The Forbidden Throb (Emma and Daniel) novel Chapter 111

Chapter 111

I send the room list before I could second-guess myself.

Thirty seconds later, my phone rang. Quinn’s name flashed across the screen.

“Sir, I’m still at the hospital,” he said, sounding confused. “The events coordinator just forwarded me the rooming list. There’s an odd number of journalists, but you only requested several double rooms. One person more left over. Did you want me to-”

“The arrangements are correct,” I said, my tone even but final. “Submit it as is.”

“But-where will the third journalist stay? Is there a budget issue? I can talk to administration about-”

“That won’t be necessary. That journalist has… alternative accommodations.”

There was a pause. I could practically hear Quinn trying to puzzle it out.

“Oh,” he said finally. “Oh. Right. Of course. I’ll submit it now, sir.”

After we hung up, I stood there for a moment, staring at my phone.

The lockscreen showed Emma’s last message, and beneath it, the photo I’d set months ago-her profile at sunset, taken the day I’d driven her back from Portland after we’d gotten married.

She didn’t know I’d taken it. I’d been pretending to check my phone while she watched the ocean, her hair catching the golden light, her expression thoughtful and unbearably lovely.

I pocketed my phone and grabbed my briefcase, heading for the elevator.

As I drove through Beacon Hill’s narrow streets, the evening rush had started to clear.

At a red light on Charles Street, I noticed a flower shop still open on the corner.

On impulse, I pulled over and went inside. The elderly woman behind the counter smiled at me as I surveyed the buckets of autumn blooms.

“Anniversary?” she asked.

“No, just a normal day,” I said, selecting a mixed bouquet-golden chrysanthemums and deep red roses, their petals still fresh with moisture. “These, please.”

She wrapped them carefully in brown paper and twine, her practiced hands moving with efficiency. “She’s a lucky woman, whoever she is.

I thought of Emma in that hotel room, asking me if the marriage offer still stood. Emma in my passenger seat, falling asleep with her cheek pressed against the window.

“I’m the lucky one,” I said quietly.

8:43 am

PPM.

Chapter 111

The drive to my building took another ten minutes.

I parked in my usual spot and took the elevator to my floor, the bouquet in one hand and my briefcase in the other.

Outside my door, I paused.

I took a breath, inserted my key, and turned the lock.

The door swung open on a scene that made my heart stop.

Warm light spilled from the kitchen, where Emma stood at the stove. She was wearing a dress I’d never seen before-emerald green, the kind

that hugged her figure in a way that made my mouth go dry.

Her hair was pinned up loosely, exposing the elegant line of her neck. My own gray apron was tied around her waist, somehow making her look

both domestic and utterly devastating.

The apartment smelled incredible-herbs and roasted chicken and something sweet underneath it all.

Emma turned at the sound of the door, and our eyes met.

For a moment, neither of us moved.

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