and took a long sip. Then another. She scanned the room, and for an instant, she wondered if she’d already had too much to drink. Either that or an optical illusion was walking into the room. Her heart nearly stopped beating. It was Mr. Brit from her building. Sure, he’d been less than friendly in the elevator, but she was now officially intrigued. His accent alone had been enough to interest her, but was he somehow involved in fashion? Perhaps a wealthy investor? Hopefully, he wasn’t one of those men who habitually dated models.
She studied him as inconspicuously as possible, sucking down the last of her champagne. Damn, he looked good in a tux. Ridiculously good. Like it had been sewn around his broad shoulders. His light brown hair was a bit of a tousled mess, but she liked that about him. It made him seem human. Everything else about him was a little too perfect—the five o’clock shadow, the kissable lips, the way he could see over the top of nearly everyone in the crowd. For a moment, she imagined herself combing her fingers through his bed-head hair and allowing her hands to get completely lost.
But the best thing about Mr. Brit was that he seemed to be alone. Just like her. Did she have the nerve to approach him? They did have a slight rapport. There was at least a starting point for a conversation. And she still had the questions she’d cooked up in the elevator. She could likely hold her own for a good ten minutes.
As if he sensed she was watching him, he turned his head. Their gazes connected. Emma would’ve looked away if he didn’t have her so locked in. His eyes were like a tractor beam designed to pull her across the room. And maybe that was precisely what she needed to do.
If Daniel wasn’t mistaken, he hadn’t merely laid eyes on one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen, she was coming his way. He never played coy, so he made eye contact again, but still his pulse raced. She was stunning—floating through the room as if her feet never touched the floor. Her dark hair was swept up and back from her face, accentuating her graceful neck. He hadn’t pondered kissing a woman in that region for months. Now it was all he could think about.
“Hello.” She had an air of self-assurance that was simply breathtaking. This was a woman who was accustomed to taking what she wanted.
“Hello yourself.”
“We’ve got to stop meeting like this.”
Taken by surprise, he couldn’t help but laugh. What a confident way to greet a stranger. “Clever.” He held out his hand. “I’m Daniel.” He stopped short of offering his last name. No one knew he was in New York scouting locations for Stone’s, and he intended to keep it that way. Luckily, few people in the States knew him by sight. In London, it would be a different matter.
She slid her long, delicate fingers against his and shook his hand, sending ripples of warmth through him. “Emma.” She let go, leaving his palm tingling.
“So, tell me, Emma, what brings you to an event like this?”
She looked up at him from beneath a fringe of dark lashes that brought out the sheer sexiness of her brown eyes. “My job. I work for Eden’s.”
A waiter walked by with champagne, which gave Daniel a moment to decide how best to proceed. This gorgeous woman who’d managed to find him was employed by the company his mother considered the enemy. “Can I interest you in a drink?”
“Yes, please.”
Daniel took two flutes and handed one to Emma. “To new friends?”
Emma shook her head. “You can’t toast with a question. To new friends.” She clinked her glass with his.
For the first time in three weeks, Daniel wasn’t so eager to get home to London. He also found himself dismissing his commitment to staying away from the fairer sex. “Hear, hear.” He took a sip, studying her rosy-pink lips as they curved around the glass. “What do you do for Eden’s?”
“Number crunching, mostly.”
The lights in the room flashed off and on. Emma looked up, then returned her sights to him. “I guess we have to find out seats?” The crowd began moving toward the double doors leading into the adjoining room.
Something in Daniel’s gut told him he was an idiot if he let Emma get away. They were just getting started. “Did you come alone?”
“I didn’t, but my date ditched me.”
“Date?”
“My sister. I mean my half sister. It’s complicated.”
“I see. Well, if I’m not being too forward, where are you sitting?” he asked.
A sheepish smile crossed her lips. “My seats are in the front row. I have an extra if you want to join me. My other sister wasn’t able to make it.”
“I’m sorry to hear about your sister.” But he wasn’t sorry he would be sitting with Emma. “And I’d love to join you.” He didn’t have to tell her that his seat was also in the front row. He’d let her think she was giving him a thrill.
They made their way inside and found their seats along the runway. Daniel subtly surveyed the rest of the front-row attendees, and spotted Nora Bradford, the designer he had to speak with before the end of the evening. He’d have to find a time to break away from Emma, which was a real shame, but for now, he would enjoy himself.
“You haven’t told me what you do, Daniel,” Emma said.
He couldn’t afford to tell her the truth. He had no idea of her stature at Eden’s or to whom she might end up speaking. “I’m here in the city looking at some real estate for my family’s business.” Not a lie. Not a lie at all.
Emma nodded, her eyes wide and eager. “Sounds exciting.”
“Not as exciting as meeting you.”
Emma smiled and shied away, looking down at her lap and running her fingers over her evening bag. The crowd had filled the room, the conversation at a steady din, broken only by the introduction of a thumping beat of dance music. The lights went down and the volume grew louder, the bass reverberating in Daniel’s hips and thighs. Or perhaps that was Emma’s effect on him. He had an amazing vantage point sitting next to her, one where he could admire the dips and valleys of her collarbone and shoulders. She had exquisite skin. Touchable and shimmery. How badly would he jeopardize his family business if he asked an Eden’s employee out for dinner?
The models began to strut down the catwalk, which would normally catch Daniel’s attention, but Emma was the real attraction. She leaned into him. “Isn’t it exciting?”
“It is.” He found himself smiling, of all things. That was not his usual reaction when forced to attend an event like this.
“This is my first time coming to one of these.”
Utterly charming—those were the words the came to mind. “I never would’ve known. You seem like an old pro.”
She reached over and swatted his thigh with the back of her hand. Now the grin on his face felt as though it might never leave.
Emma studied the models and applauded,
