You dont want to sleep at home?
I have to tend the fire and I sometimes work late into the night. I dont need anything posh, just a bed and a shower.
All right. Theres a cottage that you can use.
And Im bringing my dogs, too. And I eat three meals a day.
You expect me to cook for you? Jordan asked.
I expect you to feed me, he replied.
The thought of having a man as sexy as Danny around 24/7 was a bit disconcerting. But she was a very capable woman with finely honed self-control. And this was business. Nothing would happen if she didnt want it to happen. That can all be arranged, she said. We dont have a cook at the house, but Ill open up an account for you at the market in the village.
I can live with that. He smiled and a shiver skittered down her spine. Well, I suppose I ought to see the place, make a few notes and figure out if this is really a job I want to do.
The sooner the better. Id like you to start as soon as possible. She paused. And I should warn you, Im a very hands-on Jordan swallowed hard. In such a highly charged atmosphere, her admission could probably be misconstruedagain. I meant to say, Im very concerned with details, so I will be involved in all important decisions.
He cocked his eyebrow, then shrugged. I have some things to finish up here. Why dont I drive over this evening and you can show me around?
That would be fine.
They stood facing each other, an uneasy silence growing between them. Now that their business was completed, Jordan realized she should leave, or risk looking as though she was interested in something more than his blacksmith skills. She held out her hand again. Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, Mr.Danny.
He took her fingers in his, his touch so gentle that it was more a caress than a polite gesture. You have no idea what a pleasure it was for me, Jordan, he murmured.
For a long moment, she wasnt sure what to do. His touch felt so good she didnt want to pull away. Neither one of them took a breath or even blinked, and when he took a step closer, Jordan was certain he was about to kiss her. She yanked her hand back and clutched at the purse slung over her shoulder.
Later, he said with a crooked smile.
She wasnt sure whether he was referring to their meeting at the castle or his intention to kiss her. I look forward to it, she stated curtly. And please dont blow me off this time.
I wouldnt think of it, he said in a low voice.
Jordan gave him a nod, then strode out of the barn. As soon as she had put a reasonable distance between them, she cursed softly. Had it really been necessary to add that last part? It made her sound like a complete bitch. But from the moment shed set eyes on Danny Quinn shed found it impossible to separate pleasure from the business she meant to do with him. Shed have to toughen up if she was going to deal with himand with the unbidden attraction she felt.
Hes not that cute, she said to herself in a feeble attempt to mitigate her feelings. All right, maybe he is really cute. But hes probably just like all gorgeous menfull of himself. And Ive always hated men with big egos.
Hopefully, by the time she got back to Castle Cnoc, shed have convinced herself that Danny was just like all the other workmen wandering about the placeordinary guys, there to do a job and nothing more.
But as she pulled away from the bakery, she realized it would take a whole lot more than the drive to make that happen.
Maybe a ride to Dublin and back would do it.
Danny twisted the rearview mirror around to check his appearance. After hed finished work for the day, hed grabbed a quick shower and a shave and put on a decent shirt, then set off for Castle Cnoc. Hed thought about walking. Along the coast the castle was not more than an hours hike. But he didnt want to arrive all sweaty and knackered. For any other girl in County Cork, he wouldnt have bothered to worry. But Jordan Kennally was not just any girl.
She waswell, what the hell was she? he wondered. Sophisticated and ambitious and American, three qualities he hadnt really dealt with in his love life to date. No wonder hed acted like such a fool. Even the best of his pathetic charm had had no effect on her. Hed tried to be cool and hed sounded like a bleedin culchie instead. And shed left acting as though shed stepped in something with a big stink on it.
So just keep your gob shut, he muttered. Smile and nod and let her do all the talking.
He jumped out of the battered Land Rover and slammed the door behind him. He probably should have borrowed Rileys car, just to create a better impression. Hell, he probably should have gone out and bought some new clothes and maybe even stopped for a haircut. And while he was out, he could have bought himself a clue as to how to act around a woman like Jordan.
He stared up at the facade of the old manor. The castle was attached to the huge Georgian house on its north sidethe tall stone tower constructed to look out over the surrounding countryside and the sea to the west. Smugglers Cove was right below the castle, at the bottom of the rocky cliff.
With all the construction around, it was difficult to tell where the front door of the manor house was anymore. Danny wandered over to a scaffold covered in plastic and found the door behind it. He pushed it open and stepped inside the spacious entry hall.
He felt as if he were stepping back in time. His last visit had been during a drunken birthday celebration for one of his schoolmates. At the time, hed been just shy of eighteen and the manor had been rundown and open to the elements. But now the windowpanes had been replaced with sparkling glass and the crumbling plaster restored to its former beauty. Wainscotting had been polished and floors waxed.
As Jordan had promised, Castle Cnocs manor house had nearly been restored to its former grandeur.
Hello? Danny called.
A soft melody drifted from the rear of the house and he followed the sound, the Irish tune luring him closer.
The imposing dining room at the rear of the ground floor had also been restored, the floor-to-ceiling paneling refinished and shining softly in the late-afternoon sun. A new chandelier hung from the ceiling in the center of the room, crystals twinkling.
The music grew louder as he traced it to the small breakfast room that adjoined the dining room. Danny felt a tiny thrill race through him when he saw her. She was standing on a ladder, her back to him, polishing a stained-glass medallion in one of the leaded windows. A Cara Dillon song played from a small radio.
Jaysus, she was beautiful, tall and slender, but with curves in all the right places. Her dark hair and pale skin made her appear delicate, but Danny already knew better. He suspected that Jordan was the kind of woman who liked to get her own way, and pity any man who wasnt willing to comply. He smiled to himself. Hell, he could stand to be bossed around a bitespecially in the bedroom.
Shed changed out of the turtleneck jumper and jeans that shed had on earlier and now wore a pretty flowered dress with a green cardie over it. His gaze fixed on her backside and he found himself speculating on the color and style of her knickers.
White, he murmured to himself. With lace.
Danny leaned against the doorjamb and continued to watch her, listening to her hum along with the tune. She seemed so relaxed, completely different from the businesslike woman hed met earlier that morning.
White, he murmured to himself. With lace.
Danny leaned against the doorjamb and continued to watch her, listening to her hum along with the tune. She seemed so relaxed, completely different from the businesslike woman hed met earlier that morning.
Danny knew it was crazy to want her the way he did. She was about to become his boss, never mind the fact shed be leaving Ireland as soon as her work was done at Castle Cnoc. Yet, he couldnt seem to help himself. From the moment hed set eyes on her, hed felt a wickedly powerful fascination.
Hed always done his best to avoid lengthy romantic entanglements with women. An occasional one-night stand with an attractive girl was plenty for him. Hed just never been any good at commitment.
His mother had always said it was because he was constantly searching for his muse, the perfect woman who could push his art to greater heights. Hard work, shed say, shaking her finger at him. That was the only thing that would bring him true success. But that hadnt stopped him from looking. Still, as he observed Jordan, Danny suspected she was more like one of the enchantresses from the old fairy tales, the leanan sidhe. Everything about her was meant to make him ignore reason and surrender to her magic. But the leanan sidhe were dangerous. If a man tried to leave such a powerful being he was doomed to death.
Danny slowly walked into the room, taking in the tiny details: the stained glass, the carved rosettes in the dark wood paneling, the decorative plaster medallion on the ceiling. This is brilliant, he said.
Startled, she clutched at the ladder then glanced over her shoulder. You scared me! How long have you been standing there?
Two verses and a rather lovely chorus. She wobbled on the ladder and he rushed to offer his hand. When hed captured her fingers in his, Danny grinned. Look at what youve done to this place. Its a deadly miracle.
It is? she said, excitement suffusing her tone. Its deadly. Yes. Ive been so wrapped up in all the details that sometimes I forget to look at the big picture. Its going to be beautiful when its all done.
And youre in charge of all this?
Yes. Im the project manager. The boss. She paused, sending him a suspicious look, then slowly climbed down the ladder. Is that going to be a problem?
He held on to her hand, smoothing his fingers over the back of her wrist. You being in charge? Why would that be a problem?
Some men dont like working for women. Ive had to fire a handful of them on this project because they wouldnt listen to me. They were insubordinate. And dismissive. And rude.
This isnt the type of job that women usually do, Danny said. But in all honesty, I usually work for the woman of the house so theres no problem that I can see.
She slowly withdrew her hand from his. Come on, lets go to my office. Ive got a lot of the old hardware there and a list of what we need done.
Danny followed her through the dining room and down a narrow hall behind the stairs. She stopped to open a door, but it appeared to be stuck. As Jordan struggled with it, Danny reached around her to help. Here, let me give it a try.
No, she insisted. I can get it. She shoved her shoulder against the door, but it wouldnt budge. Its as if someone locked it from the inside.
Jordan turned to face him and they found themselves in an odd embrace, his hands flat against the door on either side of her, trapped in the small alcove of the doorway. He drew a deep breath, the scent of her perfume touching his nose, and leaned closer. A woman didnt wear perfume like that unless she wanted to attract a man.
There was no helping it. Nothing to be done. Without even a second thought, Danny brushed a kiss across her lips. It was a tentative contact and he waited for her response, bracing himself for a slap across the face or a verbal dressing-down.
But to his surprise, Jordan threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back, desperately, hungrily, as if shed gone without for far too long. At first it was a clumsy kiss, but then Danny took her face between his hands and softly tempered her frenzy with a carefully measured assault.
Almost immediately, she melted against him, her body going limp. A tiny groan slipped from her throat and he drew back and looked down into her flushed face. Her eyes were still closed and he couldnt tell from her expression what she was thinking. Was she embarrassed by her actions? Or well-pleased?
Jordan?
She opened her eyes and stared up at him. Oh, God. The word slipped out of her on a gasp. She twisted out of his embrace and nervously smoothed her hands over her clothes. That was unexpected.
He reached out and ran a finger along her flushed cheek. Now dont get yourself all mortified over it. It was a kiss and nothing more. A very lovely kiss at that, he said.
Yes. She nodded nervously. Well, maybe we should just focus on the business at hand.
As far as Danny was concerned, the only business at hand was the business of kissing her again. In truth, he had an entire business plan unfolding in his head. First another kiss, then a caress, and then, maybe full-on seduction. He didnt care a whit about the job, he wanted this woman.
He slipped his hands around her waist and moved her out of the way, then firmly grasped the doorknob. When he turned it and pushed, the door easily swung open. He chuckled softly. Clever, he said. If you wanted me to kiss you, you should have just asked.
It was locked! Jordan cried.
And now, its unlocked.
Jordan gave him an odd look. I wasnt trying to get you to kiss me, she said, walking past him into the library. These things happen around here all the time. Doors are locked, then they arent. Windows are closed, then they arent. Things go missing and then they turn up a day later.
Sounds like brownies, Danny said. Or leprechauns.
Dont be ridiculous.
Or ghosts. Or fairies. We have all manner of fantastical creatures here in Ireland. And none of them up to any good at all.
I dont believe in any of those things, Jordan said.
Danny followed her into the library, making a careful study of the backside of her beautiful body. He fought the urge to slip his arms around her again and pull her into another kiss. Instead, he distracted himself with exploring the interior of the old library.
A memory flashed in his mind and he chuckled softly. I do remember this room, he murmured. I lost something here.
Well, I dont think youll find it after all these years, Jordan said. But youre welcome to look.
I dont think Id want to find it, he said. She was seventeen and I was fifteen. And I thought I knew everything about girls. After that night, I realized I knew nothing.
You mean you
Danny nodded. I lost my virginity right about he stepped to a spot in front of the fireplace here, I believe. I was drunk on whiskey and she was looking for a bit of fun. The minute she put her hands on me, I knew the world would never be the same.
Right here?
Danny nodded. God, that seems like just yesterday.
How old are you? she asked.
Twenty-six. How old are you?
She tipped her chin up and, for a moment, he thought hed insulted her. Twenty-seven.