by S. L. Scott
Vinnie covered dinner, which was very generous considering the insane bill, so it’s kind Mark is taking care of the rest. Perks of the business. Before I get too lost in my thoughts, Danny’s foot bumps against mine, catching my attention. I don’t say anything, but I also don’t move my foot away.
The night is easy, relaxed, something I never thought would happen with us. Vinnie and Mark take the edge off, making us behave, and keeping the conversation light. When asked what his favorite city is, Danny says, “Lincoln,” as if there is no doubt. Maybe for him, there isn’t.
As for me… I’ve not settled on my favorite city.
Mark asks, “Nebraska?”
“Yep.”
Vinnie squints in disbelief. “I’ve never been to Nebraska, but you have me intrigued. What is it about the city that makes it so special?”
The glass is spun slowly under his fingertips as he ponders his answer before speaking. “Maybe it’s not the city, but the people that are special.”
“Anyone in particular?” Mark asks, not understanding the Pandora’s box he’s opening.
With rapt attention I can’t take my eyes off him. His leg shifts under the table, his knee knocking into mine. He looks at me before turning back to Mark and replying, “No one in particular.”
I exhale a long held breath.
Loudly.
Everyone looks at me, but Vinnie takes the honors. “Are you all right?”
Hating the attention, I brush my hair behind my ear and smile. “Yes, fine.” I shift. “Tonight’s been fun, but it might be time for me to go to bed. The wine has gone to my head and the jetlag has caught up with me.”
Just as I’m about to faux-yawn, Danny stands allowing me enough room to escape. “I should escort you to the elevators.”
“Thank you, but you don’t have to do that.”
“I want to. For safety.”
If Mark’s glare came with a sound effect, I think it would be the buzzer from Family Feud. Although it’s silent, I feel its intended effect loud and clear.
Danny ignores him and offers his arm to me. “Really,” I say. “This is too much. I’ll be fine.”
He doesn’t budge, so I give in and take his arm, wrapping mine around his, and glance to Vinnie who is practically clapping in excitement from this spectacle. After a short goodnight to the men, we walk through the bar and through the lobby. My heart is thudding so hard I’m afraid he’ll hear it over the clack of my heels echoing on the marble.
We don’t say anything. I don’t because I have no idea what to say. He doesn’t either until we reach the elevator. “You’re leaving tomorrow?”
“Yes, I have an afternoon flight back to New York.”
“Do you want to have a lunch?”
“With you?” I ask surprised, but realize that could be offensive. “I don’t mean it that way. I just… you just caught me off guard.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t have asked.” He pulls his arm back slowly when we stop in front of the elevators.
“It might be good to catch up.” Too good, I sigh quietly. When I look at him, look into his gentle gaze, I’m more than attracted to him. It’s then I realize how easily I could fall for him. Again. I can’t go through that heartbreak twice. I shouldn’t even put myself in that kind of situation. “I’d love to catch up.” Wait what? Shoot!
“Good. I’ll pick you up at eleven. I can take you to the airport after.”
“Danny?” I sway, reaching for something solid. That just happens to be his bicep. My head may be spinning but damn, he’s rock hard… my mind goes to other rock hard places.
Grabbing my shoulders, he steadies me. “You okay?”
Touching my cheek, I shake my head free from the thoughts of his hard places and try to stabilize my mind, focusing on his face instead—his oh so handsome face. “I need to go to bed. I’m a little tipsy and these shoes are really high. Probably not a good combination for me.” The elevator door opens.
“How about I help you upstairs?”
Puffing out a big breath, hoping to miraculously sober up, I say, “I don’t think that’s safe. Not a good idea.”
“Safe?” He chuckles. “I’ll be a good boy.”
“That’s the thing, Mr. Weston.” I point at him, attempting to prove I’m not drunk, though my mouth seems to have a mind of its own. “I don’t think I can be a good girl around you.” I poke him in the chest, which makes me sway again.
With a firm hold on me, he backs me into the elevator and right into a corner. Usually I’d protest from the metaphor, but he leans forward to press the button and I’m flooded with naughty memories of when we were together in college. And curious to what we’d be like now… in bed.
“What floor?”
My ass is propped against the brass bar I’m holding on to. I give up the fake protests and start going with the flow, his sexy flow to be precise. “Four.”
He presses the button and leans back, our bodies pressed to each other’s sides. I’m smarter than this, but just like years ago, we’ve slipped into this level of comfort that makes me relax. “I should be mad at you.”
The back of his hand brushes against mine. “And why is that?”
“You know when I drink it sneaks up on me and then hits me hard.” I lean my head against his shoulder. “Or have you forgotten?”
He laughs again, quieter, fitting of the small space. The elevator door opens and he takes my hand as if he owns it… something I’ll have to think about once I’m sober. For now, it feels too good. He feels too good for me to let go. As we walk, his strength steadies me. It always did. “I’m 404.”
“You were always a ten to me,” he replies casually and sends me a wink.
“Haha! Clever.”
“You still are, Reese.”
I elbow him. “Awww, and you, my friend, were always the charmer.” We stop in front of my door and I lean my back against the floral-papered wall behind me, feeling too at ease. I should really put some kind of guard up, but I’m too tired to try.
We stand there a minute before he glances back down the hall at the elevator. When his eyes land on mine again, he says, “I think we should get you inside.”
Reaching up, I touch the bridge of his nose and drag my finger down and tap the end when I reach it. “Should. Could. Would.”
His smile, the way the left side is raised slightly higher, is very sexy. His lips are sexy. I want to kiss them. I want them to kiss me. My finger runs across the plushness as I admire the way they look, move, and pucker. He’s so damn tempting. “I always loved your lips.”
“Your key, Reese. Is it in your purse?”
“My key?” He nods, and I realize he means my room key. “Oh! Yes, my key.” I reach down and open my clutch, pulling out the card. He takes it from me and slips it in the slot, making even the small action seem so much naughtier and sexier than it should, or I even thought possible.
The door is opened and he escorts me inside. I go for the bed, needing to lie down. As soon as I do, his fingertips slide down my shins, igniting my legs with a sexual energy, making me forget all about the shin splints I had the other day. Farther, farther. I barely breathe in anticipation of what he’s about to do to me.
Ah.
Aww. My feet feel so good, free from the spiked confines of the platforms.
He takes one heel off and then the other and I push up, moving myself into a sleeping position. “Thank you,” I murmur, my head melting into the comfy pillow.
He sits on the bed next to me as my body eases onto the mattress. Reaching forward, he pushes my hair back away from my face. If I knew better, I wouldn’t have allowed him inside my room. The way he’s looking at me, the feel of his skin touching mine—it’s all too dangerous for my heart, for my body in such a vulnerable state. He leans down and kisses my cheek and I let him because I like him near, even more this close. I shouldn’t, but I do. How can I not? I’ve always been attracted to this man, to Danny. My Danny. Then, he whispers, “For the
record, I remember everything about you.”
I’m tired. My eyes close on their own as the dream world starts sweeping me away, but I manage to say, “You forgot me, Danny. You forgot me.”
CHAPTER 8
~Danny~
WITH MY BACK against the door, I remain for a few minutes. A housekeeper eyes me as she walks down the hall. When she passes, she greets me, “Good evening, Sir.”
“Good evening,” I reply, pushing off and walking away from Reese’s room reluctantly. I want to stay. I want to do much more than stay, but my fate was sealed with her last cocktail. Despite her state, she knew how to hit me hard, hit me when I couldn’t argue back.
“You forgot me” plays on a loop through my mind as I trudge down the stairs back to the bar. I was dropped from the high I was riding as soon as she muttered those three words, affecting her enough for her to repeat them as she fell asleep. When I reach the first floor, I swipe my hands through my hair before I turn the corner. Mark and Vittori are standing near the entrance talking when I join them.
Vittori gives me a look like we’re in on some secret together. He says, “You’ve been gone a while. Did you get Ms. Carmichael in bed?”
What? “Excuse me?”
“She was tired. I take it you made sure she made it back to her room?”
“Yes, don’t worry,” I say, shorter than I should be with him considering he’s my new boss. I’m still thrown off from being with Reese upstairs, but take a deep breath and exhale, trying to find the balance I had prior to seeing her this morning. “She’s sound asleep.” Vittori looks over the moon from this news. Mark is glaring at me. I bypass him and focus on the one practically squealing in delight. Vittori asks, “I take it she has your number if she needs anything?”
“She does,” I respond, finding him easy to please.
Mark’s stare is icy at best. I’ll thaw him out tomorrow by reminding him nothing happened.
Mark replies, “Hopefully she’ll get a good night’s rest and be ready for the flight home tomorrow. If there’s anything I can do during the rest of your stay, you have my card. Feel free to call me.” He shakes Vittori’s hand and wishes him a good night.
Vittori winks at me and heads for the elevator after saying goodbye. When Mark and I walk outside, he stops and asks, “Be straight with me. You didn’t fuck her, did you?”
While feigning offense, I remember the many times I did fuck her. But since he’s acting like an ass and referring to tonight, I respond sarcastically, “Nope. She fell asleep before I could.”
“Are you messing with me? You better be fucking with me.”
Hitting him on the chest, I laugh. “Calm down. I didn’t make any moves on her. When she wakes up in the morning, she will only remember what a perfect gentleman I was… If she remembers anything at all.”
His stance eases and he smiles. Well, as much as Mark can manage to smile, which isn’t much. “She is hot.”
I lower my defenses. She’s not mine to feel possessive over any longer. “She is.”
“She could have modeled.”
“Could have?”
“She’s too old to be starting out in this business now.”
“I can’t have this conversation.” Not about her. Not tonight. The lightness that we had is gone. “I need to get home. I’m too tired.”
By the way his eyes are squinting, has one cheek lifted, and his eyebrows tilting downward, he’s clearly baffled. So am I. By my own behavior. That’s why I need to go. A cab pulls up and I rush for it, needing to get out of here before I tell secrets that shouldn’t be shared. “We’ll talk soon.”
“Don’t forget Vargo.”
“I won’t,” I reply and slam the door shut with me tucked inside. I give the driver directions to my place and lean my head back. Staring outside the window, the lights of businesses flash by until we hit the freeway. The dark is wanted. Needed in fact. I feel exposed. My heart is on my fucking sleeve and I don’t want anyone to witness it.
At home, I empty my pockets, dumping everything on the kitchen counter and reach for a glass. I would bother with the shot glass if someone else was here, but since I’m alone, I don’t lie to myself.
With half a glass of bourbon in hand, I make my way into the bedroom and strip down after a few hard swigs of the amber liquid. The sheets are cold. I fucking hate cold sheets. I climb in anyway since I have no choice but to warm them up myself. Grabbing the remote, I open the curtains. There’s no view from here, but staring at the few stars I can see in the sky is better than drinking in the dark. The stars are better company than my thoughts tonight.
The glass balances on my chest as I lie there. I lift to take a sip and fall back, letting the alcohol heat my throat and lower into my chest. Closing my eyes, I remember too much… too much…
My body pins her against the wall. Her door is the next obstacle on this ride home from the party. I just want her. I’ve wanted her for so long. I bend forward and kiss Reese. Her hands tighten on my shoulders, pulling me closer. She tilts her head back and says, “My roommate is gone.”
This is it. Months of buildup have led us here. I feel like I’m about to explode. “God, I want you so much.”
“Me too.” She spins around and sticks her key in the lock. The room is dark, but we know it by heart. We’ve fumbled our way around this dorm room many times while making out. But tonight’s the night. I don’t want fumbling. I want it to be perfect for her, and since my roommate is scoring with a Tri-Delt, her room is our only option.
She leads me to her twin-sized bed. Our breathing can be heard to a distracting level. “Should we put some music on?”
“Sure.” She walks to her nightstand and starts a song.
My head tilts to the side. “Is this a boy band?”
“Yeah. I like this song.”
“I can’t have sex with you the first time while they’re singing about lollipops and puppy love.” I look down. “I’m already going soft listening to them.”
She laughs. “How about classical?”
“Okay, but no Beethoven. No man can live up to those crescendos.”
“I didn’t know you knew so much about music.”
“A little. Not much.”
“Okay,” she asks, “how about Maroon 5?”
“No. I don’t want to compete with Adam Levine.”
“Amy Winehouse?”
“Too depressing.”
“Barry White?”
“You have Barry White?”
She shakes her head. “No, but I heard it’s supposed to be sexy music.”
Taking her hand I tug her back to bed. She lands next to me, all smiles and smelling beautiful. “We don’t need music. We’ll make our own.”
She kisses my cheek and then sits up to take her shirt off. The room goes quiet again while I watch her. I’ve seen her breasts many times, felt them, kissed them, but knowing this is only the beginning and not the end changes everything. Lifting up on my elbows, I angle to get a better view.
Her snow boots, socks, and jeans come off next. I take the cue and take off my shirt and jeans after flipping off my boots and socks. She doesn’t bother keeping her underwear on, so I don’t either. She settles back down, but this time on top of me.
My hands roam her sides. She’s little compared to me. Lean, but has great curves. I turn over, wanting her underneath me the first time. We start kissing and our bodies move against each other until my knee slips between her legs. She’s wet and fucking my leg. Fuck. I readjust, needing to be inside her.
Reaching over, I grab a condom from my jeans pocket. She slides up and down my thigh, her breathing erratic until her eyes are squeezed closed and her mouth opens. “Danny, please. I need you.”
“I’m not gonna last.”
“Neither will I,” she whispers.
When she spreads wider, I angle, then reposition and put the condom on. I cover her mouth with mine again, my hips pressing between her legs. Just the feel of her sends waves of
sexual cravings racing through my body. Fuck. I’ve got to calm down.
Her hand touches my cheek and she says, “Go slow, at first. Okay?”
I nod, words seeming impossible. Kissing her again, I slowly push into her welcoming heat.
My thoughts are floating, my body engulfed by the most amazing feeling. I want to tell her I love her, but I’m aware enough to know now’s not the time. I pull back and push in again. Opening my eyes, I see her pretty face, flush with emotion. She says, “It’s better than I thought.”
I stop. “Better than you thought? Ummm.”
Laughing, she corrects, “No. No. That’s not what I meant. I just always knew it would be amazing with you. It’s even better than amazing.” I relax and start moving again. She adds, “Like so much better. God, that feels so good. You feel so good.”
“You do too. You feel incredible.” I kiss her neck. “This makes you mine.”
“I was always yours, Danny.”
…I’m not sure what time I finish the bourbon or what time I finally fall asleep, but I wake up when the sun rises. Hard. Uncomfortably hard. I was always yours, Danny. Except she wasn’t. She hasn’t been mine for over ten fucking years. Closing the curtains, I try to go back to bed, not bothering to check the time, and ignoring the urge I have to masturbate to the memory of the first time we had sex.
Fuck it!
I take care of business and go back to bed.
9:37 stares back at me from the clock on my nightstand. Eleven. I told Reese I’d pick her up at eleven. While I lie there a minute longer, last night weighs down on me. My eyes burn, my body heavy. A few more hours of sleep would help, but I won’t miss this chance to spend some time with her. Too many questions still remain unanswered.
How is she still single?
Why pick me for this job?
Does she have a boyfriend?
How attached to New York is she?
How does she look that fucking incredible?
And, the one question that has burned inside me for over a decade. The one question I was too damaged to confront her about before… before now.