you doing?”
She took another step back, smoothing her pink sweater back down over her hips. She was angry, he realized, and he was amused by her anger. Especially now that he was sure she wasn’t meeting another man tonight.
“It’s personal and believe me, you don’t want to know.”
He did, but he could see the truth in her eyes. She wasn’t going to tell him. He thought about having one of his guards follow her, try to find out what was wrong. But for some odd reason, he wanted her to tell him what this personal mission was. So instead of demanding the information, he pulled back.
“Hasananaan. I won’t pry. But soon you’re going to talk to me about this secret of yours, Danielle. I’d like to know more about you and about your life.”
With that, he took her hand, lifting it to his lips. But instead of kissing her knuckles as he might have done with another woman, he turned her hand around and pressed a kiss to her palm, sliding his thumb along the pulse at her wrist. “You look beautiful, by the way. And I don’t think you need to lose any weight, Danielle. I think you are beautiful and sexy just the way you are.”
Danielle watched him leave, unable to hide the flush of happiness at his words. A man with muscles like those and the kind of confidence that he carried…he liked her weight? He thought she was sexy?
She almost skipped down the hallway back to her office, a feeling of lightness and happiness surging through her.
That happiness carried her through the rest of the day and helped her get through the dreaded evening.
Chapter 10
Danielle stared at the entrance to the memory care facility, blinking back tears. Her mother, Kathy lived here. The woman who had been vital and daring, who had pushed Danielle to find happiness and challenge the rules that society set up for women. Danielle remembered walking with her mother in the women’s rights marches in Washington, D.C. several years ago. She remembered laughing as they decorated the Christmas tree with her father, arguing about where to place each ornament, smiling over the memories as they recalled where the ornaments had been obtained. Every year, Danielle pleaded with her parents to get rid of some of the old ornaments she’d made in church Sunday school or in one of her elementary school classes. And every year, her parents explained how precious all of those memories were, how they would gently unfold each paper or foam ornament from the tissue paper that protected the piece throughout the eleven and a half months of the year when it was packed away in the attic and hang each memory on the branch of the tree.
When Danielle’s father passed away several years ago, it was the strong-willed, determined woman who had hugged Danielle as they both cried, held Danielle’s hand as they walked behind her father’s casket and watched as he was slowly lowered into the ground. It was this woman who had held her tight every night for a month as they both cried over their shared loss. And it was this woman who had promised Danielle that they would get through that tragedy together. That they were strong women and it was okay to love and to hurt and to miss him, but they had a life to live. They were going to thrive because of the love that he’d shown them.
The woman living inside of this facility…wasn’t that woman. Most of the time, Kathy didn’t even remember Danielle. Most days, Danielle walked in to spend some time with her mother and Kathy asked who she was, why she was visiting such a dull, boring place.
Still, once or twice a week, depending on Kathy’s moods, Danielle drove over here and sat with her mother. Sometimes, they talked or sang songs and Danielle reminded her mother about past years. They might look at photo albums together and just smile, reminiscing about the past. Unfortunately, many times, Kathy didn’t know who Danielle was and didn’t recognize the people in the photographs. Not even herself or the man who had shared her life for more than thirty years.
It was the most heart wrenching night of her week.
But Danielle needed these nights just as much as her mother did. Danielle needed to see her mother, to be with her. To know that she was still healthy. The Alzheimer’s might be diminishing her brain’s ability to think, remember, and manage daily activities, but she was still Danielle’s mother.
Besides, every few months, Danielle would walk in and Kathy would beam and remember. There was a spark of the old laughter in her eyes.
Danielle cherished those evenings. They would come less often as the disease progressed, but Danielle made the most of them whenever they happened.
Besides, the memory care facility was excellent with caring staff and a wonderful program to help the patients. The memory care attendants were kind and gentle, understanding that these people were suffering from a disease. Just as cancer tore up a person’s body, Alzheimer’s and dementia whittled away at a person’s brain, slowing down the functions.
Oh, if only the doctors could find a cure!
But for now, Danielle knew that she had to go into that building and face whatever awaited her there.
Leaning over, she grabbed the tissues from her glove box. Wiping the tears away, she dug into her purse and found some powder and lipstick, using both to repair her makeup.
“Tonight is going to be a good night,” she whispered fiercely to her reflection in the mirror. With a determined flip, she tucked the mirror back up and grabbed her purse.
Walking into the facility, she smiled in greeting. “Hi Janet,” she greeted as she signed in to the visitor’s log.
“Hi there, Danielle,” Janet called back. “Your mother is doing well today. She was dancing earlier this afternoon.”
“Dancing?” she asked, surprised.
“Yep! We had dance lessons and your mother laughed and was swinging around with the rest of the residents.”
Danielle sighed with relief. Maybe tonight would be a good one! Maybe they could talk and she could tell her mother about Mika and all of the confusing emotions the man stirred within her. “Oh, that’s wonderful!”
Janet nodded. “We have pictures. Ask Beth to show you.”
“I will!” Danielle agreed and tucked the pen for the visitor’s log back into the holder. “Thanks!”
Five minutes later, she walked into the common area of the memory care facility. She had to be buzzed into the area and knew that one of the assistants would need to buzz her out later. The residents were kept on the memory care floor for their own safety, but every once in a while, they tried to sneak out. Not that they were frustrated living here. Sometimes, they simply followed someone out of the building, thinking that it was time for them to leave as well. Unfortunately, the resident then walked out into the neighborhood and didn’t know where to go, what to do.
As soon as Danielle turned the corner to head towards her mother’s side of the building, she stopped and s
miled, watching as her mother giggled while making cookies. The assistants were doing a cooking class and the residents were clearly having a wonderful time! Anything that helped them use their hands and minds was a good thing, even if those tasks needed to be simple.
“Danielle!” her mother called, her eyes sparkling with humor and excitement. “Darling, come help me! This is so much fun!”
With relief, the tension eased from Danielle’s shoulders. Walking over to the small cart with her mother, she stood next to her, giving her mother a gentle hug. “Hi Mom. How are you?”
“Oh, I’m doing really well!” she laughed, lifting her hands out of the mixture. “And I know how much you love cookies, dear!”
For the next two hours, Danielle and her mother mixed the ingredients and laughed, talked about nothing at all and everything that popped into their minds. While the other residents moved about, slowly getting ready for bed, Kathy was alive and alert. Usually, starting around five o’clock in the evening, people with Alzheimer’s or dementia became a bit more confused. The term “sun downing” was applied to this time of the day and it was especially difficult, although doctors don’t know exactly why this time was so difficult for sufferers.
But all too soon, the horrible disease kicked in and Danielle’s mother just sort of…faded. Her energy died and the smile disappeared. “I think I need to sleep,” Kathy whispered.
They’d been talking about books they’d both read and Danielle looked over at her mother, surprised at the sudden change. The blank look was back. Confusion, Danielle thought. “Okay,” she gently told her mother, putting the book back on the book shelf. “Let’s get your pajamas on,” Danielle replied.
“Oh, dear, no. I need Melanie to help me get dressed, dear. I don’t like undressing in front of strangers.”
Danielle sighed. Kathy was tired and fading fast. There was no way Danielle could argue with her mother and tell her that the assistant didn’t need to come. It was her mother’s routine. It was what she could understand.
The Sheik's Gentle Triumph Page 5
