“I do.”
Her smile widened and it was like watching the sun creep from behind a cloud. “Thank you. I won’t let you down. I’d better leave now.”
“Wait.” His hand snapped out to grasp her upper arm. “I haven’t told you how pleased I am to see you.” And he lowered his head, taking her lips, drinking deep. She met each thrust of his tongue, stood on tiptoe to get a better angle. She tasted of mint and coffee and sweetness, and he couldn’t get enough. “I’d better check to see if my brothers have gone. Here, put this on.” He handed her a wooly hat his grandmother had knitted for him.
“Should I ring you?”
“Do you have your cell phone?” When she handed it to him, he programmed in his number. “Ring me around four.”
They walked into the first property, a two bedroom house rather than an apartment. Since it was on the outskirts of Napier, the rent was lower than the others. The real estate agent gave them a rundown of the house and left them to wander. The two bedrooms were a decent size and there was a third room that would work great for an office. The lounge and dining room were small, but functional and the kitchen was recently modernized.
“This one has a yard,” Laura said, staring out the double doors leading from the lounge. “It looks miserable at the moment, but it could be pretty in the summer. A few flowers. Some garden furniture. Think about barbeques. Oh, sorry. That was presumptuous.”
“No, I like your enthusiasm. It’s a good distance from the pub. My brothers are less likely to drop in unannounced.”
Dallas glanced around to locate the real estate agent, saw she was in the kitchen taking a call, and pulled Laura close. “It means when you stay with me here, we can indulge in kinky without interruptions.”
Laura’s expression shouted intrigue, and a tiny shiver worked through her when she met his gaze. “That sounds interesting.”
“Well, what do you think?” the female real estate agent asked in a bright voice.
“This one looks promising.”
“Do you still want to look at the others?”
“Yes, please.” Dallas took possession of Laura’s hand and led her outside to his vehicle.
It took another three hours to view the rest of the apartments.
“I’ll take the house,” Dallas said after a cursory look through the last property. It was nice, but he’d noticed the nosey elderly neighbor, and it was too close to the pub.
“Don’t you want to discuss it?” The real estate agent sent Laura a puzzled glance.
“No,” Dallas said, and half an hour later he’d signed the rental agreement and arranged the move-in date.
“I wish I could ask you up to the apartment,” Laura said.
“I understand. We’ll have dinner, and I’ll drop you off. In two weeks time, I can move into the house.”
Laura sighed. “I wish I could shift. My parents will ask questions if I move out of the apartment.”
Dallas reached over to pat her knee. “Don’t worry. You’ll get there soon.”
Dinner was bittersweet. Dallas chose a quiet pub where no one knew him. They sat side-by-side in a booth, touching each other while they ate their fish and chips.
“Did your brothers ask questions? I didn’t even think about them being there, which was stupid. I’m younger than Patrick. I doubt I even reached his radar since he was classes ahead at school.”
“Oh, they asked questions, but Quinn didn’t see your face.” His lips twisted at the memory of their pointed questions. “Family always know the right buttons to poke.”
She flashed a quick grin. “I learned this from experience. No one gets me angrier than my mother.”
“How did you get on at the temp agency?”
“They’re short of temps, so I have a job for tomorrow. The woman at the agency said they run classes several times a month, and I can attend to add new skills to my résumé.”
“Good for you.”
“It’s only filing and answering phones, but I’m proud of myself. It’s my first real job.” She paused. “I’m ashamed to admit that, but you’ve no idea how difficult it was to persuade my parents I wanted a job.” She placed her knife and fork down, sighing. “I’m grateful to my parents for the opportunities they’ve given me, and the education I’ve received, but I want normal. I hate people pointing at me and saying I’m a Drummond, as if I’m royalty or something. Is it wrong to want more, to want to make my own mistakes?”
