Daniel caught her in his arms, clearly planning to continue where they'd left off, and Laura began to panic. It wasn't that she didn't trust him to go if she asked him to, more that her own defences had disappeared somewhere into the night outside. She had to put a stop to this.
Laura pushed gently at his chest. "Daniel, I didn't let you in for that," she chided gently, taking in the disappointment in his eyes. "I only let you in because I heard voices and I . . ."
"What? You didn't want any witnesses? Are you so set against being seen in public with me?"
The hurt in his voice took her by surprise. She'd already hurt him once tonight, and once was enough.
"It's not that. Honestly. It's just that as a representative of the hotel, I can't be seen to be schmoozing with the guests."
She expected him to be cross with her, angry that she'd let him into her room under false pretences, so she was thoroughly startled when he let out a delighted laugh.
"Schmoozing? Did you just say schmoozing?"
Laura glared at him. "What's so funny about that?"
Daniel shook his head. "Nothing. Nothing at all. It's the last word I would have picked myself . . ." He was still chuckling and, finding it infectious, Laura began to join in.
A loud knock at her door jolted them both into silence.
"Who on earth can that be?" Laura whispered.
Daniel's mouth twitched. "Your neighbours wanting to know who you're schmoozing with, I expect."
She chewed her lip. "Whoever it is, it must be important for them to knock at this time of night!"
As if to confirm her words, the knock came again, louder still, then again, this time on her window as someone called her name. Worry crept across her face as she straightened her dress and headed for the door. Reaching for the handle, she shot him a pleading glance. With an understanding nod, he moved out of sight against the wall as she opened the door.
"Thank goodness you're here, Laura." There was panic in the woman's voice. "I'm so sorry to disturb you, but please could you come quickly?"
"What is it, Mrs. Hurst?"
"It's my husband. He's not well. I think he needs a doctor."
Laura backed into the room a little, scrabbling around on the floor, but her sandals were still out on the dark lawn somewhere. With a discreet movement, Daniel pushed a flat pair towards her with his foot. She pushed them on, grabbed a jacket, and shot him a grateful look before racing out of the room.
Chapter Thirteen
Daniel stood still for a moment, willing his heart to slow down, but it was still thumping hard in his chest. He wasn't sure he'd ever wanted a woman so much before. Everything about her was a spiky challenge—her practicality, her stubbornness, her defiance—and yet tonight, she'd presented him with a much worse challenge: her pliability as she'd simply melted into his arms, meeting his lips with the same urgency as his own, her arms twined around his neck, her body pressed so close he could feel every curve until he ached with sweet need.
Groaning with frustration, he pushed himself away from his corner. This whole evening had taken on a kind of surreal quality. He'd not taken her rejection of his dinner invitation well earlier that day, and yet he'd been drawn to the wedding later, like a moth to a flame. Since she was clearly against formal "dates," his plan had been to show her he could be casual and relaxed around her by snagging a couple of glasses of wine from Maria and hopefully sharing them with her while watching the wedding celebrations. But it wasn't easy to be relaxed around someone who accused you of trying to bed a teenager she loved like a sister. He'd been hurt by that, and his tired brain had urged him to walk away.
His gut instinct had begged him not to. Her apology was genuine, her expression mortified, and although it stung that she could even think something like that of him, he knew her enough to realise it stemmed from her sense of duty and care towards Paulo's sister—and that was an admirable quality. From the way she talked about them, it was clear she viewed the Silvas as a kind of adoptive family, and if there was one thing he understood and appreciated, it was duty to family. If he put himself in her shoes, maybe he would have jumped to the same conclusion. Although where she'd got the idea he was some kind of serial womaniser, he didn't know.
Daniel still had no idea why he'd asked her to dance outside on the grass to music not even intended for them, when he should have been sulking and licking his wounds, but he could only be glad he had.
Glancing outside to make sure no one could see him leave her room, he went out onto the lawn to hunt for her thin strappy sandals, placed them neatly inside, closed the door, and headed up the path.
The Hursts' door was closed, but he could see a light on in the reception building. When he reached it, Laura was just putting the phone down. She looked pale, her face pinched.
"How bad is he?" he asked.
"Seriously ill, I think, but he's conscious. His wife said he's not been feeling well for a couple of days and they thought it would pass, but he got worse this evening. She didn't dare wait until morning."
"Smart woman. Is someone on the way?"
"Yes—a doctor."
"Wouldn't it have been quicker to call for an ambulance?"
She shook her head. "No, I don't think so. The ambulance would have to come from town and might be out on call, but the doctor is a family friend of the Silvas and he only lives a few minutes away. I'm sure he'll call for one if necessary. Mr. Hurst's obviously ill, but it's not like he's having chest
