Page 37 of Disavowed

“Good morning. Is everything okay?” She glanced from Jack to the other man. Jack might have smiled at her, but from the tension on his face it had obviously been forced.

Up close, the other man appeared rather ordinary, but there was nothing ordinary about the intent way he looked at her. No, make that tracked her. Every feminine instinct she possessed told her this man was a predator.

His brown eyes held a hint of meanness that screamed so loudly he might as well have been wearing a sign. His gaze slid from her face to her chest before slithering down her entire body. When he raised his gaze to meet hers his half smile was smarmy, making her feel as if he were imagining her naked.

“Pleased to meet you, ma’am.” He held out his hand. “I’m a friend of Jack’s.”

Before she could react, Jack insinuated himself between them. “You said you were leaving.” His tone was laced with challenge.

Daisy couldn’t see Jack’s face but sensed the barely contained anger radiating from his body.

“I did, didn’t I?” The man gave Daisy a mock bow. “Another time then, ma’am.”

“Don’t count on it,” Jack said under his breath as the guy turned and disappeared around the corner.

“Who was that?” She looked at Jack with raised brows. Whoever it was, Jack clearly hadn’t been pleased by his presence and, frankly, neither was she. He gave her the creeps.

“Nobody important,” he snapped in such a harsh tone that she instinctively took a step back.

Daisy raised her brows. What the—

Then he smiled at her as if everything was fine and began loading more urns into the truck. She didn’t know quite what to make of his abrupt change in demeanor, but was quickly distracted.

Jack’s shirtsleeves were rolled midway up his forearms, exposing thick, ropy muscle that flexed and bunched as he wrestled with the heavy pottery. He really did have a nice body.

“If I haven’t mentioned it,” he said as he hefted another urn onto his shoulder, “wear a dress tomorrow. I’m taking you someplace nice.” Then he grinned at her.

She stepped out of his way as he loaded the urn onto the truck. “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.” He wiped his brow. “I think you’ll like it.”

“Can’t you give me a hint?” She laid her hand on one of his thick forearms and looked up at him, batting her lashes playfully. His skin was warm from exertion, and the muscle beneath was rock solid.

When he took her hand from his arm and linked his fingers with hers, she found the feeling was rather pleasant.

“I think I’ll keep you in suspense. Trust me, you’ll enjoy it. It’s one of my favorite places.”

“All right.” She uttered a sigh. “Have it your way. But you’re stuck with me for the rest of the day.”

“What do you mean?” His eyes went sharp.

“I’m going with you to the Piazza.” She pulled away, intending to go inside to grab her things, but he tugged her back to him.

“You don’t need to go today, do you? The forecast is calling for rain.” He glanced up at the graying sky. “As soon as the first drop hits the pavement, the streets will jam up and you’ll be stuck in traffic with me for half the day.”

She patted his arm. “There’s no one else I’d rather be stuck in traffic with. Besides, I haven’t walked through the grand ballroom since all the furniture was put in place, and I need to verify the vases and arrangements I designed will still work. I just need to get my drawings.”

As she headed back inside, she glanced over her shoulder to find him staring after her. His brows were drawn and his forehead creased, leaving her with the odd impression that he didn’t want her with him today.

After grabbing her bags from her desk, along with the coffee he’d so thoughtfully gotten her, she headed to the front of the shop. “I’ll be at the Piazza with Jack,” she informed Marjie. “I should be back in a few hours.”

“Ooh, a road trip. With Jack,” Marjie teased. “Have fun, boss.”

“Very funny.” She went back into the hallway where Jack was waiting for her. “Let’s go.”

He followed her to the passenger side of the truck. “Today’s really not a good day to go to the hotel. When I was there yesterday dropping off all those bromeliads and ficus trees, the place was still a mess. Workers were doing last-minute sanding and the air was thick with dust.” He caught her arm as she reached for the door latch. “Why don’t I take you there tomorrow instead?”

Releasing the door latch, she turned to face him. She could have imagined it, but the look in his eyes was…wary? Again she was struck with the impression that he didn’t want her at the Piazza today. Why that could possibly be, she couldn’t fathom.