Outer Core

by Sigal Ehrlich

  “Things you should be eating while trying to conceive,” Daniel says like it’s the most natural thing for him to talk about.

  My eyes shoot up to his. “How did you even know what one should be eating while . . . ? Daniel Stark, you just up and went to the store?”

  His brows furrow. “Yeah.”

  My lips stretch into a grin. “So you took some time off from running the cyber security world, did some research, and skippity skipped to the nearest organic store?” His confused air turns my grin into a full-blown smile. Love you so much, D.

  Chapter 14

  Forget the World with Me

  “Where are we going?” I say, feasting my eyes on Daniel in a gray thermal and jeans as he steers the car onto a dirt road leading to a forest. I watch him under the light coming from the Veyron’s console, waiting.

  He rolls the car to a stop and turns to me with a hint of a smile, his right hand resting on the wheel. “Camping.”

  My eyes grow wider to his response. I run them over his face that has taken an amused air. “Okaaay.” I linger the word doubtfully. “I’m actually a big fan of our bed,” I say. “Just for the record,” I add in a murmur.

  “Our bed is one of my favorite places on the planet, believe me.” His grin morphs wicked. “But I thought a change of scenery would be good for us. Somewhere it could be just you and me, somewhere away from everything . . .” He doesn’t complete the sentence, and to be honest, I’m glad he doesn’t. Daniel gets out of the car and turns to the backseat to get a couple of backpacks and a bundle of wood logs tied together that I didn’t even notice he’d put in the car.

  “Wow, you really planned this all out, didn’t you?” I say, looking at the gear Daniel has piled on his shoulders. He shrugs and offers me his hand. We walk hand in hand through the woods in pleasant silence till I break it. “I sure hope you got some decent camping food and not that flax-whatever, healthy stuff. I’m starving.”

  Daniel smiles, turning to me. “Only the best for you.”

  My eyebrows rise in excitement, encouraging him to divulge the much-anticipated info. “Fine dining, baby. Chili dogs.”

  “You sure know how to spoil a girl.”

  He chuckles, tugging on my hand to pull me closer to him. He plants a kiss on my head.

  . . .

  “D, really, I can help,” I say, sitting by the fire, doing absolutely nothing while Daniel starts setting up camp.

  He shakes his head. “You watch the food.” I inwardly giggle at the thought that crosses my mind. Me Tarzan, you Jane.

  Clearly, the last thing I do is actually watch the food, for I choose to indulge my eyes on my provider/protector. How can I not when I have Daniel before me all outdoorsy and manly, setting up a place for me to rest my weary head tonight. Daniel squats to stake down the edges of the tent, his features tense in concentration. I need to trap my lips together so, “Hey D, can I trouble that sexy, scarred mouth of yours for a sec, a certain feminine part of my body demands its attention,” won’t slip out.

  “You keep looking at me like that, and we won’t have a place to sleep tonight, woman,” Daniel says, moving on to the next pole attachment, a light grin playing on his lips as he works to secure it to the ground. Beaming, I rip open a bag of tortilla chips and pop one into my mouth.

  With the tent set up, Daniel cleans his hands, patting them on his jeans and bends down to sit next to me. He gives my lips a quick peck and brings a chip to his mouth.

  “I think it’s ready.” I pull one of the foiled hotdogs out of the fire, unfolding the wrapping. “God, it looks amazing.” I take a lungful of the sausage, spice, and cheese scent and get the other for Daniel.

  “We definitely need to do this more often,” Daniel says, polishing a third of his hotdog in one bite.

  I take a bite of mine. “Agreed.”

  Daniel’s eyes light up in tandem to his thumb brushing the corner of my mouth. He brings his thumb to his mouth and sucks on the smear of sauce. The way his lips suck on his thumb prompts my creative mind to come up with a couple of fun adult campfire games. Light conversation carries us through our little shindig by the fire.

  “Ready for dessert?” Daniel asks, digging through one of the backpacks.

  “Always,” I say, taking a sip of my soda because, apparently, I’ve been banned from drinking alcohol till further notice. My reasoning that I’m not even pregnant yet fell on deaf ears. Some fights are just not worth fighting, especially when the other party’s sense of reason has a tenuous grasp on logic.

  Daniel skewers a couple of marshmallows on a stick and hands it over to me to roast while he turns to break some graham crackers in two, placing a cube of Hershey’s on each. I beam at him, only for him to reward me with the sweetest, boyish grin. And at this moment, nothing really matters. It’s him and me, and I don’t need anything else. Okay, maybe just us and these mouthwatering s’mores. Daniel and s’mores . . .

  With said thought in mind, I rise to my knees and lean in, sending my tongue to the smudge of chocolate on his lip. “It tastes even better on you,” I say to his lips while climbing his thighs. A low groan rumbles from his throat when my determined tongue makes its way to the confines of his warm, sweet mouth. Daniel’s hands find their way under my sweatshirt, caressing my skin. I slide forward to graze against his hardened groin. Progressively, our kisses become feverish, sloppy. The heat coming from the fire has nothing on the inferno that is my desire for him. I direct my hands to the hem of his shirt, hurriedly pulling it up over his head. I give him one more scorching kiss and ease back only to kiss a trail over his raspy jaw and down his throat. Daniel’s hand reaches the hem of my sweatshirt, pulling it up a little then dropping it back down. He breaks our kiss. My confused stare jumps to his hooded, smoldering eyes.

  “Let’s take it inside,” he says, light flush tinting his sharp cheekbones. “I don’t need some horny raccoon getting off on my sexy fiancée.”

  I burst into laughter. “You didn’t just say horny raccoon, did you?”

  Daniel snorts, pulling me after him into the tent. In record time, we’re both naked inside the sleeping bag. We’re still grinning as our lips meet. Daniel turns to lie on me, nudging my legs apart with his thigh. He tips his mouth to brush mine, his tongue coming out to part my lips. He inches back, lightly biting my lips. “Tell me what you want me to do to you.” His husky voice timbers all the way inside of me.

  My cheeks lightly tint as I bite my lip, returning his intense stare. “I want your mouth on me.” My voice comes out hoarse. Hazel eyes become darker as he kisses me next. Wordlessly, he gives me another small kiss and slides down my body. His hands grab my thighs and drop them open. He kisses a trail down one thigh, almost reaching my middle and turns to do the same to my other thigh. My legs quiver as the heat of his mouth comes closer and closer to where I’m wide open and waiting for him.

  I cry out, arching my back with the first lapping of his tongue on me. He moves my parted legs to rest on his shoulders and leans in to taste me. Keenly, his mouth works me to a peak, suckling, lapping, and kissing while producing erotic sounds that drive me crazy with lust. I no longer am able to hold myself when he sucks hard on my most sensitive spot, sending warm currents throughout my body. I cry out his name, my eyes shut in ecstasy as my body combusts with pleasure. He keeps his mouth on me till I push his head away because it’s too much.

  When Daniel lies on top of me this time, it’s with an easier pace. And so are his touches, kisses, and thrusts. We hold our stares unbroken under the soft light coming from the bonfire as he moves fluidly on and in me. I tip my chin up, claiming his mouth. He brings his hand to caress my face, his eyes drinking me in. When I tighten around him, he drops his head back, eyes fluttering closed in pleasure. And when his name is ripped out of my lips in utter pleasure, he stiffens in me, releasing his desire with my name in a string of incantations.

  “Hales,” Daniel says, leisurely tracing his fingers over my naked back.

&nb
sp; “Mmm . . .” I murmur, my eyes closed, my head rested on his bare chest.

  “Look at me.”

  I turn to rest my chin on his skin, leveling our stare.

  “I need to tell you something.” The graveness in his tone has a direct effect on my stomach. “But you need to promise to hear me out first. Promise you’ll do that?”

  I tense up. “Sure,” comes out on a weak chord. My insecurities and dreads standing at attention.

  Daniel takes a breath through his nose, his eyes latched to mine. “I was thinking, perhaps when we get back home tomorrow, I’ll move into one of the guest houses . . .”

  My eyes grow in distress. “What are you talking about?” shoots out of my mouth.

  He places two fingers on my lips. “Hales, hear me out first, please.”

  My stomach turns viciously, and I can literally feel the blood drain from my face. “I’ll move into one of the guest houses, or maybe even to a hotel. I thought maybe until everything clears up, you might want me to stay away. Just for the time being, though I promise you, it’s the last thing I want to do. After talking to your dad today, I realized just how this all looks. I can understand his concern. I never wanted you to go through what you must be going through right now. Baby, I’ll do whatever you need me to do, even if it means staying away for a while.”

  I shake my head resolutely, my eyes glazing over. Breathing through the pain of the little piece of my heart he just poked. Another piece of my heart that will always belong to him. “No, I don’t want you anywhere but close to me, as close as possible. And no, I don’t want to think things over or wait for things to clear out. I don’t need to. Because no matter what the consequences are, whatever happens, we’ll deal with them together.”

  Daniel sends his hands to my waist, sliding me up to rest on him, mouth to mouth, heart to heart. “Hales, I swear, you’re my everything. Love doesn’t even begin to describe what I feel for you.”

  I press my lips to his, still choked up on his offer. Still raw and vulnerable. Still shaken.

  Chapter 15

  Just Like an Earthquake

  Daniel

  I take a lungful, inhaling Hayley’s hair again. It’s intoxicating. Her smell, the way she feels, her smooth skin, the way I feel holding her in my arms. My heart has expanded to capacity. No more space, full of Hales. I’m fucking happily whipped. I press a kiss to her hair, tightening my embrace around her. She can never be close enough. What she told me before falling asleep on my chest is still fresh in my head. “I wish we could be like this more. Just the two of us. Hey, how crazy would it be if we moved to Baja for a while?”

  Sounds like a fucking dream. Alas, just like dreams usually end, it’s a nice idea to have even if the probability of execution is slim, if at all. I can’t just drop everything and go on an infinite vacation. I can’t allow myself a long physical distance from the business. I’ve worked too hard to sit back and watch it crumble. The thought of being in Baja with Hayley does sound damn perfect, though. I let out a sigh. Not viable.

  I let these thoughts go. And just like an earthquake, with no warning, the thing that keeps eating at me shakes the surface of the momentary peacefulness. Hayley thinks that the current predicament is an issue. To me, it’s nothing but a small, annoying hiccup that hopefully will be left behind us and forgotten once the results arrive. The other thing, though . . . I can’t even begin to figure out how to deal with it.

  Maybe Baja is not that bad of an idea, after all. At least, for a little while.

  Chapter 16

  Shake It Off

  My eyebrows meet to the muffled noises coming from inside the house. As I take hesitant steps toward our bedroom, my heartbeat accelerates. I worry my lips, confused, not sure what I should do next. It sounds like some sort of a brawl is taking place in the . . . bedroom. Palpable sounds of movements, heavy breathing, the rough graze of heavy furniture taking some serious strain. The voices funneling through the hall dust confusion and a greater part anxiety on my staggered state. Holding my breath, I send my hand to the bedroom’s slightly ajar door. I give it a soft push, and in one short-lived moment, my world crashes down.

  The room is dimly lit. I narrow my eyes to hone in on the bed first. Long, red, silky hair splayed out on my side of the bed and above it, murmuring sweet nothings, is my Daniel. Bare, strong, and tanned, he fluidly moves above a milky-skinned woman. His lips – the lips that have kissed me more than a million times and promised me forever – passionately kissing someone else. Some things you never, ever want to witness. One of them is watching as the love of your life rip your heart right out of your chest.

  “God, yes,” cries the breathy feminine voice. She pants and her voice becomes softer as she says, “I’m so happy you’re finally mine. I love you.”

  In hell coma, I flinch at the wail that rips the sensual air, the sharp cry prompting me to search for the source. My knees buckle under me, and I have to hold the doorframe for support. Next to the bed, in a light blue crib, lies the howling commotion. Bundled in a soft, white blanket, he demands his. . .parents’ attention. Something clogs my throat, caging in my voice and oxygen. Daniel cranes his neck to look at the crib, meeting my shattered eyes along the way.

  “Hales.” Comes low and soft.

  I shake my head, choking up.

  “Hales.”

  Silence.

  “Hayley, baby.” Somehow, his hand reaches me. “Hales.”

  My eyes rip open in alarm. Instinctively, my body jerks back from Daniel’s proximity. Blinking, his concerned features soak in. “Baby, you’re okay.” Gently, he rests his hand on my cheek. “It was just a dream.”

  Nightmare, D, of the worst kind.

  It takes me a short moment to catalog the surroundings. The tent. The sleeping bag, and the shadows of flames dancing over the thin, fabric walls. I take a deep breath, still tantalized by the vivid dream.

  “You okay?” Daniel asks, pulling me closer onto his chest. I bob my head. He pulls me higher for my body to cover his, for his embrace to shield me in. My hastened heartbeat gradually evens out to his steady one. The reminder of earlier this evening lightly washes away the soreness in my chest. I choose not to tell him about my dream, especially with the conversation we had just before falling asleep. The last thing I want is for him to doubt my trust and faith in him, again.

  “I’m fine.” I kiss his warm neck and burrow deeper into his arms.

  Chapter 17

  Growing Up?

  “There’s never an actual right or wrong, gorgeous mine; it’s all in the eye of the beholder,” Ian says from the other end of the line, sounding ridiculously serious. Justifying why in case he ends up meeting Ricky Martin on his current Hollywood jaunt, Josh should be okay if they hook up.

  “You mean in the eye of the reprobate, right?” He chuckles at my jab. “Okay, gotta go, I see Tash,” I say, spotting Tasha, who’s already sitting next to one of the outside tables in the new Middle Eastern place where we are meeting for lunch.

  “’Kay. See you in five.” Ian hangs up.

  “Hey.” I kiss Tasha’s cheek before taking a seat next to her. “Looking exceptionally swanky.” I admire her soft pink power suit, her hair framing her lightly made-up face in a shiny dark halo.

  “I have an important meeting later today.”

  “Sounds . . . important.” I smirk at the menu in my hands.

  “It is. I’ll tell you guys all about it when Ian gets here.”

  My eyes climb up above the menu, meeting hers. My brows furrow at her troubled expression. “Do I need an attorney present with me for whatever it is?”

  Her head jerks back in surprise. “What?” She seems weighed down by her own thoughts.

  “You look like you’re about to tell me you’ve committed a felony.” Tasha gives me what appears to be an attempt at a scornful smile that I’m not buying. “Things with Rafa better?” I change the subject for her sake.

  “I think so,” she says, still not compl
etely with me. “Um, what am I saying? It’s actually going pretty well.”

  “I’m glad for you,” I say, letting her be. Whatever it is, she’ll tell us when the fizzy part of our trio arrives. Instead, I focus on the description of item twenty on the menu: Maklouba. Meat, rice, spices, fried vegetables. Hell to the yum.

  “When will you know for sure about the . . . ?” Tasha sets her menu onto the table. I tip my head sideways in question. “About the, um, alleged bastard baby,” she elaborates.

  I frown. “Bastard baby, really?”

  She giggles and shrugs. “For lack of any other suitable word.”

  I crack a frustrated smile. “Next few days. But,” I expel a jaded breath, “can we stay clear of that topic? I’m really trying not to think about it.”

  “Sure.” She squeezes my hand. “Oh, there’s Mr. Hollywood.”

  I look over my shoulder in search of Ian. He smiles back, handsome and stylish in distressed denim overalls, long-sleeved white undershirt, and brown work boots.

  Tasha smirks at him, checking out his attire. “Howdy, young Huckleberry.”

  In lieu of a greeting, Ian drops to his knees before me. His features earnest as he looks up at me. His stare captivates mine while his hand comes up to clasp my knee. My eyes grow wider and fall to his hand on me. “I swear,” he breathes audibly, making me bring my eyes back to his. “There’s no one else, sweet baby. My heart, my whole heart, every last piece of it, is completely yours. I’ve never felt this way before. You’re all I can think about day and night.” He closes his eyes for a dramatic beat while both Tasha and I gape at him in query.

  “The hell?” Tasha peeps.

  Ian raises his finger, signaling, Can it, Barbie. He opens his eyes to mine and with a strained, almost tortured voice, says, “I love you.” To our much-astounded stares, he inches up enough to level our eyes, snakes his hand around my neck and pulls me to his lips. And as if the last few minutes never happened, he releases me and plunges himself onto the empty chair next to us. We follow his every questionable move closely. He snatches a piece of pita bread from the little basket on the table and plops it into his mouth. His lips pull up as he chews on the bread. “I’m damn good, aren’t I? You totally bought it.”