Page 58 of Dream Date With the Millionaire
Dani’s mouth dropped open. She closed it. “My mother?”
Bryce nodded. “I spent the last hour talking to her.”
“Whatever you said must have worked.”
Another nod.
“You went to a lot of trouble to find me.” She eyed him warily. “Why?”
“I wanted to see you.”
She noticed the dirt smudges on the sides of his fine leather shoes. “All that just to see me.”
“And to explain.”
“Go ahead then.” Dani wanted to feel indifferent and kept her voice steady, but inside she trembled. Heaven help her, she wanted to hear what he had to say. “I’m listening.”
“Before I say anything—” he strode across the stall toward her “—I need to do this first.”
“Do—”
Bryce pressed his lips firmly against hers, taking what he wanted and giving back what Dani so desperately needed. His warm, wet kiss filled her up, and she wanted more. She kissed him back with an eagerness of her own. As he pulled her closer, she wrapped her arms around him. The pitchfork crashed to the floor of the stall.
Bryce pulled back, his gaze never leaving hers.
Oh, my. Oh, no. Dani wiped her mouth with the back of her gloved hand, afraid what her response to his kiss might have told him. She raised her chin. “Something else you think I need?”
“Something I needed.” His eyes gleamed. Anger or something else, she couldn’t tell. “I need you, Dani.”
Her breath caught in her throat. She hadn’t been expecting that.
“I’m sorry for not trusting you to handle James on your own,” he said, his tone genuine and his voice strong. “I thought all this time I only wanted to protect the people I care about, but you’re right. I’ve only been trying to control things. That’s my way of protecting myself. My heart.”
The sincerity of his words, the honesty in his eyes, brought tears to her eyes. Deep inside, a sliver of hope sparked.
“I’ve been doing that ever since my parents’ divorce to keep from getting hurt, but I didn’t realize what I was doing until you pointed it out.”
“I appreciate you coming all this way to say that.” She cleared her dry throat. “It means…a lot.”
“You mean a lot to me,” Bryce continued. “You said I was like your father, but I’m not him. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. Even if you push me away, I will still love you.”
His words reverberated through her. The oxygen seemed to evaporate from the air. She might as well be twenty feet underwater, the way she struggled to breathe.
Bryce loved her.
“I’ve needed to hear you say that,” she said. “Even though you said they were just words.”
“Words are important, and I can say them as many times as you want.”
“Thanks, but saying the words doesn’t change things.” Dani wanted to ignore the truth, but couldn’t. “You like being in control, Bryce. You like protecting people. That’s who you are, and I’m afraid I’ll lose myself, the way my mother did with my father, if I’m with you.”
“I know being independent is important to you, but I love you. I have to be able to protect you. You’re strong enough, though, to stand up to me and let me know when you need help or when you don’t. And I’m smart enough to learn.” He raised her chin with his fingertip. “You’re not your mother. You’ve never been her.”
A million thoughts ran through Dani’s mind. But only one came to the forefront, as clear as the Golden Gate Bridge on a sunny day.
Bryce.
“You’re right. I’m not.” She stared up at him. “But I never wanted to be hurt again, the way my father hurt me. I figured if I didn’t rely on anyone, it couldn’t happen again.”
“I never wanted to hurt you, Dani.”
“I see that now.” Her cheeks warmed. “And I never meant to hurt you, either.”
“We’ve both been protecting ourselves.”
She nodded. “I’m sorry, Bryce. I’ve been using anything I could—your background and your money—the same way I used my baggy clothes, to keep you at a distance. Just like a heroine from a Jane Austen novel.”
“That’s okay.” He smiled. “So long as I don’t lose you to the Colonel.”
“Don’t worry about him.” Dani removed her gloves and placed her hand on Bryce’s chest. His heart beat beneath her palm. “You might be a Web tycoon, but you’re also a caring man who reaches out to others, whether it’s me, your family or Blinddatebrides.com users looking for love. You’re definitely Colonel Brandon material.”
