Page 49 of Shades of Loyalty
But I know I have to. For me. For him. And for my daughter. Because all of us need clarity before this turns into something it shouldn’t.
As I step into the office, his expression shifts. I’ve been here before—twice—but it’s always been his men bringing him information or giving him updates on missions. But never me.
His gaze softens. Daniel doesn’t let his guard down often, but every time he looks at me...
I know he’s not the dangerous, cold man he wants me to believe he is. There’s something else. Something he doesn’t want me to know about.
“Jennifer,” he says, his voice low. “I’m surprised to see you. I’m quite busy handling some... shipments. What brings you here? Any trouble I should know about?”
I stay quiet for a moment, unsure of how to start. But when I speak, his eyes darken.
“I need to know what this is between us,” I murmur.
“What do you mean, Jennifer?”
Fuck, I hate when he talks like this. Like he’s never met me before. Like he’s never done anything for me.
Like he’s never told me he’d fuck me if he wanted to.
“You know very well what I mean,” I say, my voice shaky. “Just tell me, please. You’re confusing me.”
Daniel’s jaw tightens. He’s unsure of how to respond.
“Jenny, you know what this is. I’m your boss. I’m keeping you safe. That’s what’s between us.”
I scoff. Of course, yeah, right.
“Come on... You know that’s not what I’m talking about.”
“What are you talking about, then?” Daniel’s expression turns challenging. I swallow hard, my throat dry.
“I’ll be honest, Daniel. I want you. And I’m sure you want this, too. We just… Need to figure this out.”
He remains silent, eyes locked on mine, and I start to panic. What if I’ve been reading too much into this?
What if Victoria was wrong about Daniel and me?
“I guess so,” he says after a long pause.
What?
“What the hell does that mean?”
Daniel shrugs, glancing at his wristwatch. It reminds me of the first time I was here—sneaking around, finding that damn wristwatch.
“I do want you, Jennifer. We both know that. But we also know that Ican’twant you.”
“What’s stopping you from it?”
“Youknowwhat does. I’m not the type of person you want. You’re too good. No matter how cliché it sounds, you know it’s true.”
I scoff. “We’ve talked about this before.”
“Then you should know my answer, pretty.”
That fucking nickname. He knows what it does to me. And he’s not fucking stopping.
“You can’t take me on a date, tell me you want to fuck me, then buy my daughter a plush bunny and make her look at you like the father she never had…” I pause. “And then expect me to act like there’s nothing between us.”
