“Daniel Bennett, are you propositioning me again?”
“Yes.”
I narrow my eyes, planting my hands on my hips. Right, this is supposed to be the “stern woman look”—something Mom and Jenna Bennett always pulled off to perfection. I have a hunch I look ridiculous, but persistence leads to mastery.
“I will have you know that was cheap.” It also made all my lady parts tingle, because I’m just as cheap, but I’ll keep that to myself.
“Caroline, don’t play the proper card with me. I know you too well.” Stepping closer, he adds in a lower octave, “And I just had you on my desk and the floor of my office.”
“It was worth a try, though,” I say with a shrug. Then I have a wicked thought, and well, since we just established proper isn’t cutting it for us, why not voice it? “I won’t mind if you take advantage of me some more once we get out of here, though.”
His eyes widen, and he exhales sharply. One of his hands twitches as if he wants to touch me right here and now, and is barely restraining himself.
“You’re a little wicked thing,” he murmurs.
“All your fault. You stand there, all hard muscle, full lips, and sexy eyes, what’s a girl to do?”
I’m enumerating all this on my fingers, looking down at them. When I raise my gaze to him, I startle at the vulnerability etched on his expression.
“What do you feel when you’re with me, Caroline?”
“I feel that I belong in your arms.”
He exhales, and for a brief second, I wonder if he really thought I feel anything less. He takes one of my hands, kisses my palm, then moves my hand up his cheek, leans into my touch. He looks so vulnerable, I don’t know what to make of it. So I follow my instinct, stepping closer and rising on my toes to kiss him. He responds with so much tenderness, it makes my insides melt. I lace my arms around his neck and put as much heart as I can in the kiss. We only part when we both need a mouthful of air.
He still looks out of sorts, almost nervous. I wish I knew what has him so on edge. That would make softening said edge so much easier.
Before I have a chance to ask, Daniel moves around to the back of his desk, picks something up in his fist from the top drawer, and returns to me, holding it up.
“I want you to have this,” he says.
“A key?”
“To my apartment.”
“Oh, sure. Want me to water your plants while you’re gone to Sydney?” I make a mental inventory of them. There are only three pots.
He shakes his head. “No, I want you to have it. For good.”
Oh. Oh!
Now I understand why he was nervous. If I’m honest, I’ve become jittery myself in the t
wo seconds since his meaning clicked into my mind. Then my heart swells with emotion.
“Wow, are you sure?” I ask. Wrong approach, because his expression hardens a bit.
“If you don’t want—”
“I do want it,” I assure him. “But I don’t want you to regret it.”
He’s smiling now, and some of my anxiety bleeds away. “It’s a little fast, but it also feels like I’ve been waiting ten years to do this.”
I take the key, and if I were alone, I’d hug the tiny scrap of metal to my chest. Well, on second thought, why shouldn’t I? I’ve never been shy about expressing myself, and Daniel is intimately aware of my little displays of craziness. So, I hug it to my chest, and shimmy my hips in a small dance too. He’s giving me a piece of his heart, and I make a silent promise to cherish it, take care of it. Yes, this feels like it’s moving faster than the wind, but I can learn to fly at his speed.
He laughs, cups my face, and kisses me again. “I love seeing you so happy. Making you happy.”
“Back at you. Just giving you heads-up, but I’m so happy right now, I’d do anything you ask me.”