“I can’t leave,” she said. “I have all this work to do and I-”
“I’m not asking you to take an ocean voyage for feck’s sake,” Danny teased.
She shrugged. “I know. But I sort of have something important to do this afternoon and I really wouldn’t be very good company. And I need some time to work up my courage.”
“Are you planning to go cliff diving? Or will you be jumping out of a plane?”
Jordan giggled. “No, nothing so simple. I’m going to call my father and give him an ultimatum. Either he gives me the hotel job or I’m going to quit.”
A gasp slipped from Danny’s throat, her statement taking him by surprise. If she wasn’t working for her family then she wouldn’t be tied to New York anymore. “Are you sure you want to do that?”
“Yes,” Jordan said, nodding. “Absolutely. And I have you to thank for that.”
“Me?”
“I’ve always been so careful about everything I’ve done in my life. Until I met you. Then I just threw caution to wind. I had sex in the middle of a fairy circle yesterday. I was naked, running around in the rain. If I can do that, I can certainly be honest with my father. It’s time I stood up to him.”
“And what will you do if he gives you the job?” Danny asked.
Jordan opened her mouth to reply, then paused, frowning. “I’ll do the job,” she murmured. “I’ll do a really good job and prove that I’m just as good as any of my brothers.”
“And if he refuses?”
She thought about the question for a long moment. “I don’t know. I suppose I should figure that out, too.” Jordan drew a ragged breath. “I guess I’ll…quit.”
Danny grabbed her hand and laced his fingers through hers. “Are you really ready to do that?”
“It’s always been an option,” she said. “I’ve almost done it a few times in the past, but then talked myself out of it. I can’t continue like this, Danny. I should be worth something to him, as a daughter
“Why do you care what your father thinks? You’re an adult. You don’t need his approval.”
Jordan laughed. “Yeah, right. Don’t even try to analyze me. I’ve spent a lifetime trying to figure out why I seek my father’s approval. It’s just something I do. My brothers do it also. But I’m just willing to suffer more to get what I want.”
“You’re suffering?” Danny asked.
“Well, not at the moment.”
“I bet your brothers never had sex with one of their employees,” he said. “That’s wicked suffering there.”
“You’re not my employee and I’m not your boss, remember?”
He grabbed her waist and set her on her feet, then stood beside her. “Give me a half hour.”
“For what?”
“A swim. We could get naked, play in the water, have a little fun and have you back at work before anyone knows you’re missing.”
“You just want to get my clothes off,” she said.
“Yes, I do. That is pretty much my goal from the time we get up in the morning until the time we crawl into bed at night.”
“Oh, so now I get the real story. You’re not interested in making gates and medallions and hinges anymore. This is all about me and you.”
“Now you’re starting to understand. Finally. It’s about bloody time.” He reached for the hem of her shirt. “I’ll race you. First one naked and in the water wins.”
Jordan slowly shook her head. “No, no, no.”
“Yes, yes, yes,” he said, tugging his T-shirt over his head. He watched as her gaze drifted over his chest, then reached for the button of his jeans. He unzipped them and skimmed them down his hips, kicking off his shoes before casting the jeans aside.
He was left in only his boxers and when he hooked his fingers in the waistband, Jordan sucked in a sharp breath. With deliberate ease, he slowly slid them down until he was standing in front of her, completely naked.
“All right,” she finally said. “It would probably be better to call my father tomorrow. He’s always in a bad mood on Tuesdays.”
“That’s my girl,” Danny said. “Since I’ve had a head start, I’ll let you catch up before we race to the pool.”
“Here?”
Danny nodded. “Yes.”
Jordan took the opportunity to perform a very sexy striptease for him and when she had him completely distracted with her naked body, took off for the door. Danny headed to the kitchen and the stairs that led down from there, but Jordan took the opposite path, taking the stairs near the front door. By the time he reached the pool, she was already treading water in the deep end.
“You have a half hour,” she called, her voice echoing against the tiles. “You’d better make it worth my time.”
IT WAS NEARLY 9:00 p.m. when Jordan pulled up in front of the manor house. The drive back and forth to Wexford was a long one, but her time had gone to a good cause. Over the past sixteen months, she’d visited hundreds of antique stores all over Ireland. To her delight, she’d found period fixtures for almost every room in the manor house. Today had brought a small chandelier for the upper hallway.
The only problem with a day away was that she hadn’t had her regular dose of Danny Quinn. She’d grown used to seeing him whenever the impulse stuck.
But the ride to Wexford had given her time to think about all that had happened since his arrival at Castle Cnoc. Though she’d vowed to keep their relationship simple, the deeper her affections grew, the more difficult it became. She found herself fantasizing about a real future with the sexy Irishman.
She imagined them strolling the streets of Manhattan together, buying a weekend house in Connecticut, keeping an apartment in the city, enjoying everything that New York had to offer. Other times, she imagined herself living here in Ireland, raising a family and making a home with him. But always, she came to the realization that if they were to have a future, one of them would have to sacrifice.
Though she’d been determined to call her father and give him her ultimatum, Jordan had been putting it off for the past few days. Tomorrow was Friday and after that, the weekend. She’d call him at home on Sunday morning, knowing that without the pressures of the office, he might be more amenable. Plus, her mother would be there to run interference.
In truth, she was afraid of his answer. If he did allow her to quit, then she had to decide what to do with the rest of her life. At least now, everything was still in limbo. She still had choices.
As she stepped out of the car, she saw Danny standing at the front door. The scaffolding was gone and the original door was hung with brand-new hinges and hardware. Progress, she mused. That always brought a smile to her face.
“Hey, baby,” he said with a devilish smile. “Welcome home.”
“You’ve been busy,” she said. “It looks incredible.” He swung the door back and forth on its hinges, demonstrating how smoothly it worked. “Very nice job. Have you been waiting here long?”
“All afternoon. But I have a good reason,” he said.
“You always have a good reason,” she teased.
He strode up to her and picked her up off her feet, wrapping her legs around his waist. “I’m not always thinking about sex,” he said. “I have other things going on in my life.”
“Like what?”
Danny carried her into the house. But instead of heading back to the office, he carried her up the stairs, his mouth warm on her throat. They walked to her bedroom and then into the bathroom.
“What are we doing?”
“I’m going to draw a bath for you and then you’re going to relax and tell me about your day. And then I’m going to ask you something and you’re going to say yes.”
“Don’t I always say yes?”
“That’s true. And after you say yes, we’re going to have some dinner and spend the rest of the night in bed.”
