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I laugh. “Is this the part where we call shotgun and race for the car?”
He chuckles, and the warm, rumbling sound skitters along my spine. How is it possible for a man to be so damn handsome?
“I’m glad you wore the dress,” he says. “I’ve been dying to see how it would look on you.”
“And?”
“Reality makes my fantasy look pale in comparison.”
I don’t know how to explain it, but even as the sexual tension between us hums and snaps and fizzes, I feel something else. Something more. Something...tender. I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced that before.
“It’s a beautiful dress.” I draw in a shaky breath. “I feel guilty accepting such an extravagant gift. All the dresses and the other bits... I can’t keep them, of course. They’re a loan.”
“Well, I certainly won’t have use for them after we...”
And like that, the fairy tale is shattered.
Don’t fool yourself. It was never going somewhere.
But that doesn’t stop the clench in my gut.
“I want you to keep them,” Daniel says, but his eyes are colder now. Like the off button for his emotions has been tapped.
Should I be surprised? Daniel has made it clear that he’s emotionally unavailable, and despite the fact that I keep pushing and pushing... He doesn’t want me knowing about his private life, because that stuff is real. The dresses and the private jet and the luxurious holidays are superficial. Meaningless. Safe.
Another way that Daniel throws money at his problems.
And what about the fact that you’ve come alive in his arms?
That was neither real nor superficial. It’s something wholly and uncomfortably in between.
“We should get going,” I say, closing myself off, too. “I don’t want to miss the start of the show.”
Daniel presses his hand to my lower back, and my traitorous body fills with fluttering warmth. I think we need a team meeting—brain, heart and lady bits all in a room so we can, once and for all, get on the same damn page.
Remember why you’re doing this.
For the life I want to build—a career that fulfills me, a home I can make my own, and the desire not to settle for security when it comes to love. This is a lifeline and nothing more. It’s a safety net that will stop me from ending up back at home with my mother and ruining that relationship. And it’s proof that while some people may be okay with a hollow relationship, Idoneed more than sex and money.
I need a lot more.
Outside there’s a car waiting. Daniel holds the door and I climb in, sliding along the back seat and watching as he follows. The weight of his gaze is like a warm bath. I want to sink lower, deeper. I want to drown in him.
This is temporary. Don’t forget that.
The Opéra Nice Côte d’Azur is stunning, with columns and ornate detailing artfully lit to make it stand out against the inky night sky. Inside, the sheer beauty of luxury from another era steals my breath. I’ve always had a fascination for old buildings. It was one of the things that drew me to Europe after high school. Backpacking around countries with rich heritage and crumbling structures and craftsmanship that doesn’t exist anymore was like falling into a fairy tale. But being here, having balcony seats to one of the most prestigious operas in the world, is a whole other experience.
A grand staircase complete with red carpet takes us up to the floor where the balconies are located. Rows and rows of red seats fill the area below us, and there are velvet curtains and gold decorations as far as the eye can see.
“What a magical place.” The balcony has three seats in front and two behind, and I hope we’ve got the ones right at the front. I don’t want to miss a thing. “Do you know the other people joining us?”
“No one will be joining us.” Daniel shakes his head. “I made sure we had a section ourselves, because I don’t want anyone interrupting our time.”
My mind immediately wanders into the gutter. “You bought five seats for two of us? Seriously?”
He shrugs. “Why not? The theatre gets their money and I don’t have to deal with people I have no interest in talking to.”
I laugh. His world is...something else. “Do you do that often?”
