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Daniel glanced down at her offering and his eyes narrowed almost indiscernibly. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.”
“Why not?”
He moved closer, closing the distance between them much like the way a large cat would close in on its prey. Her heart fluttered wildly, reacting more than it had any right to do. His gaze lingered first on her eyes, then at her lips before he murmured, “Based on the way you reacted from my touch the other night, I’m not sure it would be in either of our best interests to make that kind of contact again.” He dipped his head lower so his lips nearly brushed against her ear and he whispered, “Unless you’re willing to revisit it and see where things might go.”
She exhaled slowly through pursed lips. “I think your first instincts might be right. At this point I’m not sure I’m ready for anything serious.”
His mouth was still so close that she could feel the warmth of his breath as it grazed her jaw. “That’s a shame.” Daniel pulled away far quicker than she expected, and she jumped just a little which seemed to cause his smile to widen.
This wasn’t the Daniel she’d met before. It was as if he’d zapped all the confidence from her and taken it for himself because suddenly, she felt incredibly small. Her instincts were all over the place and she didn’t know what to do.
Megan shut her eyes tight, finding her center then opened them to offer him a smile. “No handshake then. We can discuss this tonight after supper. Does that work for you?”
“Looking forward to it.”
She brushed past him, willing her racing heart to settle. She had a full day to get her head straight before she saw him again. She could do this.
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
It tookeverything Daniel had to keep his eyes from sweeping toward Megan during dinner. Between their kiss and their moment at the bookstore, he was finding it incredibly hard to keep his thoughts on the right path.
She’d made it clear she wasn’t interested in a relationship, but a professional partnership might be in the works.
The problem was he couldn’t be sure if he was capable of keeping that wall between the two. She sat on the far side of the table beside her cousin. They were talking quietly, but he could hear every single word. It was as if his ears had become attuned to the cadence and rhythm of her voice.
“I went into the city today. That bookstore has a few things that I don’t, and I was going to ask the owner where she got them.”
“Why didn’t you?”
There was a pause, some hesitation. He knew exactly why Megan didn’t get the chance to ask the store owner. She’d been distracted by someone showing up.
“It slipped my mind,” she finally said. “But I can look her up and give her a call when she opens tomorrow. I think it would be nice to chat with someone who has been going through similar stuff as me.”
“That’s a great idea,” Gabby agreed. “I’d guess she’d like to touch base with another store owner, too. You can never have too many allies.”
At this he lifted his head and turned it down to that side of the table. Megan was looking directly at him when she murmured, “Yeah, I think you’re right.”
He tore his gaze away. She seemed more in control right now than she had when they were in the bookstore. It wouldn’t be such a big problem if his own nerves weren’t already frayed. He’d used up all his confidence earlier today. Now, he was second guessing everything and wondering if he should just pull her aside and tell her he was wrong.
Her statement made that decision so much harder.
This wasn’t just about business anymore. It was this secret connection they had. He wanted to get to know her more, see the softer side of her and find out what made her tick. It had nearly become an obsession within the last twenty-four hours.
Something he was very aware wasn’t healthy.
The only way he felt he could get her out of his head was to desensitize himself to her. But there was this nagging feeling that it wouldn’t work. The more he was around her the more he wanted.
Dinner continued much like any other night until Bo stood up and smiled wide. “We have an announcement. The house is ready to close. This Friday we’ll be moving in officially. You’re not going to see much of us around for dinner.”
“Unless you invite us, of course.” Gabby grabbed his hand and pulled him back to his seat. “We would never turn down an invitation for free food.” The rest of the family chuckled at her comment, but Daniel had his thoughts on something else. Or rather,someoneelse.
His gaze landed on Megan again. She wouldn’t be hanging around the house anymore. She’d move over to the new house with Gabby and Bo which meant he’d see less of her.
The remaining days of this week were all he’d have—as far as excuses to see her without making a big deal about it.
Daniel’s stomach lurched and that was when the realization hit him harder than before. He didn’t want just a professional agreement. He wanted to be with her in more intimate ways. Daniel wanted to support her and have her cheer for him. Their little rivalry seemed so trivial now. Was he worried about his business failing? Maybe a little. At least it wasn’t as much as before.
There would always be ways he could drum up more business. If he could convince Megan that they could be good together in more ways than simply business, perhaps his life wouldn’t feel so—off balanced.
