Manhattan Boss, Diamond Proposal

‘I’m good, thanks.’

‘I’m not actually so desperate—’

‘Thanks for that.’ And, ridiculously, it hurt that he’d said it. ‘A little tip for you, Romeo: don’t use that line on any of the dates I send you on.’

‘I was going to say, not so desperate I have to force myself on a woman. You really think I’m slime, don’t you? When did that happen?’

Heat rising on her cheeks, she mumbled back, ‘I don’t think you’re slime.’

‘Good. Cos I was starting to wonder…’

Unable to hold his gaze for long, even from a distance, Clare frowned at the music she had playing in the background. It had been fine listening to the sultry tones when she’d been on her own, reading his questionnaire, but she really didn’t need a romantic ambience now he was there in person—especially when she was feeling so irrational with him close by. So she lifted the control, aiming it at the CD player.

‘No—leave it. I gave you that album for Christmas. Hardly likely to give you something I wouldn’t like listening to, was I?’

Clare had discovered a lot of the music she loved thanks to Quinn’s massive collection upstairs. When she’d first moved in she would hear it drifting downwards on the night air, and for weeks every morning conversation had started with ‘What were you playing last night?’

Sometimes she’d even wondered if, after a while, he’d chosen something different every night just to keep her listening. It had become a bit of a Cassidy-O’Connor game.

‘So, how’d I score on my questionnaire?’

The hand holding the controls dropped heavily to her side. He really didn’t miss a thing, did he? And there was no point trying to deny she’d been reading it when she still had it on her lap.

‘It’s not a test. Did you tell the truth all the way through it?’

‘The whole truth and nothing but; didn’t take the Fifth on a single one. Why?’

Clare shrugged, risking another look at him. ‘There was some stuff I didn’t know, that’s all.’

The familiar lazy smile crept across his mouth, and his voice dropped again. ‘Ahh, I see. Surprised you, did I?’

‘Maybe a little…’ She felt the beginnings of an answering smile twitching the edges of her mouth.

‘I did say we were still pretty new to this friendship thing.’

‘Yes, you did, but I really thought I knew you better. Now I feel like I wasn’t paying enough attention.’ When the confession slipped free of its own accord, her heart twisted a little in her chest, and her voice was lower as she followed the old adage of ‘in for a penny’. ‘And I’m sorry about that, Quinn—I really am. I should have been a better friend. You helped me out when I needed help most, when I was broke and jobless and about to become homeless. If you hadn’t been there…’

Quinn’s reply was equally low, and so gentle it made her heart ache. ‘Don’t do that.’

‘But—’

‘But nothing.’ She heard him take a breath. ‘I needed a PA; you needed a job. I had an empty apartment; you needed a place to live. It was good timing. And you were right to stay when you did. Don’t second-guess that—it took guts to stay.’

Great, now she had a lump in her throat. She even had to look away long enough to blink her vision back into focus. What was with her tonight? She hadn’t felt so vulnerable in a long, long while.

‘Do you miss home, O’Connor?’

‘I am home.’ Clare frowned down at her knees when she realized how the statement could be misconstrued. After all, she couldn’t keep living in Quinn’s basement for ever any more than she could keep relying on the job he’d given her. It was well past the point where she should have been able to step out from underneath his protective wing.

‘New York is home now.’ She made an attempt at lightening the mood. ‘And when I have lots of successful matchmaking nights at your clubs and half the door I can afford an apartment of my own, can’t I?’

The teasing smile she shot his way was met with one of his patented unreadable expressions. ‘Can’t get away from me fast enough, can you?’

‘I’m not trying to get away from you.’

‘Looks that way…’ He twisted the stem of the wine glass between his thumb and forefinger, dropping his gaze to study the contents. ‘You need to be careful there, O’Connor. You might hurt my feelings…’

He threw her a grin, but Clare’s heart twisted at the very thought of hurting him even the littlest bit. Not that she thought she ever could. It took a lot to get through Quinn’s outer shell—ninety-nine point nine percent of things were water off a duck’s back.

Without thinking, she swung her legs out over the edge of the sofa, looking straight into the dark pools of his eyes so he knew she was sincere—because she was