He took her hand in his, and electricity ran through her body. “Sweetheart, sounds perfect.”
Would he kiss her? Her heart fluttered.
Chapter 15
Kate bit her lip halfway down the stairs. On the Mezzanine level, she tugged Daniel’s arm. He shrugged then led her into the Irish pub. Her skin was jumpy. In their room, she’d be out of control.
Daniel left her at a table then spoke to the bartender. Kate tried to calm her racing thoughts. She had no idea how she had slept in the same room as Daniel last night. His kiss had sent her out of orbit. Was that today’s mistake? Her legs bounced under the table. With one glass of liquid courage, she might steel her nerves enough to do it again. She licked her lips, blinked, and then covered her chest with both hands. Another storm walked down the hall.
She took a deep breath, and her nerves shifted to something she could handle. Her father’s men had met Gabriella, and some blonde. They were on their way into the bar area. The universe must love to ruin her day.
She stilled.
They opened the door.
Her leg shook under the table, and she averted her eyes. Her heart raced, but she tried to stay hidden near the back. Daniel came back to her with her glass of pinot grigio wine. She ducked under his arm. With any luck, they’d continue on to the casino.
“Daniel?” the other woman, not Gabriella, said, “how is the cruise and your life with your new girlfriend?”
“Fiancée.” Kate corrected her with a little white lie.
Daniel almost spilled her glass of wine. Then he froze. Kate shrugged. He must have realized a fake fiancée solved the issue of his ex-girlfriends. Kate sat back. “And we’re good.”
“Where is your ring?” Gabriella asked and folded her arms together. “The Collinses are traditional. And besides, I wouldn’t say ‘yes’ to a man who never offered me a ring to prove it.”
Daniel’s mouth fell open. Then in the next second his dimples appeared on his face and he scooted closer to Kate. “Kate wants custom-made.”
“I do,” she answered fast. She glared at the other woman, whose lips curled into small frown. Who was she? Gabriella’s nose twitched. Kate then glanced toward her father’s men. Her father had rules. Never make a scene in society, and the Collinses were society princes. Daniel stared hard at Harry. She couldn’t read him in that moment. The men kept their mouths closed. Her father inspired fear. She raised her head then said, “We’re busy. Go. Have fun.”
They walked away. Daniel sat next to her at the table. Kate glanced down at their wine and beer. She nodded to herself. “Let’s go back to our room. Less distractions there.”
Her lips tingled and remembered their kiss again. Her face heated. He smiled at her, unaware of her reaction. Then he offered his hand to help her up. She licked her lips, and tried to be normal.
She took his arm to stand, then followed him out the door. This time he chose the elevator banks and not the staircase. She gazed into his eyes. “Where are we going? And what happened to the wine?”
“A bottle is being delivered to the room, anyhow. I thought we’d take the elevator.” The bell rang. Daniel led her inside. “Trust me, Katie.”
The doors closed behind her. She trusted Daniel. Why? She had no answer, other than he was easy to be with. He chose to spend time with her. He chose to be with her. He’d been better than every other man she ever met. He hit a button that wasn’t their floor. “Where are we going?”
“The Promenade,” he answered. “There’s something we need to pick up.”
“We can’t bring bottles from the store back to our rooms, Daniel,” she joked, but her thoughts screamed that he needed a more intimate item. “They keep the drinks until after we dock.”
“I need to go to the store. It won’t take long.” The doors opened. He took her hand and led her onto the busy floor. Shops, restaurants, and shows all crossed each other on the main deck of activity and tonight the music was alive.
He ducked into a store, and she folded her arms around her waist. Wow, he was fast. He rejoined her a moment later and took her hand. Another minute passed.
“Our room is the other way,” she said. “Where are we heading?”
“It’s a surprise, Katie.” Then he led her into the jewelry store, and her heart thumped faster. She stopped mid-stride, and covered her mouth with her hand. He led her to the counter. She swallowed. The engagement had been a joke. Daniel held her hand up for the sales clerk to measure. “My new fiancée needs a ring.”
She shivered. “Daniel, you don’t have to.”
“It’s only money, Katie.” Daniel winked at her, and her face heated.
He retrieved a box under the glass. Kate swallowed her pride and argued, “We were lying.”
He shrugged. “This way everyone will believe us.”
The sales clerk returned with five rings.
Her heartbeat raced.
She swayed on her feet and pictured a simple wedding ceremony without frills. A flash passed in her vision, to a simple day. She’d have her coffee with Daniel as snow drifted pass the window on a cool winter morning. She swallowed. Then she stared at his dimples again. What had happened to her? She never thought she’d get married. She mumbled to herself, “I’d marry you, one day.”
Her face heated. Had she said that out loud?
He never said anything. With his free hand, he picked up a ring, and slipped it onto her finger.
“Great choice,” the clerk told him, then turned to Kate. “Isn’t it gorgeous?”
She nodded, unable to speak. Daniel had excellent taste, for a pretend ring. The diamond was real. Her mind raced. She ought to leave him the second the cruise ended. She’d protect him from her life. In all likelihood, she’d never marry anyone, but the weight of the ring on her hand offered her a taste of a different life. Another vision played in her head. Daniel, meeting her for dinner and drinks after one of the Sparrow fashion shows in Paris. She shook her head to get rid of the daydream.
She opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out. The princess-cut, crown-of-light diamond sparkled. She guessed it to be more than a few carets. This was the ring a man bought a real fiancée, not a fake one. Fake ones sported Cracker Jack box paper-cut ones. She shook her head, and her body trembled. “This is too expensive.”
“Too late. My fiancée gets the best. No one would believe it otherwise, Katie.” Daniel winked at the cashier. “Now let’s go.”
Kate closed her hand in a fist, afraid the ring would somehow fall off, though it was her size.
“Daniel. Kate,” a male voice called from her left side. Kate turned her head and saw Daniel’s brother, Liam, at the other entrance of the Irish pub. Kate froze, unsure how to intermingle with family. Liam stared at his brother and then at her ring. “This is a turn of events.”
Her body heated. She bit her lip, unsure what to say.
Daniel tilted his head and kept his arm around her. “It’s good to see you, bro. Talk, tomorrow?”
Liam stared at the diamond for another second. “I’m sure everyone will forgive you two for slipping out of the party now.” Liam’s mouth quirked into a smile. “Daniel, I like the new you. You might pass for my brother, or at least Sean’s. You chose fast.”
Daniel shook his head, and directed her away.
His face blushed.
Her face heated too. Was she as red as he was?
“What did he mean?” Kate asked.
“They tease me. I’ve been boring,” Daniel answered. “Race you down the stairs to our room?”
Her gaze raked his body, then she kicked off her heels together, and dropped his arm from her side. “Loser has to strip naked before drinking the wine.”
She dashed ahead.
He stayed in step. “I’m game.”
She smiled and dared right back, “Only in your dreams will you ever see me naked.”
She sounded like she was someone else. Someone fun.
At the stairwell,
Daniel grabbed her hand then pulled her down the stairs at his fast pace. On the landing, she pushed ahead, and refused to lose this race.
She’d turned into a new woman. She’d win.
Chapter 16
Daniel held the door open for Katie. She panted, and her face contorted. At the last second, he surged ahead for the win. Clearly unhappy, she grimaced.
He decided to keep his mouth shut on his prize for the moment and instead picked up the phone. He dialed room service and asked, “The wine I ordered isn’t in the room yet.”
The lady on the phone answered, “It is scheduled to be delivered within the hour, sir. The steward will knock on your door.”
“Thanks.”
He turned to tell Katie. She rubbed her arms, like she was innocent. In truth, Katie’s sweetness had an extra layer of innocence now. The vixen he’d read about in the tabloids became more fictional the more time he spent with her.
Without a word or a question, she took off her sweater, dropped it onto her side of the room, and then brushed past him. He had hoped she’d continue. Instead, she opened the balcony door and stepped out.
He rubbed his chin. He should shave his five o’clock shadow. Most ex-girlfriends threw themselves at him the second the doors closed. Katie glanced at the night sky.
He followed her to the door, and leaned on the frame.
Outside, she stared at her ring. Was that the problem? He bit his lip. He had no idea why he’d bought it for her. The lie was short-term, but the idea of a marriage to Katie hadn’t frightened him. She would be a fun wife.
He closed the door behind him, then joined her at the balcony’s edge. She never turned, but she stiffened. He placed his hand on her back, and her hands gripped the banister on instinct. Then she let go and leaned against him. The light surrounded her. Angels wouldn’t be as beautiful. He’d have kissed her, if she faced him, but she kept her watch on the stars. He gazed into the sky with her. “What’s so interesting?”
“Orion’s Belt.” She pointed to a series of stars in the sky. “Some say humankind itself came from the stars, and in particular from a planet right there, near the Belt. I don’t get to see the sky in the city.”
“Do you believe that stuff, Katie?” He held her close.
“No.” Her big brown eyes turned to him. “But the universe is so huge, and we’re so small in it.” She shook her head. “I don’t know what I’m saying, but the stars are beautiful, Daniel.”
“I see them everyday on the Cape.”
She licked her lips, and he was enchanted. “I thought you lived in Boston these days?”
He shrugged. “I bought the house next to my parents’ home.”
Her mouth fell open. “That’s close.”
He tilted his head. “Sean and Gigi have the lot on the other side. Soon enough Hyannis will be renamed Collins because we’ll own the land.”
Her lips were full and kissable. He leaned closer, but someone knocked on their outside door. She twirled back. “Wine’s here.”
He hastened to the door. “Lisa.”
“Daniel, I heard you were coming to the wedding, and hadn’t seen you.”
Was every woman he’d ever met on the ship? He stepped backward, but his face must be white. It was cold. Kate crossed her arms. He saw her in the mirror. He rubbed his jaw. Lisa had been his ‘on and off’ girlfriend for ten years of his life, through college, medical school, and then the Marines. His face heated, and he turned toward the balcony. Kate stepped into the room. How would he explain to her? He stepped forward and intended to close the door. “Now is not a good time, Lisa.”
“Bring the glasses and the bottle. I’m thirsty,” Kate called from behind. Was she testing him?
“You’re on a date,” Lisa said, stating the obvious.
Daniel nodded. Kate’s hand on his spine surprised him. He pushed the door wider. “Katie, this is an old friend . . .”
“Another ex-girlfriend,” Kate said, then flashed her ring. She offered her hand. “I’m Kate Sparrow, the fiancée. We thought you were our wine.”
“Kate Sparrow?” Lisa’s mouth fell open. “The K—”
“Yeah,” Kate interrupted, and stepped in front of him. “You’re interrupting our romantic evening.”
He opened the door and ushered Kate back into the room. He’d been a jerk to Lisa the day he’d broken it off. But every time he thought of Lisa, he never pictured his future. The truth was that in ten years, he never saw much of her anyhow, but he should have noticed the passage of time.
He ran his hand through his hair. “Katie and I are —”
“And I wasn’t good enough?” Lisa pouted.
He shook his head. “Don’t believe everything you read about Katie. Lisa, this isn’t a good time.”
“I had no idea.” Lisa kept her gaze at Kate. “Kate Sparrow? Just to be sure, the Kate Sparrow?”
“The one and the same.” Kate dropped her arms to her sides, and her foot tapped the floor. “And I’m not nice to women who knock on my man’s doors uninvited, in the middle of the night.”
“’Night, Lisa.” This was going nowhere fast. Daniel closed the door as Kate turned and walked away from him. He followed her into the room.
With her back to him, Kate stared at the balcony. “Did you invite her here?”
“No.” He reached out and brushed against Kate’s shoulder. She stepped backward into his embrace. She smelled like freshly baked cupcakes. “Katie, you’re beautiful. Don’t let any of that nonsense get inside your soul.”
“If a woman shimmies down the side of the ship to get into our cabin, I’ll scream.” She turned to face him.
“You should know that I wasted Lisa’s time.” Daniel stared at the floor. He hadn’t told anyone that. “Next thing I knew, ten years had past. But I hated the day I told her we were over.”
“Were you scared of commitment?” Kate asked him with her big brown that captured his attention.
“No.” His voice deepened. “In ten years, we saw each other maybe once every month or two. I was away. She was away. Then I left home for the Marine Corps. I was serving my country oversees and had my thirtieth birthday hit. I’d be leaving the Marine Corps soon, and I didn’t want to come home to Lisa. We hardly knew each other.”
“You’re honest.” She smiled at him. “It’s rare enough with a guy. And you told her. She chose to wait.”
“She was always independent.” Daniel paused. She made it sound nicer. “Not like you, though. You find trouble every hour.”
“You’re keeping your promise of protecting me?” Her eyebrow pointed up.
He smiled now. “Yes.”
“Good. Then your fake fiancée is secured.” Her naturally red lips came close to his, and he leaned down to taste her again. She leaned forward but at the last moment stepped back. What happened? She offered her hand out to shake his instead. “Letting you fight that battle for twenty-four hours is refreshing. Welcome to my life, Daniel. I’m sure this engagement—”
Another knock reverberated in the air and cut her off. She shook her head. “Lisa? Gabriella? Or a new one?”
He rubbed his chin. “Margaritte’s another option for your list, but I think it’s the wine.” Daniel opened the door, and Kate cleaned the table. He called over his shoulder. “The bottle is here.”
“Finally.” Kate laughed then kicked off her sneakers. She took a seat, and he took the wine from the steward. She called back, as he came towards her, “Let’s toast to our engagement, sweetheart.”
Daniel closed the door behind him and stared at her. Her words played like music in his ears.
Chapter 17
Kate took the glass of pinot grigio wine from Daniel then pointed him back out onto the balcony. The stars were the beauties of the sky and at sea they appeared so different and beautiful. “When I get back home, I’m planning a trip to someplace remote. The stars should be seen.”
“You’re welcome to stay at my home on the Cape.” He took a sip of hi
s wine and closed their balcony door. “It’s quiet there.”
“The Cape is not remote.”
He leaned closer. “It is not a city, either. We only get tourists in the summer.”
“You obviously love it there.” She followed his example and sipped. Then she gazed at his tall, muscular frame. For the first time that day, the sparks that sent her over the edge and had her acting a bit crazy now sent a thrill through her. “You’re built for life near the ocean, I suppose, so why the Marines and not the Navy?”
Borrowing the Doctor (The Collins Brothers Book 2) Page 9
