“Anyway, I’m beat,” I said. “Thank you for the meal. It was lovely.”
A faint look of surprise appeared on his face. “Okay, thanks for agreeing to come.”
I slipped into my car and closed the door, offering him a final little wave.
This was a good thing. If he did have a trip, it only proved he was too busy to be worrying about dating. The only reason I’d been able to go on the date was that Juniper was gone. It wasn’t like he’d enjoy spending time with my hyper daughter bouncing around. Just because he had a few dogs didn’t mean he knew how to handle kids.
Starting my car, I nodded to myself. Yes, it was disappointing, and yes, stupid Login Hawkins and his handsome face might haunt me at night for a bit, but it was a good thing if we both went our separate ways.
Chapter Ten
LOGAN
“I hope you enjoyed your stay, Mr. Hawkins,” the blonde hotel receptionist said, her Danish accent barely noticeable.
“It was great, thanks.”
She was attractive enough. I wouldn’t deny a lot of women in Denmark were pretty, but she did nothing for me at that moment. Every time I looked at a woman, I kept thinking of Emily. I missed her smile and those hazel eyes, so full of feistiness and life.
For that matter, I kept thinking of her in the red dress she’d worn to dinner on Tuesday. It took a quick mental detour to financial derivatives to stop me from hardening at the memory of her luscious curves on display, her cleavage so inviting. That dress screamed for me to pull it off and toss her on a bed.
But it didn’t matter. I was in Denmark, and she was still in Nashville, and no amount of fantasizing would change that. At least the last few days in Copenhagen had been productive, even if it was busy as all get-out. I’d hammered an agreement for a major new investment deal that would be very profitable over the next few years.
I offered a polite nod to the receptionist before turning to head out the front door, thinking about my return trip home and the date with Emily.
All my lusting over her also conveniently forced the harsh truth out of my head for a few moments. Something had gone wrong on Tuesday. I’d felt it. We’d been connecting, and at the last minute, I could see the connection die in her eyes. I had tried to play the conversation back in my mind, wondering where I went wrong, but couldn’t pinpoint anything.
I’d second-guessed myself during my entire time in Denmark. Should I have invited her back to my place? Should I have kissed her? I wasn’t sure, but I know I wasn’t ready to give up. That woman was worth it. I knew it.
I wondered if Emily was offended at my choice of restaurant. It was a nice place, but at the end of the day, I was a billionaire, and I could have afforded to bring in a Michelin-starred chef for a private dinner.
That didn’t seem right. I still don’t know her all that well, but she didn’t seem like the type to want flashy displays of wealth, even though she’d come from a well-off family.
The kiss at the party proved there was fire between us, chemistry, something real. Physical attraction isn’t everything, but it’s nothing to scoff at, either. But Emily’s body was exactly my type, and I ached to explore it more than I had. First, though, we needed to connect beyond the physical.
Our time at the restaurant made me feel like there was more. I knew now that we could chat together and have a good time. Yes, things w
ere a little awkward with Emily not knowing about the kiss, but we’d moved past that, and she’d been having a fun time.
I might not be able to totally relate to what it was like to have a daughter, but I could relate to caring about other people and family. I wasn’t some twenty-one-year-old playboy. I wasn’t going to be scared off from a beautiful, intriguing woman because she had a daughter, either.
Juniper. She was the key. It was time to prove to Emily that I was listening to everything she’d said during dinner.
Stopping at that thought, I glanced over my shoulder at the receptionist. She looked at me, a quizzical expression on her face.
I headed back toward her. “You wouldn’t happen to know where LEGO Headquarters is, would you?”
A slightly annoyed look appeared on her face, but she quickly smoothed her features. “Billund, sir. It’s almost three hundred kilometers away. Perhaps it’s not my place to say, but don’t you have a flight to catch, sir?”
I grinned at her. “It’s not a big deal. It’s my plane.”
* * *
Saturday afternoon, I stepped into my foyer, pulling my suitcase behind me and stifling a yawn. International travel could be exciting, but that excitement always had a price, and now my body was paying it.
My housekeeper, Arla, hurried into the room and smiled at me. “Mr. Hawkins, I wasn’t expecting you so early.” She sighed. “I don’t even have anything ready for you to eat. You must be famished.”
I shook my head. “Don’t worry about it. I’m not hungry. All the traveling around killed my appetite.” The lack of barking or charging dogs led to my next questions. “I assume the boys are out back?”