She slipped out of her jacket and tossed it aside, then rubbed her stiff neck. Hours in the car had exhausted her and she couldn’t think of anything she wanted more than a hot bath. But her curiosity was piqued. What was he going to ask? she wondered. What was so important to him that he’d bribe her with a bath to get a positive response?
“Ask me now,” Jordan demanded.
“It can wait,” he said.
As the water ran into the huge clawfoot tub, Danny slowly undressed her. When she was naked, he stood back and stared at her. It felt odd for him to be fully clothed while she was naked. Not odd, she thought. Erotic. “No, I want to know now. Did you go over budget? Did you mess something up?”
“It’s not about the house.” He helped her into the tub, then handed her a glass of wine that he’d set on the floor.
“What is it?” she asked, sinking down into the hot water. “I want to know.”
He cursed softly. “This is supposed to be relaxing and now you’re all tense,” he said. “It’s really nothing.”
“If it’s nothing, than you can ask me now. Do you need a day off? Is that it?”
He reached into the back pocket of his jeans and handed her an envelope. “It’s an invitation to my gallery opening on Saturday night. I’m showing a couple of pieces and I thought you might like to come with me. As my date.”
Jordan stared at the invitation, warmed by his offer. “Yes,” she murmured. “Yes, I’d love to go as your date.”
He seemed pleased with her answer, dropping a quick kiss on her shoulder. “It’s in Dublin. I thought we could go and spend the night. Maybe see a bit of the city on Sunday. Make a weekend out of it.”
Though Jordan had never spent more than a day away from Castle Cnoc, she realized that time with Danny was running out. There were so many things she wanted to experience with him, but every day that passed was one less she’d have with him. By her estimate, they had less than a month left. And yet, any time spent in Danny’s company was better than her solitary life in New York.
Was he really what she’d been waiting for? This wasn’t supposed to be how it happened. She wasn’t supposed to fall in love with an Irish blacksmith with thick, dark hair and bottomless blue eyes.
She opened her eyes and glanced at him. Danny wasn’t pretty, he was sheer masculine perfection. He wore his looks the way he wore his clothes, casually, as if he weren’t aware of the effect they had on her. She was so accustomed to neatly tailored men that he seemed exotic and forbidden.
“In Manhattan, gallery openings are pretty fancy affairs. Are they that way in Dublin?”
He chuckled. “You’re going to see me in a proper jacket,” he said. “No tie, but I’m going to look very sexy. The women will be all over me.”
“I didn’t ask so you could tell me about your wardrobe choice. I’ll need to decide on a dress.”
“I could take you shopping,” he said.
“I have the perfect dress at home. I’ll have it sent from New York this afternoon.”
“Then it’s all settled. On Saturday, we’re going to Dublin.” He was watching her through hooded eyes. “Now, tell me about your day.”
“Chandelier for the upper hallway, monogrammed towels for the bathrooms, still looking for decent sheets. May have to do mail order from Frette. Unless I take a weekend and go to Italy for linens. Or Paris.”
“Is that even a possibility?”
“Yes,” Jordan said. “If that’s what’s needed, that’s what I’ll do. I’d prefer to stick with Irish linens though. Maybe if we left tonight, I could shop tomorrow in Dublin.” She groaned softly and leaned back in the bath. “God, I’m so sick of shopping.” She glanced over at him. “Enough about me. What did you do all day long?”
“Thought about you in the bed,” he said. “Made some hinges. Thought about you in the bathtub. Worked on the garden gate. Thought about you in the swimming pool, designed a front gate for the drive.”
“Really?” She laughed. “So, you had a productive day.”
“Yes,” he said. “So, boss, give me a job to do. I could rub your feet. Or wash your back. Or massage your shoulders.”
“All of those would be nice,” she murmured.
“I’ll start with the shoulders.” He sat down behind her and began to knead the knotted muscles. She tipped her head to the side and he pressed his lips to a spot at the base of her neck. “Do you ever wonder what you’d be doing if you hadn’t come here to Castle Cnoc?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Our lives seem so intertwined here. What if you were alone? What would you be doing right now?”
“I’d probably be sitting at the pub, having a beer with my brothers. Maybe tending the bar, drawing Guinness. Then a game of darts or billiards.” He chuckled. “Jaysus, I had a boring life before I met you.”
“Me, too,” she said. “I spent my free time searching the internet for fabric and furniture and fixtures. The highlight of my evening would be my decision whether to have a ham sandwich or a grilled cheese. Dinner would be followed by whatever bestseller I was reading.”
“I’d say we were damn lucky to meet each other.”
“You’ve ruined me for other men, you know.”
“How is that?”
“The sex. It’s too good.”
He rested his chin on her shoulder. “How can the sex be too good?”
“I never really thought sex was important,” Jordan admitted. “My parents aren’t very loving with each other. Our family shows affection by insulting each other. We just weren’t…physical. But with you, we always seem to be touching.”
“I like that,” Danny said.
“Me, too. And I never thought I would. I’d sit in the subway or at the park and watch couples hanging all over each other and wonder why they couldn’t contain themselves. Now I understand.” She turned and kissed his cheek. “Just the tiniest thing can bring the biggest thrill.”
He smoothed his palms over her shoulders and chest, then cupped her breasts. “You do have a very touchable body, boss.”
Jordan moaned softly as his thumbs rubbed across her nipples. She’d grown accustomed to this power that she held over him. When he touched her, she didn’t feel like a boss or Andrew Kennally’s daughter or the Kennally brothers’ younger sister or Kencor’s “decorator.” She was just a woman.
Her heart slammed in her chest and she arched to meet his caress. Danny circled the tub and pulled her to her feet, wrapping his arms around her naked body as his lips captured hers.
Jordan was always amazed at how powerful his kiss was. He was able to take her breath away, to make her body ache, to send her heart racing, by simply covering her mouth with his. He had a way of possessing her that made her feel weak and powerful all at once.
The kiss spun out in one long, delicious encounter, growing deeper and more passionate with every breath they shared. Danny’s hands smoothed over her damp skin but Jordan’s touch was hampered by his clothes.
A frustrated moan slipped from her throat as she fumbled with the buttons of his shirt. She needed him naked, needed his skin touching hers. “Stop.” Pressing her hands to his chest she pushed him back. “Take off your clothes.”
“No,” he said.
Jordan frowned, shaking her head. “No?”
“No,” Danny said. “If I take off my clothes, then I’m not going to be able to stop myself. I think we should just take our time. We have the whole evening.”
“Am I the boss or are you?”
“You’re the boss,” he said.
“Then you’re supposed to follow my orders?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Take off your clothes, Danny Quinn. And make it snappy.”
With a reluctant smile, he slowly stripped. When his boxers were around his feet, he braced his hands on his hips. “Now what? Would you like me to fix that squeaky hinge or change the oil in your car?”
“Get in the tub,” Jordan ordered.
