Amelia jerked her arm out of his grip as he shut the door. She was glad that she had on the jacket, otherwise she was sure that she'd be bruised. Neither of them spoke, Danny just stared at her and she stared at the floor. Finally the silence became too much. “Just say what you have to say, like you told me earlier, if we're over just fucking say it. If it's not enough, just say it. Maybe you're right, maybe love isn't enough.”
He didn't reply. Not one word. He didn't move. Hell, he didn't even blink. Amelia didn't understand what that meant. Of course her mind went to the worst possible option. Maybe his silence was saying everything. What the fuck was she supposed to do? “Danny?” Her voice shook, and she clenched her hands into fists to stop them from shaking.
“Do you love me?” There was something strange about his voice. Something that Amelia couldn't place.
“Yes.” It was the only way that she could reply. Even if it wasn't enough, she loved him. The silence that followed was painful. Amelia finally met his eyes. “I've loved you since the day that we met, Danny. Please. Just...” There were no more words she could think to say.
He moved over to her. Amelia's heart raced in anticipation of his touch, but instead he reached inside the jacket, pulled something out of the pocket. There was no way to stop her hands from shaking now, and she didn't bother to try. Amelia turned away as Danny stepped back, she wasn't sure that she could hear whatever he said next while standing. The urge to curl up on the bed was strong but she just sat on the edge with her hands on her knees.
Amelia picked a spot on the floor, stared at it. She looked up when Danny came into view. It actually hurt to meet his eyes. A sob tore from her throat and she covered her face in her hands. All of her plans not to cry went right out of the window. She felt hands on her knees, spreading them apart, and then Danny's hands were around her wrists.
“Shh.” He pulled her hands down gently and turned her wrist over. Amelia began to sob harder at the sight of his mark on her wrist. These days she no longer bothered with bracelets to conceal it; in fact she liked looking at it.
“I know what we have is enough.” He moved his thumb over the mark. “It's got to be enough because I'm not right without you. I love you.”
Amelia looked up from his hands, met his eyes. “Danny.”
“The day I came home, I went to the bar. Everything you'd left was in boxes in the room. I wanted to fucking burn them, but I didn't. Instead, I started to go through them one by one.” He pulled a black bag from his pocket. Amelia realized that it was what he'd taken from the inside pocket of the jacket. “I found these.” Amelia felt her heart stop when he spilled the contents of the bag into her hand. Her wedding band. Her engagement ring and his wedding band. “I think that it's time for you to put them back on. Marry me again, Amelia.”
“Marry you?” Amelia stuttered the words. “I thought that... I thought that we were done and that I fucked everything up somehow. I thought...”
“You think entirely too much.” Danny cut her off. “And you haven't answered my question, I'm sort of dying to know.”
Would she marry him? Of course she'd marry him. Amelia nodded her head. “Yes. Yes.”
“You sure?” There was a teasing light in his eyes as he picked the rings up from her palm. He slid the engagement ring onto her finger. Amelia felt a thrill that it still fit and to see it once again. It was truly a beautiful ring.
“I'm sure. And I'm sorry I freaked out earlier about Allison. This is what you had planned, isn't it?”
“Yeah. The original vision included champagne and a grand speech.”
“I think that I like this version better.” Amelia raised her hands to cup his face. “I really do love you. And I'm sorry that I...”
“Hey. You're thinking too much again. We're going to go downstairs, get drunk, and then we're going to come back up here and I'm going to fuck you until you can't walk.”
Amelia felt herself blush at the mere thought. “Do we have to go downstairs? Can't we just stay up here?”
“We could, but eventually Train is going to remember I said I'd be right back. Wouldn't want him busting in on us. Unless you want him to possibly see more of you than he has before.”
“No.” Amelia felt like she needed a shower just at the thought. “Do we have to stay long?”
“Just long enough to get you nice and tipsy.” He informed her. “We are going to have one hell of a private celebration tonight.”
“Let's get the drinking over with, then.” She let him pull her up to her feet. “Can we avoid Missy if possible? I'm really not comfortable with the way she's acting like Royal never had a kid before. It's not right.”
“We're not going to be down there long. And you're right. It's not right. I plan on having a word with Royal about it. We'll steer clear of Missy. Have a few drinks and then we're coming back up here because I'm not going to want to drive home.”
“That sounds perfect.” Amelia took his hand, and together they walked down the stairs. The crowd was more bearable when Danny was at her side. Everything was easier when he was at her side. Amelia knew that she wasn't easy to deal with all the time. She tended to get lost in her own head, forgetting everything else around her. There was a different pass-around behind the bar. Amelia didn't know where Allison went, and she really didn't care.
Danny told the girl to bring them a bottle of Jack and a couple of glasses. “You really are trying to get me drunk? Aren't you?”
“Damn straight I am.” Danny grinned at her. Amelia knew that all was right with them now; it allowed her to relax, smile back and not even feel her good mood fade when Train came walking over.
“Well, that was quick. Quicker than I'd expect from you, Danny. Should I put you in touch with this guy I know who sells little blue pills?” Train found that absolutely hysterical. He laughed hard enough to make Danny laugh.
“No need for that. We were just talking, settling some shit.” He grabbed Amelia's hand, held it up for Train to see.
“What?” The man replied, obviously oblivious to the ring and what it signified to them. Amelia wasn't surprised.
“It's her engagement ring, dumb ass.” Buster spoke dryly from behind Train. “Guess this means you're making it legal again.”
“Yeah. Figured why the hell not?” Danny smiled widely and Amelia could hear the pride in his voice. He was enjoying showing the ring off to his brothers, and she realized that she was as well. It was good to share this with them, even Train, after all the bad that had been happening lately.
“I can give you a list of reasons,” Train volunteered.
“Shut up,” Buster told him. “Congratulations. This is great news.” Amelia smiled as he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. “We've got all sorts of shit to be glad for tonight. I think that we need another round.”
One round turned into two. Two turned into four, and then things started to get a little hazy. Amelia was drunk, happily so as she sat at the bar with most of Nightshade around her. It gave her a warm and fuzzy feeling about the future. Finally she was back where she belonged, back with her family. Even with all that she'd lost, there was no place she'd rather be, except maybe upstairs in the room with Danny, naked and sweaty.
The mere thought made her squirm on the barstool, and Danny noticed. He always noticed. “If you'll all excuse us, I need to get Amelia upstairs.” He grinned widely and grabbed her hand. Everyone within earshot began to either laugh or give him shit. Everyone that they passed on the way to the stairs seemed to be having a good time. It was nice to see everyone as happy and relaxed as she felt.
They were on the stairs when Amelia felt eyes on her. She looked backwards over her shoulder and her eyes locked with Missy's. The woman simply stared at her with no expression on her face. Immediately she was reminded of the day Harris had stormed the bar. Even if it was crazy, she believed that Missy had known about Fiona and Taylor, the insurance and all of it. A chill rolled down her spine and she looked away from Missy and focused on
the top of the stairs.
Chapter Thirteen
Danny tightened his grip on Amelia as she stumbled over a stair or her own feet. It was impossible to tell. “Easy.” He knew that she was drunk. In fact, he'd made sure that she was drunk so she could get out of her own head for at least a little while. So far it was working; she'd been as at ease as he'd seen her back at the tables with his Brothers.
There weren't words for how pleased he was that she'd just fit right back in. Sure, she and Train would never be friends, but they were playing nicely for now. She'd smiled, joked and laughed. It had been a really great night and looked to just keep getting better and better. Danny pushed open the door to the room, glad that no one was there. He would have kicked them out, but then Amelia would have insisted on changing the sheets and spraying Lysol all over the place.
Danny locked the door behind them, took off his cut and hung it quickly. “Oh no, no falling asleep.,” he chided Amelia as he saw her face down on the bed.
“Just resting my eyes.” She said, her voice muffled slightly. “Trying to get the room to stop spinning.”
Danny took off his boots, dropped them down to the ground. He approached the bed, grabbed Amelia's foot and took off her boots. She squealed and squirmed away from him when he tickled the bottom of her foot. “Got to put one foot on the floor to make the room stop spinning, everyone knows that.”
She turned onto her back, her eyes only opened fully when he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside. “Or maybe I just need to focus on something else besides the way that it's spinning.”
“I think that we can manage to find something to occupy you.” He took off his jeans and let out a laugh when she sat up and began to undress quickly. “Hey, maybe I wanted to take off your clothes.”
“You should have been a little faster, then.” Danny watched as she fiddled with the button of her jeans. “I've still got these on. I guess that I could use a hand with them.”
Danny didn't waste any time replacing her hands with his. She lifted her hips, kept her eyes on his as he peeled the denim down, revealing that she wore nothing beneath. “Let me guess, you need to do laundry.”
“Yes.” Amelia admitted on a laugh. “It was bare or a pair of your boxers.”
Either would have been sexy, but Danny was glad that she'd chosen bare. He loved the sight of her skin. Every inch of it was burned into his brain, every scar and every beauty mark. Every inch was beautiful, absolutely beautiful.
“You make me nervous when you stare at me like that.” She spoke and moved to shift her hands to cover herself but he wasn't having it.
“Don't do that. I want to see every lovely inch of you.” Danny felt his cock turn to stone as she blushed. Compliments had always embarrassed her. So much had changed, but at the core they were still the same. Danny skimmed his hands up the outside of her legs, watched the muscles twitch in response to his touch. “You are so beautiful.” But she was skinnier than she had been, nearly as skinny as when she'd arrived.
“Stop it,” she protested. “I don't need the pretty words. I just need you. Now.” She reached her hands out, grabbed his arm and pulled him forward so that he was on the bed with her. Danny could feel the heat radiating off of her skin, he caught the scent of her arousal in the air and had to bite back a groan. He wanted her as much as she wanted him, maybe even more, and all night he'd been telling himself the same thing, he was going to take it slow.
She had other plans, her legs wrapped around his waist, her hips moved and he felt her warmth slide over him. “Fuck.”
“Yes, please.” She grinned up at him. “I do believe you promised me that I'm not going to be able to walk when you're done with me.” Again her hips moved against him. “I'm ready.”
Danny couldn't deny that. She was already soaked and he hadn't even touched her. They needed to get drunk together more. “Turn over.”
“Oh.” Her eyes widened, her legs released, and she did as he asked.
Danny took a moment to appreciate the view. He reached out and ran his hands from her hips and down the outside of her legs. “Open up for me.” She spread her legs, revealed herself to him and any thought of slow and sweet flew out of his mind. All he could think about was being inside of her, feeling her wrapped around him, warm and soft and his. All his.
Danny felt her brace herself as he pressed himself against her heat. Her body resisted him at first. He gripped her hips, pressed through the resistance until he was completely inside of her. Amelia gasped, her body rigid beneath his. Fuck, he was hurting her. Just as he was about to pull back he felt her relax, felt her arch her back deeper. There was nothing like being inside of her, of feeling her body around him, knowing that there was no possible way they could be closer to one another.
With a growl he shifted them forward, Amelia on her elbows instead of her hands. She smiled as she looked over her shoulder at him. Her eyes were half open at best but not because of the liquor, it was the look that told him she loved and trusted him more than anything else. She let out a whimper when he completely covered her body with his.
The only sounds she seemed capable of were moans, deep throaty moans that made his cock twitch. Danny knew that he wouldn't last long like this. He didn't want to. They had all night. Hell, they had the rest of their lives. He began to thrust deep inside of her, never leaving her fully until her walls began to clench him tight. “That's it. Come on, Amelia. Come on.” It was a desperate plea as he felt his ability to control himself ebb away.
He was close. So close. Amelia went still beneath him, her mouth open, but she didn't make a sound. It was his own roar of release that filled the air. He pulsed deep inside of her and pressed his face against her back. “Don't fall asleep on me now.” Danny warned as he slid off of her and tried to calm his rapidly beating heart. “I'm not done with you yet.”
>#>#>#>#
Danny jolted awake at the sound of a gunshot. “What the fuck?” He was up and dressing in an instant. “Stay up here,” he told Amelia. She looked less than pleased by the barked order, but she didn't follow him out the door.
He had his gun in hand as he made his way down the stairs. This wasn't the cops; they'd have made more noise before firing shots. No, Danny had a sinking feeling that this was The Millers, and it was confirmed when he reached the bottom of the stairs.
“Put it down.” Mark Miller advised him. “I'm only here to talk.”
“The shot I just heard suggests otherwise.”
“Put it down, Danny.” Royal spoke and for the first time Danny realized that he and Missy were in the room. The woman was at the bar, and she looked more pleased than pissed. What the hell was going on?
Danny couldn't refuse the direct order, not in front of Mark Miller, at least, so he lowered the gun but kept it in his hand. “Someone want to tell me what's going on?”
“There was an attempt on Joseph's life last night. Someone set his home on fire with him inside. He barely survived. It seems to me that lately Nightshade has been plagued by fire. I'm not a huge fan of coincidence.”
“We didn't burn our places, and we certainly didn't torch Joseph's. That is what you're implying, isn't it?”
“Yes. It is,” Mark replied. “And forgive me, your words haven't convinced me of your innocence. Joseph could very well still die. If he does, I will deal out the punishment that I see fit.”
Danny didn't know what to say to that. He had a feeling Mark's punishment would be what he'd threatened at the last meeting, death to everyone that they loved. “You should concentrate more on figuring out who actually did this instead of running around on a wild goose chase and coming here.”
“What leads do you have on the person who set the fires? Anything?” Mark demanded.
“Our guy at the Fire Inspector's office says that both the houses were torched with acetone. It's a fairly common thing. Hell, it's in just about everything.” Royal volunteered the information. “As far as we can tell, the fire at the Mason house
was set by someone who took offense to Danny's wife meeting with that bitch detective.”
“Your wife, consorting with Detroit's finest? Now, that seems like a really big problem to me.” Danny said nothing. Amelia's meeting with Harris was now known by all, but not all needed to know that everything she'd done had been signed off on by Nightshade. “Is she here now?”
“Why?” Danny looked over at Royal. He really didn't like where this was going.
“I don't like people who talk to the cops more than to ask them if they're under arrest or request a lawyer. Seems like your old lady did much more than that. Much more. Got one of your Brothers arrested, had him languishing in a cell for nearly a month but still she's here, celebrating with you. That's just disrespectful at best.” Mark shook his head. “This is troubling. Exceptionally troubling. Even Joseph, who has an obvious soft spot for Nightshade, would be troubled. It is never wise to do business with a known rat in the house.”
It was the same term painted on the side walk outside of his house. Sure, it was a very common word when discussing an informant, but something about Mark saying it made it stand out. Also, he caught a glimpse of Missy out of the corner of his eye, and she was smiling.
Amelia's words ran through his mind; she'd said that it seemed Missy knew what Harris told before it was revealed. Right now, it seemed like Missy knew where this conversation was going to go; the bitch couldn't stop smiling.
“What can we do to ease your mind?” Royal asked Mark.
“Off the top of my head, get the rat out of your house. If it were me, I'd kill it just to be sure that it was gone, but I understand that I have less of an emotional attachment.” Mark looked directly at Danny as he spoke.
Make It Right Page 18