Down Under With Dad’s Best Friend by Flora Ferrari

Chapter Five

Sean

I can’t believe that it’s true, even though my own eyes are now confirming for me that it is. Yes – when I look at Candace now, I can see traces of Bill in her and a lot more traces of his wife. She has something of both of them, but also so much that is entirely her own. I would never have dreamed that Bill’s daughter would grow up to be this stunning.

Which presents a pretty big problem, right off the bat. Because she is absolutely stunning. And even now as she’s coming back to herself, she has me completely enchanted.

But she’s Bill’s daughter. Which means she should be off-limits to me.

Should be.

Damnit, I can’t think like this.

“So, is your Dad here with you?” I ask. “How come you’re on your own?”

“No, I wanted to do something independently,” she says. “So, I came here on my own. I just wanted to prove to myself I could do it without anyone to help me.” Then she laughs, a little sheepishly, and I reach over to touch her forehead again.

“And you wound up getting severely dehydrated,” I tell her. “Your temperature has gone down, now. You might have gotten away with avoiding a heatstroke. You have to be careful. The heat here is no joke, even in winter.”

“Is that what happened?” she says, closing her eyes for a moment and then takes another few mouthfuls of water. “I couldn’t even think. I was so confused about which direction to go in, and I started panicking. Then that guy ran into me…”

“I saw the whole thing,” I tell her. “You weren’t to blame. He wasn’t looking where he was going, and he was walking fast. If it wasn’t you, it would have been someone else.”

“Thank you,” she says, and I can hear in her voice that she isn’t referring to telling her she’s not to blame. She means for stepping in and rescuing her.

“You should finish that glass,” I say. I check my watch. It’s too late to get to my meeting now, I need to text my secretary and get him to postpone. “Have you eaten yet? It’s about time for lunch.”

“No,” she admits. “No, and I didn’t have anything this morning. I was so tired after last night I slept through breakfast at the hotel, and then I thought I’d better get a move on and see some of the sights. Only…” She looks down at herself, and I can see her thinking about what a mess that asshole made of her clothes. Her whole day is disrupted now. She can’t go out like this.

But she can stay here with me, and I can make sure she doesn’t feel too awkward.

“Let’s have lunch, then,” I say, passing her a menu. “What do you want?”

“Oh,” she says. “I don’t want to hold you up – you must be so busy.”

“I’m free until this evening,” I lie. “It’s the least I can do for the daughter of a very old friend.”

“Um,” she says, glancing over the menu. “Okay. I don’t really mind. I’ll eat anything on here.”

“Alright, then I’ll surprise you,” I say, getting up and heading to order. It’s also a good opportunity to let my secretary know I need the afternoon cleared – he can be trusted to come up with a good enough excuse.

I quickly decide on a few plates, so she can pick and choose what she wants and I can have whatever doesn’t pass muster, a grilled pumpkin and halloumi sandwich, smashed avocado on toast Melbourne style, and a leafy salad with chicken. I also order a couple more iced drinks, because I want to make sure she gets enough hydration that she doesn’t pass out before she gets back to her hotel this time.

I glance back at our table, and a bolt of desire rushes through me. She isn’t even doing anything – just looking out of the window with her head cradled in one hand. She’s sitting there in a ruined dress, recovering from dehydration, and yet she’s the most beautiful and attractive woman I’ve ever seen.

How is that possible?

I bring the food over on a tray and set it all out, and I see her eyes light up at the possibility of food. She must be starving as well as thirsty. I’m glad I ran into her when I did, or she might have ended up in a much more dire situation.

“Eat whatever you like,” I prompt, watching her go for the smashed avocado – something a little more familiar from home, I guess.

“Thank you for this,” she says, after a couple of bites. She’s already starting to sound a lot more together. Some water, a bit of food, and some rest – it’s exactly what her body needed.

“Don’t worry about it,” I smile. “So, how long are you here for?”

“Just a week,” she sighs. “Then I’m flying home. I wanted to stay a little longer, but I guess I need to get back home and find a job before the summer ends.”

I do some mental calculations in my head, trying to figure out how old she must be. “You’ve graduated college?”

“Yes, I finished my last day a couple of weeks before flying out,” she says. “Which means now I have to try and put my new degree to use.”

“What’s your degree in?” I ask, curious.

“Business studies,” she says and shrugs self-consciously. “I don’t know. I guess I kind of got inspired by seeing what Dad does. He gets to travel all over the world. It’s kind of exciting.”

I laugh. “You’re not wrong there,” I say. After all, I should know. We’re in the same line of work.

Candace finishes off the last piece of toast and starts eyeing the sandwich, which I haven’t even started to eat yet. “Sorry, do you mind if I…?”

I smile and take half the sandwich from my plate, putting it on hers. It feels intimate, sharing food together. Like if our mouths are eating the same food, it’s only one step removed from our lips touching.

God, I want her so bad. How could this have happened so quickly?

And I know at that moment, it doesn’t matter whose daughter she is. I need to have her – and neither my body nor my brain is going to let another man stop that from happening.

The bad news is, I only have a week to make her mine. Which means I’m not leaving this table until I absolutely have to.