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Ali hesitated. Then she stood and handed it to him. She worried her bottom lip, waiting for his reaction. The romances she tended to read weren’t exactly pure and wholesome.
Daniel took it and skimmed over the page she was supposed to have been reading. Things were beginning to heat up between the hero and the heroine, but they hadn’t done more than kiss yet.
He flipped the page, read some more, and then flipped again. She knew the moment he got to the good part. His mouth tightened and his fingers flexed. He read for several minutes, not saying anything, and kept reading.
Butterflies began to flutter in her stomach as she awaited his reaction. She knew he wouldn’t be mad or anything, but would he be disappointed? That would almost be worse. Even though he wasn’t her Dom, she respected him, and she wanted his respect in return.
Daniel glanced up, his eyes searching hers for a moment before holding out the book for her to take.
The tips of her fingers brushed against his as she reached for the book, and she felt warmth spread up her arm. She closed her eyes and tried to will the feeling away as it worked its way down her arm to the pit of her stomach.
“Allison?”
She opened her eyes and met his gaze. “Yes?”
His eyes darkened and her breath caught in her throat. She felt something pass between them for a moment, but then he looked down, and it was gone. “Go sit down and read your book like a good girl.”
Blowing out a breath, she turned her back to him, clutching her book to her chest. “I think I’ll go read in my room.” She had to bite off the ‘Sir’ she wanted to add and left before she could embarrass herself any further. Running away from him for the second night in a row.
The next morning, he greeted her with a smile, serving her an omelet and some fruit. She thought about bringing up what had happened the night before, but what if it was all in her head? Maybe it was the part of the story he’d read that had caused that look in his eyes. She’d finished reading the chapter last night in her room, so she knew exactly what he’d seen on the page. The hero had lit candles and drizzled wax all over the heroine before going down on her and fucking her with a toy. It was so hot she’d had to dig her vibrator out of her luggage.
But it didn’t matter if the look she thought she saw in Daniel’s eyes had been because of the book or if she’d imagined it altogether. It didn’t change anything. “I won’t be here for dinner tonight. I need to run to my apartment, so I’ll just go through a drive-thru or something.”
He finished chewing before he responded. “How late do you think you’ll be?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I need to make sure I have everything for tomorrow night.”
Again, he didn’t answer right away. “I’ll most likely be working late again as well. I’ll pick something up for both of us and meet you at your apartment.”
The impulse to ask him if he was sure was on the tip of her tongue, but she stopped the words from escaping. She knew he hated it when she did that. So instead, she thanked him and moved on. “Do you work late a lot?”
“Only when I’m closing a deal.”
“A new investment?” she asked.
He finished his omelet. “I’m attempting to purchase a building downtown and we’re in the middle of negotiations.”
“Does that happen a lot?”
Daniel grinned at her as he walked to the sink with his plate. “Sometimes.”
“I don’t think I’d be good at something like that.” In fact, she knew she’d be horrible at it. Ali didn’t like confrontation. In fact, she avoided it whenever she could. Even when it came to scenes at the club, she had difficulty with negotiating. That’s one of the reasons why, when he’d offered, she’d let Daniel negotiate the scenes for her with the other Doms. She’d told him what she wanted, what her limits were, and he set it up.
“Are you finished?” He nodded to her now empty plate.
“Yes. Thank you.”
He took her plate, then continued their previous conversation. “It takes practice like anything else. A lot of it can be learned, but some of it is instinct.”
Ali stood and strolled toward him, wanting to get more water. She filled her glass, then turned to face him. “I bet you’re really good at it.”
Her words trailed off as he gazed down at her. They were standing close—so close she could feel the heat radiating off his chest. “I’m really good at a lot of things,” he said.
The feeling from last night was back. Maybe she hadn’t been imagining it.
“Ali?” His voice sounded a bit hoarse.
She swayed a little closer to him. “Yes?”
