Love Found Me (A City Love Novel, Book 1) (12 page)

The virtuousness of her beliefs, the look on her face said she'd meant every word. She couldn't keep making the same mistakes--when it came to her love life--after all his choices were a reflection of his soul. He listened as she went on.

"Sweetheart. Honey. Babe. Love. Are just words to a man that need to be earned. My mother didn’t raised a fool.
Love Yourself
, should be a national--no--a worldwide anthem," she said.

Roman understood why Danielle was fickle and effusively brooding over the sudden run-in with his ex or whatever he chose to call her.

How long would it take her to realize she'd been hiding from the one thing she'd wanted most? When would she finally begin to face herself and figure out exactly where she saw herself going, instead of allowing life to carry her along its tides?

If she hadn't still been crushed. If only the suffering still hadn't been so painful-- Especially now. But after some time alone, apart from a serious relationship, just maybe it was her chance to start anew. To start making some long overdue changes and rebuild what may never have been broken from the start.

But to do that would take time and patience, beginning with a man that had yet to abandon her side in her time of need. Plainly, she thought with a bridling tap of her foot. Maybe she'd needed a reprieve to regain her sense of self-- the part of her that she'd thought had gone missing those past years.

If only it could be that easy.

Danielle was going solo in her spirited stir when she added, "Not to sound pretentious or anything, but any man that would be worthy of
my love
will be the lucky one." Her words sent a quiver up his spine as he bit the corner of his lip.

The way Roman poised on the sofa arm sumptuously positioned made her raise an eyebrow. She had yet to resist his chiseled jaw line and perfectly fused afterglow.

Danielle couldn't believe anything was serious between the two of them. She couldn't have thought she interrupted what quite possibly was a lascivious encounter. But then she channeled his expression to memory as she realized there was clearly nothing standing between him and another woman-- unless another woman wasn't what he wanted.

Chapter Ten

The warmth of the day had begun to burst through the apartment, sucking a potted orchid that lay on a corner pedestal bone dry. The warmth felt good in the heart of winter, especially after the heart of their relationship had sunk to uncertain territory.

As orange, pink, and yellow hues mingled bright blue, suddenly the open rafters made the airy space more temperate. Moderated just enough that seemed to simmer her nerves to a stilled calm-- as golden rays flooded the glass from floor to ceiling. Seeping the scent of spiced Irish cream into a rich cocoa bean haven.

The decadent intoxication swathed her tongue in recollection as she paced the maple wood in thought. Suddenly, Danielle remembered quite vividly the one reason her nerves hadn't given out on her--
It's business, not personal
.

She had to put Roman behind her. The more distance she put between him and herself-- the better. Or so she thought. She'd told herself a dozen times-- Don't mix business with pleasure. But her virtuous heart more often times than not, made the task nearly impossible in the presence of his allure. After all, she'd climbed the ladder in business with the same motto, and with the accompaniment of absolute professionalism.

Danielle knew she'd have to fight her feelings if she ever stood a chance of getting to the bottom of the situation at
Finch Young
. She still hadn't gotten used to the name-- instead of
Finch Young and Prentiss
, but she would soon learn to, just like everything else in her life. With sacrifice, focus and determination--she knew that anything was possible as long as she kept her mind on the goal.

Naturally, she'd still wanted to smack some sense back into her life. She'd still wanted her emptiness absolved. Obviously, she hadn't dismissed the wish she'd made in her office early Sunday morning,
"I just want someone to love me."

Danielle reposed herself, slowly melting the vision of flirty provocative women like Mindy and Amanda. Women falling victim to their shameless lust to be loved-- mired and fool-hearted promiscuity. Years carousing an outcome less than, "I love you."

She drifted to the thought of realizing the courage she'd pretended to have for so long. Thinking her life was contentment. Money, career, all that glittered was not as it seemed in her cold and lonely bed.

She couldn't recall the last time she'd been the princess along the moat of the castle. Growing up seemed to vaporize her childlike innocence. But, as her lungs filled with an earthy blend of chocolate redolence, she was stunned to realize she'd been hiding from the dreams of her past.

Her knight in shining armor seemed to be just that now-- a dream of the past.

He'd made her kindle feelings she'd thought were gone. And for a long time, she'd convinced herself that those feelings didn't matter. That she didn't want them to matter anymore.

Danielle dwarfed the massive ceilings as she steadily paced the floors of the apartment, spanning its length cupping a swirling earthy surge of java. As she eased another sip radiating heat to her bare feet all the way through her bones, she'd ambled toward Roman nearing the living room.

Rather than chastise, she felt terribly awkward and said, "Maybe I should find some place else to stay. I've infringed upon you enough as it is, and I don't want to impose." The look on his face told her she hadn't expected what would come next.

His hands were anchored in his pockets when he walked over toward the antique desk nestled against the bookcase, pulling out a small slip of paper from his hip pocket.

"Europe." Roman spoke one word, followed by a series of alphanumeric digits.

He frisbeed the paper onto the desk before he opened a built-in compartment housing all sorts of impressive electronic gadgetry, and techie gadgets for deciphering networks, telecommunications… any and everything technical... Smooth silvery metal and black blared from the niches of the laddering compartments. It was what any high tech guru had at his fingertips…tricks of the trade. 

His tricks of the trade were certain to mesmerize her, a woman of her astute caliber.

Roman sat at the upholstered bench and wiped his forehead pimpling tiny beads of sweat. "Have a seat," he gestured to the small bench where he was sitting. Danielle gulped a couple more sips, finishing off her coffee before she placed her cup on a side table and sashayed over towards him. She reached into the pocket of her robe for a peppermint and vehemently sucked on it--
just in case
.

Her eyebrows rose in awe when she saw all of the equipment, just before she'd sat beside him. The cushion was ample. But she'd felt his shoulder nudge her torso more than a few times already, and it was making her weak. She'd hardly begun to stick to her motto and it hadn't even been an hour later.

Fortunately for her, his white t-shirt only slightly camouflaged his muscles that kept popping veins to the tune of her heart beating. It was crazy. It was crazy to have to suffer like this.

But she loved every second-- her motto had been flung to the sky-high rafters-- possibly never to return?

"What'd you mean Europe?" she countered. Stunned at his discovery, she laid a hand on his arm and was caught by his eyes again.

He threaded his fingers through his hair before logging on to his computer, "Give me a sec."

"Remember the license plates," he went on, "well I cross-referenced--"

The screen burst a bright glow right before she'd leapt into the conversation.

"Wait a minute." Danielle interrupted, jostling the peppermint to the back of her tongue. She'd left the dicey morsel to meltdown when she stuttered, "R-Roman, in non-techie terms."

He blew a breath, drumming his fingers on the desk, "Okay, here it is. Our guy's in the vicinity of London."

"How'd you figure?"

"Well, I don't want to pinpoint anything until I'm absolutely certain, but I've been going over the reports... your files, particularly those of interest during and up to the time of your promotion three weeks ago." His voice hardened as he pulled up an account screen.

In an instant, his startling announcement was already mind-blowing and soaring her brain into a frenzy of surging questions and possibilities.

"You're in--" her eyes widened toward the haloing glow, as she reached out to touch his forearm.

"Tell me all you know about Macgregor and a company called Bartlett, LLC," he asked.

She could already feel the warmth in his flesh as they sat arm-to-arm at the computer. She was still dressed in her slinky robe. The glow mirrored her allure, not that he even noticed.

Her fingers shimmied across the keyboard, and then her hands brushed over his. Slowly, she felt a familiar rush of arousal titillate her flesh.

Planting a smile on her face, she said instead, "You mean Bartlett Sun--," as she began an on-screen tabulation.

"Hmmm," was all she said, in her usual mental barrage of reflection. She was bound to come across an idea, but then how could she really. She'd felt his stare burn into her profile heating her well beyond sultry tropical conditions.

Roman looked at her with more than a passing glance as she painted a kind of bookish expression that he'd begun to find overtly sexy. He had to be kindling something primal every moment her silk teased the hairs along his arms moderating smooth, delicate kisses with every inciting, caressing touch.

Her legs crossed tapering a v-shaped part in her robe. Luckily for her, she didn't feel the slightest chill on her exposed thigh as his eyes drifted to a petal of lace hiding the silky underside.

As she clicked her way through the data mines of months and years of the treasure trove of information, Roman shifted uneasily, and then he stopped cold. It didn't help matters that her soft and silky loose curls tickled his stubble to the point of an all out battle with his thoughts.

"Just a sec," she said kindly.

Slowly, she scanned the history of "Bartlett, LLC a.k.a. Bartlett Sun." Idle curiosity prompted her to probe deeper. She wondered about the sudden acquisition of another conglomerate that coincidentally was held under management by Craig Barton of Barton Industries.

Danielle tilted back on the bench and stared. Obviously she was wrestling with the idea that maybe the firm's reputation wasn't as ironclad and credulous in its privacy and reputation as she thought. Maybe their valor had fallen short to backdoor covert operations. But whom and why, were still at question?

"There has to be a mastermind behind all this... I just know it, I can feel it," she insisted.

"This is what I used to--" She paused, knowing all of what her life had come to at this point-- knowing she'd had even more problems looming. "Well, never mind that... What we're working with are at least two...three, that we know are involved-- but there had to be someone at the firm, someone with direct access and familiarity... But, even so-- it's pure speculation."

"The team had been trying to recover assets when the case was still fresh almost ten years ago, when I still held somewhat a junior rank around there. It wasn't until I became partner that I was willing to tackle the tough cases, re-igniting those that Finch was willing to push aside," she explained.

Danielle explained to Roman, "I didn't think about it much at the time. There was a lot going on. But now since you'd mentioned it--"

Roman fixed serious, furtive eyes on Danielle's face when he said, "I think you'd stirred a hornet's n—"

"Don't say it," Danielle interjected. "I didn't think anything about it. I was just willing and able to uphold justice where I saw fit. Of course we step on plenty of toes in the process, but these guys had it coming. They're unscrupulous and willing to stop at nothing to avoid consequences."

"All I did was my job." She sighed. "I just didn't think they'd resort to this." Danielle drew her hand to her forehead, massaging her temples.

In a heartbeat, Roman stretched out his arm as it landed around her waist.

"I'm freaked out about all this Roman. Thank God you're here."

Sitting with his arm wrapped around her, the screen went black into hibernate. The shock value was agonizing. But, honestly, her gut wasn't nearly as worried with Roman on her side.

It was something about the gleam in his eyes and that urge to cuddle with him, that desperate desire for warmth and protection that other men didn't give her. But the truth was, no other man could fulfill the laundry list of requirements that meant perfection in her eyes.

No other man could even compare to the father that stuck by his family and raised a child even when the going got tough and rough, he didn't abandon the household as others in the town had done.

It was the worst drought in twenty years, even last year's drought couldn't compare to the days when not even a seedling would take root. All the farmers suffered and it took a toll on relationships, on health, family and livelihood.

Any moment she'd even think of considering a guy as steady, she didn't bank on it lasting. Somehow negative vibes impeded the relationship every single time.

As she grabbed a folder atop a stack of reports, a flurry of papers fanned to the floor with her nervous handling. Instantly, he'd turned toward her. When she'd gestured her body to ladle the papers, his arms wrenched tight around her waist.

She was barely aware of his attentiveness, until she turned and his eyes burned into hers a new level of intensity. He grabbed her hand and pulled it toward his chest. His broad shoulders were a welcomed comfort, as she feathered every fiber of cottony fusion magnetizing her brow to his taunt muscles.

She leapt from his chest all of a sudden.

"Oh, I don't want to keep you from—" She paused, her gaze swelling the desire that radiated off his glowing bronze-- that peeked behind the hairs on his chest teasing her. "If you have to be somewhere." The words flew out of her mouth before she'd realized he had willingly pulled her into his arms, slipping the silk from her shoulder.

"I have to protect you remember?" He said with equal softness. "The only place I need to be is right here with you."

She sighed with deep longing and dove back into his chest as he kissed the tips of her fingers syllabically pausing, "We. Need. To. Relax. You." He said in a husky voice, as he kissed each word into her fingertips.

Despite the fact that Danielle wanted him, she wasn't the kind of woman that would settle for a one-night stand. He may have gotten lucky, but not that lucky.

She hadn't bothered to stop herself from fantasizing about him ever since they'd met. Even ever since his Lamborghini-- number twenty-three-- proved to be just as tantalizing as its driver. 

But there was no time like the present to stop wondering what his kiss would taste like and how his stubble felt against her baby skin. Her right brain was thinking one thing, while the left thought the total opposite.

She let herself fall into his beautiful eyes so intense, so full of desire, arousing every limb in her body, as he kissed into the curve of her shoulder. He must have tasted rose petals laced in fern and lavender against smooth glowing bronze. It was times like this, she was glad she'd dressed for the occasion. He glanced at her, and her impish grin encouraged his lips to curl in response.