Page 130 of A Legal Affair
“Sorry about that,” she muttered to Caleb, returning to her chair. “I can’t get any privacy around here.”
She thought she saw a flicker of amusement in Caleb’s dark eyes, but when he spoke, he was all business. “I’m on a tight schedule, Miss Roarke,” he said, glancing pointedly at the platinum watch peeking from beneath the snowy cuff of his shirt.
“Of course.” Daniela found what she was looking for. With her pen poised above the notepad, she looked at Caleb and promptly lost her train of thought. “I’ve never seen you in a suit before,” she said, her voice soft with wonder. “You look absolutely amazing.”
His mouth twitched. “Miss Roarke?—”
“I know, I’m sorry. That was inappropriate of me. I’m supposed to be treating you like a real client.” Clearing her throat, she continued in a brisk, professional tone, “This person you’re looking for. How long have they been missing? And is the person male or female?”
“Female,” Caleb answered. “And she’s been missing for thirty-five years.”
“What?” Startled, Daniela stared at him. “Thirty-five years? That’s a long time!”
“I know,” Caleb agreed softly.
Daniela’s eyes narrowed on his face. “That’s a bit unusual.”
“Not really. It happens more often than you think.”
“Well, yes, I have had clients whose loved ones have gone missing for many years. Thirty-five is a bit…extreme. Anyway, give me a physical description, and be as detailed as possible.”
“Let’s see…She’s about five-seven, though she looks like she could be a bit taller depending on the shoes she’s wearing. I seem to remember her having something of a shoe fetish.”
Daniela chuckled, taking notes. “Sounds like a woman after my own heart.”
“Oh, I think you would have liked her. She had a great sense of humor and the most incredible laugh you’d ever want to hear. And she had these little quirks. Well, I guess you wouldn’t really call them ‘quirks.’ I saw them as quirks because they’re what made her really stand out to me, things that made her so damn sweet and memorable.” He paused. “Like eating ice cream with her coffee, instead of just ordering coffee ice cream.”
Daniela kept taking notes, but the tears suddenly blurring her vision made it difficult to see what she was writing.
“She has a thing for fast cars and motorcycles,” Caleb continued. “She loves watching romantic comedies and golden sunsets, and she can slow dance even when there’s no music playing. I loved that about her.”
Tears spilled from Daniela’s eyes and splashed onto the notepad, smearing ink. She lifted her head and saw Caleb gazing at her with such tender adoration that her heart squeezed painfully in her chest.
“You see, the woman I’m looking for had been missing all my life,” he said huskily. “And once I finally found her, I lost heragain. I need you to help me get her back, Daniela. Will you do that for me?”
Daniela nodded, tears of inexpressible joy flowing freely down her face. Caleb got up slowly, and before she knew it she was on her feet, rounding the desk and rushing into the open arms that awaited her. They closed around her with breathtaking force, holding her fiercely against him. Daniela clung to him just as tightly, fearing he would disappear if she let go.
“I missed you so much,” she whispered fervently. “I’m so sorry for what I did, Caleb. So sorry I hurt?—”
Cradling her tear-soaked face in his hands, Caleb bent his head and crushed his mouth to hers, swallowing the rest of her apology in a searing kiss that she returned with equal desperation.
“I love you,” Caleb uttered fiercely against her mouth. “I don’t care about anything else. Just don’t ever leave me again.”
Her heart soared at his words. “I won’t,” she promised, so deliriously happy she didn’t bother reminding him thathewas the one who’d left her. “I’m so happy I won’t miss your birthday, our first Thanksgiving, our first…oh God. I love you, Caleb. Love you so much.”
He drew back, still cupping her face in his hands. “Do you love me enough to make it legal?”
Daniela stared up at him, unable to believe what she was hearing. “Are you…are you proposing to me?”
His loving gaze swept her face. “That’s exactly what I’m doing,” he said huskily. “Will you marry me, Daniela?”
Overcome with emotion, Daniela threw her arms around his neck, kissing him with all the love and emotion that had been bottled up inside her for far too long. It wasn’t until she felt Caleb smile against her mouth that she realized she hadn’t given him an answer yet.
Keeping her arms looped around his neck, because she couldn’t bear the thought of not touching him in some way, she pulled back slightly and looked up at him. “I can’t think of anything that would bring me more pleasure than becoming your wife,” she said in an achingly tender voice.
Grinning with elation, he lifted her into his arms and swung her around, making her squeal in delight. Instead of setting her back down on her feet, he planted her on the desk and stepped between her legs. Holding her gaze, he brought her hand to his lips and slowly, deliberately, kissed each fingertip. Her lashes fluttered as heat skirted along her nerve endings and pooled in her belly. She wanted him. She’d gone without him long enough.
He leaned forward, his eyes darkening, causing the blood to race through her veins. “Do you remember our first kiss?” he whispered against her mouth.
