by Mia Zachary
“That was the senior-year production.” She smiled softly, as if momentarily lost in good memories, then pointed to a different photo. “This one is my favorite.”
Danny shifted his attention to a picture of her law-school graduation. She’d slimmed down a lot by the time this photo was taken. Her smile was beaming, her hair was swept up into some kind of braid and her makeup was flawless. She looked like an advertisement in a glossy university brochure.
Jordan turned away from the photographs. “If you’ve had enough of memory lane, I’ll introduce you now.”
Danny braced himself and followed her along the hallway deeper into the house. As with most parties, everybody gravitated toward the kitchen. This one opened onto a family room, so there had to be fifteen people positioned at the sink or stove or counter or just standing around.
“Everyone, this is David Navarro. David, you already know my mother and my aunt Celeste. The lady peeling potatoes is Aunt Geneva and the lady chopping celery is Aunt Meredith. Over here is Aunt Linda making her famous coleslaw, Aunt Joanne with the secret baked beans recipe and my cousins Whitney, Sarah and Carrie…”
Danny nodded in greeting but gave up trying to remember all of the names and hoped there wouldn’t be a test later. Jordan had told him that her mother’s side of the family would be here today too, however, he hadn’t realized how big the Gregory-Maxwell clan was. Just as panic began to set in, someone pushed an ice-cold beer bottle into his hand.
“Thanks,” he said gratefully to the only other man in the room. The guy was his height, though he had a slighter build, and he wore a sympathetic smile as he offered to shake hands.
“Hi, I’m Mason. These women can be overwhelming the first time. They’ll give you the third degree, because they’re not happy until they know who your first-grade teacher was, but you’ll survive, I promise.”
Jordan gave Mason a playful slap on the arm. “I’m going to tell my sister you said that.”
“Tell me what?”
At the sound of a husky female voice, Danny glanced behind him and froze in momentary shock. The classically beautiful face and sexy body of the woman next to Mason graced several posters in the locker room at the fire station. He just stared as he tried to locate what was left of his brain cells.
Mason chuckled knowingly. “Close your mouth, dude. She’s already spoken for.”
“Everyone reacts that way to meeting Camryn.”
Jordan’s quiet, detached statement captured his attention. In her expression, Danny saw both love and resentment before her lashes swept down to shield her eyes. His mind instantly recalled the family photos and his heart broke for the girl she’d once been. He slipped his arm around her waist and drew her close, placing a gentle kiss on Jordan’s temple.
“I reacted that same way when I first saw you.”
Camryn grinned at him. “Welcome to the family, David.”
“YOU HAVE TO ADD a whole teaspoon of chili powder, Matt. That’s what gives it the kick.”
“Shows what you know, Jackson. It’s the hot sauce that adds the kick.”
Danny smiled and took a swallow of his beer as he turned the chicken breasts over on the gas grill. Jordan’s father and Uncle Matt had been arguing over who made the better barbecue sauce for almost twenty minutes now. They’d been so focused on the debate that he had taken over the cooking so the spareribs and hamburgers didn’t burn to ash.
“Next you’re going to tell me you use maple syrup instead of brown sugar.”
“Humph. Only amateurs use maple syrup, Jackson. Us professionals use molasses and plenty of onion powder.”
Jordan’s father sputtered. “Powder! You can’t substitute powder for freshly chopped onions! I can’t talk to you.” He turned and clapped a hand on Danny’s shoulder. “You’re doing an excellent job there, boy. Anybody would think you’d cooked for this mob before.”
Danny chuckled. “I’ve had to feed fifteen to twenty hungry firefighters after a three-alarm blaze. It’s not so different.”
Jackson Gregory shot him an odd look. “When did you have time for that, what with your workload at the law firm?”
Damn. Realizing he’d screwed up, he bought himself a minute by transferring the grilled hot dogs onto a platter. “I used to volunteer at my local fire station.”
Jordan’s father continued to study him, then finally smiled and changed the subject. Danny silently released the breath he’d been holding. He hadn’t lied—he had volunteered before entering the Maryland Fire & Rescue Institute—but he hadn’t been completely honest, either. With an unexpected bitterness, he resigned himself to half-truths for the next seven days.
JORDAN LEANED BACK in her lawn chair, enjoying the late-afternoon sun on her face. She felt…content. This was the first family gathering she could remember where she had a sense of belonging. She should probably be upset because Danny was the reason for the change in everyone’s attitude. But right now she couldn’t drum up the energy.
Danny, on the other hand, seemed to have nothing but energy. Jordan watched him charge across the lawn with a football clutched under his right arm and three little kids hanging tightly to the left. Just before they reached the makeshift goal line, Danny mysteriously stumbled.
The ball popped out from under his arm and was quickly snatched up by her eight-year-old nephew Lukas, who sprinted in the opposite direction. No one on Danny’s team bothered to stop him—they were too busy roughhousing on the grass.
Camryn reached over to squeeze her hand. “He’s a great guy. I’m really happy for you.”
It was nice to have someone for a change, someone her family obviously adored. It would be even nicer if it were real. A dark void of loneliness opened within her, but Jordan simply smiled. “Thank you.”
Danny finally begged out of the football game, claiming age and exhaustion and beer deprivation, until the kids let him up. He got to his feet, looking grass-stained and utterly gorgeous, and headed toward the patio. Instead of coming over to her, though, he went to sit in on her grandparents’ card game.
Camryn laughed as Grandma Emma and Grandma Margaret argued over who got to be Danny’s bridge partner. “This one is definitely a keeper, Jo-Jo.”
Sure he is. For seven more days.
Later that night, Jordan snuggled into the leather front seat of the Jeep as Danny drove north on I-97 back to Baltimore. She felt tired, both physically and emotionally. Maintaining a false impression required a lot of mental energy. “I can’t believe it’s after nine o’clock already.”
“Get-togethers with my family are always quiet, structured and mercifully short.”
She shifted her gaze out the side window, inexplicably hurt. “I’m sorry you had to put up with—”
“No, what I meant was that I liked being with your family a lot better than my own. David and I both look on those visits as an obligation instead of a pleasure.”
“Well, they sure seemed to like you, too. Keisha must have spent most of the day trying to get you to notice her.” She grimaced, remembering her cousin’s transparent attempts at flirtation.
“She was trying too hard. I prefer women who don’t feel the need to advertise.” Danny glanced over with a smile and reached for her hand. “Other than having to avoid Keisha, it’s been a great day.”
The warmth of his touch sent a wave of longing coursing through her body. This moment felt so comfortable, so relaxed, so right. They could be any normal couple leaving a family event.
“Yes, it was a nice day, wasn’t it?” One based entirely on her lies and fallacies.
“It’s easy to see why your grandparents lasted fifty years. I swear your Grandpa Charles patted Grandma Emma on the butt when he thought no one was looking.”
Jordan laughed. “I’m sure he did. I caught them smooching like teenagers in the study. Luckily I found them just before my brother Reece walked in. He would have teased them for the rest of the day.”
“I liked your brothers, too. Despite Er
ic trying to decapitate me with the volleyball. You’ve got a terrific family, Jordan.”
“Thank you for being nice to them. I’d say today was a success. Everybody believed you were David.”
She felt the slightest tension in his hand before he slid his fingers away. In the silence that followed, he abruptly flicked the turn signal and changed lanes. He cleared his throat before he finally replied in an animated voice.
“Good. That’s what we wanted.”
Yep. That’s what they wanted. That’s all they wanted. And the rest was just physical. How else could she explain what she was feeling? Danny had helped her awaken her sensual side. He’d complimented and flirted with her all day, making her feel pretty and desirable. She wasn’t ready for that to end. But she wasn’t sure how to ask to be with him. Then again, she didn’t have to ask. Their agreement could work both ways.
“You know what I want now?”
“What’s that?”
Jordan quietly inhaled and tentatively placed her fingers on his denim-clad thigh. “The anytime we didn’t have this morning.”
10
STARTLED, DANNY involuntarily jerked the steering wheel. The Jeep careened toward the next lane and, when he turned the wheel again, he overcorrected. He laughed self-consciously as another vehicle honked its horn at them.
“You sure know how to get a guy’s attention.”
“Watch the road so we’ll get back in one piece.” Jordan patted his leg in admonishment.
“Then watch where you put your hands. At least until we get to my place.” Not only did she leave her hand where it was, she moved it a few inches higher, tracing sensual patterns along his thigh. He responded with a look that could have melted steel. “Tease.”
Maybe she was teasing, but she seriously wanted him. Her breasts ached for the feel of his mouth; her body throbbed in anticipation of making love with him. She felt proud of taking the initiative and yet wondered if she’d have to make the decisions for the rest of tonight. She was on her way to becoming a bona fide seductress, but she didn’t know exactly what to do with him.
A familiar yearning lurked on the edge of her mind. She wanted…don’t be stupid. This arrangement was temporary and so were these feelings. Mentally she flipped through the pages of Fifty Fast Fantasies, then smiled to herself as she chose one she thought she could handle. Jordan furtively reached into her handbag.
Danny parked the Jeep in front of his building. Upstairs, she slipped off her jacket and left it with her purse in the living room. She followed him into the kitchen, where he opened the refrigerator and handed her a bottle of Jamaican lager. “Shall we retire to the veranda, my dear?”
“What a lovely idea.”
Jordan stepped through the back door and onto the fire escape. She chose one of the two wrought-iron chairs and set her Red Stripe beer on the small table next to a dead ficus tree. Obviously he watered his plants as often as he cooked. The night sky had clouded over and the air was ripe with humidity. It felt hot and steamy, perfect weather for a seduction.
Danny settled onto the blue paisley cushion of the seat next to her. “So, you’re initiating the ‘anytime, anyplace’ rule. Did you have a particular fantasy in mind, or did you just want to wing it?”
“Wing it? That’s really romantic, Danny.”
He shrugged. “Our agreement isn’t about romance. So who am I supposed to play tonight?”
She stared at him, but he didn’t return her gaze. His relaxed posture seemed feigned. Was he upset about pretending to be his brother at the barbecue? She didn’t understand why, since the whole thing had been his idea. Jordan ignored the edge in his voice and purposefully misinterpreted the question.
“I’m not really in the mood for international spies or plumbers. I was thinking we’d try something different.”
“How different? My space suit is at the cleaners and I don’t own a horse.”
She laughed and made a face. “Not that different. I thought we could play Hide In Plain Sight.”
Danny looked around as if he expected to see all of his neighbors watching from their own balconies. “Are you crazy? Somebody might see us.”
Jordan elevated one eyebrow and cocked her head. “Oh, so it’s okay for you to fondle me in a public place when my family is nearby—”
He raised an open palm to interrupt. “Okay, you’re right. But we don’t have any protection out here.”
Jordan reached up with her right hand, leisurely trailing her fingers toward her cleavage. Danny’s eyes narrowed and focused on the movement, lingering on her breasts as her hand dipped inside her dress. She grinned while retrieving the condom that she’d slipped into her bra.
“How’s this for spontaneity?”
“Not bad. Not bad at all.”
She liked the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled, the heat in them as he looked at her. He came over to stand in front of her, reaching down to help her to her feet. She wrapped her arms around his neck and brushed her lips over his. His hands grasped her hips and pulled her closer until her breasts flattened against his chest. A light drizzle began to fall, the droplets evaporating on the heat of her skin.
His mouth opened beneath hers, welcoming her tongue as she explored and savored the taste of him. Her pulse thudded along her veins while her whole body vibrated with need. As he deepened the kiss, she felt his fingers gathering the material of her skirt until he’d lifted the front high enough to skim the edge of her panties. His fingers slipped inside the waistband and eased them over her hips.
Her panties slid down to her ankles and she stepped out of them, never breaking contact with his mouth. She moaned as he cupped her breast through the light cotton dress, gently rubbing her pelvis across the hard heat of his erection. Dampness flooded the apex of her thighs. God, how she wanted him. She clasped the sides of his face and gave him a kiss that branded his taste onto her lips.
Danny maneuvered them until they had reversed positions, then reached between their bodies to unzip his jeans. She tugged the placket open until she could take him in her hand. His penis was long and thick and throbbing and she ached to feel him inside of her. He broke the kiss in order to protect them and sat down.
Jordan shifted her skirt out of the way and settled on his thighs facing him, her legs dangling on either side of the chair. Had anyone been watching, they would have appeared to be doing nothing more than kissing in the rain. He bent his head to nibble the side of her neck, his voice a low growl in her ear.
“Mmm, you taste delicious.”
She shrugged, giggling as she tried to dislodge his mouth from the tender spot on her throat. “Didn’t you eat enough at the barbecue?”
“I never get enough of you.”
Jordan leaned back and speared him with a look. “Does that line actually get you anywhere?”
“You’re sitting on my lap, aren’t you?” His expression was just this side of arrogant.
“Good point.” She tilted her head and smiled at him. “What are you going to do about it?”
“Come a little closer and I’ll show you.”
With Danny’s hands on her waist, she gripped the cool iron of the chair back while he guided his penis to the slick wetness of her passage. He entered her in one smooth motion, merging their bodies in the gathering darkness. Her eyelids drifted shut as her head fell back and she trembled with desire. Rocking his hips, he began moving in a deliberate, sensuous rhythm. She braced her heels on the fire escape and held on for the ride.
It was raining harder now, water poured down on them in rivulets, but Jordan couldn’t have cared less. She felt wild and wanton, making love outdoors where anyone who looked out of their window might catch them. The illicitness of what they were doing was as much a turn-on as the man she was with. She opened her eyes, wanting to watch his face.
A rush of ice swept through her and she faltered.
Even in the dim light, she could see the detachment. Despite the obvious physical evidence of his desire,
Danny seemed more intent on pleasuring her than in sharing the excitement of the fantasy. Something told her instinctively that he was holding back in more ways than one. Suddenly the rain felt like stinging needles on her bare arms and thighs.
“I’m getting cold.”
He hesitated and she wondered if her expression told him how miffed she was. “Yeah, me too. Let’s go in.”
Jordan started to lift herself off of him when she realized the heel of her left sandal was jammed into the grate. As she tried to pry her foot loose, Danny groaned and she suddenly realized that she was wriggling on his lap. Damn it! She was trying to end this sexual encounter, not prolong it. With a jerk, she wrenched the shoe free and stood up. In three strides she was back in the kitchen, dripping puddles onto the black-and-white tiles.
Danny grabbed a paper towel from the counter and wiped his face while she steamed, both literally and figuratively. Her clothes were soaked and plastered against her body. She was cold and she was angry and she was just about to let him have it when he looked over at her.
“Why don’t you take off that dress?”
Why don’t you go to hell? I’m through playing for one night. Jordan scowled at him, but didn’t say it out loud.
Danny sighed and tossed the balled-up towel into the trash can. “I meant, you should get out of that wet dress and go take a hot shower.”
“Oh.” She felt heat stealing into her cheeks and welcomed the warmth as her teeth began to chatter.
He led her down the hall to the bathroom. After flicking on the light, he turned to her and tapped the wall. “There’s a robe hanging right here and the towels are clean. I’ll put your dress in the dryer for you.”
Slipping past him, Jordan partially closed the door. She peeled the wet cotton from her body, handed it to him through the crack and shut the door with a resounding click. She dialed on the water and waited for it to heat. Stepping under the spray, she took off her panties and rinsed them out before hanging them over the shower rod.