Chapter Eighteen
Silas
The engine hums softly as I grip the steering wheel, Danae sitting quietly in the passenger seat beside me. I glance at her briefly. Okay, maybe a little more than briefly trying to focus on the road but failing miserably. Since the ceremony marked us as an engaged couple, I’ve had to spend more time with her. Time I’d thought would be tedious. Time, I’ve come to realize, is dangerous.
She’s growing on me, and that infuriates me.
There’s something about the way she sits, so poised yet casual, that pulls me in like a magnet. I hate how she’s starting to occupy my thoughts when she’s not even trying. My fingers tighten on the wheel as my eyes gravitate towards her again. She turns to me for a split second, but her gaze quickly shifts to the window.
She’s annoyed with me, as always. I can feel it. And yet, instead of being put off by it in a weird way, I’m drawn in even more.
What the hell is wrong with me?
The dress she’s wearing doesn’t help. Elegant and refined, it clings to her figure just enough to remind me how stunning she is when her clothes are off. I bite back a groan. I fucking hate myself for noticing. She’s gorgeous, yes, but I shouldn’t be thinking about her like this. I don’t want to.
But I am.
The car pulls up to the meeting venue. A towering glass structure with a lavish boardroom waiting inside. Business associates are already seated when we walk in, their chatter dying down as Danae and I make our way to the head of the table.
I can feel their eyes on her. They notice the same things I do: her grace, her beauty, the effortless way she carries herself. It makes my chest tighten with something that feels alarmingly like pride, though I shove the feeling aside. She sits beside me, calm and composed, and it’s like I’m trying not to look like a fool beside her.
The meeting begins, and the associates present their proposal …a laughable offer of five million for a piece of land. I almost laugh as I skim through the paperwork. This is ridiculous. I’m about to voice my disdain when Danae beats me to it.
“Gentlemen,” she says, her tone firm but polite, “I’m afraid this offer is far lower than we can accept.”
The room falls silent. My eyes snap to her, my surprise getting the best of me. The associates murmur among themselves before one of them speaks up, clearly not expecting her to intervene. “The property isn’t of particular importance to the Jorg family,” he says. “Our offer is fair.”
Danae doesn’t miss a beat. “Its usefulness to the family notwithstanding, it is still a Jorg property. It’s not just a piece of land. It’s owned by a family known for prestige…a name worth its weight in gold. When you pay for the property, you’re paying for its history as well.”
What the hell? She’s good at this.
I fight back the smile tugging at my lips. She’s handling this better than I expected, better than I could have imagined. She’s commanding the room, and damn it, I’m enjoying every second of it.
The associates exchange uneasy glances before one of them turns to me. “Can Mr. Jorg let us know his thoughts on this?”
I lean back in my chair, feigning nonchalance even as my chest swells with pride. “The lady, who will soon be Mrs. Jorg, echoes my thoughts exactly.”
The words leave my mouth before I can stop them. Mrs. Jorg… Damn. Did I really just say that?
The room hums with whispers, a low, uneasy murmur that spreads like ripples through water. Eyes dart between one another…some wide with confusion, others narrowing in mild annoyance.
I catch sight of Danae. Her face is unwavering, a mask of perfect stoicism. She sits still, composed, as though the outcome of this exchange was never in question.
Finally, one of the associates clears his throat. “We will reconvene and return with an improved offer,” he says, his voice carrying a note of resignation, shoulders slumping ever so slightly.
Danae smiles, her expression cool and confident. “That will be brilliant,” she says, her tone as polished as her appearance.
As we leave the boardroom, I can’t stop replaying the way she handled herself. Her poise, her business acumen, it’s thrilling. More thrilling than I want to admit.
We approach the car, and I clear my throat, trying to ignore the strange excitement coursing through me. “That was good,” I say grudgingly. “You did a good job there. I was impressed.”
She turns to me, and for a fleeting moment, I see gratitude in her eyes. But then she scoffs, her features relaxing into that infuriating calmness of hers. “Of course, I did a good job. Did you think I didn’t know what I was doing?”
Why the fuck is her response so maddeningly attractive? “That’s what I get for complimenting you,” I say, trying to keep my voice as even as possible.
She laughs mockingly. “Oh, so you do know how to give compliments.”
“Well, maybe I’ll give more compliments if you impressed me more often,” I say, biting back.
She shakes her head, poised as ever. “You wouldn’t know impressive if it hit you in the face.”
She is driving me crazy here…
“How about you just take the compliment like a normal person?” I snap, my frustration slipping into my tone.
“Maybe because it wasn’t a compliment,” she fires back, her words sharp. “It was a statement of fact.”
“A statement of fact?” I repeat, my voice pitching higher with a mix of annoyance and amusement. “Have you ever done anything like this before?”
“Aha! There it is,” she says, her pace quickening as she strides toward the car. “You didn’t think I could pull it off, did you?”
“That’s not what I’m saying,” I groan, throwing my hands up in exasperation.
“Oh, really? Because it sure sounds like that’s exactly what you meant.”
“By telling you that you did well in there?” I shoot back, shaking my head. “Wow. Might need to work on those comprehension skills.”
As we reach the car, she sighs and says, “You’re a real handful to be around.”
I can’t help myself at this point. “It didn’t seem that way when you were in the cave with me.”
Her cheeks flush a deep red, and I have to bite back a laugh. But then she surprises me again.
“Look,” she says, her voice firm despite the blush staining her cheeks. “I’m not going to be mindlessly controlled by your pheromones and this crazy attraction I have for you. Just because I think you’re so freaking hot doesn’t mean I’m going to pretend that you’re not an asshole and that I don’t hate everything about how you behave.”
Her words strike a nerve in me in the best possible way. She slams the car door shut, leaving me standing there, stunned.
Why do I love it when she talks to me like that?
When I finally slide into the driver’s seat, the silence is deafening. She’s sitting with her arms folded, glaring out the window, and all I can think about is what she just said.
I’m losing my mind here. I can’t help it. I. I want her.
Her voice cuts through my thoughts as I drive. “I want to see more of the city before we head back.”
My heart pounds. I need space. I need to get away from her before I do something reckless. I shake my head, keeping my tone as cold as I can manage. “I’m taking you home. Joseph or Adriel can show you the city.”
But even as I say it, I know the truth. Damn. I’m falling badly for her here. I need to clear my head.
The car falls silent again, the atmosphere thick and suffocating. I force myself not to spare her a look, trying to focus on the road, but all I can think about is her. Her fire, her defiance, her beauty, it’s all driving me insane. And worst of all, I don’t want it to stop.