Page 44 of Dream Date With the Millionaire
Her words jostled him from the fantasy forming in his head.
“Right here.” Bryce motioned to the closed door across from his. “In the bathroom drawer, you’ll find toothbrushes and other stuff.”
“Get a lot of overnight visitors?” she asked, her tone icy.
“Nope.” He liked the idea she might be concerned about female visitors. And jealous. “I get a lot of freebies.”
Her eyebrows raised.
He grinned. “From hotels and airlines. Help yourself to whatever you need.”
“Thank you.” She placed her hand on the doorknob. “Tonight has been so much fun.”
Too bad the fun had to end. “Sleep well.”
“You, too.” She stared up through her lashes at him, her eyes full of affection. “Sweet dreams.”
Bryce really wanted to kiss her goodnight, but she didn’t want to rush things and he didn’t trust himself not to. If she would only open the door and get away from him…
“Goodnight, Dani.”
She rose on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. A chaste peck, really.
Not at all close to what Bryce wanted, but he’d take it.
Dani opened the door and stepped into the guest room. “Goodnight.”
The shy, sweet smile on her face hit him like an arrow to his heart. He almost stumbled back.
She closed the door.
A good thing. Bryce leaned against the wall in the hallway. He blew out the breath he’d been holding.
Another second with her and he would have been on his knees.
Sunlight stole through cracks in the wooden blinds. Dani stretched her arms over her head. She couldn’t believe how rested she felt. No doubt sleeping on a real mattress, complete with a pillow top, and not her hard futon, made the difference. She’d never known what sleeping on a cloud would feel like until last night. She could get used to this.
And Bryce.
Thinking about him brought a smile to her face. Dani owed him a home-cooked breakfast this morning for his hospitality. She was sure Bryce would have preferred a different sleeping arrangement last night. Yet he hadn’t pushed her into something she wasn’t comfortable with or ready for. She appreciated that. And him.
For all her talk of not wanting a boyfriend, she had to admit Bryce had quickly changed her mind. Funny, the thought of not being with him bothered her more than the realization she was dating someone.
Dani threw back the duvet-covered comforter. She wanted to see Bryce.
A quick stop in the bathroom, and she headed out of the room. Seeing Bryce’s bedroom door closed, Dani walked softly down the stairs and into the kitchen. She didn’t want to wake him.
“Good morning,” a female voice greeted her.
Dani looked over at the kitchen table and saw a pretty young woman sitting there. She had dark hair and green eyes like Bryce. “Caitlin?”
“You know who I am, but I haven’t a clue about you.” A smile, complete with dimples on either side of her mouth, lit up the woman’s face. “My brother is good at keeping secrets.”
The word secret prickled the hair at the back of Dani’s neck, but only warmth flowed from Caitlin.
“Not really a secret,” Dani said. “I’m Dani Bennett.”
An older woman with the same green eyes as Caitlin and Bryce but lighter hair strode into the kitchen with a cloud of expensive-smelling perfume in her wake. She carried a bag of frozen French fries. “His car is in the garage. He must have forgotten and slept…”
The woman’s surprised gaze flicked over Dani with curiosity. “Who are you?”
“This is Dani Bennett,” Caitlin said. “Dani, this is my mother, Maeve.”
With expertly highlighted hair, porcelain skin and designer clothing, Bryce’s mother radiated beauty and wealth. She studied Dani with sharp eyes, as if she were trying to decide if she’d found a masterpiece or a forgery.
Talk about intimidating. Awkward. Humiliating.
But Dani wasn’t about to let nerves get the best of her. She owed it to Bryce and herself not to act overwhelmed. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Delaney.”
“I haven’t been a Delaney in decades.” The woman’s friendly smile caught Dani off guard and made her seem more like a mother than a matriarch. She placed the bag of fries in the freezer. “Call me Maeve, please.”
“Thanks, Maeve,” Dani said, trying out the name. “I’m a friend of Bryce’s.”
Maeve raised a finely arched brow. “More than a friend, I’d say, since you’re wearing the pajamas I gave him for Christmas.”
Embarrassed, Dani cringed. She could only imagine what Bryce’s family thought she was doing here on a Saturday morning, wearing his pajamas. “This isn’t what you think. I mean, Bryce and I aren’t…We didn’t…”
