Daniel stood, and her eyes nervously followed his until they were looking down at her. Harper felt dwarfed by what had to be at least six foot three inches of controlled dominance. He stepped closer and placed a hand in the small of her back.
Oh god, more fire.
She swallowed.
“Before you do, please, join me for a moment,” he said, or rather instructed, moving a chair out. “I thought we could get to know one another before our business meeting.”
Don’t sit down.
“Thank you,” she said, sitting.
Fuck's sakes.
“I was going to ask if this was your first time visiting the islands, but your surname tells otherwise.”
“My father was Hawaiian,” Harper replied.
“Was? I’m sorry. You must miss him,” Daniel said, and she was surprised how genuine it came across.
“Not really. He cheated on my mother and had another family here. We didn’t know about them for several years.” She shrugged. “So no.”
If she’d been trying to shock Daniel Dufort, she’d just failed miserably. Instead of reacting, he just stared at her with no expression. Not even a blink.
Harper glanced away and took a sip of her drink.
“Look, I—”
“Is that why your stories are based in Hawaii? Are you rewriting history?”
Harper's mouth dropped open. “My stories are not about my father. They’re steamy romances about people who fall in love and live happily ever after. Escapism. Clearly fiction.”
His lips twitched. “An unromantic romance author. How ironic.”
She shrugged. All she wanted was for him to get the message she wouldn’t be manipulated by his money, power, or charm.
To do that, she really needed to get away from him.
“Not all of us come from the perfect, privileged life,” she said. His smug eyes turned dark. How predictable. Rich men rarely liked being put into boxes. “Tell me, Mr. Dufort, when will you be marrying your high school sweetheart or the perfect society girl?”
Instead of responding, he stared at her darkly until it became uncomfortable.
“Well, it looks like I’m not the only one capable of a faux paus, Ms. Kane,” he said, throwing back the rest of his drink.
A chill ran through her body as she watched him stand and collect his laptop and phone. Clearly, she had touched a raw nerve. She thought about apologizing but sat there frozen. Daniel leaned down, placing a hand on the back of her chair. Harper remained staring straight ahead, her back ramrod stiff.
“My mother was an alcoholic, and they divorced when I was thirteen. And there is no college sweetheart. Unlike you, I have no fantasies about marriage. I fuck. They leave. The end.”
She turned as he stood and pulled his sunglasses down over his eyes.
“Enjoy the rest of your day, Ms. Kane.”
Shit.