He smiled then, his mouth curving up like the petals of a flower opening, and Dora felt her pulse accelerate. It was the first time he’d smiled like that, and a part of her hoped it wouldn’t be the last.
Unsmiling, he had a beauty that was intimidating, but when he smiled it made her want to reach out and touch the corners of his mouth, press her thumb—actually her own mouth—against the fullness of his lips.
Great idea—and then you can make an even bigger fool of yourself.
Archie gave a squawk and, realising he had dropped his toy, she was relieved—grateful, even—to close herself off from that particular memory.
Leaning over, she picked it up. ‘So that’s why you gave him this. Are you a monkey too?’ she asked.
; His eyes rested on her face. ‘A tiger.’
She glanced up at his hair. Of course. Although he didn’t need the stripes, she thought. There was an inner stillness to him that reminded her of a big cat—the same unsettling mix of grace and beauty and power.
For a moment it was on the tip of her tongue to ask him about her sign. But she knew herself well enough to admit that she would probably end up looking it up online and trying to work out their compatibility, or something equally dumb—and, anyway, why was she even thinking this?
‘Can I run something by you, Dora?’
‘Maybe...’ She could hear the uncertainty in her voice. ‘Depends what it is.’
Great, now she sounded like a sulky teenager.
‘I know this is a short trip, and Archie’s not even a year old yet, but you are his guardian and I think it’s important for you to get an understanding of the family business as soon as possible.’
She had thought he was going to suggest a family get-together with his half-sisters—not a business tutorial. She felt a ripple of panic. It was hard enough learning parenting skills—surely she didn’t have to become a businesswoman, as well?
But this was Archie’s legacy. She couldn’t just close her eyes and pretend it wasn’t there. She had to do what Della would have done and protect his interests.
‘Are you saying you want to sit down and talk to me about it?’
He shrugged. ‘We could certainly do that, if you would prefer. But I was thinking it might be easier to show rather than tell.’
She looked at him blankly. ‘What does that mean?’
‘I was hoping you might join me at the complex this afternoon. I can show you round...talk you through the day-to-day operation.’ When she didn’t respond, he frowned. ‘Is that a problem?’
‘No, not a problem.’ She hesitated. ‘It’s just that after what you said in London I thought introducing Archie to his half-sisters was your priority.’
His dark eyes didn’t leave her face. ‘Unfortunately, that won’t be possible,’ he said slowly. ‘They’re visiting friends in New York.’
She wanted to ask, So why was it so urgent that we come over right now? But perhaps he hadn’t known.
Charlie reached out and she felt her limbs turn to butter. And then he ruffled Archie’s hair and a needle of embarrassment slid beneath her ribs as she realised her mistake.
‘If you would rather talk about it here, we can spend the afternoon in my office,’ he said softly.
An oscillating tingle scraped over her skin.
Spend an afternoon with Charlie. On her own. In his office. Probably with the door closed, so they weren’t disturbed.
There was no way she was doing that.
‘No,’ she said quickly. ‘You’re right. It would be better to see it for myself.’
Two hours later, she was trying not to look as dazzled as she felt.
‘Slot machines make up only zero point five per cent of our business,’ Charlie said, guiding her through the gaming floor. ‘Baccarat is the most popular game. But we offer Black Jack and Roulette. And Sic Bo.’