Page 29 of Hidden Dane
He picked up his fork and his cheeks went a little red. “He claims he tries to get women’s attentions but I always end up with…” He lowered his head. “Never mind. Let’s enjoy the meal and each other.”
He took a bite of his salad. She let out another sigh as she said, “No, don’t stop, Dane. We haven’t talked in years. So, you scored more women with the “no talking” bit than Brady did with charming conversation?”
He put his fork down as he laughed. “Yeah. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
She winked at his bashfulness. “As long as you don’t turn into the silent type with me, we’re fine.”
They finished their salads and the waiter cleared their plates. She sipped her wine and once they were alone, Dane asked her, “Why history, Emily? The girl I knew talked about a major in business, and ruling the world.”
The waiter brought them lemon butter chicken and she was sure she’d gain ten pounds. She picked up her fork as her mouth watered. She answered Dane with reluctance. She’d never told this to anyone, not even her friends in college. “The girl you knew grew up moving from apartment to house as my mom married many times… As you know, Sophie took me in when our mom died, but I never really had stability or much cash. In the years since, I’ve grown accustomed to having my own bank account.”
“So, history?” He cut a piece of chicken.
She put off answering to eat her dinner. Dane waited patiently yet she knew he hadn’t forgotten. After a few more bites,, she glanced at him. Something about Dane made her want him to understand. “I didn’t have to struggle while I studied and had the luxury of following my interests. I like history because the stories all progress and teach what can happen if we continue to make the same mistakes. Some things are great puzzles that intrigue me.. Why did you choose archeology?”
He finished his chicken, and rested his fork on the edge of the plate. “Edmond hated when I got dirt on any part of my shirt.”
“Dirt?” Emily sat back and picked up her glass though somehow, here, she had no buzz of any kind from the alcohol. The red wine was perfect.
He scooted closer and shifted his water cup on the table. “In archeology, I dig in the dirt all the time.”
Her eyes widened and she giggled. “So this was rebellion?”
“Maybe a little.. I don’t like thinking about Edmond.” He shrugged. “I do my best to live right. I’m not seeking fortune or fame, which means I can preserve bits of history for the public to see, and learn from, rather than sell to some private collector. They tend to hide their treasures from the world.”
The waiter returned with a cream puff for dessert. She waited until he left, and then she whispered, “How long have you known Ted?”
“He sells to private collectors and probably would have sold to Edmond if he’d lived...” Dane straightened and handed her a fork so they could share the dessert. “A few times now, he’s stolen what I’ve found. The first time I was careless as I didn’t know he existed at all.”
She bit into the frothy cream and powdered biscuit and didn’t want to stop. They both ate the delicious dessert, their forks scraping the last bite. “And the second time?”
“It was a race, and he was faster than me in finding the Incan gold relic.” He leaned closer to her. “The next time, I won. We’ve gone back and forth.”
Her heart beat sped up. She wanted him to kiss her and only trusted herself enough to say, “I see.”
His face darkened. “Until you, I’ve never seen Ted use a gun. Walking into the club to see him pointing a weapon at you and your friends was surreal.”
She hoped they were okay. “Yeah, I understand.” Surreal, and terrifying, but he’d saved her. She pressed her hand on his chest.
He edged closer and her eyes fluttered closed as he said, “Fate brought us together again, and for that, I’m happy.”
He needed to kiss her.Why was he so far away?She didn’t open her eyes as she whispered, “Maybe you and I should try for real, Dane.”
He brought his chair so close that his knees bumped against hers. “I like having you near, though I’d like for everything else around us to slow down.”
Kiss me already.“We have more in common than I thought we did.”
“Other than interest in old things?” He chuckled and his mouth covered hers—gently at first, and then more passionately, letting her imagine a different world where everything was beautiful just from his kiss.
The magic didn’t stop as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and twined his thick hair at his nape between her fingers.
Never stopping was her vote.
Unfortunately, he ended the kiss and his withdrawal made her ache. She tried to ignore the longing as she said, “Yeah. It’s honorable that you’ll give the jewels back. You don’t have to.”
“I want to do the right things in my life.” He stood and offered his hand. The quartet played a classic tune and she clasped his palm, acknowledging the spark racing through her body. He said, “Besides, the jewels came from my stepfather’s estate. He was just another private collector keeping treasures from the public. The man killed any love I might have had for him that day in the barn—giving the necklace my mother loved to you brought me peace.”
He pulled her closer and swayed with her. She rested her head against the hollow at his throat and hugged him. “We don’t have to talk about that anymore.”
