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I Thought I Hated Him

By: firstkiss



I knew the second I was assigned to his project that there would be trouble. I'd never worked closely with Daniel Sutcliffe and never wanted to. Of all the architects in our firm, he was the worst; not that he was lacking for talent, goodness knows he had that in spades, which was half the problem. But Daniel's issue was that he knew how good he was, and his standards were superhumanly exacting. 

He'd been working for Maddock for almost twenty years and either felt the sting of a stalled career or a large sense of entitlement; at any rate, the chip on his shoulder was roughly the size of Texas. None of the junior architects or draftsmen liked him; behind his back we called him "the Dragon".

The venerable, elderly Mr. Maddock, of Maddock Architects, had assigned me personally to the restoration project, assuring me that although I was still relatively new to the firm he felt I was capable of handling the pressure, that and I was the only architect he knew under the age of forty who specialized in historical restoration and could draft by hand.

"Those new-fangled computer programs just boggle my mind," Mr. Maddock had teased, watching out the corner of his eye as I stood nervously in his office. "The client is anxious to have this property restored to original, historical condition as accurately as possible. She wants hand-drawn plans, so that's what we'll give her. You'll be working under Sutcliffe, but I want to you deal personally with the client as much as possible. Mrs. Kendall is a bit temperamental and demanding, but I just know she'll like you."

I tried my best not to look disappointed. Dragon Sutcliffe as a project partner and a bitchy client? Just what I freakin' needed. Still, I was aching to prove myself at Maddock Architects; their reputation was stellar, and simply getting hired was already a huge accomplishment in my fledgling architectural career. I didn't want to let the old man down. Smiling, I accepted my role in the project with as much grace as I could muster.

Back at my desk I leaned my head against my drafting table and tried not to cry. I could feel the panic rising in my belly already and I hadn't even started work. Around me the other junior architects went about their business, but couldn't hide their curious glances; I just couldn't bring myself to meet their inquiring eyes and see pity reflected back. I was still the new girl at Maddock and the only woman architect they'd ever had on staff; I wasn't going to show any more weakness than absolutely necessary.

A shadow fell across my drafting table, and looking up I saw Dragon Sutcliffe towering over me. 

"You're Clara Kovacs?"

I nodded, my mouth suddenly too dry to speak. Around me the usual din and chatter of the junior architect bullpen died completely.

"My office, now." The Dragon walked away without even waiting to see if I followed.

Gathering up a pad of sketch paper and a few pencils I hurried after his retreating form, moving past the desks of my fellow junior architects without making eye contact. 

The offices of Maddock Architects are located in an old industrial space; the lobby and reception areas are situated in the front of the building and lead into the central, open "bull pen" where my work area and those of the other underlings take up more than half of the building; along the deep mezzanine on the second floor are offices for the higher-ups, Daniel Sutcliffe being one of those. His office was in the east corner of the building where morning light filtered hazily through the original factory windows. I sat down uninvited in the chair directly across from the Dragon's desk and tried not to stare.

"What the hell kind of name is 'Kovacs' anyway?" He growled, looking up from the messy spread of papers on his desk and examining me with cold, grey-blue eyes.

"Hungarian." I replied automatically; it was a question I'd heard a million times.

"Born there?" The question was clipped, unfriendly.

I sighed, trying not to sound defensive. It was entirely possible he was trying to be nice, but somehow I doubted it. "Second generation. My father immigrated to Canada in the late-fifties."

Sutcliffe nodded curtly, and I couldn't help but get the impression he was giving me his permission for something; existing perhaps? Not knowing how to respond, I sat expectantly, pencil poised over a fresh piece of paper. The Dragon ran off a rapid list of jobs for me which I jotted down as quickly as my hands were able; he didn't stop for breath or to see if I was getting everything, he just arrogantly assumed that I did.

My mind was spinning when he dismissed me only minutes later and I stumbled back to my desk to make out more legible notes before I forgot everything he'd told me. I took deep, calming breaths, trying to remind myself that this project should be approached just the same as any other. Somehow, the Dragon had me so terrified I felt like falling to pieces. Sensing eyes on me, I looked up to find him watching me coldly from the balcony of the second floor.

Shit, I thought, trying to keep my face calm and reveal nothing to him, they don't pay me enough for this crap.

-------

Less than three weeks later and my work station was so crowded with photos, sketches, and notes that there was hardly room for my cup of tea. As awful as the first day had been, I was enjoying working on the project; Mrs. Kendall had bought the dilapidated old Victorian farmhouse with the intention of fixing it up and preserving it as a landmark. I'd spoken to her several times over the phone and despite her prickly exterior, found myself liking her very much; we shared the same concern for the preservation of historically significant architecture. 

She'd already commended me on my passion and drive, and had encouraged me to spare no expense; it had been hard not to gasp out loud when she'd said those magic words. Every architect dreams of a project with an unlimited budget.

There was no denying that the house needed significant and expensive work. It had been lying uninhabited for more than ten years, and on first impression seemed little more than fodder for the wrecking ball. I'd driven myself out to the site one morning to explore what I could and found myself entranced. Sure, the house needed a lot of work, but the bones of the architecture were breathtakingly good. 

The original woodwork was all still intact, everything from crown mouldings to a staircase so wonderful it took my breath away. Beneath the flaking layers of bad linoleum and mouldy carpets were hardwood floors in need of little more than refinishing. The plaster was damaged in a myriad of places, but the structure was sound and the fieldstone foundation practically perfect, astounding in a dilapidated house circa 1860. I'd snapped a whole lot of photos to take back to the office, even dropping off a second set of prints for the Dragon, who'd said nothing about my effort.

We hadn't had a project meeting since the first brief one, although I'd occasionally come in in the mornings to yellow sticky-notes of instructions written in Daniel's scrawling hand and stuck to my drafting table. But with these lists of tasks completed, I wasn't sure what the Dragon was intending for the next step. 

I'd taken it upon myself to make a file of Mrs. Kendall's demands and to start a few basic sketches, nothing which could be called a definitive plan, but something which I felt gave me a jumping off point once Daniel did get around to speaking to me. I was working on just such a sketch, an exterior detail of the vergeboarding on the veranda, when the familiar shadow towered over my drafting table.

Looking up I mustered up a bright smile as Daniel loomed over me, a scowl on his face. 

"What's this?" He asked bitingly, frowning at the half-completed drawing.

The hostility in his voice had me taken aback. I gestured towards the reference photos tacked around my drafting table. "Mrs. Kendall expressed an interest in seeing initial sketches of our ideas before we started on the working drawings, so I was just putting together a few things to show her."

"Our ideas?" The sentence dripped with sarcasm. 

I returned the Dragon's scowl. "Fine, my ideas." I was proud of my work; I wasn't going to apologize for it.

Daniel picked up a quick sketch I'd done on-site of the cornice over the bay window on the ground floor and cocked his eyebrow. As he studied my sketch, I studied him.

Daniel Sutcliffe had to be somewhere between forty and forty-five; tall, broad shouldered, and clean shaven, his dark hair was peppered with grey at the temples. He was really very handsome, but the permanent scowl made him intimidating and twisted his face in an unattractive way. I tried to picture unsuccessfully what he'd look like if he actually smiled. I'd never seen him be friendly with any of the other employees and wondered if he was married with kids. A quick, surreptitious glance at his left hand revealed no wedding band; hardly a surprise there, Daniel was so difficult a woman would have to be insane to marry him.

He threw the sketch down without comment; I breathed a silent sigh of relief. No criticism from Daniel was practically a complement. 

"My office, now." Daniel snapped as he strode purposefully away from my desk. I sighed heavily not wanting to take a break from my sketches; he shot a threatening look over his shoulder. Heads at the surrounding work stations popped up, eyeing us warily.

"Fine," I growled, throwing my pencil down; my neck had started to hurt anyway, an indication I could use a break from being crouched over my drafting table, although I wasn't about to let the Dragon know that.

"Close the door." He said icily as I strode into his well-appointed office.

"I believe that should have been 'please close the door'," I replied, my voice equally as cold; I was pissed at having my work interrupted. "Or 'close the door, please' would have worked just as well." In my anger I didn't care how rude I sounded. Daniel glared, giving me a very effective "if-looks-could-kill" stare that had the power to slay a lesser woman in her tracks. My stomach quivered but I held firm. I did, however, shut the door.

"Sit down. Please." Daniel's tone was so condescending it knocked the breath from my lungs. I sat.

"You've been speaking to Mrs. Kendall. How long has this been going on?" Daniel's statement should have been a question; instead it came out as a snarled bark that twisted the corners of his mouth.

I sat in stunned silence for a moment, trying to control my trembling hands. Why could he so easily make me feel as if I'd done something wrong? "Since the beginning," I said weakly. "I assumed you didn't want to be bothered since Mr. Maddock asked me to have direct contact with her when he assigned me to this project."

The Dragon arched a handsome raven eyebrow. "And why the hell would he have done that?" Sarcasm swam through each drawled word; I could feel my proverbial hackles rise.

"I don't know," I snapped bitterly; I wanted to add 'because you're a rat bastard with no people skills', but I didn't. "Why don't you go and ask him?"

Daniel's grey-blue eyes were hard and cold as steel; the expression on his face was one of such incredible distain I wanted to turn and run, but I stayed in my seat and faced him out of sheer stubbornness. Just what had I done to make him hate me so much?

"You amaze me," Daniel's voice was low and edged with loathing. "You come waltzing into this firm with your tight, little sweaters and have every man in the place eating out your hand in a matter of weeks." The Dragon allowed his ice cold gaze to travel over my body languidly, I shuddered under his scrutiny and he chuckled cruelly. It was the first time I'd heard him laugh and I didn't like it much, even if it did send an unexpected shiver down my spine.

"How wonderful life must be, Clara, to have everyone tell you how talented, and smart, and pretty you are all the time."

I stared dumbly at Daniel, not understanding where the personal attack had come from. How could I possibly explain to him how wrong he was, how difficult my young career had already been so far, how I had to fight hard for every job, every opportunity? As a woman in a predominantly male field, I'd had to work twice as hard to be taken half as seriously, had to prove myself anew each day; and coming to work at Maddock had been no different from any other firm I'd been at.

"What is this really about, Daniel? That our client would rather deal with me than you? That there's finally a female architect at this firm? That I'm actually good at my job? Or that you can't make me scurry about and kiss your ass like all the other junior architects do?" 

I stood up, shaking with anger; I'd come too far and worked too hard to have an asshole like Dragon Sutcliffe chase me away. "Because I haven't figured out what I've done to piss you off so much. I'm not here to be your toady, but I'm also not here to threaten your precious manhood, if that's the problem."

Daniel was on his feet as well, and crossed past his desk to stand towering over me, making me wish that for once I was a little taller than 5'3". 

"Do not presume to think that you have any effect on my manhood." Daniel's voice was so quiet and hostile I almost had to strain to hear it. The look in his eyes had me wishing I'd kept my mouth shut, but I wasn't about to back down.

We stood so close I could feel the heat radiating off his broad chest. Defiantly, I set my chin higher and tried to look him in the eye as he looked down at me. He smirked.

"You're just a tiny, little fish who wants to swim in a great, big pond, aren't you?" He drawled, leaning down so that we were almost nose to nose.

"And you're just an antiquated dinosaur with a small modicum of success and an even smaller prick." I spat back, not willing to let him win. 

"What's this obsession you have with my lower regions, Clara?" His voice fairly dripped with implication; I could feel the blush rising, and silently cursed my fair complexion as my face burned.

"A little sensitive about the size, are we?" I asked snidely, getting my guard up for the next attack.

"Bitch!" Daniel countered.

"Asshole!" I snapped.

"Child." Daniel said the word slowly, the hateful tone sending shivers up my spine. His glare was challenging, mocking.

How the hell had it escalated to this? I felt ashamed of being reduced to name calling like we were kids on the playground. The steely spark in the Dragon's eyes told me he knew he'd gotten the better of me.

"Screw this," I muttered, spinning about and making my way towards the door. "If you don't have anything to say to me about the actual project, I've got work I could be doing. Mrs. Kendall wants to see my sketches before we begin the working drawings next week."

Daniel's large, attractive hand slammed into the door beside my head, keeping me from opening it and fleeing back into the main room. 

"Never walk away from me," he snarled, and turning back around to face him, I knew suddenly why they called him the Dragon. 


Daniel leaned over me, both hands pressed firmly against the door, his arms trapping me in place. His grey-blue eyes were so pale they were practically silver, and his expression was one of feral animosity. His was breathing hard and I wouldn't have been the least bit surprised if he started to spit fire. 

I could feel my knees shaking, but my pride kicked in and I set my chin a little higher; there was no way I was going to back down; if I did, he'd own me forever.

"If you have something else to say, Daniel, I suggest you say it." I glanced down casually at my wristwatch before shooting him a sickeningly sweet smile. "I have a meeting with Maddock in five minutes."

The ice-cold light in his eyes flickered and changed; smiling darkly the Dragon ran one finger along the line of my jaw, sending shivers right through me; I gasped and he chuckled lowly. "So you'll play teacher's pet with Maddock, but not me."

"I don't 'play' anything with anyone, least of all you." I spat out, hating myself for feeling breathless at his close proximity. My heart was racing and I kept trying to convince myself it was out of fear.

"That's a shame, Clara. Are you certain you don't want to play with me?" Daniel's remarkable eyes were silver shadows; unreadable and enigmatic. 

"Play what? Cat and mouse?" I could feel my lip curling with distaste. "With you? No thank you."

Daniel leaned even closer, his breath hot against my flushed cheeks. "Look at you, all in a flutter, and still so polite." One raven eyebrow arched strikingly. "Do you always say please and thank you?"

"One of us has to."

My retort didn't please Daniel; the harsh, angry lines on his face melted away to reveal a stony, blank expression even more frightening than his ire. I tried to remember to breathe, all the while praying my knees wouldn't give out. There was a familiar heat between my legs that somehow had something to do with the Dragon and I hated myself for admitting it.

He really was very handsome, close up.

Daniel took a step closer, blocking all else with the wide wall of his chest and bending down, whispered hotly in my ear. "By the time I'm done with you, you'll be begging me please."

Cheeks burning, I pushed ineffectively against the hard, broad plain of his chest. Under the crisp fabric of his perfectly pressed shirt and expensive silk tie he was solidly muscled. I gasped.

"Not bad for an old guy, huh?" His breath against my neck was making my knees weak; my heart beat so quickly I was sure he could hear it. I pushed against him again, and Daniel stepped back, the look on his face very clear: he'd let me go because he'd chosen to. Scowling, I ran shaking hands over myself, straightening my blouse and skirt and taking deep, calming breaths.

"Asshole," I muttered, wrenching open the door of his office with more force than necessary. The cooler air of the great room beyond felt wonderful against my flushed face. I struggled to regain my composure; over the railing I could see Maddock waiting at my work station on the ground floor, he smiled jovially up at me.

I stopped at the top of the stairs and glanced back, Daniel was standing in the doorway of his office, leaning casually against the jamb, his arms crossed over that surprisingly fit chest. There was a satisfied smirk on his face that made my blood boil. "That's it, run along," he chided, laughing coldly as I glowered at him; from the floor below I could hear Maddock call my name.

-------

I barely noticed when the room around me began to go dark and employees started filing past, calling out their good-nights as they left. I responded automatically, but my eyes never left the sketches laid out on my drafting table. Mrs. Kendall had called shortly after my meeting with Maddock had wrapped up; she was coming by the next afternoon to sign the contract and review the estimate, and could she see what we'd come up with so far? I'd agreed, of course, and grimly set to finishing the preliminary sketches as quickly as I could, knowing there was a long night ahead. Valiantly, I tried to ignore the wrenching, burning crick in my neck and the dull ache of fatigue behind my eyes.

The prickly sensation of being watched crawled up my spine, and looking up I saw the Dragon, leaning over the mezzanine balcony, watching me work. He's shed his suit jacket and tie which served to make him look more relaxed, even younger. In one hand was a rolled up set of architectural plans, in the other two steaming mugs.

"What do you want, Daniel?" I called up, averting my eyes back to my sketch, trying not to notice how striking the raven wave of his hair against his forehead was. Why did he have to be so cute? He'd be so much easier to deal with if he was fat and ugly.


I Thought I Hated Him Ch. 02



I broke the kiss reluctantly, watching warily as Daniel's silver eyes came back into focus, a faint flicker of hesitation disappeared before I could be sure I'd really seen it. 

"Daniel, I…"

He held up a hand of warning, silencing me. "Clara," his voice was a deep, raspy growl. "For once, please don't say anything." There was a scowl on his handsome face which somehow seemed less fearsome now. 

I reached up to trace the furrow between Daniel's eyebrows as he frowned and I smiled up into his eyes softly. "Your place or mine?"

The smile that lit his face was breathtaking, the transformation remarkable; the Dragon looked ten years younger. He leaned down to plant another dizzying kiss on me. "I live around the corner."

Nodding, I wordlessly scooped up our drawings and my purse and followed Daniel from the building, waiting patiently with trembling knees as he locked up.

In the parking lot he eyed my beat-up old Jeep with trepidation before reaching out his hand towards me.

"What?" I asked guardedly.

"Keys," he growled.

"What about your car?" I looked around the empty parking lot questioningly.

"I walked. Keys."

"Fine." With a sigh of frustration I handed them over.

Daniel drove my temperamental Jeep like he'd been doing it for years, getting the hang of the sticky clutch before we'd gone a block. I wondered vaguely if he tackled everything in life with the same smooth, effortless skill.

My blood began to cool slightly, leaving my mind racing; panic began to creep in at the edges. Was I actually going home with the Dragon? I glanced sidelong at Daniel; he was stonily composed, nothing showing on his handsome face. What the hell was going on in his head?

"You're over-thinking this, aren't you?" Daniel asked with a sarcastic drawl, arching an eyebrow enquiringly.

"N-no," I sputtered defensively, feeling very young all of a sudden. I'd never gone home with a guy I didn't know, never mind an older co-worker who I could have sworn hated me an hour ago; but the quivering anticipation didn't dull even as we pulled to a stop and Daniel shut off my Jeep. He turned towards me to hand back my keys; our eyes met and the desire flared again in a wave so strong it stole my breath.

Daniel lived in an amazing art deco high-rise, but his firm grip on my elbow propelled me forward before I had time to gawk at the luxurious exterior or sumptuous lobby. There was an attractive, blond man who got on the elevator with us; he looked to be about thirty-five and judging by his expensive suit, successful. Of course, to live in Daniel's building I was thinking you'd have to be. 

He smiled flirtatiously at me before turning to Daniel. "Sutcliffe." His greeting was short and dripped with contempt.

"Mallory." Daniel answered, not even looking at the man, but keeping his eyes firmly glued to the elevator door as we lurched into motion.

"Who's your friend?"

Daniel still had his hand on the back of my arm and he squeezed it reassuringly; his thumb rubbed distractingly across my skin, but he said nothing. I didn't like the way the other man was eying me, but Daniel's silence pissed me off; I wasn't sure if he genuinely didn't care to enlighten the blond man, or if he was ashamed of me.

"I'm Clara Kovacs," I held out my hand and the blond man shook it, flashing me with another bright, but ineffectual smile. "Daniel and I work together."

"Lawrence Mallory." He let his gaze run up and down my body and I fought to suppress a shudder of disgust at the blatant appraisal. "I didn't know you had a secretary, Daniel."

Daniel's eyebrow shot up and he turned to Mallory with a sneer. "She's not my secretary. She's an architect, and a damn good one." His voice was low and dangerous. 

The other man seemed nonplussed and dismissed Daniel with a wave of a manicured hand. "Sure thing, Sutcliffe; whatever you say."

Beside me I could feel Daniel tense, his nerves drawn taut. The elevator door binged cheerfully and came to a smooth stop on the eleventh floor. Lawrence Mallory shot me another flirtatious smile and passed me his business card. I scowled. 

 "Anytime you want to get together with a real man Sweetheart, you just give me a call."

Daniel took a threatening step forward, but the elevator door slid closed as Mallory chuckled. Daniel whirled around to face me, his expression stormy. "You should not have spoken to him." 

"I beg your pardon?" I asked sardonically, still affronted by Lawrence Mallory's cheek. "You're actually going to tell me who I can and cannot speak to?" Personally, I had no desire to ever see the blond man again, but Daniel's possessiveness irked me; he had no right.

Daniel stood towering over me, his grip on my upper arm becoming painful. "I do think I know what's best," he growled.

"You can't be serious! I'm a grown woman Daniel, despite what you may think. And I can take care of myself."

"Not if you're going to call that prick." Daniel snapped, his eyes flashing silver. He grabbed the business card from my hand and tearing it in two, threw it over his shoulder.

"Thanks, Daniel. But I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions." I could feel my temper spark at the Dragon's arrogance. 

Daniel moved even closer, his mouth hovering over mine, his face was twisted with anger, but it made him look more handsome knowing I was the cause of this little bout of jealousy. It gave me a small feeling of power, knowing how irritated Daniel was that another man had shown interest in me. I smiled coyly, tilting my chin up further. "I wonder if he's busy later tonight? Maybe I will call Mr. Mallory…"

The look on Daniel's face told me immediately that I'd gone a step too far; his anger melted away to reveal the stony, blank expression I'd seen in his office earlier that day and it was infinitely more intimidating than his anger ever was. 

"Like hell you will," he spit out; and grasping the back of my head forcefully, Daniel kissed me.

Every cell in my body seized up, winded by the ferocity of Daniel's kiss and the sudden jolt of desire that raced through me. I moaned loudly and held on to his arms to keep from falling. He plundered recklessly, his tongue hot, his breathing ragged; as if from far away I could feel the elevator slide to another stop. A musical bing preceded the opening of the door and the faint chill of air from the hallway as it rushed into the stifling heat of the small space of the elevator. Daniel and I broke apart as a small, elderly woman stood open-mouthed in the doorway.

"Mrs. Goldstein," Daniel drawled smoothly, taking me by the elbow again and ushering me past the stunned woman. "Have a good night."

I could feel her eyes follow us down the hall.

Daniel practically shoved me into his apartment, his mouth set in a grim line. My heart was beating rapidly, the thrumming in my ears from his possessive kiss dying down only as Daniel stripped off his jacket and shoes and stood waiting while I did the same.

"Fuck." He muttered, striding past me into his apartment; silently I followed. "Now the whole fucking building is going to know."

I could feel my anger rise again. "What's wrong with that?" I asked sharply. "You're not ashamed of me, are you?"

"No Clara, I'm not ashamed of you." His voice sounded suddenly old, tired; Daniel sighed. "I just hate gossip. And that old biddy will tell everyone. By tomorrow morning they'll all be talking."

Smiling faintly I crossed the living room to stand beside Daniel as he stood glaring out the huge window onto his balcony. The lights of the city beyond threw his handsome face into relief, etching the strong lines of his cheekbones and jaw with a dim glow. He was such a study in contradictions; tough-talking and rude one moment, passionate and masterful at times, and weary and irresolute the next. I touched his arm hesitantly; not at all sure what he really wanted from me.

"Let them talk," I suggested, not wanting to hide the teasing grin which had snuck across my face. "I suspect you've given them so little to talk about over the years. So they'll know you have some young thing up here, who cares?"

Daniel stood stock still, no emotion betrayed on his chiselled face; I had to admit to myself that he frightened me. How much did I really know about the Dragon? He was a damn good architect, that much was evident; but outside of his professional life I knew absolutely nothing about him. I guessed he wasn't quite old enough to be my father, but he was definitely over forty. Personally I liked the little creases around his grey-blue eyes and the smattering of grey hair at his temples. I'd always been attracted to older men, but had never done anything about it.

At twenty-nine you'd think I would know more about men; but honestly, I don't. I have had exactly three boyfriends since high school, which means that I've slept with exactly three men, and one was so awful it shouldn't count. Calling my past boyfriends 'men' hardly qualified either; Craig was a bass player in a band, didn't have a real job, and lived with his mother; Andy made cappuccinos at my local café, fancied himself a writer, and lived with his mother; Victor was an artist with a show at the local gallery, a bevy of admiring female followers, and lived with his mother. 

"What are you thinking about?" Daniel asked gruffly, shocking me from my reverie; no one had ever asked me that before. His body was a solid wall of warmth beside me and together we looked out over the dark city skyline. The view from Daniel's apartment was amazing.

"I was thinking you're the first man I've been with who didn't still live with his mother." I tried to hide my smile, but failed.

It must not have been the answer Daniel was expecting to hear; his laugh was abrupt and sharp, as if it had been forced from his chest. He coughed, laughing and shaking his head. 

"What were you thinking?" I asked bravely; my stomach was in knots, afraid of what Daniel would say in return.

"I was wondering what I was doing when you were born." 

That was not the answer I was expecting. I shrugged. "I don't know. How old were you in 1978?"

There was silence for a moment. "Fifteen." 

"Did you wear bellbottoms and listen to disco?" I couldn't resist teasing and was rewarded with a rare smile.

"No disco, although I might have owned one pair of bellbottoms." Daniel turned to stare down at me. "If you decide to leave now, that's fine by me."

Again, that was not what I was expecting to hear. "Having second thoughts?" I chided, watching as the lines softened around Daniel's eyes.

"No. But I thought you might."

I made no move to agree or disagree, and instead returned my attention to the brilliant city skyline beyond the balcony doors. It seemed easier to look out there than at him.

"You know, I wanted you the second I saw you come waltzing into Maddock Architects."

I was speechless for a moment. "I… I thought you hated me."

Daniel chuckled warmly, sending a shiver up my spine. "If I hated you Clara, I wouldn't have brought you home." 

"But this afternoon in your office, what about all those terrible things we said?"

He reached out and tucked one wayward curl behind my ear. The brief touch of Daniel's fingers against my neck made me gasp. "I think you have a great deal to learn."

There was a small hint of challenge in his voice and the tiniest edge of condescension which teased at my temper; I'd never desired someone before who I wanted to fuck one minute and throttle the next. Daniel said he wanted me the moment he saw me, and yet he'd treated me with disdain and contempt mixed in with grudging acceptance and antagonistic passion; he was right, I guess I did have a lot to learn, because I sure didn't understand what the hell was happening between us. 

"I suppose you're going to volunteer to teach me?" My voice came out edged with scorn I didn't really feel, it just felt safer with the Dragon if I had my guard up.

Daniel arched an impossibly handsome eyebrow derisively. "I told you that you could leave if you wanted to; I'm hardly keeping you here against your will."

I am so in over my head. My heart was beating frantically and I could feel Daniel looming over me again, but still I kept my gaze glued to the view outside. I wanted him; he knew it just as well as I did. Everything felt like it was spinning out of control and I knew I wasn't ready to let go. I shot a sidelong glance up into Daniel's face, once again his eyes were steely blue and completely impassive; if it hadn't been for his passionate kisses earlier, I wasn't sure I would really know that he did want me.

When I opened my mouth the words that came out were completely unexpected. "I still have a lot of work to do on the Kendall house and the meeting is pretty early tomorrow. I should go." I turned my back on Daniel and crossed the room to grab my coat and the drawings I'd brought with me. As I slipped my shoes back on I looked quickly his direction; Daniel remained at the window, alone in the darkened room, his aloof features dimly lit by the glow of the city lights beyond. If he'd looked lonely or regretful that I was choosing to leave I might have stayed. But he didn't, so I left.

-------

That night I pulled an 'all-nighter', the first since university; partly because I was frantic to get the project presentation perfect for Mrs. Kendall, and partly because I was too keyed-up to sleep anyhow. 

Sleeping with the Dragon would have been a huge mistake, I kept telling myself over and over as I sat hunched over my drafting table in my tiny apartment, fingers frantically sketching out page after page of architectural details, until everything down to the antique hinges on the doors were documented. I didn't want to miss a single feature, terrified that Daniel would find my mistakes and parade them in front of everyone.

I'm so freakin' unprofessional, so stupid for falling for the Dragon's little game. I'm no different from any other junior architect in the firm; he'll chew me up and spit me out, just like every other underling he's sent running in the other direction. Only this time he would have gotten a little ass on the side, which would have been convenient for him and a big mistake for me. 

My mind raced as I showered and dressed for the big meeting, all the time praying that Daniel wouldn't be awful to me, wouldn't reveal anything to Maddock or Mrs. Kendall that would betray what had happened between us the night before. 

Stupid, stupid, stupid; the chorus ran through my head as I went through my morning routine, struggling to make the bags under my eyes look less harsh; I wasn't going to let Daniel think my sleepless night was on his account.

The lights were on in Daniel's office when I arrived, but the door was closed and I couldn't tell if he was there or not. I didn't see a trace of him until the meeting was about to start.

"Let me do the talking, Clara." The Dragon drawled expressionlessly as my shaking hands tacked the preliminary plans to the boardroom corkboard. 

I opened my mouth to argue, but Maddock stood watching the two of us warily. Grimacing I nodded, too tired to argue; besides, I was scared I'd say something stupid and fuck up with Mrs. Kendall anyway.

Daniel sailed through the presentation in an almost pleasant manner, answering Mrs. Kendall's obsequious questions with practiced flair. Maddock added his own opinions, and I sat shamefaced and silent through the entire proceeding. I didn't care so much Mrs. Kendall hardly seemed to notice me after we'd been speaking so often or that Daniel was taking control, but his smooth, detached manner pissed me off. Did nothing rattle him?

I smiled when I should have smiled, passed the appropriate plans and papers Mrs Kendall's direction when prompted, and signed off on the contract and estimate like a good little girl, all the time hearing the meeting through a fog of exhaustion. Daniel barely spared me a glance, although he did give me due credit on the sketches, which surprised me. Seated at the head of the table, Mr. Maddock beamed down on us like some benevolent overlord while I struggled just to maintain a professional veneer.  

Mrs. Kendall fawned and gushed, agreeing without question to every expensive renovation we proposed and before I could really get a handle on what had taken place, she'd signed all the paperwork, commended us on our good work, and bustled from the room. 

I sat at the boardroom table, exhausted and dazed. Maddock sent me a wide, Cheshire-cat grin that I couldn't help but return.

"Nice work Sutcliffe, Clara. The firm is very pleased with your progress." He patted me on the shoulder in such a fatherly manner I just about burst into tears of exhaustion. "Didn't I tell you that Mrs. Kendall would be a great client? And I knew that you and Sutcliffe would make a great team. This project is going to be wonderful. Mrs. Kendall has some very influential friends in this city. You just watch, soon enough the two of you will have more project offers than there are hours in the day."

I mumbled my thanks as Maddock waltzed out of the boardroom, closing the door behind him; Daniel remained silent as he stood in the corner, watching me with hawk-like eyes as I gathered up our drawings and put them in order.

"Clara," his voice was low, hinted with a note of warning. I couldn't look at him.

"That went well, don't you think?" I asked brightly, hating the chipper tone I used. "She didn't say 'no' to anything."

"Clara." Daniel hissed.

"So, you'll start on the working drawings, and I'll put in a call to tender and see if I can find us a good contractor and a structural engineer; I think the roof needs more work than we originally supposed. I know Wesley Bruch does a great job on historical restorations, I wonder if he's available? I'll call him this afternoon and get him to send us a quote on his rates. Maddock probably has a list of contractors the firm has worked with before; I'll get a hold of it." I packed the signed paperwork into the appropriate files for the administrative assistants.

"Dammit, Clara!" Daniel actually sounded earnest, and I looked up at him in shock. For a moment he almost sounded human.

"What Daniel?" I asked wearily, tired not just from the late night I'd had, but from this endless game we seemed to be trapped in. "I suppose you want to talk about last night, want me to apologize for leading you on, or whatever the hell you call it. I'm not going to."

"I don't want an apology." Daniel ground out, through clenched teeth. "I told you that you could leave if you wanted to. I wouldn't, however, mind some sort of explanation."

I sat still for a moment, processing the request. Did I feel that he deserved an explanation? He'd phrased the question almost politely, a new tactic. I didn't trust him, but felt compelled to be honest.

"I shouldn't have gone home with you last night, it was a mistake."

"Nothing happened." The fact was stated coldly. Daniel's face was expressionless.

"I know, but it was a bad choice regardless. I shouldn't have kissed you either." I lowered my eyes to the tabletop, tracing the grain of the wood with a shaky finger. 

"If I remember correctly, I kissed you." Daniel said bluntly.

"Fine," I conceded, waving a hand dismissively. "Still, going home with men I hardly know is not a habit I've formed over the years. I've never done it Daniel, I shouldn't start now. I wasn't thinking clearly last night, but sleeping with you would have been a mistake." I went back to tracing the lines of the wooden tabletop, watching out of the corner of my eye as Daniel began to pace the room.

"It's not professional, Daniel. It's not right. I have my career to consider, my reputation; as do you. I've risked too much to get a job at this firm, worked too hard. I can't throw it all away simply because I want to sleep with you. I'm not that sort of girl, and I don't think you're that sort of guy either."




I Thought I Hated Him Ch. 02



Daniel was behind me now, pacing back and forth like a caged leopard. I blundered bravely on. "We have to work together to get this project finished and then maybe I'll talk to Maddock and ask that we never are partnered again. He won't like it, but it might be best." 

Daniel leaned over me from behind, bracing his arms on the table on either side of me, whispering in my ear. "What about us?"

"What about us? Nothing happened, Daniel. We should keep it that way."

"Why?"

I wanted to spin about and look him in the face, but he blocked all efforts to move my chair; his breath was hot against my neck, his voice low and sensual in my ear.

"W-why?" I sputtered, stunned at the sudden change in events; a moment ago I'd felt in control. "I just told you why."

"No," Daniel purred dangerously in my ear. "You spouted off a load of bullshit, all the prim and proper arguments, but you still haven't given me the reason why you left last night."

"I told you, it isn't right."

I couldn't see his face, but I knew one raven eyebrow had shot instantly to the ceiling. "I'm single; you're single. I want you; you want me. What's the problem?"

I sighed in frustration, feeling the heat rise in my face. "Fine Daniel, I chickened out. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"Why?"

Fuck; it figured that the Dragon wasn't going to make it easy for me. "You scare me. This scares me," I touched the back of his hand tentatively, watching as his long fingers jerked reflexively. "I told you, I don't do things like this. I never have. And you make me feel…"

"Young?"

I almost laughed. "Yes. Young. And inexperienced. And foolish. You got me to admit it. Happy?"

"What sort of person do you think I am, Clara? Some violent ravisher of innocent girls? Some depraved pervert who preys on a smaller, weaker victim?"

"That's the problem!" I cried. "I don't know anything about you. What sort of person do I think you are Daniel? I hardly know. You stomp around this office, snapping and growling at anyone under you; you have the reputation of tearing junior architects to shreds if they so much as look at you the wrong way; you yell at me one minute and kiss me the next; you bring me home and then let me leave without so much as a word. So do I know what sort of person you are, Daniel? No! How can I? You won't let me."

"Do you want to reform me, Clara? Turn me from this bad guy into some shining hero?" Daniel's voice was low and hard as steel. I was glad my back was to him; I didn't want to see his face when he spoke like that.

"No," I whispered shakily, feeling a small frisson of doubt inch in beside my frustration. "I'm not here to save you Daniel. I just want to know you."

"What do you want to know?" His voice was chilly with sarcasm. "That I'm 44 years old and I have two failed marriages? That I've worked for Maddock for almost twenty years and I'm starting to think he'll never make me a partner in this fucking firm? That I've watched a hundred junior architects come and go and you're the first one even worth mentioning? That you're so unaware of your talent that it scares me? 

"You're better than me Clara, better than everyone else in that room out there, and instead of making me proud it makes me angry, because I feel like I've accomplished nothing in my life. And to top it all off I want you badly, more than I've wanted a woman in a very long time. 

"It keeps me awake at night, thinking about you and all the things I want to do to you. I don't care Clara, if you're young and inexperienced, I want to teach you everything I know about sex; to bend you over and fill you so deeply it makes you scream; to fuck you until neither of us can stand or think straight; to feel your fingernails scrape along my spine as I come inside you."

He paused, breathing hard in my ear; my own ragged breathing matched his. I couldn't move, couldn't think. Images of Daniel between my legs raced through my head and made my insides quiver.

"You threaten everything, Clara: my job, my libido, my fucking sanity; but I don't have it in me to wish I'd never laid eyes on you." He leaned in closer and brushed his lips softly against my neck. "You exhaust me and we've only just begun. You know what I want; I won't bother you again."

And then he was gone.

With a gust of exhaled breath I laid my head down on the table, the smooth wood cool against my flushed skin. I knew I should get up, go to my desk, and get back to work, but for the moment I didn't trust my legs to hold me up.

To be continued…



I Thought I Hated Him Ch. 03



I dreamt about Daniel that night; a bright, vivid scene which I could only remember in fading patches when I awoke: lying alone, sweaty, and frustrated. The definite tingle between my thighs pissed me off and added to my frustration. I didn't want to want Daniel and everything which he represented, but I did.

Sex without love, without any sort of relationship; was I capable of that? Could I take advantage of the passion between us and still remain detached? I wasn't entirely sure and Daniel Sutcliffe certainly wasn't the sort of person to get involved with. Was there any emotion there, any regard for me other than sexual attraction? Anything save antagonism?

I knew, almost instinctively, that there was a lot he could teach me; the others had been boys compared to Daniel and that frightened me a little too. What had I been missing out on? The desire that Daniel could make me feel just by being next to me was greater than any I'd known before. What did that say about me? More importantly, what did that say about him?

I rolled over and punched my pillow from sheer frustration, trying in vain to banish the image of Daniel naked in my bed and pleasuring me from my mind. Want flooded me so strongly I almost moaned aloud.

Was he lying awake too, angry and frustrated over me? It would be so easy to reach for the vibrator in my bedside drawer and take the edge off what I was feeling. It had been a long time, I mused; maybe that was half the problem.

I glanced over at my alarm clock. 3:37. Dammit; more than three hours before the alarm went off and there was little possibility of me sleeping again.

"Aw, fuck it." I mumbled out loud in the darkness, reaching for my bedside drawer. I tried to ignore the small laughing voice in my head which teased me: what would Daniel think if he only knew...?

I owned a bright pink bullet vibrator, a frivolous gift to myself after I'd dumped the last boyfriend. I'd bought it online to spare myself the embarrassment of being recognized at the local sex shop, and to be honest I'd only used it a few times. It had been so long since I'd had an orgasm I was starting to wonder if all my parts still worked.

I slipped a hand beneath my pyjamas, seeking out the dampness between my legs, jumping at the sudden contact of my finger against my clitoris. It felt good. I'd forgotten how good. With a sigh, I dipped a finger lower into my pussy, laughing out loud as I found the wet heat of my arousal. Dreaming of Daniel had done this to me; a month ago I wouldn't have thought it possible.

My vibrator lay expectantly beside me, but my fingers felt so nice I left it alone, questing instead with my own hand, relearning the secrets of my body and thinking of Daniel. I could picture the hard planes of his face, the broad width of his shoulders, the electric heat of his body next to mine, the commanding passion of his kisses. 

Was he well endowed? I giggled as I wondered, stroking my clit, encouraging the building rush within me. Well, he did have large feet and hands, and I'd heard the old wives' tale that that was a pretty good indicator. Besides, no matter what his size, I knew Daniel was more than capable of bending me over and filling me so deeply it would make me scream; just as he'd promised me that afternoon.

A flood of mental images rushed through my mind; frantic, fantastical imaginings of sex with Daniel. Would he like my body? Would I like his? Would he easily find all the places which made me squirm? There was a tiny spot at the base of my neck which could melt me, and I loved having my nipples sucked. Just imagining Daniel at my breast while I touched myself made me come in a rush. I moaned my satisfaction to the empty room. 

The receding contractions of my orgasm were pleasant, but seemed like they were hardly enough to cool the burning need I felt. I'd scratched the proverbial itch and now the itch just seemed stronger. With another sigh of frustration I crossed my arms behind my head and stared up at the ceiling; beside me the alarm clock ticked mockingly. I groaned out loud; 4:06 a.m. and I had nothing better to do than think of Daniel.

-------

The next morning brought a surprise. I arrived at work to find my drafting table cleared of my mess of sketches and photos, the broad surface was instead home to a small yellow sticky note with only two short words: my office.

I recognized the handwriting instantly. Just what the hell was Daniel playing at? With a low growl of frustration I rushed up the stairs towards Daniel's office, wishing I had longer legs so I could take the stairs two at a time. His office was empty. In the corner was his antique drafting table and it was covered by a new, pristinely white sheet of 24x36 drafting vellum. Closer inspection revealed that the title block in the lower right-hand corner had my initials already filled in in the little "drawn by" column; I stared wordlessly at the blank paper for a time, unsure of what it meant.

I smelled the Earl Grey tea before I was physically aware of Daniel's approach. He handed me a steaming mug and stood beside me to stare down at the unmarked vellum.

"I thought that you would do the working drawings; I'll handle the call for tender and start on the written specifications. You'll get more work done up here, away from the other junior architects." Daniel's voice was deep, but edged with the commanding tone I'd heard a million times before. It was clear he expected no argument.

My disbelief kept me silent; he wanted me to draw the plans? My hands shook so hard my tea trembled in my cup.

Through the open doorway I could hear my fellow junior architects trickling in downstairs, calling greetings to each other as they arrived; I couldn't quite comprehend how they could be so calm and normal when my own life was careening suddenly out of my control. If Daniel was trying to extend an olive branch he'd most definitely failed; it wasn't a gesture of good will, it was a death sentence. 

"Clara?" 

"I- I can't do this, Daniel. I can't. This is your project, I'm just the junior." Panic edged my voice; I spilled hot tea over my knuckles but didn't really feel it. "I'll fuck it up. I'm sure Maddock wants you to do the drawings, I'm just supposed to do the grunt work."

Daniel growled. "Says who?"

"Me! Maddock! Everyone!" The hysteria fought to get out of my throat where it sat burning. "Mrs. Kendall is a big, important client with lots of money and influential friends. This project is very important to the firm; I can't mess this up, Daniel."

"Then don't."

Daniel squeezed my arm in an almost friendly way, seemingly impervious to the jolt of sensation his touch caused me, before he crossed the room to sit at his desk. I stood in stunned silence, watching him retreat; my vision blurred slightly around the edges and I fought to take a breath.

A few sips of tea later and I was slightly calmer than before. I sat in the chair to ease the burden on my wobbling legs, but my mind still spun. I simply did not understand Daniel Sutcliffe. Just when I thought I had him figured out he threw another curveball my way. First the passionate kisses, and then wanting me to draw the plans? I had to resist the urge to lay my head down on the perfectly clean sheet of vellum and cry. 

Did Daniel really think I was capable of handling this or was he setting me up for failure?

Don't be ridiculous, I chided myself. The little voice in my head sounded condescending; maybe the lack of sleep was getting to me. Why would he want you to fail? He's the project leader, so your failure would be his as well.

Only the day before Daniel had told me my talent made him angry, not proud. So was this just an elaborate set-up to make me look bad in front of an important client and Mr. Maddock? The little voice in my head wouldn't be silent. Just draw the fucking plans and show them all how wrong they are!

With a laugh I set a new lead into my favourite mechanical pencil, positioned my straight-edge at just the right spot on the vellum, and double-checking my measurements I began to draw.

Tea was brewed at regular intervals, and sometime around noon a ham and swiss sandwich was left beside me. I ate it without tasting it. A new project always consumes me entirely, and this one was no different. Every line was measured precisely to scale, then double-checked before being drawn. I liked watching the shape of the building take place on the paper. 

I always started with the ground floor plans, before moving on to the basement and remaining storeys. Once those were done I could focus on the drawings of the elevations from each side of the building, then I'd worry about drafting the specific architectural details. I wanted to get the staircase drawn out in meticulous detail, it would need a lot of work, and I didn't want the contractor to have any room for error. A good set of plans could take dozens, if not hundreds, of hours of work.

The light streaming in from Daniel's office windows shifted and faded and behind me I was vaguely aware at times of the Dragon's presence; the low rumble of his voice on the phone, the comings and goings of other people into his office, the scratch of his own pen on paper as he wrote. But my entire being was focussed on the crisp white surface of vellum on which I drew my plans; 24 x 36: the only space in the world which I cared about.

"Clara?" Daniel's voice was uncharacteristically hesitant but still sharp. "Clara?"

I raised my head, the intense ache in my neck made me grimace. "What?"

My prickly tone must have surprised him, because he arched an eyebrow questioningly. I could almost see his anger rise. "It's five o'clock. It's Friday. Go home."

"I'm not done."

"You're hardly going to finish it all tonight." Daniel drawled, watching me warily. "You look like you haven't slept in days. Go home."

I shook my head stubbornly. Despite the crick in my neck and the ache in my wrist I wanted to keep going. My hesitation about drawing the plans had dissipated while I worked. Now I just wanted to prove I could do it, and do it well. 

Daniel sighed resignedly. "Fine. Let's see what you've got." He leaned over me to study the drawing, enveloping me in the warmth and scent which seemed to belong only to him. I fought the urge to close my eyes and lean against him. 

He traced the line of the south exterior wall with one slim finger. "That's crooked."

I glared up at him angrily. "It's not crooked, Daniel. I used the T-square, how could it be crooked?"

"I don't know," he replied sardonically. "But it's crooked. Redraw it."

I saw red. "It's not fucking crooked!"

"Clara," Daniel's voice was low and dangerous. "Trust me, it's crooked."

I jabbed my pencil at him, narrowly missing impaling his arm with the sharp lead. "If you think it's crooked, you draw it!"

Daniel sighed, closing his eyes. He looked weary, and I almost felt guilty for arguing. "I'm just trying to help."

I snorted in the most unladylike manner. "That's rich."

Daniel stepped away from me, eyeing me as he paced the room. He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled down at me. A few weeks ago the same expression would have sent me scurrying for cover, now it just pissed me off. 

"Are you going to fight me on everything?" Daniel asked dryly. "Because despite what you might think, I do know what I'm doing."

I slid my glasses up to my forehead to rub the throbbing spot between my eyebrows. With my eyes closed it was easier to forget about Daniel, to ignore his magnetic presence as he paced. I didn't know what to say, so I didn't say anything.

"Are you sulking? Don't be so childish." Daniel drawled cruelly. "This isn't personal, Clara. It's my job."

"This isn't personal?" I practically jumped out of my chair, striding aggressively across the room to face him. "It's your job?" I stood on my tip toes, trying to look Daniel in the eye; sometimes being short was such an inconvenience. "Was it your job to kiss me? To take me home the other night? To say what you said to me in the boardroom yesterday? You've been mixing professional and personal since we were partnered together, Daniel. How the hell am I supposed to keep it all straight?"

The cocked eyebrow was back; I wanted to rip it off his smug face. "When I comment on your drawing, that's professional, that's my job. I'm starting to think it might also be my job to take you down a peg or two." His voice was smooth, calm; his expression betrayed nothing, I couldn't tell if he was teasing.

"You've got to be kidding me!" I sputtered, stabbing Daniel's chest with my index finger. He didn't budge. "You're so fucking high and mighty yourself, and now you're going to give me a lecture on my attitude? I'm sticking up for my work, Daniel. You wanted my to draw the plans, so I'm drawing the fucking plans!"

"You should watch your language," Daniel taunted. "It's not professional." 

I whirled about, giving a little scream and stomping my foot. It was childish, I know, but it was either that or punch Daniel in the arrogantly handsome face.

Daniel chuckled lowly as I stood seething by the window. I bit my lip to keep from snapping at him again. It certainly wasn't the first time he'd pushed me into making a fool of myself, but I still wasn't accustomed to the feeling. I hated how easily he could anger and frustrate me.

"Feel better?" Daniel asked after a time. 

I looked over my shoulder to see him sitting perched on the end of his desk; his smile was ingratiating. I pouted. "How is it that you can always make me mad?"

Daniel shrugged. He'd shed his suit jacket and I could see the play of his shoulder muscles beneath his dress shirt. It was sexy. "God-given talent?"

I snorted again, but this time a laugh followed. I shook my head resignedly. "You are something else, Daniel Sutcliffe."

"I was just thinking the same thing about you." Daniel's smile was electric and very unexpected. I noticed immediately that he looked different than in the past, more relaxed somehow, even younger. Maybe it was the smile that did it. 

"Are we always going to butt heads on everything?"

"Oh, probably. I'm not exactly one to back down." Daniel teased, his grey-blue eyes glittered mischievously.

I laughed. "Me neither."

"You're not afraid of me anymore, are you?" 

"You're not such a rat bastard anymore." 

"Nice," Daniel said deprecatingly, unable to hide the edge of humour in his voice. I laughed again.

"If you think it's crooked, I'll redraw the south wall," I conceded, shaking my head as Daniel smiled widely. 


"Do it Monday. It's late."

I shrugged. "I've got nothing better to do now, I can stay late."

Daniel reached for his jacket, shooting me a look over his shoulder that was just daring me to argue. "Actually, you do have something better to do. We're having dinner."

"Were you going to ask me, Daniel? Or just command me?" I asked acerbically, feeling my temper rise again at his presumptuousness.

"Fine. Would you like to have dinner?" Daniel asked bitingly, and I couldn't help but wonder if he was afraid I'd say no.

"I'd love to." I smiled brightly up into his face. 

Daniel's silver eyes narrowed. "You're giving me grey hairs, you know that?"

I laughed, making my way to the door. The room below was practically empty, the light from the windows flooded it in dusky pinks. It was later in the day than I'd thought and the entire weekend was spread out before me; my relief was tangible. "You had grey hair long before I came around." I teased, laughing.

"Brat!" Daniel muttered as he followed me down the stairs. My hoot of laughter drew curious stares from the few remaining people, who watched our progress across the room unabashedly. 

In the parking lot Daniel held out his hand silently, and without question I dropped my Jeep keys into it. He smiled wryly and unlocked the passenger side door first, holding it open for me as I slipped inside. We'd only driven a block or two before I realized which direction we were headed.

"Uh, Daniel?" I asked hesitantly as we pulled up to his apartment building. "This isn't a restaurant."

He shot me a sardonic look. "I got salmon for dinner tonight, I'm not going to waste it by eating out. If you don't want to come up, I'll just get out here and see you at the office on Monday." There was a challenge in his voice which I found reproachful. I think he more than half expected me to flee again; instead I shot him another sweet smile.

"I love salmon."

That prompted the raised raven coloured eyebrow again, but he said nothing and this time we made it into his apartment without incident. I took the offered stool at Daniel's kitchen island and watched happily as he started dinner preparations. I didn't voice it aloud, but there is nothing sexier than a man in the kitchen and watching Daniel work was having a very serious effect on my insides.

"Red or white?" He asked, breaking into my daydream which featured him in nothing more than his black apron. 

"Uh... red?" I blushed furiously, and although he eyed me suspiciously, Daniel said nothing while he poured me a glass of wine. 

Taking a sip I smiled. The wine was a deep, saturated crimson-purple colour, and slid satisfyingly to a warm rest in my belly. It was excellent.

"Its pinot noir," Daniel said over his shoulder as he dug about in the refrigerator. "It's what grown-ups drink."

"Oh hardy-har-har," I shot back, laughing. There was a twinkle in his silver eyes that belied the dry, sarcastic tone of his voice. "Do you want any help?" 

Daniel chopped an onion with far more efficiency and skill than I was capable of. "No. I like to cook. You just sit there and look pretty, and stay out of the way."

I couldn't help but laugh. 

Dinner was excellent; the best meal I've had in ages. Daniel grilled the salmon and served it with a lemon butter sauce so good I think I moaned out loud. There were little roasted red potatoes with garlic and rosemary, and asparagus brushed with olive oil and grilled alongside the fish. I ate hardily and made no apologies for it. We didn't speak much, but there didn't seem to be much to say.

"I'll clean up," I offered as I worked away at my second glass of pinot noir. The wine had sent a warmth spreading through my body, relaxing me and making me realize just how tired I was.

"No need," Daniel said, pushing our empty plates across the island and settling back onto his stool beside me. "It can wait. The food might rot, but the dishes won't."

I laughed. "How pragmatic."

Daniel shrugged, his solid shoulder brushed against my own. "I love to cook, but I hate to clean up."

"I don't mind the cleaning up," I confessed. "But I'm a lousy cook." I tried to picture just what was in my fridge at home: half a carton of skim milk, some ancient mustard, diet soda, and a sketchily aged chunk of cheddar which was more than likely home to some very alien mould spores. 

It was Friday night, I'd gotten a lot accomplished at work that week, I was well fed, and drinking a glass of excellent wine. I was happy. Then the realization hit me with a jolt. Not only was I happy, I was happy sitting beside Daniel. Holy shit.

"Clara?" Daniel's voice broke into my thoughts; he seemed to have a knack for doing that. "Are you alright?"

I looked up at him. "Yeah, why?"

"You looked worried just then." He almost sounded concerned. I smiled faintly.

"I was thinking about what you said to me yesterday in the boardroom."

Daniel arched an eyebrow questioningly. "I said a lot yesterday in the boardroom. Maybe more than I should have."

My smile didn't fade. "You told me that I knew what you wanted and that you wouldn't bother me again."




I Thought I Hated Him Ch. 03



"And?" If Daniel was worried about the direction of our conversation he gave nothing away.

"So, I guess you could say that you left the ball in my court?"

Daniel nodded, taking a sip of his wine. "It's a cheesy expression, but yeah. I guess I did. What are you getting at Clara?"

I watched his face earnestly, desperately trying to find the chink in his façade. There was none. Ah, fuck it, I thought; I took a deep breath, leaned forward, and kissed him.

He tasted like wine and garlic, and I think I was in control for about two seconds before Daniel took over, kissing me back with the skill and passion which I craved. Our tongues battled each other frantically while Daniel wound his hands up to grasp the back of my head. I clutched at his upper arms tenaciously, trying desperately to hold onto something solid as my head spun. 

"Clara," Daniel gasped as we broke apart, our harsh, rapid breaths mingling. 

"Is there somewhere more comfortable we could go?" I asked, sounding braver than I felt.

Daniel's eyes flashed silver. He took my hand and helped me down from my stool; my knees wobbled but held as he led me to the living room. We stood uncertainly before the wide windows which looked out over the city, just as we had two nights earlier, but this time I felt more confident. I wanted him; I wasn't going to deny either of us any longer.

I curled my arms around Daniel's neck, standing on tip toe to be closer to the soft curve of his lips. I pressed myself against him, surprised again by the solid breadth of his body. His erection was rock hard against me and I couldn't hide my smile of satisfaction.

"Clara," Daniel groaned, looking down at me with his inscrutable blue-grey eyes. "I don't think I can handle if you leave me like this again."

It was my turn to cock an eyebrow teasingly. "I wasn't planning on it."

"Good," he growled, running his hands possessively along the length of my spine, and down over my ass. His touch sent electric shivers through me. "If I don't have you soon, I just might explode."

I laughed deep in my throat, almost purring as Daniel's touch grew more ardent. He traced the gentle curve of my hips repeatedly, dipping again and again into the hollow of my waist before running once more over the round slope of my ass. It wasn't just my knees which felt weak; my entire body seemed to be melting underneath his touch.

We kissed again, an endlessly frantic exploration. Wordlessly Daniel invited me to be more aggressive, to meet his every demand with equal fervour. Willingly I let him lead me into unknown territory, the frighteningly exciting side of desire I'd read about but never felt. With every other guy, sex just seemed to be something to do; with Daniel it was something I had to do.

When he ran his hands over my breasts, seeking out my hardened nipples beneath my blouse, I just about came it felt so good. My shocked gasp of arousal must have been unexpected because Daniel broke the kiss to look down at me, his mouth curved into the cockiest smirk I'd ever seen. He ran his thumb lightly over my nipple again, chuckling deeply as I arched against his touch. 

"You like that?" He asked huskily, repeating the action and getting the same result. I'd never felt so sensitive to a man's touch before in my life. "Take off your shirt."

It was an order, and voiced with enough command that it should have irked me, but I didn't seem to have the willpower to argue. Something in Daniel's voice made me want to bare my breasts for him. I unbuttoned my blouse slowly with trembling fingers. Daniel took a step back to watch but made no move to help me. I understood his motives; he wanted me to make the decision to do this. I could have said no, but I didn't.

I was secretly very happy I'd made the choice to wear a pretty bra that morning, and Daniel's eyes widened as my black lace bra was revealed. I knew he could see everything; the lace couldn't hide an inch of me. My nipples were painfully hard beneath the fabric; I wanted desperately for Daniel to touch them again.

He leaned forward to slide the crisp, cotton blouse from my shoulders, but only allowed it to travel halfway down my arms before he reached around behind me and twisted the fabric in his fist, pulling my arms snugly against my side and pinning me in place. I could feel the prickle of panic begin, but it was wiped out the second he bent his head to my lace covered breasts. His silvery eyes travelled appraisingly over my torso, taking in every curve and freckle before they flickered upward to meet my own. There was a flash of provocation in his stare which stole my breath and I waited silently for him to move.

Daniel seemed to be poised just over my right breast forever, the enticing curve of his mouth only a fraction from my nipple. I couldn't have put into words how badly I wanted him to lick me, even if I had been brave enough to do so. I was quickly becoming incapable of thought.

"You are incredible," Daniel whispered, his breath a hot tease against my flesh. I moaned wordlessly. "I've dreamt about this for so long. I want to taste you so badly."

I was whimpering without realizing it, my entire body flushed with desire. My heart beat was so rapid and Daniel so close to it, that he must have been able to hear me. My pinned arms fuelled my excitement as Daniel drew the moment out skilfully.

"Please," I gasped, "Daniel, please."

"Be patient, Clara." His voice was hard, but there was an undercurrent of desire and I took a little comfort in knowing he wanted me as badly as I wanted him. With his free hand he skimmed along the plane of my stomach, his touch light; he chuckled as he raised goose bumps. "You have no idea how beautiful you are."

"Daniel."

"Patience," he ground out through clenched teeth, his silver eyes boring into mine. "You can't always have what you want." His lips were so close to my nipple I would only have to move a tiny bit to make them meet, but Daniel held me immobile. I watched breathlessly as his lips parted and the bright tip of his tongue appeared, but he paused shooting me another smug glance. I could feel the heat of his mouth so close to me; I wanted more, it wasn't enough.

My whimpering turned into a wail as Daniel passed just the tip of his tongue teasingly over my nipple. Through the lace of my bra the touch was muffled, but I didn't think I'd ever felt anything so good. I was panting with want, and completely unashamed of it. Daniel took another lick, slower and more deliberate. I watched mesmerized as he laved at my nipple, each wet pass dragging another cry from deep within my chest. I could feel the hot pooling of dampness in my panties, and could only vaguely wonder what Daniel would make of it once he discovered that.

Through heavily-lidded eyes I watched Daniel run his tongue again over my nipple, stilling my frantic wiggling with a violent twist of his fist into the fabric of my shirt, pinning me more completely against his mouth. Then he leaned in even closer and took my nipple into his mouth; when he sucked on it, I came with a wail, held up only by Daniel's hands as my knees gave out.

Silently Daniel picked me up and deposited me gently on the sofa. My breathing came hard and fast, but I still managed a laugh as he eased himself down beside me. "Lesson number one?" I gasped breathlessly, still amazed that I could orgasm just from that.

Daniel's smile was calculating, and sent a shiver up my spine. I couldn't read his gaze, although the frankness of it made me blush. "Ready for lesson number two?" He growled huskily.

I nodded, wiggling my arms free of my confining blouse, and reaching back to undo my bra. I eased both from my body, watching Daniel watching me. His gaze was hungry, predatory; my breath came in audible gasps. Smiling, I reached for his trousers and traced the outline of his erection through the fabric. It jumped, Daniel moaned, and I laughed. I was most definitely ready for lesson number two.

To be continued...



I Thought I Hated Him Ch. 04



"Sweet Jesus, Clara," Daniel growled as my finger traced his hard-on through his trousers. 

I tried to hide my amazement. I hadn't seen it yet, but it was definitely big. I smiled saucily, liking very much having Daniel under my command even if it was only for a moment. 

He reached out and grasped my wrist firmly, stopping my exploration. "Keep that up and we'll have a mess." 

I laughed. "So is that lesson number two?"

Daniel arched an eyebrow, a sarcastic look etched on his handsome face. I reached up and ran my hands through the greying hair at his temples; his dark hair was soft.

"I'm not as young as I used to be, Clara." Daniel chuckled. "I've got to make this last as long as possible." 

"You're not exactly old, Daniel," I chided.

"Well, I'm not exactly young either, and I don't want to rush this."

I nodded. Now that I'd had my first orgasm I wasn't in such a rush myself. I wanted to explore just as much as ever, but the urgency was gone; an aching sense of curiosity filled its place.

I shifted my position on the couch so I could curl up beside Daniel. He put an arm around me, fitting me automatically against the hard length of his torso. His hand wandered lazily up the length of my arm and played absentmindedly with an escaped tendril of my hair.

Daniel watched the progression of the curl through his slender fingers with hawk-like intensity. "I've never been with a redhead before," he confessed. "Where'd the red hair come from anyhow? I thought you were Hungarian."

"My Dad's Hungarian. My Mum is Irish."

"Which explains the temper," Daniel chuckled lowly.

"Temper? What temper?" I batted my eyelashes teasingly.

"You better be kidding," Daniel laughed, playing with the auburn curl. "Is all your hair red?"

 I giggled, liking both the comfortable heat of Daniel's body and the impertinent note in his voice. "Yup."

"Really?" Daniel drawled slowly. "And to think, there are bets at work that you're not a natural redhead."

"Really?" I echoed, feeling a flash of my temper ignite. "The guys talk about me?"

Daniel nodded before leaning past me to pick up my discarded bra. "36 D," he read aloud, flicking the lacy black lingerie to the floor. "Looks like I win that pool, too."

I couldn't help but laugh, even though the thought of Daniel gossiping about me in lunchroom at work pissed me off. Somehow I knew he was teasing; he hated gossip.

"Cooled off a little yet?" I joked, feeling the heat of Daniel's gaze across my breasts. 

"No," growled Daniel. "Not in the least. You?"

I shook my head.

"This is your last chance to change your mind, Clara." Daniel's voice was hard, but I was starting to recognize his coldness for what it was: a defence mechanism.

"I'm not leaving Daniel. You'll just have to put up with me."

Daniel traced a line of freckles across my abdomen, stopping just below the underside of my left breast. "I think I can manage that, if you can put up with me."

"I've gotten this far without decking you," I laughed. "I should be able to hold out for a few more hours."

"A few hours?" Daniel remarked snidely, "You're not going anywhere until Monday."

"Oh really?" I asked sarcastically. "What if I have plans this weekend?"

"Do you really have anything better to do than be with me?" Daniel's voice dripped with faked derision.

"Cocky ass bastard," I mumbled, trying not to laugh. "Now you're just trying to make me mad."

"Is it working?"

I pinched his arm. "You're an ass, do you know that?"

"And you're a brat, so we're even." Daniel's voice was low and right in my ear; it sent shivers straight to my toes.

I opened my mouth to reply but Daniel growled threateningly. "Just shut up for once, Clara. Please?"

I bit my lip, blushing.

Daniel traced the underside of my breast, running his fingers lightly over the rounded swell to my nipple. I moaned at the contact but said nothing. Daniel chuckled deeply into my hair and continued his exploration. Within minutes I was frantic for Daniel to take us one step further, but again he completely in control and in no hurry.

"You're wearing too many clothes," he rumbled harshly in my ear. "Take off your pants."

"What about you?" I countered teasingly; I was dying to see what was underneath the expensive shirt and tie. 

"This isn't about me," Daniel shot back. "Take off your pants."

I obeyed silently, standing to remove my pinstriped trousers, my insides shaking. 

"Leave the panties," Daniel commanded gruffly, watching me intently with his silver eyes. The expression on his face was intense, single-minded; I'd only ever seen the same look when he worked. My hands were trembling so badly I could hardly control them.

"Lie down."

I lay back on the couch, leaning away from Daniel. He drew my legs up onto his lap gently, caressing their humble length and peeling off my socks without words. 

Under Daniel's probing gaze I felt beautiful, desirable. The lines of his face were stonily inscrutable, but his eyes flashed hotly and there was a small quirk at the corner of his mouth which gave him away; he was liking this, and liking it a lot.

Daniel lazily traced the outline of my body while I lay powerless under his touch.

"These are naughty," he murmured, running a finger across the edge of my panties.

"They match the bra," I gasped; he was so close to where I wanted him to be.

"I noticed." Daniel's voice was pitched lowly and edged with humour.

I laughed; I couldn't help it. The entire situation was absurd, really. Me, practically naked in front of the Dragon, and loving every minute of it; I never would have thought it possible.

Daniel's hand strayed down over the black lace of my panties, tickling the auburn curls beneath the fabric.

"You are a redhead," he chuckled. "I like it."

I watched Daniel's appraisal of me with a rapidly beating heart, feeling like I was under a microscope, wanting desperately to meet his exacting standards; I didn't want to contemplate what might happen if I didn't. 

A month ago I was my own woman: young, independent, strong-willed, ambitious; but that was before Daniel came crashing into my life and made me question everything I thought about myself, everything I felt and thought. Again I was shocked to realize that Daniel's approval of me mattered a lot; I fiercely wanted him to like my work, my body; hell, I just wanted him to like me. And it frightened me a little, because I didn't know what that meant. 

Daniel grabbed my hand, moving it down between my legs and holding it there. "Touch yourself," he instructed.

I froze. "Uh, Daniel?"

"I want to see you touch yourself," Daniel growled, removing his own hand, leaving mine behind. "Don't you ever do that?"

I blushed furiously.

"Tell me."

"N-no. I can't," I stammered.

"Clara," Daniel rumbled warningly. "When was the last time?"

I turned my head and buried it into a couch cushion. I could feel my blush burning my cheeks and spreading tellingly downwards. My hand remained motionless above my auburn curls.

"Tell me, Clara. I need to know. When?"

"Last night," I whispered, unable to look at him, embarrassed that Daniel had the power to make me confess to something that even the Pope wouldn't be able to pull from me. It's not that I thought myself a prude; I'd had my fair share of sexual encounters, but something about Daniel made me feel young and inexperienced. I hadn't felt so shy since I was an awkward teenager getting my first kiss. 

"Did you come?" Daniel's voice wobbled slightly.

I nodded.

"What were you thinking about?" Daniel asked gruffly. I wondered if I imagined the hesitation in his voice.

"You," I whispered raggedly.

There was silence. I turned my face from its hiding place to eye Daniel warily. He had laid his head back against the couch; his eyes were closed and his throat was working furiously.

"Good God, Clara," he croaked. "I could come right now, without touching it."

"I know," I moaned. "Me too."

"This is crazy. You're crazy; no woman has ever affected me the way you do." Daniel opened one blue-grey eye to watch me warily. 

I had to smile; Daniel's admission was as close to a declaration of approval than I ever thought I'd hear from him. I laughed. "I haven't done anything yet."

Daniel arched a familiar eyebrow. "I wouldn't be too sure about that."

"Do you still want me to touch myself?" I asked teasingly, relishing the shift in power which had just taken place between us; I was sure it wouldn't last long.

Daniel chuckled. "Normally I wouldn't say no, but I don't think I'm capable of waiting much longer." He turned to face me more fully and his remarkable silver eyes blazed with heat. "I want to fuck you Clara, now."

We both moved at once, meeting halfway across the couch, tongues connecting instantly. I fought with Daniel's shirt buttons as his large, capable hands found their way beneath my panties to clutch frantically at my ass. 

Button after button slipped away to reveal a broad, pleasantly toned chest underneath. I ran my hands over it in wonder, loving the way his crisp, dark hair felt to touch. Daniel might be fifteen years my senior, but he was obviously working at keeping in shape. I positively purred; broad shoulders and muscular arms are an absolute weakness of mine.

Daniel broke our kiss to trail his mouth hotly down to my neck, finding almost instantly the spot which makes me positively melt and giving it his full attention. I panted frantically, pushing his shirt from his shoulders before turning my efforts to his belt buckle. Beneath Daniel's perfectly tailored trousers his erection was a formidable presence; I could hardly wait to see it.

"Clara," Daniel gasped as I fumbled with his fly. "Clara."

I raised my head and our eyes met. There was a blatant doubt painted across Daniel's handsome face which almost broke my heart; he was so amazingly gorgeous. I ran my hands up to brush a wayward lock of dark hair from his forehead.

"Yes?" I whispered huskily.

"If you want me to stop, you have to tell me now," Daniel said uncertainly. It was the first time I had ever seen him hesitate. "I don't want you to hate me in the morning."

I laughed lowly, tracing the outline of his rugged features, running one shaking finger over the swell of his lips. "I already hate you Daniel," I teased, pleased to see his smile bloom under my fingertips. "And I don't want to stop."

"Thank God," Daniel growled, pulling my panties to my knees with a swift jerk. "And I promise I'll make the second time better."

I watched Daniel remove his pants and boxers shorts with no breath in my body and heard his promise through a fog of frantic passion. Vaguely I wondered how it was possible for the second time to be better than the first, but knew that if anyone was capable of topping that moment, it would be Daniel.

His erection emerged in all its generous glory and I couldn't resist the urge to touch it. I wrapped my hand around Daniel's hot girth and almost laughed; Daniel Sutcliffe had always, at every moment, both surprised me and exceeded my expectations; it just seemed to be a skill he had. 

"Sweet Jesus, Clara," Daniel hissed as I became better acquainted with his erection. I giggled at the catch in his voice, I couldn't help it; I wanted to glory in the undeniable fact that he wanted me, it made me feel like I had the upper hand, if only for a moment.

Daniel pushed me back onto the couch, drawing off my panties the rest of the way; he stood to remove the rest of his clothing too, tossing each article heedlessly over his shoulder. His handsome face was painted with deliberate intensity as he watched me recline under him; I knew every freckle, every curve, every flaw was being noted and catalogued in his clever mind, and I prayed silently that I wouldn't live to regret that moment.

Daniel Sutcliffe towering over me, completely and gloriously naked, is an image I'm not likely to ever forget. I'd never wanted any man the way I wanted Daniel at that moment: recklessly and frantically and without question. All I could think about was how badly I wanted him inside me, and one look at his face revealed that Daniel wanted the same.

He lowered himself down on top of me, the contact of my skin against his sent shivers from the bottom of my toes to the top of my head. Daniel's own breathing was harsh and quick as he kissed me, sweeping me up in the frenzied wave of passion so strong it drove all thought and hesitation from my mind. I could feel the scalding heat of his cock pressing against my inner thigh and I shifted, trying to move myself into a better position. 

"I can't wait," Daniel growled impatiently into my mouth, moving himself closer as I spread myself open; he braced himself above me with his strong arms and I grabbed frantically onto their solid strength, desperate for something to hold on to.

"Then don't," I gasped, feeling the unyielding length of him make contact with the hot pool between my legs.

"Oh my God," we both moaned at the same time; I laughed but Daniel remained stoic. His silver eyes stayed focussed on mine as I felt the head of his cock make its way inside me. My wail was loud and long as Daniel slowly drove himself home.

Fully sheathed, Daniel rested his forehead against mine, taking several deep breaths while I clutched madly at his arms, feeling incredibly full but needing something more.

"Don't move," Daniel whispered roughly as I wiggled impatiently beneath him. He closed his eyes and I fought the urge to crow loudly; Daniel 'the Dragon' Sutcliffe was on the edge of losing control and I was the one who had brought him there. I felt like shouting from the rooftops until Daniel flexed his hips and distracted me utterly.

Sensation and heat; those were the only things I could think of, could feel. Daniel's generous length deep inside me, the solid wall of his body above me, the building pressure within me; all of these combined to make me feel inexorably like I was losing my mind with pleasure. 

Daniel thrust again, withdrawing slowly before plunging back; each repeated drive made me cry out. Still braced on one arm, Daniel's other hand made contact with my breast, finding the nipple and pinching it forcefully, drawing from me an inhuman wail of bliss Instantly I flew over the edge, peaking in an orgasm the likes of which I'd never before experienced; I could feel every inch of Daniel as my muscles contracted strongly around him.

My orgasm bridged from one to the next as Daniel kept up his rhythm, muttering incoherently and grasping my breast with an iron grip. I wrapped my legs around his hips and kissed him hard, desperate for him to finish, all the while hoping it would never end.

"You are so amazingly tight," Daniel groaned as our kiss ended. "So fucking perfect."

The compliment registered faintly in my lust-addled brain. I smiled and tightened my grip on Daniel's upper arms before angling my hips to better meet his enthusiastic thrusts.

"I want you to come, Daniel," I gasped as I was hit by another wave of sheer ecstasy. "Please."

"Always so polite," Daniel said, chuckling deeply; his voice dropped another octave. "Where?"

I dug my fingernails into Daniel's arms. "In me," I whispered breathlessly, feeling myself blush and not caring; I'd never spoken like that to another person before in my life. "Come inside of me Daniel, please."

His completion was accompanied by a fierce roar of satisfaction and I could feel each spasm of his cock as he emptied himself inside of me, the knowledge and sensation pushing me once more over the edge of my own fulfilment. Daniel's weight was considerable as he collapsed on top of me; he pressed me heavily into the couch, and I didn't care.

I ran my hands up over the smooth, rock-hard breadth of his shoulders, stroking his back, struggling to regain my breath. Daniel buried his head in the tangle of auburn curls at my neck and sighed gustily. We remained silent for a long time, waiting for the frantic pace of our heartbeats and breathing to subside.

"Come to bed," Daniel finally muttered into the expectant silence. "I'm getting too old for this."

I couldn't help but laugh as Daniel untangled his sweaty limbs from my own and stood uncertainly to his feet; he offered me a hand up as I peeled myself from the couch. I watched greedily as he wandered towards what I assumed was the bedroom. It was strange that I'd just had amazing sex with the Dragon and the only thought running through my head as he walked away was that he had a great ass.

Daniel paused in the dark doorway, looking over his shoulder, and arching an impossibly cocky eyebrow. "You coming or what?" He held out his hand and smiling, I rushed to take it.

------

When I awoke the next morning I was alone. The dull, pinkish-grey light spilling in the un-curtained windows hinted that it was hardly dawn; from my position in Daniel's bed I could only see the very tops of the city skyscrapers beyond. 

Sighing, I rolled over and contemplated the empty pillow beside me. Daniel had woken me once in the night to make love again, proving once more that he was very, very good at it. It had been a slower coupling, tender and intimate, made more so by the inky dark of three a.m. He'd been right when he said he'd make the second time better; it had been, and the lingering ache between my thighs proved it.

And now he was gone and I wondered where and why. To spare us that awkward waking-up-together moment? To avoid all those cliché things virtual strangers say after a night together? I realized with a jolt that I was angry that Daniel had disconnected himself first; it meant he had the upper hand again.

I slid from Daniel's bed, and finding his robe slung over a nearby chair, pulled it on over my naked body; the room was chilly and I couldn't stop the shiver that ran through me as the soft terrycloth enveloped me; it smelled wonderfully like Daniel. 

I slipped my feet into an overly-large pair of slippers and hesitantly I emerged from the bedroom back into the main living area of Daniel's apartment; he wasn't there, nor was he in the kitchen, but I could hear a strange, drawn-out thumping from further down the hall. Curious, I tiptoed in the direction of the noise.

I paused in the dining room where another short hallway branched off; in the large mirror hung on one wall I could see the reflection of the room beyond and Daniel. He was clad in shorts and t-shirt, his skin shimmered with perspiration and his dark hair was slick against his forehead. He was running on a treadmill and the look on his face was darkly aggressive. I watched his reflection for a time, marvelling at the intensity with which he tackled his workout, half-scared of the forbidding scowl on his handsome face. Silently, I slipped back to the kitchen, not at all happy to have intruded, however inadvertently, on Daniel's private time.

I made myself at home in the kitchen, acquainting myself with the coffeemaker, and trying to make as little noise as possible. There was a large bowl of fruit on the counter and I helped myself to a peach as the coffee brewed. Our dirty dishes from the night before had disappeared, and I couldn't help but wonder if Daniel had slept at all, or if he always got up at the crack of dawn; Saturdays could usually find me sleeping until noon. 

I managed to find a mug and cream and sugar, and taking my coffee I stole out to the balcony to welcome the morning. It was chilly as I curled up on a reclining lounger and tucked my feet up under Daniel's generous robe to keep them warm. With the mug of coffee clutched in my hands and the rest of me wrapped in Daniel's bathrobe, I was pretty snug as I watched the sun come sparkling up the glass exteriors of the skyscrapers.




I Thought I Hated Him Ch. 04



Contentment settled over me and I couldn't help but wonder how much of that was from the amazing vista spread out before me and the good coffee I was drinking, or the night of amazing sex I'd just had. Sex with Daniel freakin' Sutcliffe. In the light of day, it hardly seemed possible. My glimpse of him that morning had revealed the Daniel I thought I knew; the one surrounded by barriers, untouchable and unflappable, tackling everything with the same headstrong determination. Last night he had been a different person: kind, funny, tender; a lover in every sense of the word. And now?

I shook my head, my mess of red curls bouncing about me. I wasn't going to overthink this, to worry about what would happen Monday morning at the office. Daniel was a professional, as was I. Nothing had changed.

I heard the slide of the glass patio door opening but didn't look up. I didn't need to see him to know that Daniel was standing right behind me; I could sense him. The hair on the back of my neck stood up.

"Good morning." His voice was gruff and sounded like it hadn't been used in a while.

"Good morning," I replied automatically. I was blushing already.

"Glad to see you made yourself at home," Daniel said.

"Hope you don't mind." I chanced a glance over my shoulder; Daniel stood against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest, a cocky grin on his face. I'd seen the look before, and it was no less effective for him being in shorts and a t-shirt this time instead of an expensive suit. He looked so good I smiled; I had to.

"I like you wearing that," Daniel confessed, letting his eyes roam hungrily over my robe-covered body. "Looks better on you."

I laughed; somehow I doubted that. The mental image of Daniel's dark skin against soft, white terrycloth was pretty sexy and my stomach quivered in response. "Do you always get up this early in the morning?" I asked, feeling it might be safer to change the subject.

Daniel shrugged. "I like to get my workout in early; plus I can get a lot of work done in the morning. I do my best work before noon."

"You're a morning person?" I asked incredulously, coming to my feet. My coffee was empty; it was definitely time for another one.

"I guess so," Daniel drawled. "Hadn't thought of it like that before. So, what do you want for breakfast?"

I waved my hand dismissively. "I had a piece of fruit and some coffee, I'm good."

"That's not breakfast," Daniel growled, frowning down at me. "Waffles? Crepes? Bacon and eggs?"

I shook my head. "No really, I'm fine. Thanks though."

The scowl was back, coupled with a grumpy glare. "You're eating breakfast, Clara. What do you want?"

"Nothing," I sighed in exasperation. "I never eat much in the mornings."

"Speak now," Daniel snapped. "Or you'll be stuck with what I make, whether you like it or not."

"You sound like my mother," I said accusingly. "I'm not hungry, Daniel. I don't need anything."

"You cannot get through the day on a piece of fruit and a cup of coffee," he grumbled. "It's not physically possible."

"It is so." I countered childishly. "I do it every day."

I tried to sneak past Daniel back into the apartment, but he stood blocking the doorway, arms still crossed stubbornly across his chest.

"What are you going to do? Force feed me porridge? That trick never worked for my parents, it's not going to work for you, Daniel."

Both eyebrows shot up instantly. "Must you challenge me on everything, Clara?"

I sighed. How was it that we could argue about anything and everything? Daniel's silver eyes glowered obstinately down at me. I sighed again.

"Fine. I'll have waffles, please."

"Thank you," Daniel drawled, holding out his hand for my empty mug. "You can have the shower first; there are clean towels on the counter, help yourself."

Help yourself: two words I never thought I'd hear Daniel Sutcliffe ever say. I smiled brightly; he was definitely softening up. "You need a shower too," I teased, wrinkling my nose at his post-workout aroma. "Want me to wash your back?"

Daniel grinned broadly, sweeping his arm in a dramatic gesture towards the bathroom. "By all means." He slapped my ass playfully as I moved past him and I laughed loudly. 

It was shaping up to be an interesting weekend; we still had forty-eight hours before we had to be back at the office and I couldn't help but wonder with trembling anticipation what Daniel had planned for that time. Shooting a look over my shoulder I saw Daniel following my progress across the room with hungry eyes. I undid the belt of his robe and let the heavy terrycloth fall to the floor, flashing a teasing smile as I did. 

Daniel's blue-grey eyes widened at the sight of my naked body and he did nothing to hide either the grin on his face or the growing bulge in his shorts. Turning back, I made my way to the bathroom, wanting that hot shower very much. There was no doubt in my mind that Daniel was only a few steps behind.

To be continued...



I Thought I Hated Him Ch. 05



When Monday morning came I woke just after Daniel, slipping home to shower and get ready for work. By the time I arrived at the office Daniel's door was closed and I assumed he was already hard at work. We hadn't discussed what we were going to say and do at the office; I was too chicken to bring it up, and I assumed Daniel hadn't considered the consequences of our weekend debauchery on our working relationship.

As I passed my own desk in the bullpen the phone rang. "Good Morning, Clara Kovacs speaking," I chirruped as brightly as I could considering my lack of sleep and the early hour.

"Clara, thank Gawd. Where the hell have you been all weekend? I must have left you like a million messages." My best friend Jill Andersen sounded positively panicked on the other end of the line. "You didn't show up for drinks on Saturday."

"Ah shit, Jill. I forgot." I confessed bashfully.

"You forgot? You never forget anything and you always check your messages," Jill's voice was edged with apprehension. "What's going on?"

"Well, I...," I hesitated.

"Oh my Gawd, you met a guy." Jill laughed loudly.

I couldn't help but giggle. "How'd you know?"

"Come on, Clara; we've been friends for fifteen years, and it's only when you meet a new guy that you don't return my calls. We missed you Saturday night; I hope the sex was worth it."

"It definitely was," I laughed, blushing at the memory of Daniel and all the wonderful things he'd done to me all weekend long.

"Alright," Jill cajoled. "Are you going to cough up the dirty details or what?"

"Not too many details," I demurred.

"Come on," she prodded with a laugh. "The sex was...?"

"Amazing," I answered truthfully.

"On a scale of one-to-ten?"

"Fourteen."

Jill laughed so loudly I had to hold the telephone receiver away from my ear for a moment. "Who is this wonder man?"

"We work together," I said as quietly as I could without being overheard.

"Really? I thought you said none of the other junior architects are even worth mentioning? Are you holding out on me?" Jill's teasing note held a small amount of hurt.

"I'm not and they're not," I giggled. "But he's not a junior."

"Are you going to make me drag it out of you?" Jill asked. "You stood us up this weekend, the least you can do is tell me with whom."

"Daniel's an architect."

There was a pause on the other line. "Daniel? Daniel? Oh my Gawd, like, the Daniel? The mean one that everybody hates?" Jill's disbelief was tangible from across the city.

My loud peal of laughter drew curious stares from the rapidly filling workstations around me. "Yes Jill, the mean one that everybody hates; but I can't talk about it here. Meet me for lunch and we'll talk."

"You're such a tease," Jill muttered mutinously. "Fine. Same place, same time?"

"As always," I laughed as she hung up.

I settled back into my chair for a moment and watched the office come alive; there was still no sign of Daniel from behind his closed office door, but there were more than enough voicemails and emails to keep me busy until my lunch date with Jill.

-------

Jill was already stationed at our usual table on the patio at Bellini's when I pulled up. Clad in a white suit and bright pink blouse, she looked every inch the successful lawyer she was, from her pedicured toes to her perfectly highlighted blond head.

"I ordered for you already," she beamed as I sat down. "You always get the same thing anyway."

I laughed; it was hardly my fault Bellini's had the best spinach salad known to man.

"Alright, spit it out," Jill demanded. "All of it."

"I'm not really sure what to tell you," I admitted bashfully. "I'm a little overwhelmed myself."

"I thought you hated this Daniel guy." There was a confused look on Jill's pretty face.

"I do. I did." I shrugged. "I don't know; it's weird. One minute we're yelling at each other and the next second we're..."

"When? Where?" Jill leaned over the table, blatant curiosity evident on every line of her face. Laughing, I filled her in on the intimate details.

"You're crazy," Jill giggled once I'd told her as much as I comfortable sharing. "It's not like you to do something like this."

I toyed with the straw in my iced tea. "I know, but with Daniel I just can't help myself."

"Do you think there's any future with this guy?" Jill asked earnestly. "I mean, where is this going?"

I buried my head in my hands, ignoring the waitress as she slipped my spinach salad in front of me. "I don't know. He's such an ass sometimes I could kick him, or throw something." I smiled weakly. "But in the bedroom things are..."

"Earth shattering?" Jill supplied as I hesitated.

"To say the least," I conceded with a sign. "What the hell am I going to do?"

"Well, as I see it you have two options," Jill smiled brightly as she waved her fork about dramatically. "You can acknowledge there's no hope of a future with this guy and break it off now and try to salvage some kind of working relationship; or you can throw caution to the wind and expect nothing from him but great sex."

I sighed heavily, picking at my salad and tasting nothing; uncertainty was not my style and every aspect of my relationship with Daniel was rife with it.

"I haven't been much help, huh?" Jill asked as I stared unseeingly into my salad.

"What would you do?"

Jill considered for a time before she answered. "Personally? If the sex is that good I'd stick it out. It's not every man on the planet who can give you the kind of weekend you just had. I'm jealous." Jill's laughter was contagious and we both giggled like freshmen. "I say enjoy it while you can."

I lifted my water glass in a toast, unable to keep the wicked grin off my face. "All right then, to great sex!"

Jill clinked her glass enthusiastically against my own. "Long may it last!"

--------

The first thing I saw when I waltzed back into the office from lunch was Daniel with his arms crossed over his broad chest and a threatening scowl on this handsome face. He was leaning against the receptionist desk and all three of the administrative assistants were cowering behind it, looking frightened.

"Where the fuck have you been?" Daniel asked coldly. 

"I spent the morning catching up on my messages and then I had a lunch date with a friend," I said as blithely as possible in the face of Daniel's ire. 

The answered look on his face stunned me with its coldness and I fought to keep my temper down.

"My office, now," Daniel snapped before striding away through the bullpen; he didn't even look over his shoulder to see if I followed.

I chanced a look at the admin assistants, all of whom were smiling weakly but still looking scared. I hoped Daniel hadn't been nasty to them, but I doubted it. 

There was no hope of my matching Daniel's long, aggressive stride across the room, so he was able to stand at the top of the stairs and watch my approach. Around me every pair of eyes watched with trepidation as I passed; vaguely I wondered if that was how it felt to walk to the gallows. I lifted my chin another notch and tried to remember to breathe.

Daniel held his office door open with a sinisterly expressionless face, and I didn't look him in the eyes as I entered; I half expected him to slam the door but instead he shut it softly. The quiet was more ominous than I could have thought.

"If this is about the crooked line in my drawing Daniel, I had every intention of fixing it this afternoon; I had some messages to attend to first. I've really been neglecting the rest of my work for this project," I admitted, hoping I sounded braver than I felt.

Daniel sat at his desk, leaving me standing across from him. "It's not about the drawing, Clara," he said stonily.

Once again he'd left me wondering what was coming next; I didn't like the feeling of uncertainty, but nothing in Daniel's expression gave his thoughts away.

"Is this about the weekend Daniel? Because I don't feel I have anything to apologize for," I stammered.

Daniel ran long fingers through his greying hair. "Jesus Clara, this isn't about the fucking weekend either; it's not always about you."

I stood speechless, watching Daniel's façade crack slightly and a small modicum of apprehension seep through; getting him to open up was akin to pulling teeth. "What's going on Daniel?"


"I spent the morning on the phone with City Hall. They're not giving us a building permit for the Kendall project." Frustration rang off every word.

"Building permit? Daniel, we don't even have the plans done," I said with a sigh.

"I submitted with my preliminaries; I hate waiting for the bureaucratic bastards to make up their minds. They know a final set is coming, but still they said no."

I sat with a thump in one of Daniel's executive chairs. "I don't get it, why would they say no? It's a heritage building, for Chrissake!"

"That's what I thought, but it's more complicated than either of us supposed. Mrs. Kendal owns the building, but the city owns the land. Not entirely sure how that works, or why she failed to mention that little fact to either of us, I guess the previous owner deeded the house to her and the property to the city trust. At any rate, we're not getting our permit for construction; no permit, no renovations."

I shook my head in disbelief. "This doesn't make any sense Daniel. Why wouldn't the city want Mrs. Kendall to improve the building? It's a freakin' eyesore and she wants to turn it into a museum! She's doing this to benefit everyone, not herself! I wouldn't be surprised if she turns around and donates the building to the city in the end anyway."

Daniel looked haggard and it aged him. "I don't think they care about the building, Clara; the property is worth more than the building ever would be."

"But they can't just say no without a motive Daniel. There has to be a legitimate reason why they are denying us a building permit; they can't just say no!" I leaned across the desk in earnest; Daniel had to have the answers, he always did.

"They're claiming the building is derelict and unsafe; they want to have it condemned." Daniel sighed heavily and reached for his cup of tea. 

"The house needs a lot of work, but it isn't unsafe!" I cried. "The foundations are astoundingly well preserved; sure, the roof needs some love, but structurally it's fairly decent. I had Wesley Bruch out there last week, he's the best damn structural engineer in the city, and he says that with a little work it'll be fine!" I knew I wasn't saying anything Daniel didn't already know, but he listened impassively.

"City Hall could care less about what Bruch says, especially if he's our man," Daniel grumbled roughly; the stony, cold expression dropped like a veil again over his face. "They have their own engineer and he says no." 

"This is fucking ridiculous," I jumped up and began to pace, all the while feeling Daniel's steel grey eyes follow me. "They can't do this to us! This is a heritage building, it deserves to be restored. This is the city's architectural past we're preserving here. We're doing them a favour and it's not costing them a penny!"

Daniel's voice dropped an octave when he spoke. "I have a friend at City Hall; he can't do anything to help us with the permit, but he did tell me the city has a land developer all lined up for the property. Clara, they don't care about the significance of the architecture, all they care about is the money," Daniel said in a defeated tone. 

I stopped my pacing to watch him warily; I'd never heard him sound like that before, like he'd lost. "What are we going to do about it?" 

Daniel shrugged. "What can we do about it? It's Mrs. Kendall's house so she can do what she pleases. But we can't renovate without a permit, and if we can't renovate I don't know what she'll decide; probably to sell."

"And then they'll tear it down! We can't let them do that, Daniel! The city wants Mrs, Kendall to give up and hand the house over; it's a game they're playing with us." 

Daniel's eyes looked so tired. "Of course it's a game, Clara; life is a fucking game."

I stopped mid-thought and just stared across the desk at him. "Is this really about the project?"

He fairly growled. "Of course it is."

"Then why did you need me? You're the project manager, you're supposed to handle it; why were you angry when you couldn't find me this morning? I'm just the junior, what does it matter what I think about all of this? What did Maddock say when you told him?"

"I haven't told Maddock yet, and I haven't spoken to Mrs. Kendall yet either. I wanted you to know first," Daniel hesitated and for a moment I caught a glimpse of the man who I'd spent the weekend in bed with. "I thought maybe you could help me."

My legs gave out from underneath me as I sat down again. "P-pardon?"

"Help me, Clara?" Daniel asked quietly. "I want your help."

Uncharacteristically I was at a loss for words.

"You have a better rapport with Mrs. Kendall than I ever could," Daniel said, trying a faint smile on me. "We need to convince her not to sell, no matter how much pressure the land developer might put on her; it's not like she needs the money."

"But without a permit we can't proceed," I reiterated. "We'd just be running in circles. City Hall has the power to put this project on hold for so long the building will fall down on its own."

Daniel nodded, his dislike for the ignorant bureaucracy evident on every line of his handsome face. "They can't tear it down," he rumbled menacingly. "It's a fucking crime if they do."

"Then we need to find a way to prevent it," I said determinedly; I could feel my mind clear a little and suddenly I was excited. I always relish a challenge. "If we have the building officially designated as historically significant they can't tear it down."

"We'd have to go over City Hall's head, right to the Provincial Architectural Conservancy," Daniel reminded me. "Without the city's support it'll be difficult; it would be much easier to apply for designation after the renovations, but since our hands are tied..."

"Know anyone up there you could call?" I asked hopefully.

"A few, I suppose," Daniel said thoughtfully. "We'll have to have one hell of a pile of research for them. They don't just spend the money and effort to designate any old building."

"Then we'll have to convince them!" I cried. "This is a significant building to both the architectural history of this city and this country. Whoever built this place had a unique vision and a great deal of skill; he ingeniously combined multiple architectural genres; hell, for all we know he invented a few! If this building is torn down we'll never have the answers!"

"And that," said Daniel with a wry smile, "is why I wanted you working for this firm."

"You?" My shock was palpable. "But Maddock head-hunted me from my last job."

Daniel chuckled, "Yeah, but who do you think put him up to it?"

I sat back in my chair in disbelief, my brain wildly trying to process what Daniel was saying. "Are you kidding? You don't even like me; you said I was a threat to your job."

Daniel's smile was slow and sly. "Well, what's good for me and what's good for the firm are two different things. I know talent and passion when I see it Clara and this firm has been lacking that for some time."

I shook my head wryly. "I am never going to understand you," I admitted with a grin.

The atmosphere in the room had changed so gradually I'd hardly noticed it; gone was the frustration and disappointment; it had been replaced instead by a small sense of hope and determination, both about the project, and although I'd never admit it aloud, about Daniel as well.

He rose from his seat and came to perch on the corner of his desk nearest to me; he had to lean forward slightly to be at my eye level. "Do you think you could get in touch with Mrs. Kendall today? The sooner she knows the better."

"Sure," I agreed with a smile. "And when I've finished convincing her I'll start researching the history of our house; I can squeeze in a visit to the city archives this afternoon."

Daniel leaned forward and kissed me quickly.

"What was that for?" I asked with trepidation; although we hadn't discussed what working together would be like after the weekend we'd just had I assumed we'd be keeping things separate. 

"Thank you," Daniel said.

"You're welcome," I offered back. The spark had returned to Daniel's blue-grey eyes and it made me smile; I liked knowing there was a human side to the Dragon.

"Use my phone to make your call to Mrs. Kendall if you like; it'll be quieter up here. I should go inform Maddock of our little road block."

"Alright," I nodded, rising from my seat as Daniel stood. I put a hand on his suit-clad arm to stop him from turning and stood on my tiptoes to kiss him. I'd only meant for it to be a quick kiss, but Daniel delved expertly, drawing the moment out and making me moan back into the kiss.

"Good luck," he whispered gruffly when we parted.

"You too," I gasped, content for the moment to catch my breath and watch him walk away; the view from the back was pretty good.

Sitting behind Daniel's desk was weird; the room certainly looked different from his perspective. Everything was neat and tidy and exact, and a huge contrast from the messy corner of the room where I'd been working on my drawings. I couldn't help but wonder blithely if I'd pushed into Daniel's entire life as messily as I had his office.

My hand hovered nervously over the phone; Mrs. Kendall was a little odd, but she was a nice lady and I wasn't looking forward to our conversation. But Daniel expected me to hold up my end of the project, and I didn't care to let him down.

-------

"Clara? Clara?" There was a warm hand on my arm and crick in my neck; dazed, I raised my head and squinted around. Daniel stood over me and I realized with a jolt what had happened; I'd put my head down on his desk for just a second after my call to Mrs. Kendall, needing a minute to rally my thoughts and formulate the next step of the plan.

"You fell asleep," Daniel smiled softly.

"Yeah," I rubbed my heavy eyelids. "Sorry about that. What time is it?"

"Four-thirty-seven," Daniel chuckled.

I shot instantly to my feet and Daniel grabbed my arm to steady me as I wobbled slightly, waiting for my blood to catch up to my head. 

"Don't worry, I closed the door and told everyone you were working."

"Jesus, Daniel, I'm sorry." I tried frantically to tidy my flattened hair and rumpled clothes.

He shrugged nonchalantly and made his own attempt at fixing my hair before running a finger across my cheek. "Sleep wrinkle," he said with a husky laugh, tracing the line imprinted on my skin from falling asleep with my head against my blouse-clad arm. "It's cute."

"Dammit," I muttered embarrassedly, rubbing roughly at my cheek.

Daniel stilled my hand. "Don't do that," he growled. "You'll only hurt yourself." He kissed my cheek and each of my fingertips in turn and I could feel my knees tremble. "I love women when they first wake up; all beautiful and sleepy and flushed. You're gorgeous."

"You old flirt," I mumbled, unable to stop my smile. "Are you mad at me?"

"Actually, for once I'm not," Daniel smiled back. "Obviously you needed to catch up on your sleep."

"Yes well, I had a particularly wild weekend," I giggled, helpless to tear my gaze from Daniel's crooked smile. "Some old guy kept me up all night long."

Daniel wrapped his arms around me and leaned his chin atop my head; I snuggled into the warmth and solidity of his body and sighed. "Just imagine how the old guy feels," Daniel quipped dryly.

"Yeah, he'll probably need a few days to recover," I teased.

"He will?" I couldn't see Daniel's face, but I just knew his eyebrow had risen sharply to the ceiling. "I wouldn't be so certain about that."




I Thought I Hated Him Ch. 05



I giggled into the front of Daniel's crisply pressed shirt. "You're bluffing."

"Wanna bet?" There was an edge in Daniel's words which warned me not to step too far.

"Well, maybe you'll just have to prove it to me," I said saucily.

Daniel growled deep in his throat. "I'd love to."

To be continued...



I Thought I Hated Him Ch. 06



Daniel's touch was insistent yet gentle as he traced a path down the curve of my belly to the thatch of auburn curls which lay between my legs. He was so close to touching me that I held my breath, willing him silently to continue his downward journey, to find the wetness which his kisses had drawn from within me. My whimper of annoyance was loud in his silent bedroom. Daniel chuckled.

"Haven't we spoken about patience?" he asked blithely, ignoring my grimace of displeasure at being lectured at an inopportune moment. I just wanted him to touch me. I wiggled with exasperation, Daniel removed his hand.

"Come on," I pleaded, trying to dig up a flirtatious smile while at the same time hide my amazement that Daniel still continued to hold this mysterious power over me. It was just sex, yet I knew without question that no one had ever made me feel as good as Daniel did and probably never would. I also knew without asking that he was equally aware of it.

"You're so cute when you're angry," Daniel teased, running just the tips of fingers through my red curls. I arched my back at his touch, unsuccessful in gaining a stronger caress. I pouted to a renewed round of deep laughter.

"You're so mean," I grumbled with no small amount of petulance. "I want you to touch me Daniel. Make me come. Please?"

Daniel lowered his dark head to my bare breast, but not before shooting me a devastatingly sexy grin. "Always so polite, Clara. Your mother would be proud."

"Let's not talk about her right now," I laughed, watching with half-closed eyes as Daniel's lips hovered temptingly over my hardened nipple. The feeling of his hot breath against my skin was a delicious tease. As much as I complained to myself about his driving need to control our sex life, to play every game the way he wanted to, secretly I loved the way it made me feel to let go of my control, to trust Daniel to take me to the finish line with blinding, earth-shattering satisfaction. He hadn't failed me yet.

"What if I ask you very nicely?" I inquired with a gasp as Daniel brushed his lips lightly against the taut pinkness of my nipple. The lightest touch he was capable of still felt amazing. 

He arched a dark, handsome eyebrow in a gesture which was endearingly familiar now that I knew him better. Two months ago the same look would have sent me scurrying for cover, now I smoothed the eyebrow in question with my finger and purred with an odd sense of contentment. 

Despite Daniel's constant need to hide his feelings, to mask his expressions and remain aloof, I knew I'd gotten to him, at least personally, if not professionally. When we were alone together it was more often than not that he'd smile and laugh. He looked younger for it, happier, and I think even the people at work were beginning to notice. I wanted to take the credit for it, but we'd kept our relationship quiet, trying our hardest to maintain a professional veneer, to give our gossip-hungry co-workers nothing to talk about. 

I won't lie and say it hasn't been difficult because for me, at least, it has. It was hard to forget what my alone time with Daniel was like, the small smiles he bestowed on me, the private jokes we shared, the way he made me feel, the sensation of his body against my own. I wanted to disconnect our personal life from our professional one, but I was finding it increasingly difficult as time went by. 

Daniel, on the other hand, seemed to find it easy to keep the two aspects of our relationship separate. His demeanour at work was almost as antagonistic and power-hungry as it had always been, and if I hadn't known him as well as I did I could almost believe he was fooling people. He still scowled and snapped and revelled in making the underlings scurry to do his bidding, but I caught him smiling at the administrative assistants from time to time or thanking a junior architect when he thought no one else would hear. I resisted the urge to point these occurrences out to him; for all that had happened between me and Daniel he was still the Dragon and every bit as capable of bringing his wrath down upon those of us beneath him as he always was.

"Clara?" Daniel asked with a hoarse whisper. He was still poised expectantly over my breast. I smiled dreamily down at him. "You were miles away just then," he said. "We've only been at this a few weeks and already you're thinking of someone else?"

Daniel was teasing, but there was a hint of uncertainty in his deep voice which wounded me and made my temper rise to the surface. I fought to hold it back and keep from ruining what started off as a very promising encounter between us. I wasn't very good at biting back my rude retorts, and despite all that had passed between us since we'd started sleeping together, Daniel still had the power to piss me off with little more than a few words and a prescient glance.

"Not someone else," I managed to smile softly all the while hoping I was hiding my own hurt. How could he think it was possible for me to be thinking of anyone but him? Didn't he know me better than that by now? "I was thinking it would be nice for you to hurry the hell up."

Daniel bit my nipple playfully, laughing when the sharp sensation made me squeal. "That's what I like about you, Clara," he confessed. His handsome face was stoic, composed, but there was a glint in his blue-grey eyes which warmed me through. "You never back down. You fight for what you want."

I watched Daniel wordlessly as his mouth descended once more to the delicate flesh of my breast. His tongue was wet and hot and drew a moan from deep within my lungs with skilful intensity. I wanted to open my mouth and say something witty, to parry words with him like I'd always done, but I was rendered speechless by the passion Daniel evoked in me with the simplest of touches. 

"What is it that you want this time?" Daniel asked, his voice heavy and slow. 

"You," I gasped as he drew my nipple into his mouth with sweet suction. My back arched off the mattress again, desperate to be closer to the heat of him, the sensation of his mouth on me. 

"Good," he muttered against my skin. There was a satisfied, smug look on his handsome face which should have pissed me off, but which only served to fuel my own desire. He still wanted me, and although he constantly had the upper hand in all aspects of our life together, knowing that he desired me so much pushed the power a little more in my favour. It was only for a brief period each time we were together, but I relished those moments when Daniel let me see his need. It made him human. It made him sexy as hell.

"Now," I cried, shifting my weight, pulling Daniel down to the bed. His silver eyes watched hungrily as I pushed myself up against him, straddling him. His smile melted away to reveal a much fiercer expression, the one reserved for Daniel at his most intense; he was the Dragon through and through, and that would never change. His erection pressed against my wetness and I ground against him, forcing lengthy moans from us both.

For once Daniel said nothing, issued no orders, but watched unwaveringly as I rose up to take him inside of me, sliding down until his generous length was buried completely in the heat of my body. Dear Lord, he felt so good it was unbelievable.

Daniel clutched at my ass but said nothing and did not move as I angled my hips and moved above him, rising and lowering myself again and again, feeling each inch of him as my muscles throbbed and contracted. I threw back my head and wailed as the sensation built and still Daniel remained silent, but I could feel the strength of his grip on me tighten as he slowed my movements, knowing instinctively as always just how to bring me the greatest pleasure.

There was nothing else in the world at that moment but Daniel, the hard, lean, solid anchor of his body beneath me, the frantic rasp of his breathing, the unmistakable scent of his lust. I wanted him so badly that it hurt; an actual physical ache inside my chest that could only be relieved by one thing. I ignored Daniel's attempt to slow my thrusts; all I wanted was to bring him to the edge, to give him the same pleasure he'd given me time and again, and taken from me just as often. This time it was me doing the giving, the taking, and it was more exciting than I would have guessed.

"Clara," Daniel ground out through clenched teeth as I shook off his iron grip on my ass and rode him with every ounce of energy I had. "Sweet Jesus!"

I laughed, shaking my hair out of my face, feeling the blissful flutter of an orgasm dance within my belly. I was so close to the greatest pleasure I'd ever known and was determined to bring Daniel with me.

I bent down to kiss Daniel, relishing the frantic lash of his tongue against my own, the wet heat of his mouth. I angled my hips differently and increased my pace, moaning against him, catching his groan of response within my lungs. Daniel's hands were everywhere, caressing every inch of skin he could reach, his touch so insistent, so encouraging that it pushed me further. Every muscle I had contracted with need as my orgasm burst upon us, coupled with my loud wail of satisfaction.

"Don't stop," Daniel grunted as my hips began to slow. "Dear Lord, Clara, don't stop now." The desire reflected in his stern expression and silver eyes cleared my head a little and brought me back to the matter at hand. 

I dug my fingernails into the solid mass of his shoulders and fucked Daniel hard, drinking in the noises he didn't know he was making, feeling every throb of his cock as it filled me up. This was the way it was supposed to be: the frantic passion, the feeling of completeness, the intense sensation. Every gasp, every groan imprinted itself on my brain and went straight to my core, bringing with it another orgasm of my own, followed swiftly by Daniel's.

I knew his tenacious grip on my hips would leave bruises, but it was worth it just to hear him cry my name while he emptied himself into me. Nothing could top the feeling of Daniel's body relaxing beneath my own or the comfort of his large hand as it wove into my hair and clasped the back of my head, holding me to the damp crook of his neck. He kissed my hair softly. We were both breathing hard.

"Stay here tonight," Daniel whispered into my hair. His voice was rough and edged with sleep. I'd tried not to make it a habit of sleeping over at Daniel's after the first weekend we'd been together, especially if we had to work the next morning. Most days we were together all day at the office and I still wasn't sure how much of me Daniel wanted to see, so I'd been trying to give him some space. I smiled against the salty skin of Daniel's neck; his stubble was scratchy yet pleasantly, quintessentially male. I was perfectly content to remain where I was and already I could feel the heavy weight of sleep take over my limbs. My response was little more than a satisfied whimper.

-------

I was awake and mobile the next morning before Daniel was, a rare occurrence since he was a self-acclaimed early bird and I was most definitely not. I'd slept the profound sleep of the extremely satisfied and Daniel had only woken me once in the night to make love again, slowly and quietly in the darkest hour of the morning, our final moments lit by the pinkish creep of dawn. In sleep Daniel looked younger, the stern lines of worry melted away to reveal the chiselled edges of his breathtakingly handsome profile. I couldn't resist a small kiss in-between the strong, dark slash of his usually disapproving eyebrows.

I dressed myself in silence, slipping from the quiet apartment without incident. The harsh light inside the elevator slightly revived my still weary self. My thighs ached from the night before and there were bruises on my hips from Daniel's strong grip which would take days to fade. I smiled into the empty elevator despite my unsettled stomach. I had an early meeting with Mrs. Kendall and the land developers and I was nervous as hell.

Meeting with the land developers was actually Mrs. Kendall's idea. She assured me she had no intention of selling the house we were all trying desperately to save, but wisely figured if we appeared as if we were playing along it would buy us more time to get the building historically designated and save it from the wrecking ball. It was a gusty move which both Daniel and I were sceptical about, but Mrs. Kendall had been playing in the big leagues of real estate for decades, so there was little we could do but trust her. 

I did see a modicum of sense in her plan; if City Hall and the land developers thought we were going to sell, it just might stop them from looking any deeper into our activities. If they thought they were courting the wealthy and influential Mrs. Kendall, it would more than likely buy us time.

She might appear crusty and hard-headed on the outside, but I was coming to respect and like Mrs. Kendall. Daniel called her the "old battle-axe", but grudgingly admitted he was as glad as I that she was on our side. Her stubborn will was indomitable, and she was just as determined to save her house from demolition as Daniel and I were. 

The elevator slowed to a stop at the eleventh floor with a cheery, musical 'bing'. I held my breath. The doorman had become accustomed to my coming and going at all hours and said nothing more than a cheery hello or goodbye, depending on which direction I was headed, but in all the time that I'd been practically sneaking in and out of Daniel's apartment, I'd yet to run across anyone else, so it didn't bode well for the rest of the day when the doors slid open to reveal the handsome, blond man I'd met more than a month earlier in the very same elevator.

He stepped in and eyed my rumpled clothing, recycled from the day before until I could get home to shower and change. I wore no make-up and had thrown my hair into a messy ponytail to keep it out of my face on the drive home. One look in Mr. Mallory's brown eyes told me he knew exactly what Daniel and I had been up to.

"Good morning," he drawled, standing a little too close than was proper in the large elevator. I took a step away as the doors slid closed and the elevator lurched into motion. "You're up awful early, Gorgeous. Looks like it was a late night. And by the way, how is Sutcliffe?"

I tore my gaze from the control panel of the elevator to look up at Lawrence Mallory. His handsome face was a mask of bland courtesy, but the look in eyes said much more. He wasn't asking after Daniel's health.

"Fantastic, actually," I replied coldly, garnering a somewhat shocked look from the haughty man. "Makes me see stars, thanks for asking."

Mr. Mallory opened his mouth to reply but evidently thought better of it and closed it with an audible snap which had me stifling the urge to laugh. He really was terribly ridiculous. Probably thought he was God's gift to women and couldn't understand why I didn't want him. Sure he was cute, but he lacked any sort of the charisma and power which Daniel seemed to easily radiate. Mallory's handsome face was painted with a look which bordered on contempt and whether it was for me or Daniel, I couldn't be sure.

"Have a nice day," I taunted with a smirk as the elevator slowed to a stop at the lobby. I could feel his eyes follow me out.

-------

The meeting was between Mrs. Kendall and the land developers took place at City Hall and to say that the decision to put us in the largest, most intimidating boardroom I'd ever seen was a co-incidence would have been a lie. I was glad to be sitting between Mrs. Kendall and Mr. Maddock. We'd all decided having Daniel attend probably wasn't the best idea, since his ability to control his temper and hide his dislike was questionable on a good day, never mind when he was passionately fighting for something. Mr. Maddock had taken an additional interest in our project since we'd begun our fight against City Hall, so it was of little surprise when he offered to accompany me and Mrs. Kendall to the meeting in Daniel's stead.

To my left Mrs. Kendall was chatting quietly with her lawyer while we waited for the City Hall officials, the land developers, and their teams of lawyers to arrive. Beside me Mr. Maddock fidgeted with his fountain pen.

"Can I ask you a question, Ms. Kovacs?" he asked quietly in a soft spoken, grandfatherly voice which belied his quick mind. I nodded. "You've been working on this project with Sutcliffe for how long?"

"Almost three months," I replied automatically. 

"So it's fair to say that you know him pretty well by now."

I could feel the hot blush creep up my cheeks despite my frantic desire to keep it down. I nodded, saying nothing. Where was Maddock going with this line of questioning? My heart raced.

"I've been giving Daniel a great deal of thought lately," Maddock confessed, giving me a small, reassuring smile. "And I've been thinking of making him partner once this whole kerfuffle with City Hall is finished. What do you think?"

"I-it's hardly my decision to make, Sir," I stammered. My ears were ringing with disbelief. To my left Mrs. Kendall and her lawyer chattered on.

"I know," Maddock replied jovially. "But I figure you've gotten the measure of him by now and I value your opinion. No other architect in the firm has worked with him on a project for so long, he usually scares them away after a week or two. Daniel's worked for me for twenty years, so I know his worth, but after all it won't be me working with him in the long run. My retirement is looming, Ms. Kovacs, and I'd like to know I'm leaving my firm in the hands of the right person."

I sat in stunned silence, wishing Daniel could be privy to this conversation. He'd worked his ass off for Maddock for two decades and I knew unequivocally that he deserved the promotion. I told Maddock so in just a few words. He nodded and patted my arm in his grandfatherly way. 

"That seals it, Ms. Kovacs. After all this is over, Sutcliffe gets promoted to partner and you get promoted from junior architect. Just don't tell him before I do, I'd like to break the news myself."

I nodded without speaking, hearing Maddock as if from far away. Both Daniel and I would get promotions? I'd be a full architect in the firm? I felt a little dizzy and resisted the urge to lay my head down on the conference table to catch my breath.

Behind us the boardroom doors opened and a veritable flood of suit-clad men washed in bearing briefcases, laptops, and rolled-up charts and plans. The land developers had arrived and at the end of the line was a handsome blond I recognized with a groan. He fixed me with a knowing smirk before seating himself across the table from me. I felt the pit of my stomach drop out as Lawrence Mallory sized up the figure of Maddock sitting beside me. I had little doubt he knew exactly who Mr. Maddock was and had even smaller doubt of what Mr. Mallory would say to us when he had the chance.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," a tall, grey-haired man in an Armani suit said from the head of the table. "I'd like to introduce a few key players from Green and Worthington, they're the city's foremost land developers and City Hall's partners in this project." He rattled off a list of names, none of which I recognized save that of Lawrence Mallory. Mrs. Kendall's lawyer stood and did the same for our side of the table, which was a significantly shorter list of names.

I only half-heard the opening negotiations, which were tempered with legal terms I was only vaguely familiar with. Both Mrs. Kendall and her lawyer seemed comfortable with the entire procedure, and referred only a few times to either Maddock or myself to answer questions regarding the building's architectural significance or perceived structural issues. 

Mrs. Kendall played the batty old millionaire character to perfection, stumbling over her words and acting confused at times, both of which were completely out of her usual mien. The land developers lapped it all up and it was evident to even a rookie like me that they thought she was half-senile and totally ignorant. Lawrence Mallory's cocky grin revealed what the rest of his team was thinking. They thought they had the sale in the bag. 




I Thought I Hated Him Ch. 06



My unsettled stomach calmed as the meeting stretched endlessly on. At this rate, Mrs. Kendall and her lawyer could keep the boys at Green and Worthington strung along for months before they expected her to make a decision. There must be a great deal of money involved for them not to rush her.

It took much too long for the meeting to conclude, but when it did I breathed a sigh of relief which was just a little too loud. Maddock was filing out the room behind me and laughed at my loud sigh. 

"Don't worry, my dear," he said kindly as we made our way to the exit. "You'll get used to this sort of business as your career progresses. You've conducted yourself with nothing but the utmost professionalism and I do believe you're an asset to my firm." I nodded, cheered by the encouragement. Maddock was an alright sort of guy, and more than that, he wanted to make me a full-fledged architect in the firm. I smiled broadly at him.

"And that other thing, Ms. Kovacs, about what I said earlier," Maddock hinted, bringing back to my mind his promise of Daniel's promotion as well. "Please don't tell Sutcliffe just yet, I'd like it to be our little secret."

"More secrets Ms. Kovacs?" asked a smooth, cool voice from behind Maddock. I glanced over my boss's stooped shoulder to see Lawrence Mallory smiling cruelly. The bottom dropped out of my stomach. "Don't tell me you're sleeping with both your bosses? Utmost professionalism indeed."

Mr. Mallory sailed nonchalantly past, leaving a shocked Maddock in his wake. "You should have called me," he whispered. "Have a nice day." 

I stood motionless, blushing fifty shades of red, too stunned to say anything, numb to everything except the look of old-fashioned horror on Maddock's grandfatherly face.

To be continued...



I Thought I Hated Him Ch. 07



[Just another note to thank you all for your patience with the infrequency of my posting of late. Life outside of Lit is a little busy to say the least, and my writing moments are too few and far between. I'm so glad you're sticking around for the ride! If you notice a marked improvement in my grammar/spelling/punctuation in this chapter it's because I've found myself an editor --- many thanks to Diatikan for putting up with my tendency to butcher the English language. I'm not sure he fully understood what he was in for when he signed on with me! All the best -~- firstkiss]

It was the longest twenty minutes of my life, and I regretted in a moment the decision to carpool to the City Hall meeting with Mr. Maddock. On the way to the meeting we'd chattily discussed business; on the ride back the silence hung awkwardly between us.

I was doing my best not to feel guilty. After all, Daniel and I had done nothing wrong. There wasn't a written rule stipulating that interoffice dating was forbidden. It just wasn't done and everyone knew that. I wanted to explain to Mr. Maddock that I never had the intention of sleeping with Daniel, that wasn't the kind of girl I was or the sort of behaviour I regularly indulged in, but his silent, taciturn mood didn't encourage conversation, so by the time he'd pulled his expensive Cadillac into the parking lot of the office I all but sprinted out of it to escape the uncomfortable silence.

Daniel was lurking in the reception area, no doubt waiting to hear of our triumphant success over the schmucks at City Hall. All I wanted to do was intercept him and whisk him off for a quick debriefing of the entire Lawrence Mallory situation, but Mr. Maddock was right behind me and I had to begrudgingly admit he was pretty spry for a senior citizen.

"Sutcliffe. My office. Now," Maddock grumbled as he stalked past, drawing amazed looks from Daniel and the receptionist. The shock on Daniel's face upon hearing his favourite order being barked at him for once did me in. My wobbly knees wouldn't hold me up any longer, and I collapsed in a nearby chair with an audible gasp which melted into frantic, weary giggles. Daniel eyed me warily, but thought better of disobeying Maddock's orders. I watched his retreating back with hysteria-tinged laughter.

When I'd collected myself, I made my way slowly to Daniel's office. Since we'd started working on the Kendall project in earnest I'd hardly been at my own desk -- hell, I'd hardly been aware of what else was happening at Maddock Architects. All the other junior architects had been giving me a wider berth too, although whether that was because of something I'd done or my association with Daniel, I'd yet to figure out. Personally I didn't much care what the other juniors thought of me, but I wasn't looking forward to them all knowing about my little office fling, and it was only a matter of time before they did.

I settled myself at Daniel's drafting table, where my current drawing of the east-facing side elevation was only half completed. I stared at it unseeingly for the longest time, wondering over and over what was happening in Maddock's office. What would Daniel's response be? What did Maddock think of me now? Maddock was such an old-fashioned sort of man, from a generation vastly different than my own, or even Daniel's. The sick, heavy feeling in my stomach only intensified as the minutes dragged on.

When Daniel finally did enter the room he did it so quietly and so coldly that I knew something was wrong. I'd much rather that he'd yelled and slammed doors. The stony, blank-faced Daniel was infinitely more frightening.

"Perhaps," he said softly, closing the office door with a quiet click. "You would like to explain to me just what the hell happened today?"

"D-didn't Maddock tell you?" I gasped. I watched Daniel with caution, afraid to spark his ire further.

"Oh, I've heard what Maddock has to say on the subject, Clara, but I'd like to hear your side of the story. And I suggest you tell it well."

I considered his handsome, expressionless face, trying to find some glimmer of warmth in his blue-grey eyes. There was none. The first time I opened my mouth, no sound came out of it. I had to fight the urge to get up and bolt from the room, anything but face another second of Daniel's inscrutable gaze.

Somehow the words happened. In a rush I told Daniel all about my early morning run-in with Lawrence Mallory in the elevator, about how rude I'd been to him, how sarcastic and condescending. I hadn't thought anything of it at the time, it had all seemed so trite, but these things always have a way of coming back to bite me in the ass. Bad karma, I suppose.

How I was to know Lawrence Mallory worked for the land developer? That I'd ever have to have any dealings with him in a professional sense? And when he walked into that boardroom, I'd been prepared to be completely professional with him -- to ignore our little unpleasantries in the elevator -- but he hadn't extended me the same courtesy. I didn't know what I should have said to Maddock about it afterwards, so I said nothing. 

Daniel listened silently to my increasingly panicked explanations. I could hear myself repeating the same useless excuses time and again but was powerless to keep the words from pouring out of my mouth. I was desperate for some sign from him that I hadn't made a huge mistake, hadn't jeopardized both of our careers simply because I couldn't keep my mouth shut to Mallory. 

Daniel gave me no quarter. Eventually I grew tired of my cyclical babblings and stopped talking almost mid-sentence, and still Daniel was silent.

I couldn't take the stillness in the room. Every cell in my body was straining, waiting for some sort of response, some sort of emotion. Anger, disappointment, relief: anything would have satisfied me at that moment.

"What did Maddock say, Daniel?" I asked after a long stretch of painful silence.

Daniel regarded me emotionlessly for a moment, as if he didn't really see me, like I was someone he'd accidentally bumped into on a crowded sidewalk. It felt like every moment we'd had together over the past few weeks had just ceased to exist. They counted for nothing if he could look at me like that.

"Basically," Daniel rasped, "I've taken advantage of a young girl who knows no better and should be ashamed of myself." His voice was dry, rough-edged with sarcasm, and wholly unnerving to hear. "I've been distracted by a nice set of breasts and a pretty face to the detriment of my focus and, hence, my career."

I watched wide-eyed and silent as Daniel began pacing the length of the room. It was a gesture of old, one I hadn't seen since my first days of dealing with Daniel and it didn't bode well for the situation that he'd begun it again. 

"Maddock feels I've been a fool to allow things to happen between us. After all..." Daniel paused to look over at me. His silver eyes were lifeless in the dark hollows of his face. He'd aged over the course of the afternoon; the bitterness had crept back into the lines around his eyes and mouth. "After all, I have a notoriously bad record with women and I should know better than to expect it would be any different with someone like you."

"Someone like me?" The disbelief in my voice was evident. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It didn't sound like Daniel speaking at all, but an empty husk of the man I'd come to know.

"Someone young, beautiful, and ambitious. Someone who sees what they want and will do anything to get it. You're not to be blamed, of course," Daniel hurried on before I could interrupt his tirade. "You're inexperienced; you don't know all the rules of the game yet. Well, I'm certain this has been a good lesson for you. The next time you'll have the routine down pat."

There were no words, only an aching throb in my stomach that would never fade. It would have hurt less if he'd hit me.

"Maddock is taking you off the project and assigning me another junior architect. You can work with Jim Farrell; he's married and has like, ten kids. There's enough busy work to do around here to keep you and your considerable talents well employed. Considerable architectural talents," Daniel added, "as to your other considerable talents, well... I'm afraid I can't help you with those."

Everything felt numb and acutely painful at the same time, like a foot that's fallen asleep. The room spun around me and the edges of my vision dimmed and faded despite my deep, gasping breaths. 

"I-is that what you think of me?" I spat out, unsurprised at the bitterness which infused each syllable; apparently it was contagious.

Daniel didn't reply, but he stopped his pacing and stood motionless in the centre of the room. My disbelief kept me frozen in place for a time, each of Daniel's accusations sat festering in the air between us. I didn't know what to say, what to do to make him see his mistake, but eventually my astonishment and doubt faded away to reveal an emotion I was much more familiar with: anger.

"No," I said loudly, jumping up from my perch on the drafting stool and crossing the room in a few angry strides. "This is unacceptable, Daniel. That's not how I am and you know it!"

Daniel regarded me blandly. My fury increased.

"This is fucking ridiculous. I can't believe for one minute that you would think I was capable of using you like that. After all this time do you know nothing about me? I don't know about the women in your past, Daniel, but you know I'm not like them. You know." I tried to hold Daniel's gaze but he looked away, focussing on a spot over my shoulder. I took another step closer until I could feel the heat radiating off his broad chest. 

"So you're going to let it end like this? A coward's death is what this is. You told me last night you admired me because I fight for what I want. I wanted this: you and me. I wanted it and I was prepared to do anything for it. It was never about the job, about getting ahead. It was about how you made me feel. Everything was clearer when we were together, things just made sense. I know you felt the same, despite your damn need to keep everything inside. 

"You think I haven't learned a thing or two about you since we've slept together? I'm not your ex-wives, Daniel, or any of the other women you've been with. I was never going to use you, to bail on you when things got hard, to leave you for someone I wrongly perceived as better."

Daniel's blue-grey eyes flickered down to meet mine and just for a second I saw a little glimmer of hurt there that stole the breath from my lungs, but the cold, icy glare was back before I could be sure of what I had seen. Daniel straightened his back and stood a little taller, towering over me by almost a foot, treating me once more to the look which I'd forever remember as "the Dragon."

And then he turned and made for the door. I stood in stunned disbelief for a millisecond and then bolted after him as quickly as I could and threw myself at the door just as he was about to open it.

"Never walk away from me," I snarled lowly, feeling the anger boil over into something more. It didn't matter that Daniel outweighed me by a hundred pounds and that he could throw me aside without so much as breaking a sweat; there was no way I was going to let him do that.

Daniel arched his dark eyebrow in the all-too familiar gesture which made my heart ache underneath my anger. 

"It is not ending like this," I said, my voice wobbling with fury. "I will not let it end like this. It's the goddamn twenty-first century and what Maddock thinks about us sleeping together doesn't matter in the least to me. What we do together after hours is none of his freakin' business and I'm not about to let some crusty old man make my decisions for me. Being with you doesn't hurt what I do as an architect; hell, it makes me better. I make you better too, Daniel, and you know it. 


"Shit, this morning Maddock was praising you to the rafters and saying he wanted to make you partner, and now he's going to take it all away just because the truth has come out? I don't believe it. I fight for what I want; why the hell won't you?"

"What did you just say?" Daniel hissed. He grabbed my wrist and backed me against the door, pinning me in place with the broad weight of his body. 

"Fight for what you want, Daniel. If you want me, truly want me, then you have to fight for it." 

Daniel waved his free hand dismissively. "Not that, the other thing, before that. What did you say?"

My mind blanked for a moment; Daniel's expression was so fierce that I was a little scared beneath my bravado. The difference between us was clear: my anger was only on the surface, masking my stubbornness ; Daniel's ran much, much deeper and hid much, much more.

When I realized what I'd said I gasped aloud, and the noise confirmed what Daniel thought he'd heard. 

"What did Maddock say, Clara?" His grip tightened cruelly on my wrist. "Tell me what he fucking said."

I repeated the contents of my discussion with Maddock earlier, about how he was looking to retire soon and wanted to leave the firm in good hands. How Maddock had asked me of my opinion of Daniel and I'd given it freely. About how hard he'd worked for Maddock for twenty-odd years and how much he deserved the promotion. I made no mention of Maddock's promises for my own career.

"This job is everything to you, Daniel; I know that, I've always known that. And Maddock knows it too." It was hard to breathe with Daniel pressed so solidly against me, but I'd opened my big mouth already and wasn't going to let the opportunity to speak my mind pass me by. 

"Stand up for yourself and he'll back down. He doesn't really want you to throw your career away. He respects you too much, knows how much of his success he owes to you. You are Maddock Architects. As for what's between us -- I know you'll never be happy until you have this firm, so if you feel I get in the way of that, then at least have the balls to admit it to me instead of walking away."

Daniel looked down at me with an inscrutable expression, which I resented but would not back down from. We were both breathing hard and fast and the room was so warm it made my head spin. I felt flayed raw; ripped open by the intensity of every emotion I was capable of feeling, and it only felt worse for Daniel's lack of emotion. How could two people be so opposite to one another and survive?

I didn't know what to say so I just watched Daniel, memorizing every line of his remarkable face, every fleck of silver in his blue-grey eyes. My anger slowly dissipated and left behind a hollow, aching hurt which made me want to reach out and smooth the dark hair from Daniel's forehead before curling into the warmth of his body and sobbing out my frustration and fear. 

But tears wouldn't get a reaction from the Dragon and I knew it, so I kept them back and did instead the one thing I knew might reach him: I kissed him.

For a moment Daniel's mouth was motionless against my own, and my heart all but stopped from the fear that I had lost him forever, that I'd become nothing more than a sacrifice to his ambition. When Daniel did respond however, it was with a ferocity which made me cry aloud. He swallowed my whimper with greed and kissed me hard until we were both clutching frantically at the other, the battleground between us condensed into the heat of our mouths and the insistent thrust of our tongues.

This is what we are together, I thought as Daniel plundered and I moaned. His arms were rock solid as I hung on to him, dizzy with the desire only he could evoke in me. Maddock can't stop this; Lawrence Mallory can't stop it; hell, even Daniel's stubborn, emotionless facade can't stop it. I'd tried resisting the pull between Daniel and me in the beginning and lost, and now that I was lost in it I wasn't going to let it go, and if the only way to make Daniel realize the same was by using my body, then I was prepared to do so. 

With a low-pitched moan that bordered on a growl, Daniel's hands spanned my waist and lifted me up, grinding his hips into my own. He grabbed my leg and lifted it out, his agile fingers finding their way under my skirt to grasp at my ass. Unbalanced, I wrapped my legs around his waist, gasping as Daniel's erection ground into the heat of my pussy. Even through the layers of our clothing I could feel how hard he was.

I knew in an instant he was going to fuck me then and there, in his office, the one place where we'd always avoided acting on the physical side of our attraction. And I knew as well that it would be amazing, the best we'd ever had. My heart beat so frantically it hurt and I could feel my need pooling wetly between my legs.

Daniel's mouth travelled down to find the sensitive place where my neck met my shoulder; the shadow of his stubble scratched my skin and made me purr. I couldn't stop gasping, couldn't get enough air in my lungs, yet somehow I didn't care. Daniel's slim fingers crept under the fabric of my panties and met hot, wet flesh; the two of us moaned in unison. I wanted him so badly I could practically taste it.

The knock on the door was right beside my ear and so loud I jumped in Daniel's arms. Swearing lowly, Daniel released his hold on me, easing me down until my feet touched the floor. We stepped away from each other and Daniel watched wordlessly as I smoothed my skirt back down before he wrenched open the door.

Maddock stood in the hallway, the look on his usually kindly face was dark. He glanced past Daniel to where I stood. "Jesus, Sutcliffe," he said loudly, his grandfatherly face painted with disgust. "You can't keep your hands off the girl for ten minutes?"


Over the railing of the mezzanine, I could see heads at the desks on the ground floor pop up, every pair of eyes in the building watched us with undisguised curiosity.

Daniel stood glaring at Maddock and for a split second I could see the hesitation on his handsome face. Maddock was his boss, his mentor, the man who'd held Daniel's career in his hands for twenty years, who'd long ago shaped a young, talented man into one of the city's best architects. If there was one person in the world who Daniel liked and respected it was Robert Maddock. My stomach sank.

"I don't want to keep my hands off 'the girl,' " Daniel snarled, his response a surprise to both myself and Maddock, whose shocked expression must have mirrored my own. "I happen to quite like 'the girl'; and she has a name, Maddock, I suggest you use it. Yesterday you didn't have enough good things to say about Clara. Nothing has changed."

Maddock stood open-mouthed and silent as Daniel strode to the mezzanine balcony to address the room below. 

"Does anyone else have a problem?" he yelled sharply. The silence was profound. Not a single person dared to breathe. "No? Good." Daniel breezed past Maddock again and re-entered his office to stand beside me. He took both my hands and managed a small, crooked grin. "I'm sorry, Clara, if anything that's been said today, by anyone," he paused to shoot a dark glance in Maddock's direction, "has hurt you. You were right: my relationship with you doesn't interfere with what I do here. If anything, it challenges me to be better."

Daniel reached up to brush a wayward curl out of my eyes. I held my breath. "I don't want to be partner in this firm if I can't work with you," Daniel confessed huskily. I only half-heard Maddock's gasp of disbelief because Daniel had already leaned down to kiss me. He curled one strong hand around my waist and drew me in to press against the solid length of his body, and with the other hand he reached out and shut the office door in Maddock's face. 



I Thought I Hated Him Ch. 08



When our kiss ended I stood and stared at Daniel in open-mouthed disbelief. "What did you just do?" I gasped. Out in the hall I could hear Maddock swear loudly and storm away, slamming his office door. 

"I've been wanting to do that for a long time," Daniel said dryly. He looked stern, but there was the tiny hint of a smile playing about his lips. "I've hated that man for twenty years."

My mind couldn't seem to grasp what had just happened. It didn't seem possible that less than twelve hours had passed since I'd left Daniel's apartment that morning; the meeting at City Hall, the ensuing altercation with Lawrence Mallory, having everyone know the truth about Daniel and me, it was all too much to take in. And now Daniel had effectively slammed the door in the face of his career and unknowingly my own as well. Maddock might seem like a nice, old man, but he was as hard as nails underneath the Santa Claus exterior.

"Do you think he'll fire you?" I asked, afraid to hear the answer.

Daniel shrugged with his typical, effortless nonchalance. "Don't care really. I'm quitting."

"Quitting?" I blurted out. "Quitting? But if you go…" I stopped, unsure of what to say. Sometimes it felt as if working at Maddock Architects was the only real tie I had to Daniel apart from our chemistry in bed. If that ceased to be, where did that leave us?

"Are you doing anything this afternoon? Any client meetings?" Daniel asked in an offhanded manner which added to my confusion. I shook my head. He still held me in his arms but his voice sounded far away. I felt numb. I was still trying to imagine what the office would be like without Daniel. It was a painful thought.

"Good. I want to show you something."

I just stared at him in stunned silence. The entire day had been too much to process, making me feel slow and stupid.

Daniel released his hold on me with a gentle squeeze and a quick kiss on my forehead before he crossed to the desk and picked up the phone. It wasn't long after he dialled that he began to speak.

"Karen? Daniel. I'm going to sign. Can you meet me at four? I'd like to see it one more time before we do the paperwork. Yeah? I'll see you soon. Thanks." He hung up and began gathering papers off his desk, completely ignoring my small squeak of protest.

"What the hell is going on, Daniel?" I asked once I'd regained the ability to speak. 

He scooped up my purse and jacket, thrusting them at me with a crooked grin. "You drive," he drawled, chuckling all the harder at the shocked look on my face. Mystified, I just stared at him.

"Where are we going?" I asked, frustration and confusion dripping from every syllable.

Daniel's answering smile was enigmatic. "Forward."

-------

Everybody watched the two of us make our way through the office and out the door. No one said a word. Even the phones seemed to stop ringing. I looked as many people in the eye as I could and saw a myriad of expressions reflected back. A few of the older architects looked bemused, while the younger guys seemed either in awe of Daniel or angry with him. Every one of the female staff was grinning broadly. I smiled back at them even though I was still terribly confused about what had just happened and where we were going, but my pride had kicked in and I wasn't about to show weakness in front of the others.

I knew better than to expect Daniel to open up to me, so once we were road I followed Daniel's directions without question, turning left when he said "turn left," right when he indicated right, merging in all the appropriate places, blindly trusting Daniel to direct me to the unknown. No amount of arguing in the world would get the Dragon to talk if he didn't want to talk.

We eventually ended up in a part of the city which was unfamiliar to me and the narrow streets demanded my attention as I drove. Occasionally I chanced a glance at Daniel. His handsome face was stoic in profile and he looked neither angry over the day's events nor excited to be free of Maddock.

"It's on the right-hand side, Clara. The next block up," Daniel interrupted my thoughts with a small smile that revealed nothing of what was happening in his brain.

I pulled up to the curb where Daniel specified and he was out of the Jeep before I could even put it in park. With a heavy sigh I turned the key and quieted my grumbling vehicle before I joined him on the sidewalk.

It would have been hard to miss the large "For Sale" sign in front of the red brick fire station and I was so distracted by gawking at the building's textbook classic revival detailing topped with a wonderful clock tower, that I almost missed what had caught Daniel's attention.

Tall, slender, blonde, and beautiful – and she was hugging Daniel in a way that made me grit my teeth until they hurt.

"Danny," she cooed as he embraced her and kissed her cheek. "I swear you get better-looking every time I see you."

"Karen," Daniel replied in a smooth tone of voice I'd never heard before. "Thanks for doing this last minute."

The blonde shrugged. "For you, Honey, anything." She clutched familiarly at his arm. "Have you been working out?"

He chuckled and made no move to shake off her grip. "Karen," Daniel said, turning his gaze from her perfectly made-up face to my own. "I'd like you to meet Clara."

I took a few steps closer to the pair and tried to smile bravely. 

"Clara, this is Karen." Daniel's smile was bright and had the crooked, sexy edge he typically reserved for me. "She's my…" he trailed off, sounding unsure.

"Wife," Karen supplied with an equally bright smile. "Ex-wife," she amended with a giggle which didn't quite fit her highly-polished image. "Danny was my first husband. You know what they say," she leaned conspiratorially towards me. "The first time for love, the second time for money! And the third time… well!"

I was speechless. Up close Karen was even more perfect; there wasn't a flaw on her face or a hair out of place. I figured if she was Daniel's first wife she had to be at least 40, but she certainly didn't look it.

"You know, Danny," Karen laughed, studying me as carefully as I was studying her. "I swear your girlfriends get younger every year. You must be old enough to be her father!"

Daniel actually had the audacity to laugh, but secretly I was happy to note he didn't dignify Karen's flirtatious teasing with an answer. Typical Dragon: never feeling he needed to explain himself to anyone.

Karen brushed off Daniel's non-response with a casual wave and produced a set of keys from the pocket of her fitted designer blazer. "I know it's been a while, care to have another look, Danny love?"

Daniel's large hand swallowed the keys and his face broke into a boyish grin. He looked like a kid who'd just been given the key to a candy store.

"You two go ahead," Karen prompted, suddenly sounding professional. I realized with a jolt that it was her name on the 'For Sale' sign; not only was she Daniel's ex-wife, she was apparently his real estate agent too.

"Come on," Daniel said in a warm, low voice. He took my hand. "You're going to love this."

I only half-heard Daniel's dissertation on the classic revival architecture of the fire hall's exterior; my usual enthusiasm for dormer windows and original decorative dentils was dimmed by the sight of Karen's mini-skirt-clad ass as she dug about in the back of her car for paperwork. To his credit, Daniel didn't appear to notice.

It wasn't difficult to picture the two of them as a couple. Both were tall, fit, and ridiculously good looking; they looked like a married couple in a television commercial. It was obvious as well that they had a comfortable rapport with one another that could easily bloom into some serious chemistry. I wondered how long they had stayed married. I wondered who had left whom.

The three bay doors across the front of the fire station were painted bright red, as was the person-sized door to the left of them that Daniel unlocked with a grin. He held it open for me and I stepped into the gloomy, unlit interior. 

The late afternoon sunshine that filtered through the grimy, uncovered windows sparkled over the dust motes raised by each footstep. The sound of my high-heeled shoes against the cement floor echoed loudly in the large, empty space.

It looked so big without any fire engines parked in the bays. The ceilings were a good twenty feet over my head and in one corner an iron staircase spiralled to the second floor. What the hell was Daniel going to do with so much room?

Daniel followed me into the fire hall but remained a few steps behind, giving me time to take in the space and get a feel for the building – it's the first thing architects do every time they enter a space, whether they're conscious of it or not, and this time was no different. Even in my confused state I could almost hear myself cataloguing the building's faults and strengths. As empty and cold and hollow as the station was, I liked it immediately. There was so much potential there.

"What is this place?" I asked finally. My voice sounded unnaturally loud as it echoed in the vastness.

"It's mine," Daniel said with straight-forward simplicity.

"It is now," Karen added as she entered behind us. In her hand was a sheaf of papers that she waved at Daniel. "Your apartment went on the market an hour ago. I'll more than likely have an offer for you before the weekend."

"All this space just for you?" I stuttered. "What for?"

"It's not just for me," Daniel smiled a slow smile that made my heart beat a little faster. 

I glanced over his shoulder to where Karen stood, smiling knowingly at the two of us. "It's not?" I parroted.

Daniel shook his dark head and his smile melted away to reveal the strong expression he usually reserved for his most intense moments. "It's for us."

My ears rang. Us: the word echoed around the empty room. "Pardon?" I asked weakly.

"For our firm," Daniel prompted.

"Our firm?" My knees felt a little wobbly, but there was nowhere to sit down.

"Well, technically I guess it's my firm and you'll be working for me." Daniel's laugh was devoid of his usual cynicism, which somehow put me more at odds than I already was. Karen faded into the background, her presence irrelevant; the only thing that mattered was the sincere light in Daniel's silver-blue eyes.

"I – I don't understand," I stammered. "You're starting a firm?"

"Well I'm not working for Maddock any more," Daniel said with a wry twist to his lips. "I've wanted this for a long time, Clara. And you're going to work for me."

He took a step towards me, each line on his handsome face painted with an earnestness that wrenched at my stomach. I felt ill. I felt dizzy. "I'm going to work for you?" I repeated, as if trying to make the words and the concept sink in. "Were you going to ask me or did you just assume?"

Daniel stopped abruptly and the cold curtain of blankness fell over his face. "You don't want to work for me?"

Did I? I thought about all the work I'd put in at Maddock Architects, how much I'd sacrificed to get there, how much I'd given of myself just to get a job at the best firm in the city. My entire career loomed large before me and I stood perched uncertainly on the precipice.

"I – I have to sit down," I muttered, turning and making my way to the curving iron staircase. The treads looked filthy with dust but I didn't care. I sat with an ungraceful thump as my knees gave way.

"Clara," Daniel implored with a low growl. "You said this afternoon I made you a better architect, and I know damn well you do the same for me."

I nodded, gulping air into my suddenly arid lungs. The edges of my vision blurred slightly but it couldn't soften the harsh lines of Daniel's face. 

"But Maddock…" I mumbled feebly.

"Fuck Maddock," Daniel barked. "You're better than that place, Clara. It'll just hold you back, like it did me. There's no limit here, no one telling you 'no' all the time."

I couldn't help but arch a sardonic eyebrow. "You're never going to say 'no' to me? Can I get that in writing?"

Daniel crouched at my feet, his hands coming up to cradle my hips. "We'll be the best damn architects in the city."

Gazing into Daniel's remarkable eyes made my mind clear very suddenly – the fog which had clouded my brain since Maddock had learned the truth about me and Daniel lifted to reveal what I knew to be the inalienable truth: I didn't care about being the best architect in the city, didn't care about the recognition or my reputation – I just wanted to do my job as best I could. All I wanted, all I'd really ever wanted from my career, was to build something beautiful which would last, would outlive me, would be the legacy of my vision. I didn't need Maddock Architects to achieve that.

"Okay," I whispered before I could change my mind.

Daniel just stared at me for a moment and I could have sworn he was in as much disbelief over my acceptance as I was. "Okay? No argument?"

"What is there to argue over?" I asked softly. "I trust you."

Daniel sat back on his heels, unable to hide his incredulity. He shook his dark head. "Just like that?"

"Just like that," I said with a little more conviction. 

A smile bloomed slowly over Daniel's face, making him look ten years younger. He was so handsome my breath stopped in my throat. As much as I hated his superior, know-it-all attitude towards me at times, when he smiled like that I could refuse him nothing.

When he kissed me the passion of it made me gasp and Daniel took advantage, plundering my mouth with a sudden need that rendered me completely helpless. From the shadows I could hear Karen chuckle lowly as the smart click of her heels retreated outside. She closed the door behind her, blocking out the last rays of afternoon sunshine, plunging the space into a duskier light.

I barely noticed. All there was for me was Daniel and the insistence of his kisses. He spoke more with his mouth when he kissed me then he'd ever be able to with words, and I certainly didn't mind. I tried to think about what I'd just agreed to, what sort of business we could build together, but my mind couldn't focus on anything other than the way he tasted.

Daniel pulled me to my feet with one fluid motion, adding to my dizziness. He buried his hands in my hair and feasted on my lips. Eventually we broke apart and just stared at each other in the growing gloom, our breathing harsh, fast, and syncopated.

In the dying light of what had to be the longest day of my life I could see a familiar lusty glint in Daniel's eye.

"What? Here? Now?" I laughed as my own desire flared to match his. "What about Karen? She's right outside."

"What about Karen?" Daniel said with a husky chuckle. "She's got her own thing going on at home. She won't bother us."

"Husband number two?" I teased.

"Number three, actually. She never did anything smarter than ditching the asshole she left me for. And she can hardly twit me about your age. She's newly married to a thirty-two year-old golf pro."

I laughed along with Daniel. "I can't believe you're still friends with your ex-wife."

"I wouldn't say we're friends," Daniel countered and once more I thought I heard a small undertone of hurt in his voice. "It's taken a long time to get to this point."

"And yet she's your real estate agent," I challenged.

Daniel tugged playfully at one of my curls. "That's merely coincidence. When I saw this place was for sale I knew I had to have it. She just happened to be the one handling the deal. I had no control over that. It just seemed easiest to have her take care of the sale of my apartment too. She'll get me what I'm asking for it, of that I have no doubt. No one knows better than I do how hard a bargain that woman can drive."

I pictured Karen in my mind, her perfect body, her beautiful face. I rejoiced secretly at the few hard lines I'd noticed around her mouth. Despite her flirtatious smiles and girlish giggles those lines betrayed her age and an underlying cruelty that Daniel was obviously familiar with.

"Did you love her?" I asked. My voice was raspy and wavered slightly.

"I did, once," Daniel confessed with an openness which surprised me. "But that was a long time ago, Clara. We were young and foolish, fresh out of college."

Beneath the curtain of my hair Daniel was absentmindedly stroking the back of my neck. "Can we go home, Daniel?" I asked. His touch was soft, relaxing, and suddenly there wasn't anything I wanted to do more than curl up beside him and lose myself in the private world we'd created. I was weary and feeling pretty Scarlett O'Hara-ish: I didn't want to think about my problems anymore. I'd think about them tomorrow.

Daniel slung an arm around my shoulders, drawing me against the solid, comforting heat of his body. The gesture was reassuringly possessive. "Sure." 

Outside, Karen was sitting in the front seat of her car, the door wide open, talking on her cell phone. Her conversation floated over to me as I stood waiting for Daniel to lock up.

"I can't wait for you to get home," she purred into the phone. There was a dreamy expression on her face which made me smile. "When you do I'll be there waiting, on my hands and knees, just the way you like it, Baby…" she trailed off as she noticed me and actually had the grace to blush furiously. I grinned, feeling a sudden kinship with the blonde woman. I wasn't the only one going crazy over a man.

She said her good-byes quietly while I shot a glance over my shoulder at Daniel. He was gazing up at the second storey of his fire station, and even from a distance I could tell his mind was working furiously. Calculating and intense as always; it was sexy as hell.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Karen asked as she exited her car and came to stand beside me. 

"Sure," I offered, trying to ignore the little nervous knot which formed instantly in my stomach. We both stood and watched Daniel as he circled around to the side of the building and reached a hand out to touch the red brick.

"Good Lord, but I loved that man," Karen murmured, and I couldn't help but feel as if she was speaking less to me at the moment and more to herself. My answering smile was understanding.

"Look," Karen said with undisguised bluntness. "You seem like a nice kid; like you've got a good head on your shoulders and you're obviously not a fool. That's good, it's what he needs. He's been jerked around a lot in the past."

I opened my mouth to interject, but Karen stopped with a wave of her manicured fingers.

"I know, I know, I'm the queen jerk and therefore hardly qualified to be giving you advice." There was a friendly quality to her tone that made me laugh softly. "I don't know how long you've known Danny, but I doubt he's let you into that fortress of a brain of his. He doesn't open up easily, never has, probably never will. You need to be prepared for the possibility that he'll never admit that he needs you or that he loves you. He never told me, and it drove me away."

She paused, looking wistfully at the dark and handsome figure standing in the shadow of the fire station. "So here's my two cents. You don't know me, and you sure as hell don't have much reason to trust me, especially after everything I put that man through. I made my mistakes and if I could go back and change things… well, I might not have been so stupid. I figure I know Danny as well as anyone, so take my word for it: the man wants to build a future with you in it and that's as close to a declaration of love as you're ever going to get from him. Don't break your own heart waiting around for the words that will never come. Daniel Sutcliffe is a man of action. The sooner you learn that, the happier you'll be."





I Thought I Hated Him Ch. 08



Silence grew between us, which wasn't entirely comfortable, and yet I couldn't help but feel a small sense of kinship with the woman who stood beside me. We couldn't be more opposite to one another in almost every sense of the word, but we had one thing in common and as he strode towards us with that sexy, crooked grin on his face, Karen's sharp intake of breath echoed my own. 

As different as we were from each other, Karen and I shared one trait. We both loved Daniel Sutcliffe.



I Thought I Hated Him Ch. 09



[For Diatikan -- you cannot lose true friends - only misplace them for a while. Keep writing, my friend, you're better at it than you think. It's been a pleasure and honour to get to know you. Thank you for all your help. Wherever you are, I hope you are well.]

*

Mrs. Kendall stood in the centre of the fire hall and laughed. The cleaning crew had come and gone, and around us the movers bustled about, cursing Daniel under their breaths as they moved his heavy furniture up the narrow, winding staircase to the second floor.

"You kids are crazy," Mrs. Kendall teased, wiping away her tears of mirth as Daniel ripped into yet another mover; we could hear him yelling from the second floor. "Maddock's spitting nails about you two quitting, I'm sure."

I shrugged, really no longer concerned about what Robert Maddock thought of me. He'd been unsurprised at my resignation from his firm and had sent me on my way with dire warnings of how I was "throwing away my career" and "taking a chance on an unstable enterprise", but for all his bluster there hadn't been any real concern behind his words. I'd been pleased to find I didn't care that I was leaving Maddock Architects.

"So, give me a tour," Mrs. Kendall chided with a good-natured grin. She certainly had not been upset that her architects had parted ways with their old firm. She made the transition with us gladly, which certainly bolstered my faith in the old Battle-axe. In fact, she was quite keen to be part of the process of Daniel starting his own firm, which is how I found myself giving her the tour on moving day.

"This will be our reception area, when and if Daniel ever gets around to hiring a receptionist," I began, starting the tour inside the front door. I lead Mrs. Kendall to the spot just inside the open fire-engine bay doors where the sun shone through the windows for the lengthiest part of the day. "This is where Daniel and I are setting up our work stations and drafting tables, and back in the corner is where the boardroom table will be. There are two storage rooms along the rear of the building - one's going to remain storage for files and plans and the other we're renovating into washrooms for clients and staff."

"And upstairs?" Mrs. Kendall prompted with a mischievous smile.

I fell into her trap blindly. "Oh, upstairs is Daniel's apartment."

"Just Daniel's?" Mrs. Kendall teased.

I stopped dead in my tracks, blushing. "H-how'd you know?"

Mrs. Kendall patted my arm gently. "My Dear, I may be old, but I'm not blind yet. I see the way you two look at each other when you think no one is looking. I practically get hot flashes every time I'm caught in the cross-fire. Not that I blame you," she laughed like a young girl. "That man of yours is entirely too handsome for his own good. In many ways he reminds me of my Leo."

I watched as the lines around Mrs. Kendall's mouth deepened. "Leo was your husband?"

Mrs. Kendall nodded, her smile morphing from mischievous to wistful. "Dear Lord how I loved that man. I was a positive fool for him from the first second I saw him. Of course, I had to work damn hard just to get him, but once I got my talons into him I wouldn't let go. He married me eventually.

"Leo was seventeen years older than me," Mrs. Kendall sighed. "And he was a confirmed bachelor by the time I came along. I was a young and silly thing who didn't know her mind one day to the next, but there was never any doubt I wanted Leo. I used to think we'd burn a hole in the mattress things were so hot between us."

Mrs. Kendall sat down on a stack of boxes and patted the space beside her in a friendly gesture. I joined her.

"Leo and I were together for forty-three years before he died. He was a difficult man at times, but that's part of the reason why I loved him so fiercely, and I suppose in my own way I was difficult too. I won't lie to you Honey, and tell you it was easy, but whatever our difficulties were they were more than made up for by the good times. I've never loved anyone the way I loved my Leo and while you might not want to admit it, I see the same look on your face as I saw on my own all those years ago. Daniel Sutcliffe is a difficult man, but trust me when I say he'll be worth the trouble."

I considered Mrs. Kendall and her wisdom-filled smile for a moment before answering with a smile of my own. Daniel's voice drifted down from the second storey with such authority even the burly, experienced movers didn't dare argue with his commands. I laughed softly in unison with Mrs. Kendall.

"Do you think I'm crazy?" I asked, toying with a loose thread at the hem of my t-shirt. "I think Maddock does, never mind more than half of our mutual acquaintances."

Mrs. Kendall shook her head, the gesture punctuated by yet another wistful sigh. "My dear child, I think tossing over Maddock Architects is the best decision you and your Daniel have ever made. A fresh start is what both of you need. You're a talented young lady, I knew that from the start, and there isn't any doubt in my mind your relationship with Daniel will enhance that talent -- both professionally and personally, I suspect."

She patted my knee in a friendly way. "Take it from an old lady, Clara. Men like Daniel Sutcliffe come around but once in lifetime -- don't let him pass you by. Dig in your talons."

Daniel came bounding down the spiral staircase, scattering movers in his wake. Even clad in blue jeans and an old grey t-shirt he looked for a moment as if he were too good to be true and I knew in an instant I'd heed Mrs. Kendall's advice without fail. Daniel was one-of-a-kind.

"Damn if they didn't scratch the hell out of my Parson's chair," Daniel grumbled, stopping abruptly in front of me and Mrs. Kendall and scowling with menace. "You'd think that at the rate I'm paying them they could at least treat my antiques with a bit of respect."

Mrs. Kendall fielded Daniel's ire with practiced smoothness. "Total savages, my dear Mr. Sutcliffe. Perhaps we should get out of their way? I could certainly use a cup of tea, and while Miss Kovacs is a charming hostess, I'd very much love to hear the history of your lovely fire hall. Perhaps you could show me the outside of the building? I'm sure the movers can handle themselves. Miss Kovacs will keep an eye on them, won't you dear?"

I nodded, watching as Mrs. Kendall captured Daniel's single-handed interest with ease. He took her arm and I could hear Daniel's architectural lecture begin before the pair even got outside. Laughing to myself, I started forward to smooth things over with the movers.

-------

For the first time all day I was alone, but I was too tired, sweaty, and frustrated to enjoy it. From my cramped position under my desk I could just see the last rays of the day's sunshine fade across the cement floor. It was strangely stark and beautiful but all the dreaming in the world wasn't going to get the computers hooked up.

The movers had finally gone, leaving in their wake an empty silence in the large space which surprised me. Daniel was gone too, having swept Mrs. Kendall away to a late lunch with my blessing. I had no problem with him schmoozing our most important client, for which Daniel's relief had almost been tangible. I had resisted the urge to tell him to play nice while wining and dining our most important client. She was, after all, our only client. But I suspected my warning would have gone unheeded. Daniel would enjoy sparring with the irascible Mrs. Kendall just as much as she would enjoy pushing his buttons in return.

So that left me alone in the fire hall, on my hands and knees on the cold concrete, trying to remember which outlet was the USB port and which was the outlet for the mouse. In the dying afternoon light they all looked pretty much the same to me. Daniel had foisted the job off to me with obvious relish, claiming I knew more about computers than him, which was probably true. In that respect we were doomed.

I half-crawled out from beneath the desk to jiggle the mouse around a bit but still the cursor wouldn't move across the screen. "Fuck," I muttered, staring at the offending bit of hardware with malice. I think I'd plugged the damn thing into every outlet on the back of the hard drive at least once with no success.

"Bloody Hell," I grumbled as I crawled back under the desk. My knees screamed in protest and I could feel my extremities getting colder the longer they were in contact with the cement floor. I didn't care if Daniel thought it was aesthetically obtrusive, I was getting a carpet for beneath my desk if it was the last thing I did.

"And that is one hell of a view."

Daniel's voice was so unexpected it startled me. I jumped, hitting my head on the underside of the desk. I swore loudly and tried to back out to stand up in order to give him shit for scaring me, but Daniel had other plans. His hands quickly met my hips and kept me from moving out from under the desk. His low whistle grated on my nerves.

"Let me up, Daniel. It's cold down here," I snapped. His answered chuckle was licentious. "Seriously," I said with a growl, "it's not funny."

"And I'm not laughing," Daniel teased, using one hand on my hip to keep me from moving and the other to caress the rounded curve of my ass. "Nothin' funny about this view. These jeans of yours are positively criminal. Every single man in the place did nothing but stare at your ass all day, it's a wonder any of my furniture survived."

I couldn't help but laugh, secretly pleased Daniel had noticed both my jeans and the movers checking me out. The jealous note in his voice pleased me too.

Daniel's touch grew more exploratory and under the power of his caresses I forgot for a moment that I was stuffed beneath a desk.

Daniel knelt behind me, pressing his erection suggestively against me. "This gives me an idea," he purred.

I laughed through the haze of my sudden arousal. Even through the thick denim of our jeans I could feel the heat and length of Daniel's hardness. I was sore and tired, but never had I been more ready for a few good hours in bed with Daniel. When I confessed that thought to him his laugh was self-satisfied.

"I know, it feels like I haven't had you beneath me in weeks," Daniel said with a sigh. He pulled at my hips and helped me to stand. Every joint in my body creaked in complaint and the sudden change of altitude made me a little dizzy.

It had been a long few weeks. Between packing and moving two apartments and two offices and merging them into one, it was little wonder that we'd barely had time to sneak in a few earth-shattering kisses, never mind a more serious bout between the sheets.

Nobody had been more surprised than me when Daniel asked me to move in with him. Actually, 'asked' wasn't really what happened -- Daniel assumed I was moving in and then had been angry when I seemed shocked by the idea, which led to a window-rattling argument, which in turn led to window-rattling sex, and by the time it was all over I guess I agreed because less than twenty-four hours after that I'd terminated the lease on my apartment and started packing my things.

Daniel reached down to tuck a wayward curl behind my ear. He looked as tired as I felt, but still so damn handsome.

"How was lunch with Mrs. Kendall? You two certainly took your time." I was curious to hear how he'd handled the delightfully troublesome old lady.

"Productive, actually," Daniel said with a weary grin. "I think we might have another client." He traced the path of an escaped tendril of my ponytail across my neck. I shivered.

"Really?"

"Yeah, her brother just bought lakefront property north of the city and wants to build a cottage. She took me out to see the spot -- it's amazing."

I tried to picture the potential cottage as Daniel described the scenic property to me. "Like quaint, rustic log cabin sort of cottage?" I asked finally, unable to form a mental picture.

Daniel shook his dark head. "Like multi-million dollar, 6 bathroom, 10 bedroom, in-ground pool, clay tennis court sort of cottage," he chuckled. "I think I'm beginning to like having wealthy clientele."

"I guess so," I murmured, my brain suddenly full to the brim with possibilities. It would have to windows everywhere, floor to ceiling. I grinned. I love windows. The cottage would need a terrace which would stretch to edge of the lakefront - anything to take advantage of the view. We'd find a way to plan all the bedrooms so they'd have a view of the water as well, and an open-concept living room with cathedral ceilings and miles of glass, also overlooking the lake. 

"Clara?" Daniel prompted with a gruff laugh. He waved a hand in front of my unseeing eyes. "Hello? We were sort of in the middle of something, architecture can wait for later."

I focussed on Daniel's amused silver eyes with difficulty. I could feel the itch in my fingers which normally drove me to find a pencil and start sketching. Daniel's expression was half bemused, half flirtatious. 

"I'm sorry," I murmured, feeling myself blush. "I got distracted."

"Well then," Daniel teased, circling my waist with his arms and pulling me against the solid wall of his body. "I'll just have to un-distract you." He bent to plant a kiss on my neck, his breath hot in my ear. "I think we should move this upstairs."

Without warning Daniel grabbed my hips and spun me about until I faced the wrought-iron staircase spiralling to the second floor. He pressed himself against me once more, allowing me to feel the hard length of his erection against my lower back. Suitably distracted from daydreams of buildings, I wiggled against him, happy to hear him growl in a low tone.

Under his direction I managed to climb the stairs, all the while trying to teasingly dodge Daniel's attempts at grabbing my ass. His renewed grip on my hips as we hit the second floor was possessive and filled with wordless intent.

I stopped dead in my tracks, however, and surveyed the main living area. For the most part it looked as if the movers had just dumped everything destined for the second floor at the top of the stairs. The stacks of boxes and odd bits of furniture towered almost to my head and stretched off in two directions, one bit towards the livingroom/kitchen, and the other towards the back of the building where we'd planned on setting up the bedroom and another office.

"Daniel," I groaned, trying to ignore the heat of his body behind me. "We can't leave this mess the way it is." My aching exhaustion of earlier came back full force as I surveyed the barely contained chaos. "I don't even know where the bed sheets are, and there's food in some of those boxes which should be unpacked. It's almost dinner time and we can't cook without unpacking the dishes. Plus we'll need towels at some point, and I have no idea where those are." I could feel panic creeping up my throat. It would take all night to find what we needed just to get through until morning. I guess I hadn't planned the move out as carefully as I thought.

"Clara," Daniel said in a low snarl. "It can wait."

"It can't wait," I rushed on, trying to take a step towards the mountain of boxes. Daniel snaked an arm around my waist and held me against him. I struggled to free myself, feeling my temper rise as it coupled itself with my fatigue. "We don't have time for this," I snapped peevishly. "There's too much to do."

Daniel's strong hold didn't let up.

"Stop it," I gasped, squirming against him. "I'm not in the mood now, let me go!"

Daniel's mouth was right against my ear, I could hear his breathing become more rapid the harder I struggled against him. His breath was scalding hot and felt entirely too good if I thought about it. His hand crept up beneath my sweater to clutch at my breast. Traitorously, my nipple hardened in an instant. Daniel chuckled.

"Stop it," I said, trying to ignore the flash of desire that shot through me at his touch. His thumb thrummed roughly over my bra-clad flesh, making me moan. "Daniel!" I reprimanded.

He bit my earlobe with very little gentleness, laughing again as I shuddered against him. I opened my mouth to voice another feeble protest, but Daniel cut me off. "Be quiet, Clara, for once." His tone brokered no argument and I could feel my will to resist rapidly dissipating. Fighting him was more exhausting than giving in, and besides, I could feel the dampness spring up between my legs, accompanied by a pleasant tingle which only Daniel could make go away. 

Daniel clutched at my breast, testing its weight, relearning its roundness. His voice in my ear was raspy and low. "That's a good girl," he whispered, giving my breast another possessive squeeze. "You be quiet and I'll tell you how this is going to be. Personally, I don't care if there are towels in the washroom or sheets on the bed. Hell, I don't even care if there is a bed. I haven't had you in a long time and I'm through with waiting. I want you now, here, and you're going to co-operate with me. Aren't you?"

I nodded, feeling light-headed from excitement. Daniel jerked my bra down enough to free my nipple to his bare touch. My knees wobbled, but his other arm held me solidly against him so I wouldn't fall.

"You want me just as badly as I want you, don't you Clara," Daniel whispered. I closed my eyes, gasping for breath. "I bet you're wet as hell right now. Wet for me," he bit my neck again, no doubt leaving a mark that wouldn't fade until morning. "I don't know why you still fight me after all this time. You think you'd have learned by now that everything I do will make you feel good, make you eventually come."

His laugh was low and predatory. I clutched dizzily at his arm as he squeezed my breast, pinching my nipple roughly. My whimper of protest and desire only seemed to push him further. I could feel the hard heat of his cock pressing against the top of my buttocks; it twitched every time I wiggled against him.

"This time, it'll be fast and hard," Daniel promised as the fingers of one hand worked my nipple while the fingers of the other released the button fly of my jeans. He slid his hand down to skim across the exposed top of my panties, teasing at the place where skin met lace.

"The second time I'll go slow, teasing you, making you beg. You'll pout and arch your back, completely unable to lie still as I touch every part of you." His fingers skimmed over the fabric of my panties, barely touching my curls but making me moan nonetheless. "But you'll have to wait for me to give you what you want, to touch you where you're the wettest, the hottest." He dipped his hand into my jeans roughly, cupping my pussy through my underwear. He laughed with satisfaction when he found the dampness he'd created.

"Daniel, please," I cried weakly, struggling once more against his iron-grip, desperate for him to put me out of my misery.

"Shhhh..." he purred into my ear. "You didn't want this, remember? There's too much else to do."

Everything in my head was a jumble of half-formed thoughts and sensations. I couldn't breathe, couldn't focus on anything but Daniel and his rasping voice in my ear. His hands were anchors against my body, holding me up, keeping me from melting to a puddle on the floor. My gasps for air were punctuated by small mewling noises as Daniel rolled my nipple between his thumb and forefinger. His other hand was too still for my liking. I wanted him to touch me, to rip aside my panties and delve into the heat he'd caused, to seek my clit and end my frantic, tingling anticipation. 

"Oh God," I moaned on an exhaled breath as he kissed my neck, laving the sensitive place he found there with the rough width of his tongue. "Please."

"Please what, Clara?" Daniel rocked his hips against my ass, causing me to whimper again as I felt his hardness.

"Please Daniel," I clawed at his bare arm, trying to get him to move his fingers against my pussy. "Fuck me, please."




I Thought I Hated Him Ch. 09



His answered growl was positively chilling and Dragon-like, but it only further fuelled the burning need in my belly. "Where," he asked, his voice caught huskily in his throat.

"Here," I gasped, beyond caring where we were. "Now. Please."

"Pull your jeans down," Daniel ordered. He wrenched at my bra until it circled my waist and quickly reclaimed my right breast with one hand, leaving the other to be chaffed teasingly by the rough wool of my sweater. 

I shimmied my jeans over my hips, letting them pool forgotten at my feet, followed seconds later by the thin, damp wisp of panties I'd been wearing. The air in the room was cool, but couldn't account for the goosebumps which pimpled me. With his free hand Daniel pushed me forward, grunting his encouragement as I braced myself against the stack of boxes closest to us. I could hear the loud release of his zipper over the rasping, frantic rhythm of our breathing.

"Good God," Daniel whispered, running his hand up my spine, pushing my sweater up as he did so. His caress was strangely gentle and comforting. "First time fast and hard, second time slow," he promised, his fingers trailed down my back and into the cleft of my buttocks until they found hot, wet, flesh. We both moaned.

Daniel didn't even bother removing his own jeans - he just unzipped his fly and freed his hardness from the confines of his boxer shorts before burying it in me with no warning save his loud grunt of approval as we connected. The sudden fullness made me cry out with pleasure and surprise. 

His hands gripped my hips roughly as Daniel gave me no quarter, but plunged to full depth with each breath, withdrawing quickly and almost completely before thrusting again. My orgasm didn't wait for him, but sprung from my lips with a keening cry which echoed loudly around the unfurnished room. 

Daniel's words of encouragement were an almost incomprehensible torrent of sound which danced alongside the sensation of him filling me again and again, and when he reached around with one hand to connect with the burning nub of my clitoris, I practically collapsed with the pleasure of it all, almost too forgone in another orgasm to notice the spasming contractions of Daniel's own release within me.

His long moan of completion echoed with pleasing gratification in my own head. Hell yeah, I had wanted him, and I'd never get tired of knowing he wanted me too -- that was satisfaction of an entirely different sort. My smile was triumphant. 

Daniel pulled me gently to the floor, before he wrapped his arms around my torso and nestled me into the long length of his body. He still remained inside me, and the fullness of it was comfortingly pleasant now that the excitement was over. My muscles contracted weakly around him as the last vestiges of my orgasms melted away. 

"Mmmmm...," I sighed, opening my eyes to gaze up at the towering mountain of boxes. The floor beneath us was hard and cold, but I couldn't bring myself to care.

"Clara?" Daniel murmured against the damp skin at the back of my neck. "Are you okay?"

I turned slightly in his arms until I could see the blue-grey of his eyes. The concern floating within them made my heart all but stop in my chest. "Yeah," I whispered, reaching up to trace the line of worry between his brows. "I'm more than okay, I'm fabulous."

Daniel's smile bloomed slowly across his handsome face. "You had me worried there for a second."

I flexed my internal muscles around him and we both moaned in unison as he slipped out of me, leaving me empty and feeling inextricably hollow. "No need to worry, I've never felt better."

He chuckled against my hair before leaving a kiss there. "You know I would never deliberately hurt you, don't you?"

I nodded, relaxing into the warmth of Daniel's embrace. Against my back I could feel the still rapid beat of his heart. "I know, Daniel. I've always known that. I trust you."

Daniel closed his eyes, hiding from me the quick flicker of emotion I thought I glimpsed within them. I tried not to be hurt as I watched his handsome face become stoically composed once more. I pushed back the dark wave of hair which slipped over his forehead, tugging playfully at the grey strands woven throughout.

"Are you okay?" I asked after his silence stretched on for a little too long. Daniel opened his eyes, and the intensity of his silver gaze made me gasp. And then Daniel "the Dragon" Sutcliffe opened his attractive mouth and said five words I never thought I'd ever hear in my life.

"Clara, will you marry me?" 



I Thought I Hated Him Ch. 10



Daniel closed his eyes, hiding from me the quick flicker of emotion I thought I glimpsed within them. I tried not to be hurt as I watched his handsome face become stoically composed once more. I pushed back the dark wave of hair which slipped over his forehead, tugging playfully at the grey strands woven throughout.

"Are you okay?" I asked after his silence stretched on for a little too long. Daniel opened his eyes, and the intensity of his silver gaze made me gasp. And then Daniel "the Dragon" Sutcliffe opened his attractive mouth and said five words I never thought I'd ever hear in my life.

"Clara, will you marry me?" 

I jumped up from the floor and pulled on my panties and jeans in one quick motion, leaving Daniel lying open-mouthed in disbelief beneath me.

"That's not funny," I cried, trying to recapture my curls into some semblance of order. "You can't joke about things like that." I pulled my abandoned bra off with a frustrated growl and let it drop to the floor.

"I wasn't joking," Daniel snapped, sitting upright and sending me a cold glare. "I was being perfectly serious. I want you to be my wife, Clara."

"Why?" I blurted out as I stepped away from Daniel's outstretched hand.

He shook his dark head, his expression fierce: the Dragon was ready to do battle. "Because I'm in love with you and want to spend the rest of my life with you - why the hell else?" Daniel rose gracefully to his feet before righting himself and zipping up his fly; the intimate moment between us was lost.

"Were you ever going to tell me that?" I cried as I stepped around a pile of boxes, desperate to put some distance between the two of us and give my still-whirling mind a moment to comprehend what was happening. "Or were you just going to assume I'd figure it out on my own?"

"What's your problem, Clara? I just proposed to you for Chrissake, and you're fighting with me? This is supposed to be the happiest moment of your life!"

"Was it the happiest moment of your other wives lives too?" I shot back, instantly regretting the words as Daniel's steely eyes narrowed dangerously. I clamped a hand over my mouth, but it was too late to take the words back.

The Dragon loomed large over me, his mouth twisted into an ugly grimace. "Maybe I've made a mistake then, in thinking that you loved me back. Pardon me if I've gotten that impression over the past few weeks. I must be an idiot."

It was my turn to reach for him, but Daniel moved away from my straining fingers as easily as I had evaded his moments earlier. "I'm sorry," I said quickly, feeling the prick of tears spring up behind my eyes. "You just surprised me - that's all. You have to admit this is all moving a little quickly."

Daniel regarded me coldly for a moment before his grim expression melted into an awkward, lopsided smile. "I guess that was a little out of left field, I'm sorry."

"This is not how I pictured being proposed to," I admitted, blushing hotly as a tear escaped to trickle down my cheek. I ducked my head, allowing the curtain of my hair to hide my face from Daniel's questing gaze. "I think I just ruined the whole thing."

"No, it's my fault." Daniel moved towards me and cupped my chin in his large hand, tilting my head until I looked him in the eye. "You deserve better than a cold, bare floor in an empty room. Next time I'll do better, I promise Sweetheart."

Six months earlier I wouldn't have been able to imagine the Dragon apologizing to me in my wildest dreams. Now he stood before me with a boyish, self-conscious expression and rueful eyes. I smiled encouragingly at him. "That sounds fair. And the next time I'll react a little bit better, I promise."

Daniel's answered smile was so beautiful my heart ached. "I know you think I'm a fuck-up Clara, and I have the ex-wives to prove it. But I never felt for them what I feel for you. You say you trust me - please trust me in that too."

I nodded as Daniel's hand slid from my chin to the crook of my neck, pulling me close. His kiss was sweet and honest and said more to me than he probably realized. 

"I love you too," I whispered as we parted. The flicker in his silver eyes made me smile. 

-------

My feet were cold in my slippers and my neck ached from being hunched over my drafting table for so long, but I didn't feel compelled to stop. The quiet slide of the straight-edge and the scratch of my pencil over the vellum were the remedy for my frantic mind. I threw myself entirely into the Kendall plans, finding comfort in the ability of my work to chase almost all else from my brain.

Life with Daniel had settled quickly into a routine. We worked together all day, in silence mostly, until something needed to be said. Then we retired upstairs to cook and eat dinner before curling up on our perspective ends of the couch with our books, our feet entwined comfortably, our new cat asleep between us. When we went to bed we usually made love, sometimes with the frantic, roof-raising passion of old, other times with the slow, secret intimacy I treasured beyond words. We never spoke of Daniel's proposal or the future; it just seemed safer that way. We couldn't argue about it if we didn't talk about it.

It was nice to have work to throw myself into. Since starting his own firm three months ago, Daniel's client roster had grown steadily, and the newly christened Sutcliffe and Associates had expanded quickly to include an Administrative Assistant and two co-op students from the university in addition to Daniel and myself. During the day the fire hall could be a busy place, but I preferred the dusky, coolness of early evening when everyone had gone home and Daniel had slipped upstairs to the apartment to cook dinner.

The Kendall project had hit the wall, with the city refusing us a building permit and Mrs. Kendall refusing to sell. The land developers were starting to realize the old lady wasn't going to back down, and had switched instead to putting pressure on City Hall themselves to declare the building unsafe so it could be demolished. All-in-all it had turned quite nasty, but I couldn't quit my obsession with the project, and even though we had no need for any more plans, I couldn't stop drawing and redrawing every little detail of the house.

I sketched out the now-familiar foundations, not even needing my notes to remember the measurements or the photos to picture the shape of the simple structure. It was all imprinted in my head and probably always would be. My pencil flew, creating the familiar shape of the building yet again, finding a strange sort of comfort in the unchanging, stable foundation of the house I inexplicably loved.

"Clara?" Daniel's voice was husky and surprised me from my work. My head snapped up to see him standing beside my drafting table, two mugs of tea in hand. I hadn't heard him come downstairs.

He passed me my tea and studied the drawing tacked to my table. He shook his dark head. "The foundations again? I don't know why you're torturing yourself, Sweetheart. You know as well as I that this project is going nowhere."

I took a sip of the scalding Earl Grey, letting it warm my cold insides. Around the hot mug my fingers ached and tingled as they came back to life. 

"I know," I conceded with a sigh. "But for some reason I can't let it go. I dream about it at night, think about it all day. It haunts me."

Daniel leaned over me and traced the foundation line I'd just drawn, inadvertently smudging the pencil. "You draw it so well; it seems a crime these plans will never be used. It's just the foundation, but you breathe life into every line; it's held this house up for more than a hundred years but even that isn't going to be enough to save it."

My mind whirled, making me gasp for breath as my tea trembled in my mug. Alarmed, Daniel crouched beside my chair and took the hot vessel from my hands. "Clara? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," I said slowly, feeling the possibilities open up before me in an endless vista. "The foundation..."

"Okay," Daniel murmured, putting down my tea and taking both my hands. "You're losing your mind. Think clearly Clara, and then speak. Please."

"You said the foundations have held this house up for more than a hundred years," I muttered, looking at Daniel but not really seeing him. "But what if they don't have to anymore?"

He shook his dark head again, his silver-blue eyes concerned. "You're not making sense, Sweetheart."

I squeezed Daniel's hands as excitement coursed through my veins. The words couldn't come fast enough. "Think of it Daniel. The house belongs to Mrs. Kendall, but the land doesn't, right?"

He nodded slowly, but the look in eyes said he wasn't getting my meaning.

"The building is hers to do with what she likes. And the only thing connecting the house to the land is the foundation. What if we don't need that foundation any more, Daniel? What if we move the house?"

The concept dawned on Daniel's handsome face in a wave of understanding. "You mean, dig it up and move it to another location?"

"Sure, people do it all the time. It'll be a delicate process since the house is so old, but I'm sure it can be done. And I'm sure Mrs. Kendall can afford to buy some land in a suitable, nearby location. We can save the building and the city can do whatever the hell it wants to with the land." I had to restrain myself from jumping from my chair and flinging myself at Daniel. Instead I squeezed his hands harder, trying to convey my excitement. "It's not ideal, since really keeping the house in its original location would be the most historically responsible thing to do, but if we can't do that -- well, we'll just move it!"

Daniel regarded me in silence for a time before shaking his dark head with a harsh laugh. "You're something else, Sweetheart, you know that? Why didn't I think of that?"

"It's a simple solution," I chided, smiling as Daniel raised one of my hands to kiss my knuckles. "The simplest solution is often the hardest to come by."

"Are we really talking about the Kendall house, here?" Daniel asked as his voice caught thickly in his throat. His remarkable eyes were intense and the single-minded look on his face robbed me of breath.

"I don't know," I admitted. "Aren't we?"

"So we dig it up and move it. Then what? Everything needs a foundation, Clara. Surely you learned that in architectural school?" The low timbre of Daniel's voice skated over my spine and made me shiver.

"We'll build a new one, Daniel. The old one was falling apart anyway." I said softly.

"A new foundation for an old house?" 

"Are we really talking about the Kendall house, here?" I echoed Daniel's earlier question, my stomach tied in knots.

"I don't know," Daniel admitted. "Are we?"

I kissed him. I had to. He tasted like Earl Grey and smiled against my lips.

"Ask me again," I whispered, hoping he knew the right question.

The silver in Daniel's eyes deepened to a smoky, grey-blue. His grip on my hands tightened as my heart stopped.

"Marry me, Clara."

It wasn't a question, but it didn't need to be. I nodded.

-------

We lay in bed, legs entwined, my head resting against Daniel's stomach, his hands buried in my hair. I traced the path of dark hair downwards from Daniel's navel. As my fingers approached his softening cock, it twitched, leaking the last few traces of his pleasure. "You're going to be the death of me yet, Sweetheart," he gasped as I cleaned up the evidence with my tongue and smiled to myself.

"At least you'll die happy," I teased. "But not before tomorrow, okay? We're going to need you."

"Moving day," Daniel groaned, tugging at one of my ringlets. He chuckled as I squealed in protest. "That damn house better not fall apart or it really will be the death of me."

I giggled before snuggling up against the warm solidity of Daniel. "Mrs. Kendall will kill us both if anything happens to that house."

"Nothing will happen," Daniel reminded me. His touch wandered down my spine, tracing some invisible line only he could see. "We've put together the best team that Mrs. Kendall's ridiculous sums of money can buy. It'll go off without a hitch, I promise you."

I nodded, feeling a confidence about the move which I could completely attribute to the man lying beside me. "I can't wait."

"Best sleep now, Sweetheart," Daniel murmured, drawing me up to settle into the crook of his arm. My head fit perfectly into warm space between his neck and the pillow. "It's a long day tomorrow."

"Mmmm..." I sighed. My own contentment had settled into my bones and the last thing I was aware of was the musky smell of Daniel's skin as I fell asleep against him.

-------

The sun was bright but the day was cool. The white hardhat I'd been forced to don did little to keep me warm, and I shivered at the work site as the wind blew through me. 

Further along Daniel stood talking with the Head Engineer for the structural moving company. How was it that he managed to make a hardhat look sexy? I sighed, and beside me Mrs. Kendall laughed. Her own hardhat was bright blue and made a striking contrast to her white hair.

"Don't be nervous, dear. It'll all be over soon." 

The two of us stood at held out breaths every moment it took the moving team to hoist the house off its foundations and on to the monster flat-bed truck. That it managed to get up there in one piece amazed me completely. The engineers and movers handled the procedure with clock-work like efficiency. It took them almost three agonizing hours just to get it on the truck; it would take them another four to drive it a kilometre down the road to Mrs. Kendall's property and another three more to settle the house on its new foundations.

Daniel was in the thick of it all and I could hear his laughter and shouts of encouragement from where I stood. Occasionally he'd look back to see if Mrs. Kendall and I still watched. We both waved cheerfully at him, although the cold bit me fiercely and my body ached.

"What's wrong, Clara?" Mrs. Kendall asked after my third or fourth heavy sigh. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't know," I confessed, rubbing at the ache in the small of my back from standing in one spot for so long. "I've been so tired lately, dizzy sometimes, and nauseous too. I think I'm coming down with the flu. Daniel thinks I've been working too hard, but I don't think so. I don't know - it's weird."

Mrs. Kendall chuckled knowingly and led me to a nearby parked truck to sit me down on the tailgate. "Have you been to the doctor?" Mrs. Kendall asked. Her kind face was painted with a strange combination of delight and concern.

I shook my head and removed my hardhat. "I haven't had time, and to be honest, we don't have coverage at work yet, so I've been hesitant to. It'll pass," I smiled, trying to convince myself more than her.

"I'm sure it will, Dear," Mrs. Kendall patted me knee and chuckled. "In about nine months."

I couldn't have been more stunned if she'd hit me. "Y- you think I'm pregnant?" I whispered the word as if afraid of it, making Mrs. Kendall laugh a little harder.

"When a man and a woman do what you and your Daniel have been doing with what I'm sure is alarming frequency, my dear, it's bound to happen eventually. Take it from me, Leo and I had four children."

Pregnant? I sat numbly, completely oblivious to anything around me. The sounds of the work site faded away. I didn't even feel the cold any more. Daniel and I were going to have a baby?

"I'm going to venture another guess," Mrs. Kendall interrupted my thoughts with her usual dry chuckle. "And say that your Daniel's never been a father before."

I shook my head. "His other wives didn't want kids. Why?"

"Well, if he had he'd probably have recognized your symptoms, Clara. As it is, it's just as well. You two can have this adventure together. You'll be an amazing mother, of that I have no doubt." Mrs. Kendall laughed once more and gave my knee a final squeeze. "I think I'll wander down and get a closer look at the move. Shall I send your Daniel up?"

I nodded automatically, my brain still trying to wrap itself around the possibility Mrs. Kendall had brought to my attention. A baby? Children? With Daniel? Little Daniel Sutcliffe's running about? Lord help me -- I'd never have a moment's peace.

My mind raced frantically. When was my last period? Two months ago? Three? I couldn't remember, I realized in a panic. We'd been so busy with setting up the firm, working with new clients, organizing the move for Mrs. Kendall's house. If I'd thought about any missed periods in amongst all that I couldn't remember.

My hand settled on my abdomen. Nothing felt different. Everything felt different. I closed my eyes against the dizziness and tried to keep breathing. A baby. I was going to have Daniel's baby. I hadn't been to the doctor, hadn't taken any tests, but I knew it as surely as I knew I loved him. I loved them both.

I smiled and opened my eyes to watch Daniel approach. He removed his hardhat and ran a hand through his hair. 

"What did I do to deserve a smile like that?" he teased as he perched on the truck's tailgate beside me.

I laughed to myself but didn't answer. I wasn't sure it was the time or place.

"I was starting to think the old Battle-axe would never leave," Daniel drawled with faked contempt. "I want you all to myself for a little while - I've got something for you."

I watched wordlessly as Daniel reached into his pocket with one hand and took my left hand with the other. 

"It's not fancy, and I know I've made you wait more than long enough for it. If you don't like it, we can buy you something different." I looked down at our clasped hands just as Daniel slipped a ring on my finger. It was a delicate diamond, nestled in a circle of amethysts. It was beautiful.

"It was my Mother's. I wanted to have it cleaned and resized, which is why this took so long," he looked up at me from under his fringe of dark lashes. He was so handsome it took my breath away. The look in his blue-grey eyes was intense, yet warm. "It's been worn by five generations of Sutcliffe women, but for some reason I never gave it to either of my exes. I guess I was keeping it for someone better, even if I didn't know it at the time. But like I said, if you don't like it, I'll buy you something else, something more modern perhaps, something bigger..."

I shook my head, unable to force words past the lump in my throat. On my finger the small diamond glinted perfectly in the sun, surrounded by its purple sisters. "I- it's beautiful," I whispered when I could. "It's perfect."

Daniel leaned down to kiss me. "Good. I thought you'd like it. I wanted to wait for today, for the move. It seemed symbolic, in a way. Now what the hell is going on? What were you and the Battle-Axe discussing with such intent?"

I could feel my heart rate soar as I teetered on the edge of indecision. But Daniel looked so honest and so earnest that I couldn't lie. "Mrs. Kendall thinks the reason why I haven't been feeling well lately is that I'm, well... I'm pregnant."

All expression fell away from Daniel's face for a moment, causing my heart to clench painfully. He turned towards me more fully and cupped my cheek, searching my face with his remarkable eyes. "Are you serious?"

I nodded. I could feel my chin wobble a little as the tears threatened to come. "Yes," I whispered. "I'm certain of it. I don't know how I'm so sure, but I am."

"A baby," Daniel breathed out huskily. "My baby."

I nodded again, letting a tear or two escape. I'd never cried in front of Daniel, but I didn't seem capable of stopping it from happening. Around my finger Daniel's mother's ring felt cold and alien.

"A baby," Daniel echoed. His voice was almost as blank as his expression. The silence stretched between us for what felt like an eternity. My insides fluttered and I couldn't help but wonder if it was nerves or something else.




I Thought I Hated Him Ch. 10



He stood up abruptly, pulling me to my feet with him. "We're going to have a baby?"

I said nothing in response. Again, no words would come and besides, what could I say? When comprehension dawned on Daniel's face it was like the sun emerging from behind a cloud. His smile split his face and he picked me up, whirling me around until I was dizzy. His cry of joy could be heard down at the work site; heads turned. Mrs. Kendall's satisfied laughter travelled to us on the wind.

I couldn't stop crying, the tears coursed unchecked down my cheeks. Around me Daniel's arms were solid yet gentle as he leaned down to kiss me again.

"Thank you," he said. I couldn't read his expression or his tone.

I froze in Daniel's embrace. "For what? I didn't plan this, if that's what you're implying." I could feel my defences spring up and a little tickle of temper rise in the back of my throat. Daniel smiled down at me with reassurance.

"I know. Not for that, although that's well... amazing. I don't know. Thank you for not giving up on me. And for not hating me anymore."

"I never hated you," I said, my voice catching in my chest. On my finger Daniel's ring sparkled. "Not even for a moment."

"Thank God," Daniel whispered. His kiss began sweetly but ended with his usual fierce passion which made me cling weakly to him.

At the work site below us the monster flat-bed truck roared to life, interrupting our interlude. We turned our heads towards the sound and together we watched as the old house began to inch slowly towards its new foundation.

-------

[I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for your unfailing support over the past few months. I've really come to love the home I've found here at Lit, and the friends I've made as well. It's been a pleasure to write for you all and I know I have many more stories to tell - I hope you'll stick around for the ride.

I don't know why, but Daniel and Clara are very dear to me, perhaps because their relationship hasn't been an easy one, for me or for them. Writing this story was a challenge -- I didn't intend for it to end this way, but my characters have a habit of taking over and making the story their own. It makes me smile to know that they finally have the happy ending they deserve.

A special thanks should go out to a number of people who've helped me grow as an author here -- my husband, of course, for being my real-life Daniel and for accepting what I write without question. Daniellekitten and L.E.N. for the writerly advice and encouragement. Diatikan for the short-term, much appreciated editing stint. And my darling readers for every email and vote - you made me believe I could do this. Thank you. ~firstkiss~] 



I Thought I Hated Him



His progress down the stairs was swift, economical, and catlike; I watched him approach furtively out of the corner of my eye, trying valiantly to maintain an outward appearance of aloof disregard.

Daniel unfurled the plans on the desk beside me and handed me one of the mugs. It was Earl Grey tea and the aroma was amazing. I eyed the offering warily. "It's not laced with strychnine is it?"

Daniel's laugh was genuine, almost warm, although his expression held the familiar antagonism. "Just drink it," he grumbled.

I took a tentative sip. Earl Grey, two sugars and a splash of milk, just the way I like it. In fact, it was the best cup of tea I'd had in ages.

I glanced down at the plans Daniel had spread out beside me; they were preliminary working drawings, decidedly rough but composed of strong, definite lines. I recognized Daniel's handwriting, tidier than I'd seen of late. The plans were only rough, but there was a breathtaking simplicity to the lines that amazed me.

"You drew these?" I asked in awe, tracing one dark pencil line with a pale finger. "They're good."

"Of course they are," Daniel drawled; his eyes were on me, not the plans. "What do you think I do around here all day?" His tone was mocking but held a faintly teasing note. 

For all the work I'd put into the project over the past three weeks, I hadn't even considered that Daniel was doing the same.

"Are we ready for Mrs. Kendall tomorrow?" I asked weakly, half afraid of Daniel's answer. I knew instinctively that he wouldn't lie and I wanted desperately to hear him say something positive. One look at his drawings had me feeling very amateurish; he had been right, I was indeed a tiny, little fish swimming in a very big pond.

Daniel leaned over me, rifling through the sketches spread across my drafting table. To me they seemed suddenly like silly fluff; idealized doodles of the building as it might once have been, and more embarrassingly, a few drawings of my personal vision for the restoration. I'd even added colour and faint outlines of landscaping where it seemed appropriate. 

My intention had been to make the project goals easy for Mrs. Kendall to grasp, and Maddock had seemed amenable that afternoon when he'd seen them. So why couldn't I help feeling that it was the Dragon's opinion which mattered most?

"This is fairly good," Daniel pulled a sketch of the rear elevation of the house to the top of the pile and smoothed it down carefully with his large hands. I watched the process wordlessly, feeling an unexpected warmth in my belly; whether it was from his almost complement or his closeness, I couldn't be sure.

I only half-heard his dissertation on gables and dormers; I'd never seen the truly professional side of Daniel Sutcliffe, and I had to grudgingly admit that it was impressive. He certainly knew his stuff; but it was the warm stirring of his breath in my hair and the strong length of his arm bracing his weight against the drafting table beside me that had me thinking. 

I closed my eyes and leaned away from him, taking another series of deep, calming breaths. This was Daniel freaking Sutcliffe I was getting hot and bothered by, for crying out loud; the man who had me shaking with fear one moment and then calling him childish names the next. I didn't even like the guy, so what the hell was wrong with me?

Daniel stopped speaking mid-sentence and I opened my eyes to find him watching me warily. 

"You alright?" He asked stiffly, while something akin to concern flashing in his grey-blue eyes.

"Yeah," I mumbled softly, averting my gaze, afraid those silver eyes of his could see right through me. "Just tired."

"No wonder," Daniel snapped, the old familiar edge in his voice. "You've worked yourself up over this project for nothing."

I opened my mouth to defend myself but Daniel's hard glare shut me up.

"Look Clara, I've seen a million clients like Mrs. Kendall; she bitch and make demands and have you jumping through hoops if you'll let her, but in the end she'll agree to whatever we've proposed." There was a hint of distain in his voice, but for once it wasn't directed at me. "They're all the same."

"The ignorant masses, huh?" I teased, intrigued by this little peak into the Dragon's mind.

"I don't really care that they don't know shit about architecture," Daniel growled, "at least this biddy is trying to do something good; I hate when they bulldoze significant buildings for more parking spaces."

I smiled, more to myself than him. How many times had I thought the very same thing?

"Um, Daniel? About this afternoon..." I didn't know what to say, wasn't really sure just what I was sorry for. 

"Don't disappoint me by apologizing now," the Dragon snarled, an almost teasing glint in his eye. "I was just starting to think you had a backbone."

Surprisingly, I laughed. "I wasn't going to apologize for what I said. But the other thing..." I trailed off blushing.

Daniel stared down at me, his solid chest resting against my shoulder, the heat of him going right through me. He smirked. In true Dragon fashion, he wasn't going to make it easy for me. His steel blue eyes darted down to my lips and I had to fight to keep from smiling. 

Slowly his gaze wandered back to meet my own; there was a challenging glint in his eye that both irked and intrigued me. He knew damn well the effect he had on me, the only consolation to my wounded pride was knowing it wasn't a one-sided attraction.

"Daniel, I think we should talk about..."

"Oh shut up, Clara," Daniel growled, and just as I was about to argue again he leaned in and kissed me: hard.

Skilful and intense; that was my first impression as Daniel took without asking. I had a brief, fleeting of idea of resisting until his hand came to rest gently on the back of my neck; the gesture was so un-Daniel-like that I gasped, and masterfully Daniel took advantage, slowing the kiss down, drawing the moment out until I was leaning heavily against him, dizzy with desire.

Daniel's tongue was questing and inquisitive; learning the corners of my mouth with practiced flair; drawing adroitly from me noises I didn't know I was capable of making. Tentatively I reached up to wrap my hand around the solid anchor of his arm and was rewarded with a deep growl of pleasure from the Dragon.

For a time it seemed like kissing Daniel was the only thing in the world; the only noise the rough rhythm of our breathing into one another, the only taste the faint flavour of tea in his mouth, the only sensation the hot slide of our lips and tongues against each other.

This is the Dragon! My mind screamed over and over, a litany of protest when I had no willpower to move. What the hell are you doing? But my body betrayed my common sense greedily, hungry for the possibility Daniel was offering.

'Offering' perhaps wasn't the right word; Daniel's technique was a more mercenary, 'take-no-prisoners' method which was new to me; it was a little like standing on the edge of a tall cliff: thrilling and terrifying at turns. I'd never experienced anything like it and it left me feeling very young and naïve. 

Unexpectedly, Daniel became more frantic, kissing me harder, making my head swim. There was only one question to ask.

I broke the kiss reluctantly, watching warily as Daniel's silver eyes came back into focus, a faint flicker of hesitation disappeared before I could be sure I'd really seen it.

"Daniel, I..."

He held up a hand of warning, silencing me. "Clara," his voice was a deep, raspy growl. "For once, please don't say anything." There was a scowl on his handsome face which somehow seemed less fearsome now. 

I reached up to trace the furrow between Daniel's eyebrows as he frowned and I smiled up into his eyes softly. "Your place or mine?"

-------