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A hint of vulnerability showed in her voice. It grabbed at his gut and pulled. She wasn’t whining or cursing, yet, despite her composure, a little hurt and shame came through. He wasn’t immune to it. Daniel cleared his throat. “I’m sorry.”
Surprised, Sara looked up, but instead of the censure she’d expected, she found empathy. His simple words touched a vulnerable place inside her, one she kept hidden. She didn’t know what to say.
“It’s disappointing when your parents don’t turn out the way you think they should.” He rubbed the condensation on his glass. “It’s the kind of disappointment that can stick with you a long time even if you don’t want it to.”
He spoke as if he had some experience with the same kind of disappointment, she thought. It made him seem more human to her, more likable, and made her feel a tenuous co
As if he realized the serious tone of their discussion had gone on long enough, he whispered to her in a conspiratorial tone, “Speaking of things that stick with you, we’d better eat these ribs before they get cold. Carly will give me hell if I don’t make sure you get fed. She’s scared you’re go
Sara stared at him, and a smile unfurled on her lips. “Why in the world would she think I’m going to leave her?”
“She said you can run Matilda’s Dream without her.”
A flush of pleasure stole over her, overshadowing their previous discussion. “I have no intention of leaving—”
Daniel gave her plate a meaningful glance. “Then do me a favor and eat.”
Sara saw through his obvious maneuver to bring a happier mood to the meal. She should have been immune to his exaggeration, but, Lord help her, it felt great to have a good man teasing her. She saw the tempered desire in his eyes and felt adrenaline rush through her. Sara shook her head in skepticism at her roller-coaster feelings and took a bite of rib. “If you were so concerned about feeding me, then why did you eat my onion loaf?”
With a completely straight face he said, “I won that onion loaf by guessing your weight. It was my duty to eat it.”
Sara laughed. “Duty!”
“When you’re the oldest of eight, you learn very quickly that some duties are more desirable than others.”
“You must have been a trial for your parents.”
“According to my mother, I was perfect.”
Sara rolled her eyes and delicately licked one of her fingers. “Spoken like a first child.”
Daniel watched, fascinated by the sensuality of the small movement. Throughout the meal he’d gotten the impression that occasionally Sara indulged herself, and the way she indulged herself with food was sexy. She didn’t mind the messiness. As a matter of fact she seemed to revel in it.
She took another bite of ribs and slowly ran the slick, pink tip of her tongue over her upper lip.
Daniel’s gut tightened.
Sara stopped. “Is something wrong?”
Yes, Daniel thought. Something was wrong. He wished they were alone so that he could taste that erotic mouth of hers and find out if she was as sweet and spicy as he suspected. He found himself wishing for a lot of things when he was around her. Sara made him feel…deprived. He cleared his throat. “You missed a little sauce on the left.”
Sara lifted her napkin and wiped her mouth. “Here?”
He shook his head. “No.” Giving in to his need, he leaned forward and touched her mouth with his thumb.
Sara went completely still. His gaze, she noted, was fixed with mesmerizing intent on her mouth, as if he couldn’t have torn his attention from her if he’d wanted to. He rubbed gently and should have moved away then. Instead his thumb moved from one side of her mouth and back.
Sara held her breath.
Daniel lifted his gaze to meet hers and pressed his thumb into the center of her lips.
A kiss.
She felt it and instinctively pursed her mouth against him.
His eyes flared, and he pressed a little farther, his thumb invading the soft moistness of her i
Surprised by his unexpected boldness, Sara felt a sensual twisting deep inside her coiling tighter and tighter. Masculine hunger was there on his face, something she hadn’t expected from Daniel. What she’d expected even less was her own overwhelming fascination with him. Shocking, intimate images floated through her mind.
Sara closed her eyes against them. She moved to dampen her suddenly dry lips and instead tasted his flesh.
Daniel swore.
Mortified, Sara instantly pulled back, but the tension between them held her like a chain. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, staring and shaking her head. “I don’t know—”
“Hey, Daniel,” a male voice called, “we’ve been looking all over for you. I thought you were go
Troy stopped at the table.
Sara jerked her gaze from Daniel and cleared her throat. She took a deep breath and looked up to see not only Troy but also Jarod. She forced a smile. “Hi.”
Troy and Jarod greeted her, then Troy slid beside Daniel, and Jarod sat beside her.
“I thought you two were doing maintenance on the machinery this morning,” Daniel said.
Troy shrugged. “We needed a part.” He shot Sara a coy glance. “We thought we’d join you and Carly for lunch.”
An uncomfortable silence followed, and Sara felt the same underlying uneasiness she always felt when she was with the Pendleton brothers. The problem was that since they had a shared history, they knew all the inside family jokes, the pecking order and what subjects were taboo. They knew, and she didn’t, which made her feel more like an outsider than ever.
Daniel nearly groaned. “Carly was busy, like you’re supposed to be.”
“We needed that part and…”
“Is the Christmas season keeping you and Carly busy with Matilda’s Dream?” Jarod asked Sara, pulling her attention away from Troy and Daniel.
She nodded. “Christmas and end-of-the-year reports.” Growing more uncomfortable with each passing moment, she glanced at her watch. “Oh my! Look at the time. I need to get back.”
“I can walk you,” Jarod offered.
Anger pulsed through Daniel. He nearly pounded his fist on the table. After all his careful pla
“I’ll walk her,” Daniel a
“Oh, no.” Sara stood. “You can’t leave your brothers.”
“Why not?”
She blinked. “Well, they just got here, and…” She shrugged and managed a strained smile. “And now you can discuss whatever it is that brothers talk about. Thank you for lunch.” She waved a hand, encompassing all of them. “I’ll see you at the wedding.”
Troy and Jarod murmured their agreement.
Daniel called after Sara. “I’ll pick you up at two o’clock.”
He watched Sara move her head in a gesture that could have meant yes or no.
“You’re finally making your move,” Troy piped in with a smirk on his face.
At that moment Daniel would have traded his name to be an only child. Furious with his lack of privacy, he tried to lay some ground rules. First things first. He turned to Jarod. “Cut the moves on Sara.”
Jarod lifted his hands in surprise. “Hey, I was just trying to put her at ease.”
Daniel frowned. “Well, don’t try so hard. And you,” he said, turning to Troy. “If you ever horn in again when I’m with her, I swear I’ll—”
“Horn in!” Troy lowered his voice. “Does that mean you were getting anywhere with her?”
Daniel hesitated, remembering how she’d kissed his thumb. For a little slice of time her eyes had gone soft and hazy.
Then he recalled how quickly she’d left. If he were going to answer Troy, he supposed he’d have to say yes and no. He decided, though, that he wanted his relationship with Sara kept private. Because he felt a strong protectiveness toward her. And because there was no way he could articulate what he felt for her. It was overwhelming and disturbing.