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“To Olivia. Have a beautiful day at work.”
Olivia’s heart turned over in her chest. Was this from…Dane? Jack had never sent her flowers. What was Dane sending, mixed signals? Oh, wait. He was just being hospitable and friendly. He knew how nervous she was on her first day back after her holiday or what should have been her wedding/honeymoon holiday time off.
Tears stung her eyes.
“Are you okay?” Chatney said, eagerly trying to read the card. “Who is it from? A secret admirer?”
“No, no secret. Just a friend.” Her heart plunged thinking about that day in the conservatory over breakfast, she had told Dane that she loved fresh flowers, especially bright yellow flowers like the ones in this gorgeous arrangement: yellow ranunculus, alstroemeria, yellow daisies and button pompons. The bright warm yellow colors glowed like a summer morning and reminded her of hope and happiness.
Dane remembered. Oh, God, he remembered to a tee.
Olivia honestly had no idea he was paying attention to what she’d been babbling on about her interests that day—or any day. He actually listened and took note. Did Jack ever pay attention to her deep desires or interests? No. Never. She knew she could only be a friend to Dane and mean nothing more to him. But I wish we were more than just friends.
* * *
“You really like this girl, don’t you?” JoJo asked Dane in his office at the Belmont Palace.
“She’s a good acquaintance.”
“Nothing wrong with that,” JoJo said, as he tapped some information into Dane’s computer. Dane stood by the fireplace in his office. “She really seems like a nice girl. I don’t say that about everyone.”
“I know,” Dane said, grinning.
“Well,” JoJo began. “We’ve got a few leads. Here’s some pictures on that zipped file with the notorious twelve.”
“Notorious twelve?”
“Yeah, some real crazy loan sharks who offer the most insane interest rates and will stop at nothing to get their repayments back. All you have to do is ask Olivia if she’s seen any one of these guys. These are surveillance shots, some of them. I’m checking with my guys down at the division to see if there are any mugs on file.”
“Good. The sooner the better.”
“Anything to help.”
“Hey, I really do appreciate this. I know you’re out there doing a job for Jonah.”
JoJo grinned. That almost never happened. “Your old man’s okay,” he said.
“Why do you say that?”
“He’s really trying hard to find out if he’s got any kids out there so he can cut them in on their inheritance. You don’t see that happen every day. It’s usually the kids trying to find out who their daddy is.”
“That’s true.”
“I know it’s not my place, but he seems serious about this. You know, that bucket list.”
“I know,” Dane said, rubbing the stubble on this chin. He then paced by the fireplace and cracked his knuckles – one by one. “But like I said, I’m not a marrying man. I’m sure he’ll get over it.”
“When? In the afterlife?” JoJo immediately said afterward: “Sorry, I was way out of line.”
“No. You’re right. I just can’t think about that right now. Just making sure Olivia safe is what I’m concerned about. I’m only doing this because she’s my client. And all my clients are important. Remember? I met her at the hotel. She had complications with her wedding and I stepped in. I’m not going to leave her high and dry at this point. That’s not my style.”
“I hear you. And it’s not my style to lie, sir.”
“Lie?”
“I can’t pretend you’re telling the truth. You like her and you know it. And I think she likes you, too. What’s wrong with getting involved with her while your old man is still around?”
“Nothing. And everything.”
“I see. It’s complicated.”
“Very.”
Who was Dane kidding? His mouth was saying one thing, but his groin was always saying something else whenever he was near Olivia. He grew harder around her than he’d done in the past few months of his relationship with Sophie.
It’ll pass, he kept telling himself. He had nothing but pure primal attraction to her. But it would pass. It had to.
“Anyway, congratulations on launching your new line of security devices at JJP,” Dane offered, switching the subject. He knew he’d get aroused thinking of Olivia’s sweet lips again and how he’d fantasized every night since that kiss about kissing more than just her lips. He wondered what she’d taste like taking her in his mouth, running his tongue between her legs and sucking hard on her until she came.
Enough, Dane. She’s off limits. Forget it.
“Thanks.”
“How did you come up with those tracking devices?” Dane asked.
“Easy. There’s a need for people to feel secure. I fill that need. I know they’ve got spy cams, nanny cams and what have you but some parents want to feel safe that their little kids will always be where they should be. That’s why my team and I came up with the solution.”
“Cool.”
Speaking of tracking devices, he wished he knew where Olivia was right now. He knew she was at work, but he just wanted to make sure she would always be safe. Would she go to the mall after work or straight home? Dane loved an independent woman but he wished he could convince her to stay “home” at the palace for an extended period of time until they caught the slime balls who were after her.
Chapter 13
The next evening, Olivia sat in Dane’s basement office, apartment hunting on his computer but also craving his touch again. The silky feel of his lips on hers.
She had been his bride for only that one day, last month. God, she wished it had been for longer.
Then her mind ran on the fact that Dane’s connections were still watching over her—from a distance, of course, but she still felt self-conscious about having security around her all the time. She really didn’t like having detectives following her—it put her on edge. Thanks to Jack, her life was a mess—again. She wished she could have gotten into Jack’s old email account to see if there were any clues as to who could be terrorizing her. But she knew better, as JoJo and his men were on the job.
What would she have done without Dane’s help? She wished he was beside her now.
As if Dane could read her mind, he walked back into the office, his eyes swept over her body and she shivered with delight. He had two steaming cups of coffee in his hands and placed them down on the desk.
“Thank you,” she said. “You remembered our coffee break.”
“Couldn’t forget it. Double double.”
“Right.” What a sweetie he was. He’d studied her during the past few weeks and knew her habits. He’d starting bringing her coffee himself even when she’d insisted she could get it herself.
“Are you all right?” Dane’s silky voice penetrated her thoughts.
“Yes, I’m just checking and responding to my emails. Seems like it never ends. Lost in a sea of electronic data all the time.”
“I hear you.” His boyish grin charmed her. He was stunning. The sexiest man alive. To her, he was. “Listen, I’ll be right back. I’ve just got to give something to my aunt.”
“Sure thing.”
He left and Olivia couldn’t help but notice his nice derriere. The man was hot.
A few minutes later, Olivia heard the sound of footsteps outside the door and thought Dane had returned. However, it was a pretty Asian woman with ginger hair. She looked like a model. She wore slim fitted pants, a blouse and had a designer tote bag clutched in her hand.
“Hi, I thought Dane was here,” the woman said, dropping her bag on the table near the door and propping herself up on the top of the table. “Ted said Dane was in his office.”
“Oh, um…” And who is this? “He just stepped out,” Olivia replied.
“And you are?” The woman narrowed her eyes in on Olivia.
“A friend of his. Olivia.”
“Hi, Olivia, I’m Dane’s girlfriend, Peaches.”
Olivia’s heart stopped.
“His g-girlfriend?” Olivia said, barely getting the syllables out.
“Yes, didn’t he tell you?” She smirked.
Apparently not. Well, that explains his reluctance to repeat our passionate kiss that night under the mistletoe. God, I feel stupid. Of course he’s taken! The good guys always are.
Moments later, Dane came back into his office and Peaches walked over to him, swung her arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Hello, darling, ready for tonight?”
“Tonight?” Dane questioned, not looking at Olivia. Then he pulled away from Peaches and smacked his forehead with his palm. “Oh, geez, Peaches, I’m sorry. I forgot about tonight. I don’t know if I can make it.”
“Can’t make it? But, Dane, you promised.”
“Hey, I never promised, P,” Dane objected. “I said I’d think about it.”
P?
Olivia’s heartbeat pounded in her chest. She kept her eyes fixed on the screen of the computer, pretending not to hear what was going on. Well, this was pretty awkward, wasn’t it?
