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  “I wonder if-” Damn, it was so hard not to let my eyes slip to his lips. I could still remember how deliciously they tasted in my dream.

  “If?” he said almost in a whisper.

  God, if only his every word didn’t sound like an invitation to burn the sheets. How the hell was that even possible to be just friends with someone like Daniel Farrell? A delightful picture of everything that any woman would love to see first thing in the morning…

  “I wonder if there was someone I had a relationship with,” I said as fast as I could, afraid to forget what I was going to say before his eyes started their shameless travel all over my face and lips.

  “None that I knew about,” he replied in the same seductive manner, taking one more step closer. Unlike me, he wasn’t ashamed of watching me as if I were the last bite of a dessert he was dying to taste.

  “So, I’ve never had a boyfriend?”

  “Maybe you have, but you’ve always been very secretive when it came to your personal life.”

  “That’s strange.”

  “Why?” He looked at me, squinting.

  “Because a few days ago I had a dream. A very intimate dream.”

  “Really? And what did you see there?”

  Daniel took a step back and crossed his arms, still watching me intently.

  “There was a man-” I said, waiting for any change on his unreadable face.

  “Did you recognize him?”

  “I didn’t see his face. But I thought you could help me remember the man, if he ever existed of course.”

  He made a helpless gesture. “Sorry, Kas. I wish I could help you. But I doubt I will ever be allowed to become a part of those intimate dreams of yours.”

  My cheeks flushed. “Forget it.” I turned away from his joyful eyes, regretting the moment I started this stupid conversation.

  “Are you ready to go home?” he asked, apparently feeling my embarrassment.

  “Give me a minute,” I said, hiding behind the bathroom door. Now, I felt even worse than before the moment he came to the café. Silly woman, I thought to myself. Daniel would tell me if we were more than just friends, wouldn’t he? Besides, I couldn’t come up with any logical explanation for pretending being just friends, if we were not. I must be imagining things, I thought to myself, before I went back to the kitchen.

  ***

  When Daniel’s car stopped at the curb in front of my building, he wished me good night, and said that tomorrow he would find some time to take me to Adrian’s.

  “That would be great. Thanks. Would you um, like to have a cup of tea?” Only after the words were said, I realized how ambiguous they actually sounded.

  “Maybe next time,” he replied with that all-knowing smile that I badly wanted to kill him for. “It’s late and you need to get some rest. You had an eventful day.”

  “You are right. I haven’t worked so much since what feels like forever. See you tomorrow, then.”

  “Wait,” he said, catching me by the hand. “What kind of a friend am I if I don’t offer my help with the shower. I bet you still need it.”

  No, really? What was I supposed to say? I don’t even know where I got the courage to reply to his kind ‘offer’.

  “That would be really nice of you. I promise, it won’t take long.”

  First he froze, as if he didn’t expect me to accept the offer. Then his eyebrows rose in surprise and he smiled cunningly. “I thought you were afraid of being alone with me.”

  “Why would you think that?”

  “Because you’ve been obviously avoiding me for the last couple of days.”

  “Have I?” I met his stare without hesitation. If this was a game he was playing with me, I was ready to join it. “So, are we going?”

  “As you wish.”

  Chapter 6

  What the hell do you think you are doing? My rational thinking obviously didn’t like the idea of the upcoming shower session. Looks like my common sense flew out the window when it came to resisting whatever Daniel had on his mind, offering his help with the damn shower.

  The elevator never seemed to go so freaking slow. It was big enough to contain the entire hockey team but right now, it felt like the smallest place in the world. Daniel and I were standing facing each other; unlike his eyes, which were fixed on me, mine were fully focused on my shoes. Great shoes, by the way, made in black patent leather, with the small gold buckles and heels.

  Gosh, how could I have been so stupid? I took a deep breath, hoping it would help me relax and stop that irritating trembling in my knees. It’s not that I was getting myself ready for sleeping with Daniel, but how the heck was I supposed to take that thought out of my mind? My shitty courage was leaving me with every passing second, and by the time the elevator stopped, I badly wanted someone to kill me.

  “Second thoughts are so disturbing,” Daniel said as I turned to the doors.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Never mind.” He smiled mischievously. “Just thinking aloud.”

  I returned the smile, hoping to fool his all-knowing mind and stepped out of the elevator, holding my head as high as I could.

  By the time we stopped at the door of my apartment, I could barely hide my nervousness; my hands were shaking visibly.

  “Let me help you,” Daniel said, taking the keys from my hands. “Are you all right? You seem a little pale.”

  No, shit?

  “I’m fine,” I said, crossing the threshold of my apartment. I sure as hell didn’t want to make a fool of myself, but apparently it was the only thing I was still able to do at the moment. Crap…

  I took off my jacket and dropped it on the couch, thinking frantically about what to say next.

  “I remember you offering a cup of tea,” Daniel said, as if feeling my hesitation.

  “And, I remember you refusing it,” I snapped, not even thinking about hiding the sarcasm in my voice.

  He smirked. “Then, why don’t we move to the more interesting part of our plan?”

  You have a lot of nerve, I thought furiously to myself. Though, why would I be furious? No one made me accept his help, no matter how obviously ‘non-helping’ it sounded.

  I smiled pleasantly. “You’re right. Let’s leave tea for later.” Then, I turned on my heel and headed for the bedroom, listening to the echoes of Daniel’s quiet laugher, following me down the hall. Did he always have to be such a pain in the neck?

  “I will need packing paper and tape,” he said, entering my bedroom.

  “What for?” I asked, looking at him suspiciously.

  Again, he demonstrated the best of his intuitiveness.

  “Don’t worry; I’m not going to kill you or anything.”

  “Very funny.”

  “You thought about it first,” he said, sitting on my bed.

  I rolled my eyes. “Emily was right after all.”

  “About what?”

  “About you playing that impossible role of yours way too often.”

  He laughed again. “What else did she tell you about me?”

  “Nothing.” I took a new towel from one of the unpacked boxes, and pointed to the door, saying, “You can find the paper and the tape in the kitchen. Right cupboard from the fridge.”

  “I’ll be right back,” Daniel said, rising to his feet. “Don’t take off your clothes. I want to do it myself,” he added, winking.

  Ugh, this is going to be one hell of a shower, I thought looking at my reflection in the mirror. Deep down in my heart I was glad Daniel was there with me now. I didn’t feel good. Apparently, it was too soon to work so much. I was exhausted; with bags under my eyes and messy hair, I looked like an old broom. Great…

  I sighed.

  “Ready?” Daniel asked, entering the bathroom.

  “You could have knocked before letting yourself in.”

  “Why would I do that?”

  I raised my eyebrows, rather surprised by his attitude.

  “I knew you were still waiting for me t
o come and help you with the clothes,” he said, smiling innocently to my reflection in the mirror.

  “Right.”

  He seemed to be enjoying the situation a lot. I was sure he noticed every small change in my expression. Too bad I couldn’t read him as easily as he could read me. He was still one big mystery for me.

  “Now, turn around,” he said, making me face him.

  For a moment, I was stunned, speechlessly amazed. No mirror could do justice to the beauty of Daniel’s features. My eyes traveled across his face, stopping only for a second to enjoy the fullness of his lips that I badly wanted to feel capturing mine…

  Wordlessly, he started unbuttoning my blouse, and I felt my cheeks turning red. I knew he was still watching me, but I couldn’t make myself look into his eyes. Suffice to say that I could barely breathe, feeling his fingertips as if accidently touching my skin. A pleasant ache formed in my belly, splashing like a river of pure bliss all over my body and making the fantasies in my head go wild.

  “Relax,” Daniel breathed into my ear, making me groan mentally in response. How was I supposed to relax, when all I wanted was to make my fantasies become real? Did he always have that effect on me? Did I always want to wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him senseless?

  “That makes two of us,” suddenly he said, answering my mental questions.

  “What?” I stared at him, confused. It was a little hard to concentrate on anything but his scent enveloping me like a soft blanket, as if it consisted of some magical components that I couldn’t recognize but so wanted to breathe in.

  “I can almost hear the wild beating of your heart,” he said, slowly wrapping his arms around my waist, and squeezing it lightly, as if he were afraid of breaking me. It was the moment when our eyes met. For a second, I was taken aback by the intensity of his dark-blue gaze staring down at me. I didn’t know what to think, even though thinking was the last thing I wanted to do now.

  Daniel leaned forward, making our bodies touch in a very seductive way. His chest rubbed mine, and I almost growled at the touch. Even though he was still wearing his shirt (a damn-good looking one, outlining every muscle of his upper body) and I had a bandage all over my breasts and belly, the sensations running through my veins were mind-blowing. I couldn’t help myself, I raised one hand and slid my palm up his chest and all the way to his neck, curving my fingers only to pull him even closer.

  He groaned under his breath, brushing my earlobe and neck with his fingertips. “If only you knew how much I wanted this moment to happen,” he said inches from my lips. “I would sell my soul to the devil for the chance to feel your lips kissing mine.” Our eyes met again, and I could see the battle hidden behind the intensity of his gaze. Something was stopping him, and I couldn’t understand what it was. Definitely not me…

  “Forget it,” he said in low voice and took a step back. What? I so wanted to pull him back and finish what was going on, but suddenly my beautiful fantasies crashed right in front of my eyes, and I felt awful.

  “Already forgotten,” I snapped sharply. I didn’t know why, but his sudden change of mood made me furious. Who the hell did he think he was?

  I turned back to the sink, and splashed some cold water on my face and neck, hoping to put out the fire still burning under my skin. When I looked up again, Daniel was still standing behind me, wearing the darkest expression ever.

  With his hands on his hips, he moved closer and said quietly, “Sorry, Kas. It will never happen again. I promise.”

  Well, hell…

  “Why don’t you leave your apologies aside and help me finally with the shower?” I all but barked at him. His expression changed from emotionless to guilty. Serves you right, I thought vainly to myself.

  He took one more step closer and put his palms on my shoulders, sliding them slowly down my arms and removing my blouse. The predatory sensations didn’t go anywhere, they became even stronger. Though this time I tried to replace them with anger.

  “Thanks,” I said, tossing the blouse to the floor. “Now what?”

  “Stay still,” he said, taking the film and the tape. Then he carefully wrapped my bandages, avoiding looking at me and fixed the cover with the tape. “Now you can take a shower. I will remove the covers when you are done.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me about covering the bandages earlier? It would simplify my life a lot.”

  “Maybe because I knew you wouldn’t be able to do that without me.”

  Then he turned around and left the bathroom, closing the door quietly behind him.

  Great…

  I sighed, shaking my head. What just happened? Was it the first time that we had such a reaction to each other? And why on earth did Daniel have to stop right before I thought he would kiss me? He said he didn’t have a girlfriend, he knew I wasn’t dating anyone, so WHAT. THE. HELL? I groaned, disappointed, and got into the shower.

  It was the first time that I could take one without thinking about my injuries and bandages. They were supposed to be removed next week, and I couldn’t wait for the moment I would be able to breathe freely again.

  I took my time enjoying the hot water relaxing my tensed muscles. Unfortunately it was the only thing I could enjoy now. As soon as I turned off the water, Daniel knocked. To my surprise, this time, he didn’t forget to do that.

  “Here’s your towel,” he said, standing with his back to the shower stall. It was made of a frosted glass, so he couldn’t see anything but my outstretched hand.

  “Thanks,” I said, wrapping the towel around me.

  “I’ll wait outside.”

  “Okay.” I waited for Daniel to leave, and came to the mirror. I still looked a little tired, though I felt much better now. Even my anger for Daniel didn’t seem to be as strong anymore. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so dramatic? Were his words about the kiss nothing but a moment of weakness? Yeah, right… As if you didn’t see that wild look in his eyes. I cursed mentally and put on a robe before going back to bedroom. I sure as hell didn’t want the bathroom scene to repeat. One screwed-up kiss was more than enough for tonight.

  “In a few days you will forget about the bandages,” Daniel said, removing the covers from my breast and arm. This time there were no accidental touches or short pauses. Everything was done in one breath, as if he was afraid of losing control again.

  “Yeah, my life will finally get back to normal.”

  “Do you still want to go to Adrian’s?”

  “Yes, of course. Why would I change my mind?”

  “Well, I thought… Never mind; I’ll take you there tomorrow.”

  “You mean today?” I said, pointing to the clock on the wall. It showed 2:00 in the morning.

  “Shoot, I didn’t know it was so late. I should probably leave now and give you some time to rest.”

  I nodded silently in response.

  “I’ll call you when I’m ready to pick you up.”

  “Okay.”

  Daniel took his jacket and headed for the door.

  “Thank you,” I said, following him. After all, he DID help me with the shower.

  “What are friends for?” he said with a slight smile. Unlike other times, tonight he left without a goodbye kiss, which I thought was for the best.

  Despite my exhaustion, I didn’t want to sleep. So, I went to the kitchen and made a cup of hot chocolate for myself. There were a few messages left on my voice mail, so I pushed the red button and listened to the first one.

  “Hey, Kas. Where the hell are you?” Emily said into the phone. “I wanted to talk to you about something very important, so call me back ASAP.”

  I looked at the clock again and thought I would call her first thing in the morning.

  The next message said the following, “Ms. Benson, my name is Jordan Gale. I’m your lawyer Julie Stafford’s new assistant. I have the papers that you wanted her to look though. She made a few corrections in the gift contract that mentioned paintings and other antiques from your brother’s collection.
Please call me back as soon as you can. I also wanted to ask you a few questions about the auction planned for the next Sunday. Have a great day! Good bye.”

  Okaaay…

  Looks like I had new puzzles to solve. What auction was the man talking about?

  I sat on the couch and saw a brochure on my coffee table. I took it into my hands and read aloud, “Adrian Benson’s Benefit Auction. Sunday, November 30th, Richmond Place, 20.”

  I opened the brochure and found a list of things that were supposed to be put on the auction. There were a few porcelain pieces; furniture, bronze figures and a bracelet. A very beautiful golden bracelet with a small diamond rose that made my knees tremble…

  Chapter 7

  I remembered the bracelet. It was a gift from Adrian. He gave it to me sometime in October. That day, my brother was uncharacteristically upset. A hopeless optimist, he never told anyone about his problems. He thought it was kind of a bad luck that only made things worse.

  He came to the café early in the morning. I was working on a cake, and didn’t see him entering the kitchen.

  “One day you will fall asleep right in the middle of my kitchen,” he said, laughing.

  “Hey, what are you doing here?” I knew my brother too well to believe that he would wake up at the break of dawn just to see if everything was okay with his café.

  “Fighting insomnia,” he said, leaning over my worktable. “Looks delicious,” he added, nodding to the cake.

  “I also hope it will taste good,” I said.

  One look at Adrian was enough to realize that something was wrong with him.

  “You okay?” I asked him cautiously.

  “Never been better,” he said, forcing a smile. I always knew when my brother was lying. “I have something for you.” And then he put a thin velvet box right near the cake.