He didn’t answer and she held her breath, feeling almost as she had when she’d broken into his office. Only this time it was clear she was intruding on something deeper. She felt a sudden slippery panic slither over her skin. If she felt like an intruder, how were they ever going to convince Dunmore that their relationship was real?
‘Rollo. It’s going to be okay.’
‘I know.’
The distance in his voice caught her off guard. But before she could respond, the lift doors opened and she felt his hand on her arm. And then he was guiding her forward, past another bodyguard into a large, open-plan living space where two men stood talking casually by the window.
She stopped abruptly. ‘Rollo—’
Behind them she felt the bodyguard discreetly retreat as Rollo turned to face her.
A muscle flickered in his jaw. ‘Are you trying to make us late?’
It was an accusation dressed up as a question. But with a sting of shock, she realised it was more than that. It was a justification—a reason to be angry. But why did Rollo need to be angry?
And then, looking into his eyes, she felt a sudden painful tightening in her chest as she realised that it wasn’t anger he was feeling. It was fear. He was afraid of blowing the deal.
Instinctively she stepped forward and, taking his hand, squeezed it between her fingers.
‘I know how much this matters to you. It matters to me too, and together we can make it work. So please don’t push me away.’
As the silence stretched between them she thought he might do just that. But he didn’t. Instead, after a brief hesitation, his fingers tightened around hers.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said quietly.
She breathed out sharply.
‘Good.’ Her eyes flared. ‘You should be. From now on it’s you and me against the world, right?’
As he nodded, she leaned forward and kissed him fiercely. When finally she drew back, some of the tension had left his face.
‘Was that for luck?’ he said softly.
She shook her head. ‘We don’t need luck. I just wanted to kiss you. And now I want you to take me to lunch.’
* * *
Halfway through her starter of burrata pugliese and wild strawberries, Daisy decided that James Dunmore was one of the nicest men she had ever met. Tall, with greying red hair, he was reassuringly unpretentious and far less intimidating than she’d expected given his wealth and status.
As they’d walked across the living room, he had greeted them warmly, thanked them both for joining him, and then immediately apologised for his wife’s absence.
‘Emily was so looking forward to seeing you again, Rollo, and, of course, to meeting you, Daisy. Unfortunately her sister was taken ill at the weekend, so she flew up to Vermont to be with her.’
He’d turned to the red-haired man standing next to him.
‘But on the plus side, I’ve managed to coerce my nephew, Jack, into joining us. He heads up my East Coast legal department.’
Jack stepped forward. ‘Hey, Rollo, good to meet you.’
‘And this is Daisy.’
Dunmore’s blue eyes had gleamed. ‘I must admit to having an ulterior motive for inviting Jack to join us today. When I heard that Rollo had got engaged I wanted a witness to the transformation. And, of course, to meet the woman who finally tamed him.’
Rollo had smiled coolly. ‘I think my reputation may have been somewhat exaggerated by the media.’
‘Well, I like mine,’ Daisy had said softly. ‘The woman who tamed Rollo Fleming! That would look great on a T-shirt, don’t you think?’
Dunmore had laughed. ‘It certainly would. Now, why don’t we eat? I hope you’re hungry, Daisy. I’m supposed to be watching my weight, but my chef, Jordi, makes it extremely difficult.’