I Thought I Hated Him Ch. 08

When our kiss ended I stood and stared at Daniel in open-mouthed disbelief. "What did you just do?" I gasped. Out in the hall I could hear Maddock swear loudly and storm away, slamming his office door.

"I've been wanting to do that for a long time," Daniel said dryly. He looked stern, but there was the tiny hint of a smile playing about his lips. "I've hated that man for twenty years."

My mind couldn't seem to grasp what had just happened. It didn't seem possible that less than twelve hours had passed since I'd left Daniel's apartment that morning; the meeting at City Hall, the ensuing altercation with Lawrence Mallory, having everyone know the truth about Daniel and me, it was all too much to take in. And now Daniel had effectively slammed the door in the face of his career and unknowingly my own as well. Maddock might seem like a nice, old man, but he was as hard as nails underneath the Santa Claus exterior.

"Do you think he'll fire you?" I asked, afraid to hear the answer.

Daniel shrugged with his typical, effortless nonchalance. "Don't care really. I'm quitting."

"Quitting?" I blurted out. "Quitting? But if you go…" I stopped, unsure of what to say. Sometimes it felt as if working at Maddock Architects was the only real tie I had to Daniel apart from our chemistry in bed. If that ceased to be, where did that leave us?

"Are you doing anything this afternoon? Any client meetings?" Daniel asked in an offhanded manner which added to my confusion. I shook my head. He still held me in his arms but his voice sounded far away. I felt numb. I was still trying to imagine what the office would be like without Daniel. It was a painful thought.

"Good. I want to show you something."

I just stared at him in stunned silence. The entire day had been too much to process, making me feel slow and stupid.

Daniel released his hold on me with a gentle squeeze and a quick kiss on my forehead before he crossed to the desk and picked up the phone. It wasn't long after he dialled that he began to speak.

"Karen? Daniel. I'm going to sign. Can you meet me at four? I'd like to see it one more time before we do the paperwork. Yeah? I'll see you soon. Thanks." He hung up and began gathering papers off his desk, completely ignoring my small squeak of protest.

"What the hell is going on, Daniel?" I asked once I'd regained the ability to speak.

He scooped up my purse and jacket, thrusting them at me with a crooked grin. "You drive," he drawled, chuckling all the harder at the shocked look on my face. Mystified, I just stared at him.

"Where are we going?" I asked, frustration and confusion dripping from every syllable.

Daniel's answering smile was enigmatic. "Forward."

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Everybody watched the two of us make our way through the office and out the door. No one said a word. Even the phones seemed to stop ringing. I looked as many people in the eye as I could and saw a myriad of expressions reflected back. A few of the older architects looked bemused, while the younger guys seemed either in awe of Daniel or angry with him. Every one of the female staff was grinning broadly. I smiled back at them even though I was still terribly confused about what had just happened and where we were going, but my pride had kicked in and I wasn't about to show weakness in front of the others.

I knew better than to expect Daniel to open up to me, so once we were road I followed Daniel's directions without question, turning left when he said "turn left," right when he indicated right, merging in all the appropriate places, blindly trusting Daniel to direct me to the unknown. No amount of arguing in the world would get the Dragon to talk if he didn't want to talk.

We eventually ended up in a part of the city which was unfamiliar to me and the narrow streets demanded my attention as I drove. Occasionally I chanced a glance at Daniel. His handsome face was stoic in profile and he looked neither angry over the day's events nor excited to be free of Maddock.

"It's on the right-hand side, Clara. The next block up," Daniel interrupted my thoughts with a small smile that revealed nothing of what was happening in his brain.

I pulled up to the curb where Daniel specified and he was out of the Jeep before I could even put it in park. With a heavy sigh I turned the key and quieted my grumbling vehicle before I joined him on the sidewalk.

It would have been hard to miss the large "For Sale" sign in front of the red brick fire station and I was so distracted by gawking at the building's textbook classic revival detailing topped with a wonderful clock tower, that I almost missed what had caught Daniel's attention.

Tall, slender, blonde, and beautiful – and she was hugging Daniel in a way that made me grit my teeth until they hurt.

"Danny," she cooed as he embraced her and kissed her cheek. "I swear you get better-looking every time I see you."

"Karen," Daniel replied in a smooth tone of voice I'd never heard before. "Thanks for doing this last minute."

The blonde shrugged. "For you, Honey, anything." She clutched familiarly at his arm. "Have you been working out?"

He chuckled and made no move to shake off her grip. "Karen," Daniel said, turning his gaze from her perfectly made-up face to my own. "I'd like you to meet Clara."

I took a few steps closer to the pair and tried to smile bravely.

"Clara, this is Karen." Daniel's smile was bright and had the crooked, sexy edge he typically reserved for me. "She's my…" he trailed off, sounding unsure.

"Wife," Karen supplied with an equally bright smile. "Ex-wife," she amended with a giggle which didn't quite fit her highly-polished image. "Danny was my first husband. You know what they say," she leaned conspiratorially towards me. "The first time for love, the second time for money! And the third time… well!"

I was speechless. Up close Karen was even more perfect; there wasn't a flaw on her face or a hair out of place. I figured if she was Daniel's first wife she had to be at least 40, but she certainly didn't look it.

"You know, Danny," Karen laughed, studying me as carefully as I was studying her. "I swear your girlfriends get younger every year. You must be old enough to be her father!"

Daniel actually had the audacity to laugh, but secretly I was happy to note he didn't dignify Karen's flirtatious teasing with an answer. Typical Dragon: never feeling he needed to explain himself to anyone.

Karen brushed off Daniel's non-response with a casual wave and produced a set of keys from the pocket of her fitted designer blazer. "I know it's been a while, care to have another look, Danny love?"

Daniel's large hand swallowed the keys and his face broke into a boyish grin. He looked like a kid who'd just been given the key to a candy store.

"You two go ahead," Karen prompted, suddenly sounding professional. I realized with a jolt that it was her name on the 'For Sale' sign; not only was she Daniel's ex-wife, she was apparently his real estate agent too.

"Come on," Daniel said in a warm, low voice. He took my hand. "You're going to love this."

I only half-heard Daniel's dissertation on the classic revival architecture of the fire hall's exterior; my usual enthusiasm for dormer windows and original decorative dentils was dimmed by the sight of Karen's mini-skirt-clad ass as she dug about in the back of her car for paperwork. To his credit, Daniel didn't appear to notice.

It wasn't difficult to picture the two of them as a couple. Both were tall, fit, and ridiculously good looking; they looked like a married couple in a television commercial. It was obvious as well that they had a comfortable rapport with one another that could easily bloom into some serious chemistry. I wondered how long they had stayed married. I wondered who had left whom.

The three bay doors across the front of the fire station were painted bright red, as was the person-sized door to the left of them that Daniel unlocked with a grin. He held it open for me and I stepped into the gloomy, unlit interior.

The late afternoon sunshine that filtered through the grimy, uncovered windows sparkled over the dust motes raised by each footstep. The sound of my high-heeled shoes against the cement floor echoed loudly in the large, empty space.

It looked so big without any fire engines parked in the bays. The ceilings were a good twenty feet over my head and in one corner an iron staircase spiralled to the second floor. What the hell was Daniel going to do with so much room?

Daniel followed me into the fire hall but remained a few steps behind, giving me time to take in the space and get a feel for the building – it's the first thing architects do every time they enter a space, whether they're conscious of it or not, and this time was no different. Even in my confused state I could almost hear myself cataloguing the building's faults and strengths. As empty and cold and hollow as the station was, I liked it immediately. There was so much potential there.

"What is this place?" I asked finally. My voice sounded unnaturally loud as it echoed in the vastness.

"It's mine," Daniel said with straight-forward simplicity.

"It is now," Karen added as she entered behind us. In her hand was a sheaf of papers that she waved at Daniel. "Your apartment went on the market an hour ago. I'll more than likely have an offer for you before the weekend."

"All this space just for you?" I stuttered. "What for?"

"It's not just for me," Daniel smiled a slow smile that made my heart beat a little faster.

I glanced over his shoulder to where Karen stood, smiling knowingly at the two of us. "It's not?" I parroted.

Daniel shook his dark head and his smile melted away to reveal the strong expression he usually reserved for his most intense moments. "It's for us."

My ears rang. Us: the word echoed around the empty room. "Pardon?" I asked weakly.

"For our firm," Daniel prompted.

"Our firm?" My knees felt a little wobbly, but there was nowhere to sit down.

"Well, technically I guess it's my firm and you'll be working for me." Daniel's laugh was devoid of his usual cynicism, which somehow put me more at odds than I already was. Karen faded into the background, her presence irrelevant; the only thing that mattered was the sincere light in Daniel's silver-blue eyes.

"I – I don't understand," I stammered. "You're starting a firm?"

"Well I'm not working for Maddock any more," Daniel said with a wry twist to his lips. "I've wanted this for a long time, Clara. And you're going to work for me."

He took a step towards me, each line on his handsome face painted with an earnestness that wrenched at my stomach. I felt ill. I felt dizzy. "I'm going to work for you?" I repeated, as if trying to make the words and the concept sink in. "Were you going to ask me or did you just assume?"

Daniel stopped abruptly and the cold curtain of blankness fell over his face. "You don't want to work for me?"

Did I? I thought about all the work I'd put in at Maddock Architects, how much I'd sacrificed to get there, how much I'd given of myself just to get a job at the best firm in the city. My entire career loomed large before me and I stood perched uncertainly on the precipice.

"I – I have to sit down," I muttered, turning and making my way to the curving iron staircase. The treads looked filthy with dust but I didn't care. I sat with an ungraceful thump as my knees gave way.

"Clara," Daniel implored with a low growl. "You said this afternoon I made you a better architect, and I know damn well you do the same for me."

I nodded, gulping air into my suddenly arid lungs. The edges of my vision blurred slightly but it couldn't soften the harsh lines of Daniel's face.

"But Maddock…" I mumbled feebly.

"Fuck Maddock," Daniel barked. "You're better than that place, Clara. It'll just hold you back, like it did me. There's no limit here, no one telling you 'no' all the time."

I couldn't help but arch a sardonic eyebrow. "You're never going to say 'no' to me? Can I get that in writing?"

Daniel crouched at my feet, his hands coming up to cradle my hips. "We'll be the best damn architects in the city."

Gazing into Daniel's remarkable eyes made my mind clear very suddenly – the fog which had clouded my brain since Maddock had learned the truth about me and Daniel lifted to reveal what I knew to be the inalienable truth: I didn't care about being the best architect in the city, didn't care about the recognition or my reputation – I just wanted to do my job as best I could. All I wanted, all I'd really ever wanted from my career, was to build something beautiful which would last, would outlive me, would be the legacy of my vision. I didn't need Maddock Architects to achieve that.

"Okay," I whispered before I could change my mind.

Daniel just stared at me for a moment and I could have sworn he was in as much disbelief over my acceptance as I was. "Okay? No argument?"

"What is there to argue over?" I asked softly. "I trust you."

Daniel sat back on his heels, unable to hide his incredulity. He shook his dark head. "Just like that?"

"Just like that," I said with a little more conviction.

A smile bloomed slowly over Daniel's face, making him look ten years younger. He was so handsome my breath stopped in my throat. As much as I hated his superior, know-it-all attitude towards me at times, when he smiled like that I could refuse him nothing.

When he kissed me the passion of it made me gasp and Daniel took advantage, plundering my mouth with a sudden need that rendered me completely helpless. From the shadows I could hear Karen chuckle lowly as the smart click of her heels retreated outside. She closed the door behind her, blocking out the last rays of afternoon sunshine, plunging the space into a duskier light.

I barely noticed. All there was for me was Daniel and the insistence of his kisses. He spoke more with his mouth when he kissed me then he'd ever be able to with words, and I certainly didn't mind. I tried to think about what I'd just agreed to, what sort of business we could build together, but my mind couldn't focus on anything other than the way he tasted.

Daniel pulled me to my feet with one fluid motion, adding to my dizziness. He buried his hands in my hair and feasted on my lips. Eventually we broke apart and just stared at each other in the growing gloom, our breathing harsh, fast, and syncopated.

In the dying light of what had to be the longest day of my life I could see a familiar lusty glint in Daniel's eye.

"What? Here? Now?" I laughed as my own desire flared to match his. "What about Karen? She's right outside."

"What about Karen?" Daniel said with a husky chuckle. "She's got her own thing going on at home. She won't bother us."

"Husband number two?" I teased.

"Number three, actually. She never did anything smarter than ditching the asshole she left me for. And she can hardly twit me about your age. She's newly married to a thirty-two year-old golf pro."

I laughed along with Daniel. "I can't believe you're still friends with your ex-wife."

"I wouldn't say we're friends," Daniel countered and once more I thought I heard a small undertone of hurt in his voice. "It's taken a long time to get to this point."

"And yet she's your real estate agent," I challenged.

Daniel tugged playfully at one of my curls. "That's merely coincidence. When I saw this place was for sale I knew I had to have it. She just happened to be the one handling the deal. I had no control over that. It just seemed easiest to have her take care of the sale of my apartment too. She'll get me what I'm asking for it, of that I have no doubt. No one knows better than I do how hard a bargain that woman can drive."

I pictured Karen in my mind, her perfect body, her beautiful face. I rejoiced secretly at the few hard lines I'd noticed around her mouth. Despite her flirtatious smiles and girlish giggles those lines betrayed her age and an underlying cruelty that Daniel was obviously familiar with.

"Did you love her?" I asked. My voice was raspy and wavered slightly.

"I did, once," Daniel confessed with an openness which surprised me. "But that was a long time ago, Clara. We were young and foolish, fresh out of college."

Beneath the curtain of my hair Daniel was absentmindedly stroking the back of my neck. "Can we go home, Daniel?" I asked. His touch was soft, relaxing, and suddenly there wasn't anything I wanted to do more than curl up beside him and lose myself in the private world we'd created. I was weary and feeling pretty Scarlett O'Hara-ish: I didn't want to think about my problems anymore. I'd think about them tomorrow.

Daniel slung an arm around my shoulders, drawing me against the solid, comforting heat of his body. The gesture was reassuringly possessive. "Sure."

Outside, Karen was sitting in the front seat of her car, the door wide open, talking on her cell phone. Her conversation floated over to me as I stood waiting for Daniel to lock up.

"I can't wait for you to get home," she purred into the phone. There was a dreamy expression on her face which made me smile. "When you do I'll be there waiting, on my hands and knees, just the way you like it, Baby…" she trailed off as she noticed me and actually had the grace to blush furiously. I grinned, feeling a sudden kinship with the blonde woman. I wasn't the only one going crazy over a man.

She said her good-byes quietly while I shot a glance over my shoulder at Daniel. He was gazing up at the second storey of his fire station, and even from a distance I could tell his mind was working furiously. Calculating and intense as always; it was sexy as hell.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Karen asked as she exited her car and came to stand beside me.

"Sure," I offered, trying to ignore the little nervous knot which formed instantly in my stomach. We both stood and watched Daniel as he circled around to the side of the building and reached a hand out to touch the red brick.

"Good Lord, but I loved that man," Karen murmured, and I couldn't help but feel as if she was speaking less to me at the moment and more to herself. My answering smile was understanding.

"Look," Karen said with undisguised bluntness. "You seem like a nice kid; like you've got a good head on your shoulders and you're obviously not a fool. That's good, it's what he needs. He's been jerked around a lot in the past."

I opened my mouth to interject, but Karen stopped with a wave of her manicured fingers.

"I know, I know, I'm the queen jerk and therefore hardly qualified to be giving you advice." There was a friendly quality to her tone that made me laugh softly. "I don't know how long you've known Danny, but I doubt he's let you into that fortress of a brain of his. He doesn't open up easily, never has, probably never will. You need to be prepared for the possibility that he'll never admit that he needs you or that he loves you. He never told me, and it drove me away."

She paused, looking wistfully at the dark and handsome figure standing in the shadow of the fire station. "So here's my two cents. You don't know me, and you sure as hell don't have much reason to trust me, especially after everything I put that man through. I made my mistakes and if I could go back and change things… well, I might not have been so stupid. I figure I know Danny as well as anyone, so take my word for it: the man wants to build a future with you in it and that's as close to a declaration of love as you're ever going to get from him. Don't break your own heart waiting around for the words that will never come. Daniel Sutcliffe is a man of action. The sooner you learn that, the happier you'll be."