Page 18 of Dark Temptations

Chapter Eight

Xavier shook hands with one of his business partners and someone he considered a friend.

“Come in,” Daniel said.

“Thank you.”

Daniel closed the door. “Let’s go into the office.”

Xavier followed and looked around at the classy but comfortable-looking house. He’d even consider Daniel’s office to be cozy with the stone fireplace and dark wood shelves filled with books, knickknacks, and pictures on three sides of the room. The chairs and sofa looked so comfortable he could have napped on them. The one other time he’d been here, he’d been in a hurry and didn’t get a chance to look around.

“I like your office.”

Daniel glanced around after he sat down in his chair. “I enjoy it. I better because I spend an awful lot of time in here.”

Xavier grinned when the older man belly-laughed. He’d met the man several years ago on a business venture, and they’d gotten along so well they’d bought other struggling enterprises to turn around. There wasn’t another man he respected more than Daniel.

“So, I hear you had dinner with the Malcolm Group about the strip mall?”

Xavier sat back and nodded. “Next time, you should deal with them. Jesus, I almost went to sleep a few times. They’re so boring.”

Daniel chuckled. “But I’m an old man. It’s hard for me to go places.”

Xavier rolled his eyes. “That’s bullshit. You’re probably in better shape than I am.”

Daniel’s brows snapped together. “You need to exercise, boy. Your health is very important.”

He nodded. “I try to run and lift weights a few times a week.”

“Good. I can’t afford to lose you. You make me too much money.”

Xavier threw back his head and laughed. God, this man was fun to be around.

He leaned forward and held the file out for him. “Here, look at this and tell me what you think?”

Daniel opened the file. His head popped up when the front door closed, and someone yelled.

“Oh, my daughter is here. I haven’t seen her in a few weeks. She’s the only one I can bicker with because she gives it right back. She’s a lot like her old man.”

Daniel stood and opened his arms, and then a small black-haired woman raced into the room and jumped into them. He had to be seeing things because there was no way the subject of every dream he’d been having was the daughter of one of his good friends. He about swallowed his tongue when she turned. He could tell she was as shocked as he was.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I do business with your father.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that.”

“That makes us even, because I didn’t know Daniel was your dad.”

When she started to needle him, he wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her until she couldn’t talk anymore. He loved how she turned red when he brought up the kissing.

He was shocked by the fury that took him when she denied remembering the kiss. His first instinct was to remind her, and then he took a step toward her. He saw the panic on her face and stopped. This was not the time or the place to have this conversation. The next time he had her alone, they would have this out.

She said it was nice to see him and thought she’d get away for good. “This isn’t done, baby,” Xavier said.

When she reminded him about his goodbyes to her after kissing her, he felt another level of male aggression build inside of him.

The clearing of a throat got his attention. He had no idea how long he’d been staring at the doorway Ariana had walked out of, and could feel himself blush. For fuck sake. He couldn’t ever remember blushing before in his life.

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