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Eyes shimmering, she smiled up at him and wrapped her arms around his waist with zeal. “Beautiful, Daniel? You are too generous but I think a little bias.”
Her act must have caught him off guard, for he looked down at her startled.
“Am I not the luckiest woman in the world to have captured such a wonderful man? I am so proud of him.”
“Yes,” Aimee agreed and shifted on her flat heels at Sonya’s brazen show of affection. “He is a genius.”
“Oh, but he’s so much more than that.” Sonya straightened away from Daniel and stared her opponent down with importance. “He’s the most gentle, kind-hearted and virtuous man I have ever known. Not only is he drop-dead gorgeous, but he is also the most caring, most supportive friend any woman could ask for. Yes, he may be the most intelligent, data dribbling man I know, but he is so remarkably gifted beyond the size of his brain tissue. He’s a rare breed. A real diamond in the rough. Any woman’s dream.”
Silence fell between the trio before Aimee cleared her throat and looked away awkwardly. “I’m sure. Oh, look, I’m afraid there is someone I must go and say hello to.”
Then she bolted away with a short nod of farewell in Daniel’s direction.”
As she scurried away, Sonya set her fixed gaze upon the departing woman’s back and felt remarkably triumphant. As if she were a lioness protecting her pride and had just defeated the enemy.
“Laying it on a little thick, weren’t you?” Daniel leaned forward to whisper in her ear.
She spun around to stare at him. Every word she uttered hadn’t been a lie. To her amazement she discovered it was exactly how she thought of Daniel. He was more to her than some intellectual paragon. If he didn’t have any of those traits she would still admire him terribly, because he had so many other wonderful qualities. But Daniel could not suspect she felt so much admiration for him. She was the type of woman who would hurt him in the end.
“I considered drama if my singing didn’t take off.”
He looked into her eyes and Sonya felt a sudden unease come over her. She had to steel her face to conceal the truth. Then taking a deep breath, he stood up straight and glanced around the floor. “Shall we continue?”
She didn’t think it was the safest thing to do, but the waltz was a fairly non-contact dance in relation to some of the more intimate moves out there today. Nodding, she held up her arms, but was taken by surprise when he ignored them and cupped her waist in the palm of his hands and pulled her body close.
“I was never any good at waltzing.”
As soon as she felt the contact of his body, hers came alive. A searing warmth shot like wildfire throughout her body and melted it against his solid form. “I-I could teach you.”
He gave her a sudden grin and moved closer. Her eyes grew in alarm at what his obvious intentions were. Then only at a breath’s distance apart, he whispered as she had done at the cottage before she kissed him, “Relax.”
Chapter 11
His lips covered hers in longing, desperately wanting to fulfil the need which had taken over him from the moment he first laid eyes on her, to the few snatches of contact he had been granted. Her lips felt of satin and rose petals and her intoxicating fragrance of incense candles and cheap perfume, drifted up to his nostrils. As he drew her even closer, he slid his hand up her back and encountered the long mane of her dark hair.
He was glad she decided to wear it down and relished in the feel of its smooth texture as his fingers played within its depths. Her mouth began to respond below the onslaught of his own and he thought he detected a low moan as her arms moved on their own accord up and around his neck.
All his male responses kicked into gear and he wanted nothing more than to lift her into his arms and carry her to the nearest bed. He wanted her. He no longer wanted to deny. Her body left a need deep within longing to be fulfilled. No longer would he sit back and let her dictate his emotions or his needs. They had an urgency that ached to be released.
With reluctance, he drew back from her, not forgetting where they were. He would reveal his feelings to her whether it destroyed them or not, however it would be later in the private and secluded quarters of his bedroom.
She didn’t open her eyes at once, instead remained lying in his arms with her face tilted up to his as if begging him to continue. Daniel would gladly have obliged her but first they needed to get out of there as soon as possible.
Sonya’s eyes flew open when she felt herself being spun away from the dance floor. “Where are we going?”
“Home.”
She felt a swift brush of warmth sweep down her spine before she drew herself out of her reverie. She and Daniel did not have a home together. They never would.
“Look, Daniel—” she began.
He interrupted her by saying, “But I want you to meet someone first.”
Her hand flew to her cheek and wondered if she was in a state to meet anyone else. Daniel had left her flushed and looking like a woman who had just been thoroughly kissed. A tiny smile played about her lips. She had just been thoroughly kissed.
He stopped them in front of two men deep in conversation. One man looked to appear in his mid-forties with thinning hair and wire-rimmed glasses and the other man was an older gentleman of whitish-grey hair. They nodded their heads in greeting, before Daniel tugged her arm so hard she stood before the man.
“I would like you to meet the woman I was telling you about.” She heard him say from behind her. “This is Sonya Elliott.”
