by Katee Robert
“I like it.”
He turned to find Hope standing behind him. Again. “You sure move quiet when you want to.” Especially for a woman with a bum leg. Not that he could say as much without sounding like a jackass.
“You mean since I had my knee replaced.” Of course she knew what he meant anyway. Apparently damn near reading his mind was one annoying habit she hadn’t outgrown.
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to.” She leveraged herself down next to him, the move not quiet as smooth as it’d been when she was eighteen.
Daniel almost cursed. He had to stop doing that. Comparing her now to how she was then wasn’t fair to either of them. It was another lifetime completely, and thinking about it was just fucking depressing. “Hope—”
“Are you seeing anyone?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
He was so surprised by the question that he answered honestly, “Why the fuck would I bother?”
“Oh, I don’t know, because you don’t want to be a creepy old man who lives in the middle of nowhere and has to run off silly high school kids with his shotgun because they tell ghost stories about him?”
He looked at her, half sure that she was the one who’d lost her damn mind. “That’s not a thing.”
“It is most definitely a thing.” She leaned back on her hands and stared at the sky. The move arched her back and pressed her breasts against the fancy tank top she wore. It was made of some kind of drapey fabric that looked soft and shiny, and it highlighted the fact that he seriously doubted she was wearing a bra. “You’re too young to just give up.”
“It’s not about giving up.” Though he didn’t expect Hope to understand that. He’d checked up on her a few times since the accident, and every single time he was amazed at the things she’d accomplished. Life had kicked her in the teeth and she’d come back swinging. She’d taken two years off and then attended the University of Texas and graduated with honors. She ran her own successful consulting business to work with companies that wanted to set up scholarships and nonprofits.
She shifted to look at him. “It looks like giving up from where I’m sitting.” She continued before he could respond, not that he knew what the fuck he was supposed to say to that. “Are you happy?”
What the hell kind of question was that? “I’m getting by.”
“That pretty much answers that.” She gave him a bittersweet smile. “I should have come back before now to check on you—or at least knock some sense into you, since apparently you need some tough love.”
Check on him like he was her responsibility, when the truth was he was the one to blame for everything bad that had happened to her. “You worry about your own life and leave me to worry about mine.”
“Because you’re doing such a stand-up job of living it?”
He glared. “What in the fuck is that supposed to mean? It’s great that you’re happy—better than great. You deserve that and more. How I go about my business isn’t any of yours.”
“You’re right. I know you’re right.” She sighed, the sound so small that he wanted to wrap his arms around her. It was more than the sigh, though. They’d dated for two years back in high school, been each other’s firsts across the board. Apparently even after all this time, his body still remembered the feel of hers and craved it like crazy. He just hadn’t been aware of it until she was sitting here next to him.
That’s a goddamn lie.
The truth was he’d never stopped craving her in his arms and in his bed. He’d just stopped deserving her around the time John took his last breath. A person didn’t come back from something like that, and no matter how well Hope had done with her life, that didn’t change the fact that he’d taken things from her that were downright unforgivable.
Needing to get them onto solid ground—though he doubted that was a possibility at all—he said, “What’s brought you back to town?”
“Work. Sort of.” She pulled at the hem of her skirt, lifting the fabric enough for him to catch a glint of scar tissue on her calf. She hadn’t done it on purpose—that he was sure of—but the reminder still struck him cold to the core. Oblivious, Hope continued. “Mom and Dad have been talking about doing a scholarship for John for years. They got in contact with the mayor and the principal of the high school and the city council and basically whoever would listen, and they’ve got a fund set up. So I’m here to get the details ironed out and officially announce it.”
It made sense that she’d come back here for John. If he’d had a chance to stop and think since she showed up, he would have come to that conclusion on his own. Daniel quietly smothered the little voice inside him insisting that she’d really come back here for him. She hadn’t. End of story. Allowing himself the fantasy would only make the truth hurt more.
And the truth was that any possibility of a future between him and Hope Moore was as dead as her brother.
Chapter Three
Hope should have known Jules had an ulterior motive for inviting her to dinner. As soon as she’d seen the cars in front of the house, she’d realized something more was going on, and she’d refused to get out of the truck until the other woman spilled. So she’d been able to brace for the knowledge that she’d see Daniel—as much as anyone could brace for seeing the man she once considered the love of her life.
Judging from the tension lining his shoulders, he hadn’t had the slightest clue that his cousin had been meddling. In fact, everything about Daniel seemed to be tense these days. There were new lines around his mouth—deep brackets that she doubted came from smiling—and it was obvious that he spent significant time in the sun from how dark his normally tanned skin was.
It didn’t detract from his looks, though.
Instead, it was almost like he’d been honed down and purged in a fire, coming out a leaner, meaner version of himself. Considering what she’d picked up from Jules, that was probably more accurate than anything else she could have compared it to. His thick black hair was longer than it had been, almost shaggy, and his dark eyes were downright haunted.
Hope bit her lip, wondering what she was supposed to do to help. He obviously wasn’t happy to see her, and a part of her couldn’t help feeling a little disappointment.
That’s not why she’d come back. He wasn’t why she’d come back, though she’d be a liar if she said the thought of running into her old flame hadn’t crossed her mind. But that’s exactly what Daniel was to her—what he had to be. Ancient history.
They’d had a chance to live the American dream that they’d always imagined, but instead of walking away from that car crash stronger, they’d been broken completely. Even if she wanted to magically bounce back from that, it was too late.
Maybe if he’d returned her calls after he came to visit her in the hospital…
But the time for maybes was long gone.
She was here to finally do what she’d promised her parents and set up John’s trust. As much as she’d wanted to avoid coming back into town, avoid driving down Interstate 10 again and seeing the spot where their car went off the road, it was time.
Not a moment too soon, if the intervention Jules had mentioned breezily was something the Rodriguez family was actually planning. She didn’t know if Daniel was really that badly off or if his parents and aunts and uncles and cousins had gotten together and riled themselves up into making it a thing.
She had to do something, she just didn’t know what. She couldn’t leave town again without at least trying to help him work through things—and getting his family off his back. She promised herself that right then and there.
“Whatever you’re thinking, knock that shit off right now, darling.”
The sound of his old nickname for her settling in the air between them temporarily shocked her into saying something she never would have otherwise. “I do what I wan
t.”
He turned to face her fully, brows lowered. It should have looked ridiculous with that tiny puppy bounding around him, into his lap and back out again, but something inside her quivered as a result of being pinned down by that expression. She couldn’t quite tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing, though. Daniel leaned in, so close she wasn’t sure of the heat she felt was coming from his body or the summer night around them. “That line never worked on me.”
“It never worked on anyone.” For one eternal second they were back there, in the world before.
Then he shook his head like he was waking from a dream. “I’m glad you’re setting this thing up for John. It’s football based?”
“Yeah.” Her brother had gotten a full ride to the University of Texas when he graduated high school, and he’d been in his junior year of college, back home for the holidays, when the wreck took his life. So much potential, snuffed out in the space of a minute. The familiar ache settled in her chest, but it wasn’t as strong or present as it had been this afternoon.
When she’d woken up in that hospital bed and realized her brother hadn’t survived, she’d vowed to herself that she’d do whatever it took to make sure the gap created by John’s death was filled. It’d been an irrational promise, but she’d stuck with it. Every time physical therapy brought her to the brink of despair, she fought it off because John never would have given up. And then she’d finished college with honors because that’s what John had been on his way to doing.
She had no interest in being a lawyer—and she wasn’t particularly good at arguing her point when strong emotions were involved—so she’d gone into the private sector, helping people and companies with too much money on their hands set up foundations and scholarships to help people who could actually use that money. Most of them were doing it for the tax write-off, but their motivation didn’t matter—what they were doing did.
But those foundations and scholarships weren’t personal. This one was. This felt like the final accumulation of what she’d been working toward—giving other kids from Devil’s Falls a chance to follow the same path John had been on—to succeed where his life was cut short. “Football based, and they have to have the same kind of grades he did. There are other factors, too, but ultimately it’ll be up to the discretion of the town council.”
He gave a short nod. “It’s good that you’re doing this.”
Funny, but he didn’t sound particularly happy about it. Then again, he hadn’t sounded happy from the moment she’d walked through that door. She took a deep breath. It was time to talk about that forbidden subject, the one that lay like a pulsing wound between them. Maybe getting it all out in the open would help him. “Danny—”
He pushed to his feet. “As fun as this has been, I’ve got to go.”
“Go? You just got here.” She struggled to her feet as he scooped up Ollie and started around the back of the house. Hope cursed under her breath, muttering about insane men, and hurried after him. The ground was too uneven to actually catch up with him, but she rounded the corner almost on his heels. Which was right about the time that her ankle wobbled, twisting her weak knee and sending her sprawling.
She hit the ground with bruising force, but that was nothing compared to the embarrassment making her wish the dirt would just part and suck her under. Stupid rookie mistake. You know better than to run around over uneven ground. But then, her common sense had always had the nasty habit of taking a backseat when Daniel was around.
Strong hands grabbed her under her armpits and pulled her to her feet. “Christ, Hope, what the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Daniel patted her down, brushing the dirt from her shoulders and sides and chest. He froze when his hands touched her breasts, and the heat of her blush from her embarrassment turned into something else entirely. She swallowed hard, taking a deep breath that pressed her against his palms more firmly. The fabric of her shirt was thin enough that she could feel the calluses on his palms, and her nipples budded from the contact, her body going soft and warm as if she was some twisted sort of Pavlov’s dog and Daniel was her bell.
When he spoke again, his voice was deeper. “Are you hurt?”
Not in the way you mean. “I don’t think so.” Her knee throbbed like the dickens, but she wasn’t about to admit that to him. And, to be fair, it hurt the majority of the time to one degree or another. But admitting that meant he might stop touching her. She leaned into him and licked her lips, her gaze dropping to his mouth. “Danny…”
“When you look at me like that, I forget all the reasons I promised to leave you alone.”
Why the hell would he promise to leave her alone? That was the stupidest thing she’d ever heard. She clenched her teeth together to keep from telling him so and ruining the moment. There would be plenty of time to rip Daniel a new one…later. “Then don’t.” She grabbed the front of his T-shirt and pulled him against her, stretching up to kiss him. He resisted for a grand total of one second.
And then he took control.
Daniel brought his hand up to yank her ponytail holder out and tangle in her hair, simultaneously picking her up and backing them up against the house. And then he was there, his body pinning her in place, his thigh wedging between her legs, providing a delicious pressure against where she felt most empty. He took possession of her mouth, his tongue teasing her lips open and stroking against hers in a way that had to be designed to make the top of her head explode.
He used his grip on her hair to tilt her head back and kiss down her neck. “If I was a better man, I’d leave you alone.”
She didn’t have words to respond, not with him tracing her nipple through her shirt with his thumb. Hope moaned and pulled him closer, trying to think clearly enough to know what to say—or not to say—that would ensure this didn’t stop. Then his free hand slid beneath her shirt and she forgot about talking at all.
“No goddamn bra.” He cupped her breast, his calluses creating delicious friction against her nipple. “What the hell were you thinking, showing up here with no bra?”
This, at least, she knew how to deal with, even if she was out of practice. Hope lifted her chin and met his gaze, half sure she was imagining the possessive look she found there. “I’m not wearing panties, either.”
“What. The. Fuck?” Immediately, he fisted the fabric of her skirt, lifting it high against her thighs and sliding his hand between her legs. “Christ, darling, you really know how to send a man to his knees.” He cupped her, his fingers sliding through her wetness but not penetrating her. It felt so good, but not nearly good enough, all at the same time. “But then, you always did.”
At their feet, Ollie yipped, breaking the spell. Daniel exhaled a harsh breath. “This is a mistake.”
It was. She knew that, and she didn’t care. This would never happen again, and knowing that made her feel totally and completely out of control. Here in this moment, nothing seemed real but them, and she wasn’t ready for it to end. Not yet. She covered his hand with her own, holding him in place. “Danny, please.” She licked her lips. “Please don’t stop.”
…
Daniel couldn’t deny her if he wanted to—and he sure as fuck didn’t want to. He ignored the pup at his feet and pushed a finger into her, watching her face. She clenched around him, her inhaled breath the sweetest thing he’d ever heard. He pumped gently, feeling anything but, trying to remember to take it slow. She was hot and tight and already drenched, her breasts rising and falling with each exhale.
“Danny…” She cupped him through his jeans. “Now.”
This was so damn wrong. It had never been like this with them. Hot beyond belief, yes. But not quick, not rushed, not harsh in any way. But harsh was the only thing Daniel knew anymore.
He kept pumping, spreading her with his fingers while he used his free hand to undo his jeans. His cock sprang free, and it took everything he had to pause. “Hold on,
darling.” He grabbed his wallet out of his back pocket, riffling through it for the condom he’d put there…at some point. He hesitated. “Damn, it’s been—”
“I don’t care. Put it on.” She kissed him, reaching between them to stroke him once, twice, a third time, until he had to get the fucking condom on or he was going to come in her hand. If he was going to get one more shot at being inside Hope Moore, he wasn’t going to ruin it.
He tore open the condom wrapper with his teeth, refusing to stop touching her, though he had to let go for a second to roll the damn thing on. It took too long, but he had both hands free when he was done, and she’d kept her skirt lifted for him. Good girl. He stepped into her, pressing her against the wall. It struck him again that this was twelve different kinds of wrong to be doing her against the wall of his best friend’s house, but he was too far gone to care.
Hope kissed him, hopping up and putting her legs around his waist, and that was that. He adjusted his angle and pushed into her, his entire body shaking at the feeling of her pussy clamped so tightly around him. “Jesus, darling. I’d convinced myself I’d imagined how good you feel.” He cupped her ass, lifting her up and slamming her down onto his cock.
I missed this. I missed you.
Even in the throes, he couldn’t say it aloud. She wasn’t staying, and he had no business throwing their past in her face. Stop thinking and just enjoy this, damn it. He kissed her, giving himself over to the feel of her thighs squeezing his hips, her nails digging into the back of his neck, the breathy little moans that she made in the back of her throat. All too soon, her body tightened around him, her pussy milking him as she came with a soft cry. Daniel tried to hold on, to prolong it, to keep going, but it was too good. He pinned her against the wall and pounded into her, urged on by the building pressure in his balls. He came with a curse that damn near buckled his knees and caught himself against the rough wood.
Long seconds ticked past, their breathing slowly returning to something resembling normal. He ran a hand over her ass and down her thigh, pausing when the skin changed just above her knee, becoming rough and almost twisted.