Page 14 of Bound By Her Shocking Secret

Mia went over to him.

He said in perfect English, ‘Please allow me to show you up to the apartment.’

She followed him into a black-and-white-tiled reception hall. A massive crystal chandelier dominated the almost cathedral-like space, and the biggest vase she’d ever seen sat on a polished round table, filled with exotic blooms that sent out a subtle and very expensive-smelling scent.

A grand marble staircase led upstairs, but the butler walked over to an elevator. The doors were open. Mia got in.

The lift ascended and Mia’s insides dropped like a stone. The thought of coming face to face with Daniel again was daunting, and she cursed herself. She should be more prepared. A man like Daniel Devilliers didn’t take prisoners.

The lift stopped and the doors opened onto another reception space. Light colours and a parquet floor gave it a classically elegant feel. The butler took her coat and Mia became aware that the soft jersey material of her dress suddenly felt very clingy. Especially around her breasts, belly, hips and bum.

But it was too late. A door was opening and Daniel appeared on the threshold, dressed in a three-piece suit.

He addressed the butler. ‘Thank you, Paul.’ And then Mia, eyes narrowed. ‘You didn’t bring Lexi.’

Mia shook her head. ‘No. It’s not a good idea to disrupt her routine. She goes down for the night around now.’

‘Who is taking care of her?’

After eighteen months of being solely responsible for her child, Mia chafed at the proprietorial tone in Daniel’s voice. ‘My friend Simone is babysitting again.’

‘The one who rang you in a panic when there was no need to panic?’

Mia smiled sweetly. ‘Yes, that’s the one.’

Daniel stood back. ‘Please, come in.’

She felt ridiculously nervous. Very aware of Daniel’s physicality and scent in an almost animalistic way. She held herself tensely as she walked past him into the apartment.

Daniel watched as Mia looked around the formal reception room, taking in the big abstract paintings on the walls—the only modernity in the otherwise classically designed space, which was dotted with antiques. It suddenly felt a little overdone with her here. As if she was highlighting its fussiness with her far more relaxed aesthetic.

He could smell her unique scent. Light and fresh. Citrussy but with a hint of musk and roses. And her body...tall and strong...curvier than was fashionable. It was probably the reason she’d never made it into the upper echelons of modelling—because she didn’t have the androgynous aesthetic that was required by most fashion houses.

The material of her dress clung to every dip and curve, reminding Daniel all too easily of how those curves had felt under his hands.Under his mouth.He cursed himself silently and diverted his mind from dangerous territory.

Mia had always been happy to achieve a certain level of success without hungering for more. Something that had fascinated Daniel who, ever since he was born, had felt a constant pressure to attain ever higher levels of success and wealth.

The couple of months he’d spent with Mia was the first time he could remember in his life when he’d taken his foot off the accelerator. It had been a revelation. And, perversely, once he hadn’t been working with such tunnel vision, he’d been able to see areas where the business could do with improvement.

‘Would you like a drink?’

He remembered his manners at the last moment. This woman had always had the ability to distract him.

‘A small glass of white wine would be nice, thank you.’

Daniel poured her drink and went over to hand it to her. A rogue devil inside him made sure their fingers touched.Zing. Wide, startled green eyes met his. Lust bit into Daniel’s gut. She still felt it too.

Mia snatched the glass and stepped back. Cheeks deep pink. Avoiding his eye.

Daniel went back to the drinks table and poured himself something stronger than wine. He gestured to a couch. ‘Please, make yourself comfortable.’

Mia looked at the furniture warily, as if it might be some kind of trap. But then she sat down, her movements effortlessly graceful. He remembered that she’d wanted to be a dancer, but a teenage knee injury had put a stop to those dreams.

He took a seat on the other side of a low coffee table. Before he could speak, she said, ‘I’m sorry for disrupting your party last night.’

‘Are you?’

An expression of guilt crossed her face. She’d never been good at hiding her feelings. That reminder caught at Daniel’s gut.

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