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Why didn’t she? Because it would be too easy. And Dani had never been one to take the easy option. She would never be the easy option—for all her tarty talk to him. A simple few minutes now would mean complicated mess later—that she did know. She was her mother’s daughter—susceptible to over-emotionality and that spelt weakness. Time after time she’d seen her mother’s softness used against her. And when Dani had finally opened up to someone, she’d been trodden over too. Independence and clear-headedness was all—she needed to reclaim both right now.
The defence Dani had learned was to challenge, to say something smart, even issue a sting. But only millimetres from Alex, it was taking everything she had to stay in control. That made her nervous—and in turn that increased her determination to succeed. Her body went even more rigid.
One, then two, long seconds passed. His mouth was clamped shut and his eyes narrowed. Then he laced his fingers together, put them on his head as if he were an apprehended offender, and stalked from the room.
CHAPTER FIVE
DANI dragged herself from bed—having got to sleep only when the birds started their pre-dawn ‘say hello to each other’ chatter. She tugged up the trousers of her flannelette pyjamas and thudded down the stairs in search of coffee.
Newspapers were scattered all over the breakfast table and the radio was blaring. Dani blinked, struggling to adjust to the light, all the activity and the smell of fresh cooking. Alex was dressed in another devastating suit, sitting at the table with a giant glass of juice and halfway through demolishing an omelette already.
He paused, his fork halfway to his mouth as he looked her over. Dani held her head high—OK, the pink-pig-stamped pjs were indefensible, but at least they weren’t sexy.
‘You want one?’ he asked. ‘Won’t take me a minute to whip it up.’
‘No, thanks.’ She turned her back on his blistering brightness. The words want one and whip it up coming from his mouth made her thoughts go squirmingly naughty.
‘Not a morning person?’
Not when the night had been so long and she hadn’t had her necessary six solid hours and a couple more in the doze-zone. She hadn’t been able to move on from the doze-zone. Because the semi-conscious dreams she’d had there had been rampantly X-rated and out of control. So, no, she wasn’t a this morning person.
He made a small movement and the radio went silent. ‘What about cereal? There’s a selection in the pantry there.’
‘Got coffee?’
He stood. ‘How strong?’
‘As strong as you’ve got.’
Dani looked at the pantry while he pushed buttons and got the oversized coffee contraption working. The pantry was oversized too—not just a cupboard you opened and filled the shelves of, but a small room that you could actually walk into—complete with its own butler’s sink and small bench space. But despite her wanting to explore all the interestinglooking packs of foodie things on the shelves the space was just that bit too confined for her to feel comfortable. She walked out and inhaled.
‘Nothing you like the look of?’ Alex noted her empty hands.
Dani picked up the steaming mug he’d put on the table for her and told herself that there were plenty of other things in the whole entire world to like the look of. Not just Alex Carlisle.
‘My housekeeper will get whatever you like in for you—just leave a note on the fridge.’
‘Housekeeper?’
He nodded. ‘Cleans, launders, cooks meals and is utterly discreet.’
Dani sank into a chair. ‘The last being the most important, huh?’
Alex’s brows lifted. ‘You definitely need food.’
Dani just took another deep swig from the mug and closed her eyes as she swallowed the burning brain fuel. When she returned to almost-alive land Alex was at work behind the bench. There was a popping sound and he put two halves of a hot toasted bagel on the plate in front of him. He spread a thick layer of cream cheese onto it and several strips of smoked salmon on top of that. He put the finished plate of perfection in front of her.
OK, so that was something else to like the look of.
He nudged the plate closer. ‘It’s for eating.’
‘Yeah. Thanks.’ And it tasted almost as good as she figured he would.
He sat in the chair next to her and reached for his glass of juice, pulling part of the newspaper closer to read. ‘Do you want me to organise a stylist for tonight?’
‘A what?’ She nearly choked on the bit of bagel.
‘You know, someone to fix your hair and make-up?’
He thought she needed someone to fix her hair and make-up? Why? Didn’t she make ‘Carlisle standard’? Dani shrivelled inside as his words sliced right through her superficial layer of confidence. So she wasn’t good enough to be seen out with at one of his posh fundraisers? She wasn’t pretty or polished enough? Hurt, she put the bagel down, her appetite all gone. ‘Are you sure you want me to come with you tonight?’ She shrivelled more—hoped he hadn’t heard her insecure edge.
Alex turned quickly to look at her, a frown drawing his brows together. Dani didn’t look back at him, couldn’t, was too flattened by his offer.
‘Dani,’ he said deliberately. ‘There’s nothing I want more than for you to come with me tonight. But I did promise I’d go to the dinner. And I don’t want an empty chair beside me.’ He put his hand on hers to stop her leaving the table.
She ignored her sizzling skin and gave him a baleful look. ‘That wasn’t what I meant.’
‘I know you didn’t,’ he said, the cheeky grin giving way to an earnest expression. ‘Look, my mother never used to leave the house without having checked her appearance with her stylist. It’s just something I’m used to. Not a comment on the way you look.’
A personal stylist? Wow—rich people like him really lived in an alternative universe, didn’t they? But she didn’t want to get sucked into the fantasy and start thinking such things were normal. She didn’t want to be sucked in by Alex Carlisle any more than she’d been since she first clapped eyes on him.
‘Umm, I think I can manage. It’s only hair, right?’ She cleared her throat, trying to get rid of the wounded rasp. ‘And my style you can’t do a lot with.’ It was so thick she had to have it cut regularly into a plain and simple bob. But it was well overdue now, her fringe annoyingly long and too unruly for her to risk trimming herself—another reason to earn money asap.
He brushed the stupidly long bit back with his free hand and smiled, his gaze dropping to her pink pyjamas. Her toes curled into the heated tiles beneath her feet. What was she doing without shoes? And what was he doing looking so fine in his dark suit so early? And so clean-shaven? It was too early for that—shouldn’t he be tousled, shouldn’t his eyes be shadowed and sleepy, shouldn’t he be…in bed?
‘I’d better get ready.’ She jerked up. ‘Don’t want to be late on my first day.’
The warehouse was impressive. Turned out Lorenzo was some sort of wine god and there were pallets of cases everywhere. And a very flash reception area and even a tasting room. Not that Alex stopped to give her the guided tour.
‘The office is on the first floor.’ He headed straight up. ‘Cara, this is Dani.’
The woman behind the desk gave Dani a wide smile. Dani registered the russet-coloured cropped hair and the elfin features and sparkling eyes.
‘I’ll leave you to it.’ Alex was crisp. ‘Take care of her.’
Dani wasn’t sure who he meant by that—but he was gone before she could check.
‘It’ll be great to have you onboard,’ Cara said cheerfully. ‘There’s always way too much to do.’
There was too. Dani’s head whirled as she followed Ca
ra through the routine. The woman was a dynamo—full of energy, effervescence and unfailing good humour.
She took the seat beside her and shadowed her while Cara explained everything in minute detail. It was fascinating and full on. But there was one burning question Dani couldn’t bring herself to ask—how pregnant was Cara? Because her tummy was really, really flat. In fact, her tummy was flatter than Dani’s. But she wasn’t going to go personal—not on her first day. She was just here to work and pick up the wages.
Alex checked his watch again. He’d been stuck behind his desk for hours—hadn’t gone down to the floor. No point. She wasn’t there.
He should be feeling great. The situation with Dani was resolved, right? Now he could concentrate on far more important matters—like figuring out what he was going to do, whether he had any real right to be the boss at the bank. But his brain was stuck on one track. If he so much as thought of her his body went rock-hard. The things he wanted to do…but he hadn’t taken her to his home to jump her bones the minute he had the chance, except the ache in his body had made him make moves and he’d loved every moment of touch and tease between them.
So had she. She couldn’t deny the heat in her gaze, the reaction of her body—and she hadn’t tried to. But she didn’t want to act on it. And that got him.
He could kind of understand it. Her life was messed up enough—and in large part because of him. So succumbing to the lust—seducing her—just wasn’t on, even though he knew it wouldn’t take much to make it happen. But while Alex liked to play, he wanted an equally enthusiastic playmate.
Until she stepped up to the plate, he was standing back.
And she was a flatmate now, right? He knew the rule as well as she did—don’t screw the crew. The one everyone learnt while flatting at university. Alex didn’t mess around at work, and he sure as hell wasn’t messing with someone in his own home.
