“You look…stunning.” He takes a slow visual tour of my body as he speaks.
The tingle of my skin tells me I like having his eyes on me. Instead of being embarrassed, I’m pleased at his approval. He thinks I look good. “You’re the one responsible for this,” I remind him. “I mean, you bought it.”
He shakes his head, folding his arms over his broad chest. “I’m not the one responsible. I don’t believe in a Higher Power, or I didn’t before I met you, but you’re enough to make me second-guess my belief system.”
I shake my head. “Sometimes, you’re just too much.”
“If only you knew.”
“Whatever.”
He offers his arm, and I slide mine through it before following him out the door. It feels surprisingly natural. Last night, his sense of humor shone through, but he was mainly commanding and overbearing. Tonight, he’s warm and lighthearted. Maybe Luke should show up every day and stick out his chin to get popped.
The thought of him kills my smile, which Brock picks up on right away. “What’s wrong? Are you thinking about him?”
I have to keep in mind how observant he is. I stare at him, amazed at how perceptive he is. “Are you psychic? We may as well get little things like this out of the way as soon as possible. It wouldn’t look right for your fiancée to not know a thing like that.”
“Not psychic. Just not blind.”
“You looked like you enjoyed hitting him. Did you?” I ask without looking at him.
“Honestly?”
I look into his eyes. “Of course.”
“Yes.” His jaw tightens, as does the line of his mouth. “I enjoyed it very much. I always enjoy being able to hurt anyone who would take advantage of their power over another. He’s a bully. Anyone with eyes can see it. The fact that it was you he was bullying made it even more enjoyable.”
“You don’t even know me.”
“You’re wrong about that.”
I raise my eyebrows and look at him inquiringly.
Something flashes in his eyes then he says, “I might not know your favorite song, or the name of your childhood dog, or even what your favorite food is, but I know you. I knew you the moment you opened your eyes in my bed.”
“Really, now? I don’t know how good I feel about being so easy to read. Every woman wants to think of herself as being, I don’t know, mysterious and interesting.”
“I didn’t say you’re weren’t interesting.” The elevator doors open, and he throws his arm out across the doorway to keep them that way as I step out. “You’re extremely interesting. You’re also overworked, underpaid, ambitious, intelligent, definitely stronger than you’re aware of. And you very definitely take much more shit than you deserve.”
“Well,” I say, my breath exhaling out in a rush. “You’ve summed me up perfectly.” I’m not happy about the fact that I am such an open book to him. And I don’t like his smug tone.
“I forgot one or two things.” The limo is waiting for us, and he waves Tom off in favor of opening the door for me.
“What’s that?” I ask, waiting.
He grins. “I forgot temperamental. And gorgeous.”
I roll my eyes. “Funny how that doesn’t make me feel much better.”
I get in the car and he closes the door behind me.
Chapter 18
Dani
It’s a terrible habit of mine, the way I can’t keep myself from checking out the prices on the menu whenever I go out to eat. It’s just that I feel ridiculous ordering expensive food. A forty-dollar steak? I can buy one at the store for a quarter of the price and get three meals out of it.
Which is why the lack of prices on the menu is enough to make my skin crawl. It’s just a bunch of food. No prices. I glance at Brock over the top of it. The soft overhead lights of the restaurant fall on his face making his eyebrows appear straight and black and the sweep of his eyelashes cast shadows on his cheek. His skin looks golden. I want to reach out and touch him.
“I recommend the lobster,” he murmurs, before looking up and meeting my eyes.
For what seems like forever, our gazes catch and hold. The intensity of his cobalt gaze is incredible. It makes me feel exposed and vulnerable. Suddenly, there’s something familiar about him. Like a dream that breaks. I blink. This is crazy. I’ve never met him before in my life. I don’t run about in billionaire circles. I want to tear my gaze away but I can’t.
Then he smiles. A lazy sexy grin and my heart starts racing. “Unless you’re allergic to shellfish, of course. Are you allergic to anything, Dani?”
“Um…I can’t eat strawberries,” I croak. My voice sounds hoarse and thick. Why can’t I breathe properly?
He nods. “I’ll make a mental note of that.”
I drag my gaze away and focus it on the menu. I’m actually allergic to not knowing the price of what I’m ordering. It’s enough to make me break out into hives. There isn’t even any chicken on the menu. It’s normally a safe choice.
“What is it?” he murmurs. “You look…like you’re about to self-combust.”
I glance around at the tasteful décor and the low lighting, the beautiful people seated at every table. I lean forward. “Not knowing the prices of what I’m ordering is killing me.”
His eyebrows rise. Then he folds his menu and hands it to me. “Here have mine. It has prices.”
I take it from him and open it. My eyes almost pop out of my head. What? A hundred and twenty dollars for a lamb burger? I lift my gaze up to him, and he’s watching me with veiled eyes. I swallow hard.
Okay, time to come clean.
“Brock, I need to tell you something. I hope it doesn’t make you second-guess your decision to ask me to help you in Vegas, but I just have to honest with you.”
“Okay. Spit it out.”
I take a deep breath and let it out. “I don’t feel like I belong here. I can’t help it. I figure if we’re here to get to know each other, you might as well know how insecure I am.”
“That is a problem,” he acknowledges with a slow nod.
“I understand if you think this was all a big mistake. I know how important it is for me to do a good job, but I’m not used to any of this and I can’t help feeling like I’m out of my league.”
He purses his lips, taking a deep breath.
Well, this is it. It was fun while it lasted. If I get nothing else out of the experience except the satisfaction of seeing Brock knock Luke on his butt, I’m okay with it.
Instead of breaking things off with me, however, he says, “Clearly, there a few things we need to work out between us if this has any hope of success.”
“All right. I’m all ears.” I place his menu off to the side and fold my hands in my lap.
One corner of his mouth quirks up in a smile. “Whatever happened to you in the past is in the past, and I would prefer you not bring it up after this. I don’t mean the things we’re supposed to get to know about each other, of course. If there’s anything that worthless piece of shit did to you that I should be aware of before we get to Vegas, please tell me so, because I wouldn’t want to cause you any undue trauma.” He pauses. “Otherwise, all of that is in the past. It’s no longer part of your life. Whatever your hang-ups are with regards to money, or your self-worth, put them aside and don’t ever turn your attention to them again. I don’t care what anybody else thinks of you. To all intents and purposes, you are the woman I have chosen to marry and if anybody makes you feel small or tries to disrespect you, they will have me to contend with.”
“I wish it were that easy,” I admit in a whisper.
“It is. Do you know how I know?”
I shake my head.
“Because I had to do it myself. I had a choice, early on in my life. I could either continue to be who I was, to live as I lived, to allow my family and less-than-ideal circumstances determine the rest of my life. Or I could put it aside like a piece of unwanted baggage, and move on.”
“Just as simple as
that?”
“As simple as that. I’ll let you in on a little secret.” He leans in. “Nobody in this restaurant knows anything about you. They can assume, of course. You’re a beautiful girl in a beautiful dress, in an exclusive restaurant with a man who’s staring at you like you’re the only woman in the world, because as far as I’m concerned, you are.”
My heart pitter-patters. He even sounds like he means it. Why, oh why, does he have to be hung up on his stupid ex-girlfriend? Then again, I wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t.
“The people around you can’t help but assume you’re one of them. Upper-crust. High society. Big fucking deal.” His smile is sexy. Dangerous. “I’ll tell you something else, too.”
“What?” I have to admit, he has me on the edge of my seat.
“Nobody’s perfect. Everybody is neurotic in their own way. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if these other diners whom you think belong in this restaurant have more insecurities than you.”
“Really?”
He nods sagely. “Rich people are famously notorious for them.”
“What are your insecurities, then?”
His face splits into a boyish, totally adorable grin. “Nobody’s perfect but me. You didn’t give me time to finish.”
I can’t help the loud burst of laughter that erupts from my throat. I have to cover my mouth with my hand to muffle the sound.
He laughs with me, the sound deep and infectious. “You don’t need to be so serious all the time,” he advises when we both stop chuckling. “I promise there’s nothing on that menu I can’t afford. It’s not like you’re wanting to burn the restaurant down, and even if you decide to do that, I could just about manage that too.” He smiles at me. A wide genuine smile. “Have fun, Dani. Order something you’ve never tried before, and if you don’t like it, you can always have something else.”
I stare at him, mesmerized by the fantasy of being able to afford anything you want in life. “You’re sure about this?”
“The first thing you have learn about me. I never say what I don’t mean.” He gestures to the menu and flashes me a roguish smile. “Go on. Live a little. Order the most expensive thing on it.”
So, I do. I decide on the lobster as he suggested, and watch while he orders a bottle of wine, lapsing into French with the waiter. I can’t help but thrill a little. He’s so darned cultured and sophisticated. How stupid was this woman to let him slip out of her fingers? I almost can’t wait to meet her.
He might have been the one to let her slip away, it occurs to me. What if he cheated on her and she left him? I watch him interacting with the waiter, occasionally glancing my way with a smile, and I decide it seems unlikely. Sure, men are men and they all have their weaknesses, but he seems like a stand-up guy. Cheating on his woman would be too tacky and ungentlemanly for him to even consider. I could be wrong, but I don’t feel as though I am, and my gut is usually on point.
“What were you thinking about?” he asks, turning his attention back to me. “You smiled a little.”
“One of my few happy memories as a child,” I admit.
He cocks an eyebrow.
“I know you said to leave all that stuff behind, and by the way, I appreciate that very much, but I just remembered something my father told me when I was little.”
His face is suddenly wary, which surprises me. “What was it?”
“That my gut would always tell me when something is right or wrong.” I place a hand against my stomach. “And that I should always trust that feeling.”
His gaze is steady. “What are you feeling right now?”
I check in with myself, closing my eyes for a moment. What am I feeling? “Good,” I whisper. “I feel good.” When I open my eyes again, I find him smiling in a way I haven’t seen before. Ever. From anybody. Like he’s looking at something he really, truly likes.
He’s so handsome right now. It’s enough to take my breath away. I’m liking this ex of his less and less all the time. I can’t wait to get a look at her, to see what’s so special that he can’t move on. I wouldn’t mind him moving on with me.
Chapter 19
Dani
The wine loosens my tongue, and by the time the food arrives, I’m babbling away like a brook. “I’m fascinated by the way the human mind works…” My voice trailing away as my eyes drink in the sight of lobster and drawn butter, asparagus with béarnaise, and potatoes au gratin. It’s almost too beautiful to eat. My mouth waters, and I remember that I haven’t eaten since the protein bar I scarfed down before Tom picked me up this morning. No wonder the wine and Brock’s charisma seem to have gone straight to my head.
“I’m deeply interested in that myself,” he agrees, as a steak is placed in front of him.
The smells from his plate are killing me. Now I wonder if I should’ve ordered that. Then again, he did say I could change my mind… Gosh, now I know I’m buzzed. “Oh, you are?” I pick up the knife and fork and wonder what the heck I’m supposed to do with the red crustacean in front of me.
“Don’t worry,” he murmurs. “I asked the waiter to have it cracked and cleaned for you. You only have to pull out the meat.”
“Thank you.” I take some of the claw meat and dip it delicately into the melted butter, but embarrass myself when my eyes roll back in my head. “Oh, my God.”
He smiles. “It’s very delicious, isn’t it?” He sounds amused. Not like he’s making fun of me or anything. More like he’s glad to indulge a child who has been thrust into his care for a few hours.
I don’t know if I like being viewed like a child, not really, but I do like being indulged. I dab at the corner of my mouth with my napkin to wipe away any butter. “They must do something very special to it. I’ve tasted lobster before, but this is something else,”
“Yes, you did look like you were having an orgasm over it.”
“Brock!” My cheeks must be glowing as red as the poor thing’s shell.
He gazes at me as he chews slowly. Even the way he chews is suggestive. “No judgment. I wish a plate of lobster could get me off that way.”
I clear my throat and poke my lobster. “So what do you do?”
“What I do? I manufacture parts.”
“Parts?” My nose crinkles.
“Mm-hmm.”
“What kind of parts?”
“Parts for medical equipment, military equipment. Nothing very sexy.”
“But I bet it’s important work. You can’t have medical equipment without the parts.”
“True.”
“But how does someone your age get to be so rich? I hope that’s not a rude question, but you do seem sort of young.”
He chuckles, but there’s no humor there. “You’re not the only one who feels that way.”
I swallow the buttery asparagus in my mouth. “I didn’t mean to bring up a touchy subject.”
“It’s all right. My grandfather owned the company, but he and my father had no relationship. I mean none whatsoever. I never even met the old man except for once when I was very young and my mother took me to see him without my father knowing. He would’ve had a fit if he’d found out. My grandfather was a very proud, cold man who made my mother wait outside his study while I went in and sat opposite him. I was his only grandchild. He had shrewd gray eyes and studied me closely.” He frowns slightly at the memory. “I got the impression he was disappointed with what he saw, but when he died a few years ago he left me all his shares in the company, and instructions that I take his place as the CEO. If the Board didn’t accept me, I had the legal right to disband the entire company as he was the majority shareholder. I was so young and the company was starting to fail, so my parents and his lawyers advised me to sell, to take the money and run. There would be enough to never have to work again.”
I’m so totally enthralled with his story I stop eating, to listen.
He shrugs. “But I didn’t want to do that. I suppose others in my place would have. But I wanted to make a success of th
ings. I guess, I never forgot the disappointment in his face that one time we met. I wanted to show him…”
“That was very brave of you.”
He smiles. “I don’t like anybody to tell me I can’t do something. It just makes me more determined than ever to do it and do it better than anybody else. I’ve managed to do well with the company. Taken it to new heights that no one thought it was capable of.”
“I admire you,” I blurt out. To the point where I haven’t taken a bit of food since he started talking about how he got rich. Everything I’ve assumed about him seems to be adding up. He has a lot of class and a lot of character. He could’ve loafed around for the rest of his life, but he chose to work instead. I wish I didn’t like him so darn much. Though, liking him will make it easier to pretend to be his fiancée.
“Thank you.” He smiles before motioning to my plate. “Go on. Before it gets cold.”
“Yes, sir,” I mutter with a smirk.
“That sort of talk is unnecessary outside the bedroom.”
I feel my cheeks go red again.
“Sorry. I can’t help myself. You bring it out in me,” he apologizes, not looking sorry at all as he cuts a piece of steak and puts it between those sinfully sexy lips.
“Yes, I’m sure you’re just an innocent schoolboy, otherwise,” I retort.
“As pure as the driven snow.” Then he grins. “Mmm. I’m nearly as enamored with this as you are with your dinner.”
“Aged beef. I’ve never heard of such a thing,” I admit.
He points to the slab of beef with his eyebrows raised.
“All right,” I say, thinking that he will cut off a piece and place it on my bread plate.
What he does is cut off a piece and brings the glistening morsel to my mouth. “You won’t believe your taste buds,” he murmurs, his eyes fixed on my mouth.
Kissing Booth Page 8
