27. Rosie
27
ROSIE
I ’m up, dressed, and out the door, leaving a sleeping Daniel in my bed, exhausted after he spent the entire night fucking me within an inch of my life, and honestly, I didn’t care. Last night something changed between us as if we both had our fears stripped away in the darkness as we both were honest with each other. I don’t think I could have said the things I had if it wasn’t for the darkness. Then, his confession about the sex club and the things he would do to me, they sounded hot. Maybe I, too, have a voyeur and exhibitionist kink because everything he said sounded perfect. I need a couple of moments to think without his deliciously hot body distracting me.
Now I’m walking up a country lane, everything around me is silent and my mind won’t stop playing on loop all the filthy things Daniel did to me last night.
“Rosie, what the hell, it’s early,” Georgia grumbles as she answers the phone.
“It’s an SOS,” I tell her, knowing this will get her attention.
“Shit, okay, what’s going on?”
“I need you to promise me, you can’t tell Emily or Ava.”
“Where are you? And why can I hear cows?” she asks.
“I’m in the country with Daniel. I’m working on his Kent place today.”
Georgia bursts out laughing. “Let me guess, you’re calling me because you slept with him last night?”
How did she know? And why is she laughing? “Yes.”
“And what is the problem? Other than the main one, that he is your client. Blah, blah, blah,” she teases.
“Something changed between us last night and I …”
“Wait … I can hear it in your voice. Oh. You’ve fallen for him.”
“I can’t have feelings for him as there’s a chance I’m leaving, but I do like hanging out with him. And yes, I do want to keep sleeping with him,” I confess to her.
“Then what’s the problem?” she asks, and I’m not sure what it is anymore.
“I don’t know.”
“If you are seeking permission to throw the whole ‘he’s my client’ excuse in the bin then you have my permission. It was a flimsy one anyway.” She chuckles. “If you want to continue hooking up in secret then I’m all for it.”
“No one can know, especially not Emily, she will push for double dating and all those kinds of things.”
“True. You don’t see a future with Daniel like she does with Louis?” Georgia’s words still me, not that I imagined what it would be like in a white dress with him, but I might have imagined what it would be like to walk down the street hand in hand like we did in New York. Spending the day shopping for our home together, I’ve thought about the things I would do to his Mayfair house if I was living there, adding my touches to the New York place, and dreaming about the Kent project. Shit. For an interior designer that’s like imagining yourself walking down the aisle with him.
“Yeah, exactly,” I answer.
“Then have fun. You don’t know when or if Dubai will happen so have fun until then. Just don’t fall in love,” Georgia warns.
“I promise, I won’t. I might fall in love with his home though.”
“That might be worse.” My friend giggles.
“Thanks for talking me off the ledge.” I sigh.
“You’ve got this.”
“Love you. I better get back to the bed and breakfast. I kind of snuck out,” I tell her.
“Of course you did. And I love you, too. I’m always here if you need me. We need to catch up when you get back.”
“I should be back later this afternoon.”
Georgia bursts out laughing. “Woman, spend the weekend with that fine French man and we can catch up on Monday.”
“Fine,” I grumble as I hang up. There’s a smile on my face. Maybe we should spend the weekend together, wonder what it would be like if I let all my anxiety go over being with him and just enjoy it. I suck in a deep breath of country air and head back to the bed and breakfast with a bounce in my step.
“Where have you been?” Daniel asks, slight panic to his tone as I walk into the room.
“I went for a walk,” I say, stilling because he looks upset. Has something happened?
“I thought … I thought you had left because of last night,” he says, his words rushing as he runs his fingers through his dark locks.
Oh.
I run toward him and wrap my arms around him. He stills under me and then eventually wraps himself around me.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you. I needed to clear my head, that’s all.”
He lifts my chin and makes me look up at him. “Do you regret last night?”
I shake my head. “Not one bit.” His eyes widen in surprise. Then I push up onto my toes and kiss him, and that is all he needs to sweep me properly into his arms as he kisses me.
“You’ve changed your mind?” he questions me.
I nod. “Yes, but whatever it is, you and I need to keep it under wraps.”
“I can do that.” He smiles, pulling me closer to him. “Do you think we have time for another round?” he asks hopefully.
I reach out and wrap my arms around his neck. “How about this? After I’ve finished doing what I need to do at your home, you can have me then.”
“But my dick is hard now.” He pouts, and I’ve never seen this playful side of him.
I run my hand down and over his hardening cock. “If you wait, I’ll reward you with some outdoor fun.” Those turquoise eyes widen at my comment.
“Come on then let’s go.” He smirks.
“Let’s have breakfast first, I think we might need the energy.”
“Fine,” he grumbles. “I’ll pack the car and meet you down there.” Kissing me again, he slaps my ass and sends me on my way.
I walk into the dining room and there are a couple of older couples eating breakfast. I find a table and take a seat.
“Miss Hunt. Good morning, did you have a good night?” the older lady who checked us in asks me. Her question catches me off-guard as thoughts of what Daniel and I did last night hit me, I can feel my cheeks starting to heat.
“Um, yes, it was great.”
“Again, so sorry about the one room. I hope it wasn’t too much of an inconvenience.”
I wave her concern away, I don’t think I would have let my guard down if we had separate rooms like was planned. “It’s fine. He’s a friend and a client.”
She nods. “What would you like for breakfast? We have cereal, a full English, or toast.”
“Oh, a full English would be great thanks.”
“And your friend?”
“He will have one, too.” She grins and disappears back to the kitchen.
Suddenly the room falls silent, and I watch as Daniel strolls back in, like a damn movie star, in slow motion. He’s dressed in dark denim jeans, his long legs striding toward me, brown boots, and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, exposing his tanned corded arms, and a silver designer watch on his wrist. He slides his tortoiseshell glasses off and his eyes land on me, heat radiating from them.
Shit.
I can already feel the blush of anxiety creeping up my neck to the tips of my ears. The women in the dining room gawk at him and some of the men, he presses a kiss to my head as he pulls out his chair and takes a seat.
“I ordered for you, hope that’s okay?” I say, trying to force the words out as normally as I can, so he doesn’t see how much he affects me.
“Sounds good,” he says as he pulls out his phone and starts tapping away.
“Morning, love, would you like a tea or coffee?” the older lady asks him.
“Café, please, and she would like?” he says, directing the question to me.
“Chamomile tea if you have it.” The woman nods and smiles and disappears again.
“Sorry about that just had to quickly do something,” he says, putting his phone away.
“That’s okay. Everything good?”
“It will be.” He smirks.
The lady comes out with two glasses of water and places them down before us.
“Did you have a nice walk this morning?” he asks.
“I saw cows,” I tell him.
“Cows?”
“Yeah, you know, moo, moo.”
Daniel rolls his eyes at me. “I know what a cow is, Rosie.”
I giggle. “It was lovely and quiet.”
“You miss the country?” he asks.
“When I’m in it, I do. I don’t have much time to get out of London, actually, what I mean is I don’t let myself have enough time.”
“If you ever need to get away, let me know, you’re more than welcome to use the Kent house.” That’s awfully kind of him.
Our meals arrive and are placed in front of us.
“What is this?” Daniel asks, staring at his plate. I can see the worry on his face.
“It’s a full English breakfast. You can’t tell me you have never had one of these before. Not even after a night out and you head to the greasy spoon in the morning to help your hangover.”
He looks up from his plate and glares at me. “Do I look like I frequent a place called a greasy spoon?”
“No, you don’t. Anyway, there’s bacon, baked beans, mushrooms, poached eggs, sausages, tomatoes, and some toast,” I explain to him.
He leans forward. “Is this what English people eat every day?”
“No, not always. When you come to a bed and breakfast this is what you would normally get. Have you never stayed at a bed and breakfast before?” I question him.
“No. There were no hotels close by, it was the best I could do,” he states as he starts poking at his food before he digs in.
“You’re so boujie.” I chuckle.
“I like what I like.” He smirks before digging into his breakfast.
“You seemed to have liked that?” I ask, staring at his empty plate.
“I was hungry, it was my only option.” He grins, placing his napkin on the table.
“It kills you that you liked it.”
“Yes,” he says shaking his head as he pushes his chair out, which has me smiling. We say our goodbyes to the owner and head toward the car. Daniel opens the car door for me to get in then closes it. I watch him scowl as he walks around the front of his Ferrari, opens his door, and takes a seat.
“It’s not far,” he says before starting up the engine which rumbles through us and takes off.
We arrive off the main road at a stately gate. He presses a buzzer, it opens for us, and we drive in along a gravel driveway that disappears behind the forest, where I can see the tip of the roof. There are acres of green grass perfectly mown with stripes, which is impressive. Rounding the corner, I gasp and take in the gorgeous home. The home from the research I’ve done is from the 1920s, an arts and craft-style home which is part of a gated estate that sits on about one hundred and forty acres. The updated paint work of black and white gives the home an American farmhouse vibe. He stops the car, and I am out before he even has a chance to open my door.
“Wow, the photos don’t do this place justice, it’s gorgeous.” I stare in awe.
Daniel nods and opens the door for us. He ushers me in through the arched front door, and I’m speechless. Front to back connects via black stained oak chevron floorboards that run the entire length of the bottom level, giving a dramatic effect as far as the eye can see. I don’t know where to look first because the back garden is calling to me and I head straight for the back door, where I push it open and take in the gorgeous back deck area that leads out to the pool and spa. Lush green grass surrounds the backyard in that stripy pattern again until you hit the tennis court hidden behind manicured gardens. A mechanical sound behind me grabs my attention, and I turn to see Daniel opening the entire side of the house letting the outside and inside become one.
“This is stunning,” I say, shaking my head as I take in the luxury kitchen with its gray marble countertops and state-of-the-art appliances. There’s a dining room next to the kitchen which looks out over the pool area. “The entertaining you could do here,” I say, envisioning summers on the deck by the pool with the sliding doors open, people coming and going, grabbing food from the kitchen. “Do you like to entertain?” I question him as I pull out my notepad.
“Yes and no. I entertain a lot at the gallery, I have had some parties at my home, but usually I go out.” He walks over to where I’m standing and slides his hands into his pockets as he stares out over the pool. “I’d probably host more intimate parties here as I want this place to be my sanctuary, just close friends.”
“It would be a perfect space for that, especially out here. Oh, imagine nights in the spa, enjoying a glass of wine while staring up at the stars.”
“As long as you were with me.” He smirks.
“Maybe,” I say, elbowing him gently. “We could look at some sun loungers that could double as beds, you don’t want to traipse wet feet through the home to get to a bedroom when the mood strikes.” I wink at him.
“Don’t tease me, woman,” he growls as he follows me back inside.
We pass the kitchen and dining as we walk past the stairs and toward the front door where a sitting room is located. My eyes are drawn to the stunning floors throughout the bottom level.
“I’m not sure what to do with this room,” he says, pointing to the sitting room, which has been painted charcoal. It’s dark and moody, just like its owner. There’s a gorgeous stone fireplace which is a nice centerpiece. Even though the room is dark, it has windows surrounding it on all sides letting in natural light.
“With the fireplace, it would make a nice winter living room. The dark colors make it cozy. You have your summer living room, which is next to the kitchen and connects with the outside, this would make a nice space to warm yourself by the fire.”
“I’m envisioning a rug right here,” he points in front of the fireplace, “something comfortable that you can lay on while I eat you.” He grins.
I swallow at the image he’s put in my mind. “Noted,” I say, moving on as he shows me the space next door that he would like as an office. Then back along the corridor is the games room as per the floor plan. Daniel says he would very much like to turn this into the perfect games room including a pool table. There’s already a gorgeous onyx bar set up there, then another sitting area that has a fireplace. Somewhere he can hang out with his boys when they come down. There’s a guest bedroom, bathroom, and powder room on the same level, as well as a utility room on the ground floor.
We then head upstairs, where there are three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and the primary suite that is as big as my flat back in town. There’s this enormous marble tub that sits under the window and you can lay in it and look out over the backyard.
“Do you like baths?” I ask Daniel.
“Not alone, I don’t.” He grins.
“I don’t think you’ll be enjoying this gorgeous tub alone. It’s so deep and wide, aw, it’s perfect,” I gush.
“You can join me anytime. Guessing you like baths, then?”
“Who doesn’t? My bath isn’t very deep. I can’t stretch out in it but it’s better than nothing. There’s nothing better than coming home from a stressful day at work and sinking into the hot water and letting your trouble float away.”
“I like to do that too.”
I nod as I scribble in my notepad. We end up back downstairs, my notepad filled with ideas. It’s late in the afternoon by the time we finish.
“I think I have everything I need from you. I don’t think it will take us long to fit out the place, but we probably should get everything finalized next week if you want it all in so you can use it before summer is over which is fading fast.”
“The sooner the better, whatever you need from me, I’m yours,” he states, not missing that hidden meaning, and as scary as that should feel it doesn’t anymore.
“Great. Well, I just need to measure up some things, I might be about an hour. If you want to go anywhere instead of hanging around here that’s all good,” I say, holding my notepad against my chest.
“Come find me when you’re done. I have work to do so I’ll be sitting outside,” he states, walking away from me.