Love Found Me (A City Love Novel, Book 1) (8 page)

The woman turned a wide-eyed gaze of speculation, "You know Jack?"

Danielle dug into her brushed suede for another malleable fisting of relief hidden in the pit of her hobo bag. As her fist clamped the rubbery texture, she was beginning to realize Roman was right. It just didn't feel right anymore. She'd allowed life to pinch her nerves to the core because of what Jack and Finch had done...Because of rejection and disappointment...hurt and pain--a past she didn't want to face.

Although she knew change wouldn't happen overnight, the prickle rocked her heart at its deepest--just enough to recall Roman's sentiment...
BREATHE
.

You have to stop this
, Danielle told herself, just long enough that she stood up before she realized she'd been living in the past. Suddenly stunned, she'd become shockingly aware of Jack's audacity to lust after another woman when they were together.

Danielle muttered,
"Small world."
She clamped her purse to her side and raised up off the park bench as she belted, "I've got to be somewhere."
Anywhere
, she said to herself as she blinked her eyes against a string of tears, piercing the grass as she weaved her way onto the pavement back towards Fifth Avenue.

Chapter Six

Fresh air had its way of making sense of everything again, breathing life from the urban rush back into her senses.
Breathe in, breathe out
, she coached herself, as she wandered the tree-lined streets marked in skyrocketing wealth. Decorative cornices and ornate Italianate with arched windows brought an oasis of calm within the city.

It had been years since worry, anxiety, and fickle nerves had come close to destroying her--at least ten years ago--ever since career invaded the trenches.

As she looked up at the canopy of bright green swaying against the gentle wind, she'd raised a sudden urge to calm and silence her thoughts. At that moment, she'd had a vision of--a glorious sand beach and surging surf caressing mountains of springy foam...

Strolling the shoreline...smooth sand sifting springy waterfalls between bronzed toes. Sumptuous feathery breezes infusing the intoxicating fragrance of honeysuckle. She'd decidedly found reason and time to start practicing those few lessons she'd had in mindful meditation--Which gladly blended Roman's advice to--
Slow down
and
Breathe
.

A city stroll was all that was needed to clear her mind, at least for a while of the whole "Jack" thing and contemplate where she was going from here.

With all of this additional time on her hands, she was so busy with work non-stop for almost twelve years, she hadn't been used to relaxing and enjoying some time to herself.

Danielle stopped in her tracks, her expression serious. She was still grappling with the career and financial ramifications of the termination. And, surprisingly, although burdens lifted, she still hadn't figured out what she was going to do about her parents, the business, and her life in SoHo.

Even though consciously she'd known--
Life wasn't perfect
. But maybe if she'd started noticing her cup--half full--rather than half empty, life would appear better than she'd thought. Maybe she'd discover everything would be just fine after all.

Still, she simply wanted to discount the facts: her life had veered off course; she still hadn't fully accepted a career outside of accounting; and the scheme threatening to take her down in the thick of corruption--worried her. Aside from all of that, she'd been absolved of pompous asses she'd no longer have to devote any more of life's precious time to.

The shock would yield to calmer meadows, after of course she'd rehearsed and replayed the "Danielle you're fired" tape a dozen times. Luckily for her, sunrise was already at its horizon.

She had a few more peaceful minutes before she was thrust back into the world of frantic honking, gutsy pedestrians, and brazen cabbies bumbling crazy tailspins through rush hour traffic.

But, just when she rounded the corner, she merged her slender figure behind a massive prickly holly. The huge bush had snapped hold of her tweed skirt, magnetizing her in its clutches. Feathering its berried branches, Danielle peeped around it dwarfing her contour, as she zeroed into focus what appeared to be the infamous SUV. She looked at the dark tint blaring her eyes with alarm, as she tiptoed to inspect the car's bumper for a closer look.

"Titanium silver?" she muttered.

Danielle had a visceral glimpse of nerves when she'd whipped out a paper napkin she'd saved from the dessert parlor. Polishing through the saucy layer of grime, there was a long pause. In her silence, she'd leaned in closer.

"Ahah!" she'd suddenly blurted. Danielle shrieked so loud that a flock of birds hovering nearby leapt toward the blue skies in search of a branch overhead. 

"Just what I suspected," she said, the instant her finger uncovered silvery paint matching the color of her Mercedes. She'd remembered that deranged monstrosity anywhere--the same monstrosity that heaved her into a tailspin just yesterday. But what was it doing near Park Avenue?

Danielle shivered as her imagination spun wild with theories.
Had this vehicle something to do with the firm...the termination? Or had it somehow related to the mysteriously handsome stranger that appeared straight out of nowhere to perhaps--stir something other than virtuous concern
.

By now, the air had started to vent through her legs, chilling her flesh into icy popsicles, when a sharp voice hollered out of nowhere, "Hey!"

She'd popped up from behind the bumper. Luckily, she'd managed to get a look at the plates before she'd ducked around a side street back to Park Avenue. Another minute, and who knows what would've happened. Her eyes infused the rear digits to memory as a sharp quiver suddenly surged and rode every limb in her body to run.

This was why she rivaled any forensic accountant. Not only to identify illicit activity, trace funds and recover assets. Danielle had the unique ability to snuff out the obvious...Feisty guts and the backbone to take a no strings attached backdoor analysis led to investigating and exposing massive covert fraud schemes. Remarkably, she'd recovered millions in illicit activities and beat down staggering numbers of crooked and ruthless big-time operators to justice. 

She took the risks most men at the firm never had the audacity to venture.

It was a nightmarish cab ride through midtown on a Monday afternoon, back through the maze of obstacle. It took a whopping triple the time to frenzy back to the ironclad facade she called
home
.

The same narrow quarry stone streets that were a backdoor haven for hidden artistic gems and sought-after boutiques for the relentless chic connoisseur--was her virtue of good fortune.

Of course, it didn't hurt that high-fashion was right around the corner.

Crap. Of course...The nine-hundred-dollar ones
. Danielle cocked her heel and peeked at the layers of berry juice from the huge holly that squished her suede anklet boots. Fortunately, the oozing took its toll only on the leather soles. 

By then, she'd just about hobbled her way to the garage elevators from the lobby in serious need of a foot massage when she'd suddenly realized,
What if there'd been a clue left behind from yesterday morning? No matter how small, it's worth checking out.

She'd been so frazzled; she hadn't even thought anything about it until that dark monstrosity was staring her right in the face just a while ago. It was worth the attention, but she knew not to get her hopes up.

She scanned the scene, studying it frantically. But, just her luck, she found nothing. Breaks of sunlight glinted off her brown locks, as she breathed a sigh and inhaled the crisp air as the cold faded into evening. 

Roman's instincts as a gentleman preceded him. The Italian bouquet trailed her nose to his apartment. As the noise level dropped on cue, Roman softened the concerto and flung the door open.

"Bologna cuisine...Surprised?" He paused, his gaze softening the flush of arousal sparked from her eyes. His strong body towered hers in the foyer. She'd barely managed to pull herself past the entry when she'd heard him say, "Thought I'd thrill you with a sumptuous meal." Roman bent to catch her eyes and smiled as he'd rolled her coat off her shoulders.

"I mean after the day you had and all, you deserve something nice-- so...I thought I'd cook for you."

Shuffling her steps past the doorway, Danielle braced herself against the entry table when she looked straight at Roman, pouring exhaustion from her eyes.

She'd looked up at him, their eyes linked when he'd suddenly said, "Oh my god, are you alright?  I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so insensitive." As he caressed her cheek, regardless of the day's ordeal, she couldn't help but face his warmth.

"Roman, I'm fine. Just a little..." His massaging cut into her thought, as he'd relaxed her shoulders.

Noticing her breath trail, he said, "Maybe you'd rather have dinner in bed."

Hope you'd meant with you in it.
Danielle mused to herself.

"Thanks. But I'm fine. I assure you. You went through all this trouble. Now how could I--" Danielle twitched her nose and sucked in the scent of oregano, sage, and garlic swooning her nose. "Let's just have dinner as planned. We can't let this feast go to ruin," she added with a smile.

"Sure thing," he said.

Danielle couldn't have been more impressed with a man in the kitchen. Not just in the kitchen, but cooking up a storm like he'd been a master chef in another life.

The Italian redolence was beginning to enfold her bones with an ensuing vigor as he'd swept her off her feet toward the sofa.   

"Comfortable," he asked. Her cropped jacket was gaping open across her breasts exposing the opening in her blouse from this morning's "wardrobe disaster."

Roman's eyes felt every vibration rising and falling as he'd held her in his arms. A ripple of heat shook his hand pulling him closer into her chest.

"Umm, much better," she said, as he'd ladled her gently across the toffee leather. The next second he'd knelt beside her and unbuckled the skinny straps of her suede anklet boots. Watching his strong hands unthreading each pink strip crossing her ankle tickled, and sent a quake riding all the way up to her heart. His hands were gentle as he glided off each heel with the smoothness of silk. She could've rolled the scene in slow motion over and over.

She watched Roman's eyes light an arousal, but then his focus sprinted toward the dining room. After he'd tossed her heels to the foot of the sofa, he'd suddenly rose and then backed up a step, taking his sweet scent with him, just before he said, "Dinner's ready."

Danielle could still see the berry juice clung to her cocked heels at the foot of the rug. The berry residue had already infused the soles in violet-purple. There was no time to sulk, as she'd had a few seconds to pull herself together after she'd swung her legs to sit up. Fortunately, her nimble toes could strip comfortably as they tingled in the soft fir.

His gaze darted back to the living room, incited by her floral ambiance that breathed a bouquet of roses across the apartment. The more she'd parted her jacket open--it was like a breath of fresh air had parted from the tweed in a sensual tease.

Danielle took a deep breath and threaded her ruby toes in the silken wispy threads tickling her naked flesh, as she smoothed a gentle massage in sync with her heart racing. A moment later, she'd nearly collided with her purse when she managed to waddle around the sofa before rounding the corner of the foyer toward the dining room.

"Sweet." The words sang from her, "Roman, this is so sweet. You're--" Her grin grew wider as she paused, "Oh my God, is that pumpkin...How'd you know it's one of my favorites...hmm, sure smells delicious."

His smile widened. "I assure you. Only the best."

"That's the only way." Danielle spun a sexy lilt as the words loosed from her tongue.

Just the thought of seeing him again after the ordeal at the office, brought her the welcomed peace she needed. Aside from the chocolate rush--oh, so decadent--that melted her cares uptown.

Danielle stopped in her tracks, the moment she saw his dimpled smile. His hazel eyes locked with hers of dark emerald. Her whole world slipped right out from under her. She could feel his eyes, heating her cheeks to a cruel, rosy blush that she prayed he couldn't notice. Her heart was pulsing faster than a racecar engine, throttling her breathless.

She moved closer to him and pulled him toward the towering expanse of original black and white photography showcasing nineteen forties and fifties New York. Rooted on her tippy-toes she pinned him against the Brazilian cherry frame that was starting to pinch his upper shoulder as she said against his lips, "I'm so glad to be here with you."

Roman was just starting to register the soft heat of her breasts as he sucked in a breath. His arms folded her waist as he looked down into her marbled emerald eyes and said, "Me too."

She felt a blush cover her cheeks and her lips quivered the moment she'd touched him. And at that moment, she knew--she wasn't about to turn away from this special evening.

The romantic allure of Manhattan's glittering skyline enveloped corseted leather and fine porcelain as she smoothed her hands along his velvety arms. Danielle looked up at his eyes marbling moonlight and said, "Lovely night isn't it."

Roman didn't bother to fight it. He flashed a kind of grin that would lure any woman closer, like a magnetic field's current.