“Like hell you will,” Keiran snapped, his face turning an ugly red.
“Gabrielle has every right to be here,” Damien pointed out curtly.
The other man swore. “You won’t get me out that easily.”
Damien’s brow rose. “Really?”
Keiran jumped to his feet. “Oh, you both think you’re clever, don’t you?” He snatched the copied certificates and shoved them in his jacket pocket as he strode around the desk. “I’m going to see my lawyer.”
“Feel free,” Damien said in a cool tone. “And Keiran?”
Keiran stopped on his way to the door. “What?” he snarled.
“Make sure you go back to your own office next time.”
The door slammed shut behind him.
Gabrielle’s heart tried to settle. “That went well,” she half joked.
“Better than expected,” Damien returned with a small smile that made her heart beat faster despite the tenseness of the situation with Keiran.
Ignoring the effect he had on her, she got to her feet and walked around the large desk. For a moment she stood, looking over the spacious office, suddenly feeling overwhelmed.
She was in charge.
She had business decisions to make.
Employees to look after.
“Oh God. What was I thinking, Damien? Keiran was right. I don’t know how to run a business, let alone a big company like—”
“But I do. And I’ll help you all the way,” he reminded her.
She nodded and sat in her father’s chair. She should have felt intimidated even further, but all at once just sitting where her father had sat every day for years, knowing he was in hospital and needed her help, gave her strength.
She took a deep breath. “Thanks. Now where do we start?”
A hint of admiration entered his eyes, warming her. “First order of the day, I need to go see a few people and try to win back that lost contract.”
She frowned. “Do you think you can?”
He gave her a wry look. “Do you doubt it?”
She had to smile. “No.”
He gave a slight smile in return, and something sizzled in the air between them.
Then he stepped toward the door. “I’d better go see these people and repair the damage.”
She watched him walk away, the huskiness in his voice making her pulse race through her veins.
Then all at once he stopped to look back at her. “Don’t forget that we need to act like a loving couple, otherwise it could undermine confidence in the company.”
His words put everything back into perspective. Her lips twisted. “I’m not likely to forget it,” she said with a touch of sarcasm, and received a sharp look in reply. He had no idea how much he sounded like her father.
It was seven-thirty before Damien walked into his apartment that evening, his body impatient as he waited to see Gabrielle again. They’d had a productive day, first with a promise from their previous clients to revisit the contract, and next with the meeting of department heads, who’d shown them total support. Then he’d dropped Gabrielle off here before going back to his own office to tidy up a few loose ends.
And now soft music greeted him. He dropped his briefcase on the sofa just as he heard a noise from the kitchen. He strode toward the sound, the blood beginning to pound through his veins. He and Gabrielle had acted like a newly married couple today at the office, though neither of them had gone overboard. Just a slight touch of their hands. A soft look at each other. A smiling agreement to a work decision.
Tonight he wanted more of her attention.
She was a sight for sore eyes, he mused, as he stood in the doorway watching her sprinkle chocolate pieces over some sort of dessert topped with cream. She was concentrating so hard, the tip of her tongue appeared, as if in temptation. A tip that had ran itself around his mouth last night while making love.
He groaned to himself as his gaze slid over her. She’d changed into a long, summery, floral dress that flared around her slim calves. Below it she was barefoot, her sandals having been kicked to the side as if she’d flung them off in a moment of passion.
“Damien!” Gabrielle said, as she’d turned and saw him in the doorway. “I didn’t see you there.”
“I know,” he muttered, having trouble dragging his eyes away from those pink toenails and slender arches.
She seemed to realize he was mesmerized by her bare feet. A blush stole into her cheeks and she quickly stopped what she was doing and went to step into her shoes. “My feet were hot and the floor was cool and—”
“Leave them off.”
She blinked. “Wh-what?”
“I like seeing you barefoot.”
For the space of a heartbeat he thought she was going to comply. Then she continued putting her sandals on. “No, that’s okay. My feet are cold now anyway.”
“Then you must be the only person in Darwin with cold feet,” he teased.
She ignored that. “It’s the air-conditioning. I turned it up,” she said, hurrying to the refrigerator with the bowl of dessert, looking delightfully flustered.
Then he watched her go over to the wall oven and turn on the inside light to check the casserole. His brows drew together. “I don’t expect you to come home from the office and make dinner, you know. That’s why I have a housekeeper.”
“I know, but I can put a casserole in the oven. And it didn’t take much to whip up dessert.” She gave a tiny pause. “As a thank-you for all you did today.”
Something inside his chest tilted and suddenly he wanted to kiss her. “You made dessert for me?”
“Yes.” She spun away and went to the sink, but her voice held a husky tone. “Perhaps you’d better go shower?”
He loosened his tie. “Want to join me?”
She looked over her shoulder at him. “And ruin dinner?” she said dryly, but her cheeks turned rosy.
“We wouldn’t want that,” he mocked, deciding he would make her pay for that remark later. He turned and walked away.
In the bedroom, a strange comfort swelled inside his chest when he saw that she’d hung her clothes in the walk-in wardrobe next to his. Then he entered the bathroom and saw her makeup and hairbrush on the counter. It was such a feminine sight that he smiled to himself as he showered. It was an odd feeling sharing his private space with a woman.
Permanently.
Fifteen minutes later they sat at the dining table. “Did you phone the hospital?” he asked as he spooned beef casserole onto his plate.
She swallowed her mouthful of food then nodded. “Dad was asleep, but they’re pleased with his progress. Mum said that if she hires a nurse, they might let him go home next week”
“Good.” He placed the spoon back in the dish and reached for the scalloped potatoes. “Tell me. Did you ever finish your degree?”
Her fork suspended in midair, wariness filled her eyes. “Er…no.”
“So you’ve given up your dream?”
Her expression clouded. “What dream?”
“I remember how you wanted to become a dietician. You said you wanted to help children learn to eat healthily so they’d grow to be healthy adults.”
She shrugged. “Maybe one day I’ll return to it.”
He frowned with the feeling that she wasn’t being as offhand as she pretended, but left it at that. He hated to see anyone give up on their dreams but now was not the time to sort this out. They had too many other things to settle first.
After that, they ate without talking. The casserole was delicious, and so was the chocolate mousse topped with whipped cream she’d made for dessert.
“Leave it,” he said when she went to tidy up.
She grimaced. “I can’t leave all these dirty dishes for your housekeeper.”
One eyebrow slanted. “That’s why I employ her. If you do her job, she won’t have one.” He must remember to tell Lila about his new change in circumstances, though she’d probably guessed something was going on, with Gabrielle’s things in his bedroom, he mused.
Gabrielle’s lips quirked. “That’s true. But let me just put the leftovers away and the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. We can’t leave this sitting here all night.”
“Fine. I’ll help you.” He reached for the empty dishes.
She blinked in surprise. “You will?”
“Of course. I don’t usually leave a mess, either.”
She relaxed into a smile. “So you’re domesticated?” she joked as she started carrying some of the plates back to the kitchen.
He looked at those lips and wanted to kiss the smile right off them. “Sometimes,” he drawled, following her. Then he helped her tidy up, but as soon as they’d finished, he strode over to the entertainment unit in the living room. “Come watch a movie with me.”
“Um…sure.” She followed him more slowly. “Any movie in particular?”
“You choose.” He opened the door of a cabinet to reveal racks of DVDs.
Her eyes widened. “That’s quite a collection.”
“My housekeeper buys a selection for me every couple of months.” He took a seat on the black leather sofa.
Her finely arched brows drew together. “I wouldn’t have taken you for a man who watched movies.”
He shrugged. “I have to unwind sometimes.”
For a few seconds she was silent as if weighing his words, though he wasn’t sure he liked her deciphering him. She’d probably get some idiotic idea that sometimes he felt a sense of aloneness inside this apartment. That sometimes at the end of the day he would like to share a peaceful moment or two with a woman who understood him. He grimaced inwardly. Of course, Gabrielle understood him a bit too much at times for his liking.
She walked over to the collection and began rifling through the DVDs. “What about this one?” she said, holding up a fairly tame thriller that had been a huge success a couple of years ago.
“As long as it doesn’t give you ideas,” he joked, and saw her mouth twitch with amusement before she popped the DVD in and went to sit on the chair opposite.
He patted the space beside him. “Sit next to me.”
She hesitated. Then, “Is that an order?”
He gave a wry smile. She was a challenge, this one. Every step of the way. “No, a request.”
She inclined her head and did as he asked, but still sat a foot away from where he wanted her to be. “Closer,” he murmured.
“I’m fine right here.”
He leaned over and half lifted her next to him. “Closer,” he insisted. “And that’s an order.”
“Damien, I—”
“Shh. The movie’s starting.”
She remained tense for another ten seconds or so, then he could feel her begin to relax slightly, which was just as well because if she didn’t stop arguing he would have to kiss her into submission.
As it was, he would wait to make love to her until after the movie. Oh, he knew he could have her right now, just as he’d done last night on the yacht. Her body was emitting a million little signals that told him she wanted him again.