The Heart Wants What It Wants

Chapter 4

Diana was glad to see that stunned expression on his face, because she had had to swallow hard enough to risk swallowing her own tongue when she saw him.

He was gorgeous. He was so gorgeous, it really shouldn’t be allowed. He was the sexiest man she had ever seen in her life.

And he was holding a rose – a red rose.

She didn’t know where she was going to find a vase, she thought, but all thoughts scrambled from her brain when his eyes met hers.

“You are gorgeous.”

She smiled, a little shyly, but she was very glad that the effort had paid off. She’d put in the effort.

The red dress she wore hugged her curves. Her lips were ruby red, her eyes had been made up expertly to make them look darker and to bring that gold out in contrast. Her hair was curled and tumbled.

Alex had made her buy that dress, and the red shoes she was wearing with it. She’d packed it on a whim because Alex had insisted that she must have a story when she got back, and she was glad now that she’d worked up the nerve to wear it. It had taken some time. She’d nearly talked herself out of it.

But the way his eyes had widened had made it worth it.

She wasn’t the only one whose heart was racing too fast for its own good, at least.

That was good to know.

“You’re pretty gorgeous yourself. Is that for me?”

He looked down at the rose as if he’d forgotten about it.

“It seems inadequate. You dim its beauty.”

“Oh… But I’d like it.”

He offered it, and she caught her breath when his fingertips brushed against hers as she took it. Was that the first time they’d touched? The spark almost crackled between them, ran up her spine and nearly made her heart short out.

Dear God, what was this?

She’d never felt anything of the sort before.

“Thank you,” she whispered, but when she raised her face, his eyes were on hers. She swayed towards him, as if she needed to be closer to him. It was just a few inches. She could close that distance, press her body against his, raise her face and offer him her lips. Would he take what she offered? How much would he take?

How much did she want him to take?

She almost did it. She would have, if his lips hadn’t curved in that confident smile.

“I… I should put this in water.”

“I’ll wait,” he told her, and Diana took the chance to beat a hasty retreat inside. She ducked into the small bathroom, filled a glass with water, and was about to put the rose in it, but she couldn’t resist it – she couldn’t resist the urge to take a deep breath and run the soft petals along her cheek, just for a few seconds.

He was waiting.

There was no time to take a breath and compose herself.

An evening with one of the handsomest and richest men in the world. No big deal.

She could handle it.

She could handle it just fine.

The nerves had her watching every step, every breath, when she got back out. George had his phone out, but he put it away as soon as he saw her.

“You look lovelier now than you did a few seconds ago. Is that even possible?”

She smiled at him and shrugged, trying to look cool and nonchalant.

“Maybe it’s the magic of the moon. I am its goddess, aren’t I?”

He looked at her with frank appreciation that made her fight back a little shudder.

“You look like a goddess. Come.”

He offered her his arm, and she hesitated for just a second before taking it, placing her fingers on it gently. She thought she might be floating, despite the heels that did pinch her feet a bit, as they walked to the elevator. Once inside, she caught a glimpse of them together in the polished steel of the metal box, and she was surprised.

“We look good together.”

“You’d make any man look good, Diana.”

She smiled, but she was beginning to find her feet.

“You haven’t apologized to me.”

He frowned at her.

“Why would I?”

“I thought about it and decided that you did play a pretty mean trick on me by not telling me who you are. You could have, if you’d wanted to, couldn’t you?”

George grinned at her. When he really grinned, mischief shone through, making him look almost boyish.

“Maybe.”

“Then you should apologize.”

“But you stood me up.”

“And I apologized, didn’t I?” asked Diana.

George grinned again, but the elevator door opened, and she had to walk out with him. Heads turned when they walked through the lobby. Some of them were men who had tried to chat her up during the day. She’d been nice enough, but she’d had only one man on her mind.

It sounded like there was quite a party going on.

“We’re not…”

“No, we’re not going to have dinner there. There’s an excellent rooftop restaurant that serves the most delicious food, and has the most glorious chocolate truffle mousse.”

“Oh.”

The sound was sheer pleasure.

“You’ll say more of that soon,” he promised, and Diana wondered just what he meant, but then they were out of the hotel, and there was a car – chauffeured, sleek and black, she couldn’t say more than that – was waiting for them.

“Fancy,” she managed to say after sliding in gracefully. Or so she hoped.

“I should hope so. What’s the point of not living it up when you’ve worked hard?”

Diana chuckled.

“Can’t argue with that.”

“I hope you like champagne.”

Because of course there was champagne on ice. Of course there was.

“Sure, why not,” she mumbled, as he expertly popped the cork and poured it into gorgeous flutes that were definitely not plastic.

“To a new beginning,” he said, with a smile, and Diana accepted that that was probably the closest thing to an apology she was going to get.

“A new beginning,” she accepted, and raised her glass, as well.

The first sip felt like fizzing possibilities sliding down her throat, filling her with all those bubbles, making her feel light enough to float. The second only intensified the feeling.

“You enjoy every moment, don’t you?”

She smiled, letting herself do just that.

“That’s what they’re for, isn’t it? We’re not going to get them back, so we might as well make the most of each.”

“Why does somebody who loves every moment like that want to be a lawyer?”

Diana grinned.

“Are you sure you want to get me started? It can be difficult to shut me up once I really get going.”

“I think I’ll take the chance.”

“Well, you asked for it. I think we should make every moment count in every way, and every moment that came before, too. It’s not just about us. Take me, for instance. My family is not rich. We come from a fairly small town, the kind where everybody knows everybody else, and my mother had everything she wanted, until my father… Well, he passed away, and she never even considered marrying another man. It wasn’t because she didn’t have options. She did. But she said that if she cannot find a man who’d give her the kind of giddy happiness that daddy gave her, then she won’t settle for less because she can make every moment count on her own. She did, and she gave us everything we needed. So I can’t just make every moment of my life count. I have to do everything I can to make hers count, too.”

She trailed off, wondering how she could tell him what she meant.

“I understand. I don’t think I completely agree.”

“Why not?”

“I believe in living for myself. I make every moment count for myself.”

Diana frowned. The concept of only caring about herself was not one she could wrap her head around. She didn’t think she ever would.

“But what about all the people who came before you? The people who gave you the platform. The one you stand on, the one you build your success on.”

“They made their own moments count. At least, they should have. I make my own.”

Diana sat back and drank some more of the champagne.

“Well, I can’t lecture you on success, can I? You’ve found plenty for yourself.”