Under The Covers

by Crystal Jordan, Lorie O'Clare

  “Well…that’s nice.” Nathan’s dark eyes narrowed, and he lifted his free hand to curl over Dayna’s shoulder.

  “Yeah, it is.” Jake noted the possessive movement and dropped the other man’s hand before he gave in to the need to break it. He jerked his chin toward the front door. “Penny and Rainbow are inside. Sam and his son, Toby, will be over in a bit. They’re delayed.”

  “Isn’t Sam’s wife coming with them?”

  That question let Jake know exactly how little Dayna had told Nathan about her family. Yeah, she liked to keep the Sharps her dirty little secret. He shook his head. She had it all wrong—it was the “normal,” supremely uptight assholes she brought home that she should be ashamed of. She really needed to cut herself and everyone else some slack. Well, except Nathan. Him, she just needed to cut loose.

  “No wife,” Jake said. “When he was two, Toby’s mom dropped him off on Sam’s doorstep. Hasn’t been back since.”

  It was Toby’s arrival that had cleaned up Sam’s act. Before then, he’d been even crazier than Jake, and the two of them had done just about every stupid, illegal thing short of killing a man. And they’d had a hell of a lot of fun doing it. They’d just been lucky enough not to get caught. Now they were both respectable. Well, as respectable as two tattooed, motorcycle-riding men could ever be.

  “Ah. Dayna neglected to mention he was a single father.” Nathan glanced at her, and she offered a weak smile. She winced when Jake spoke again, giving him the kind of look that begged him to shut his mouth. He ignored her.

  “There’s a lot to learn about this family.” He doubted Nathan would be around long enough to do so, which was just fine by Jake. He pasted on his most helpful expression. “Like I said, Penny and Rainbow are inside—that’s Dayna’s mom and aunt, in case she forgot to tell you that, too.”

  Over Nathan’s shoulder, Jake watched a car pull in behind the silver SUV and an older man step out. Penny’s new boyfriend. Jake saluted him with his coffee mug, and he waved back. The front door swung open, and Penny hurried out, towing a small suitcase.

  Ah, hell. Jake had a nasty feeling he knew where this was going, and he winced. Diligent, dutiful Dayna wasn’t going to take this well. He braced himself.

  “Hi, honey!” Penny set the bag down and swept her daughter into a hug.

  Dayna squeezed her briefly, pulled back, and looked at the suitcase. “Going somewhere?”

  “Why, yes.” A brilliant smile wreathed Penny’s face. “I’ve been invited to spend Christmas in Vail.”

  Eyes widening with a hint of panic, Dayna glanced between her mother and Nathan. “But…but we came up so Nathan could meet my family. You know that, Mom.”

  “Yes, but apparently my boyfriend just can’t live without me for even a few days. It’s going to be an adventure.” Penny’s hazel eyes twinkled with girlish glee. “Don’t be upset, honey. Aunt Rainbow is here, and Sam and Toby. And Jake.”

  “Jake isn’t a relative.”

  She threw up her hands. “He’s like another younger brother to you!”

  “No, he’s not,” Dayna said at the same time Jake blurted out, “No, I’m not.”

  Penny stood on tiptoe and smacked a kiss on his cheek. “Well, you’re like another son to me.”

  “Thank you, Penny.” He stooped down to hug the older woman, shaking his head and chuckling at the irrepressible force of nature that was Penny.

  “Merry Christmas. Have fun!” She scooped up her suitcase, scooted around her daughter, and met her boyfriend in the gravel driveway.

  “She’s really leaving?” Nathan had the kind of dumbfounded expression on his face that Jake had only seen on men right before he’d coldcocked them in a bar fight.

  Dayna’s lips flattened, her eyes swirling with hurt and anger. She pinned her gaze on the floor. “Yes.”

  “Is that normal?”

  “Pretty much,” Jake said and ran a hand over the back of his neck, his gut twisting at the pain on Dayna’s face. She’d just never been able to accept that while her mother was a good person, she was never going to live up to the ideal Dayna had built in her mind. It was a shame for both of them. He met Nathan’s gaze and gave a brittle imitation of a smile. “Like I said, there’s a lot to learn about this family.”

  “Oookay, the snow’s falling faster, so let’s get Nathan started on learning about the family.” Dayna shot Jake a killing glare and stomped on the toe of his boot as she walked past. Lucky for him, they were steel-toed.

  This was going to be a very long holiday.

  2

  Nathan had taken one look at her aunt’s rustic cabin and demanded they stay elsewhere. An hour of phone calls later, and he had been frustrated to find every bed and breakfast, inn, hotel, and motel in a fifty-mile radius was booked. What did he expect? It was the holidays.

  Dayna just wanted the ground to open up and swallow her. She escaped the awkward fits and starts of conversation downstairs by retreating to her childhood bedroom. She needed some quiet time. A lead knot had settled in her belly, and she fought the need to throw up. Every one of her worst fears about bringing Nathan here had come to life. She collapsed beside the bed and pressed her shaking fingers to her eyelids. Nathan didn’t just dislike her family, it was hate at first sight. And it was mutual. Aunt Rainbow said his aura was pitch black and his chi was blocked. Her brother hadn’t voiced an opinion yet, which wasn’t a good sign, because Sam normally never stopped talking. Even Toby—her normally sweet-natured nephew—had started crying the moment Nathan had looked at him. How had it all gone so wrong so fast? Bitterness coated her tongue, making her want to vomit even more.

  Her mother had certainly been at her flaky best today. Icy tingles raced over Dayna’s flesh just thinking about it. She was so angry her skin flashed cold and then hot. Her fingers shook, and she clenched them into fists.

  Not again. She couldn’t believe her mother had run off with some guy again. Why did she have to be so irresponsible and selfish? Was it so much to ask that she stay in town for one holiday and meet Nathan? Did Dayna mean so little to her?

  Yes. That was what she’d always feared. Her mother was beautiful and charming but completely wrapped up in her own wants and needs. She was never satisfied with what she had; she always wanted the next best thing. Her mother loved her—she just didn’t love her enough.

  Thank God for Rainbow. Who would have ever thought that a flower child would be the best thing that had ever happened to her? But she was.

  Dayna lurched to her feet. This wasn’t helping. Going over and over it in her mind wouldn’t fix this. When she stepped out into the hall, she looked around for a moment, uncertain where to go. She didn’t really want to deal with her family and Nathan, but she also didn’t want to be alone with her thoughts. She really wanted to have Aunt Rainbow hug her, stroke her hair, and tell her everything would be all right because she’d had a vision that said so.

  A laugh straggled out at that. Dayna pulled in a deep breath, wiped her eyes, and turned for the stairs. Time to face the music and enjoy her holidays as much as possible, no matter how much everyone seemed to dislike each other.

  She met Jake on the stairs; he was carrying a limp Toby against his broad shoulder. “Just laying him down in Sam’s old room.”

  “Okay.” Scooting around him, she ignored the shiver of awareness that went up her spine when she brushed against him on the narrow staircase, trying to beat a hasty retreat. She didn’t want to see the condemnation in his green eyes at Nathan’s behavior. Her head was spinning, and she didn’t think she could handle much more.

  “Dayna.” His voice froze her on the bottom step. She didn’t turn around when he spoke again. “I have to say, you could do better. That guy is an asshole.”

  Well, that was Jake, wasn’t it? Mr. Opinionated. But she wasn’t in the mood. She spun to face him, planting her hands on her hips. Lowering her voice to a hiss that wouldn’t wake Toby, she glared up at him. “You know what, Jake? Shut up. I’m hav
ing a shitty day, and you are not helping. So just leave me alone unless you have something to say that will actually help.”

  His dark blond brows rose. “He called Rainbow crazy. She cried. I doubt that’ll help, but you should know.”

  Oh, that was just it. She had had enough. The anger, frustration, and helplessness building inside her since Nathan had insisted they come here for Christmas exploded. She clenched her fists tight and the muscles in her body shook. Grabbing her coat and Nathan’s off the pile on the couch, she stomped into the kitchen where Nathan and Sam sat in silence at the table. Her aunt had disappeared.

  “Nathan,” she snapped. He jerked and stood to face her. She shoved his coat against his chest. “I need to speak with you outside. Now.”

  Wariness flashed in his dark eyes, but he put on his coat and followed her to the front porch. The bitterly cold wind made her skin tighten as she rounded on him. “You know, it was your idea to come here for Christmas. No one forced you.”

  “I know, but—”

  She cut him off. She didn’t want to hear excuses for more uncivil behavior. “Did you actually call my aunt crazy? To her face?”

  After having her mother bail out on her yet again, it pissed her off to have anyone speak ill of her very supportive aunt. Crazy she might be, but she had always been there when Dayna needed her. No way in hell was some guy who didn’t even know Rainbow going to come in and judge her.

  A muscle twitched in Nathan’s jaw. His nostrils flared with annoyance. “I may have mentioned that her ideas were a bit farfetched—”

  “Crazy, Nathan. You called my aunt crazy.”

  His long fingers pinched the bridge of his nose. “Dayna, she thinks the base of Mount Shasta holds an entrance to a magical underground land.”

  Her shoulder jerked in a shrug, her temper completely unappeased. “She’s a little eccentric.”

  The incredulous look on his face just made her anger flare hotter. Now he was looking at Dayna as if she were insane. “A little—”

  “You know what?” she bit out. Her hand sliced through the air. “I believe in an omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient being in the sky who watches over the whole world and will judge me by his personal moral code when I die. I also believe he forsook his only son so I could be granted forgiveness for any wrong I have done or will ever do. To someone who doesn’t believe the same way I do, that would sound pretty weird, wouldn’t it? If I celebrate my beliefs with a Christmas tree, and my aunt celebrates hers by burning a Yule log on winter solstice, then I’m going to accept that she has as much right to her beliefs as I do to mine. You don’t have to agree with me, you don’t have to agree with her, but you do have to treat her and her beliefs with respect in her house. So try for a little bit of understanding, Nathan. Isn’t that what Christmas is all about?”

  He sighed. She hated it when he did that. It made her feel like an idiot even when she knew she was right. Gritting her teeth, she spun on her heel and paced the length of the porch. She knew this would be a mistake. He just wasn’t the type to get why she loved her family.

  “You have to admit she’s not normal, Dayna. Be reasonable.”

  She threw up her hands. “Normal. Is that all you care about? How people appear? How successful they are?”

  “That’s pretty rich coming from you, Dayna. You want everything in your life to be perfect. Normally.” Irritation twisted Nathan’s face, and the way he spoke made her feel like a scolded child.

  She hissed at him, “I’m not the one being nasty and calling old ladies names.”

  He stabbed a finger in her direction. “You know what? This entire discussion is cr—”

  “Crazy?” A saccharine smile curled her lips. “You really seem to like that word today.”

  Shaking his head, he took a step back. “Who are you?”

  “What?”

  “This”—his gesture encompassed her—“is not the woman I asked to marry me. I feel like you’re an entirely different person here. I feel like I don’t even know you. Have you been hiding this side of yourself all along?”

  Yes. Her brows snapped together, rage and…fear coursing through her veins like ice water. Her hands fisted, and she shook her head in a denial. Of him or herself? She didn’t know anymore. “How can you possibly say that? You’re the one who’s been rude to my family.”

  He folded his arms and made that sigh that set her teeth on edge. “Fine. I’ll apologize to your aunt.”

  “It’s not about my aunt.” She propped her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re not really sorry—you just don’t want me to be upset.”

  A snort was his answer to that. “In any other situation, you wouldn’t be upset. You’d agree with me that she was crazy.”

  She resumed her pacing. “Rainbow is family, Nathan. It’s different. I don’t expect you to understand that.”

  “I see. Then maybe we should take some time to rethink where we stand with each other.”

  Stopping, she turned to face him, wariness and unease sliding through her. The knot in her belly expanded even further, twisting tighter. “I don’t understand.”

  “I don’t expect you to.” He arched a brow, and now it was he who offered a mocking smile. “What I’m saying is maybe we were too hasty with taking our relationship to the next level. I thought I had a partner who was on the same page as me, who understood me. This new side of you makes me reconsider.”

  Everything inside her shook, and she didn’t know what to say, what to do, how to react. It wasn’t like her. None of this was. “What are you saying?”

  “It’s really very simple. I’m going back to civilization to think.” Bitterness tinged his voice. “You should do the same while enjoying the holidays with your beloved family.”

  Her head spun again, and she felt dizzy and nauseous. “So you’re just going to leave me then? Just like that?”

  Just like her mother. He was one more person who would bail out on her. It didn’t matter that he’d always seemed reliable and dependable—perfect, even. Things had gotten rough, and now he was leaving. She couldn’t live like that. Not anymore. Not ever again.

  “I think it’s for the best,” he reiterated.

  Tears burned her eyes, but she shook her head. “Maybe you shouldn’t reconsider. Maybe we’ve said all we have to say.”

  “Fine. Good-bye, Dayna.” He plucked his keys out of his pocket, walked to the car, pulled her suitcase from the trunk, and set it on the driveway.

  She opened her mouth to call the words back. That wasn’t what she wanted. Yes, it was. No, it wasn’t. She didn’t know what she wanted. She didn’t know anything anymore. No sound emerged from her throat.

  Then it was too late. He was gone. Everything had changed in less than a day. Her perfect life was over.

  This was the worst Christmas ever. She buried her face in her hands, waiting for the tears to fall, for some relief to the pressure growing inside, but her eyes were dry and gritty.

  It only added to her misery when the door slammed shut behind her, letting her know someone was going to see her at an all-time low.

  “Ah, hell. I’m sorry, Dayna. Don’t cry.” Jake. Of course it was Jake.

  “I’m not.” She shoved her fingers through her hair and curled them into fists before letting her head fall back. “You heard that?”

  “Yeah.” At least he didn’t bother to lie. It was a small comfort. “Listen, I—”

  “Dayna?” Her aunt’s voice sounded from inside.

  Dayna shook her head, letting her hands drop to her sides. “I need to get away from this house.” She choked on a laugh. “No, what I really need is a stiff drink.”

  “That I can arrange.” Jake reached out, taking her hands in his. His touch was gentle, and the expression on his sharp features was kinder than she’d ever seen from him.

  It only made her feel worse, and she had to blink rapidly to push back the tears that wouldn’t fall only moments before. She swallowed, wanting n
othing more than to erase this day from existence. “I don’t want to go to a bar. If I get trashed there, someone will tell Aunt Rainbow or Sam or my mom when she gets back, and I’ll never hear the end of how Nathan wasn’t worth it.”

  “Yeah, I get that.” He nodded, squeezing her fingers. “Your hands are cold. You should be wearing gloves out here.” He rubbed her hands between his bigger palms, warming her.

  That tingle of awareness she’d felt on the stairs rippled over her skin again, and the way his brilliant green gaze slid down her body only increased the sensation. She shook her head, denying it. Thinking like that really would be crazy.

  His breath made white puffs in the air. “I have a bottle of Jack Daniel’s back at my place with your name on it.”

  Her mouth opened and then closed. Damn, but she needed to not have to think, to worry, to overanalyze everything for once, and she couldn’t come up with one good reason not to accept Jake’s offer. “Okay.”

  He’d matched her shot for shot until they both couldn’t see straight, until neither of them was thinking clearly, until it had seemed like the most natural thing in the world to kiss her, to strip her bare, and stretch her out on his bed.

  She’d been with him every step of the way, yanking at his clothes, sliding her hands over his skin, whispering his name, biting his ear, begging him to fuck her hard.

  It was better than he’d ever imagined, even in his wildest adolescent fantasies.

  He watched her arch on his sheets, her dark hair a stark contrast against the white fabric. She reached up to spread her fingertips on his chest, and he damn near groaned at how good her hands felt on him. He filled his palms with her breasts, lifting them to suck each rosy nipple into his mouth in turn. Somewhere in the back of his whiskey-soaked mind, he knew it was wrong to touch her, but he couldn’t seem to piece together why. When she wrapped her slim fingers around his cock, he didn’t give a damn about the whys, he just knew he had to have more. More of her, more of this. More.

  Jesus, he’d always wanted more when it came to Dayna.