‘Sometimes.’
She moved her fingers over the length of his index finger, circling each of his knuckles and then the neat square of his fingernail. ‘Why don’t you do something about it?’
He glanced down at her. ‘Like what?’
‘You could wear a disguise.’
He gave a short laugh. ‘As if that would work.’
‘A lot of celebrities do it. You’d be surprised how effective it is. A wig or a hat or a different style of clothes can make all the difference. When my kindy kids get in the dress-up box it’s impossible to tell who is who. Sometimes even their parents don’t recognise them.’
He looked back at their joined hands, his thumb moving over the back of hers in a rhythmic fashion. ‘It bothers my brother more than it does me. I guess I’m like my mother in that regard. I’ve never shied away from the limelight.’
‘What’s your brother like?’
His thumb found the heel of her hand and began to massage it. ‘He’s strong. Determined. Focused.’
‘Like you, then.’
He smiled a half-smile. ‘I’m not sure he would agree with you on that.’
‘Why?’
‘He doesn’t say it upfront, but he thinks I’m chasing a dream that will only disappoint in the end.’
‘The Championship?’
He met her gaze again. ‘Winning is everything to me. It’s always been my main motivation. Being the best.’
‘I guess what your brother’s saying is one day someone will come along who’s better than you,’ Daisy said. ‘You can’t win for ever.’
His gaze went to her mouth. ‘No, but I like to think I’ll know when it’s time to hang up my hat.’
‘You mean go out on a high?’
His eyes searched hers for a long moment. ‘Did you always want to be a teacher?’
Daisy grinned. ‘Always. I used to line up my dolls when I was about three or so and play schools with them for hours.’
There was a serious light in his gaze. ‘Did you have a happy childhood?’
Her smile faded as she thought about her mother’s restlessness and her father’s controlling ways. ‘In the early days, but then my mum’s accident changed everything. She died when I was ten. A car ran into her as she was coming home from bridge club. My father was always a bit of a control freak but after that he was unbelievable. I couldn’t go anywhere without a nanny or babysitter. I had heaps of them over the years. Dad would always upset them over something and they’d storm out in tears. Fear does terrible things to people, doesn’t it?’
He gave her hand an absent squeeze. ‘Yes, indeed it does.’
Daisy glanced out of the window as her hotel came into view. ‘Oh, look. The girls are waiting for me outside. I texted them while I was waiting for the elevator.’
‘What did you tell them?’
She gave them a mad wave. ‘The truth.’
‘Which version?’ His tone was dry. ‘I’m having a little trouble keeping up.’
Daisy looked at him again. ‘Oh, they know I’m not really in love with you. That would be taking things to ridiculous extremes.’
His expression was deadpan. ‘Quite.’
‘But they’re the ones—Belinda in particular—who encouraged me to put myself out there and find myself a holiday romance.’ She grinned at him. ‘How lucky am I? I asked for four days and you’re giving me four weeks. Cool, huh?’
His smile looked a little tight. ‘Way cool.’
* * *
Luiz stood back as Daisy was reunited with her friends. There was a group hug and lots of excited chatter and a few sideways glances in his direction and some nudging and winking. He took it in good spirit because he wasn’t going to risk his sponsorship deal before it even got off the ground. Once it was done and dusted he could distance himself from the engaging Miss Daisy before she drove him crazy. The more time he spent with her, the more he wanted her. Now he had four weeks with her. Four weeks! He had trouble being celibate for four hours, let alone four weeks. Once they parted in Vegas he would keep things to a minimum. He could take her out to dinner in London but he wouldn’t stay with her or have her stay with him. That would be testing his resolve a little too far. If he kept their dates public he would be home free.
While Daisy was collecting her things, Luiz organised a helicopter for the Grand Canyon. He figured a day outside in the fresh air was another good way to distract himself from the temptation of taking her to bed.
Once they were on their way in the limousine he told her what he had planned. ‘We’ll fly over Hoover Dam first and then on to the Grand Canyon. You’ll get a good view of both.’