CHAPTER ELEVEN
Harper placed her wineglass on the bar and turned to get the barman’s attention, which wasn’t hard. The man had been ogling her since she’d arrived.
She wanted to warn him it was a career-limiting move, given she was technically on a date with Daniel Dufort.
Technically.
She got the sense Daniel didn’t share his toys.
And she was a toy to him.
Daniel placed his hand on her wrist, sending shockwaves through her body. Her eyes moved to his.
“What do you want? I’ll order it,” he said with authority, the silvery blue of his eyes swirling as they ran over her face.
“Just water, please. I’ve had enough wine.”
He ordered them two waters while she took in his profile. Perfectly firm jaw, long eyelashes, and dark stubble made him look even more damn sexy than he did during the day.
He turned back to her, and they sat unspeaking, gazing at each other. Candlelight danced across their faces while the world seemed to barely exist outside of their bubble.
She desperately wanted Daniel to touch her, and the need was becoming unbearable. At the same time, she was telling herself to run as far away as possible before she succumbed to his spell.
The longer she stayed, the more intense it felt.
Their water arrived, and she glanced away, taking a long drink. Daniel did the same as the tension between them swirled around them.
She had to leave. If she looked at him one more time, he was either going to kiss her, or she was going to throw herself at him.
Then her stomach made an embarrassing noise.
“Hungry?” he asked, smirking
“Apparently.” She blushed and let out a small giggle. It was a sign to leave. Tossing back her drink, she dropped it on the bar and stood. “Thank you for your company tonight. I’m going to see if one of those meal packs has arrived in my new room.”
A roar sounded outside, and she let out a little gasp. Daniel stiffened and placed his water on the bar firmly. “Wait, Harper.”
From the bar she could see the wind slashing the windows and large palm trees swaying beside the streetlights. Her eyes darted to Daniel. “Do you think we’ll be sleeping in the hallways?”
Daniel stood and reached for his phone, typing a text. “Let me find out.”
As he typed, they walked out of the bar and his hand landed on the small of her back. Harper had clearly drunk enough wine to give her the courage to lean into him, and she did. And he felt warm and delicious.
They stopped just outside the entrance to The Olive Tree, where Daniel positioned himself close. His towering height and size gave her a sense of security she welcomed.
“Oh!” she said, turning suddenly into his body and finding his glittering eyes closer than she’d expected. Her hand flew to her chest like she was some maiden from another time. One day she’d laugh at herself, but right now she was all kinds of flustered by this powerful man. “I don’t know what floor I’m on or the room number.”
Daniel grinned. “Follow me, gorgeous.”
Gorgeous? A million butterflies took flight inside her stomach.
No, no, no.
She couldn’t fall for this guy. Billionaires from New York didn’t fall in love with Kiwi girls. Harper closed her eyes and shook her head. “No, it's fine. Just tell me and I can find my way. Can’t be that hard, can it?”
“Humor me, Harper. Let a man walk you home after buying you drinks,” he said, glancing down at her with a frown.
“Sorry. I’m not very experienced with this dating stuff,” she said and wished she could zip her lips closed.