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‘Phase one is complete.’ I cup her face. ‘Phase two is scheduled for tonight.’
Her gaze smoulders at my touch. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘Your introduction to my world.’ I brace.
‘Oh.’ She grimaces slightly. ‘What’s phase two?’
‘One of my famous parties.’ I smile.
‘Tonight?’Her eyes widen.
‘Anzelotti Holdings is the primary sponsor of a new staging of one of Shakespeare’s plays at the King’s Theatre in town.’
‘Okay...’ She looks unsure. ‘I thought you said party?’
I suspect she’s never been to the theatre before. ‘Beforehand, yes.’
‘Before? So it’s not going to be a wildly late night?’
‘No, we’re talking a pre-show function at a bar down from the theatre.’
‘Not a debauched party at your place?’
‘No.’ I’m not ready to have anyone else at home yet. ‘Time limited, guest-list limited. Risk limited.’
‘Top-tier control freak right there,’ she mutters.
‘There’ll be plenty of people watching. And there might be cameras.’
‘You hate those.’ She wrinkles her nose. ‘Are you sure I need to be there?’
Yeah, I think it’s important that we get on with her introduction to life here. To my life. ‘You have to meet everyone some time. You have something to wear?’
Her gaze narrows. ‘I’ll figure something out.’
She doesn’t want to ask me for help—that damn pride of hers again. I know she has a thing aboutthingsand about not holding onto stuff. She doesn’t want to need anything from anyone. I fight to suppress the urge to challenge her on it now.
‘Party.’ She huffs a breath. ‘Theatre. You take me out sailing, make me all warm and relaxed and now you’re trying to kill my calm?’ She pouts at me.
Yeah, an experience is different. An experience is something shecantake from me.
‘Oh, I apologise.’ I lean close. ‘But as it happens I know another way to make you all warm and relaxed again.’
I know our physical intimacy is only going to be temporary, but I don’t yet have the strength to resist the power of it.
To resisther.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Talia
BACKATTHEhouse I feed and play with Lukas. From upstairs I hear a car arrive and it’s so unusual I peek out of the window to see who it is. I see Simone step out of the sleek car and I’m instantly nervous. What’s she going to think of Dain having a baby with a random barista?
‘I’ve a good mind not to speak to you at all.’ Simone’s reproachful voice carries up the stairwell as I slowly descend. ‘I only learned about Lukas and Talia when I came to Brisbane, Dain.’
She sounds hurt.
Dain’s chuckle is that charming kind. ‘You know I prefer to keep a low profile.’
