Out of Control(28)
“So, why did you come this afternoon?” he asked when they were alone.
“I wanted to tell you what I thought of your books.”
Zach went still, a vaguely alarmed expression flashing across his face. “And?”
She hadn’t considered that her opinion would matter, but it obviously did. Should she torment him a little? Make him sweat. “And…”
“Get on with it, woman! Put me out of my misery.”
“They were great, really great. I wanted to thank you. I loved them. I didn’t know what I was missing.”
“So I’m not a useless playboy after all?”
She gave an enigmatic smile and changed the subject. “I like your girlfriend.”
“Lauren? I told you, she’s my accountant.”
“But she was your girlfriend?”
“Hmm, past tense. I assure you, I’m strictly monogamous.”
He took her arm, led her to one of the sun loungers, and pushed her gently down, before seating himself on the lounger next to her.
“You know, I’ve been thinking about you since you ran away this afternoon.”
“You have?” That didn’t sound good. She would also have liked to argue about the running away part, but thought she was probably on shaky ground.
“It’s the easy option, isn’t it?” he asked.
“What’s the easy option?”
“Going back to the army. You won’t have to make any decisions, they’ll tell you exactly what to do, they’ll even tell you when and where to do it and what to wear and what to eat…”
Dani was starting to get annoyed. “Why can’t you accept that it’s what I want? Why can’t you leave it alone?”
“Because I want to understand you.” He leaned toward her, resting his elbows on his thighs and examining her. “Anyway, then I thought that maybe, just maybe, it’s not only that. Maybe you also like giving orders to men. Tell me, Danielle, is that why you want to stay in the army? So you can order people around?”
“Go jump in the pool,” she ordered.
He chuckled, then gave her a wicked grin. “You want me to take my clothes off first?”
Dani sighed. It wasn’t going to work. He refused to be offended. “Okay, I admit it. It’s the easy option and I love the power. Now it’s my turn—do you feel sorry for me?”
He jolted upright. “Why the hell would you think that?”
Dani gave a wave of her hand. “I’m merely trying to understand why you’re doing this. What your motivations are.” She smiled with saccharin sweetness. “I just want to understand you, Zachary.”
Zach studied her, head cocked to one side. “What exactly is it you think I’m doing?”
“Being so nice. The presents. The dinner—my favorite foods. What do you hope to get out of it?”
“Maybe I want us to be friends.”
Friends?
She honestly didn’t know what to say to that. She opened her mouth, still unsure how to answer, as Gary appeared out of the French doors.
“I thought it was too good to last,” Zach muttered.
Gary glanced from her to Zach and back again, his brows drawing together. But really, there was a perfectly respectable distance between them—what was his problem?
“Have you asked her?” he said to Zach.
“Not yet.”
“Asked me what?”
“I didn’t realize you were going to Jake’s wedding,” Zach said.
“So? I’ve booked the time off. It’s all organized.”
“We can travel together.”
She sat up straight and processed the words. “You’re going?”
“I’m best man.”
“Really? Seems a bit of a misnomer. And you don’t have a date? How sad.”
Gary came and sat beside Zach. “We need two guards for the trip. Simon was coming, but it would be better if he stayed here. He can keep an eye on the place.”
“Can’t Jake send out someone else?” Dani asked.
“He could. But why bother when you’re going anyway? We can pick up someone else at the other end, so you’ll only be on duty for the journey to the airport. Jake is sending the company plane and a helicopter at the other end. Come on, Dani—that’s got to be better than flying commercial.”
Zach grinned. “And you get the pleasure of my company.”
“What an incentive.” But she couldn’t deny the shiver of excitement at the thought of spending time in Zach’s company. She hadn’t been looking forward to the wedding. Kim was just about her best friend and she wanted to be there, but she never felt comfortable at such gatherings. Now she would have avoiding Zach to keep her mind off feeling out of place.