Love Redesigned (4 page)

‘There’s someone here to see you,’ Chloe said, pulling a funny face and rolling her eyes around. Holly returned Chloe’s peculiar gesture and was just pulling her own funny face when a tall man came striding through the doorway into her office.

‘Oh,’ Holly said, rearranging her face to a more normal expression. She and Chloe really needed to work on their coded communication signals.

Daniel stood there, smirking his usual smirk, clearly amused at catching Holly’s face. He looked fresher today. Still in his trademark black shirt, but his face looked more youthful than it had the last time she’d seen him.

‘Morning, Holly. I think it’s time we had that chat, don’t you?’ he said assertively, walking further into the room. Chloe seemed mesmerised by the man in their presence, and Holly could see that her mouth was open, catching flies.
See, Chloe? How was I ever supposed to resist this?
Holly wanted to say to her friend.

‘Sure,’ Holly replied, giving him a tight smile and standing up herself. ‘Please take a seat, I’ll just be a minute.’ Holly nudged Chloe out of her trance and ushered her towards the door.

‘Can I get you a drink?’ Chloe asked, remembering her duties, as she seemed to come to.

‘We’re fine, thank you, Chloe,’ Holly said, trying to sound calm. She never in a million years thought Daniel would turn up at her office. At her house, yes, but not at her office. She hadn’t rehearsed for this, and subsequently she could feel her insides churning.

‘EXPLANATION,’ Chloe mouthed silently to Holly as she stepped outside and closed the door on the rest of the studio.

Holly took a few deep breaths as she slowly turned and made her way back to her seat behind the desk.
Must get an explanation
, Holly silently ordered herself as Chloe’s words reverberated through her head.
Must get an explanation from my good-for-nothing ex.
Holly sank slowly back down in her chair with a determined look on her face.

‘Alone at last,’ Daniel said, a wicked smile escaping his lips. He looked completely at home, sat casually in her office. He emitted an air of complete comfort and control. As per usual.

‘What can I do for you, Daniel?’ Holly asked firmly.

‘I’m sure I can think of something,’ came Daniel’s reply. His voice was full of innuendo and positively oozing with suggestion. Holly didn’t dignify his remark with a response. Instead, she leaned back in her chair, folded her arms, and fixed him with a steely gaze. This particular don’t-you-dare-mess-with-me stare worked well on Harry, and she hoped it would have a similar effect on his father.

But Daniel just smiled broadly at her. That had not been Holly’s hoped-for reaction. Not at all. Why couldn’t he just behave like a regular adult, for once in his life? Why did he have to be Mr Smug Pants all the time? Holly continued to stare right through him and he continued to smile right back at her.

‘What do you want, Daniel?’ Holly asked impatiently, feeling herself cave in the staring competition. Her nerves were on edge and she felt herself hanging on by a thin thread. This man had the power to frazzle her in a matter of seconds, it seemed.

‘I came to talk,’ Daniel said plainly. ‘Look, Holly, I’m not sure what I’ve done wrong here. The last time I saw you, I thought we were on good terms again, but now you just seem angry at me.’

Holly felt a surge of anger and frustration flood through her. She stood up sharply, channelling her temper through her splayed palms on the desk. She didn’t know if Daniel was being intentionally obtuse or if it was just coming naturally to him, but he’d ignited some emotions in her, that was for sure.

‘What did you honestly expect? For me to run into your arms and rip all your clothes off?’ Holly said, shaking her head incredulously. Of course I’m bloody angry,’ she fumed. ‘You appear in Harry’s life like a passing tornado, and as per usual you leave a trail of mess and crap in your wake. Harry’s positively confused by your showing up and then your non-existent contact since.’

‘God, you’re beautiful when you’re angry,’ Daniel said, flashing her another smile and not moving a muscle from his relaxed sitting position. Are you sure it’s only Harry who’s confused about me?’

Holly felt herself blush as he hit the nail on the head. He was right. She was confused about how things stood between them since they’d slept together. As far as this man was concerned, she didn’t know whether she was coming or going.

‘I presume you’re here to discuss Harry and see how you can become a part of his life, after all these years,’ Holly said, unable to disguise her bitterness. Both of them were completely aware of how she’d skirted around Daniel’s previous question, shifting the subject of their discussion to Harry, not her.

‘Then you’d presume right, Mrs Madison,’ Daniel replied, emphasising her married name. He suddenly sprang up out of his chair and wandered casually over to the window, his hands in his pockets, all laid-back confidence.

‘Okay. So how often would you like to see him?’ Holly asked, still with her palms down on the desk. There was something reassuring about having her hands bolstering her up, and where she could see them. She sensed she might need to call on their support in the not-too-distant future.

‘We can discuss the details later,’ Daniel said dismissively. ‘But first, I think we have some
other
business to attend to, don’t you?’ he asked, shooting her a look which had desire written all over it. It was a look of sheer, undisguised, want-you-now
lust
. Holly felt shocked at the sudden change in conversational direction as she glanced down at her hands and willed herself to stay strong.

There was no mistaking Daniel’s intentions when he closed the distance between them and stood directly behind her. Holly felt her insides tremble. She wanted to walk away, and yet at the same time she longed for him to touch her. Every second that he stood in such close proximity without doing so felt like torture.

Daniel leaned in, lowering his head to the nape of Holly’s neck, and just hovered there for a tantalising moment. Holly daren’t move a muscle, for she knew that if she did she would end up in his arms and it would all be a foregone conclusion.
She
would be a foregone conclusion.

Slowly, Daniel wrapped his strong arms around her and leaned into her neck, inhaling her deeply. However much she hated to be a sure thing, she felt her body misbehave and give up the fight as she melted backwards into his embrace, her palms finally leaving the safety of her desk.

‘You’re just so irresistible,’ Daniel growled at her through the kisses he was peppering down her neck. Holly was powerless to tell him not to be so bloody ridiculous. She wanted to tell him that she obviously wasn’t that irresistible considering she hadn’t seen him for half a decade. But his kisses silenced her into a state of confused bewilderment where her mind quieted and her body’s physical cravings took over.

She’d done it again. She’d had sex with the ex without so much as demanding an explanation for his elusiveness. She’d folded at the first release of a few poxy pheromones. What’s more, they’d done it in her office. With her staff sitting a matter of a few metres away. With her best friend Chloe on the other side of the wall. As Holly dressed quickly, she turned her back on Daniel, feeling the shame flood through her, her earlier brain numbness gone in an instant. Chloe would be so disappointed in her—particularly after all they’d discussed over the last few days.

But Holly had a problem. As much as she knew she shouldn’t have gone anywhere near Daniel again, she was happy she had. She’d enjoyed herself, and couldn’t help but feel reinvigorated by his affections. Daniel was a gorgeous, incredibly attractive man, and there still seemed to be the same chemistry alive between them that had been there when they’d first met. And however hard it was for her to admit it, a small part of Holly liked letting someone else take charge for a change. Feeling desirable—for the first time in eons—was nice.
More
than nice. Maybe it was even starting to get addictive.

‘We have to talk, Daniel. Really talk,’ Holly said firmly, sitting back behind her desk. She was determined to get some answers from this man before she let her heart get any more involved.

‘I actually did come here to talk to you,’ Daniel laughed as he sat back down opposite her, still buttoning up his shirt. ‘I forgot how good you make me feel. You’re starting to become something of a habit, Mrs Madison.’ Holly chose not to rise to the bait Daniel had dangled in front of her nose. Legally she may have been a
Mrs
, but she certainly didn’t feel like one. If truth be told, she’d never felt like Daniel’s wife.

‘Don’t be corny. It doesn’t become you, Daniel,’ Holly reprimanded, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. ‘Why now? Why have you come back into our lives now after all these years with no contact and zero interest on your part?’

‘That’s where you’re wrong, Holly. I did try to find you after you left. Not immediately, but about four years ago I
did
look for you and Harry.

‘Well, you didn’t try that hard, did you? I didn’t exactly skip the country or disappear off the face of the planet. All I did was get a new phone number and address. I even told you where we were in my letters,’ Holly replied, finding it hard to believe a single word of what he was saying. Assuming he was lying helped her to focus. She folded her arms across her chest, convinced she was being bullshitted.

‘I know you wrote,’ Daniel said quietly. ‘But in my defense, I didn’t know that at the time I was looking for you. Someone was concealing a few things from me. Things which I’ve only just recently found out about.’

‘Oh really?’ Holly said impatiently, raising an eyebrow. ‘You forget that I
know
you. If you want something bad enough, you go out there, stomp over everything in your path, and you find it. You don’t rely on other people. Plus, who on earth would keep my letters from you and stop you from seeing your own son?’ Holly finished with a suspicious note in her voice.

‘Look. You’re probably right: I could have and should have done more to find you. But like I said, someone was working against me.’

‘Who?’ Holly demanded loudly, her eyes narrowed. Daniel stared back at her, and for a brief second Holly saw a look of pain flash across his face before he seemed to correct himself.

‘You obviously don’t want to tell me. But I deserve to know who has kept Harry from having a father for his entire life,’ Holly spat at him, feeling her inner lioness wake up. ‘Was it Miranda?’ Holly asked in an accusatory tone, suddenly remembering Daniel’s bitchy personal assistant.

‘Of course not,’ Daniel said, clearly exasperated. ‘Look, if you must know, it was my mother. She hid your letters from me and encouraged me to stop searching.’

‘What?’ Holly felt shocked and instantly deflated. She sank more deeply into her chair. That was a surprise. She’d always assumed she’d gotten along well with Daniel’s mother. Holly had even spoken to her after Harry was born, to check that her letters had been received. Daniel’s mother had assured her that Daniel had seen her letters and that she would let him know she’d called.

‘But why would she do that? Her own grandchild,’ Holly eventually managed, struggling to process the revelation.

‘I guess she had her reasons,’ Daniel said dismissively. ‘But that’s all in the past. I’m here now. And I want Harry in my life,’ he added forcefully.

Holly forced herself to take a few deep breaths and concentrate on what Daniel was saying. He wanted to be a father to Harry. That was good. Harry would no doubt be ecstatic, but Holly suddenly felt reluctant and wary. What if this sudden interest in Harry was just a passing phase in Daniel’s life? What if he were to get bored and move on? Even worse, what if Harry wanted to be with Daniel all the time? What about her? Where did
she
figure in all this? Holly suddenly felt incredibly uncertain about so many things.

‘As you probably remember, it’s my birthday this weekend,’ Daniel began confidently. Holly forced herself to keep a neutral face. That sentence annoyed her on so many levels. Of course she didn’t remember that it was his bloody birthday; she
did
have other things going on in her life. Granted, not a lot of things, but still. The arrogance of the man riled her.

‘Well, I’m having a little get-together at my house. Nothing big,’ Daniel continued. ‘I’d really like it if Harry—and you, of course—could come and spend the weekend. Give me a chance to spend some time with the little chap and get to know him better.’

‘I don’t know…’ Holly began as she suddenly felt things begin to spiral out of her control.

‘Please, Holly,’ Daniel interrupted smoothly. ‘I think it’d be a good idea,’ he added, giving her that look of his. That look which usually meant he got what he wanted.

‘I’ll think about it,’ Holly agreed weakly.

‘Great,’ Daniel said, looking genuinely pleased. He clearly thought he’d gotten his own way. And that gave Holly another reason to feel riled at the man.

‘What’s this?’ Daniel asked, his attention now completely devoted to a pile of drawings on Holly’s desk.

‘It’s one of our current jobs. A new build residence out in the country,’ Holly said, momentarily surprised by his interest, as she pulled out the 3D visuals for the project for him to see. Daniel was being very un-Daniel-like. Design and architecture was Holly’s field of interest and expertise, not his.

‘Holly, this is amazing. Really amazing,’ Daniel said, sounding genuinely impressed.

‘Thanks,’ Holly squeaked, embarrassed at his effusiveness.

‘What else are you working on?’ Daniel asked, with more of the same interest in his tone.

‘Would you like a tour of the design office?’ Holly offered. The suggestion was out of her mouth before she’d had a chance to think twice. She wondered how she was going to explain Daniel’s presence to her staff, and, more to the point, to the eagle-eyed Chloe. She never missed a thing.

‘That’d be great,’ Daniel said, flashing her a big smile.

Holly’s design company had become so much of a permanent fixture in her life that she’d practically forgotten that this would all be completely new to Daniel. The business was, after all, a post-Daniel development in her life. One of the few things, other than Harry, that had actually changed about her.