Chapter Five
After the fire was put out, and the paramedics had finished up with Michael, Dani studied her car sitting behind the chain-link fence. It was still ugly, even with a new windshield, but she couldn’t get to it behind the locked gate. “This bites. The last thing I want to do is come back here to crazy land to get my car.”
Michael’s arm tightened around her waist, and he moved her out of the way of a busy bomb squad worker. “Ask Jake to pick up the car. There’s nothing more we can do now, so let’s go.”
She looked up at Michael’s bandaged forehead, and her gut lurched again at how close a call that had been. “Okay.”
Michael took her hand and was tugging her toward his car when Jake showed up and stepped in front of them.
Jake wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. “God, I’m so sorry, babe. Are you okay?” After he was done hugging her, he held her at arm’s length and checked her out from head to toe. “This was my fault. That was meant for me. Your car was checked in under my name. I’ve been having some problems with an ex-con who got out last month. Luckily, it was an amateur job or it could have been worse.”
Jake had put more people behind bars than any other detective in his squad. Thanks in part to her woo-woo abilities. “Are you sure it wasn’t Carlos?”
“Yeah. Carlos is right where he’s supposed to be, with no Internet or phone access. Until Friday, anyway.”
She blew out a long breath. “Okay. Can we go, then?”
Jake nodded and pulled her away from Michael. “I’ll clean up here.” When they were out of Michael’s earshot, Jake laid a soft kiss on her cheek and whispered, “Don’t know what I would’ve done if you’d been hurt because of me, Dani. I’d never forgive myself.”
When he actually showed her compassion, it always made her heart go soft for him. She stared into his eyes, wishing Jake could have been the right one for her, but sadly, he just wasn’t.
“But why the hell were you with him?” Jake asked, ruining their tender moment.
She sighed and crossed her arms. “We were on our way to dinner.”
“Like a date?” His jaw clenched.
She didn’t want to hurt him, so she laid a hand on his arm and gave a gentle squeeze. “It’s none of your business anymore, Jake, but no. It wasn’t a date. We’d been out looking at houses and got hungry.” She’d keep the part about wanting to be Michael’s friend with benies to herself for the moment.
“Whatever.” Jake scowled in Michael’s direction. “I didn’t get those bullets you asked for earlier because usually you and bullets don’t mix. But it’s time to get armed, babe.” He held his hand out in the direction of the smoldering building. “That’s what can happen when someone hates your guts. Carlos told me today he hates yours and mine. I’ll talk to your mom about beefing up the security at home by Friday.”
“’Kay.” But if she saw Carlos anywhere near her home, she’d shoot first and ask questions later. Probably better not to mention that to her law-abiding almost ex-husband, though.
Jake walked her back to Michael’s car. When they got close, both Jake and Michael reached to open the car door for her, but Michael was quicker. When Jake’s eyes narrowed, she quickly slipped between them and into her seat. “Thanks, Jake. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Jake glanced at Michael and then back at her. “Be careful, babe.” Then he backed away so Michael could close her door. She wasn’t sure if Jake’s warning was about Michael, Carlos Watts, or both.
As they headed out of slumsville toward the freeway, Michael’s hand slipped over hers. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” She glanced at his forehead. “Are you?”
Michael’s phone rang before he could answer. His warm hand left hers to pull his cell out from his suit coat. “It’s Ron. He’s called three times. I’d better take this.”
While Michael talked to his stepfather, Dani stared out the window, reliving the scary moment when she wondered if Michael was dead or alive. It was her punishment for helping Jake with his damned cases. She needed to remember the terror that filled her when Michael went flying through the air and just say no the next time Jake asked for her help. It was the only way she’d be able to start living a normal life.
Well, a little more normal anyway. No one could ever accuse her of having a normal life. Being Annalisa’s daughter had guaranteed that from moment one.
After Michael hung up, he asked, “Do you mind if we stop by my office for a minute? Ron says he has a problem only I can solve.”
“No, that’s fine.” She wasn’t sure her stomach had calmed down enough to eat anything yet.
When they pulled up in front of Michael’s office, Dani was tempted to just sit in his new BMW and breathe in the long-forgotten aroma of luxury and leather seats she’d once had. But she really had to use the ladies room, so she let Michael open her door and help her out. His hand on her lower back as he led her up the steps made her all tingly inside again.
Yeah, Jake needed to hurry up and sign those papers.
After she was done in the restroom, she followed the sounds of raised voices and a bawling child down a softly lit hall. Peeking into Ron’s office, she saw a little girl with blonde hair lying on the floor, throwing a temper tantrum. Ron sat behind his desk, holding his head in his hands, and Chad paced back and forth, while Michael knelt beside the child, trying to sooth her. Before she could say anything, the little girl raised her head, locked gazes with her, then raced toward her. She didn’t know what to do but brace for the impact.
When a set of little arms wrapped around her legs and held on like a rat aboard a drowning ship, Dani tried to hold her panic in check. Little kids terrified her. Especially ones who were crying at the top of their lungs.
“What’s going on?” she asked Michael, who stood and dusted off his slacks.
Michael’s face was red with fury as he waved a hand in Ron’s direction. “I’m sure Ron’s just dying to explain this one.”
While Dani awkwardly patted the kid’s back, she glanced at Ron, who rubbed his temples as if he had a headache. He spoke loudly, trying to be heard over the crying kid. “The child’s mother dropped her off and informed my secretary that this little girl is my daughter. The woman said she had to leave for a while and to take care of her.”
Chad added, “Don’t forget the part about ‘and it’s your fault I have to hide.’”
Michael looked like a pit bull straining against a chain about to break.
“So who’s the mother, Ron?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I don’t know. There’ve been a few women who might qualify.”
Michael let out a low growl, then grabbed Ron’s lapels, pulling him out of his big leather chair. “The kid appears to be about two. Add another nine months and look it up!”
After Michael released him, dropping him back into his big leather chair, Ron frantically dug through his phone for clues.
Meanwhile, the little girl’s whimpering became softer. Dani pried the little arms from her knees, then picked her up. The child’s legs automatically clamped around Dani’s waist, and the toddler’s arms tightened around her neck, cutting off her air supply. The kid snuggled her face against Dani’s neck, soaking her collar with tears and snot.
She’d rather face Carlos, the crazy car-bashing lunatic who’d threatened to kill her, than do this. At least she could point her gun at him and make him go away.
Dani sort of rubbed and patted the kid’s back as Chad and Ron discussed all the women Ron had been seeing over the years.
With each new name thrown out, Michael seethed harder. She felt awful for him. He adored his mom, and that had to hurt.
While the child squirmed in her arms, she tried to think of something to say that might calm her, and then wondered if the kid was old enough to know her own name. She leaned closer and whispered, “Uh, hi? My name’s Dani. What’s yours?”
The little girl swallowed her tears, leaned back to face her, and made a sound like “Mah.”
What kind of name was that?
Before Dani could ask for clarification, the little girl laid her hands on either side of Dani’s face. “Owie.” She leaned forward and laid a kiss on Dani’s bruised cheek as gently as Michael had done the night before. Then the kid lifted a finger wrapped in a cartoon bandage. “Mah owie.”
Touched by the child’s concern for her face, Dani grinned and figured she should probably kiss the kid’s finger in return. So she did. When the little girl beamed a sweet smile as a reward, Dani was certain she’d done the right thing, although she was fighting the urge to spit out the adhesive flavor lingering on her lips.
This was obviously a child who’d been loved. But what could make a woman so scared she’d dump off a kid with a man who knew nothing of her existence? Or maybe Ron did and hadn’t stepped up to the plate?
The fear in the little girl’s eyes was gut-wrenching. She was surrounded by strangers and must have wanted her mother. The intense emotions radiating from the kid made it impossible for Dani to get any sort of reading from her. Not even a color, which was odd.
Dani knew just how the girl felt, recalling how frightened she’d been during her kidnapping. She’d been just a little older than this child, and her heart ached for the kid.
As Ron continued to grumble and rustle around on his computer for clues, Dani crossed to the couch where a car seat, a backpack, and a diaper bag lay. At the beginning of every school year, her friend Zoe wrote her kids’ names on everything they owned. This child was probably too young for school, but maybe she went to day care. Sitting down with the girl in her lap, she opened the backpack and peeked inside. She wasn’t disappointed. “Ron, your daughter’s name is Emma Anderson. Does that last name sound familiar?”
Chad stared at Dani, surprise lighting his face as if she’d just found the cure for cancer instead of using simple logic. But, oh yeah, she forgot: they all thought she was a total dingbat.
After repeating the last name, Chad turned to Ron, “Isn’t that the last name of one of our accountants, Dad? The blonde, good-looking one?”
Ron’s eyes grew wide. “Uh, yes it was. We have new ones now. But without a DNA test, I’m not conceding this child is my daughter. What am I going to do with the kid until I get the test results?” He turned to Michael. “You’re the only one with any recent experience with children, so you need to take her.”
Michael crossed his big arms, ignoring Ron’s plea. “Why would our firm’s ex-accountant feel the need to hide out?”
Chad piped up. “Who cares about that? We need to call social services. They’ll send someone over and place her in foster care until this whole mess is settled.” Chad quickly googled the number on his phone.
Ron nodded enthusiastically. “That’s a great idea.”
For ten minutes, Michael argued some lawyer gobbledygook about how Ron shouldn’t do that, especially because he could be the father, but Ron wasn’t buying it.
Chad finally blew out a sigh. “Found it.”
“Give it to me.” Ron’s hand flew toward the phone on his desk.
Dani glanced into Emma’s tear-filled blue eyes. Worry crumpled her little forehead.
A kid that came from a caring home that bought cartoon bandages for her owies would be frightened and absolutely miserable in foster care. “Ron, stop. You can’t do this to the poor kid.”
Ron waved her comment away with a sweep of his hand. “Dani, the last person I’d take advice from is a spoiled rich kid whose mother bails her out of trouble on a regular basis. Go do your nails or something.”
“Don’t talk to her like that,” Michael snapped.
“You know your mother’s temper, Michael.” Ron lifted his hands. “I’d rather take a bullet than walk through the door with a kid from one of my affairs.”
Dani asked, “Is a bullet what it’ll take for you to grow a heart, Ron?” Hot anger seared her belly as she marched toward her purse. Ron was a cheating bastard and a heartless pig. He deserved everything he was about to get. If he wouldn’t listen to reason, then maybe it was time to be unreasonable. For Emma’s sake.
She plunged her hand inside her purse and pulled out her unloaded gun. Dani pushed Emma’s face into her neck—the kid probably shouldn’t see what she was about to do—and then pointed the gun at Ron. “Put that phone down right now. You are not sending this poor child into the foster care system. She’s probably your own flesh and blood, you moron.”
Ron slowly placed the phone back onto his desk, his eyes wide, his breathing suddenly shallow. “Hold on, Dani. There’s no need for that. Let’s just stay calm.”
Dani heard Michael’s quiet curse but didn’t dare look at him, afraid she’d lose her battle to maintain her composure. The fear on Ron’s and Chad’s faces was hilarious and extremely gratifying. She might have to carry the gun more often.
She pulled herself back together. “What is your ex-accountant’s first name?”
“It’s . . . Julia,” Ron stammered, “Julia Anderson.”
Dani held the kid with one hand and her gun in the other. How was she going to use the phone? Gesturing with the gun in Ron’s direction, she said, “Punch the ‘Speaker’ button and dial this number.”
After Ron entered in the numbers she’d called out, Jake’s voice filled the room. “Detective Morris.”
“Jake, will you please run the name Julia Anderson and see if anything comes up? I’ll wait.”
He grunted. “You’ll wait? Dani what the hell have you—”
“Please, Jake.” She cut him off. “I’m on speaker phone, and I need this information quickly.”
He let out a long-suffering sigh. “I’ll put you on hold. Anderson or Andersen?”
“Son,” Dani replied.
As the police department’s sappy on-hold music filled the air, Emma let out a long breath, snuggled deeper into Dani’s neck, and closed her eyes.
Thank God.
But did snot come out of silk?
She motioned to Michael to come take the kid, but when he tried to lift Emma, she woke and started whimpering.
Resigned to ruining another of her favorite pieces of clothing, Dani hugged Emma tightly against her chest, tossed the gun in the direction of her purse, and flopped into one of the chairs in front of Ron’s desk. Who knew how much a little kid could weigh?
When relief flashed across Ron and Chad’s faces, she laughed. “You guys didn’t really think that gun was loaded, did you? I’m not that irresponsible. Jeez.”
Michael dropped into the chair next to her and whispered, “Nice work, Rambo.”
Finally, Jake’s voice sounded, instead of the offensive excuse for music. “You still there?”
She spoke quietly, trying not to wake the sleeping time bomb drooling on her chest. “Yes, what have you got?”
“Ms. Anderson has the IRS hot on her tail for some clients’ overdue tax payments. Someone local is looking at her and her business partner regarding money laundering. If you know where she is, I need to know, or else you’re harboring a suspected criminal.”
Dani leaned closer to the phone. “I don’t know where she is, but I’ve got her kid slobbering all over me. Do you have any information on next of kin?”
“Hang on.” The sound of shuffling papers filled the air. “Maybe. The report shows a woman who might be Ms. Anderson’s mother living up north, near Taos. We think her name is Martha Anderson, but she doesn’t answer her phone. We haven’t been able to confirm yet. Hey, your grandmother lives in that area. Maybe she could use her woo—”
“Uh, yeah.” Dani cut Jake off again. “My grandmother may be of help to you. She seems to know everyone in Taos. Maybe you should call her and then let me know? Thanks, Jake.” Dani motioned to Ron to disconnect the call.
After he did, Ron stared intently into Dani’s eyes. “Please. Won’t you take the child? She seems comfortable with you. I don’t want to bring her home and upset Maeve.”
Oh, she could learn to hate Ron. Maeve, the woman she loved as much as her own mother, did not deserve to have an illegitimate child shoved into her face. Maeve had always been there for her when her mom couldn’t be, even after she’d stopped working for Annalisa. She was one tough lady, never afraid to stand up to the powerful Annalisa Botelli, and Dani had always admired her for it.
Before she could answer, Michael jumped out of his chair. “This is your problem, Ron, not Dani’s.”
He tugged on Dani’s arm and helped her stand while balancing the kid. When Michael reached for Emma, Ron’s eyes widened with panic. “I’ll pay you, Dani. Name your price.”
Michael’s gaze met hers for a moment, silently asking if she was interested. She gave him a quick eyebrow hitch then turned toward Ron.
She was going to make up a sum so outrageous he’d never agree to it. “I’ve got a very hot client on the line right now, and a kid isn’t going to help me sell any homes. I stand to lose a lot, so if you want me to babysit, I’m gonna have to charge you a thousand dollars a day.”
Take that, you cheater.
“Done,” Ron said without hesitation. He stood and held out his hand for her to shake. “Let me know what Jake comes up with for next of kin, will you?”
“Uh, well,” Dani stammered, trying to realign her train of thought as she shook his hand. She should have asked for more, apparently. “I’ll need three days in advance. If it takes any more time than that, we’ll have to renegotiate. And if we find a solution sooner, you get no refunds.”
Undeterred by any of her desperate attempts to get out of babysitting, Ron quickly reached for his checkbook and filled in the amount. He ripped the check out and handed it to her. “The child will need to have a DNA test tomorrow. I’ll call you with the details.”
Suddenly, the enormity of their transaction hit her. She had been so intent on making Ron pay for being such a jerk that she forgot that she knew absolutely nothing about children and now was stuck with one for three days. Worse, she might have a raving lunatic after her when he was released from jail in a couple of days. She couldn’t endanger Emma’s life.
Holy crap, what had she just done?
Michael gently strapped the sleeping Emma into his daughter’s car seat because it was easier than trying to install Emma’s in the dark, and then he slipped behind the wheel. “Dani, are you the only human being on this planet who doesn’t know you can go to jail for pointing guns at people?” He tried to keep his voice low but was losing the battle.
“Shhhh. You’ll wake the kid. And it wasn’t loaded, so it hardly counts.” Dani frowned and crossed her arms. “Besides, Ron was so thrilled to be rid of his parental responsibilities he’s probably forgotten all about it by now.”
It was like banging his head against a brick wall trying to break through her version of logic. “Please refrain from doing that ever again. At least in my presence. But thanks for taking Emma. Ron got off too easy.”
He would’ve taken Emma before he’d let her go with child services, but he would’ve made Ron beg. He wanted to spare his mother more heartache, but the child was obviously happier with Dani.
A smile tugged at his mouth when he recalled how she’d stood up for the poor kid. He didn’t care for her guerrilla tactics but had to admit she’d gotten the job done.
Dani just kept surprising him.
She turned toward him with a deer-in-the-headlight look. “I can’t believe I just did that. I have no idea what to do with a kid. We need to find her family right away.”
“I’ll help you with Emma, and I want to know about her mother as much as you do. My mom told me Ron has hidden all their money. He’s making it difficult for her to divorce him, and I haven’t had any luck digging through his office files. I’m thinking Emma’s mom, Ron’s ex-accountant, might know where that money is.”
Dani frowned. “That is if we can find her.”
“Yeah, and there’s probably a reason Julia didn’t leave her kid with the grandmother, because Ron couldn’t be the best choice unless he was the last one.”
“You’re right, we’re going to have to find Emma’s mom.” She stared out the window for a moment, then pointed to an ATM. “Hey, pull over, will you? I need some cash, and I want to get this check deposited before Ron changes his mind.”
When Dani hopped out of the car to deal with the ATM, he glanced over his shoulder to check on Emma. She was a cute kid. Blonde, with an angelic face, and her little blue eyes were staring into his. She smiled and pointed out the window. “Mic Dee’s!”
He turned and saw the fast-food joint that his daughters loved, too. “You’re hungry, huh? What would you like?”
Emma sputtered, “Nuggeeees.”
“Want a chicken nugget kids’ meal?”
“Peeezzz,” Emma said, nodding enthusiastically.
“Well, since you asked so nicely, nuggets it is. I’m not sure Quick Draw Dani will be as happy, though.”
Emma clapped her hands. “Yay nuggeeees!”
Dani returned, then snapped her seat belt into place. “Now I can pay you back the twenty-five hundred you lent me. And thanks to Ron, I’m buying dinner tonight.”
“Thank you.” He pulled out and crossed the street, slipping into the drive-through. “Emma mentioned she’d like to partake of this fine cuisine instead of the boring adult food at the Skyline Club.”
A bright grin lit Dani’s face. “She said she wanted this? That’s pretty good for a kid her age, isn’t it?” She turned and smiled at Emma, who was bouncing up and down in the car seat. “I guess we have a little genius on our hands, huh, Em?”
Dani didn’t protest even a little? He didn’t know too many rich girls who made a habit of eating at fast-food joints.
At the happy sounds coming from the back seat, he glanced in his rearview mirror. He hoped the poor kid would have a place to live when her mother was sent to jail.
After they’d gotten their meal to go, Michael pulled into Annalisa’s estate and parked beside Dani’s eyesore of a car. Annalisa was right. Dani needed a new one.
They carted Emma, her diaper bag, and their food inside and found Jake reclining on the couch, watching a movie.
The smug look Jake sent Michael was a familiar one, but he stood and managed a “Hey,” before he turned to Dani and beamed a smile at her. “Well, looky here, two gorgeous women for the price of one. How’d I get so lucky?” He reached out for Emma, who was snuggled against Dani’s chest.
Starry-eyed, Emma went willingly into Jake’s arms and smiled and cooed right back at him.
Dani took Jake’s chin in her hand. “Em, when you get bigger and meet a boy who has a grin like this, run the other way. He’ll just be trouble.” She laid a quick kiss on Jake’s cheek, then opened their dinner bags. “I would have gotten you a burger if I’d known you were coming over, but you can have half of mine if you’d like.”
Michael watched Jake closely as he settled on the couch with Emma and her food. Dani and Jake’s friendly relationship confused him. They were supposed to be getting a divorce, but sometimes they looked downright domestic. All that friendliness was annoying.
When Michael had kissed Dani in Annalisa’s den, it’d been motivated by his irritation with her, but then she’d kissed him back, igniting the flame that had always smoldered for her. And then, after spending the afternoon with her, time that had nothing to do with her usual convoluted legal problems, he couldn’t quite shake the feeling that he might be starting to care for her again.
It was like being sucked into a black hole. He didn’t want to but couldn’t help it. Even when he reminded himself of how Dani had betrayed him, abruptly ending their friendship when they were in high school, with no explanations.
That had cut him deep.
His father had just died when he’d met Dani, and she’d helped him heal, always there for him when he wanted her to be but careful to keep her distance when he needed to grieve alone. When she’d abandoned him, a part of his heart had grown cold. He’d felt a similar pain after his divorce last year. “Jake can have my burger. I’ve got to go.”
Dani whirled around, her eyes wide. “You can’t go. I don’t know what to do with the”—she glanced at Emma, who was sitting on Jake’s lap, chowing down chicken nuggets and sharing every other fry with him—“k-i-d.”
“Jake’s here. Again. Let him help. See you tomorrow.” He hadn’t meant to let his annoyance with Jake show. But clearly those two weren’t all the way over, and he wasn’t about to be a damn third wheel.
Dani panicked at the thought of being left alone with the kid. Michael seemed upset with her, so Dani tugged him aside and whispered, “Please? I really need your help, Michael.”
His face tightened. “What do you need me for?”
“For, like, how to change a diaper, and what about a bath? Is she old enough to eat most foods, or are certain things off-limits? What time does she have to go to bed? That kind of stuff. Jake’s good at flirting with and charming anything female, but believe me, when it comes to the messy details, he’ll bolt.”
Shaking his head, Michael sat down next to Jake and unwrapped his burger. He hadn’t promised to help, but she was encouraged that he hadn’t left.
She cut her burger in half and offered it along with her fries to Jake. Her pants had been getting a little tight anyway. She didn’t need the extra calories.
When they were done eating, Michael ran her through all the particulars of taking care of a little girl. There were so many details she was afraid she’d forget some of them and was tempted to take notes.
Michael’s cell rang, and he left to take the call, leaving her with the task of brushing Emma’s teeth.
Jake took advantage of Michael’s absence and squeezed into the bathroom behind her, leaning over her shoulder, feigning interest in the process. He nibbled on the back of her neck and whispered, “God, you’re sexy when you act like a mommy.”
“Knock it off, Jake.” She threw an elbow to his gut.
He chuckled and pulled her closer. “Have my children, Dani. You’re a natural.”
She turned and pointed toward the living room. “Out!”
He sent her one of his slow, sexy grins. “What? That time of the month?”
“No. And if you ever say that to me again, I’ll knee you.” She was tempted to knee him anyway. Couldn’t he see how hard this was for her? He knew she didn’t know anything about kids. If it weren’t for time running out for the search warrant in the pink house, she’d throw him out on his ear. “Go watch the damn movie for clues.”
Jake let his grin bloom before he eased out of the bathroom, nearly running into Michael. “Counselor, if I were you, I’d get the hell out while you still can. She’s ovulating or something in there.”
Dani threw a wet, balled-up washcloth at Jake’s smirking face, but he was too quick and caught it before it made contact. “See, you still love me, or you would’ve thrown the hair dryer.”
A strange sense of guilt at Jake’s “still love me” remark had Dani’s eyes zipping to meet Michael’s.
His brow lifted, silently asking her if she still did.
Well, she didn’t. Not like that anyway. She needed to focus on her task, not the two annoying men in her house.
As she carefully executed all of Michael’s instructions, she didn’t miss the little half grin on his face that proved he was enjoying her ineptitude. He was probably thinking it was karma paying her back for that gun move she’d made earlier at his office.
After the bath and hair washing were done, she wrestled the kid into a pair of footed pajamas they found in her diaper bag. Dani wiped the sweat from her brow, then slid the long zipper up to the neck, completing the task. When she stepped back to admire her good work, Emma raised her hands high and said, “Ta-da!”
She and Michael laughed at what must have been a regular routine the child and her mother shared each night. “You’re a big ol’ ham, Em. I’ll bet you’re going to be a famous actor when you grow up, just like my mom.”
At the mention of the word mom, Emma’s bright expression faded, and she began to cry, “Wan Momma!”
Dani exchanged a glance with Michael. “I really suck at this.” She scooped Emma up. “Hey, let’s go find Jake.”
When Emma and Jake were snuggled up in front of the movie, Michael gathered his things and started for the door without saying a word. Was he still mad at her?
She caught up and laid her hand on his arm to stop his hasty retreat. “Hey, what’s the rush? Do you want to stay for a while? You seem to like these dumb movies.”
Michael slipped into his suit coat. “You’ll be fine now. Just put Emma to bed when she falls asleep on Jake’s lap.”
He was definitely mad at her about Jake. Something inside of her couldn’t stand for him to be angry with her. Annoyed was fine, but not angry.
He stalked toward his car, so she trotted after him. “Michael, wait up.”
His jaw was set when he turned and faced her. “What?”
She sent him her sweetest smile. “Thank you for asking me to help you find a house, for the loan, and for giving me a crash course in babysitting. I appreciate it.” She wrapped her arms around his big shoulders and gave him a hug. When he didn’t hug her back, she quickly released him.
His reaction hurt, but she forced the smile plastered on her face to remain, then started back toward her house.
“Dani?”
“Yeah?” She turned and walked back to his car, hopeful that his mood had lightened.
“How’s Jake getting home?” He crossed his arms and frowned at her again. “Does he need a ride, or is he spending the night?”
She hadn’t even thought about it. Jake must’ve driven her car home for her, hoping to spend the night. “I don’t know. But he’s not spending the night. I’ll just have my mom’s driver take him home.”
He seemed satisfied with that and reached down to open the car door. On an impulse, she laid a hand over his to stop him.
Trying to keep the anxiety from her voice because he might reject her, she cleared her throat. “Have you thought any more about us? I don’t know about you, Michael, but I had fun today. It isn’t every day I get to pull a gun on a roomful of lawyers, you know.” She gave his hand a quick squeeze, hoping he’d make the next move.
He didn’t disappoint her.
Michael moved his hand to the side of her face, gently avoiding her still-tender bruise. He lifted her chin, then kissed her, taking his sweet time about it. When he pulled her more firmly against his hard body, taking the kiss to a deeper level, her heart thudded in her chest, matching the rhythm of his. Desire zinged through her veins as she snuggled closer, running her hands through his thick hair, careful to avoid the bandage on his forehead. They were both a bit banged up, but that didn’t dampen the power of their kiss.
Disappointment filled her when his lips slowly lifted from hers. She could have gladly kissed him for hours. Maybe days.
Staring deeply into her eyes, he whispered, “Get Jake to sign the papers, Dani.”
The buzz still sizzling through her body made her want that more than he’d ever know. “I’m on it.”