Even most of the drive-through windows were full so he stopped instead at a local supermarket. Cecily joined him in a quick jaunt to the deli section where they bought a bag of fried chicken and some potato wedges. She picked out two cream horns from the bakery section and insisted they grab a package of paper napkins. At the checkouts Dan grabbed a bottle of root beer and after a moment’s hesitation, Cecily chose a diet cola. He paid for it all and they plunged back onto the Strip. As they headed out of Branson, traffic lessened and by the time he turned onto the narrow, winding two-lane road leading to Rockaway Beach, most of the vehicles they met headed toward the bright lights of the vacation city. The summer dusk yielded to night but the oncoming headlights didn’t bother Daniel although he noticed Cecily flinched at the brightness.
“Do the lights bother you?” he asked.
She shrugged. “They do sometimes when I’m tired. It’s so much darker here than at home.”
“Guess so. Chicago’s pretty bright. So’s Kansas City and it’s a bummer because I like to see the stars and can’t. Branson’s not much better but we should be able to glimpse a few above the lake.”
“I’d like that.” Her voice dropped low and she said little as he spun around the tight bends and roared over the hills. His Ford’s powerful engine ate up the road in a hurry and Daniel hugged the final curve as they descended into Rockaway Beach. “Have you ever heard much about this place?” he asked Cecily.
Even by the dim dash lights he could see her smile. “Nothing,” she said. “I don’t think I even heard of it until now. Isn’t there one in New York or something too?”
“I think so,” Daniel said. “This one was a hot party spot back in the Roaring Twenties. City folks came from KC, St. Louis, even your Chicago to dance, listen to jazz, and drink bootleg whiskey. I don’t know if it’s true but a lot of stories swear Al Capone used to come here.”
“Really?” she asked.
“We won’t be able to see it tonight but there’s a falling down shack across the lake some locals say was his summer hideaway,” he said. “We’re here.”
As he parked in the lot above the swimming beach, Daniel pointed out the old pavilion where dances were once held. “Some of these resorts and cottages date back to the Twenties, too,” he told her. As far as he could see, the fishing pier loomed empty. All the locals must be holed up at the tiny town’s single bar or the single pizza place. The tourists who chose to stay in Rockaway must either be over in Branson or holed up for the night. “I’m hungry – let’s go eat.”
Before he could play the gentleman and open the car door, Cecily climbed out, her purse strap laid across her chest bandolier style. She carried the supermarket bags in both hands. Daniel took one of them. “Let me help.”
“Thanks.” She rewarded him with a sweet smile. “Which way are we going?”
“Out there,” Dan pointed toward the fishing pier, separated from the beach by a long, narrow dirt walkway reinforced with rock. “I forgot about it being covered but we’ll have a great view of the water. After we eat, we can come back to the beach to gaze at the stars.”
Cecily nodded and started across to the pier. He followed. Halfway across, she lost her footing for a moment and teetered. Although the water wasn’t deep, he didn’t want her to take a tumble so Daniel rushed forward and caught her with his arm around her waist. “Easy,” he told her. “You don’t want to fall.”
Electricity ignited when he touched her, a vibrant current almost tangible enough to sting. He hadn’t intended to do anything but prevent a mishap but he left his arm in place as they walked out to the pier in tandem, the slender space wide enough for two. Cecily leaned into him and Daniel thought if he didn’t kiss her soon, he’d explode into shattered bits. When they reached the structure, she put down the bags on the single picnic table and he followed her lead, removing his arm. Permanent benches flanked the table and shrunk the space. Cecily turned to him, her face in shadow and met his gaze. God, he thought he’d drown in the depths of her deep, dark eyes. Somewhere he’d read eyes reflected the soul and if true, this lady had to be beautiful deep within, inside as much as out. He thought he could read old sorrow combined with hope and a healthy dose of desire. Neither spoke as a moment stretched out into two, then three. Cecily moved first. Her left hand rose with the slow motion of a sleepwalker to touch his cheek, her fingers separate. She stroked his face, lighter than a soft wind. Their eyes remained locked as she traced his lips with a single finger. She spoke his name aloud, her tone rich and resonant.
Her voice became a knife, sharp enough to cut away some of his emotional baggage in catharsis. With a vulnerable corner of his heart laid bare, Daniel didn’t think, he acted. He grasped Cecily in his arms and bent for a kiss. His lips burned fever hot as need rippled through his body like cold chills. The overall effect made him almost physically sick but he sought healing and as their mouths merged into one, he thought Cecily offered the cure. Dan snared her lips with his and used his mouth on hers, more caress than simple kiss. He’d forgotten the taste of lipstick on his tongue or how soft a woman’s skin could feel beneath his hands. As he inhaled her fragrance, a blend of perfume, cosmetics, peppermint, the potpourri from her shop and a few elements Daniel couldn’t define, he thought he’d die happy smelling something so sweet.
Cecily’s hands made a circle around his neck and her fingers trespassed into his hair, plowing through his short strands with slow deliberation. Her breath lifted into his face and he sucked in the air she expelled, an intimate exchange. Daniel caught her bottom lip between his and almost nibbled. Her tongue darted into his mouth via the small space and the sensations of a French kiss, delivered with sexy style rocked his body. Her tiny braids, cornrows, he thought, they call them cornrows, shifted with enough momentum to touch his arms and tickle.
As he fastened his mouth tighter onto hers, his senses developed an acute awareness. Everything enhanced until Daniel experienced touch, taste and smell with intimate power. Eyes open throughout the kiss, he saw with a stark clarity and despite the darkness enveloping them, the subtle beauty of her silhouette stole his breath. He heard each tiny sound, the smack of his lips against hers, the faint rubbing of his T-shirt against her blouse, even the crickets singing in the weeds along the lakeshore. Her increased heartbeat rang in his ears and he swore he could hear her blood flow through vein and artery. When Daniel deepened the kiss, Cecily’s low moan echoed in his ears and he realized seconds later, he made a similar sound of pleasure.
Everything shifted as they kissed, mouths fused together and he knew this ranked as significant. A living force sprang into being, fueled with their unbridled desire and consuming need. He’d never experienced anything so deep or profound, strong enough to turn his head with dizziness, terrifying enough to shake his foundations. Whatever it meant, wherever it might lead, Daniel couldn’t begin to guess but he planned to follow until he grasped the meaning.
Blindsided by the last thing he expected when he left Kansas City, mind reeling from the possible implications to his career, heart pounding, and the doorway to his inner-self open to another human being for the first time in years, Daniel hated to let go.
He didn’t want the kiss to end but he had to breathe so he pulled back and stared into her amazing eyes.
Cecily looked back without blinking.
Chapter Five
Whoever the hell this man might be, he kissed like a pro. Cecily reveled in his intense mouth on hers. Her body awakened from a long dormant slumber, alive and needy. He brought out every ounce of horniness she’d ever possessed and increased it. Willard Bradford the Fourth never made her body heat up like a street rod about to drag race. His attempts at kissing didn’t send liquid fire burning through her veins or make her body limp as a discarded dishrag. She savored the physical pleasure but sensed something beyond, a connection she couldn’t begin to understand. If Daniel hadn’t stopped, she doubted she would’ve possessed the willpower to say no and they would’ve done
the deed on the floor of the pier. Probably filthy and fishy both but damn, I’d have laid down like a street hoochie for him.
Daniel’s eyes burned into hers as if he possessed the power of a wizard or shaman and she gave him back the look. Questions bubbled up in her chest but since she had no idea where to begin, she didn’t ask them. Not yet but she would. And if Daniel answered anything could happen. Cecily had never known a lasting love, a solid romance. Her high school flings were little more than flirtation and experimentation. Before she could find someone with possibilities, Will came along and used his money to trap her in a marriage she didn’t want. Leaving Chicago to start over never included a man, not in her craziest moments. But it seemed like she might have found one just the same.
“Do you want…?” Daniel began and her body purred like a cat. She resisted the urge to rub up against him, a good thing because he completed the sentence with, “…to eat now?”
No I want to fuck you every which way I can, upside down and inside out. Aloud Cecily said, “Sure.”
As much as she wanted sex, craved it worse than a kid wanting bubble gum, she needed food, too. So she turned around and began unpacking the chicken and potatoes. Without plates, she made makeshift ones with a pile of napkins for each of them. Daniel watched her, face inscrutable and then slid onto the picnic table bench facing her. Cecily ripped the bag open to reveal the fried chicken and placed it like a platter between them. Following her lead, he did the same with the potato wedges, then he handed her the soda. “Thanks,” she said.
His lips parted as if he had something to say but then he grabbed a leg and a thigh instead. “Dig in,” Daniel said. He crunched a bite of chicken and nodded. “It’s pretty good.”
Cecily picked up a breast and tore off the top skin with a layer of meat. Although it wasn’t smoking hot any more, it remained warm and she put it in her mouth. The crisp coating tasted pleasant and the chicken melted on her tongue, tender. God, she thought, I haven’t had anything this tasty in a long time. “It’s great,” she told him and tilted her left hand into a thumbs-up sign.
“Glad you like it,” he commented as he reached for a paper napkin. “The ‘taters aren’t half bad either.”
After owning her lips, Cecily wished he could come up with some better conversation but then she needed to make an effort too. She tasted one of the seasoned wedges. “Yeah, they’re good. So, you live in Kansas City, I guess. Are you from there?”
Something she couldn’t name flickered in his eyes for a moment as he hesitated. “No, I’m from Fort Worth,” he told her. “I was born and raised there. But I moved to Missouri a long time ago. I work in KC but I live in Raytown, one of the suburbs.”
“I’ve never been to any of those places,” Cecily said. “It’s funny. I’ve been to Europe, done Caribbean cruises and flown to Hawaii. I’ve traveled to Thailand but I haven’t been much of anywhere in the United States. Born and raised in Chicago, came here a few weeks ago. Except for New York City and Los Angeles, I really haven’t seen much else in the good ol’ USA. Have you traveled much?”
Daniel waggled his hand back and forth as he grabbed a third piece of chicken. “I’ve been a few places, all in the United States on a few vacations. I’ve traveled a little for my job, spent a little time in Virginia and in Washington DC. That’s about it.”
“So you’ve never been out of the country?” she asked.
“No and don’t regret it,” he replied. “I’ve been a lot of places for a Northside Forth Worth kid. There’s still a lot of places on American soil I’d like to see. But, no, I’m not well traveled like you.”
“Most of it wasn’t so great,” Cecily said. “One wealthy hotel’s the same as another, no matter where it’s located. I didn’t get the chance to see the things I wanted or visit places I found interesting. If I ever travel again, it’ll be my way.”
“Can I ask you something?”
Mrs. Bradford IV would have said ‘no’ but Cecily Brown grinned. “Ask me whatever you like.”
“Why in the hell did would a rich woman from Chicago pick Branson to open a store?”
“Boutique,” she corrected. “Sometimes I wonder myself but my cousin, Nia, she thought it’d be a good place for me. She’s been here, doing the tourist thing but I never saw it until I came. And I’ve been rich but it was my husband’s money, not mine.”
His eyes narrowed and he asked in a harsher voice, “Are you divorced or what?”
For a moment, his tone rankled but she decided maybe he’d thought she could be married. “Divorced and it was final a month ago. And now he’s dead.”
“Did you take the bastard for half of his fortune?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know why you want to know so much but no, I didn’t. I didn’t want his stupid money any more than I ever wanted to be his wife. I asked for a settlement and got it, it’s my money to start up my business and live on till I can make my own.”
His expression shifted and lightened. “I’m sorry if I’m too nosey,” Daniel said. “Just curious, I guess.”
So was Cicely. “It’s all right. So, what do you do for a living?”
Whatever she expected, it wasn’t for him to draw a deep breath and then choke on fried chicken. Daniel gasped and began coughing, hard. At first Cecily thought he hadn’t wanted to answer but as he wheezed and his face turned bright red, she realized he was in trouble. “Hey,” she cried. “Are you okay?”
When he shook his head back and forth, she jumped up and rushed around behind him. She whacked him hard across the back, figuring if the old-fashioned action didn’t work, she’d attempt the Heimlich. A hunk of crisp skin flew out of his mouth and hit the pier floor. Daniel inhaled with force and exhaled with a sigh. “Thanks,” he said in a half-strangled voice. “I think I’m all right now.”
Hovering, Cecily asked, “Are you sure? You scared the shit out of me. Get a drink or something, make sure your throat’s clear.”
His hand shook a little as he grabbed up his soda and swigged some. Looks like I wasn’t the only one scared. “I’m fine.”
Her hands rested on his shoulders as she savored the feel of his solid masculine flesh. Cecily’s fright wasn’t feigned. She’d been scared he might choke to death out here in the middle of nowhere and she’d actually been worried about him. Girl you hardly know him but you got worried about him like he matters to you. You’re either crazy or about to jump off the cliff into the unknown. “Good,” she said. On impulse she leaned down, cornrow braids brushing his shoulder, and kissed his cheek. “I’m glad. I like you, Daniel Padilla, and I’d hate to see you fall over dead on this old fishing dock.”
His hand reached up and snared hers. He held it tight for a moment and said, “I appreciate your help, querida. I think I can finish eating now without choking.”
Although the only Spanish she knew were a few scraps and phrases anyone would recognize, Cicely identified the word as an endearment. She summoned up a response, “De nada,” as she headed back to her seat across the table. They finished the meal with light conversation and it wasn’t until hours later she realized he never answered her question.
After they finished the cream horns, Daniel tossed their trash and offered her his hand. She took it and he led her down to the rocky swimming beach. Above them, the night sky sparkled with a thousand stars, bright and thick. Cecily couldn’t recall every seeing the stars with such clarity. A waxing moon swelled almost full and the silver light bathed everything in a mystical beauty. The orb reflected in the lake waters and a soft wind rippled the still surface. Around them, darkness loomed full and deep. So night can be magical, like in a movie or something. Here it’s not dangerous, not threatening, just beautiful. Maybe I’m dreaming or the cream horn was spiked with some really good shit to make me high.
“It’s lovely,” she cried.
Daniel chuckled. “Yeah, it’s nice. Do you know the stars at all?”
“I couldn’t recognize the Big Dipper unless someo
ne showed it out to me,” she admitted.
“That’s it, right there,” he told her and pointed it out. “And there’s the Little Dipper.”
Cecily picked out the star patterns with a childlike wonder. “Oh, wow.”
He proceeded to indicate where other constellations could be found including Orion as well as the Evening Star. “It’s really Venus, you know,” he told her.
She hadn’t. “How do you know so much about the night sky?” she asked. “Did you study astronomy?”
He snorted. “No, my dad taught me. He served in the Navy and learned about the stars then, I guess. He used to take me out into the country, away from Fort Worth to see the sky. Sometimes we camped out, sometimes not but we always had good times.”
Her imagination painted an image of a father and son staring up into a sky this amazing.
“It sounds awesome,” she said, her words tinged with regret. “I never knew my daddy or anything about him except he was white.”
The few times she’d shared with anyone, she noticed the same reaction. A flustered moment, a shocked stare and then the same words, “I’m so sorry.” Cecily loathed pity and wanted none but she waited, certain Daniel would offer it to her, maybe clothed in pretty words. His arm circled her shoulders and snugged tight.
“Shit happens,” he said in an ordinary tone. “and sometimes it spatters the wrong people. My dad worked in the stockyards and when I was twelve, a runaway cow gored him. He died a week later.”
Cecily leaned against him and gazed upward at the timeless sky. An intense peace, something she’d never known, poured into her consciousness and she became as at ease with Daniel as she’d ever been with anyone. In the distance noises filtered through the light breeze, highway traffic far away, tires humming against pavement and the sound of a train’s whistle, lonesome and poignant. She heard the quiet lap of the lake against the shore and the noise the wind made as it rustled the leaves on the nearby trees. As the hour stretched onward toward midnight, they remained in place and it became quieter. They said little, an occasional word or two about the stars. A few airplanes passed overhead, their moving lights a reminder of the modern world but when a shooting star flared, then fell to earth, Cecily grabbed Daniel’s hand.
Pink Neon Page 4