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“You should finish that glass,” I say. I check my watch. It’s too late to get to my meeting now, I need to text my secretary and get him to postpone. “Have you eaten yet? It’s about time for lunch.”
“No,” she admits. “No, and I didn’t have anything this morning. I was so tired after last night I slept through breakfast at the hotel, and then I thought I’d better get a move on and see some of the sights. Only…” She looks down at herself, and I can see her thinking about what a mess that asshole made of her clothes. Her whole day is disrupted now. She can’t go out like this.
But she can stay here with me, and I can make sure she doesn’t feel too awkward.
“Let’s have lunch, then,” I say, passing her a menu. “What do you want?”
“Oh,” she says. “I don’t want to hold you up – you must be so busy.”
“I’m free until this evening,” I lie. “It’s the least I can do for the daughter of a very old friend.”
“Um,” she says, glancing over the menu. “Okay. I don’t really mind. I’ll eat anything on here.”
“Alright, then I’ll surprise you,” I say, getting up and heading to order. It’s also a good opportunity to let my secretary know I need the afternoon cleared – he can be trusted to come up with a good enough excuse.
I quickly decide on a few plates, so she can pick and choose what she wants and I can have whatever doesn’t pass muster, a grilled pumpkin and halloumi sandwich, smashed avocado on toast Melbourne style, and a leafy salad with chicken. I also order a couple more iced drinks, because I want to make sure she gets enough hydration that she doesn’t pass out before she gets back to her hotel this time.
I glance back at our table, and a bolt of desire rushes through me. She isn’t even doing anything – just looking out of the window with her head cradled in one hand. She’s sitting there in a ruined dress, recovering from dehydration, and yet she’s the most beautiful and attractive woman I’ve ever seen.
How is that possible?
I bring the food over on a tray and set it all out, and I see her eyes light up at the possibility of food. She must be starving as well as thirsty. I’m glad I ran into her when I did, or she might have ended up in a much more dire situation.
“Eat whatever you like,” I prompt, watching her go for the smashed avocado – something a little more familiar from home, I guess.
“Thank you for this,” she says, after a couple of bites. She’s already starting to sound a lot more together. Some water, a bit of food, and some rest – it’s exactly what her body needed.
“Don’t worry about it,” I smile. “So, how long are you here for?”
“Just a week,” she sighs. “Then I’m flying home. I wanted to stay a little longer, but I guess I need to get back home and find a job before the summer ends.”
I do some mental calculations in my head, trying to figure out how old she must be. “You’ve graduated college?”
“Yes, I finished my last day a couple of weeks before flying out,” she says. “Which means now I have to try and put my new degree to use.”
“What’s your degree in?” I ask, curious.
“Business studies,” she says and shrugs self-consciously. “I don’t know. I guess I kind of got inspired by seeing what Dad does. He gets to travel all over the world. It’s kind of exciting.”
I laugh. “You’re not wrong there,” I say. After all, I should know. We’re in the same line of work.
Candace finishes off the last piece of toast and starts eyeing the sandwich, which I haven’t even started to eat yet. “Sorry, do you mind if I…?”
I smile and take half the sandwich from my plate, putting it on hers. It feels intimate, sharing food together. Like if our mouths are eating the same food, it’s only one step removed from our lips touching.
God, I want her so bad. How could this have happened so quickly?
And I know at that moment, it doesn’t matter whose daughter she is. I need to have her – and neither my body nor my brain is going to let another man stop that from happening.
The bad news is, I only have a week to make her mine. Which means I’m not leaving this table until I absolutely have to.
Chapter Six
Candace
I finish off what must be my fourth glass when I realize what that means. We must have been here for hours – and Sean’s still sitting here like there’s nowhere in the world he’d rather be.
“Oh, God,” I say. “I’ve kept you here for so long. Are you sure you haven’t got somewhere to be?”
