AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She pressed her lips together, giving him a hint of that spunk he knew she had but held such a tight rein on. “I made it home, didn’t I?”
“Do you really want to stand here and argue about your driving?”
She released an audible sigh and let him open the passenger’s door for her. Once she was tucked safely inside, he made his way around the car to the driver’s side.
Daniel started the vehicle and glanced over at her. “Are you comfortable?” The evening had become chilly, so he’d turned the seat warmer on for her.
“Hmm.”
He grinned at her response and turned on some music. The soothing sounds of one of his favorite cellists filled the small space as he maneuvered onto the road. Before they made it to the highway, she was asleep.
Relaxing into his seat, he concentrated on the road. It was Sunday evening, so traffic wasn’t bad. They should be at his house soon and he could get her settled into one of his spare bedrooms for the night.
Daniel was trying not to think about anything other than her getting the rest she needed, but it was difficult to ignore the way his body reacted to her—had always reacted to her. He could have seen her home and left. Ali wasn’t his responsibility. She wasn’t his submissive. They were friends. He looked out for her at the club, made sure her needs were met, but that was it. That’s where their relationship ended.
Ali sighed, drawing his attention, and he looked over to see a smile pull at her lips. Warmth spread through his chest, the urge to brush his fingers along the side of her cheek almost impossible to resist.
He flexed his fingers on the steering wheel and reprimanded himself before returning his attention to the road. “Control yourself, old man.”
Once again, his mind drifted to his daughter, and he felt a chill run through him. What would he think if a man his age thought about his little girl the way he did about Ali?
Shaking his head, Daniel pushed those thoughts out of his mind. He turned into his driveway. As the gate opened, he glanced at his passenger, who was still sound asleep, then followed the winding driveway to his house. The sun was going down, creating an orange glow through the trees.
Pulling into his garage, Daniel turned off the engine and he climbed out. He tucked his keys into his pocket and walked around to the passenger’s side. Ali’s head was resting against the glass, and he didn’t want to startle her.
Easing the door open, he crouched down to her level. Her head fell forward, but she didn’t wake. The urge to touch her surged to the surface once more, but again he resisted. It was something he had a lot of practice with as he’d been doing it for the last two years.
“Ali? Wake up. We’re here.”
She didn’t move, so he chanced giving her arm a little shake.
“Ali?”
Her eyelids fluttered open, and her brow furrowed with confusion for a moment as she focused on him. “Daniel?”
He smiled, hoping to put her at ease. She’d been sleeping for the last twenty minutes. “We’re here. I’ll show you to your room, then you can crawl into bed.”
She looked around and he saw her eyes widen a little. Ali had never been to his house before. No one at the club had. And no one besides Katrina and her P.I. who ran background checks for her knew how much money he had. Her gaze scanned his four-car garage. “Where are we?
“This is my home.” He paused. “Well, my garage.”
He stood and extended his hand to help her out.
Ali hesitated for a moment, then unbuckled her seat belt and took his offered hand. Tingles shot up his arm when she placed her hand in his, and once she was on her feet, he released her. While she was in his home, he was going to have to be mindful of not touching her. As much as he tried, Daniel couldn’t control his reaction to her.
He went to get her bags from the back of his SUV and she followed him. Ali reached for the duffle bag, but he was quicker. “I’ve got it.”
“I can carry it.”
“I know you can, but you don’t need to.” He shut the door and headed for the house.
Ali followed. She didn’t argue with him, but she rarely did. Daniel knew he overstepped a lot, but he couldn’t help it. She may not be his, but there was something that made him want to care for her.
Daniel led her into the house, through the living room and kitchen, and down a long hallway to one of his guest rooms—he had four in this wing of the house. The room he’d chosen was the farthest from his. He figured it was safer that way.
Placing her bag and suitcase beside the dresser along the far wall, he turned to face her. She was a foot inside the room with her arms crossed as if she were protecting herself. He frowned. “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head. “Nothing. I’m just...taking it all in.”
