Good with His Hands
Page 16
“That we were having a cookout tomorrow and he’s invited. I knew it would be what you wanted me to do.”
Dani blinked at the blatant lack of logic in that statement. “Why would I want you to lie to him? I don’t get your moral code.” The woman who was staunchly opposed to uttering any four-letter words apparently had no problem with convenient fibs.
“He wanted to take me to dinner. I figured the two of us alone, over a nice meal, and I’d be putty in his hands. This way, I have you to smack me upside the head if I start getting too dewy-eyed. Please, Dani.”
“Sean and I have plans. We’re supposed to see that movie we never made it to last night.” She couldn’t imagine asking for a rain check for their rain check.
“If we eat early enough, you can still make it to one of the seven-thirty or eight o’clock showings,” Meg pointed out. “I will do all the work. Let me buy the groceries and cook dinner as a belated thank-you for giving me a place to crash. And if you’re afraid the whole double date vibe will be awkward, I can invite Marissa and Ned. I’m sure they’d love a few kid-free hours.”
“I don’t know...” But she was weakening. It wasn’t as though eating a hamburger before the movie was such a hardship.
Meg switched tactics. “Having dinner here first would give you even more time with Sean. You can’t deny how much you enjoy his company. I saw the way you were beaming this morning.”
Guilty. Normally, Dani didn’t look forward to early morning house showings, especially on the weekend when most of the workforce was entitled to sleep in. But today, she’d rolled out of bed with a smile on her face and a song in her heart.
“You were practically glowing,” Meg added. “If I weren’t so happy for you, I’d be unbelievably jealous.”
She couldn’t deny that she was already looking forward to seeing Sean again. “I’ll go to the main office and see if anyone’s signed up to use the patio tomorrow,” she relented. There were a few battered picnic tables and a community grill that tenants could reserve. “But this is awfully short notice. You may be out of luck.”
“I don’t think so.” Meg’s characteristically buoyant optimism was once again shining through. “Our luck is changing! You just have to be positive.”
That attitude seemed simplistic, if not outright naive. In her last relationship, Dani had bought a wedding dress. Wasn’t that being pretty damn positive? There were no guarantees.
Then again, Dani didn’t allow defeatist thinking in her career. She approached each deal with confidence—while simultaneously working her ass off to make sure she got the results she wanted. Perhaps she should approach dating with the same blend of self-assurance and strategy. If she wanted to avoid getting hurt again, it was up to her to make sure she didn’t allow that possibility. Have fun, but don’t get too close. No problem.
She smiled at Meg. “Maybe you’re right. We make our own luck.” As long as neither she nor Sean had unrealistic expectations, there was no reason they couldn’t fully enjoy this affair.
* * *
ALEX PAUSED BY the watercooler in the trailer, staring in Sean’s direction.
“Something wrong?” Sean asked. Sunday was their shortest shift, but they’d put in a productive day’s work. Most everyone who’d clocked out in the past few minutes had been in high spirits.
“Do you realize you’ve been whistling for the past two days? It’s starting to border on creepy. Being that happy ain’t natural.” His expression turned sly. “Let me guess. Did your mystery woman who wasn’t interested change her mind?”
Am I really that transparent? Not that he cared. Let Alex or anyone else on the crew razz him. Time with Dani was worth any amount of mockery.
“Yeah, she did. In fact, I’m headed over to see her now.” He’d been amused by her explanation that they were having an impromptu cookout, but that his brother wasn’t supposed to know the impromptu part.
“Why, Ms. Yates,” he’d teased over the phone, “surely you aren’t asking me to participate in deception? I know you have very strong feelings about that.”
She’d made a garbled noise that was part laugh and part growl. “Just be here by four-thirty, and I’ll owe you one.”
He liked the sound of that.
Halfway across town, he caught sight of himself in his rearview mirror and realized he was grinning. Maybe Alex was right. Maybe being this happy wasn’t natural. But, damn, it felt good.
He pulled up to Dani’s building about the same time as Bryce. When he saw the familiar box in his brother’s hand, he chuckled. “You and your imported beer.”
“What’s wrong with it?” Bryce asked. He eyed Sean’s empty hands critically. “At least I brought a contribution.”
Crap. He had a point. Sean had been so preoccupied with seeing her again—and trying to get here by four-thirty—that it hadn’t occurred to him to stop for wine or flowers or any of the usual hostess offerings. I’ll make it up to her later. That thought had him smiling again.
He knocked on the apartment door, and a woman he’d never seen before answered. From her freckles and vaguely familiar eyes, he guessed she was Meg’s sister. She looked as though she was in her late-thirties, with just a touch of gray creeping into her strawberry-blond bob.
Her eyes were wide with surprise. “Well, hello there.” Apparently, no one had warned her to expect identical twins. “I’m Marissa Talbot, Meg’s sister.” Her gaze darted between them before landing on Bryce, the brother with the more expensive clothes and conservative haircut. “I believe we’ve already met?”
She waved them through the apartment to a narrow backdoor that led to a cobblestone patio. Meg was standing at the grill, her cheeks rosy with heat. Dani stood off to the side, looking sexy as hell in a casual black halter dress. She was chatting with a guy in khakis who drank from a bottle of the same beer Bryce favored.
When Dani spotted Sean, her face lit up. But then she inexplicably scowled. Shaking off both expressions, she walked toward him. “Sean, Bryce, glad you two could join us! This is Meg’s sister and brother-in-law, Marissa and Ned Talbot.”
Bryce snapped his fingers. “Ned Talbot? From Humphrey Hall? I thought you looked familiar. Bryce Grayson. I lived in the dorm for a semester until I moved to the frat house.”
“Right.” Ned shook his hand, and the two men fell into discussing their mutual alma mater. It turned out Marissa had attended the same college, where she’d met her husband, but she’d lived clear on the other side of campus.
Standing at the grill, Meg chuckled. “Yeah, our parents trusted her to go to school out of state. Me, not so much. Which was probably a wise call,” she added sheepishly.
Dani indicated the cooler of iced drinks sitting in the shade of a dilapidated picnic table. “You guys help yourself to whatever you want.”
What Sean really wanted was a moment alone with her to greet her properly. From the way she wasn’t quite meeting his eyes or stopping in his orbit for long, he guessed she wouldn’t welcome a public display of affection. Well, they hadn’t been dating long. Maybe being with him in front of her friends was an adjustment.
When she excused herself to go back inside for plates and condiments, he seized the opportunity for a moment alone and volunteered to assist. No sooner had they set foot in the apartment than he pulled her into his arms. After the barest hesitation, she melted against him, kissing him with the same welcome he’d glimpsed in her eyes when he first arrived. He hadn’t consciously realized his shoulders were bunching with tension until they relaxed again.
“That was nice.” She smiled up at him. “But we should probably get back out there.”
“Okay. Later, though, I want you all to myself. Come home with me after the movie?” His words were a lot more patient than what he was thinking. Come home with me now.
She nodded eagerly. “I’d li
ke that.”
The genuine enthusiasm in her gaze as she smiled up at him was reassuring. Her earlier withdrawal must have been his imagination. Quit overreacting. The problem with being so happy was that, at times, it seemed too good to be true. Yet, when he touched her, it was obvious she wanted him as much as he did her—which made him a very lucky man.
She’d forgiven his lie, they’d met each other’s families and she would be spending the night in his bed. What more could he ask for?
13
AFTER AN HOUR and a half of listening to the people around him share college stories—a topic Sean was ill-equipped to participate in—he was anxious to leave. He told the Talbots that it had been nice to meet them, a tactful fib he figured even Dani would pardon, then went inside to see if she was ready. Meg had excused herself to the kitchen to bring out dessert. Sean and Dani had declined, claiming that they were saving room for overpriced theater junk food.
Dani had been vehement. “An action movie without popcorn is like a football game with no goal posts.”
Letting himself in through the backdoor, Sean heard Dani’s voice from the kitchen. “You really don’t have to keep thanking me,” she said wryly.
“But I do! I’m grateful for today. And for letting me stay with you. For giving me your approval to see Bryce. It’s funny that I like him so much, isn’t it? He seems more your type. I guess your good taste in men is finally rubbing off on me.”
Sean’s jaw clenched, but he told himself to get over it. He’d known since day one that Dani had found Bryce attractive. That had been superficial, a few passing glances that were nothing compared to the hours she’d spent with Sean. He was the one who’d shot pool with her, danced with her at the country club, made love to her until they were both too spent to move. Ridiculous to be jealous over what-might-have-beens.
He cleared his throat more loudly than necessary, making his presence known.
Dani poked her head around the corner. “Just let me grab my purse.” She disappeared into the bedroom and returned with a giant handbag.
He couldn’t help laughing at its size. “Are you planning to smuggle in your own popcorn and soda?”
“No.” She smirked. “It has some essential overnight gear, though. Like pajamas.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t I tell you? Dress code at my place is sleeping in the nude.”
Her voice dropped to a husky whisper. “You might like these pajamas—they’re from Meg’s shop.” She paused, tapping her index finger against her lips. “Although, strictly speaking, it’s probably inaccurate to call a few scraps of black lace pajamas.”
The visual images damn near shorted out his brain. So much for concentrating on the movie. “What about clothes for tomorrow?” he asked once he found his voice. “Are those crammed into your purse, too?” Which would be either really impressive or really scandalous. How small did a dress have to be to fit into a purse?
She laughed. “No, I’ll come home to shower and change. I have a house showing scheduled in the morning before I head to the office, so I’ve got a little extra time.”
He almost asked if she was sure she didn’t want to get ready at his place. It seemed more convenient. But at the thought of Dani in his shower, he suspected they’d both end up late for work.
* * *
THEY LEFT THE movie theater with differing opinions. “So you didn’t like it?” Sean asked as he unlocked his SUV. He’d had a great time, although that could have been the company more than the film.
“I didn’t exactly dislike it. I mean, I loved the first half. But when the villain took his girl Friday hostage and the hero realized he loved her? It got a little sappy for me.”
“You have a problem with happy endings?” Sean teased.
“I... Maybe I question how happy they actually are. Or how the characters know they’re with the right person.”
“You just know.” The words came out of nowhere, sounding incongruously serious for a conversation that had started with commentary on the hero’s tights. He aimed for a more flippant tone. “I guess we’ll have to wait for the sequel to see if they’re still together.”
Would he and Dani still be together by the time a sequel was released?
The thought was wildly unexpected. A follow-up movie was at least a year away. He’d never had a romantic relationship that had lasted that long. It wasn’t even something he often considered. Yet he could easily imagine wanting Dani every bit as much one year from now as he did tonight. It was a foreign but not unpleasant feeling.
Dani didn’t seem to mind his quiet introspection. As he drove, she turned up the radio, bopping along to some classic rock. It only took a few minutes to reach his town house.
He was renting from a man who’d invested heavily in real estate and had given Sean a good deal. In exchange for some minor repairs and carpentry to the townhomes the man owned on this block, Sean paid only about half the usual rent. It allowed him to live in a nicer place than he otherwise could have afforded. The floors weren’t real hardwood, but they were a reasonable facsimile. Large windows helped create the illusion of space. The two-story townhome was nowhere near as luxurious as Bryce’s loft, but it was sufficient for him. And preferable to Dani’s small apartment.
“This is great,” Dani said, dropping her purse on an end table and looking around. “I’m jealous.”
He had the sudden mad impulse to give her a key and tell her she was welcome to visit any time. Or would that fall under her definition of too sappy?
“Hey.” She poked him in the arm when he failed to respond, a teasing lilt in her voice. “You’re not still thinking about the superhero’s choice of crime-fighting ensemble, are you? Because if you’re pondering his clothes instead of how to get me out of mine, I’m going to be deeply offended.” She reached for his hand and led him to his favorite recliner, shoving playfully at his chest until he sat down.
“I wasn’t thinking about superheroes. I was thinking about us,” he admitted. “I’ve been doing that a lot.”
Her smile faltered. “Oh?”
“All good things,” he assured her. Scary good. Like, for the first time in his life he could understand how a couple could be married as long as his parents had been without getting tired of each other.
She perched on his lap. “There’s definitely a time for thinking.” Her fingers threaded through his hair, and she nipped at his lower lip. “But this feels like a time for doing.”
That sounded like a philosophy he could support. Abandoning his awkward attempt at conversation, he lost himself in the pure, perfect pleasure of kissing her. Her tongue clashed with his, and lust shot through him. What was it about this woman that always had him teetering on the brink of need? A look, a touch, a kiss and suddenly getting his hands on her was as crucial as breathing.
He bunched up the material of her loose skirt, sliding his hands beneath the silky material, across her even silkier thighs. She squirmed atop him as if she weren’t sure whether she wanted him to slow down or move faster.
He traced the outer edge of her ear with his tongue, loving how she melted against him. “Everything okay?”
“Everything’s wonderful.” She rocked against him for emphasis, and he sucked in a breath at the exquisite sensation. “It’s just...when you touch me like that, I get distracted.”
“Distracted from what? If you tell me you’re trying to calculate mortgage rates, I’m going to stick my head in the oven.”
She laughed. Then she braced her hands on the arms of the chair and pushed, unexpectedly getting to her feet. He immediately missed the contact.
“Wait, I take back the smart-ass comment,” he said. “I—”
“Shush,” she scolded playfully. “Do you want to know what you distracted me from or not?”
What he wanted was to haul her
into the bedroom, but the wicked glint in her eyes was intriguing, so he kept quiet and let her continue.
“I have these thoughts. Actually, it’s more accurate to call them fantasies.” Her voice was velvet-wrapped sin, and he grew harder simply listening to her.
“Fantasies are good,” he said hoarsely. Yay fantasies.
At the interruption, she shot him a stern look, but amusement danced in her gaze. “I think about things I want to do to you, things I plan to do, but then I get too caught up in how it feels when you touch me here.” She slid her hand past the strap of her halter top, stopping when she reached the swell of her breast. Then her hand skated lower, temporarily disappearing between the loose folds of her skirt. “And here.”
He forgot to breathe. Fully dressed, she was still the most erotic thing he’d ever seen. His voice was so strained it was barely recognizable in his own ears. “So if I promise not to, um, distract you...”
She gave him a grin of such devilish intent he doubted he would ever recover. “Well, that would leave me free to concentrate on other things.” She hooked a finger through the belt loops on his jeans and tugged.
He scooted closer, to the edge of the chair, and she reached for the button. He was practically panting by the time she worked the zipper down and pulled him free. With the grace of a ballerina, she dropped to her knees between his legs. She raked her fingers over him, scraping lightly with her nails just enough to make him hiss in conflicted pleasure.
Then she leaned down and closed her lips over him, drawing him into the indescribable bliss of her mouth. An almost brutal ecstasy sizzled through him, incinerating coherent thought.
Within minutes, he’d forgotten his own name. But hers rolled off his lips over and over like a mantra.
* * *
DANI SHIFTED IN her seat, trying to focus on what Renee was saying about lending limits for homebuyers. But Dani was having a difficult time with mind over body today. Last night, Sean had made love to her with a pounding ferocity, as if he couldn’t get close enough, as if he needed to make himself part of her. She wasn’t exactly sore this morning, but there were enough physical twinges to keep him at the forefront of her mind.