Kate Hoffmann - Danny

This was what it felt like to be in love. It was the most frightening, exhilarating, confusing feeling she’d ever had in her life. All the silly stereotypes were true. She felt as if her head was in the clouds, as if she was walking on air, as if nothing would ever be the same again.

Why hadn’t it snuck up slowly? Why had it hit her now, while he was asleep beside her and she wasn’t expecting it? Jordan’s impulse was to question her own feelings, but even that didn’t work. She was in love with Danny Quinn, no doubts, no hesitation.

She pushed up from the pillow and took another look. That face, those dark lashes and those beautiful lips. She’d grown so familiar with his features that she almost took them for granted.

She’d decided to stay in Ireland for a little while. Her savings could stand a year or two without work, if she was frugal. But, in truth, she wanted to see where all of this was leading.

Jordan leaned over and dropped a soft kiss on his mouth, then waited to see if he was ready to wake up. When he didn’t, she kissed him again, this time running her tongue over the part in his lips.

Danny moaned softly, then opened his eyes. “What are you doing?”

“Kissing you,” she whispered.

“While I’m sleeping? Don’t we do enough of that while we’re awake?” He rolled over on his stomach and stared at her, his cheek pressed into the pillow. “If you expect sex while I’m sleeping, then we’re going to have a serious problem. I need to have some time for rest.”

“That’s not what I want,” she said. “I need to talk to you.”

“About what?”

“About the subject we’ve been so cautiously avoiding.”

“The crazy way your hair looks in the morning?” he asked.

Jordan grabbed her pillow and hit him squarely in the face. “No.” She paused. “Is it really that bad?” She crawled off the bed and ran to the bathroom. “You could have told me this sooner,” she shouted, grabbing a brush.

“I’m just taking a piss,” Danny replied.

“In the bed?”

“No. I’m teasing you. Making a joke. Your hair looks grand.”

Jordan quickly brushed through the tangled strands, then ran back into the bedroom and hopped beneath the covers. “There. That’s better.”

“I love the way you look in the morning,” Danny growled. He grabbed her and pulled her on top of him. He was hard and ready, his erection pressed against her belly. “So what can I do for you this morning, my fairy queen?”

Jordan stared down into his handsome face, then smoothed her fingers over his brow. She’d grown so used to this, their time together in the early morning, the quiet conversations and the lazy seductions. How would she ever live without him? “I thought we ought to talk about what’s going to happen once the house is finished. We’ve only got a few days left. They’re going to bring the furniture day after tomorrow and you’ll be finished the day after that.”

“Actually, I’m already finished,” Danny said. “I’ve just been making work the past few days. I made some tools for the fireplaces. And I was thinking about doing andirons for the fireplace in the breakfast room. Even though that room had just a grate.”

“No, if you’re finished, then that’s it.”

“I don’t want to be finished. I like it here. I like this bed. And I like waking up with you in the morning.”

“I don’t have a job after this project is done.”

“You need to talk to Kellan and tell him that you’re interested in his offer.”

“I will,” Jordan said. “I just have a lot of things to think about right now. And I’ve decided that I’m going to take some time before I make any big decisions. I’m going to look for a place to stay here and-”

“You’ll stay with me,” Danny said.

“But I should-”

“You’ll stay with me,” he insisted, his tone firm.

Jordan smiled and gave him a hug. “I was hoping you’d say that. I’m going to have to go back to New York at some point to sublet my apartment and move some stuff out, but that can probably wait.”

“I think we should do some traveling. We could go to Paris or London or Rome. Some lady paid me a boatload of money for my last job and I think we should spend it.”

Jordan ran her hand over the rough stubble of his beard. “Paris would be fun,” she said. “But we’d go Dutch. I’d have to pay my own way or I refuse to travel with you.”

Danny’s hands spanned her waist and he pulled her beneath him. “Do you think they have soft beds like this in Paris?”

“I’m sure they do.”

Jordan closed her eyes as he kissed her, enjoying the flood of desire that snaked through her body. His palm skimmed over her naked breast and his mouth teased at the places that only he knew.

“We won’t have many days left in this bed,” she murmured, furrowing her fingers through his hair. “I suppose we ought to make the best of it.”

“You remember, I do have a bed at my cottage. We won’t be sleeping on the floor.”

“I know,” Jordan said. “But this was our first bed. It’s special.”

“We could always take it with us,” Danny suggested.

“If you have an extra ten thousand pounds, I’ll sell it to you,” she said.

“Bloody hell. You paid that much for this bed?”

“It’s a very special bed. And it’s going into the master suite when the movers come.”

“When are they coming?”

“Day after tomorrow. We stage the whole house that day. Top to bottom. I’ve hired some women from the village to help and I have seven movers coming. They’re bringing everything from the warehouse. And at the end of the day, the house will be done. We’ll have to be out the next morning.”

“I’m going to start moving my tools back tomorrow,” he said. “I should be cleared out of the laundry in a few days.”

Jordan nodded. “I wish my father could see this place,” she said. “I’ve sent him photos, but it’s not the same. It’s so much more impressive when you see it in person.”

“Feck him,” Danny said. “He doesn’t appreciate you the way I do. He doesn’t deserve you.”

“Yes,” Jordan said. “Feck him. I don’t need him anymore.”

“No, you don’t. You’re clever and talented and you can do this for yourself.”

Jordan slipped her arms around his neck. “I’m glad you believe in me.”

“It’s not a difficult thing to do, Jordan.”

They made love quietly and slowly, enjoying a long lazy morning in bed. And, through it all, there was no more fear or hesitation. She didn’t have to think about leaving him. They had many more mornings ahead of them.

And on one of those mornings, she might tell him what was in her heart, how she’d fallen in love even though she’d tried so hard not to. How he’d captured her heart the very first time she’d set eyes on him.

But that could wait. She had all the time in the world.

THE MANOR HOUSE was dark and silent. Danny lay in bed, Jordan asleep beside him. He turned to look at her and smiled to himself. They’d come home from a leisurely dinner in the village and immediately crawled into bed. But this time, they hadn’t made love. Instead, they’d spoken softly about their plans for the future.

He drew a deep breath. For now, she was going to stay. She’d furnish the house, then pack her things and move in with him. It wasn’t meant to be permanent, but it was a step in the right direction.

Danny closed his eyes, unable to relax. He couldn’t sleep. His mind was filled with possibilities now that Jordan was going to be a part of his life for a bit longer. It was all he’d really wanted, just a little more time.

He swung his legs off the bed, dressed only in his boxers. The air was chilly and he rubbed his arms as he walked out of the bedroom. Finny and Mogue looked up at him as he passed, but he held out his hand to stop them from rising.