His gaze bored through hers. “You know how much.”
“I gave it my all, didn’t I?”
He realized where she was going, and a reluctant smile formed on his lips.
She pressed on. “You wouldn’t want me to lie back and just think of England, would you?”
“Touché.” He inclined his head to the side, acknowledging the truth in her words.
“So...” She looked at him hopefully.
“I prefer keeping the truth of my identity hidden as it...reduces the possibility of having to encounter people who want to be in my life for the wrong reasons.”
Daria flinched. She might not be one of the smartest persons in the world, but even she knew when someone was doing his best not to insult her...even if she deserved it. It was bittersweet, knowing that Nik didn’t want to hurt her but also knowing that Nik still believed she was a gold digger.
“Do you have another question?” Nik was doing his best to ignore the way Daria had paled at his answer.
She managed a smile. “Nope.” And then she didn’t talk after that.
When it was time to clear the table, Nik insisted on helping her despite Daria’s protests. He waited for her to speak, willing her to say anything. But by the time they were done drying the glasses, she still hadn’t said a word.
“I don’t like it when you’re quiet,” he said curtly.
And I don’t like it when you’re trying not to be an ass to me, Daria thought. It made her want to kill herself for being an idiot.
To distract herself from her misery, she asked, “Why don’t you want me quiet?”
He shrugged, saying reluctantly, “I like you chattering.”
The words stunned her. “Y-you do?”
He didn’t answer, and the shuttered look on Nik’s handsome face told her he thought he had said more than he should. “I’m going to take a shower,” Nik muttered.
He left her staring after him, open-mouthed.
Nik liked to hear her chatter, she thought dazedly. The one thing almost all of the 28 frogs she dated had complained about, and it was something Nik liked about her.
Nik. The most sensible man she had ever dated. The man she had loved and lied to. The man God gave Daria to be her prince.
Nik was naked under a powerful blast of hot water when he heard the door slide open. A moment later, he saw Daria, exquisitely naked, step inside and join him in the shower.
She had the loveliest smile on her lips, and his cock became fully erect in an instant.
Reaching for the soap on the tray behind him, she said huskily, “Part of, umm, services I’m supposed to render.”
Nik stiffened when Daria stepped close to him, the tips of her breasts brushing against his chest. “Daria—-” He was unable to continue, Daria running her hands over his chest as she soaped his body making his arousal reach a feverish pitch.
And then she started to talk.
Gradually, it became clear to him. Daria was chattering, the way he had asked her to. And with every damn word, he was unable to stop her from breaking the walls of defense around his heart.
Goddamn. Beautiful. Liar.
He thought of the words to remind himself of the kind of woman Daria was, but it was too late. The rage he had lived with during the past month eluded him now, leaving him almost as vulnerable as he had been when he had first met her.
That night, they lay in bed, facing each other, an entire half-foot separating them.
An entire day had passed. One full day of being in Daria’s company, but somehow it didn’t feel enough. The knowledge disturbed him, but even as common sense urged him to leave, Nik remained where he was. He might as well be chained, the way his body was addicted to Daria’s.