Forbidden Valentine: A Forbidden Novel (16 page)

“DO DEANS REALLY MAKE this much money?” Dani asked, staring up at the sprawling two-story mansion in awe. “I definitely got into the wrong line of work.”

“You and me both,” Ransom agreed as he took her hand and helped her out of the car.

They took the brick drive up to the house, both of them stunned silent by the display of wealth. With a fountain playing focal point in the center of the turnaround, thoughtfully placed spotlights highlighting expensive landscaping and lawn sculptures, as well as one placing beneath each window to make the house shine, there was no other word to describe it but overdone.

And she’d thought Ransom’s parents were wealthy.

They had nothing on the dean.

“Old money,” Ransom leaned to whisper in her ear, answering her unspoken suspicions. “They like to show it off.”

“No kidding.”

A lined formed outside the steps leading up to the front door, and she and Ransom fell into place, moving quickly as each guest was greeted by a doorman who took their coats in exchange for a number so they could claim them later.

Stepping through a set of wide, solid wood doors, they entered the vestibule and even grander opulence. Dani hadn’t thought it possible, but there she stood, in the midst of it all. Immediately, she felt like an intruder in another world. Everywhere there were reminders of where she came from, who her parents were, and that she wasn’t anything like these people. No way did she fit in, so she sucked in a fortifying breath and fell back on her teachings. She might not be a member of the upper crust, but she certainly knew how to pretend.

It was simply a matter of smiling and nodding, and when it doubt, more nodding. As long as people thought she understood them, agreed with their philosophies, she wouldn’t even need to speak, and still they would have walked away feeling as if they’d made a new ally.

The trick was letting people talk about themselves. By doing that, they rarely noticed if she didn’t say a word about herself, too wrapped up in their own world to care.

“Do you want a drink?”

“I’m fine,” she told Ransom.

Looking out over the mass of people, Ransom spotted someone in the distance. “There’s Robert Goodwin, the dean who invited us. Let’s go say hello.”

Fitting her hand in his, Dani clung close to his side. “Just don’t leave me alone with these people and I’ll follow you anywhere,” she said under her breath.

He gave her hand a squeeze. “I’ll be your shadow all night.”

“All night?” she asked with a flirty smile.

“
All
night.”

With that promise fresh in her mind, Dani pasted on a smile and held out her hand when Ransom introduced her to his friend—a surprisingly paunchy and deceptively younger man she’d guess to be around Ransom’s age, with a receding hairline and fat cheeks. He kind of reminded her of Santa Claus.

“Robert, I want you to meet my girlfriend, Daniella Deviche.”

“So nice to meet you,” he said, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips to kiss the back. Who said chivalry was dead?

“You too. I was just telling Ransom how much I love your house. Did you decorate it yourself?”

“Heavens, no. My fiancée, Giselle, is the one who gets into all that. She just tells me where to sign the checks.”

They all laughed, and Dani found herself wishing she had agreed to that drink.

“So, when is the big day?” Ransom asked, engaging Robert in idle conversation. Dani groaned inwardly, sensing that the night was going to take far longer than either of them anticipated, but she resigned herself to it, knowing that schmoozing could only be good for Ransom’s career.

Without appearing too disinterested, she gazed around at the people in attendance, Ransom’s fellow colleagues. Aside from their expensive attire, they all reminded her of the people at the Scott party—well-manicured and behaved. While she continued to stand there, she decided to entertain herself by playing a game of Guess Who Robert Goodwin’s Fiancée Is.

She ruled out the woman with the hat full of feathers, and another with enough wrinkles to give a Shar-Pei a run for its money. There was another with a distinct baby bump, and another who could have auditioned for a role in Moulin Rouge, but none of them seemed to fit the bill.

One thing was for damn certain, it definitely wasn’t the statuesque woman who’d just glided into the room as if on a puff of smoke. She was stunning. Her long, silken black hair and smooth, caramel skin all wrapped up in a glittering gold belted dress that showed off miles of skin was runway worthy.

Every woman in the room, including Dani, took one look at her and shrunk two inches.

No way could she be for real. No one had a right to be that perfect.

The model flashed her Crest-commercial smile at each person she passed as she moved with a fluid grace through the room, and, to Dani’s profound horror, headed their way.

Instant hatred flared bright red across her vision and she felt her proverbial claws come out. Like any woman, she sensed danger and fastened onto Ransom so there was no mistaking that he belonged to her.

“Bobby, there you are!”

Even her voice was sexy, like warm honey, silky smooth and sweet. Dani fused herself to Ransom’s side. He gave her a questioning look before turning a megawatt smile on the couple.

“There
you
are!” Robert—Bobby—said gaily. Dani watched, rapt, as the two came together in a tangle of limbs and deep, passionate kisses that obliterated any lingering questions as to their relationship.

“I love you,” Giselle cooed, combing her fingers through his hair—or what little he had left.

“I love you more.”

“I love this suit on you.”

“I love this dress on you.”

Dani shot Ransom a look and felt his chest shake with restrained laughter. The kiss went on forever, until Ransom had to clear his throat to break them apart. Thank God, because Dani was beginning to wonder if they were going to throw down on the rug right at their feet.

Breaking apart, but still very much clinging to one another, Robert and Giselle fixed glazed eyes on Ransom and Dani.

Oh yeah, they were in love.

“Sorry, Scott. I just can’t seem to get enough of this one. I’m sure you know how it is.”

Ransom nodded. “Of course.”

“Oh, where are my manners!” Giselle thrust her hand out at Dani. “I’m Robert’s soon-to-be bride, Giselle Munoz.”

“Daniella Deviche.”

Giselle’s head tilted. “Why does that sound familiar? Darling,” she said, turning to her fiancée, “where have I heard that name before?”

Robert pursed his lips, his brows furrowing as he studied Dani until the point of discomfort. Then, with a snap of his fingers, he pointed at her. “Weren’t you a student at university?”

“Yes, for my bachelor’s. You’re the dean, right?” Dani asked, knowing full well that he was, both from her time there and Ransom telling her so.

“I am,” he replied proudly. “I remember you though. Not specifically, of course. This is the first time we’ve met, as I would remember your face.” He smiled widely, clearly referencing her beauty. “But isn’t your father part of the administration? A counselor, right?”

“Frank Griffin,” she confirmed, and puzzled when she felt Ransom stiffen. She turned a questioning look up at him, but he only spared her a brief, stony-eyed look before focusing back on his colleague.

“Ah, yes, Frank. Good man. Lucky woman having him for a father.”

“Yes,” she readily agreed with a friendly smile, but her thoughts were on Ransom and what had him acting so pensive. Did he know her father? Was there something between them—a problem, maybe—that she didn’t know about?

She wished she could raise the questions now flipping through her mind, but was forced to hold back, knowing that it would have to wait until they got home.

“So what does he think of his daughter dating a professor?” Robert asked, grinning like a lunatic and nudging Ransom with his elbow. “I bet he gave you hell!”

Roaring with laughter, Robert and Giselle could hardly contain themselves, oblivious to the rising tension among their little circle. Ransom’s jaw flexed, and Dani’s heart thudded painfully. Unknowing what was wrong or how to go about fixing it, she was at a loss for what to say or do.

“Couldn’t say, as we haven’t told him yet.”

Dani slanted him a guilty smile. She should have told him about her dad. As far as he knew, Frank had left her as a child and never looked back. Could that be what he was so upset about? Was he mad at her for not sharing that minor piece of information, or was it because they worked for the same university? Or could it be because she had failed to introduce them?

She was befuddled.

“Oh, well, then why not tell him now?” Giselle suggested. “I know I saw Frank around here somewhere. I tell you, you men sure know how to hide in plain sight,” she teased, her neck craning to peer around the room.

“I believe he was near the kitchen last I saw him,” Robert informed her, he, too, lifting his chin to see over heads.

“Don’t trouble yourselves,” Dani rushed out. “I’m sure we’ll run into him soon enough, and if we don’t, then we’ll catch up another time. I have a number to his direct line,” she said conspiratorially. “Besides, this is your party. We wouldn’t dream of taking you away from your guests to do what we’re perfectly able to do for ourselves, isn’t that right, honey?”

Ransom’s lips thinned. “Right.”

Robert beamed. “Well, now, Ransom, I do believe you’ve found yourself a keeper. Hold her close, or someone is bound to steal her away.” Patting his arm, Robert wished them an enjoyable evening and dragged his “little muffet” away.

In their wake, Dani chewed her bottom lip, wishing to be anywhere but there. “Ransom, I-”

He held up his hand, cutting her off. “I’m going to go say hello to a friend and then I’m taking you home.” He fixed her with cold, hard eyes. “Stay here.”

Hurt drilled deep in the face of that look, and Dani watched as Ransom strode away. The fact that he didn’t even want to introduce her to his friend? It made the pain all the worse. She just couldn’t understand where all the anger was coming from. It couldn’t be just that he was upset about her father, could it? But what other possible explanation was there?

Before she could put any more thought into it, Ransom returned. With nothing more than a summoning jerk of his chin, she fell into step behind him and together they left the party. At least he opened the car door for her and waited until she was fully tucked inside before he closed it. She’d half expected him to just slink out the back door and leave her there by the way he was behaving.

The ride home was nearly intolerable. She wasn’t used to such profound silence. It was killing her, piece by heartbreaking piece the longer he continued to ignore her.

“Why are you mad?” she whispered faintly. Her gaze flitted toward him, afraid she might set him off again. Being on this side of his wrath wasn’t fun or pretty. Although she never expected it would be, only that she would never find herself on the receiving end of it.

His hands tightened around the wheel, his knuckles blanching under the pressure. “I don’t want to talk about it right now.”

“I think we should talk about it,” she contended. “It’s not healthy to keep things from each other.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew she’d said the exact wrong thing.

“Are you serious? You’re going to sit there and tell
me
that it’s not healthy to keep things from each other when it’s you who’s been keeping secrets this whole time?” His head shook, his upper lips curling. “Un-fucking-believable,” he hissed under his breath.

Dani’s hands spread out before her, palms up. “I’m not even sure what we’re talking about, Ransom. Is this about my father? About me not telling you that I still speak to him?”

“Yes, it’s about your father!” Ransom’s explosion made Dani jump, scaring the living daylights out of her. Her hand flew to her mouth, covering her startled cry. “Jesus Christ, Dani! You told me he left when you were a kid. You never said a word about him after that, and you certainly never bothered to say anything about who he was or what he does for a living.”

“I didn’t think it was important,” she whispered, terrified of saying the wrong thing again.

“You didn’t—” Ransom cut himself off with a humorless laugh. Raking his fingers through his hair, he jerked the car in and out of lanes, taking corners on a dime, and before she knew it, they were pulling up in front of her place. He didn’t cut the engine.

Turning in his seat to face her, Ransom’s dark eyes were black as the night sky and filled with malicious intent. “When the
fuck
did you plan on cluing me in, Dani? He’s my goddamned co-worker. You should have told me I was sleeping with my fucking co-worker’s daughter. Jesus…I can’t believe this shit. I should have known…”

Despite her frantic heartbeat, Dani frowned. Finding her voice, as weak as it was, she said, “I get now that I should have told you about him. I even told your mom that I had reservations about it, but—”