Her outburst sends my temper into the red, and not wanting to get into a fight with her at the office, I walk away.

Stalking down the hallway, Dash comes toward me. “Is Danny in her office?”

“Yeah, and in a piss poor mood. Good luck,” I grumble as I pass by Dash.

I slam the button for the elevator, which thankfully opens immediately. I walk inside and press the button for my floor.

Fuck, I can’t believe she spoke to me like that.

Stepping out onto my floor, I walk to my office and slam the door shut behind me. When I sit down behind my desk, I take a couple of deep breaths to calm down.

Placing my elbow on the armrest, I rest my chin on my thumb while pressing my forefinger to my mouth. Staring blankly at my laptop screen, I replay what just happened, trying to make sense of it.

The next moment my door opens, and Danny comes in. I don’t move a muscle as my eyes lock on her. She shuts the door, and walking to my desk, she takes a seat opposite me.

Her gaze meets mine, and then she says, “I’m sorry I snapped at you. I’m just stressed, but it was no reason to take it out on you.”

Lowering my hand, my eyes scan over her face. “I understand you’re stressed, but don’t ever raise your voice at me.”

Danny nods as she slumps back in the chair, looking defeated. It has me asking, “Is it just work?”

She shakes her head but then says, “Yeah. The pressure’s just getting to me.”

When her chin begins to quiver, I get up from my chair and walk around the desk. Taking hold of her shoulders, I pull her up, and then I wrap my arms around her.

Her body begins to shudder, and hearing a sob, worry floods me. “I get a feeling it’s more than work,” I murmur, worried she’s hiding something from me.

Danny wraps her arms around me, and she sounds fragile when she says, “I’m not pregnant.”

God, that explains a lot. She was starting to get excited about the idea and must be disappointed.

Lowering my head, I murmur, “Sorry, babe. If it’s that important to you, go off birth control.”

She shakes her head. “It’s probably for the best. I just got my hopes up. It’s stupid. We’ve only been dating three weeks.”

“It’s not like I’m some stranger you need to get to know,” I mutter, then I add, “I just want to see you happy.”

She pulls a little back and uses her fingers to wipe the tears from under her eyes. “I’ll be fine.”

It doesn’t sound like she believes the words.

“What can I do to help lessen the stress?”

The corner of her mouth lifts slightly, and she makes a cute face. “Not be angry with me.”

I let out a chuckle. “Done. What else?”

Danny closes her eyes, and it looks like she just realized something terrible.

“Danny?”

She buries her face against my chest, and then she cries like I’ve never heard her cry before. My arms instantly tighten around her as the worry returns tenfold.

Pressing a hand to the back of her head, I lower my mouth to her ear. “This can’t just be stress. Did something happen you’re not telling me?”

She shakes her head but doesn’t say anything as she grips me for dear life.

I hold her until she calms down, and when she pulls back again, she says, “I think I should go home and sleep. I’m just overtired.”

“Is that really all it is?”

Because it feels like a hell of a lot more than just her being tired.

She nods then gives me a pleading look. “Can you take me home?”

“Of course.” I grab my phone and keys, then place my arm around her. “Let’s go.”

“I just need to get my handbag from my office.”

I hand her my car key. “I’ll get it quickly. Go get in the car.”

“Thanks.”

We take separate elevators, and once I have Danny’s handbag, I head down to the basement.

When we get to Danny’s apartment block and I park the car, she asks, “Do you want to come up?”

“Sure.”

We take the elevator up, and once inside, I set my keys down on the kitchen counter. Danny does look exhausted, and opening my arms, I say, “Come here, babe.”

She doesn’t hesitate, and snuggling against my chest, she lets out a heavy sigh.

Leaning down, I murmur, “Why don’t you take a relaxing bath while I order dinner?”

She nods and tilts her head back, her eyes finding mine. There’s something in her blue irises I can’t quite place. Almost as if she’s sad.

“You know you can tell me anything, right?” I say, wanting to reassure her.

“Today was just really hard,” she whispers. She takes a step back from me. “I’m not hungry, but you can get yourself something for dinner.”

“What have you eaten today?” I ask.


Tags: Michelle Heard The Heirs Romance