“It does for me. Raising Ireland has always been my top priority. She liked jamming everything she could into my schedule. That left me with little time--and no energy—to even think of dating.” Then, as if she’d once again revealed too much about herself to him, she looked back out the window.
“For years I raised my niece. She was also into a lot of things and I’ll admit, there were times she wore me out,” he said, trying to reclaim her attention.
Margo had taken dance classes and had enjoyed spending time at the mall shopping, as well as going to movies and concerts. And because he’d been overly protective, he’d gotten in the habit of doing those things with her.
“Then you know what I mean,” she said.
No, he didn’t. Even with Margo’s active schedule, he’d still found time to date. But then, he’d had help. In addition to the gun-carrying chauffeurs who’d taken Margo back and forth to school, Goldwyn as well as Gertrude Winters, his long-time housekeeper, had kept everything going smoothly. “What about now? You said your daughter is away at college, right?”
She nodded.
“So, what’s keeping you from dating now?”
If she thought his question was too personal, she didn’t say so. In fact, her expression indicated she was giving it serious thought. Then, she shrugged. “I guess I just haven’t met anyone who has held my interest.”
“I see.”
Because there was very little traffic on the roads at this hour, it didn’t take long to get back to her house. When Morris brought the car to a stop in her driveway, she grabbed her purse and glanced over at him.
“Thank you for picking me up.”
Their gazes locked and he knew, at that moment, something had passed between them. A heated rush ran through his body at the thought that she’d felt it as well. “You are more than welcome.”
When Morris opened the door, Frazier slid out, once again offering his hand to assist her out. When their hands touched, he felt it again. And when she went still, he was certain she had felt it, too.
“May I walk you to the door, Ms. Danville?”
“That’s not necessary, Mr. Connelly.”
But she was wrong about that. It was absolutely necessary. But instead of telling her that, he simply placed his hand at her elbow to escort her up the steps to her door. When they reached it, he waited as she fished the key from her purse.
Glancing up at him, she smiled. “I’m glad you’re happy with the way things went tonight, Mr. Connelly. It was a lot of fun. And being involved in raising money for such a good cause always makes me feel good. Thank you for allowing me to represent your company.”
His mind veered into other ways he could make her feel good. But this wasn’t the time. “You’re welcome. But after tonight, would you mind not calling me Mr. Connelly. I’m Frazier. And I’d really like to call you Rylee, instead of Ms. Danville.”
A look of confusion appeared on her face. “Why?”
Frazier felt that was simple enough to answer. “Because, Rylee, I want a chance to be the man who will hold your interest.”
BRIGHT AND EARLY SUNDAYmorning, Roland and Lennox finally managed to take a walk on the beach. After two days of rain, it was the first chance they’d had to do so. Now the sun shone bright in the sky and it promised to be a beautiful day. The only down side was that they would be leaving tomorrow.
To take their minds off the situation, they’d made it a point over the last two days to focus on each other. Once Roland had felt comfortable that she understood the way he felt about serious relationships, he hadn’t held anything back. And neither had she.
Roland was a spontaneous kind of guy. They’d made love whenever the mood hit. And it hit a lot--at all hours of the day and night, and in every room of the house. She’d never experienced sex like that and found it totally fascinating.
And now, she was walking on the beach with him, loving the way the sand felt beneath her feet. When she’d suggested they go skinny-dipping later, he had squashed the idea, reminding her they weren’t alone on the property. Hedidn’t want Byron to get an eye-full. She’d blushed—she’d forgotten Byron was staying in the gardener cottage.
“Who is Grayson Prescoli?” she asked, as they walked along the shore.
He glanced over at her. “Why do you want to know?”
She shrugged slightly. “Only because I know you’ve spoken to him a couple of times. You’ve talked about some of the other guys who are helping you, but you haven’t said anything about him.”
He nodded. “Not telling you about Grayson wasn’t intentional, I just forgot to mention him. Grayson and I were in the Air Force together. The same as Byron. Grayson owns one of the most famed tactical training schools in the country. When I first started my security firm, I would send those I hired to Grayson for six-months of training.”
“A half year?” she asked, squinting against the brightness of the sun.
Roland stopped walking and she did as well. She wasn’t sure why whenever he looked at her, she could feel the intensity of his gaze. It didn’t help matters that in his usual attire of jeans and a pull-over shirt—not to mention the facial hair he was now sporting--he looked sexy as hell.