Daniel could hurt her. If she agreed to give them a try, she would be taking an emotional risk. However, the alternative was to disregard her feelings and run away like a coward. And she was finished being a coward.
For the next two days, until Jack’s release from the hospital, she would allow herself to consider the idea. Story imagined the things Daniel would do to convince her and felt her cheeks heat.
Allison raised her eyebrows. “Well, something clearly more interesting than this conversation is going on in your mind. Would you like to share with the rest of the class?”
Story’s flush deepened. What had they been discussing? Lost in her riotous thoughts, she’d forgotten to follow the conversation.
“Only one thing makes a woman blush like that.” Cora laughed. “A man.”
She sipped her martini to hide her smile. In front of her, Allison’s and Cora’s drinks paused halfway to their mouths. Their eyes were trained on something just beyond her right shoulder, toward the entrance. Several other women at the bar paused in their own conversation. Around her, Story felt the energy in the room shift and knew Daniel had arrived.
She placed her drink on the bar and turned. He stood just inside the foyer, handing his sports jacket to an attendant, covetous brown eyes focused on her. At once, she felt blasted in heat. Awareness raced across her skin. The loose dress suddenly felt too tight, every place it made contact with her skin tingling and sending shock waves along her nerve endings. Her throat went dry. Her pulse pounded. She fought the urge to go to him in the foyer. Push him back out the door so they could go somewhere and be alone.
Daniel wore all black, from his dress shirt down to his buffed shoes. Somehow he managed to look fresh from the shower and a little dirty at the same time, a day’s worth of scruff covering his jaw. When he started toward her at the bar, he moved with such sensual purpose that Story saw a woman begin fanning herself at the bar. He looked hungry. He looked determined. And he was there for her.
She picked up her drink off the bar and drained it.
Without removing his gaze from hers, he took her hand and brought it to his lips. Instead of kissing her knuckles, as she’d been expecting, he turned her hand over and openmouth-kissed the inside of her wrist. That time, she clearly heard Allison and Cora moan under their breaths behind her. Daniel didn’t show any reaction, appearing oblivious to anything besides her.
“I missed you,” he whispered against her wrist.
“I missed you, too,” Story responded breathlessly.
Daniel lowered her hand from his mouth and kept hold of it between them. “Did you? For a while there, I wasn’t so sure.”
“You could have called me anytime and found out for yourself.”
He played with her fingers. “I’m here now.”
“I noticed.” She smiled. “So did everyone else.”
Still, he didn’t look away, but leaned closer to talk softly against her lips. “I only want you noticing me. And I want to be the only one noticing you. Which you’re making incredibly difficult looking as beautiful as you do tonight.”
“My feet hurt,” she blurted.
He laughed and kissed her lips, lingering there before pulling back. “I’ll make it better.” His voice had dropped deeper in pitch and Story felt an answering pull in her belly.
“Daniel?”
“Yes, Story?”
“Can we go now?”
Lips twitching, he started to answer just as Hayden sidled up to the bar and blew out a frustrated breath. “I swear, my mother is going to start a petition to bring back arranged marriage just to get me to the altar before I’m thirty.”
Daniel signaled the bartender, looking amused by her friend. “Hi, Hayden.”
“Hey, Daniel.” Hayden glanced down at their joined hands, then back up at Daniel. “So I guess this means we’re no longer phone buddies?”
Story frowned, splitting a look between them. “Phone buddies?”
Hayden laughed at Daniel’s uncomfortable expression. “Relax. I think the fact that you called to check on Story will probably earn you points.”
As Hayden’s words registered, she looked back at a nervous-looking Daniel. “You did that?” He nodded once, then turned to order a round of drinks from the bartender. She turned to Hayden. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
She nodded toward Daniel. “He just wanted to make sure you weren’t going out alone at night. Didn’t think you’d like him being so overprotective.”
“Wrong.”
“I know. So wrong. But I promised.”
“Next time, please break your promise.”
Hayden turned serious, reaching out to touch her arm. “Story, he’s a really good guy. Don’t let there be a next time. Okay?”
“I’m thinking about it.”
Her friend’s smirk shifted back into place. “Good. Earth mother, out.” She picked up the fresh drink Daniel had slid in front of her and saluted them. “Duty calls. You kids be good.”
“Thanks, Hay.” With a wink, her friend disappeared back through the crowd. Story took a sip of the drink Daniel offered her and peered up at him over the rim. Underneath his handsome exterior, she could see he was tired, the lines around his mouth more pronounced than usual. “If you wanted to check on me, you should have just come over.”
Daniel gave her a look. “You know what would’ve happened if I came over. It would have defeated the purpose of what we talked about.”
“Then what changed?”
“Come with me,” he said, after a slight hesitation.
He took her drink, placed it on the bar, then led her through the crowded room toward the terrace. When they walked through the double doors into the balmy night air, one other couple occupied the stone balcony smoking, but they finished their cigarettes and returned inside a moment later. Daniel steered her toward a wrought iron bench and sat, then pulled her into his lap. Story wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Hi,” she whispered. “Did we really do that earlier over the phone?”
“Unless it was an incredibly vivid dream,” he answered drily. “I’ve been having a lot of those starring you lately.”
“Have you?” Story leaned forward and kissed his lips softly. “Tell me what changed your mind about staying away.”
Daniel sighed. Reaching down, he slipped off her high heels and set them aside. His hand returned a moment later to run a thumb firmly up the arch of her sore foot. Startled by the action and how good it felt, Story gave an embarrassingly loud moan.
“How does that feel?”
“Like you’re trying to distract me.”
Daniel laughed. “Do you want me to stop?”
“God, no. If you stop, I’ll kill you.”
He studied her face for a moment as if memorizing it, then his expression turned serious. “You wanted to know why I changed my mind about staying away.” He looked away. “It’s pretty simple. I’ll take you any way I can get you.”
Daniel’s thumb circled the ball of her foot, and she bit her lip at the pleasure. “Meaning?”
“Meaning, I’m not going to waste another minute of the time I have with you. The last five days have been hell.” His hand slid up to cup her ankle, and his penetrating gaze met hers once more. “Come home with me tonight.”