like to have his lips brush across hers.
She could feel herself leaning towards him. Perhaps the field was magnetic, not electric, but it was almost too powerful to resist. Was it her imagination or was he leaning towards her too?
Abi felt pressure against her leg, a knock, a bump. She looked down. Summer had squeezed herself between them and wrapped herself around Damien’s leg, breaking the spell, releasing the tension that surrounded them.
Damien bent down, scooped his daughter into his arms and stepped back. He picked up her school bag and Abi stood at the top of the stairs and watched them leave. She had to force herself not to follow.
What would that achieve? Why would she want to?
She had to keep her distance. Yes, he was an attractive man, gorgeous even, and he was wonderful with Summer, but he was also a colleague and she couldn’t go there again. This time she knew his life was complicated. This time she would have no excuses. It sounded as though his relationship with Summer’s mother was extremely difficult and she had vowed that her next relationship would be simple, straightforward. Next time she was going in with her eyes open.
Next time! Next relationship! Why was she even thinking like that? She was in no hurry to go there again and when she was ready a man like Damien would not be on her list. A complicated man with baggage who she also had to work with—she couldn’t afford to even think about that.
THERE WAS A light knock on Damien’s open office door and he looked up in anticipation, hoping to see Abi. Disappointment lodged in the back of his throat when he saw Freya standing there instead. He should have known it wasn’t Abi as her scent, already familiar to him, always preceded her.
She smelt of fresh peaches and sunshine, she smelt like the month of July, of summer, and her amber eyes blazed with warmth in contrast to her cool, pale skin. He wondered if she tasted of peaches as well and for a moment last night he’d thought about finding out. He’d been tempted to kiss her. Caught up in a moment of madness, he’d been tempted to press his lips to hers and taste her.
For one crazy moment he’d forgotten about his daughter, he’d forgotten about his issues with his ex-wife—all he’d been aware of was Abi. He’d been drawn to her. There was something between them, a connection that he hadn’t felt with anyone for a long time. He didn’t think he was imagining it, he was certain she felt it too. He was certain he’d seen desire in her golden eyes and he’d definitely seen her lean towards him—or had he leaned towards her?—but then reality had forced its way between them in the form of an impatient five-year-old. Although that was probably just as well. He couldn’t jump in, despite wanting to. All his energy was directed at his work and his daughter, and he had no room in his life for anything else.
But he couldn’t keep thoughts of Abi out of his head. So much about her was already familiar and he was still trying to process how that could be after only a few days. How was it that she had worked her way into his subconscious so swiftly? There was something ethereal and mystical about her. She was weaving her magic over him, casting a spell.
‘Are you okay?’ Freya asked, and Damien was aware only then that his thoughts were drifting.
He shook his head to clear it. ‘Yes, I’m fine. What can I do for you?’
‘I just wanted to check on how Abi’s first day went. Did you have any problems? Is there anything I need to know about?’
‘No, everything’s good.’ Everything except his equilibrium but that wasn’t Freya’s department.
‘What do you think of her?’
‘Is this where you want me to say, “You were right”?’ he asked, but Freya didn’t reply, just smiled at him and raised an eyebrow. Damien decided he wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of the truth. ‘You chose well, she’s extremely competent,’ he said.
‘Oh, I know that,’ Freya responded. ‘I meant what do you think of her as a person? She’s cute, isn’t she?’
‘I hadn’t noticed,’ he lied. He didn’t want to notice cute women. He had enough going on in his life without complicating things by adding women into the mix. But his brain was defying instructions and he was spending far too much time contemplating Abi Thompson. He couldn’t admit the truth, not to Freya. He knew she would want to meddle. She was happy in her new relationship with Zack and Damien knew she thought everyone around her should be so lucky. He didn’t need her interference.
‘Really?’
‘Really.’
He was happy on his own. He didn’t need, or want, a woman at this point in his life. He’d made a mess of his marriage and he knew it had made him gun-shy. He’d got so many things wrong, starting with his judgement of Brooke’s character. He’d been badly burned and he hated the knowledge that his marriage had failed; he hated not making a success of things. His focus now was on his daughter and that was how things should be. That was how things had to be.
‘So, if you’ll excuse me I have a meeting with Mila shortly and I need to get a few things ready.’
Freya didn’t argue but she did give him a look that implied she hadn’t believed a word he’d said. That didn’t bother him. She could believe what she liked. It didn’t mean she was right.
* * *
Abi had struggled to get out of bed that morning. She’d lain awake for hours, tossing and turning, willing herself to sleep, but her mind had been buzzing with thoughts of Damien. When she had slept she’d been so wired that the extra adrenalin had given nightmares permission to intensify. Several times she’d been woken by dreams that had seemed even more vivid and real and dreadful than normal. She’d thought she was getting used to these dreams, she thought she’d learned what to expect, but last night had been particularly horrific and she was exhausted as a consequence.
When she arrived at the office, bleary-eyed and fuzzy-headed, she was informed by Jennifer that her day’s schedule had been slightly revised and Damien wanted to see her.
Walking into his office, Abi saw a very attractive woman sitting in the chair by the window. In the chair Abi had sat in just yesterday. She stood as Abi entered the room.
She was about Abi’s height with hazel eyes and amazing hair, thick, long and dark with mahogany highlights. She looked very ‘together’, sensible, calm, unflustered, serene and rich. She looked like old money and Abi fancied that she even smelt like money.
Damien looked as neat and tidy as always and the two of them made a striking pair.
‘This is Dr Mila Brightman from the Bright Hope Clinic,’ Damien introduced her. ‘Do you remember I mentioned the joint venture that Freya has been working on?’ he said as Mila shook Abi’s hand.
Abi nodded. Freya had also talked about this and she remembered some basic information. The Bright Hope Clinic was located in Southern LA, demographically an area that was the polar opposite of The Hollywood Hills. It had been established to provide medical services to underprivileged children, both in LA and abroad, and Freya had recently established a project allowing the Bright Hope Clinic to access The Hills’ facilities and staff on a pro bono basis. The first joint patient had been operated on just recently,
