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He took a seat on the edge of the bed. “Good morning, sweetheart. Did you sleep well?”
“Yes.” But before she could say any more, his hand cupped her breast, and he began playing with her nipple. She closed her eyes and hummed.
Daniel ran his hand down her side and rested it on her hip. “I’m tempted to blow off brunch and fuck you instead.”
Ali sighed. She’d be good with that.
His lips caressed hers, coaxing her mouth open, but before it could go any farther, his phone rang.
Daniel groaned and removed the phone from his pocket. He checked the caller ID. When he met her gaze again, she knew their fun would be put on hold. “I need to take this.”
He stood and walked out of the room, leaving her alone.
Ali stared up at the ceiling and blew out a breath. She dragged herself out of Daniel’s bed and picked up the T-shirt she’d worn the night before. Slipping it on, she went around the room, picking up her discarded clothing.
As she passed by the kitchen, Daniel looked up from his call. His eyes sparkled as his gaze roamed her body. She felt her sex pulse. Then the person he was talking to said something, and he turned his attention back to the phone.
It took her twenty minutes to shower and another twenty trying to figure out what to wear. While Ali shouldn’t care what Daniel’s ex thought of her, she kind of did, but more than that, she wanted to make a good first impression on James.
In the end, she took a page from Daniel’s playbook and went with her favorite jeans and a button-down shirt. Most of the outfits she’d brought with her from her apartment were either dress clothes for work, club attire, or T-shirts and leggings for lounging around the house.
A knock came at her door as she was putting in her earrings. “Come in.”
Daniel walked in, his gaze scanning over her. He held out a hand, and she went to him. “Not sure which I like more. You running around in nothing but a T-shirt, or your ass in these jeans.”
Ali laughed.
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “Ready to go?”
“Yeah.”
The drive to the hotel took less than thirty minutes. Finding a place to park in the parking garage had taken another twenty-five. By the time they made it to the hotel restaurant, they were ten minutes late.
Daniel gave the man at the host stand his ex-wife's name and they were escorted into the restaurant. Ali wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting, but the woman sitting at the table they were taken to wasn’t it.
The woman had short red hair with streaks of gray around her temples that framed her features. She was dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt with a huge yellow smiley face on it.
They stopped in front of the table and Daniel held out a chair for Ali. She didn’t miss how Jessica’s face changed as she registered Daniel wasn’t alone. “Who’s this?” she asked.
Daniel made the introductions. “Ali, this is Jessica and her husband, David.” He picked up the menu from the table. “My apologies for our tardiness. It took longer than expected to find a parking spot.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Ali,” David said.
Ali replied in kind. “You, too.”
David smiled, but Ali couldn’t read the expression on Jessica’s face. It wasn’t exactly hostile, but it wasn’t overly friendly either. Ali picked up her menu and scanned over the offerings.
After placing their orders, Daniel got down to business. “So what is it about Cassie’s fiancé that you wanted to make me aware of?”
Jessica seemed to hesitate, but after giving Ali a side-eye, she said, “I’m not sure he’s right for her.”
“What makes you think that?” Daniel asked.
“He works all the time, for one thing. And I don’t like the way he talks to her.”
Daniel took a sip of his coffee. “I need specifics, Jessica.”
She huffed. “About a month ago, we were talking on the phone. She forgot to hang up and I overheard some things.” She paused and Daniel waited. “It sounded like he was hitting her.”
