He leaned his head against the cool kitchen wall, letting visions of Mandy dance through his head. Without warning, Darci joined his daughter in his mind, and the two shared their laughter. To have the three of them together, as a real family, was something he wanted so badly he could almost touch the images.

“I miss you, too. Eat all your breakfast and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“I love you, Daddy.”

Her words wrapped around him, warming the coldness surrounding his heart.

“I love you, too.” His voice was raspy with emotion. Blindly, he replaced the receiver. He was doing the only thing he could do. But was he going to destroy Darci in order to save Mandy?

“Rough night?”

Cole jerked away from the wall and stared at Darci, the words to call off their arrangement hovering on the tip of his tongue.

He forced a smile to his stiff lips. “Yeah. I spent a lot of time thinking about the board meeting.” And you, he added silently. The dreams he’d woven while lying on his makeshift bed had destroyed any chance of sleep. He’d finally drifted into a troubled sleep toward dawn, but when he woke, the desire was knife-edged, threatening to sever him in half with the wanting.

“I spent a lot of time thinking, too.”

She traced her fingers across his forehead, brushing back a wayward curl. He could see the reluctance in her eyes when she pulled away, and he almost reached out to pull her close and give her a good-morning kiss, allowing himself to taste her mouth once more, to share her warmth. But he knew even that simple act would lead to more than either of them were ready to handle.

“Breakfast?” Darci filled the coffee maker as he watched her movements, mesmerized by her gracefulness.

“Just coffee.”

“I’m too nervous to eat.” The unspoken possibilities hung in the air between them. “Maybe we can have a big celebration lunch.”

Positive words wouldn’t hurt, but Cole had his doubts about them being any help, either.

“You look nice today.” The compliment seemed too mild, too bland, for what she did to him. Her tailored red suit made her look every inch the businesswoman, her cream-colored blouse underneath the only feminine touch in her look. But that trim coolness made him want her even more, made him want to shatter her control again, to watch the need slip into her eyes.

Her smile held a faint tremble, and he wanted to reassure her. But he was so afraid his promises weren’t worth the breath it took to say them.

“I can’t believe you really slept on that floor all night, boy.” Todd came into the room, his hair still rumpled with sleep, a long flannel nightshirt hanging around his knees.

“Where else would I sleep?” Cole regretted the question as it escaped.