Davey didn’t remember that, but he’d been crazy mad at his mother for leaving. Maybe he’d suppressed it. Or maybe his father hadn’t told him. He pressed two fingers against his temple.
“Then I started chemo and was too worn out to do anything else. When the doctors gave me less than a year to live, your Aunt Julia invited me to Arizona to try a different process. I figured I’d heal there or if I didn’t, I’d reach out again before I passed.” She took a sip of coffee that the waitress had just delivered. “After I healed, I moved back to Serenity, but you had already moved to Alabama.”
Davey nodded, once again feeling like pond scum for jumping all over her. For the first time since she’d left, he put himself in her shoes. Her relationship with his father had hardly been rosy. His dad had yelled at her belittling her and making her cry on a regular basis. Davey had been a self-indulgent little shit who’d basically told her to fuck off when she’d tried to reach out to him. She had been diagnosed with cancer after losing her husband, her son, and when she moved to Arizona, her friend, Cruz too. He couldn’t imagine facing cancer and a one-year life expectancy with no family or support system. After Davey had rejected her, his aunt was the only family she’d had left.
Davey clutched his hands together. He wanted to improve their relationship, he wanted to develop a real mother-son connection. But he’d harbored resentment for so many years, he wasn’t sure how to get there from where he was.
But he had time to think because Cruz apparently wasn’t done. “Why didn’t you tell me, Steph?” he asked, his voice wounded. “I hate that you had to go through that. If you’d told me, I would have come to be with you.”
“I know you would have.” She patted Cruz’s hand. “Knowing that helped me through my darkest days. But I couldn’t let you leave Davey. He needed you more. Being my friend and helping me keep track of my son was enough.”
Infuriation pummeled Davey, but this time it wasn’t directed at his mom; it was directed at him. While he’d been hell-bent on pushing his mother away, she’d been every bit as zealous about staying connected to him even though what little connection he’d allowed had cost her having Cruz with her during her cancer ordeal.
Over the years, Cruz had tried to get Davey to soften toward his mother. It had been the one subject that the two of them had vehemently disagreed on, and they’d finally agreed to disagree. He wished he had wised up and paid attention to the one man who had never steered him wrong.
Davey’s throat thickened with shame. Unable to face Cruz or his mother, he stared at his hands folded together on his lap. As Cruz quietly spoke with his mother, Nora reached over and took Davey’s hand.
He glanced at her expecting to find disappointment, maybe even scorn. Instead, Nora’s eyes shone with understanding. “It’s not too late,” she whispered. “Just tell her that you want to start over.”
Could it really be that simple? He’d blown his mother off for over a decade. Maybe she had reservations about him now. She sure as hell should.
Reading his hesitation, Nora leaned in and whispered, “Trust me.”
“Thank you.” He scooted his chair over and rested his forehead on Nora’s. When he straightened, his mother and Cruz were staring at him.
He blew out a breath. He needed to figure out what to do about his feelings for Nora, but first things first. He needed to set things right with his mother. “Mom, I’ve acted like a self-centered jerk. Can we please start over?”
His mother beamed, proving Nora right. “There’s nothing I’d like better.”
Nora spent the next day with Davey, Ben, and Lucas. They’d taken the boys to a kid’s escape room and to an interactive arcade. Over the course of the day, she had enjoyed watching Davey interact with the kids. He had played right along with Ben and Lucas, but he had also modeled responsibility, like reminding the boys to say please and thank you.
On the drive back to the hotel, Ben and Lucas excitedly recapped their adventures while Nora studied Davey’s profile. She had to admit that she liked hanging out with him. Her belly did a little jig as she reminisced about their date last night. Davey could make her breath stutter with a single look, her body tingle with a single touch, and her insides flutter with a single kiss. She could only imagine the havoc he would wreak on her system if they took their relationship to the next level. She’d never before felt this kind of response with a man, not that she’d had much experience. Matt had been the only guy she’d ever slept with.
Sex with Matt had been ho-hum. She couldn’t help but wonder if it would be different with Davey. Last night she and Davey had just made out, but it had been hot and steamy. If they had sex, would they achieve the same level of heat and intensity? She shivered at the thought.
Pulling into the hotel parking lot, Davey turned to her. “You cold?” He put a hand over hers. “Want my jacket?”
No, I want your body.
She let out a little snicker, thankful she hadn’t blurted that out loud. “I’m fine, but thanks.”
Jamie and Melissa were in the lobby waiting for them. They greeted one another, then Lucas told them about the escape room which entailed a race to the finish line and about the interactive games they’d played—car racing, horse racing, wakeboard racing.
“I see a theme here,” Jamie said, and they all laughed.
“We raced all day!” Lucas said with an ear-to-ear smile.
“It was epic,” Ben added, his grin as big as Lucas’.
Melissa ruffled Lucas’ hair. “Want to cap it off with a movie night?”
“Yeah!” Lucas said. “Can Ben come too?”
“I don’t know—” Nora began, but Melissa cut in.
“We’d love to have Ben.”
“Are you sure?” Melissa had to fly back to her overseas post tomorrow night. “Lucas could stay with us instead,” Nora suggested, thinking Melissa might want a night alone with her husband.
“Nah, I want to spend my last night with my whole family,” Melissa said. “And Ben’s practically family.” She winked at Ben, then exchanged an intimate look with her husband. “Jamie and I had our couple time this afternoon.”
Nora smiled. Melissa and Jamie sported the same intimate glow that Steph and Cruz had earlier. After she agreed, Ben scampered off leaving her alone with Davey.
“How about a drink?” he suggested.
She lifted a shoulder. “Sure.”
He put a hand in the small of her back and led her down the hallway toward the lobby bar. A sensual awareness arose in her lower back where his hand pressed against her body. When he slid two fingers underneath her shirt and skimmed them along her bare skin, her breath caught.
Disoriented, she didn’t notice they had passed the bar and gotten into the elevator until they stepped onto the twentieth floor.
“But, the bar….” she said, her voice thick.
“I thought we’d have drinks in my suite,” Davey said, flashing a badass smile. “I have gorgeous views of the city.”
That was probably a bad idea. But her girl parts fervently disagreed and a few minutes later she was in Davey’s room.
“What’s your pleasure?” he asked, moving behind the bar. His voice was husky, his eyes were sultry…and she knew exactly what he wanted.
But what did she want? She knew what she wanted. The real question was should she or shouldn’t she?
“Having second thoughts?” Davey made his way over and wrapped his arms around her. “We can just drink if that’s what you want.” He pressed his lips to the top of her head, turning her brain into a jumble of mush. “Or we could think of other things to do,” he said, his voice rough.
He grazed his lips across her cheek. When she shuddered, he backed her against the kitchen island and put a hand on each side of her. “So what’s your pleasure?” he asked again, his eyes heated.
Maybe she could indulge just a little and then go back to the safety of her room. She tugged Davey’s head to hers and kissed him long and hard. He took over
, slowing the pace but dialing up the steam. As his lips devoured hers, his hands twirled through her hair, trailed the outline of her breasts, then moved to her ass.
Still sensitive about her butt, she wriggled uneasily. When they came up for air, she glanced over her shoulder at his hands.
He slid them up to her waist and gave her a lazy grin. “Sorry, but you have a great ass.”
He had told her that before, but she hadn’t believed him then, and she didn’t believe him now. What kind of game was he playing? She pushed her way out of his embrace.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
She nodded but moved away.
Davey stared at her for a long moment, then went behind the bar and poured a glass of champagne and a Coke.
As he made his way back, she studied his expression. There was concern, confusion…and a boatload of desire. Maybe she’d been mistaken.
He pushed the glass of champagne into her hands. She considered whether she should drink the champagne or keep a clear head, ultimately deciding on the former. She tossed back the entire contents, gave Davey a sheepish look, and extended the glass. She would need a lot more champagne to open this kimono.
On a low chuckle, Davey stepped to the bar and refilled her glass. This time he put it on a table next to the couch, then sat and patted the space next to him.
She eased down, took a gulp of the bubbly drink, then turned toward him. “Here’s the thing…I’m a little sensitive about my butt.”
“Why?” Davey’s voice was one-hundred percent surprise. He gave her another badass grin. “You have a great ass.”
His gorgeous blue-green eyes brimmed with raw desire. Damn. She took another long drink.
When she put down her glass, Davey pulled her onto his lap. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” she said. She shook her head, unable to look him in the eye.
“Why would you be sensitive about your ass?” He slipped his hands around her waist. “Where’s my honest girl?”
It did her in when he called her his girl. Sighing, she rested her head against his shoulder.
“I was a chunky kid,” she said after a long moment. “The other kids made fun of me, especially my butt.”
“Kids can be mean,” he said. “But you look amazing.”
She lifted her head. Did he mean that or was he trying to be nice so she would have sex with him? She knew she was overly sensitive, but Matt hadn’t liked her butt. He’d never come out and said so, but she had caught him looking and it wasn’t a wow kind of look.
“Matt suggested I should work out more,” she admitted.
“He’s a moron. His opinion doesn’t count.”
It was kind of him to defend her, but her mother had also called her a fat-ass. She decided not to go there. Instead, she thought about the online pictures of Davey with women who looked like stick figures. “If you like a little meat, why do you date women who look like they’re starving?”
He wrapped a strand of her hair around two fingers. “In my world, I meet fans, models and actresses. I love my fans, but I don’t want to date them.” He twirled her hair as he spoke. “That leaves the women I meet at charity and promo events. Had I met you earlier, I would have pursued you instead.” He gently pushed a strand of hair away from her face. “Like I’m doing now.”
She sucked in a shocked gulp of air at the idea of him pursing her. “Why?” she blurted before she could stop herself.
He let out another low, sexy laugh. “Let’s see, where should I begin? You’re an amazing mother-figure to Ben. You’re kind and nurturing. You love animals and they love you.” She shifted on his lap, a little uncomfortable but at the same time completely flattered by his words. “Dogs are a great judge of character and Daisy adores you. You’re honest, fun, and you have a great sense of humor. But what I like best of all,” he said, gazing into her eyes, “is that you’re real.” He gave her a slow grin. “All that and you’re smokin’ hot too.”
Too stunned to speak, she gaped at him. He framed his hands around her face, leaned in, and brushed his lips over hers. Then he kissed her slowly, taking her on a soft, tender journey that reinforced every word he had just spoken. When he drew back, her insides were soft and gooey, her breasts were aching, and she was hot and moist between her legs.
“Tell me what you want, Nora,” he said. “If you don’t want this, say the word.”
Oh, she wanted it, and she wanted it bad. But only the sex part. She was in no way willing to get involved in a relationship. She didn’t want Ben to get hurt, and she didn’t want to get hurt, either. She wasn’t sure what Davey wanted, but she assumed he only wanted sex too. Just in case, she decided to spell it out. “I want this,” she said. “I want you. But just for one night. That’s all I can give.”
His eyes flashed disbelief, then resignation. “I’ll take it,” he said, rising with her in his arms. He carried her down the hall and into the bedroom.
The corner-suite bedroom was enormous. There was a large bed along the far wall with a lot of open space around it. Windows covered three-quarters of the walls and showcased the beautiful city skyline. Davey gently placed her on the bed, then stepped over to pull the sheers across the windows.
When he returned, she was ready to get this show going. She reached up and tugged at his shirt, but he was no help. Fully clothed, he rolled onto his side and pressed kisses through her hair.
She lowered her hands to the snap on his pants. Chuckling, he lifted her palm to his lips. “It’s not a fire,” he said, skimming his lips over her fingers.
Weren’t they supposed to peel off their clothes and put part A in part B? Matt had been an in and out kind of guy. Looking back, it hadn’t helped that she and Matt had been more buddies than romantic partners. Still, she had assumed that outside of her novels, all men operated that way. “But we can’t do it without being naked.”
He flashed a grin. “We have all night.” His voice was voice low and deep, and full of wicked promise. He pressed his lips to the side of her neck, making her forget everything else. “Foreplay is the best part.”
She had never really experienced foreplay, other than basic kissing. But she had to admit what Davey was doing felt amazing. He trailed tiny kisses along her jaw, nibbled at her earlobe, and flicked his tongue down her neck.
When he slid a hand underneath her shirt, her breasts heaved with anticipation. As she arched toward him, he gave her a lazy smile.
“Patience my dear,” he said. “I promise I’ll make it worth your while.”
He already had and they’d barely gotten started. She lifted up on her elbows. May as well be honest. “It’s been a while.”
“Can’t be that long,” Davey said, propping up on one arm. “You and Matt just broke up a couple of months ago.”
She let out a rough laugh. “We didn’t do it much.”
Davey’s eyes widened. “He was a moron. If you were my girlfriend, we’d be doing it all the time.” His eyes widened, as if he’d surprised himself with his words. But he couldn’t have been more surprised than her. “How long has it been?”
She dropped her gaze, not wanting to share the embarrassing details. Then again, Davey should probably know that she was rusty and didn’t know what she was doing. “Four or five months.” With Lynn’s issues and Nora having Ben frequently, it had been hard to find the time. Besides, she and Matt had had more fun going out than they’d had staying in.
“What the….” Davey muttered. “Why?”
Anxiety swirled in her belly. She had no idea what she was doing. She and Matt had gone through the motions, but they hadn’t had any chemistry. Their relationship had been based on shared interests, not passion. One night after several drinks, Matt had admitted that he’d had off-the-charts chemistry with an ex-girlfriend. Because he’d experienced that kind of attraction and she hadn’t, Nora had assumed that their lack of spark was her fault. Matt had been her first, but he’d been with other women before her. From what she could
tell, Davey had tons of experience too. She wasn’t good at this and based on what Davey had already done, he was really good. When they got to the main act, he was probably like a sex god.
“I don’t know what I was thinking,” she said. Her anxiety transformed into a full-fledged panic and she shot upright. “I can’t do this.”
Chapter Fifteen
Nora vaulted off the bed with the intent to get out of dodge as soon as possible. Weighted down by champagne and humiliation, Davey easily caught up with her and grabbed her arm before she’d even made it out of the room.
“Don’t go,” he said. Shocked by his desperate tone, she spun around. She had no idea why he wanted to be with her. Sure, they had some chemistry, but he could have his pick of any number of women who were prettier, skinnier, and more sophisticated than she was.
She hovered with indecision. She wanted to go back to what they’d been doing, but it wasn’t wise. Spending the night with Davey could only end in disaster. But when he pulled her into his arms, she felt snug, safe…and wanted.
She had told him she would give him one night. Really, what could one night hurt?
As if sensing her turn-about, Davey led her back to the bed. He sat on the edge and pulled her onto his lap. Resting her head against his chest, she gave herself a few moments to soak in the comfort.
“Talk to me,” he urged as he feathered his hand through her hair.
She sighed against his chest. There was no way she was going to share her inadequacies. But her mouth didn’t get the message because the words popped out. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m not good at this.” Embarrassed, she burrowed her head into his chest.
He put a warm hand over her head and held her against him. “Not true,” he whispered.
“How would you know?” she mumbled, and to her utter mortification, she let out a loud sniffle.
“You’re warm, caring, compassionate.” He pressed a kiss to the crown of her head.
Nora's Promise Page 18