I cackle and playfully swat his ass. “Get off, I didn’t do that!”
“Oh yes you did,” Danny says, throwing an arm around me, pulling me close and tucking me against his side. “It was very tasteful. I enjoyed it immensely.”
I laugh again and pull back, looking up into his face, “You’re just saying that because you can’t dance for shit.”
“Hey, I’ll have you know that I have been known to throw some shapes,” he says, affronted but with a laughing glint in his eye. That night in the Jazz bar proved that he definitely knows what he’s doing on the dance floor.
“Throw some shapes? Are you a middle aged dad at a wedding?”
“Ha ha ha,” he mocks as I choke on my own laughter. He slows and turns to me. His long fingers gently tilt my head until his lips are on mine and my laughter is swallowed on a sigh. My belly coils as he playfully bites my lip.
“Let’s go home,” he says quietly. I nod quickly, my body eager to be close to him.
“I need to see what kind of shapes you can make,” I say cheekily and I can taste his smile on my lips.
Chapter 34
DANNY
A significant weight leaves my shoulders as soon as I am no longer contractually obligated to work for my father. My newly lightened shoulders are, however, currently weighed down by the raging hangover pounding my head.
Blinking my eyes open against the sun flooding through the window, I look over at the woman stretched out beside me. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Anya over the last few months is that she sleeps like the dead.
I press a kiss to her forehead to see where she’s at. If she stirs immediately, I’ve kickstarted her waking process, if not, I’m not going to see those big hazel eyes for at least another hour. Her eyelids flicker but there’s no sign of life.
Smiling, I roll onto my side and pick up my phone. Dead. I reach for the charger but remember it’s buried at the bottom of my backpack.
I clamber out of bed, quietly closing the door behind me.
Yawning, I flick the kettle on before plugging my phone into Anya’s charger. I chuckle at the memory of her confused face when I asked to borrow hers on the train. She’s looked at me as if I had asked her to run away with me to Cambodia. On the journey back to London, I’m sure she’ll be more amenable to sharing.
We haven’t discussed what the next plan is, but after last night, I know what I want. I’ll follow that girl anywhere, but it won’t be in the dark. I want to hold her hand and touch her in public. I don’t want to police the smiles she tugs at my lips or stop myself from brushing the hair out of her eyes.
My phone finally turns on with the telltale buzz of a thousand notifications. Frowning, I glance at the messages and missed calls I’ve received. There are dozens from Pip but mostly it’s my agent, Travis.
Glancing at the time, I decide it’s too late to call my sister but I care significantly less for Travis’ sleep so click his name instead.
He answers on the first ring, as if he’s been sat by the phone. Waiting.
“Dan, thank god. Have you spoken to anyone? The press? Production?”
My brow creases. That’s definitely not how I thought this conversation would go. “What? No, I’ve been asleep and my phone died.”
“Good man. Listen, I’ve been talking with Tracy over at Pepper and Whiteman and they want you to stay quiet. I’ve already spoken with Phillipa so she knows and if you do get caught the answer isno comment, understand?”
“Understand what? What the hell are you talking about, Travis?”
There’s silence on the other end. “Look, all you need to know is that it’s being handled and all you need to do is lay low. Stay in Paris for a few more days and order room service. But remember,no comment.”
He hangs up.
I glance at the black screen, my confusion mixing with dread. There have been a few times in my career that Travis has guided me on what to say to the press, New Year’s Eve being one of them, but it still doesn’t explain what the hell is going on. I quickly scan through the messages my sister left but they’re all just her asking me to call her back
It’s probably time to wake her up.
The first thing I hear is her sniffles.
“What happened?” I ask sharply.
