He gave me a peck, and continued, “I didn’t plan to ditch you, just thought I’d take a later flight. But there weren’t any available.” Not even the amazing Daniel Brightmore could get a flight out so close to Christmas. I held my tongue from the snarky remark. “I had to rent a private charter. Hence, I bought a plane. It gave me the power to fly to you, whenever and wherever. But the idea of traveling every other week to you didn’t suffice.” He gave me a mischievous smile.
“Now, that explains the insistence of moving you here, to Boston.” He smirked. “We bought this building. My construction company designed and rebuilt the apartment across the hall.” He placed a series of tiny kisses cross my jaw until his lips found mine. He took them with need, hunger, and so much intensity. Melting!
“I had a few one-night stands after, I confess. They meant less than the others I had before my big epiphany.” He kissed my face again, and I traced his torso with my index finger. I was getting used to his body, and tried to memorize every inch of it. “Your pretty face popped often enough to make me regret the evening. It wasn’t long after you moved to Boston that our lives intertwined, and all I could think was coming back home—to you. I didn’t make big waves, the fear of losing you kept me silent.”
He used his fingers to outline my face, eyes, brows, nose, and lips. Slowly, he continued with my neck and shoulders. I shivered. “Baby, I love the way your body reacts to my touch. You want me to stop?” I nodded, afraid of those reactions I had. His intense expression made me desire things I never imagined would be possible—not after Ian raped me.
Dan sighed, and kissed me one last time—deep and possessive. Then pushed himself from the bed with both arms, showing his strong lean muscles. “Princess, I’m not Ian. I’ll never hurt you, and I’ll respect your wishes. I’m going to take a cold shower while you fix your man some breakfast.”
I gripped the sheets while he walked towards the bathroom. My heart rate exceeded the two thousands beats per minute. On my way to the kitchen I encountered Ty. With iPad in hand, all smiles towards the screen. His goofy voice babbling nonsense to the screen, and he looked happy. I ignored the family reunion and continued my way to the fridge after turning on the oven. I took eggs, ham, cheese, and frozen spinach. After chopping everything, I mixed the ingredients in a bowl, salted it, poured the mix into a small muffin pan, and threw it inside the oven.
In the name of privacy, I set the timer to twenty minutes and moved to my office. All my electronics lay on top of the desk. My phone’s screen had too many notifications of missed calls, email, and texts. A post-it on top of my laptop read, ‘don’t touch until Monday or else’. I chuckled at the bossy man’s note. I didn’t see the point in staying any longer. Work would have to wait.
Giving in, I walked to the living room and to the chair that faced towards the city, and sat to read until the kitchen clock rang. Breakfast was ready.
But before I got there, Dan had taken the muffin tray out, and Ty complained, “Chick food? Where are the sausages, the bacon, and all the manly food?”
As I made my way inside the kitchen, I pulled the glasses, plates, and forks to set the kitchen island. “Do you complain like this with Ash, big brother?” I asked him, giving him a side hug before I sat down. “Bet you eat anything she gives you, including frozen bagels. Is she coming tomorrow?”
Ty took a bite before answering me. “No, she’d like to wait until—the inevitable,” Dan’s glance searched for a reaction, but I got nothing. “My mother-in-law will stay with the kids, who’re done traveling for a while.”
We finished breakfast in peace, cleaned the kitchen, and the three of us headed towards the gym where I did a few laps in the pool while the other two played basketball.
* * * * *
I showered, and chose a pair of jeans, high heel boots, and a light-pink, fitted hoodie sweater. I didn’t blow-dry my hair, only scrunched it with some anti-frizz. When I came outside the closet, I noticed Dan. Mostly, his sexy damp hair and his glistening torso from the sweat. The guy needed to wear more than a pair of shorts around the house, or things would happen. Must deflect gaze to a safer place before things escalate. If I listened to my body, we’d be doing things I’ve never allowed myself to think of—enjoying?
He huffed, moving away from me. “Don’t look at me like I’m Prime Rib, or a piece of Swedish chocolate, Rebecca.” The shower started, but his voice was still clear. “Not if you won’t eat it. After my shower, let’s go out for lunch.”
“Is it dark chocolate, or milk chocolate?” he growled in response.
Chapter 20
Dan and I became inseparable. We spent every day together. Working with only a couple of feet between each other. Dan took breaks to come and check on me every fifteen minutes. Perhaps not that often, but he made it feel like it. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy him, but the pressure I felt to respond the way he wanted became too much for me to handle. Without putting much thought on the speed our relationship had taken, I shoved all my worries under the bed for another day—or month.
On Thursday night, he took me to Sotano. Mom’s condition was stable, and he wanted to distract me. There wasn’t a point to fight with him over it. That was Dan; he pushed until he got what he wanted. I changed into my new, backless LBD and a pair of wedges. My pink toe nails made the whole outfit look sexy, yet cute.
A whisper made me shiver while I was tying the strap of my sandals, and I almost fell down. “Flirty and sexy, today my dear you’re being a tease.” He caught me, holding me close to him. Dan wore a dark button down shirt and a pair of faded jeans. He sucked my left earlobe, making me shiver. “I love you, pretty girl. Thank you for letting me be a part of you.”
Phrases like those melted my heart and made me forget why we were so wrong for each other. I loved him with all my heart, but he deserved so much better than me. Shoving became my favorite verb when it came to our relationship. He had me on a pedestal where I ruled his world—and he did mine.
Nick and Nate took us to Sotano, while Ty stayed behind, calling our outing a date night. Buddy had a V.I.P. table set for us. We chatted for a few minutes, and then he left to continue working—whatever that meant. “Ready to dance?” his musky scent enveloped me along with his arm. We made our way to the crowded dance floor. Once we arrived, he held my hips tightly against his, and he swayed me to the rhythm of the music.
My heart thundered as he released one hand and slowly moved it up and down my bare back. I listened to my body and let the music and Dan take me. We didn’t speak, we allowed the movements and beats to talk for us. Once he knew I’d stay close, he released my hips and back. His hands wandered around every line, curve, and corner of my body. I simply kept my hands over his chest, enjoying the moment.
Our eyes locked, and he playfully mouthed I love you. Those words meant the world to me, and not thinking twice, I put my hands on the back of his neck and made him croon over me, so I could whisper at him, “I love you, Danny.”
Dan placed his forehead over mine and closed his eyes tightly. “Say it again, baby, please,” he said.
“I love you.” His mouth crashed into mine, not letting my lips go and continuing the kiss while we danced to the rhythm of our own music.
His hands danced slowly along my upper body until they found my lower back. Those dangerous, kissable lips continued their trespassing, changing motions from gently, lazily playing to overpowering, depending on the music. I craved him, my entire brain screamed stop, but my body won, letting everything go.
He took both my hands from his neck and onto my sides, and then leaned and talked into my ear. “Let’s go home.” It wasn’t a suggestion, but an order. I quivered and placed my hands on his biceps. Holding on to them tightly.
No word came out of my mouth, but my eyes and body agreed.
“I need our bed, or a cold shower, now.”
We arrived home within twenty minutes. Nick left us at the lobby, per Dan’s orders. “Tell me no,” he cornered me
inside the elevator, nibbling my jaw. His fingers drew circles and lines all around my back. “You’re so soft, I can only imagine….” He took a deep breath, and said, “I’ll go as far as you allow, always.”
I held his intense gaze. Those grayish-blue eyes darkened, filled with desire, and gave me the impression that I was beautiful, unique, and loved. Hypnotized by Dan, I didn’t realize when we arrived at the apartment, or how we made it all the way to the bedroom. He dimmed the lights, low enough that the soft lights made the moment intimate, yet we still saw each other.
One moment I was taking my shoes off, the next, Dan was crushing his lips against mine, devouring them, while his hands touched me everywhere they had skipped at the dance floor. Dan wrapped one arm around my waist, lifting me. He secured my head and gently lowered me into the bed.
His mouth began to kiss and taste my neck, shoulders, and the top of my breast. “Tell me to stop,” he begged, but continued his pursuit without waiting for an answer. Internally I debated, and finally I shook my head and slowly unbuttoned his shirt, placing a kiss after undoing each one. “Becca, baby.” He inhaled hard. “Are you sure?”
I nodded, giving us both what we craved. Enjoying each delicious touch, Dan delivered. He moved his gaze from mine to pay attention to my body.
“Beautiful.” He said, when he peeled my dress and gasped as he realized I wasn’t wearing a bra. Pleased with the sight, he went ahead and kissed each of my breasts, giving both the attention they deserved. The pleasure made me whimper, while it built some intense force inside my body, especially in my lower abdomen. I was swimming in a pool of desire. My hands grasped Dan’s arms; he turned to look at me. “Want me to stop?” The boyish grin appeared, surely knowing how much he affected me, and how little I wanted him to stop.
“Need to let go of my arms, love, if you want me to continue.” I closed my eyes and let them go, holding myself into the comforter. “Bex, baby. Open those pretty almond eyes. I need to see how the fire burns for me.” A moan formed in the pit of my stomach, and made it all the way to the surface. His words touching me the same way his expert hands were.
Dan pushed himself out of the bed and discharged his pants and boxer-briefs. The view of him excited, and scared me at the same time. “I can stop.” He froze when our eyes connected. I smiled and mouthed a playful please.
Dan went back to where he left―my nipples, using one hand with one and his mouth with the other. Right before I ignited, he stopped and continued kissing his way down to my abdomen, making his next target my belly button. He groaned, tightening his grasp on my hips, when he encountered the lace of my black panties. Skillfully, he began to pull them down with his teeth, licking me, pulling, licking me. “A-Ah, Danny, please.” I begged, not sure if the begging was for him to stop or continue.
“Patience, little one.” He looked up, and our eyes met for a second before his mouth went back to the task in hand. “And you tell me I’m the impatient one in this relationship, love.”
He got my panties all the way down to the top of my cleft. I gasped, afraid of what came next. “You ok, baby? I can stop.” I can do it, he’s not hurting me. Dan’s loving me—not Ian. Don’t listen to your mind, Rebecca, let it go.
Like everything else, I let it go because it was Danny. “I’m good, baby, I love you.” He nodded, going back to my lower abdomen, my thighs, and the black panties he finished removing with his hands, and parting my legs with kisses in both sides of them. I began to wiggle around, pushing my entire body towards his face. Building that moment back, the one that would make me explode and let me release the frustration I accumulated.
“You’re ready for me.” Dan’s finger penetrated my sex. I closed my eyes enjoying the movement, finding that precise—“Baby, open your eyes.” I did. He was positioned between my thighs. Dan lowered his faced to mine, while his penis got ready to enter my body. “Relax, I’m doing this slowly, love. Trust me.” Tenderness, love, and adoration radiated from his eyes. He tilted his head and feathered my face with small kisses until he reached my mouth. Dan kissed me slowly, possessively, while he began to push himself inside me.
Aware of every movement, and his body, I tensed, afraid I’d mess up and spoil the moment. He stopped for a second and shook his head. “Let go, relax. Don’t think, baby. I got you.” I did. And once I calmed, he pushed himself all the way. Claiming me as his. Once in, he searched through my face and asked me if I was fine, and after I nodded, Dan lovingly moved in and out. First I only enjoyed his movements, but once my body got used to him, I followed and met every thrust. My loud moans charged him with excitement. Our hips, skin, and souls meshed together on a beautiful moment I’d never forget.
Love and passion rushed between us during and after the fact. Being loved by Dan meant everything to me. I gave myself to him, and the best part was that I received the same from him. In unison we screamed each other's names, and the explosion was beautiful, filled of pure love. With a playful smile, he hugged me tight and rolled me over not to crush me. Never taking his eyes off mine, he kissed my nose. “Thank you, love,” he whispered lovingly. “I adore you. Wish I could put into words what I just experienced. You just gave me the best gift anyone could have given me. I’m never letting you go, princess. You’re completely mine.” I smiled, grabbed him from behind his neck, and kissed him.
Tonight, Dan erased a bit of Ian’s damage. “Go to sleep, my sweet princess. I love you.” He said at the same time I murmured, “I love you forever.” Exhausted, I rested my head over his chest and drifted into a deep sleep.
* * * * *
I had the music blasting through the entire house, Keith Jeffery—the vocalist for Atlas Genius—and I, sang ‘If so’ while tossing a salad. The lasagna I prepared was about to be done. Mary took the day off. It had been three days after Dan and I had made love for the first time. I adored the man more than ever. However, as my reservations about the relationship increased, he was pushing further.
“We need to tell everyone we’re together.” He mentioned. “I’m off the market, it’s fair to announce that you belong to me.” Dan loved me, yet he talked about me like I was his property. My mind had a hard time processing our relationship, and the fast track it had taken. Shove it. And I did, multiple times.
I heard Dan mumbled from the front door. “Ma-me”.
I turned to look at him. His face had a different gloss, one I haven’t seen before. It intrigued me and scared me at the same time.
“What?” I asked, but instead of a kiss or a hello, all I got were two words. “Stay there.”
Everything felt entirely wrong, and I couldn’t shake the fear that my life was about to crumble. The minutes became hours inside my mind, and the uncertainty of what his face meant killed me. I finished the salad, placed it on the table, and took out the lasagna from the oven to let it cool before I served it. Poured iced tea in each glass and set them on the table. I went back to put the dessert outside the fridge, so it wouldn’t be too cold. That’s when I noticed Dan walking toward me with a Cheshire grin, and a paper in hand.
I narrowed my eyes, wondered what he was up to. Knowing Dan, he was about to push another foot, or mile. This slow-paced relationship was going at the speed of light. Loved the man with all my heart, but running behind him to catch up became a task. He unfolded the paper in hand, and placed it in front of me on the kitchen island. I was suffocating, the chart I created back in New Years was in front of me. Dan’s perfect wife. Me? He got it wrong. Dan wanted perfection, and I was far from it. This had disappointment written all over, but the almost thirty year old man had a boyish grin that screamed I’m getting my favorite toy for Christmas. That smile, those eyes, his face—the entire set made it impossible to think any further.
Dan went down on one knee and opened a square velvet box with the most beautiful pink diamond I had ever seen. Dan got me a pink diamond, this wasn’t happening. Not now.
“I had the perfect speech.” He cleared his throat; he was nervous
. “But it’s at the office. Betsy made sure the Maldives villa was ready for us to occupy it next month. I planned to cook your favorite dinner, and have the most romantic proposal ever. However, tonight I recognized that I can’t wait to start spending the rest of my life with you, as my wife. Princess, I love the quirky ways that make your imperfections so perfect. I love the way you blend pink into everything you own—even me.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “You’re that list.” He tilted his head towards the kitchen isle. “Would you marry me, Becca? Be mine forever—you and me against the world.”
“P-pink?” Was that the only word I could think of when a guy proposed to me? But the proposal lacked something. It was cute and—there’s the list? I was a—shove it.
“Would you have it any other way?” I shook my head. “I designed it, for you. Because I know in my heart that you’re going to be my wife and never leave me. When you made the chart, I humored you, because I know how much you enjoy those silly things. But I had already found my bride, you. So, would you?”
Stumped, I didn’t know what to do. Never leave me, already found her, you’re mine. I couldn’t say give me a day, a week, or a month to think. Not to this man who adored me and tried so hard to make my dreams come true.
“Baby, I’m not moving from here until I get an answer—which I hope is yes.” The man knew me inside and outside. I had doubts and—“Don’t doubt me, don’t doubt us, please.”
Keeping a blank stare, I tried to defend myself. “Why, I’m not—”
“Yes, you’re perfect for me.” Nice approach; he had no idea what was really going on. I wasn’t right for him, but I was trying to think how to get out of the situation without hurting us both. “The chart you made not long ago, describes you.” His brows went into a frown, but his eyes began to plead. “I love you forever.”
Where Life Takes You Page 19