The Dare Collection August 2019. Christy McKellen

for keeps.

      ‘And three—I wanted to invite you to the Hoteliers Association Gala on Friday.’

      My heart beats a silly rhythm before I slap it back with some good, old-fashioned common sense. This doesn’t mean anything. Just because he’s missed the sex doesn’t mean he’s missed me. Just because he wants a date for Friday doesn’t mean he sees relationship potential in us. And, of course, he feels obliged to invite me after Graham’s suggestion at lunch.

      ‘So you need a plus one?’

      He grins as if he sees through my flimsy assurances. ‘Sure. So, will you come? It’s black tie. Dancing. Kit and Mia are going.’

      ‘I...’ My teeth catch my lip—this should be an easy yes. He’s enough of a temptation dressed in one of his impeccable suits, this one royal blue. I love dressing up fancy and dancing. But somehow things have changed, and I changed them. Now I crave more of those moments when he lets his guard down and lets me in almost as much as I crave his sexy smile, his penchant for tugging me under his arm and kissing the top of my head, and his uninhibited laughter at my teasing. Decisions I’d have made in a heartbeat a week ago now require more serious consideration. More thought. Because now my feelings are involved, and I have no idea what he’s feeling. But in order to find out, I’m going to have to be brave. To not only make myself vulnerable but also to confess I’m not quite the savvy businesswoman I’ve painted myself to be. Will I regret it? Will he be as disappointed in me as I am in myself?

      ‘Don’t overthink this, Blair.’ His hand cups my face. ‘You’d be doing me a favour, your presence turning a boring evening of talking shop with the industry’s movers and shakers into a night out that I’m would actually look forward to.’

      Still I hesitate. Because I want to be more than his date. More than someone spending an evening with him. I want all of him, and that will involve giving all of me and hoping he feels the same.

      I stall for time. ‘Is it being held at a Faulkner hotel? I don’t think my parents have mentioned it this year...’

      He shakes his head, sidling closer as if he knows he can persuade me with his physical touch alone.

      ‘Well, maybe next year,’ I say. ‘In the newly renovated Faulkner ballroom, perhaps.’

      ‘Maybe.’ He shrugs, uncaring, eyes piercing through every defence I possess. ‘Please come—if it’s because you have nothing to wear I can juggle my calendar and we could go shopping if you want.’

      I splutter then full-out laugh. ‘You like shopping?’ The image of Reid wandering into some women’s clothing boutique is too funny.

      He grins. ‘No, but I’ll go with you, if it will help your decision. Plus, you have to come because Mia is about to give birth and she really wants to talk to you. Kit tells me it’s not a good idea to upset a pregnant woman.’ His lips twitch and I can’t stop myself from kissing him. Because I’ve wanted to since the moment he walked into his hotel. Since the moment he drove away from me on Sunday evening. Since the moment he confessed that he trusted me, before the doubts crept in.

      ‘Okay—you’ve convinced me.’ My decision settles in the pit of my stomach but I ignore the pinch. It’s just a night out.

      ‘Excellent.’ He looks at his watch. ‘So four p.m. for our shopping trip?’

      I laugh again, letting him off the hook. ‘You don’t need to worry—I have something I can wear.’

      He visibly sags with relief. ‘Thank God for that.’ Then he winks, kisses me again and saunters off, leaving me freewheeling towards something I’m not sure I’m ready for, desperately searching for the breaks I’m certain are out of reach.

      * * *

      The dance floor in the grand ballroom of one of London’s top hotels is packed with elegant couples dancing to swing classics played by a live band. Reid dances the way he does everything—with that sexy confidence, expertly leading me around to steps I’m impressed he knows.

      ‘Who taught you to dance?’ I smile up at him, my chest full to bursting with both the magical quality of the evening—a champagne reception followed by a four-course dinner and now dancing in the arms of the most handsome man in the room—and the sick-to-my-stomach knowledge I’m in serious trouble where my feelings for him are concerned.

      ‘My mother insisted all three of us had lessons—we hated them, but it turns out it’s a useful skill for impressing women.’ He flicks up his brows and grins, tugging me closer so I’m doused in his delicious scent and fighting the urge to snuggle into his crisp white shirt.

      I snort, avoiding temptation. ‘Like you’ve ever had trouble in that area.’ But now I’m curious. ‘You don’t talk about her much...your mother. I think I only met her one time.’

      ‘No. She lives in Spain. We don’t see much of her.’ His face stays neutral but I feel tension radiate through his hands in mine.

      ‘It must have been hard when your parents split.’

      He shrugs. ‘I was already pretty much a man—it was harder for Drake and Kit. I tried my best to keep them distracted with sports and sailing, and Graham tried his best to keep things...stable, but...’

      ‘So that’s when you became the caretaker?’

      Another noncommittal gesture that tells me more than his words. ‘We’re family—I guess it made us closer as brothers.’

      And now his role as caretaker is even bigger with Graham’s dementia diagnosis at a time when he’s head of the company and Kit and Drake have their own families to think about. ‘Well, they’re all lucky to have you. I’m almost certain my family will never see me as anything but the baby, inconsequential.’

      The current song comes to an end, and I ignore Reid’s frown and glance back at our table. A tired-looking Mia sits with Kit, who appears to be trapped in conversation with a man on his other side.

      ‘I might go and keep Mia company.’

      Reid nods and presses a kiss to my forehead. ‘I’m just going to say hello to a colleague or two. I’ll come and join you soon.’

      As I approach our table, Mia smiles and pats the seat beside her. ‘I’m so tired I could drop,’ she says. ‘But Kit’s trapped talking to some old uni mate. Are you having a nice time?’ Her eyes shine as she scans the room behind me, and I turn to see Reid in conversation with an older man, his eyes sliding my way every few seconds.

      ‘I am. I can’t remember the last time I got all dressed up.’

      She eyes my dress—a black silk halter-neck, the bodice ruched around the breasts and hips. ‘This is gorgeous. No wonder he can’t keep his eyes or his hands off you.’

      We laugh good-naturedly together and then Mia sobers. ‘You know, I haven’t known him that long, but I’ve never seen Reid laugh or smile as much as he does when he’s around you.’

      I cover my internal glow at her words, brushing it off because it’s too close to what I really want to hear, what I hope might be true. ‘He just needed a date.’

      She shakes her head, eyeing me with suspicion. ‘I’m serious. Reid works—that’s all I’ve known him to do. He’s different around you.’ Her eyes narrow and my colour rises. ‘You really like him too, don’t you?’ Mia smiles like the cat that stole the cream and leans close to whisper, ‘Are you falling for him?’ Only another woman could be so perceptive to see what I’ve only myself just recently acknowledged.

      I shrug. ‘I care about him a lot. I’m just... We’ve both had our fingers burnt in the past and, well, I’m a lot younger than him...’

      ‘I’ve heard you both joke about it—are you worried he cares? I don’t think he does.’ She touches my arm.

      Maybe not for something casual, as we started, but