by Jillian Neal
“Of course,” he was desperate for her to keep going. With every question he answered, hope built in his soul.
“Will you watch old movies with me when you come to my house?”
Dan grinned. “Can I get you naked when they’re over?” he couldn’t believe he was able to joke, but when he looked up into those intoxicating, sienna eyes, he saw life, and he moved towards it.
“Yes,” she giggled, and Dan tried to memorize the sound. Another question formed on her features, but she didn’t ask.
“What, baby? Just ask.”
“Can I meet your parents?” Fear tensed in her rhythms. Dan grimaced. “It’s ok; never mind,” she sighed.
He shook his head. If he wanted her, then he had to give her all of him as well.
“Several things you need to understand before I say yes to that.”
She now looked wary, so he picked up speed.
“First of all, my mother is nuts.”
Her grin returned, along with an incredulous eye-roll.
“No, I’m serious. I’m about to invite you to come to my parents’ house on Christmas Eve, for the Vindico Christmas revue, and before you agree, you need to understand that my mother is nuts.”
“That’s what you said about Lindley,” she didn’t appear to believe him on either count.
“Uh, no, Lindley is certifiable. My mother is just your average kind of crazy.”
“I still want to come, but I kind of don’t want the first time I meet your parents to be on Christmas Eve,” she wrinkled her nose adorably.
Determined to prove himself, Dan considered. He rolled his wrist, checked his watch, and pulled his cell phone from his pocket.
Fionna began slowly picking at her sandwich as she watched him.
“You ok, son?” Governor Vindico gave a concerned greeting.
“I’m fine, Dad. Just had a quick question.”
“Ok?”
“I was wondering if I could bring Fionna over Sunday night for dinner with you and Mom,” he said nonchalantly, and listened to the stunned silence from ten thousand miles away. The broad, delighted grin on Fionna’s face made all of the impending discomfort worth it.
“Of course, Daniel. Your sisters will probably be here,” Governor Vindico warned.
“Yeah, I figured.”
“Your mother will be thrilled, Dan, so I don’t really want her to get attached if that’s going to pressure you in anyway, or going to cause her heartbreak in a few weeks’ time.”
Dan’s head dropped in defeat.
“No worries, Dad. So, can we come?” he was suddenly desperate to end the conversation.
“Ask if I can bring anything,” Fionna whispered suddenly.
“Son, you can come to dinner and bring Ms. Styler anytime; you know that. We’d be honored to meet her.”
“Ok, Fi wants to know if you’d like her to bring anything,” Dan felt his brain mock him and his heart thunder out of rhythm as he tried to envision his mother’s reaction to a girl offering to bring something to Sunday dinner. She’d have churches booked all over the freaking Realm in a week’s time. Dan felt his stomach churn.
“Well, I’ll have to check with your mother, Daniel, but tell her that’s very sweet,” Governor Vindico sounded like he was concerned he might be dreaming.
“Ok, and, Dad, you know no one can know we’re dating,” Dan’s voice shook disconcertingly.
“Yes, son, I think we, of all people, understand that. We will help you keep her safe. We want you to heal. If she’s the path to that, then I will use all of the power I wield to make certain no one knows about the two of you.”
“Thanks, Dad, really.” He sincerely hoped that his father understood that he was thankful for more than Sunday dinner.
“You’re very welcome. We’ll see you Sunday.”
Dan ended the call and tossed his phone on the bed.
“So, you just made their Christmases for about the next ten years, I’d say.”
Fionna laughed again, but then became introspective as she studied Dan.
“Does your mom being crazy have to do with the fact that she wants you to settle down?” She’d read through the complicated Vindico family dynamic instantly.
“That’s some of it, but I’ve never gotten along with my mother. We’ve been arguing since I was old enough to talk.”
“Can I ask you something else?” Fionna had worked up the courage to ask whatever she was about to ask him.
“Anything, remember?”
“Do Amelia’s parents still live next door to your parents?” her voice lost its tonality. The question was made in a forced whisper.
“Yeah,” Dan nodded.
“I know I just completely freaked out, and now I’m going to meet your parents, which will bring on another round of my being hysterical, so fair warning.”
He smiled at her adoringly.
“And I know we have to keep everything hidden, and we’re probably not ready for this just yet, but at some point I’d really like to meet them.”
She took his breath away. His blood seized in his veins. Dan forced his head to nod.
“You’re gonna have to give me a little time on that one, ok?”
“Ok,” Fionna leaned and brushed a tender kiss on his cheek. “So, do you do the whole go back and stay at your parents’ on Christmas Eve? You know, sleep in your old bedroom and everything?”
Dan fought not to cringe. He would never ever stay in his old bedroom, not ever. His body recoiled from the very thought. Far, far too many things had happened in his bedroom, in that bed. He usually refused to even enter the room.
“No,” he stated firmly. She felt his revulsion, but his tone surprised her.
“Oh.” As she took in his expression, she understood. “Sorry.”
He tried to modulate his voice. She wanted the truth.
“Uh, no, I do the whole Christmas Eve dinner thing, go to church with my folks to keep my mother happy, and then I usually go back to the office and work in peaceful solitude until New Year’s when the Senate reopens.”
Fionna looked horrified as Dan bared his soul.
“You work on Christmas?” her voice held a deep sadness.
He grimaced. He wasn’t certain what to say. Quickly deciding to go on with it, he drew a deep breath.
“Christmas was Amelia’s favorite holiday. She loved the whole deal. I gave her an engagement ring the Christmas before she was killed, so I don’t really care for it, I guess.”
Fionna nodded her understanding.
“I’m so sorry, Dan.”
“Can we talk about something else?”
“Is there anything else I need to do or not do, so that we can make this work? I just want this to work so badly.” Her voice shook, and his heart fissured.
“I don’t think so, sweetheart. Just always remember that the fewer people who know about us, the safer you are,” he sighed his regret.
“Are you going to cheat on me? Is this going to freak you out?”
“Fionna, I would never, ever cheat on you,” he took her hands and stared into the depths of her eyes. “Never, and I was worried after I told you all the rules that you would freak and leave me here to finish drowning in my own hellish abyss.”
This seemed to shock Fionna.
“Dan, I’m not going anywhere. I told you I’m head over heels. Why do you think I cried so hard which, by the way is not something anyone has ever seen before, except Garrett?”
He studied her, and tried to come up with an answer that might not bring on more tears.
“I don’t really know what exactly made you cry like that, honey. I just know that I never want to be the reason you cry like that ever again.”
“I cried because I don’t want to think about not being with you,” she fretted. “I don’t want to think about sleeping all alone in my bed without you, but I don’t want to freak you out. We went on for all these days, and I didn’t know what you were going to say. You felt so many horrible
emotions. I couldn’t work through them all.”
“Fi, I don’t want to sleep without you either and, believe me, nothing has ever made me not want to be at work, until you. I think I’m gonna rent several cars when we get back, or maybe I’ll just take one of the Iodex Expeditions, something that isn’t my bike. Anyway, I hope it’s all right that, after we spend the weekend together, on Monday I was going to invite myself over after work and then forget to leave until Tuesday morning.”
The abject relief that flooded through her rhythms soothed his soul. She grimaced a moment later.
“Ok, but Monday…”
Dan tried to remind himself that if she had plans for Monday, that didn’t involve him, it would be a good thing. He tried to quell the jealousy that was threatening to tense in his double rhythm strains.
“You might want to bring that pizza and ice cream,” she concluded.
“Ah,” Dan watched her blush. She looked terrified that the fact that she menstruated was going to make him suddenly bolt. “Gotcha.” He continued rubbing her back.
“You don’t have to stay over.” She looked like the offer was costing her a great deal. He furrowed his brow.
“Well, I won’t if you really don’t want me to, but I was just going to say that if you want, after we eat with my parents Sunday night, and then I invite you to stay with me at my place, you could bring a box of tampons, or whatever you might want to keep there. My closet is half empty, and if it means you’ll stay over more, you can keep whatever you want in my bathroom.”
Fionna’s mouth hung open in shock. “Really?”
Dan laughed at her expression.
“I was sort of assuming that this might be a monthly occurrence.”
Defiant disbelief wiped the smile from her face. She stared him down.
“You’re sure you want to do this, even at home, even when we have to go to work, and we have bad days? You want me there if I lie on the couch, and watch old movies in sweats, and feel like hell? When I get sick, you want to be there for all of that?”
It seemed she still didn’t really believe him, but he’d prove her wrong. He was determined.
“All of it. Please just give me a chance, Fionna. Just believe me. If you’re willing to do all of this, in secret, I will do everything in my power to take care of every single thing you want or need.”
She swallowed down the emotion that had come on suddenly.
“And,” he soothed, “if you don’t feel well or are sick for any reason, if you should decide to lie around on my couch and watch old movies, then I could come home at lunch and check on you. Pick you up a pizza on my way. Anything that might make you smile for me.” He tousled her hair, which made her grin.
“Ok,” she agreed, “ok, I’ll believe you, but if you freak out because someone finds out about us, or for some other reason and you leave, then what you just saw will only be the very beginning.” She willed him to understand that she was going to allow him to hold her precious, fragile heart in his extremely callused hands.
The way her sobs had made him ache physically seared through him again. He would never, ever be the reason she did that again.
“The only reason I would ever leave you is to keep you safe, and that is the only vow I can make to you,” he needed her to understand as well.
She gave a begrudging nod.
Dan studied her closely. Her eyes were still red, though most of the swelling had gone down. She’d cried off all of her makeup. He thought she was prettier without it.
75
Christmas
“So, what do you like to do for Christmas, Ms. Styler?” he changed the subject and shattered the silence before she could vow that she would be safe, even if someone found out about them.
“Garrett usually puts my tree up for me, if I agree to feed him.”
Dan tried not to feel the annoyance he’d felt for the past few days every time she mentioned Garrett’s name. They were clearly very close friends.
“I spend most of the days right up until Christmas Eve at Mom and Dad’s bakery. I help them with Christmas orders, and then I bake a bunch of cookies, bread, and stuff and take it to the homeless shelters and orphanages around town. Emily’s going to help me this year,” Fionna announced excitedly. Her charity work meant a great deal to her. Dan’s heart swelled at her exuberance.
“Then I usually do the whole stay in my old room thing on Christmas Eve at my parents’ house. It makes them happy, but this year they’re going to Monterrey to see my grandmother. Well,” she hemmed, “I mean, Gretta’s mother. She’s been kind of sick lately, so they’re going to check on her.”
Dan wondered how sick Fionna’s grandmother was.
“Were you planning on going with them to Mexico, honey?”
Fionna shook her head.
“No, I can’t. The Angels are playing in the big exhibition in Vegas the day after Christmas. We do every year.” Disappointment colored her olive skin. “I don’t guess you could come. I mean, a lot of people who aren’t dating a player come. It’s a huge event, ” her head lowered as she awaited the expected ‘no’.
“I’d love to go, Fi, and I think we could make that work. We’d have to be very, very careful, but I’m not saying ‘no’, ok? Just let me think about it and figure everything out.”
Her eyes, still red from her tears, danced in elation.
“Ok,” she threw her arms around him. He hugged her fiercely. The weight of their words and their vows turned to hunger as their energy pulsed in the love between them. They needed to unite. They needed to seal their love inside the heat and passion between them. The only thing that made sense to him in that moment was to own her fully.
“You know, I believe I promised you a ride this morning.” He husked as her breaths quickened.
“I thought you wanted to talk about Christmas,” her voice was low and breathy as Dan laid her under him on the bed.
“Can I spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at your house Fionna, just the two of us?”
She nodded as he let his hand glide over the satin crotch of the panties she was wearing.
“Good; anything else we need to decide tonight?”
She shook her head. Her body began to writhe from the sensations he was bringing her. A low moan reverberated from her as she gasped for breath.
“Be a good girl, and take that shirt off for me nice and slow.” Her energy spiked rapidly. Her eyes were voracious and her lips swollen in need. She sat up and edged the shirt up for him.
“Nice and slow,” he demanded. “I want to see your gorgeous body. It’s all mine, honey. Show it to me.”
She eased the shirt over her head, and her breasts fell in swollen mounds. She arched her back and moaned loudly.
“Good girl.”
Dan dragged one finger over her slit, still hidden behind the black satin. He leaned down, and kissed her through the slick fabric as she cried out for him.
He slid one hand up her body, and plied her right breast as he licked the satin between her legs.
He began a slow trek up her body with his mouth. He kissed all the way up the slight panties, and then spun his tongue over her adorable navel as it clenched in need.
He groped her breasts as he moved his mouth northward. He cradled her face in his hands as he sucked her left breast fervently. He listened to her beg for more.
He swirled his tongue over her nipple, the cherry-red tip drawn so tightly it made him ache. She leaned her head to the side, and kissed his fingers as he caressed her lips. She pulled two into her mouth and began sucking and licking them. It drove him wild.
He pulled his hand away from her mouth and devoured her. He pushed his tongue to hers and pulled the intoxicating energy from her mouth.
“Show me where you want me to lick.”
Her entire body bucked in need. Her eyes flashed heatedly as she reached and pulled the crotch of her panties to the side.
“Right here, baby?” he swirled his index finger over her
lips. He barely touched her. He teased, and tempted, and watched her begin to swell and glisten all for him.
“Tell me. Tell me you need to be licked and sucked. Tell me you want to come in my mouth,” he commanded in a lust-driven growl.
“Lick me,” she spread her legs further, while keeping her panties pulled to the side. His body shuddered in desperation as he stared at the provocative display. He dragged his tongue up her slit. He spun it over her clit and then moved away. He built her slowly.
He dipped it low, and then went back for more as she screamed out his name. She laced her left hand in his hair and pushed him deeper. He groaned against her.
A moment later, her energy was spun too tightly for her to remain still. She writhed and arched her back. She threw her hands to the bed.
Dan continued to lick and kiss. He held the panties for her now. As she rolled under him, he moved the slick fabric back over her and slid his teeth tenderly over the satin crotch. He watched her entire body contort from the erotic sensation.
Her fear, the tears, and the trepidation of deciding to trust him and to be with him, had her bound. It was going to take more to set her free.
He pulled away and stood by the bed long enough to remove his trousers and boxers. He gazed at her with hunger and love coursing through his veins.
She watched him slowly ease her panties off of her. Her eyes were heavy and eager, her lips kiss-swollen. Her breasts throbbed, pert and vying for his hands and his mouth to soothe their need.
Her stomach was clenched tightly in anticipation. He traced over his favorite tattoo that led to her lips, flushed the color of a rose, swollen wet with yearning.
“You are so beautiful.” He took her hand and pulled her forward. Her brow furrowed as he positioned himself behind her on the bed.
“Lay back against me, honey. Feel what you do to me.”
She quaked and moaned. He positioned her so the top of her backside was against his strain.
“Now, I want you to watch what I do to you,” he gestured to the mirror on the dresser directly across from the bed. She gazed in the mirror, but then turned away. She couldn’t see the beauty, the grace, and the allure that everyone else saw when they looked at her.