by Susan Hayes
He waited for her to sit, then leaned over so that his mouth brushed the shell of her ear and he was breathing in her delicate scent as he finally made his confession. “But then I got to know you and Casey better, and that changed. I’ve been coming to Leo’s to see you, sunshine. It just took me awhile to admit it.”
He hadn’t intended to say anything yet. He certainly hadn’t planned on kissing her, but when Dani turned her head toward him, instinct took over. He claimed her mouth with his, savoring the silken warmth of her lips. He shifted to the side of her chair, cupping her cheek with one hand as he drew her in closer, craving more of her touch.
Her lips parted beneath his and a low moan vibrated against his mouth as she kissed him back. She reached up and twisted her fingers into the collar of his shirt, pulling him even closer. And with that small action, she broke the last of his control. It had been too long since he’d held a woman. Too many nights spent alone. The walls he’d built to keep the world at bay came crashing down, only to be washed away in a flood of carnal need.
He stood, drawing her up with him until he could pull her into his arms and hold her properly, their bodies crushed together and her soft curves molded against him. He kissed her again, slipping his tongue into her mouth to dance with hers. She reached up with her free hand to touch his face, stroking her fingers through his hair.
They clung to each other for one immeasurable moment with their mouths mated and their bodies intertwined. This was heaven, or as close to it as he’d ever been. Her scent surrounded him and her taste was in his mouth, branding his senses. She was as lost to their attraction as he was, her kisses as demanding, her hands moving over him as she explored his body.
By the time he lifted his head, his cock was throbbing in time to his pounding heart. He didn’t move far, just enough to put a few inches of space between their lips. When he looked down at her, she was staring back with eyes still dark with passion.
He opened his mouth to say something. To apologize for kissing her without permission, but before he could say anything, her kiss-swollen lips parted into a smile.
“And here I’d finally convinced myself that you weren’t interested in me,” she murmured, still smiling up at him.
“Surprise,” he said, then grinned back at her. She was so damned beautiful it took his breath away. She was also strong, smart, and brave. Hell, yeah, he was interested. Only a fool wouldn’t be.
****
Dani’s pulse was still racing as she settled herself a little deeper into Dave’s arms, unwilling to let the moment end yet. She didn’t remember standing up. She barely remembered her own name at the moment. God, the man had a talented mouth. One kiss and she’d melted like a Popsicle in the summer sun.
“I am. Surprised, I mean. But in a good way, not a bad one. I never expected this, but I hoped that maybe… I may have even fantasized a little—oh God, I said that aloud, didn’t I? I’m babbling. Please pretend I didn’t say that last bit.” She pressed her face against his chest, mortified by what she’d let slip.
“Oh, I heard what you said, sunshine.” His arms tightened around her and he nuzzled the top of her head, the warmth of his breath fanning over her skin. “I like that you’ve been dreaming about me, and one day soon I’m going to want to hear the details. Everything we did, everything you’d like us to do, all of it. But right now, as much as it pains me to say it, I need to let go of you.”
Dani didn’t want to leave the comfort of his arms, but she didn’t want to cling to him, either. She released him with reluctance. “You’re right. You must be hungry and our food is getting cold.”
She went to step away from him, but his arms were still locked around her, holding her firmly in place.
“Uh-uh. I don’t care about the food getting cold. This isn’t about dinner, or needing space, or the fact your daughter and my parents will be here soon. You’ve got me so hot that if I don’t cool off quick, there’s a good chance I’ll try and turn your fantasies into reality right here and now.”
One glance at his face told her that he was serious. His hazel eyes burned bright with desire, and to prove his point Dave rocked his hips, letting her feel the hard ridge of his cock where it lay trapped beneath his jeans. Her pussy was instantly soaked, her clit aching with the need to be touched. She wanted him, and for one brief second she considered letting it happen, but she dismissed the idea as quickly as it came. Dave had only admitted he was interested in her a few minutes ago. They shouldn’t rush things.
Her libido didn’t agree with her logic. A fresh flood of cream dampened her panties as a surge of lust hit her, hard, but she didn’t give in. Sexual chemistry and pretty words had drawn her in once before. She wouldn’t make the same mistake again. Not that David was anything like her ex. They were like night and day, but that didn’t mean she had to throw herself off the cliffs of insanity right away.
“For a man everyone describes as a cranky bastard, you certainly have a way with words when you want to,” she said.
“I can be charming, but why would I waste that effort on my brothers? They’re family so they have to put up with me as is.” He brushed a gentle kiss to her upturned face and finally let go of her.
“So I’m a special case?” she asked as she moved to reclaim her seat, meaning it as a lighthearted jest.
“Very special,” he said as they both sat down, his expression completely serious. “You and Casey both are.”
It warmed her heart to hear him talk about her daughter that way. She’d never been sure how to even start dating as a single parent. She wouldn’t only be picking someone to share her life with, but to be part of Casey’s life, too. If she chose badly again, both of them could get hurt in the fallout. It was one of the reasons she’d never tried to meet anyone else. She didn’t trust her own judgment.
After Bobby, how could she?
He’d been charming, attentive, and sweet in the beginning. Phone calls, and texts, and surprise visits with gifts. He’d made her feel like a princess, and she’d fallen for his act completely. She’d believed in him so much that when he started to change, she let him convince her that she was the one to blame, not him. The bastard had twisted her in so many knots it had taken years to get her head straight again.
God, the things he’d done to her, and somehow she’d always ended up being the one to apologize.
Dani forced herself to forget the past and focus on the present and the wonderful man seated across from her. “I’m glad you like Casey. She’s always talking about you.” Dani turned in her chair to point out the sketch he’d drawn the first night they’d all met. “She loves your drawing, insisted I give it the place of honor on the fridge. I like it, too, especially the way you drew Casey into the picture.”
He actually blushed a little at her compliment. “She told me she wanted to be a police officer someday, so I thought I’d draw her as one. They’re just doodles. My mom and Nick are true artists. If you haven’t been to Nick’s shop, you should drop by one day. His studio upstairs is fucking impressive. I had no idea how good he was until a few months ago.”
She frowned at that. “How could you have no idea? You see your brothers all the time. I’ve never seen a family as close as yours.”
A guilty look passed over his face and he took a sip of his wine before answering her. “You’re seeing us in a good phase. There are times we barely speak to each other. Tag pretty much dropped off the planet after he got shot and found out he’d never be able to return to the force. As for Nicky…we weren’t even born in the same decade. You might have noticed that most of us went into one of the family businesses. Three of us joined the force and Jared went to school to learn how to run Leo’s. Nick went his own way. He moved to Florida to go to art college and ended up working as a fucking stripper.”
Dani choked on her eggs. “He was a stripper? As in G-strings and lap dances? Wow, lucky Lia.”
“Oh no. Don’t go there. If you start thinking of Nicky that way, I’ll ha
ve to smack him around on principle. It’s a guy thing.”
She laughed at him, trying not to react to the possessive tone of his words. A couple of kisses didn’t mean anything. Certainly not enough to make him jealous of a man he knew she had no interest in. The only Wilde she wanted was the one sitting across from her right now, drinking wine with their breakfast-for-dinner and not caring a bit about the odd pairing.
“I think it’s another Wilde thing. Kelly and Jo have told me about what happened the first time they met other members of your family. You’re a rather violent bunch.” She knew that wasn’t really true. She had two older brothers and had seen them go after each other often enough to understand the difference between real violence and the roughhousing that seemed to go on between boys, even grown ones. What she’d experienced with Bobby…that had been true violence.
“Keeping the rabble in line was my job growing up. Not my fault they still need the occasional kick in the ass.” He gestured to his plate with his fork before spearing another piece of bacon. “By the way, dinner is incredible. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
For a few minutes they ate in comfortable silence, but eventually Dave paused and glanced over at the file he’d been reading. “Why do you think he came for Casey that day?”
The question was the same one she’d asked herself a thousand times since they’d started running, and there was only one answer that made any sense. “When he went to jail, he lost control over me. He wants that back. He once told me that if he couldn’t have me, no one could. He’ll try and scare me, to punish me. The best way for him to do that is through Casey. If he hurt or, or worse, took her from me…” Dani’s hand was shaking and she set down her fork before she dropped it.
“That’s what I think, too. But if he managed to get her, where would he go? He’s already wanted for violating his parole. It would be damned near impossible for him to stay off the radar with a seven-year-old girl in his care.”
Dani drained her glass of wine before answering. “His parents would help him disappear. They never approved of me, but they accepted Casey because she’s his daughter, even if her skin was too dark for their liking. God, she was barely home from the hospital before they were trying to talk to me about ways to lighten her skin and straighten her hair.”
She glanced up to find Dave staring at her, outrage etched in every line of his face. “Too dark? She’s fucking beautiful, just like her mother. Anyone who can’t accept you or that gorgeous little girl is a jackass. They don’t deserve to be part of her life.”
“They don’t, but it hurts Casey that they don’t care enough about her to even try and see her.”
“They’re idiots,” he muttered, stabbing his next bite of eggs with more force than necessary.
“Do you think he’ll find us?” she asked, giving voice to the fear that had haunted her every waking moment since the day they’d started running.
Dave was silent for a moment, then reached across to her and took her hand in his. “I don’t know. You’ve traveled a long way, changed your name and gone into hiding, but he’s got money and time on his side. It doesn’t matter, though. Even if he finds you, he isn’t getting anywhere near you or Casey. I won’t let that happen.”
Her pulse raced as he touched her, and his words put a lump in her throat. He meant what he said. The thought humbled her and warmed her at the same time. “I think I’ll sleep better tonight knowing there’s someone else in the world watching out for us. Thank you.”
His fingers stroked over the back of her hand, making her heart beat faster with every caress. “It would be my honor to watch over you and Casey.”
“Well, you’re a police officer. This is what you do for a living, isn’t it?”
“Not like this. This has nothing to do with my duty to serve and protect. I don’t want to see you hurt, Dani.”
She ducked her head and whispered, “I’m glad to hear that. I don’t want to be anyone’s duty.”
She heard his chair scrape against the floor. Then he was crouched beside her, his hand still holding hers.
“Look at me,” he said in a tone that brooked no argument.
She lifted her head and met his gaze, fascinated by the way the green and golden brown colors of his eyes shifted according to his mood. At the moment, they were deep green shot through with brown, reminding her of the forests back home. “I like your eyes,” she said, nerves making her babble again.
“I like yours, too, but that’s not what I want to tell you. You deserve to feel safe, to know that you can have a normal life. Tag is helping you with that, and now I will be, too. That isn’t going to change no matter what goes on between us. I’m not doing this because I’m trying to seduce you, and I’m not doing this out of some sense of duty. I’m doing it because I want to help.”
He paused and leaned in closer so that there was barely an inch between his mouth and hers. “And so we’re clear, I am definitely hoping there’s a seduction in our future. Yours, mine, I’m not fussy on the details so long as I get to kiss you again. It just doesn’t have anything to do with keeping you safe.”
As far as she was concerned, it was the most romantic thing any man had ever said to her. Words failed her, so Dani found another way to show him how much his words meant. She leaned in and kissed him.
He groaned deep in his throat, a rumble of male desire that made her pussy ache and her nipples go instantly hard. She wanted him with an intensity that shocked her, and part of her wished that they had the night to themselves. No interruptions, no responsibilities, no reason to stop until she’d gotten to experience at least some of her fantasies about the man kissing her.
Not a good idea, but still a tempting one.
Before she could consider further insanity the distinctive rumble of Brian’s beloved muscle car, Rosa, could be heard outside. Their time was up.
“Is it seven thirty already?” Dave muttered as he pressed one last kiss to her cheek before standing up and glancing toward the front door. “For once, couldn’t he be late?”
She laughed at the irritated frown on David’s face, reaching up to smooth his furrowed brow with a gentle touch of her fingers. “Next time we’ll have to keep a better eye on the time.”
“Next time, huh?” His frown melted away instantly.
“Yes, next time. There is going to be a next time, isn’t there? Or was one more kiss all you were after?”
His eyes filled with heat and his voice dropped to a barely discernible whisper. “Believe me, sunshine, I plan on having more than just another kiss from you. A hell of a lot more.”
A heavy car door slammed outside, breaking the spell between them. He gave her a wink before nodding toward the front door. “Munchkin incoming.”
He stayed right where he was, unconcerned about anyone discovering he was in her home. It was only dinner, after all, but she still felt her cheeks warming as she went to open the door. For some reason, she felt guilty, like a teenager caught kissing on the sofa.
The feeling lasted until she opened the door and caught her daughter as she launched herself into the air.
“Hi, Mom! We had so much fun tonight. We made cookies!”
“Hi, bug. How many did you make? No, wait, better question. How many did you eat? Did you leave any for anyone else?”
“She only had two, and she brought home two for you, too,” Meg informed her as she and Brian arrived a few seconds later.
“What, none for me?” Dave asked and Dani choked back a laugh at the expression on his mother’s face when she noticed her oldest son was present. Meg went from surprised to delighted to something far more devious in half a heartbeat.
“David, what are you still doing here?” she asked, moving inside to hug her son.
“Dani offered to cook me dinner while I gave her a hand with some…legal matters.”
“I see,” she said, looking inordinately pleased. She hugged Dave, then turned to Dani and gave her a hug as well, incl
uding Casey in the embrace.
“Thank you for watching her tonight. I’ve found someone to sit for me most nights, but we’re still working out the schedule,” Dani said as they parted.
“Anytime, dear. She is a joy to have around. I never had a daughter. I’m enjoying the chance to find out what I missed.”
Brian and Meg left after that, and Casey charged into the house to tackle Dave, throwing her arms around him with a squeal of delight that probably had dogs all over the neighborhood wincing in pain. “I didn’t know you were here, Uncle Dave. If I had, I would have brought you cookies, too!”
He lifted her high in the air, triggering another ultrasonic squeal as he held her over his head, high enough she could reach the ceiling. “Next time you make cookies, you save me one, okay?”
She gave him an assessing look. “Does that mean next time I am at Nana Meg’s, you’ll be here with Mom again?”
Dave opened his mouth, then closed it again before shooting Dani a slightly panicked look.
“If he was, would that be all right with you, bug?” Dani asked.
“Does this mean Uncle Dave wants to be my daddy instead of my uncle? Is that why you’re here with Mom?”
Dave turned red, right up to the tips of his ears, and gave Casey a goofy grin that melted Dani’s heart. “It doesn’t quite work that way, munchkin. You don’t want any old fellow coming along and deciding he wants to be your father. You need to get to know someone and decide if you like them, and they have to decide if they like you. I mean, what if they’re the kind of person who doesn’t share cookies? This is a very important decision.”
Casey nodded slowly, mulling his words over. “Do you share cookies, Uncle Dave?”
“As it happens, I do. What do you think about us getting to know each other better? You, me, and your mom. We could start by going out for ice cream tomorrow. I happen to know your mom isn’t working, and it’s Friday, so it’s not a school night.”
Dani cleared her throat. “Actually, we do have school, sort of. Tomorrow night is a talent show at Casey’s school. She’s going to be in a play.”