Chapter Sixteen
The moment she opened her eyes, she felt it. Something had changed. Everything was different. She was different. Because she loved.
Dana sat upright and looked down at her naked body. Groaning, she buried her face in her hands. She couldn’t believe the things she’d done last night! Giggling, she pulled the sheet up under her chin and looked around the spacious room.
They’d eventually reached the bedroom. But not before they’d tried the dining room table, the couch in the living room, the wall in the corridor—she’d never have thought she could be this … this … adventurous!
A movement at the door caught her eye, and there he was. Leaning against the door, wearing only a pair of jeans, the man who’d stolen her heart. His hair was mussed, his eyes still sleepy.
Her hormones sprang to attention. Her heart did its usual crazy dancing, and before she knew what she was doing, she’d thrown off the sheet.
With two strides, David was with her, but this time, she pulled him down, shoved him over on the bed, and straddled him before he quite knew what was happening.
Grinning, he looked up at her, gliding his hands up and down her legs. “I wanted to ask you if you were okay, but I can see I don’t have to be worried.”
“No, you don’t. But you should be worried.” She spread her hands out over his chest.
“Yeah?” He smiled.
“Yeah.” She bent her head down. “Very worried.”
*
He was in the kitchen, when he felt her. He looked up. She was blushing as she walked closer to him. He’d phoned Caitlin last night to let her know Dana would be spending the night, and then early this morning Caitlin had sent a message to say Don had left a bag for Dana on David’s porch.
And a bloody good thing. Otherwise she would have worn the blue dress again, and he would have known she wasn’t wearing anything underneath it, because he’d ripped her panties to shreds.
Swearing under his breath, he turned his back on her, switching on the coffee pot.
He was in love, and he wanted to shout it from the rooftops, phone everyone he knew and tell them.
But Dana was going through an emotional time; the last thing she needed now was some idiot declaring his love for her.
He would have to play it cool, give her time to get used to him, and wait until this whole mess surrounding her father’s death was resolved before he could tell her how he felt.
“Coffee?” he asked coolly.
It was quiet behind him. He glanced at her over his shoulder. She’d cocked her head and was looking at him, frowning.
“What?”
“What’s gotten into you?” she asked.
“Nothing, why?” he asked and turned back to the coffee machine.
Silence again. This time, when he turned around, she’d taken out her phone and was punching in numbers.
“What are you doing?” he asked and hurried over to her, She wouldn’t look up at him and turned her back on him when he was close.
“I’m phoning Caitlin to come and pick me up,” she said in a clipped voice and lifted the phone to her ear.
He grabbed it and ended the call.
“What are you doing?” she cried out, her eyes suspiciously bright.
Were those tears?
“You don’t have to phone Caitlin. I’ll take you home.” Why the hell was she upset?
She made a grab for her phone but he held it above his head.
“David!” she called out. “My phone, I…” A tear escaped and rolled over her cheek.
Angrily, she wiped it away and whipped around. “Fine. Then I’ll walk.” She sniffed and marched toward the front door.
David stared at her for a few seconds before his brain registered what she was doing.
With two strides, he reached the door before her and moved in front of it.
“David—” she began, and another tear slipped onto her face.
Frowning, David pulled her closer. “What the hell is going on? Why do you want to phone Caitlin to pick you up? What happened between last night and now?” he growled.
“You tell me!” she nearly shouted. “This morning you—” She hiccupped and wiped a hand over her eyes. “This morning and last night, you couldn’t get enough of me and now you… you don’t even want to look at me!”
“That’s not true!” he shouted, upset because she was crying, upset because he wasn’t quite sure what exactly was going on.
She sniffled, wiped her face before looking him straight in the eye.
“If you’ve had enough of me, you can tell me,” she said, just a slight tremor still audible in her voice.
“I’m a big girl; I can take it. I’ve always known this couldn’t last. But I didn’t think you’d be too much of a coward to tell me to my face. ”
And suddenly he was the hell in. This damn woman had him all tied up in knots and now she wanted to tell him what he was feeling as well. “Oh, you’ve always known, have you? And why is that?” he asked.
She rolled her eyes. Rolled her eyes! “Because, David, I’m a school teacher from Hermanus; my dad was in jail.
You are a Cavallo; you probably have more money than you know what to do with.
I know I’ve only been a temporary diversion for you.
One that you are now clearly over. Let’s leave it at that,” she said in a cold voice and tried to move past him to the front door.
He was so astonished at the drivel she was talking he was speechless for a number of seconds. But then he saw her eyes, bright with tears, and a sliver of hope had him swallowing a grin.
Before she could open the door, he turned her around and backed her up against the door.
“So why are you upset?” he asked.
It was obvious this wasn’t a question she’d been expecting.
“Wh-what do you mean?”
He combed her hair back with his fingers and trailed the back of his hand down her beautiful face.
“It’s a simple question, Dana,” he said and cupped her face with both hands. “Why does your idea that you’ve only been a diversion for me upset you?”
Her breath hitched in her throat; her gaze roamed uneasily over his face. But then her stubborn chin lifted. “It’s not my idea.”
“Then whose is it, because it’s sure as hell not mine. Damn it to hell, Dana, I bloody love you!” he shouted.
She stilled in his arms. Her eyes shot open wide. For long minutes they stared at each other, their breaths coming out in gasps.
“What did you say?” she breathed, her eyes narrowing.
He smiled and dropped his hands. “You heard me.”
She inhaled tremulously. “Could you repeat it? Please?”
“Why?”
“Because I love you too.” A tiny smile was hovering on her lips.
His heart stopped. Just stopped. His breath came out in a whoosh. His hands landed on her shoulders. “What did you say?”
“You heard me.” She mimicked his words of just now and smiled saucily up at him.
“Dana, damn it, tell me!” he roared.
“David, damn it, tell me!” She giggled.
“I love you!” they shouted together.
And then the wonder of it all settled in her eyes, and he knew for sure. He’d found his soul mate, the love of his life.
*
Dana could only stare at David. So this was what happened when someone found their one true love. Her ditzy heart bounced around, out of oxygen for a few seconds before it finally settled in a new space where it fitted perfectly. Right next to David’s.
Pure joy like she’d never experienced before rushed through her, bursting out in a laugh.
She touched his face, traced the outline of his lips with her fingers, followed the line of his strong jaw down to his throat before she moved into him, folded her arms around him, and rested her face against his chest.
He lifted her chin with his finger, his eyes smoldering. And the passion was back, her blood heating within seconds. When he scooped her up as if he was Rhett Butler, she laughed helplessly and folded her arms around his neck.