He was looking at her like she was the only woman in the world. She felt like a princess under his intense gaze. His eyes swept up and down her body, and it was as intimate as a caress. It did a strange thing to her insides. Made her feel like she was glowing all over.
“Honestly, Allyson, you look like a dream,” Holly squealed behind her. “Why don’t you step out onto the balcony so we can get a photo?”
Holly, bless her, was totally oblivious to the tensions boiling over in the room. Monica was scowling, probably upset that her plan to humiliate her sister had backfired. Allyson knew what her sister was up to, reminding her of the fact that she wasn’t going to be the one walking down the aisle. That she was older than James but he was getting married before her. The dress was so tight it cut off her circulation, but Allyson wasn’t going to let on. It felt good to have Monica seething for a change.
Even Dane seemed dazed. “You look beautiful, Allyson.”
She smiled, and stepped out onto the balcony to pose while Holly snapped photos and filmed some footage with her phone. Then Holly raced back into the room to chat excitedly about wedding plans with Monica and her mother-in-law-to-be.
Dane joined her out on the balcony. “I think Holly’s really excited about this dress.”
“She’s got another dress,” Allyson informed him. “She was trying to decide because she planned on wearing one for the ceremony and another one for the reception.”
His eyes widened. “There’s another gown?”
“Yup,” Allyson said with a nod. “In the bathroom, she said she was sure she’d wear this one to the ceremony after seeing me in it, but I’ll have to try on the next one just to be sure.”
“She seems happy.” He turned back to the room where Holly was still happily chatting with her Mrs. Smith and Monica.
“She does,” Allyson said wistfully.
He put his hand on her bare shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “You’ll have your day someday.”
She sighed and stepped out of his hand’s touch. “The older I get, the less likely I think that is.” She was 29, fast approaching 30, and a chance at what Holly and James had still seemed so far out of reach. Allyson knew she wasn’t an achiever like her brother the hot-shot lawyer, or her sister the cardiologist. Her parents were professors. And here she was, stuck being an assistant to a man she could never have.
He gave her an incredulous look. “Allyson, I’m older than you and I’m not exactly over the hill.”
“Expectations are different for men.”
“Fair enough,” he said. “But a lot of people get married older.”
Silence fell. Talking about marriage with him made her feel strange. Made her giddy and apprehensive. Standing under the stars by his side, dressed in a wedding gown, overwhelmed her. It wasn’t real. None of it was. She was just playing dress-up. They were just playing pretend. But that didn’t stop her heart from fluttering. Didn’t stop the butterflies.
He reached for her hand and squeezed it. “I’m sorry about earlier.”
“Why didn’t you tell me your mother wasn’t happy with me?”
“I couldn’t,” he replied. “Our conversations were confidential. I couldn’t tell you until we had decided.”
“Decided if I should stay or go.”
“If it were up to me, your contract would be renewed in a heartbeat.”
She remembered what he had said. You know how I feel about you. Those words had filled her with such hope. Such foolish hope. Made her think he was about to confess his feelings to her. But all his feelings were strictly professional, not romantic. The kiss was just that. A kiss. Maybe he was attracted to her, but it was likely only fleeting and not worth mentioning.
It was her own fault for catching feelings for a man way out of her league. Somehow, she would have to shake the feelings away. Dane was a playboy with a different heiress on his arm every few months, and a man like him would never entertain the idea of running around with an employee. Certainly not one as far down the food chain as an assistant.
“So, should I start looking for another job?”
He leaned on the balcony railing to look up at the stars. The moon’s glow lit up his profile, made that square jaw and aristocratic nose look like he was carved out of marble. He was the most magnificent man she had ever seen. “Leave that to me,” he said firmly. “I’ll fight tooth and nail for you. I’m going to get what I want. But if for some reason I don’t, I’ll line up another job for you. I won’t rest until you’re settled, no matter where you end up working.”
Warmth spread through her. It touched her that he cared so much about her wellbeing. He was the best boss she had ever had. She would be eternally grateful to him. Had no way of repaying him for his kindness.
The warmth of his words was suddenly replaced by agony, cold and sharp. If she had to leave Prescott, her time with Dane would be over. Never again would he greet her with a smile in the morning. Never again would she get him his coffee the way he liked it—black, no sugar. Never again would he drop her off at home if she stayed at work too late to take the subway.
Holly stepped back onto the balcony. “You guys look gorgeous together.”
Allyson smiled despite the heaviness in her heart, and followed her sister-in-law-to-be back to the bathroom to change into the other dress.
Half an hour later, Allyson and Dane headed back to their room for the night.
Dane grabbed a pillow off the bed. “I’ll take the couch tonight.”
She frowned. “Are you sure?”
“It’s not really up for discussion.” He leaned in to give her a kiss on the forehead. Her entire body tingled at the warmth of his lips. Dane jerked back, a shocked expression on his face, as if the kiss had taken him by surprise. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight,” she breathed. She headed into the bathroom to change into her PJs—the least sexy things she owned—and slipped under the covers to catch up on some reading. Dane being in the same room while she was in bed distracted her. He was already asleep on the couch, and he looked so peaceful. It was strange seeing someone that formidable looking so vulnerable.
She turned back to her book with a sigh. They had gotten through today. Tomorrow was the wedding. Surely, they could survive that.