Wild Cowboy Nights

by Katee Robert

  Then his mom moved forward, her dark eyes shining. “A baby?”

  Hope gave a jerky nod. “I’m due May seventeenth.” They’d calculated her due date using some internet site, but she had a doctor appointment in about a month to confirm it.

  May 17. That’s going to come up so fucking quick.

  “Oh, honey, that’s wonderful.” She hugged Hope again, meeting Daniel’s eyes over her shoulder. There was so much there—too much to readily decipher. It was like he’d offered his mom a lifeline in the middle of a hurricane when she’d given up hope of a rescue. It was too much for the news they were giving her. He didn’t deserve that look for what had started as yet another fuckup in a long line of fuckups. Daniel might not view it that way now, but it wasn’t like he and Hope had planned it out. The damn condom broke, and this was where they ended up.

  Then there was no time for him to focus too closely on that, because it was hugs and congratulations and more than a few tears. The only faces not happy were Adam and Quinn, and he knew he was going to catch more than a little shit about it before too long.

  It didn’t matter.

  He was here with the people he cared most about in the world, with the woman he’d never gotten over next to him, and the entire future laid out before them, full of possibilities.

  As if the last thirteen years hadn’t happened.

  As if they really had a chance.

  Really, he should be over the moon right now—and part of him was. The other part, though? The other part couldn’t get the betrayed looks Hope’s parents had given him out of his head. They’d wanted him to know he’d already done enough and he was a selfish piece of shit to be taking this, too. He shouldn’t care. The only person who mattered was Hope. But then, Hope hadn’t agreed to staying beyond this week. He’d done his damnedest not to push her, and so they hadn’t talked again about her staying in Devil’s Falls. For all he knew, she was still planning on heading back to Dallas.

  He knew what side of the argument her parents would side with.

  Growing up, the Moores had been like second parents to him. Adam’s mom did her best, but she was a single mother with a little hell-raising asshole to bring up. Quinn’s parents had never really approved of any of his friends, the exception maybe being John. As a result, their group split their time equally between the Moores and Daniel’s parents’ place. He’d never thought he’d live to see the day they looked at him like he was shit on the bottom of their shoe.

  But then, he’d killed one of their kids and crippled the other.

  “Are you okay?”

  He blinked, finding Hope’s hand on his arm, a worried look in her brown eyes. Daniel dredged up a smile from somewhere. “I should be asking you that.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s been a hell of a day.”

  And it wasn’t over yet. He forced a smile and mingled with his family, though they could have been speaking Greek for all he registered it. His mind kept going around and around, bouncing around like a pinball as he tried to come up with something—anything—to convince Hope to stay.

  They ate, the food tasteless in his mouth, and as soon as it was cleared away, his mother stood. “I think that’s more than enough excitement for one day. Hope, I know this wasn’t planned, but never doubt for a minute that we consider you a daughter and we love both you and the baby unconditionally.” She reached over and squeezed Hope’s hand. “If you need anything at all while you’re here, don’t hesitate to call.”

  “Thank you.”

  She sank into the seat next to him and leaned down to rest her head on his shoulder. They watched the Rodriguez clan clear out in record time. Adam nodded at him as Jules towed him through the door. I’ll be hearing from him sooner rather than later.

  Quinn and Aubry stopped in front of them. The little redhead gave Hope a considering look. “I don’t really like kids. Disgusting creatures, and I’m pretty sure they were put on this earth with the sole purpose of destroying everything within reach.” Quinn cleared his throat and nudged her, and she sighed. “But, as you’re going to have Daniel’s spawn and said spawn will be related to Jules, I’m willing to make an exception to my no-kid policy.”

  Hope’s lips twitched. “I very much appreciate that.”

  “Quinn, stop nudging me. I know I’m an ass.” Aubry rolled her eyes. “The man should know by now that I’m untrainable in polite society.”

  Daniel coughed to cover a laugh, but the chuckle broke free when Quinn cursed and tossed Aubry over his shoulder. “Peaches, we’re going to have to talk about your bedside manner.”

  “I don’t have a bedside manner.”

  “Exactly.”

  The door closed behind them, and Hope visibly slumped. “That was something else.”

  “Yeah.” He didn’t have the words he needed. Any of them. He didn’t know what to say to fix this thing that had been broken between them for half their lives. He didn’t know if he could fix it.

  “I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted.”

  He’d been so busy brooding, he’d missed both those important things. Hard to convince her to stay so I can take care of her when I’m doing such a stand-up job. “Let’s get you home, then.” A strange look passed over her face, and he paused. “What?”

  “Nothing. It’s just funny how things work out, you know?” She accepted his offered hand and let him pull her to her feet.

  He knew what she meant, but he still said, “Certain things are meant to be.”

  Hope shot him a look. “Fate, Daniel? Really?”

  “No.” Fate was too broad a term, and it took away personal responsibility. He didn’t believe in fate. There was no way that something like John’s death and Hope’s mangled leg would be preordained. That was human error of the most unforgivable nature at work. He kept hold of her hand as they walked out of the diner. “But you and me, darling? It doesn’t matter if it’s a day or a decade—we’re going to find our way back to each other again and again until we get it right.”

  “I don’t know if that’s depressing or reassuring.”

  “Both.” For all appearances, she’d moved on before that night when they’d lost control and put themselves on their current path. She had a life, and it was on hold until they determined if this was a second chance or just another opportunity to fall apart. Which made it doubly important that they figure out their shit once and for all this time around.

  He held the door open for her, that thought circling round and round in his head as he got in the driver’s seat and headed for home. He knew damn well that things weren’t perfectly fine between them. There was too much unsaid, too much that had to remain unsaid because they didn’t see eye to eye on it. He wasn’t willing to fight with her over his guilt, or the fact that he’d fucked up beyond belief thirteen years ago.

  So how to prove that he was truly willing to go the distance now when he’d dropped the ball so spectacularly before?

  Daniel tightened his grip on the steering wheel. He didn’t know, but he was going to have to figure it out fast. Neither of them said anything until he pulled up in front of his house and shut off the engine. “I’m sorry about your parents.”

  “Don’t be. I’m not going to pretend I’m not upset by how they took the news, but I’m hoping they’ll come around. They have eight months to figure it out.” She didn’t sound any more hopeful than he was about it.

  He got out and moved around to open her door, well aware that she sat there and let him. They were both trying so fucking hard, it was almost painful. Once upon a time, being with her had been the most natural thing in the world. He wanted to get back to that point. Tonight. Now.

  Daniel maintained his hold on her hand as they crossed to the front door and walked into the house. He had to let go long enough to refill Ollie’s water and food, but Hope waited in the doorway. It was almost like they both knew
that this could be the turning point that either made or broke them, and neither was willing to do or say something that would fuck it up.

  He knew who was most likely to be the one to push them over the edge.

  Finished, he stood and took her hands. “I’m going to make love to you now.”

  She opened her mouth, seemed to reconsider, and shut it. Instead of saying anything, she leaned forward and delivered the single sweetest kiss of his life, one filled to the brim with innocence that he’d thought long gone and buried for both of them. There were so many fragile possibilities there that he fought to maintain the gentleness she’d used to set the tone.

  It didn’t use to be a fight. He’d always touched Hope like she was the most priceless thing in his life—because she had been.

  She still was.

  And, suddenly, it was the most natural thing in the world to cup her face and smooth his thumbs up over her jaw and across her cheekbones. He picked her up, sweeping her into his arms in a way that made her laugh. “No laughing. This is serious business.”

  Her dark eyes sparkled. “Serious business, huh?”

  “Fuck, no, darling. Keep laughing. I’m addicted to the sound.” He laid her on his bed and propped himself up next to her, immediately returning to the soft touches he’d started with. They’d had sex recently, but it had been rough and frenetic. That wasn’t what tonight was about.

  Tonight was about finally putting both feet forward into the future.

  He slowly undid her dress, pressing a kiss to the skin exposed by each button. Her breathing was already ragged, but he was nowhere near finished. He was going to properly reacquaint himself with her body—and drive her crazy while he did it. Daniel reached the last button and smoothed his hands down over the fabric covering her hips and thighs, knowing damn well that she’d picked an outfit that was designed to play down her scars so she didn’t make anyone uncomfortable.

  Well, fuck that.

  He urged her up so he could finish getting off the dress and then palmed first one breast and then the other. “You’re beautiful.”

  “You’ve always said that. Even when I was a gangly teenager.”

  He pinched her nipple lightly, relishing her harshly indrawn breath. “It was true then. It’s even truer now.” He peppered her breasts with light kisses designed to torment and moved down her body, licking along the edge of her panties. “The first time I realized you weren’t a kid anymore was that summer when you were thirteen.”

  “The pool party at Quinn’s.” The words came out breathy, making him grin.

  “The very one. You wore that blue bikini, and I felt like a dirty old man because my cock wouldn’t calm the fuck down.”

  Hope laughed. “You were sixteen. A stiff wind made it impossible for your cock to calm down.”

  He liked this, revisiting the good memories. Daniel worked her panties down her hips, stopping when they hit the tops of her thighs and she tensed. To distract her, he kept talking. “I knew John would kick my ass, so I stayed the hell away from you.”

  “And ended up making out with Christie Jenkins, if I remember correctly.”

  Now it was his turn to laugh. “Yeah, well, you had a point about my being sixteen.” He kissed the sensitive skin below her belly button. “You want to know something?”

  “Sure.”

  “That day had nothing on when I saw you at my birthday party seven weeks ago.” He licked her hip bone until she squirmed. “All I wanted was to haul your ass out to my truck and bury my cock inside you.”

  “Didn’t even make it to your truck.”

  He inched her panties down farther, kissing the point where thigh met hip. “Nope. And my cock hasn’t calmed down since, either.”

  Her laugh cut off when he finished pulling her panties off, leaving her naked. He feathered his fingers across the top of the scar, forcing himself to really look at it for the first time since she’d walked back into his life. When his car rolled, the passenger door had caved in, impaling her leg with pieces of metal. It caused the scar to be jagged, an ever-present reminder of the trauma she’d gone through.

  More importantly, the trauma she’d survived.

  “Danny—”

  “Do you trust me?”

  She propped herself on her elbows, looking down her body at him. “You don’t have to be at peace with my scars to have sex with me.”

  No, he didn’t. But he’d been fucking up when it came to this injury since she walked back into his life, and he was done. Hope had hurt herself to spare him a situation where she thought he might be uncomfortable, and the thought of her doing it again… Over his fucking dead body.

  But if he pushed too hard, she’d get up and walk to the bedroom she’d claimed as hers and shut the door on him and his attempt to truly start new with her.

  So he met her gaze. “When I said you’re beautiful, I meant every inch of you. That includes this.” He stroked her thigh, down over the scar to her knee. There was nothing of her original skin there, some of it having been grafted from elsewhere during the surgery. “You’re beautiful here, too.”

  “Danny—” His name was choked from her lips.

  He stopped. “Am I hurting you?”

  “No.”

  He still didn’t take his hand away. “Do you want me to stop?”

  It took her longer to respond this time. Hope shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

  In the week she’d been back in town, he’d never heard her sound so unsure—not even when she was waving a box of pregnancy tests in his face. He kissed her thigh. “You don’t have to hide this from me, darling. Not anymore.” It hurt seeing it, but at the same time…it was part of her, and had been part of her for almost as long as she’d had an uninjured leg. If he couldn’t accept this, he had no business pushing her to stay.

  When he looked at it like that, it was really no contest. “What do you do when it’s bothering you?”

  “Daniel.”

  He stopped and met her gaze. “What do you need from me?”

  “We can have this conversation later. Right now, I want your mouth and hands on me and your cock buried deep inside me.”

  There was no arguing with that. He didn’t want to. Hearing the words—the plea—out of her lips was enough to have him once again battling for control. You promised her you’d make love to her. Falling on her like a starving man isn’t going to cut it. He moved up to settle between her thighs. “Find something to hang on to, darling.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Hope couldn’t breathe. She wasn’t sure if it was the fact that she was in bed with Daniel, feeling more naked than she ever had, or the fact that he was going to make love to her, or if her hormones had finally decided to revolt and just finish her off entirely.

  Probably a combination of all three.

  Daniel’s tongue on her clit slammed her back into the present. He kissed her there like he had every other part of her body on his journey south, like she was the most precious thing he’d ever come across. Like she was as beautiful as he kept claiming.

  His hand drifted over her scar, and she tensed, but he didn’t stop what he was doing with his tongue, and it took a grand total of two seconds before she was too busy trying not to squirm to worry about his fingers stroking her jagged skin. She closed her eyes, but that only made the dual sensations more prominent. Hope hissed out a breath. “Danny, you don’t have to do this.”

  “This is part of you.” He shifted, pressing a butterfly kiss to her knee, the most mangled part of her. There was no hesitation, and when she looked down her body at him, for once there was no guilt in his eyes. Just a slow appreciation that always seemed to show up when he had her naked. He’d looked at her like that when she was eighteen and, silly her, she’d been sure that would never happen again. Apparently she’d been wrong. He kissed her calf at the bottom of
the incision they’d made for the knee replacement. “I said it before, and I’ll say it until our dying day—you’re beautiful, inside and out. You’re so damn strong, it humbles me. That car crash would have broken anyone else who went through what you did. I…” He paused, obviously struggling with the words. “You don’t need my validation, but I am so fucking proud of you. And I am so damn sorry that I missed out on the last thirteen years.”

  He reached up and pressed his hand to her stomach just below her belly button. “I let my own head space get in the way of what needed to be done back then, and I promise I won’t do it again. I’m going to be here for you and our baby every step of the way.”

  It was what she’d always wanted to hear from him. She wanted nothing more than to give in and relax and just believe, for one damn second, that he was telling the truth. There was no doubt he meant every word of it, but their past had left its mark on her, body and soul. She couldn’t help feeling that things, even as chaotic and insane as they were, were going too well and that the other shoe was about to drop.

  “You don’t believe me.” He traced a circle around her belly button with his thumb, the light touch making her shiver. “It’s okay. I damaged your trust, and it’s going to take time to win it back.” He smiled, the expression showing one of the rare hints of the happy young man he used to be. “We have our entire lives ahead of us.”

  “I…” There was nothing to say. He was trying. She was trying. Neither one of them could guarantee anything about the future or what it might look like. “Kiss me.”

  “You don’t have to tell me twice.” He crawled up to brush his lips over hers, gentle and sweet and full of things she wasn’t ready to name. Except she already had, thirteen years ago. I guess I never really stopped loving Daniel Rodriguez. She pushed him onto his back and straddled him. It wasn’t a position she could hold indefinitely, but she could hold it long enough.