Out of the Shadows ✔️ [Completed] [Book One]

Chapter 9

I buzz for the door to open without speaking on the intercom because he is right on time and suddenly Daniel steps into my little flat, taking my breath away. I'm not sure if it is possible, but his bright blue eyes appear to darken as he slowly looks at me from head to toe. The electricity between us is palpable and I desperately want to close the gap and for him to take me in his arms, but I'm too scared to make the first move. He doesn't move either though, ever the gentleman I think.

"You look breathtaking Lizzie." He comments quietly and then steps forward to kiss my cheek.

"Thank you, so do you." I smile back at him. The great movie star, Daniel Weston, looks nervous and flustered as though he doesn't know what to do with himself. He is wearing a dark blue suit, waistcoat, white shirt, no tie and looks painfully handsome. His hands are placed firmly in his pockets as though he is anxious. I notice that his hair has been completely tamed into submission and that he has shaved. Although he looks stunning, I must confess that I do prefer him looking casual, especially the way his hair falls when he has been running his hands through it.

Daniel checks his watch. "We must go Lizzie." He reaches out his hand, which I take without hesitation. The electricity seems to intensify with his touch and my temperature immediately ignites. I pick up my key and bag from the table and follow him onto the street. It is a beautiful evening and a couple of people stop to look at us while we walk to Daniel's car. I feel on top of the world to be with Daniel again and realise that now I'm in his company and able to breathe in his scent, that I have truly missed him today. I refuse to analyse myself or this strange feeling in my chest, so I push it to the back of my mind.

He opens the door for me and I slip into his Jaguar. While Daniel heads round to the driver's side, I see the woman approach him. I smile to myself while they chat before she takes out her phone and they pose for a selfie. My heart bursts with affection watching Daniel take the time to make this woman feel special and it's clear from her reaction that this simple gesture has probably made her year.

"Sorry about that."He smiles reassuringly at me.

"Duty calls!" I tease and he shows me a wicked grin when he revs up the car. "Where are we going?" I enquire as Daniel drives through the light Sunday evening traffic.

"St.Johns." Daniel responds simply as I look at him open mouthed. "Sorry, I couldn't resist after yesterday. I realised that I wanted to be the one to take you." Daniel holds my hand while he drives and I'm unable to put any words together to respond. I just sit there stroking the side of his hand with my thumb. Although this physical contact feels wonderful, I'm desperate for something more intimate between us. I cannot help but feel a little guilty about Charlie, but then I think he would be pleased for me. Knowing Charlie I'm sure he had a fantastic night with whatever beautiful women he chose to take for his date and I bet he didn't give me a second thought.

We park the car and Daniel quickly opens the door for me.

"It's likely that there is going to be another arsehole taking our picture. So just keep walking and don't let go of my hand, OK?" I digest what he has said and have to stifle a laugh because I feel like I'm in a film, but Daniel looks sullen.

"OK, Daniel. I'm guessing you hate the paparazzi then?"

"You could say that." Daniel takes my hand and we step towards the hotel. I don't see any photographers when we turn the corner and approach the hotel, but who knows where they would be hiding. I realise I've been holding Daniel's hand a little too tight in my nervous anticipation of what to expect and loosen my grip slightly as I begin to relax. Daniel must sense my emotions because he turns towards me and gives me a comforting smile.

We walk hand in hand into the lobby and straight to the lift. He never loosens his grip on my hand as we travel to the top floor of the hotel, despite the lift being completely full. The maitre d' greets Daniel by name which doesn't surprise me. The dim, but warm lighting gives the restaurant a very romantic feel and the mirrored wall running the full length of the restaurant gives the impression of thousands of candles burning. All eyes are on Daniel when we walk through the restaurant. He leads me through with effortless confidence, aware of the attention he receives, but strokes my fingers reassuringly. I feel very conscious next to Daniel. I'm completely out of my depth. I know that every woman in the restaurant must be judging me, that they do not think I'm worthy to be with him and I know they are right.

The maitre d' escorts us to one of several small intimate private dining rooms. The room takes my breath away and I sense Daniel studying me, anticipating my reaction. The partition wall is glass, but has been darkened so that no one can see into the room, but we can see out. The external wall looking down on the city of London is made entirely of glass. The view from up here is dazzling and I step away from Daniel to fully appreciate the beautiful London skyline as the sun sets and sends an array of colour across the horizon. From behind I hear Daniel order champagne and then we are alone. I turn to Daniel to take in the modern décor of the room. The furniture is soft wood and the walls and decoration is shades of silver and bronze. I notice the discreet chandelier which glistens subtly above the table as Daniel pulls out my chair for me to sit down.

Daniel sits opposite me and I see a wicked grin light up across his handsome face.

"What?" I ask, not sure if I want to hear the answer. Daniel lets out a soft husky laugh, which sounds so sexy it makes my breath catch in my throat.

"Your friend Charlie has excellent taste ... in all things." Daniel raises his eyebrows and pauses before he continues. "The waiting list is months for a table apparently." I shake my head and laugh to firstly divert the attention from me and also because his good mood is infectious.

"He must have, this place is gorgeous."  I look round and then take in Daniel's profile in the subtle lighting. He never takes his eyes off me. My stomach feels as though a thousand butterflies have been released when Daniel reaches across the table to take my hand.

A waitress knocks and enters the room with our champagne. She blatantly tries to flirt with Daniel, but I'm quietly elated that he does not take his eyes off me other than to thank her for the bottle. He glances at her clearly annoyed by her remaining in the room when she stands still for a few seconds too long. She takes the hint thankfully and leaves the room. Daniel raises his glass and I mirror his stance when our glasses clink.

"To us." He toasts and I nod as we both take a sip of champagne. The champagne is smooth to taste, but the bubbles still go straight to my head. I have to remind myself not to drink too much because I have work tomorrow and more importantly, I don't want to make a fool of myself in front of Daniel when I'm already feeling so confused.

The meal is exquisite and other than when the waitress brings the next course, we are completely alone. The sun has now set over London, but there is still a vivid sea of various shades of red and orange over the skyline. Once I acclimatise to being in Daniel's company again the conversation between us flows easily and I feel as though I have known him considerably longer than just two days. I briefly wonder what he would have made of the girl I was before Ed, but I force myself out of the darkness of my past and back to the present.

When our dessert dishes have been collected, I can tell there is something on Daniel's mind because the tension in the room is palpable. I can almost feel his mood change as he starts to run his hands through his hair nervously. Watching him is as sexy as hell, but I realise that my whole body is rigid waiting for him to say whatever he is building up to. He seems to hesitate and then clears his throat. He reaches for my hand and I allow him to take it. I still cannot get used to the heat that surges between us whenever he touches me and I can feel the goose bumps rise on my arms. 

I hope Daniel doesn't notice that I'm trembling slightly in anticipation of what he is going to say. His face is serious, so I'm sure that he is going to very politely tell me that I have got the wrong idea and that he really does want to be just friends. I'm shocked at how devastated I feel and regret the several glasses of champagne because I can feel the tears beginning to pool behind my eyes. I blink back the tears and count slowly to ten to regain my composure.

His hand unexpectedly clutches my chin and lifts my head so that I'm looking straight into his eyes. I struggle to hold his gaze. The unwanted feeling in my chest swells up and my mouth completely dries up, I take a sip of champagne to break his spell.

"I'm aware that you have been through some difficult times in your past just from the brief details you have given me and God knows I've been to hell and back over the last couple of years. But meeting you completely out of the blue, twice has forced me to reconsider the life I'm living and the person I've become since my marriage ended." He pauses for a few seconds and reaches over to softly stroke my cheek with his free hand. "I've never met anyone quite like you Lizzie and I feel utterly at sea when I'm with you. I want you to know that I think you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen and I would really love it if we could see where this goes between us." Daniel moves his forefinger backwards and forewords between us. His eyes crease at the sides as a shy nervous smile inches across his face, exposing his dimples. I'm completely in shock and lost somewhere around 'beautiful'!

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