by Terra Kelly
He captured her hand in his and confessed, “You and me both. Let’s just take one day at a time, okay?” Danny put her hand up to his lips. “Just don’t shut me out of everything in your life,” he whispered. “Maybe I’ll surprise you and react completely different than you ever expect.”
She giggled. “We’ll see.”
Shawna had way too much wine and started feeling extremely needy. She stood up from the couch, turned to face Danny, and then slowly sashayed backward away from him. Winking, she reached up and started to unbutton her shirt. “What was that about dancing?”
He chuckled and said, “I believe the request had been for you to dance naked with me.”
“Oh, yes, yes,” she gushed and slid her shirt off her shoulders. “Will you be joining this party?” Continuing to sway back and forth, she demanded, “Because I would hate to be alone here.” Her eyes met his gaze as she unbuttoned her jeans and slid them over her curvy body.
Just then Danny stood up and pulled his shirt up over his head. He smiled. “I would never leave you alone, Shawna.”
She knew he meant that, too. Her heart wanted to burst at that moment, and she let out a soft moan. “Good, cause you and me, I like it.” Shawna reached back with one hand and unclasped her bra, letting it fall to the floor.
When she reached down to remove her panties, Danny grabbed her hand to stop her. “Let me,” he demanded.
Shawna let out a heavy sigh. “Baby, you can do anything you want to me.”
“Anything?”
She laughed lightly. “Yup.” Then she reached her hands forward to start unbuttoning his jeans and unzipping his fly. “Do you think we can do a proper lift in this state?” Shawna never missed a beat and just continued removing his pants. As they fell to the floor, she actually licked her lips in anticipation.
“I’m not sure about anything right at the moment,” he admitted and then placed his hands over her behind, squeezing tightly. Which immediately caused her to cry out from the feelings shooting through her body at that moment.
“You’re having that problem, too?” She slid her hands up his chest and wrapped them around his neck. “What is it about you, Danny Winters? The moment you’re near me, all I want to do is rip your clothes off.”
He chuckled. “Well, please don’t ever let me stop you.”
She actually growled at his words and then looped her fingers around the waistband of his boxers. As she let the fabric fall to the floor, she started to push him backwards toward the couch. The moment his body hit the soft cushions, Shawna shimmied out of her undies, climbed up, and straddled him. “Waiting is not an option at the moment.” She felt an intense need and wanted him inside her at that moment.
She leaned forward and took his bottom lip in between her teeth. Then quickly, she let go and lightly sucked on his lip. He pushed his head forward and captured her lips with his own. Shawna loved how he pushed his tongue against her to force her to open for him. The moment their tongues touched, she moaned loudly and placed her hands on either side of his head to bring him forward more. They both took the kiss deeper, their tongues intertwined.
As they continued to explore every inch of their mouths, Shawna reached down and wrapped her hand around his gorgeous erection. She started to quickly move her hand up and down and then suddenly stopped. Pulling her head back away from him, she said, “Condoms?”
“Shit,” he hissed and picked her up in his arms and bent to grab his jeans. After pulling two out from his pocket, Danny held his hand up in the air. “Back up plan a success.”
Shawna burst out laughing. “Just holding those for a raining day, eh?” She pointed to the couch and demanded, “Sit.”
He raised an eyebrow and then backed up to the cushion and carefully sat down. Shawna grabbed the foil packet out of his hand, ripped it open, and started to slowly roll it on. Danny sucked in a breath. “Shawna, hurry up.”
She smiled. “Baby, you will have to learn to wait. We need to make this last as long as possible. Think you can do it?” Of course, she knew that challenge would be more than difficult. Especially because they had not been together in almost three days.
“Challenge accepted,” he said defiantly.
Shawna placed her hands at each side of his body on the soft cushions. Then carefully she lifted up to put him perfectly in place. Slowly she started to slide down while whispering sweet words over and over. The moment he was all the way in, she stopped. “God, you feel so good.”
He brought his hand up and brushed away a few strands of hair from her face. “You take my breath away, red.”
“Literally,” she said, joking, and started quickly moving up and down. She noticed his eyes go wide at the gesture. Her goal had been to keep this moment between them going for as long as they could hold on. At the rate she seemed to be at, odds were not in their favor to last beyond even two minutes. She bent her head back, closed her eyes, and just took in every feeling at that moment. The way he felt when deep inside her, his hands carefully caressing her nipples. She cried out his name loudly and brought her head down to face him. “I want to know what you feel like without that damn condom.” She hated them, but safety first, right?
“You and me both, baby,” he ground out as she increased her pace. Danny begged, “Shawna, if you want me to last…that is not helping.”
Shawna started to pant, and she could feel beads of sweat slide down her back. Reaching down and starting to touch herself, she screamed, “Fuck it. I can’t hold on much longer, Danny.”
Danny grabbed her hips and helped her move faster up and down. She bent to lean her forehead against his. In between movements, he yelled, “Shawna, I’m waiting for you.” Just then she threw her head back and screamed out her release; one second later, Danny cried out her name.
They continued to move up and down. Shawna laughed and asked, “Think you have one more in you?”
“Right now?”
“Yeah,” she teased. “Too much?”
“Lady, you may break me.”
About an hour later, Shawna stood up from the couch and walked into the kitchen. She turned back toward Danny and asked, “Nachos?”
“Does good sex make you hungry?” Danny teased while standing up to head over to help.
She feigned innocence and shrugged her shoulders. “Hey, admit it, it’s a great cardio workout. Plus, if we need to see how our lifts are while naked, I need to fuel up.”
He stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “True, I wouldn’t want you to faint in the middle of a jump.”
Shawna leaned her head back against his chest, and they rocked side to side. Sighing, she said, “What was it, just a few short months ago I was trying to avoid you in every way possible.”
“And now?” Danny whispered.
“Now? I find myself anxious to see the next act,” she said and turned in his arms to face him. “A part of me feels afraid to let go and enjoy the ride; the other part is yelling, “Have a blast.” I think I may listen to the latter.”
He bent and kissed her nose. “Good,” he admitted, “Because we have a dance competition to prepare for and only about a month to get it all right.”
Shawna’s eyes went wide and she whined, “A month? We have so much to do before then.” Poking at his chest, she said, “Like fancy outfits. I finally made my decision on what I want to wear.”
Shawna had been looking online for the perfect dance ensemble to wear. The other night while scrolling through this site with a shit-ton of choices, she found the perfect dress. She walked over to her little table in the corner of the kitchen and grabbed her computer. She sat down, pulled up the site, and turned the computer to face Danny. “Look!” She pointed to at the couple on the screen in a lavish get-up, and asked, “Love?”
The woman in the photo on the screen had on a lovely red, knee-length dress with a flowing skirt; the straps were about two inches wide and went off the shoulder slightly. The man in the image had on a gray pinst
ripe suit, gray bowtie, and a black fedora with a dark gray strip around the hat.
Danny walked over to look closer at the screen. “Wow, that’s perfect.”
“Right?” She excitedly said and grabbed his hand. “Can you see it? We would look freaking amazing.”
He smiled. “Agreed. So, when do we order them?”
She jumped up from the chair and asked, “Really? You sure you like it?” She had fallen in love with the look the moment it popped up on the screen. Shawna had always loved silky material and the way it felt on her skin, especially as it would hit her legs with each spin.
Danny nodded. “Really. It would be perfect for the dances we will be performing. Plus, Isabel would see I really can clean up,” he said with a chuckle. “She’s always on me about not dressing up enough.”
“Izzy’s so cute. She will fall in love with the get up then,” she admitted and turned to close down the computer. “Okay, it’s decided. We’ll order them later. First let’s fuel up.” Shawna quickly made her way over to the pantry to grab the bag of tortilla chips. She sighed. “We should try the sweet potato nachos; it would be healthier for us.”
Danny laughed. “Are we really worried about health right now?”
Shawna placed her hand on her hip and finger to her chin to think about that for a moment. She nodded and said, “Good point, babe. We deserve a splurge day!”
Chapter 23
“Okay, you ready? Don’t over think it, just go for it,” he encouraged Shawna and held his arms out.
Danny noticed her move back and forth on the balls of her feet before finally bending slightly prepared to run toward him. She shook her arms and moved her head in two full circles and then warned, “Okay, here goes nothing.”
She made what sounded like a growl and just took off. He knew she had been nervous to do lifts, let alone on hardwood floors…and naked. Of course, Danny had confidence she could successfully complete a lift in any situation. She just needed to trust in herself first.
The moment she reached him, everything went into slow motion. He grabbed her around her waist and raised her up over his head. He heard Shawna squeal and then glide beautifully into position. Danny had her suspended in the air, and said, “Don’t move, just stay still.” He kept her in that position for only a few more seconds, and then he carefully brought her down to face him. “Red, you just successfully completed your second lift without the help of an ocean.”
“Oh my shit, we did it.” She jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Now we need to show Anya and Gabriel,” she said excitedly. She let out a small giggle. “Of course, we should probably wear clothes when we show them.”
Danny rubbed his hands up and down her back. He loved how her skin felt so soft. Lightly laughing, he nodded and said, “Yeah, they probably would rather avoid the peep show.” He tightened his hold and asked, “So now what?” Of course, he figured she knew what he meant by that statement.
Suddenly Shawna jumped out of his arms, grabbed his hand, and started pulling him toward the bedroom. He smiled and followed behind obediently. Finally, she turned to face him. “Bed. Now,” she demanded.
Danny put his hands up in surrender. “Yes, ma’am.” God she was sexy when trying to be demanding.
“Danny, I like you, but not that much. Jeez,” Shawna said, sounding groggy.
He had been carrying coffee on the way back to the bedroom, when he heard her start to talk. Peeking around the corner he witnessed a hilarious sight. Daisy had her two front paws perched up on the bed, and she was licking Shawna’s face continuously. He struggled to get the words out in between laughing. “Daisy, down girl, come on, down.” Danny made his way over to the nightstand to set the coffee mugs down and then quickly moved the dog off the bed.
Shawna sat up. “What?” She looked around. “Were you licking me?”
He chuckled. “Well, earlier, yes.”
Her eyes went wide. “No…I mean, just now.” Daisy took that moment to hop back up and lick her face some more. Shawna burst out laughing. “Really? It was just you, sweet girl?” Danny watched how she rubbed Daisy’s head and then bent to give her tons of kisses. “I love you too, baby.” She finally inhaled deeply. “Coffee?” she asked, letting out a heavy sigh. “A man after my heart for sure. Hey, we should go play ball on the beach with Daisy.”
Danny nodded. “She does love her ball. Sounds like a perfect plan.” He reached for his coffee mug and asked, “Should we go now?”
He noticed Shawna look down, and then she shrugged her shoulders. “Sure.”
They both were trying to mess with each other as they made their way to the door. Danny would lunge forward to tickle her side. Shawna would squeal and try to lightly punch his arm. Daisy seemed excited by their type of play, so she barked and jumped up and down.
Danny bent down to calm her. “Hey baby, it’s okay, we’re just having fun.”
Shawna knelt down beside them. “Well, sweetie, he’s having fun. I’m going to kick his ass,” she said, trying to keep a straight face and instead laughing.
Danny made sure to grab a few balls for Daisy. Odds were in favor of one or two ending up in the ocean. As they made their way toward the beach, they continued to razz each other.
Once their feet hit the sand, Daisy bolted toward the water. Shawna smiled. “She loves the ocean, eh?”
“We found in her records that the previous owners were runners and took her everywhere,” he said. “Which is why I don’t understand why they gave her up.”
As Daisy made her way back to him, Danny lifted his arm and threw the ball several yards out.
They walked hand in hand, the lukewarm water slapping up against their legs. The morning air was cool but inviting. Only a few other people were on the beach, but it was still early.
Danny hesitated and then asked, “Shawna, your parents are still in town. Would you like to go see them today?”
She stopped walking and turned to face the ocean. He kept his eyes on her as she wrapped her arms in front of her chest. Letting out a heavy sigh, she admitted, “I’m scared, Danny.”
He stepped up beside her. “Because you want them back in your life?”
“Yeah,” she said with a sigh. “But why the Hell would they care about me now? Plus, I’m not anything they hoped I would be. I’m the exact opposite actually.”
They were both staring at the ocean, the wind just loud enough that they didn’t hear anyone approach them from behind. Danny jumped the moment a man said, “We do care.”
Shawna spun on her heel to face the person in question. “Dad,” she stammered.
Danny watched them both. He could tell by her father’s facial expression that he had to be sad. She still looked scared, just like she had stated a few seconds prior. He stayed silent, wanting to let them work it out together.
Shawna sighed. “I’m a dancer, Dad, not a lawyer. Of course you care.”
Her father stepped up and put his hands on her arms. “Honey, your happiness is all I care about. I was wrong to insist you become a lawyer, and God, I regret ever giving you an ultimatum.”
Danny wanted to hold her, but he stayed rooted to the spot. He noticed her reach up and wipe a tear that had started making its way down her cheek. She inhaled and let it out slowly. “Dad, why are you telling me this now? Why the change? Mom said something under her breath about you being sick. Is that true?”
Her father dropped his hands and bent his head. “Yeah. I know it should not have taken me getting sick to talk to you. I regret that. Do you think you could ever forgive me?”
She turned her head to the side and quietly asked, “What’s wrong with you?”
“Dementia,” he said quietly. “I knew the moment the doctor told me, I had to make it right with you. I will not let this disease take you completely away from me.”
She sucked in a breath. “Dad.” Then Shawna surprised Danny by suddenly running back toward her house.
Danny wanted to run after her but ins
tead took that moment to talk to her father. He cleared his throat in hopes it would get his attention. “Mr. Daniels, if you just give her a little bit of time, she’ll come around.”
Shawna’s father turned his head to the side and asked, “Why do you think you know what she will do?”
“Well, with all due respect, sir, I talk to her every day. She’s an amazing woman with an amazing talent to grab the crowd and never let go. She’s determined, always gets what she wants, and a spit-fire.”
Mr. Daniels actually laughed. “Spit-fire just like her old man. Damn Irish blood in her. What’s your name, son?”
Danny reached his hand out “I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “Danny, Danny Winters.”
“Well, Danny Winters, we will need to head back home in two days.” He smiled. “We’re staying at the Westin in downtown area. Just in case she wants to talk.”
Danny nodded. “Yes, sir. She’s struggling with a lot of info at the moment. I bet once she’s had a chance to think about it all, she will definitely come to see you both.” He really hoped he was right.
Mr. Daniels smiled. “Thank you, Danny. I think this goes much deeper than just your average old fight. Let her know we still live in the same house in Michigan, too.” Danny watched as Mr. Daniels turned to start heading out, but then he turned back. “Does she perform anywhere in the next few days?” he asked.
Danny wanted jump up and down; that was the question he hoped to hear from her father. Trying to keep calm, he smiled. “Absolutely. She performs the next two nights at Burlesque Me Tonight. She is the headliner of the club. You won’t be disappointed, sir. She has some mad skills.”
Mr. Daniels nodded. “She always did. Thank you, son.”
Danny watched him walked slowly back up the wooden walkway. A part of him wanted to yell for Shawna to come back out, but the other part of him knew to not stick his nose where it didn’t belong. “Anything for Shawna, she deserves all the happiness in the world.”