Danny

7

JORDAN CAREFULLY LAID the tape measure down on the floor, measuring the width of the library. She scribbled the number on a pad of paper, then slowly measured in the opposite direction. Kellan had said that if there was a secret entrance into the house, they’d find it this way.

Drawing a ragged breath, she walked out into the foyer. What difference did it make? In a few weeks, the new owners could worry about it. They could afford to hire someone to come in and draw a new floorplan. She glanced down at her watch.

She was already an hour late for Nan and Riley’s engagement party and though she was dressed and ready to go, she couldn’t bring herself to walk out the front door. Everything was such a mess. The closer she got to finishing, the more confused she became. She’d put off talking to her father for fear that it might force her into a decision she wasn’t ready to make. Whenever Danny spoke of the future, she deftly changed the subject. And now, she was quickly losing interest in finally finishing the house.

She pushed the button on the tape measure and it snapped back into the plastic case. All this indecision was beginning to wear on her. She wanted to know if she had a future at Kencor. She needed to know if she had a future with Danny. It was time to ask the hard questions and get on with the rest of her life.

Jordan grabbed her pad and pencil and strode back to the library. She’d do it now. She’d call her father and if it all went bad, she’d have the party to distract her mind for the rest of the night.

Grabbing her cell phone from the desk, she quickly punched in her father’s number and waited as it rang. It was Saturday afternoon in New York. He’d probably be finishing up his regular round of golf at his country club and having a few drinks with his buddies. Now would be a good time. Two martinis always made him more amenable.

The phone rang and then went to voice mail. Drawing a shaky breath, she decided to forgo a message. Maybe it wasn’t the right time. But then, a few seconds later, the phone buzzed and she saw an incoming text from her father. “Busy. What do you want?” she read aloud.

“All right. Do it now,” Jordan murmured to herself. Ireland job done in two weeks. I want hotel project.

“Matt already started. Maybe next time,” she read.

No next time! Hotel project, now, or… Jordan bit her bottom lip, closed her eyes and said a silent prayer. This was the right thing to do. She didn’t want to go on working for someone who didn’t appreciate her talents.

“Or what?” she murmured.

Was she ready to do this? She was playing a giant game of poker and she was ready to go all in…I quit. She stared at the words for a long moment, drew another breath and then hit Send. “Oh, God,” Jordan groaned. “Please, please, please, let this work. This has to work.”

“Hey, what’s going on? Why are you still here?”

Jordan jumped at the sound of Danny’s voice. She spun around in her chair. “I’m sorry. I just-I had to do this. It couldn’t wait.”

“What couldn’t wait?” Danny asked. “I’ve been trying to ring you and you haven’t answered. I was getting worried.”

“I was trying to find the passageway,” Jordan lied, grabbing the paper. “I didn’t want to leave the house without-”

“The house will be fine. And I promise, we’ll look for the passageway tomorrow. I’ll help you. It’s Sunday, it will be a good way to pass our only day off for the week.”

Jordan’s phone buzzed and a sick feeling came over her.

“Are you going to answer that?” Danny asked.

She shook her head. “No, not right now.” She quickly stood. “I’m ready. Let’s go.”

Jordan smoothed her hands over the front of her dress, slipping her phone into her skirt pocket, then pasted a smile on her face. Though she’d been looking forward to the party in Ballykirk, right now she felt like crawling into bed and pulling the covers over her head. She’d never held another job. From the moment she was old enough to draw a paycheck from Kencor, she’d worked there.

When they reached the front door, Danny pulled it open, then paused. “Are you all right?”

“Sure. I’m fine.” Jordan stopped short. “Wait. I forgot the gifts. They’re on my desk.” She turned around and ran back through the foyer and into the library. The two presents had been neatly wrapped earlier that afternoon. But before she picked them up, Jordan pulled her phone from her pocket.

Her throat filled with emotion as she looked at the text. Don’t like ultimatums. Finish Cnoc project. Send resignation letter.

That was it, Jordan thought to herself. Just a few sentences and it was over. She waited for the tears, for any reaction. But the only thing she felt was relief. She made her stand, asked for what she wanted and she’d been refused.

“Jordan! What’s the holdup?”

She numbly tossed the cell phone on the desk and turned for the door. She’d figure this all out later. Tonight she’d have fun with Danny and his family, drink a bit too much and let him make love to her until nothing mattered but the feel of his body moving inside hers.

When she reached the entryway, she handed him the gifts. “Did you get these?” he asked.

She nodded. “I know it said no gifts on the invitation, but I’m not going to be here for the-” She sighed. “I wasn’t going to be here for the wedding, so I wanted to get them something.”

“You got them two things?” he asked.

“The smaller is a first-edition Yeats. A collection of his poems. And the other is silver. Hotel silver. It’s kind of a trendy thing. You use it for everyday silverware. They’re engraved with Qs and Ns and Rs.”

“You got them a book and silverware?”

“Yes. I wasn’t quite sure which was appropriate so I just bought them both.”

“A toaster would have been appropriate.”

“But that’s so unimaginative,” she said. “Everyone buys toasters. I bought something romantic and something useful.”

“Should I have gotten a gift?”

“No. The gifts are from the two of us.”

As they walked out to the car, Danny gave her hand a squeeze. “I like that,” he murmured. “I like that we’re a couple.”

The pub was packed with barely enough room to move when Danny and Jordan arrived. She stood at his side, clutching his arm and shifting from foot to foot, trying to appear cheerful. A band played on a stage at one end of the pub and a crowd was already on the dance floor, shouting and stomping and clapping. Jordan had been to engagement parties before, but they’d always been very sedate affairs.

The song came to an end and Riley stepped up to the microphone, then pointed directly at them. “It seems my little brother has come back and with a very lovely lass on his arm.”

The crowd shouted Danny’s name and he chuckled beside her.

“Now, those of you who know Danny know that this is an unusual thing. But I want all of you to give our boyo a good word when you chat with Jordan. She’s American and she’s beautiful and I don’t know what the hell she’s doing hanging around my brother, but let’s all pretend that he’s worth it.”

“Hello, Jordan!” the crowd cried out.

Jordan forced a smile and gave them all a weak wave. “Hello,” she called. “Nice to be here.”

“Kellan, get these two a drink. I’m going to be takin’ a break for a few songs so I can go kiss my fiancée,” Riley said. “And after that, I’ve got a special song I want to sing for her.”

Kellan had saved seats for them both at the bar and Danny pulled her along through the crowd. She held tight to Danny’s hand and was grateful to see a familiar face in Kellan.

“Hello,” she said.

“Hi, Joe,” Kellen replied with a grin. “What can I get you to drink?”

Jordan glanced around. “A large glass of whatever will get me drunk very quickly. How about one of Nan’s margaritas?”

“Forget the fruity drinks,” Kellan advised. “Whiskey. A double?”

“Make it a triple.”

Kellan poured her a glass, then turned to Danny. “How about you, brother?”

“Nothing for now. I’m driving.”

“No, you’re not. You’re joining in the celebration. And if you have too much, you two can stay up at your place.”

“All right, then, give me a pint,” Danny said.

Over the next half hour, Jordan was introduced to an endless line of people. She met Danny’s parents, Eamon and Maggie Quinn, and his two older sisters and their families. And first cousins and second cousins and third cousins.

Jordan had to wonder where the crowd had come from. Ballykirk was such a small village. But everyone in attendance seemed to know the couple quite well, considering that Nan had only lived in Ireland for a few months.

This was what family was like, she mused. One big, happy crowd of people who cared. She’d never really experienced that before, never even imagined what it would feel like to be completely comfortable with the people she was related to.

As the evening went on, the crowd became more and more boisterous and the music more raucous. This was the perfect way to distract herself. How could she feel depressed when faced with Irish pub music? It was all so cheerful and lively. Danny joined his two brothers on stage for a set and Jordan found a spot in the shadows to watch them.

“They’re a wild bunch.”

Jordan glanced to her left to find Nan standing next to her. “I’ve never seen him like this,” she said. “He hums while he works, but this is a surprise. I didn’t realize he could sing.”

Nan gave her a long look. “Are you all right?”

“Yes,” Jordan replied. “I’m…I’m fine.”

The brothers finally left the stage after a rousing rendition of an Irish reel that left the audience exhausted. But Riley came back, sitting down on a stool with an acoustic guitar.

“This is a song for my lovely Nan. It’s a song I wrote especially for her and I’ve only sung it to her once before and she promptly fell in love with me. I reckon if I sing it now, she might just marry me.”

Nan leaned closer. “He’s going to sing the selkie song.” Her eyes fixed on Riley as he spun the tale of a man in love with a beautiful selkie. The way he sang the ballad, it was as if the two of them were the mortal man and the beautiful creature from the sea.

Jordan watched him, amazed at the depth of emotion he conveyed to the audience…to Nan, tears swimming in her eyes. This was love, she thought to herself. Jordan could see it in Riley’s eyes, in the way he smiled at his fiancée.

Riley sang two more songs, both of them sweet love songs, before he nodded to the crowd and stepped off stage, a bottle of beer dangling from his fingers. He was headed directly to Nan, but his trip was interrupted again and again by enthusiastic fans-mostly female.

When he finally reached Nan, he gave her a kiss. “Was it good?”

Her eyes shone. “It was beautiful,” she said.

Jordan stood up. “Here, take my seat.”

“No, that’s all right,” Riley said. “How are you, Jordan?”

“I’m great,” she said.

Danny came up behind Riley and clapped his brother on the shoulder. “Congratulations, Riley. You got yourself a good one. Now don’t do anything to feck it up.”

“And you’d do well to take your own advice,” Riley teased.

“I could really use some air,” Jordan said.

Danny led her to the front door and then out into the cool October night. Jordan wrapped her arm around his as they strolled aimlessly toward the waterfront. The sounds from the pub faded and when they were finally alone, she spoke. “They make a cute couple. It makes me believe that love might be possible.”

“You don’t believe in love?”

Jordan shook her head. “I think people fall in love, like us. But I’m not sure it can last forever. Sometimes life just gets in the way.”

“But then you have someone to help you with life,” Danny said. “Two people against the world are a lot better odds than just one.”

There were a few people wandering along the quay and they all recognized Danny and said hello. He found a spot for them to sit. Jordan felt a nervous twist in her stomach. She shouldn’t have said that to him. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe in love. She was just used to looking at life in more realistic terms.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “Don’t listen to me. I don’t know what I’m talking about. I never really took the time to think about romance when I was younger. I was too busy trying to keep up. I never dressed up as a bride or secretly planned my wedding or fantasized about what it would be like to find my Prince Charming.”

“Love isn’t a fairy tale, Jordan. It’s life, as real as it gets.”

“I know. But I’m supposed to be thrilled by it and it just scares me. It would change everything.”

“Yes, it will. It’s supposed to.”

A moment later, a soft, slow ballad drifted into the cool night air from inside the pub. “There wasn’t much room to dance inside. Maybe you’d dance with me here?” Danny asked.

He slipped his arm around her waist then took her hand in his. His body was strong and hard against hers, their movement generating its own warmth. Jordan tipped her head back and drew a deep breath, then slowly let it go. This was her life, this moment in time, with this man in her arms. Nothing else mattered.

She let her hands trail over his body as she danced, creating a soothing counterpoint to the music. But this wasn’t about desire. It was about comfort and protection. Even though the world she’d always known was falling apart, all her dreams disappearing before her eyes, it wasn’t completely tragic.

“Maybe we should go back to the party,” she said.

“We’ve made our appearance,” Danny said. “I don’t think we’ll be missed. And I know you’d rather be alone.”

“There’s plenty of time for that later,” she said. “I think maybe I want to learn another one of those Irish dances.”

“Yeah?” Danny asked.

Jordan nodded. “Will you teach me?”

“I can do that.” He slipped his arms around her waist, then bent closer to kiss her.

When they got back to the pub, Nan rushed up to them both. “We thought you’d left,” she said. She held out the presents Danny had set on the end of the bar. “You didn’t need to bring us a gift. Didn’t you see the invitation?”

“Yes,” Jordan said. “But I wanted to. I won’t be here for the wedding, so that’s what they’re for. And you’ve given me something in return.”

“Can I borrow Jordan for a moment?” Nan asked.

“Sure,” Danny said. “As long as you give her back. I’ve grown rather fond of her.”

She and Nan walked through the pub and into the kitchen. “This is the only quiet spot in the pub,” Nan said. “So tell me, why are you thinking about leaving?”

“Actually, I’m not. I’m thinking of staying. But in case I don’t, I wanted to give you the gifts.”

“So, are you in love with him? It’s all right, you can admit it to me. Believe me, I spent a long time denying it myself. But there’s just something about a handsome Irishman that I find completely irresistible.”

Jordan sat down on a stool next to the work table, exhaustion overwhelming her. “I’ve tried to keep everything in perspective,” she said. “But I can’t seem to help myself. I get lost in the fantasy of living here with him. It’s like someone or something has put a spell on me and I’m seeing everything through magic glasses.”

“I know exactly how you feel,” Nan said. “But don’t be so quick to write it off as a fantasy. Maybe you were meant to be here all along.”

“Danny told me about your search for your father. You have a place here. I have an Irish last name, that’s all.”

“You could make a place for yourself,” Nan replied. “It’s not that hard. And with the Quinns, it seems, the more the merrier.”

It wasn’t difficult to like Nan. She seemed so sweet and friendly. Jordan had never had many girlfriends. She’d always been so obsessed with her career, she hadn’t made time for friendships. And she’d never been interested in hanging out and talking about manicures and boyfriends and designer shoes.

Jordan was amazed at how easy it was to confide in the other woman. Though they came from completely different places, they seemed to have so much in common. She almost felt as if she would have a family here in Ireland if she stayed. “We should probably rejoin the party,” Jordan said. “You are the guest of honor.”

“We should,” Nan said. “But promise that we’ll see you again, soon. And if you leave, you must say goodbye.”

“You should come and see the house. It’s almost done. The furniture arrives this next week. Bring Danny’s mother and we’ll have lunch.”

“Then it’s decided,” Nan said. “Just call when you’d like us to come and we’ll be there.”

Jordan picked up the presents. “Do you want to open these now or later?”

“Oh, now,” Nan said. “I can’t stand to wait for a surprise. And I love presents.” She paused. “You said before that I’d given you something. What did you mean by that?”

Jordan hesitated, but found no reason to hide her feelings. She could trust Nan. “When I saw you and Riley together, saw how you were that first time we met, how he looked at you and how you looked at him…well, it made me think that I might find that for myself someday. And I don’t think I’ve ever felt that way before.”

“Maybe it wasn’t just me and Riley,” Nan pushed. “Maybe it’s Danny?”

“Open it,” Jordan said. “I hope you like it.”

Nan tore at the paper and pulled open the box then gasped. She reached into the box and withdrew the old silver. “Oh, this is lovely. Look at the monograms. It’s hotel silver, isn’t it? My favorite restaurant back home uses it. I love it. It’s so heavy, so much nicer than what you can buy new.”

“Danny didn’t understand why I was giving you old silverware.” Jordan pointed to the smaller package. “Open that one.”

Nan withdrew the book from the paper and smoothed her hand over the cover. Then she opened to the flyleaf. “It’s a first printing?”

Jordan nodded. “I know how much you like books. And Yeats is Irish. It seemed like a good gift.”

“I-I don’t know what to say. It’s beautiful.” Nan smiled, then reached out and gave Jordan a fierce hug. “Thank you.”

Jordan drew a deep breath, satisfied that she’d done well. Someday maybe she’d be planning for her own wedding and her own home. She hoped that she’d have a friend like Nan to talk to when that did happen.

“WHERE ARE WE GOING?” Jordan asked, the bedclothes rumpled around her naked body. “It’s Sunday. We’re not supposed to get up so early.”

“Dress warm,” Danny said, tugging on his jeans. “And put on a jacket and some sturdy shoes.” He picked up her favorite sweater and laid it on the bed.

“Are we going on a hike?”

Danny bent over and gave her a quick kiss. “A short one.”

“Shouldn’t we have some breakfast first?”

He sat down next to her and brushed the hair out of her eyes. “After you fell asleep last night, I was just lying here, thinking. I have a theory and I want to check it out.”

“A theory about what?”

“Our brownie problem,” he said. “I think I might have figured out how they got in.”

“No more brownies? I’m all for that.” A smile broke across her face as she scrambled out of bed and Danny felt a small measure of relief. Since yesterday evening, Jordan had seemed so melancholy, as if the weight of the world were bearing down on her. He’d tried to coax her worries out of her, and she’d put on a smile and insisted that nothing was wrong. But Danny knew her too well.

He didn’t want to think that their time together was coming to an end, or that she’d walk away without a second thought. Hell, how could he compete with a job that she loved and a family who lived on the other side of the Atlantic?

They walked out into the crisp morning air, past the walled garden and the forge and toward the rocky cliffs that separated the green from the ocean. They headed north for a few hundred yards before Danny began to look for the familiar landmark that signaled the entrance to Smuggler’s Cove.

“Here,” he said, pointing to the narrow pathway between the jagged rocks. “Follow me.”

“Where?” Jordan asked.

“Don’t worry. I’ve been down here before. Not for a very long time, but I know the way. Just be careful.”

He carefully picked his way along the path, stepping over rocks that had fallen and tossing aside driftwood blocking the way. When he finally reached the end of the path, he jumped down the last three feet, then turned and reached for Jordan.

She stood on the sand and slowly took in her surroundings. “I never knew this was here. It’s a little beach. How did you find it?”

“We used to come here when we were kids. We called it Smuggler’s Cove. I discovered it. Or at least I thought I had. But if the castle was used for smuggling, then this is where the boats would have come to shore.” He turned and scanned the cliff. “If there’s a tunnel, it starts right there.” He pointed to the cave.

“Can you swim here?” she asked, completely distracted by the prospect of her beachfront castle.

“We used to. The current is pretty strong, but if you stay close to shore, it’s fine. Are you ready?”

“For what?”

“We’re going to see where the other end of that cave lies. We never had the courage to explore it when we were kids, but if I’m right, it may be the entrance to a tunnel that leads to the house.” He pulled a flashlight out of his pocket. “Let’s give it a try.”

“I’m not going in there,” she said. “There might be bats. Or spiders. Or snakes.”

“There are no snakes in Ireland.”

“Right,” Jordan said. “St. Patrick took care of that years ago.”

“Maybe this is where the brownies and fairies live.” Danny scrambled up the cliff to the entrance of the cave. “If I’m not back in ten minutes, call for help,” he said.

Jordan frowned. “Danny, I don’t think you should go in there. It could be dangerous. It could collapse and you’d be trapped.”

Undeterred, Danny entered the cave. He and his brothers had explored about fifteen feet beyond the entrance before being scared away by strange noises and invisible animals. But as an adult, Danny found nothing in here that was frightening. He knew high tide was hours away and now was the time to see if he was right.

The crates that they’d brought down to sit on years ago were still against the cave wall. And a pile of driftwood that Danny had dragged inside was still where he’d left it so long ago. “Hello!” he shouted.

“Who are you talking to?”

He spun around to find Jordan standing behind him, a worried expression on her face. She squinted against the glare from the flashlight and he motioned her over. “Watch out. This first part is slippery until you get to the sand. The water comes up in here at high tide.”

They slowly walked deeper into the cave, the light from the opening fading the further they went. Fifteen feet, twenty, then thirty. And then, to Danny’s surprise, the cave suddenly ended. “No,” he said.

“This is it?”

He examined the back wall carefully, looking for another way. But there wasn’t any. “I guess I was wrong,” he said.

They walked back to the entrance and he helped Jordan climb back down to the beach. Danny raked his hands through his hair. So much for his brilliant theories. He plopped down on the beach and stared out at the water. Jordan sat down beside him, smoothing her hand along his shoulders.

“It was a good theory,” she said. “And I’m really glad you showed me the beach. I’m going to see if we can build a stairway down the cliff. It’s a perfect spot.”

Danny leaned against her and brushed a kiss across her lips. “Stairs are going to take a lot longer than a week to build. Does this mean you’re going to stay a few weeks longer?”

“I might be here longer than that,” she said. Jordan folded her arms over her knees and fixed her gaze on the horizon. “I think I quit my job.”

Danny’s breath caught in his throat and he stared at her in disbelief. “You think?”

“Well, I’m not really sure if it’s official yet. Of course, I have to finish this project. And my father wants a letter of resignation, which I haven’t written. And he could always change his mind, although I don’t think he-”

“This is brilliant,” Danny said, drawing her into his arms and kissing her. “You won’t have to leave.”

“Well, I will at some point. I still have an apartment back in New York. Everything I own is there.”

“Is this why you were so distant last night? Why you were late for the party?”

Jordan nodded. “I gave him my ultimatum. I told him if he didn’t give me the hotel project I’d quit.”

“What did he say?” Danny asked.

“He didn’t say anything,” Jordan replied. “I texted him. I was too nervous to talk to him. It was so much easier. He couldn’t bully me and I had control of the conversation. There was no shouting, just little letters on the screen.”

Danny took her face in his hands. He couldn’t believe it. Everything that he’d been wishing for had suddenly come true. They had time, which meant that he had a chance. “And how do you feel now?”

Jordan frowned. “I’m not sure. There is some relief that I actually managed to express my feelings to my father. There’s humiliation that it meant nothing to him. And I guess there’s a lot of fear, because I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do to make a living.”

“What about Kellan? You said he offered you work.”

“It would probably be easier to find a job there. I don’t even know if I could legally work here. There are probably all sorts of laws.”

He bent closer and gave her another kiss. “But I want you to stay here,” he said. “With me. What do you say?”

“I say, I’ll think about it.”

Danny pulled her down on top of him and settled her hips against his. In a single moment, his life had changed. They had a chance, a way to make this all work out. After Jordan was finished at the castle, she could move in with him. They’d figure out what to do about work and then they’d start a life together.

And somewhere along the way, he’d tell her exactly how he felt. Danny Quinn was in love.

JORDAN STARED AT Danny’s profile, outlined by the daylight streaming through the tall windows of the bedroom. She smiled to herself then turned her face into the pillow. A giggle bubbled up and she groaned softly.

This was what it felt like to be in love. It was the most frightening, exhilarating, confusing feeling she’d ever had in her life. All the silly stereotypes were true. She felt as if her head was in the clouds, as if she was walking on air, as if nothing would ever be the same again.

Why hadn’t it snuck up slowly? Why had it hit her now, while he was asleep beside her and she wasn’t expecting it? Jordan’s impulse was to question her own feelings, but even that didn’t work. She was in love with Danny Quinn, no doubts, no hesitation.

She pushed up from the pillow and took another look. That face, those dark lashes and those beautiful lips. She’d grown so familiar with his features that she almost took them for granted.

She’d decided to stay in Ireland for a little while. Her savings could stand a year or two without work, if she was frugal. But, in truth, she wanted to see where all of this was leading.

Jordan leaned over and dropped a soft kiss on his mouth, then waited to see if he was ready to wake up. When he didn’t, she kissed him again, this time running her tongue over the part in his lips.

Danny moaned softly, then opened his eyes. “What are you doing?”

“Kissing you,” she whispered.

“While I’m sleeping? Don’t we do enough of that while we’re awake?” He rolled over on his stomach and stared at her, his cheek pressed into the pillow. “If you expect sex while I’m sleeping, then we’re going to have a serious problem. I need to have some time for rest.”

“That’s not what I want,” she said. “I need to talk to you.”

“About what?”

“About the subject we’ve been so cautiously avoiding.”

“The crazy way your hair looks in the morning?” he asked.

Jordan grabbed her pillow and hit him squarely in the face. “No.” She paused. “Is it really that bad?” She crawled off the bed and ran to the bathroom. “You could have told me this sooner,” she shouted, grabbing a brush.

“I’m just taking a piss,” Danny replied.

“In the bed?”

“No. I’m teasing you. Making a joke. Your hair looks grand.”

Jordan quickly brushed through the tangled strands, then ran back into the bedroom and hopped beneath the covers. “There. That’s better.”

“I love the way you look in the morning,” Danny growled. He grabbed her and pulled her on top of him. He was hard and ready, his erection pressed against her belly. “So what can I do for you this morning, my fairy queen?”

Jordan stared down into his handsome face, then smoothed her fingers over his brow. She’d grown so used to this, their time together in the early morning, the quiet conversations and the lazy seductions. How would she ever live without him? “I thought we ought to talk about what’s going to happen once the house is finished. We’ve only got a few days left. They’re going to bring the furniture day after tomorrow and you’ll be finished the day after that.”

“Actually, I’m already finished,” Danny said. “I’ve just been making work the past few days. I made some tools for the fireplaces. And I was thinking about doing andirons for the fireplace in the breakfast room. Even though that room had just a grate.”

“No, if you’re finished, then that’s it.”

“I don’t want to be finished. I like it here. I like this bed. And I like waking up with you in the morning.”

“I don’t have a job after this project is done.”

“You need to talk to Kellan and tell him that you’re interested in his offer.”

“I will,” Jordan said. “I just have a lot of things to think about right now. And I’ve decided that I’m going to take some time before I make any big decisions. I’m going to look for a place to stay here and-”

“You’ll stay with me,” Danny said.

“But I should-”

“You’ll stay with me,” he insisted, his tone firm.

Jordan smiled and gave him a hug. “I was hoping you’d say that. I’m going to have to go back to New York at some point to sublet my apartment and move some stuff out, but that can probably wait.”

“I think we should do some traveling. We could go to Paris or London or Rome. Some lady paid me a boatload of money for my last job and I think we should spend it.”

Jordan ran her hand over the rough stubble of his beard. “Paris would be fun,” she said. “But we’d go Dutch. I’d have to pay my own way or I refuse to travel with you.”

Danny’s hands spanned her waist and he pulled her beneath him. “Do you think they have soft beds like this in Paris?”

“I’m sure they do.”

Jordan closed her eyes as he kissed her, enjoying the flood of desire that snaked through her body. His palm skimmed over her naked breast and his mouth teased at the places that only he knew.

“We won’t have many days left in this bed,” she murmured, furrowing her fingers through his hair. “I suppose we ought to make the best of it.”

“You remember, I do have a bed at my cottage. We won’t be sleeping on the floor.”

“I know,” Jordan said. “But this was our first bed. It’s special.”

“We could always take it with us,” Danny suggested.

“If you have an extra ten thousand pounds, I’ll sell it to you,” she said.

“Bloody hell. You paid that much for this bed?”

“It’s a very special bed. And it’s going into the master suite when the movers come.”

“When are they coming?”

“Day after tomorrow. We stage the whole house that day. Top to bottom. I’ve hired some women from the village to help and I have seven movers coming. They’re bringing everything from the warehouse. And at the end of the day, the house will be done. We’ll have to be out the next morning.”

“I’m going to start moving my tools back tomorrow,” he said. “I should be cleared out of the laundry in a few days.”

Jordan nodded. “I wish my father could see this place,” she said. “I’ve sent him photos, but it’s not the same. It’s so much more impressive when you see it in person.”

“Feck him,” Danny said. “He doesn’t appreciate you the way I do. He doesn’t deserve you.”

“Yes,” Jordan said. “Feck him. I don’t need him anymore.”

“No, you don’t. You’re clever and talented and you can do this for yourself.”

Jordan slipped her arms around his neck. “I’m glad you believe in me.”

“It’s not a difficult thing to do, Jordan.”

They made love quietly and slowly, enjoying a long lazy morning in bed. And, through it all, there was no more fear or hesitation. She didn’t have to think about leaving him. They had many more mornings ahead of them.

And on one of those mornings, she might tell him what was in her heart, how she’d fallen in love even though she’d tried so hard not to. How he’d captured her heart the very first time she’d set eyes on him.

But that could wait. She had all the time in the world.