Worth Waiting For

Chapter Four

Friday night, after a quick stop at the store to pick up groceries for dinner, Daenerys arrived home earlier than usual. It had been a long week.
She stripped off her pant suit and got comfortable in a pair of baggy shorts and t-shirt from her alma mater, then set her sights on making dinner. The distant sound of a hammer could be heard downstairs.
Daenerys switched on the radio to her favourite jazz station and poured herself a glass of white wine. Standing before the stove, she closed her eyes briefly, savouring the sweet flavour as the liquid oozed across her palate and calmed her shredded nerves.
"Hey, how was your day?"
Daenerys turned away from the stove to send a smile in her brother's direction. "Long and stressful. But nothing you want to hear about."
"Try me."
She stirred the pot a few times before answering. "The deal I'd been working on all week. The one I told you... almost fell through ?"
"Mmmmm"
"I managed to save it at the last minute. I left work early. I figured I deserved it after such a stressful week." She sprinkled salt into the pot and covered it. "Have you been downstairs today to check things?"
"No. I haven't been down there since Tuesday."
"Why don't you go downstairs and check out the work they are doing? Make sure they're doing a good job for me, and give me your opinion."
"Alright. I can do that."
This way she could find out if he liked what he saw, and if he had any concerns or wanted to change anything, she could discuss it with Jon. Her lips quirked into a smile. She enjoyed the little charade and could hardly contain her excitement about the plan she had set in motion for her brother.
He still had no idea the basement would be transformed into an apartment for him, with a full kitchen instead of a kitchenette. She had also coerced into agreeing he wouldn't sign an apartment lease without allowing her to review it first. He grumbled about being in his right mind and fully capable of signing a contract on his own, but finally agreed.
Viserys was gone for about ten minutes, and when he returned Daenerys was chopping a vegetables for a salad.
"Well?" She prompted.
He nodded his approval. "They're doing a real good job down there. It's going to look nice. They have half the sheetrock up already. That Dornish fella knows what he's doing.
Daenerys sighed. "He's not Dornish. He's Northern."
"Dorne, Winterfell same difference."
"No it's not" Daenerys said in a harder tone. "How would you feel if......"She watched her brother grab his keys from the key rack. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going out tonight."
"I thought you and your friends weren't playing poker tonight because Renly and his wife were out of town." She couldn't stop the disappointment that crept into her voice. She looked forward to spending time with him.
"We're not. I have a date.'
"A date ?"
"Yes. A date. You might have forgotten what that is." Viserys said pointedly. "It's when a man and a woman......"
"Vis!"
"Alright, alright." Viserys moved to stand across from her at the kitchen island. "I met her at the convention I went to last month."He said, his eyes shining. "Real sweet girl, her name is Dorreah. We started out talking on the phone and discovered we had a lot in common. We've met several times socially, but this is our first night time date."
Daenerys was deflated, her shoulders sagged a little. She had come home early to relax, and spend time with her brother, and was about to waltz out the door to spend time with someone else. How pathetic. Her father had a more interesting Friday night planned than she did.
"Have fun" she said, pushing aside her own dissatisfaction with the way the evening turned out.
Her brother came around to kiss her on her temple. "You're going to be alright with those strange men in the house?"
"I'll be fine. Go enjoy yourself."
Viserys practically skipped out the kitchen.
"Don't wait up."He sang on his way to the front door.
Daenerys shook her head and turned back to the stove. Atleast he's happy, she mused to herself.
In the few years since her parents and elder brother passed away, this is the first time she had seen Viserys in such good spirits. Dorreah must be something special.
****************************************************
Jon had spent most of the day working in the basement. After dismissing his men, he cleaned up and exited through the basements exterior door. He planned to leave until he saw Daenerys car parked in the driveway. He decided to touch base with her brother he went home and walked to the front door and rang the doorbellbell.
When the door opened, his eyes drank in the striking image she made. She didn't look uptight and serious like when she wore her business attire. She wore her pale silver hair up in a messy bun and she wore a pair of loose gym shorts and a t-shirt with "University of Dragonstone" across the front.
Her casual clothes evoked the same urge he felt when he first met her. It was the overwhelming desire to protect her.
She looked suprised to see him standing out front. "What are you doing here? I thought all of you have left."
"I was about to, when I saw your car. I figured I'd update you on our progress."
"Come on in." She opened the door wider. " Walk with me to the kitchen. I have something on the stove."
Jon trailed behind her, lowering his gaze to the sway of her hips, which weren't hidden well by the oversized shorts. Some women moved so sinuously it seemed effortless, the movement made even more alluring because it was unconscious.
Stepping through the door of the kitchen, the inviting smell of something simmering on the stove greeted his nose. The muted tones of a trumpet spiller from the stereo speakers and drifted on the air towards him. The lights were dimmed, and it seemed as if the kitchen embraced him with warm arms once he stepped onto the tile.
His earlier fatigue melted away, with the unexpectedly domestic scene, replaced by comfort and relaxation.
Almost as quickly as he gave himself over to the comforting thoughts, he allowed another, disquieting one to enter. Was Daenerys expecting someone tonight? He knew she was home alone because her brother's car wasn't in the driveway.
"So how is everything going?' Daenerys asked. "My brother was pleased when he went down there earlier. I'm sorry I haven't been more involved. Work has been keeping me extra busy lately."
"Everything's going well." Jon answered. Thoughts of another man enjoying this intimate setting with her jangled his nerves.
Since the night, she assisted him with his truck, they'd had a few more conversations about her ideas and changes to the basement. Although she always appeared busy, she was never rude. She did come off as cool, maybe even ba little aloof at times, but he couldn't deny his attraction to her. Because of her steely composure, he doubted if anything could frazzle her. Dhe was always perfectly put together in tailored business suits and not a single hair out of place, wrapped up and braided tight and neat like a Christmas present, unable to be opened until permission granted. He often wondered what lay inside the pretty package .
She was different tonight though. She wasn't wearing one of her power suits or carrying a briefcase. Tonight she looked like any other woman in any other household in the country. She looked more approachable, more delicate, more beautiful. The normalcy of it, gnawed at his gut.
"You're still on schedule?" Daenerys asked.
She had no idea how badly he wanted to end the conversation and bolt out of there before he did something stupid like try to plant a kiss on those lucious looking lips. His attraction to her had blossomed and morphed into a fixation. His teeth ached to tug on her full bottom lip.
"Yes. I'll send the guys out Monday morning and stop by end of the day to check the progress."
"Good, I can't wait to see my brother's expression when ihad him the keys to his appartment."
An impish grin spread over her face, a smile of pure, unselfish pleasure. Those purple eyes of hers lit up. He couldn't look away, even though the power of her smile left him shaking in his boots.
"Well I won't bother you anymore. I just wanted to give you an update." As if it were standard operating procedure to offer an evening update to all of his clients. He turned to go.
"Jon" Her voice beckoned to him, halting his hasty retreat.
When he faced her, she looked a bit flustered, ad if she'd spoken without thinking first. "Yeah?"
She smoothed her hairline, pushing back the wayward strands of hair.
"Actually I was wondering if you had dinner plans. I planned to have dinner with my brother. But he suprised me and had a date. So I have all this food...."
He should say no. He'd been there before and knew how this worked. At some point the thought would cross her mind that she was way out of his league. He should walk out the door right now, but the sensible part of his brain was overshadowed by the part that was elated dhe didn't have plans with a man tonight. The sensible part of his brain wasn't functioning. It was seduced by the dim lights, soft music and the suddenly approachable Daenerys Targaryen.
"No" he answered. Knowing fully well that was the wrong answer. "I don't have plans and I'm starving. I'd love to join you for dinner."