Daniel (18 page)

“Yes. But that doesn’t—”

“I’m not finished. So you love me, and I
love you, but because of some…what was she after? Your money? Married?” She
knew she’d hit it when he stiffened. “Married. She was married to someone else
and didn’t tell you, and you gave her your heart. And now no one else can hurt
you.”

She stood up and blindly grabbed the
towel to wrap around her. She stumbled out of the bathroom and into the bedroom
while he was still scrambling to get out of the tub. She was pulling on sweats
when he came out swearing at her.

“You are pathetic, you know that? Some
bitch who has already ruined one life has let you ruin yours as well.” She
pulled a sweatshirt over her still damp body. “You think you’re the only one
who’s had his heart broken? I got news for you buster. You’re far from it.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about,”
he yelled back at her. “You don’t know what she said to me and what happened
when I found out.”

“Oh boo hoo. How old were you? You
couldn’t have been more than twenty, right?” He nodded. “So you’ve had what…ten
years to get over this? But no, you let it fester and boil over until no other
woman in the world could…you know what, I don’t care.” She started for the door
only to have him grab her from behind and press her to the door.

“She only wanted to prove to her husband
that she could get a younger man. She told me that I was a boy no matter how
much money or smarts I had.” She felt tears burn down her cheeks. “She took my
love and trampled it on the rug while her husband and I stood there and took
it.”

“You mean just like you’re doing to
mine.” His sharp intake of breath made her hurt more. “Let me go.”

“O’Reilly, don’t you see that—?”

“No, and I’ve decided that I don’t want
to. Let me go.” He did, but didn’t move back. “I’m going to the opening tonight,
and after that, Benny and I are going to do what the FBI wants. I want you to
stay away from us after that.”

He nodded, but didn’t move. After
several seconds he took her hand. “May I go with you so that I can make sure
you’re safe? The Feds plan isn’t foolproof.”

Did she want him there? Yes, with all
her heart. But could her heart take it? Probably not. But she wanted to be with
him once more. Before she could change her mind she said okay, but they were
finished.

Chapter
18

He waited for her at the bottom of the
stairs. His family was going as well, and he couldn’t convince them to stay at
home. He didn’t want Benny or O’Reilly to go, but knew that the plan simply
wouldn’t work if they weren’t there.

Alan had given them the plan last night.
O’Reilly and Benny were to go to the gallery as had been planned, but he was
going to be her date. Husband really. His family was going for support, as were
his best friends Alexander and Jared. He hoped that no one got hurt.

“The limo with the rest of the family is
on their way. We’ll ride with the four of you to the gallery, and when we get
there, you’re to stick to her like glue. Benny is wearing a vest under his tux,
and the kid is going to be with an officer the entire night.” He glanced over
at Alan. “They’ll be as safe as we can make them.”

“I know that. But nothing is perfect. Besides,
what if he doesn’t show?” He hoped that he wouldn’t, but knew he’d be there. “And
what kind of bulletproof stuff is O’Reilly wearing?”

“About that…her dress isn’t really
anything we could work with. And she said she was wearing it because she needed
the extra confidence it gave her.” They both looked up the stairs when they
heard her clear her throat. “See what I mean.”

Daniel couldn’t really see anything
right at the moment. The ravishing woman in front of him took up all his
vision. The dress, what there was of it, was molded to her curves and dips so
closely that Daniel whimpered. A small chuckle from Alan barely registered. He
took a step forward. Then another.

The black…sheath was all he could think
of to describe it…looked like she’d painted it on. And the plunging neckline covered
little more than her nipples and breasts before it stopped at her navel. He
watched her come toward him and saw her thigh-high stocking peek out at the
slit on both sides and the high heels that shimmered beneath it. When she took
the last step off the staircase, he twirled his finger to have her turn around,
and had to put his fist in his mouth to keep from whimpering again. There was
nothing there but silk over her shoulders and then across her firm ass. She
turned to face him again. He was going to have to keep a very close eye on her.

Alan chuckled again. “I tried to tell
you. She said she was going to stop buses. And if she had to go to this thing,
she was going in style.”

O’Reilly reached for her wrap that he
had clenched in his hand, and he walked behind her and kissed her bare neck
before draping the thing over her, and watched as she walked to the door. He
looked over at Alan.

“You let anything happen to her and I’ll
kill you.” Alan laughed and they went out the door. She wouldn’t let him guide
her; she kept pulling away. When they got to the limo, he asked Alan to give
them a minute.

“What do you—?” He kissed her. Daniel
felt her stiffen; then she melted to him. His cock, already stiff, jerked in
his trousers as he pulled her closer. Her arms going up and over his shoulders
made him groan, and he stepped forward to press her against the car.

He could have easily taken her right
then. Buried himself deep inside of her and never left. Even as he trailed
kisses down her neck to her breast he knew he should stop, but when she tossed
back her head and moaned, he took her nipple into his mouth. It was going to be
a long, long night.

Her fingers tangling into his hair had
him looking up. They had to go, he knew, but he needed one more taste of her.
Kissing her again, he pulled the dress back into place and stepped back. They
were both breathing hard.

“I need to speak to you when this is
over. I’ve something to tell you.” She nodded and then shook her head. “Yes,
O’Reilly. Please.”

She looked ready to tell him no again,
but nodded. “I love you, Daniel, but I can’t do this any longer. After we talk,
I don’t want to ever see you again.”

He didn’t answer her but stepped back
again. He opened the door for her and helped her slide in. He had to take
several deep breaths before he allowed himself to close himself into the dark
limo with her. Christ, he was in major trouble here.

Daniel sat across from her. He was sure
if he sat next to her he’d throw Alan out and take her on the seat. Besides, he
could see her better this way. See the way her nipples were still hard and his
bite mark on her breast. He shifted on the seat. Alan started to go over the
plan again when Daniel thought about his conversation with his brother.

“Do you love her?” The question had
startled him. When Royce asked again, Daniel shrugged. “The reason I ask is
because you seem to.”

“I do, but that doesn’t change how I
feel about marrying her. I’m not going to be trapped again in a relationship
where I have no way out.”

Royce had snorted as he stood up and
picked up his son. “No, I guess divorce wouldn’t be something you’d even
consider. So why do you want her so badly that you’ll keep trying to pull her
in when all she wants to do is push you away? Is it because you want something
you can’t have?”

That had pissed him off, and he started
to say so when Lee crawled from his father to him. The kid was great, and
Daniel loved him with all his heart, but happily ever after didn’t happen for
everyone.

“I think what you and Kasey have is
great. Even Curtis and Jesse have it made, but I don’t think I’m the sort of
guy who can hang around for the forever. I like my freedom too much. And I
don’t want to be a father. Things change when you have kids. Look at you. You
used to have fun all the time. Now you’ve sold your bike and your little Porsche.
Why? For love?”

“Yes,” his brother said without
hesitation. “Yes, and I’d give it all up again and more if I had to. I love
Kasey with all my heart. Did she ask me to sell off the bike or the car? Nope.
I did that because the appeal of riding either without them both with me didn’t
hold any happiness for me. You have no idea what it means to hold your child in
your arms, to wake up to your wife every morning and know that she’ll be there
for you when you go to bed.”

He didn’t. He’d had thoughts of waking
up next to O’Reilly, but they had yet to do that on any sort of regular basis. Did
he want that? Did he want to see her grow large with their baby? Yes, he had
thought it would be nice to see a baby of his own. But long term…he didn’t know
the answer to that either anymore.

“Royce, what if I told you I’m
terrified? What if I said to you that the thought of marriage to O’Reilly
doesn’t scare me, but the thought of making her…keeping her happy does?” He
didn’t look at Royce but continued looking at his brother’s son. “What if I
told you the thought of leaving her makes me almost as terrified as staying
with her?”

Royce stood and took Lee from him. “Then
I’d say you’ve made your own decision. Stay away from her, Daniel. She deserves
more than a man who can’t let go of the past any more than he can embrace the
future.”

He looked over at her when the door was
opened and Alan stepped out. He reached for her when she started out and held
her hands in his.

“I’m sorry. I’m more sorry than I can
ever be.” She looked away, and he could see her eyes fill. “I’ve been an ass,
and I know it now. Will you marry me, O’Reilly? Will you make me a better man
and marry me?”

She looked at him with her mouth opened,
and he reached over and closed it. She glared at him before she turned away
again. He knew she was pissed, about what he hadn’t the slightest idea.

“You do this now. You do this right
before I have to go inside that building and face hundreds of people with this
question on my mind and a mad man trying to kill me. Are you fucking insane? No,
don’t answer that. You are.” She reached for the driver’s hand as she slid out.
“Yes, I’ll marry you. But don’t think I’m going to go easy, and I’m certainly
not going to put up with your crap.”

She got out, and he could see her
standing there waiting on him. He sat there for several seconds before he threw
back his head and laughed. No, he thought she wasn’t going to go easy, and he
was completely all right with that. He got out of the limo and pulled her into
his arms.

“O’Reilly Harlequin, I love you very
much.” He took her mouth and bent her over his arms in a kiss that had her
nearly falling out of her dress. When he stood them both back up, he could see
the flashes of cameras going off as well as people applauding behind him. “And
I don’t plan to make it easy for you either.”

They entered the gallery together. He
hadn’t realized how big this thing was going to be until he looked around. Daniel
knew she was famous, but the hundreds of people here were a surprise.

“They don’t know me. That’s why they
came to see if they can figure out who the potter Harlequin is. They won’t
think it’s me…maybe you, but not me.” He looked at her and saw she was relieved
by that. “But they will tonight.”

Rachel had told him that tonight wasn’t
just the biggest show of O’Reilly’s career, but the one where they knew the
real person behind it. They’d been planning it for months now, and this was
going to play well into the Feds hands, too. They were going to tell the world
that she was O’Reilly Harlequin, and that she had Carver’s son. He hoped to God
this went as well as he’d been told it would.

The place was packed. He saw his mom
there with his brothers, and guided her to them. Benny was standing next to
Kylie, and she was holding his hand. Daniel couldn’t believe how handsome the
kid looked. He took a deep breath when they were standing in front of them and
looked at Benny.

“I’ve asked your aunt to marry me. She
said yes. But I’d feel a great deal better if you told me that you’d be my son
as well.” He heard his mom say “thank goodness” but kept his eyes on Benny. “I
know you come as a packaged deal, and I’d be honored to have you join with us.”

“I’m not her son, you know that. I’m
another man’s bastard.” O’Reilly started to speak, but Daniel beat her to it.

“You’re only a bastard if you want to
be. I have no intentions of treating you like anything but my son if you’ll
have me. Then men and woman around you will answer to me if they even think
that you’re anything but a Hunter.” Daniel put his hand out to his future. “I
don’t think you’ll have any problems with them, but if you do, I’m pretty sure
in a few years you’ll be able to take them.”

Royce laughed and pounded him on his
back. “I guess that could be true if it were a problem. But it’s not. Welcome
to the family, Reilly and Benny. I hope you two have many years of happiness
together.”

After a few more hugs, they broke apart.
He held onto O’Reilly when the drape over the large centerpiece was
spotlighted. She nodded to Rachel as she took a microphone and asked for
everyone’s attention.

“Everyone, this is a very special night
for this gallery. We not only have the most, in my opinion, beautiful pottery
in the universe, but also one of the most beautiful locations in the entire
world. I want to thank Hunter Corporation for allowing us to be here this
evening.” Rachel took out a sheet of paper and put on her glasses. “Forgive an
old woman here, can’t see a darned thing without them. All right then. Tonight
marks the fifteenth anniversary of O. Harlequin works. O’Reilly Harlequin
started throwing at the age of ten and has only improved over the years. Harlequin
works can be found gracing homes and palaces all over the world. Tonight we’re
going to be meeting the artist responsible for these works. Ladies and
gentlemen, let me introduce you to the latest Harlequin masterpiece.”

The purple drape was lifted up slowly. The
crowd that had gathered was quiet as it was shown to them a little at a time.
When the cover was completely off, it showed the most magnificent piece Daniel
had ever seen.

The piece was wide at the base and had
as many as six or maybe seven smaller pieces attached to it by shear gravity. He’d
seen her throw something similar, the pieces, not the whole, when he’d seen her
in the studio. As it got to its full height, he could see where she’d used her
artistic flare and love of nature.

Each of the smaller pieces were a
different scene. The first one was of a large forest of tress with a lake. The
lake continued into the next piece where there were houses, log ones with smoke
curling from the tops and rows and rows of corn planted. As the lake continued
on to the next piece, there was a mountain. The mountain was snowcapped, and the
sky above it was dark and ominous looking. He couldn’t see what was on the
other pieces without walking around. Before he could, Rachel spoke again.

“This piece, as well as all the others,
are for sale. But before we get to that, I have another announcement to make. Ladies
and gentlemen, I take great pleasure in introducing to you for the first time. O’Reilly
Harlequin, potter and artist. Reilly?”

She took a step back before he could guide
her forward. When she looked at him when he stopped her from what he was sure
bolting, she looked at him. Panic. Terror and every other emotion he could see were
right in her eyes. Daniel kissed her quickly on the mouth.

“You can do this, honey. I’ll be right
here when you’re finished.” She was shaking her head, and he nodded. “You can
do this. Go on. Meet your public.”