by Lucia Jordan
Max pulled away. "Are you sure you want to do this, Krista?"
His eyes searched hers, and her mind raced with scenarios. Having sex with Max right now would make her feel better. It would get her mind off Danny. But how would she feel afterward? God, she was so hurt and confused.
He leaned down and nipped at her bottom lip. She closed her eyes and groaned. "It's no secret that I want you." Max yanked her tight against his body, his erection prominent and tempting. "Just say the word Krista and I'm all yours." He kissed her neck, his teeth grazing across her skin and up toward her ear. "I can make you feel so good."
Krista shuddered. She had no doubts that Max could make her feel good but she knew he wanted more than one afternoon of sex and she wasn't sure she could give him what he wanted. She also knew how it felt to want something, someone, who didn't want her back. And she wouldn't do that to anyone, especially not Max.
Max took her face into his hands and gave her another soft kiss. "It's okay," he whispered. "I shouldn't have pushed, not now when you're vulnerable. I'm sorry."
She gave him a meek smile and nodded apologetically. "I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have kissed you like that."
He smiled. "Please don't apologize for that. I enjoyed it."
"Me too," she admitted, putting her hand on his cheek and brushing her thumb over his lips.
Their gazes remained locked, his smoldering with unquenched desires, and hers swirling with uncertainty. He slowly lowered his head, his lips getting progressively closer to hers. One more kiss wouldn't hurt, she thought as his mouth molded to hers.
She should've known better.
*****
Krista awoke, alone and sexually frustrated, which was absolutely fine with her. Things with Max had escalated fast the other night and she had almost gone all the way with him. Thankfully, her ringing cell phone had interrupted them. It had been Danny calling, and simply seeing his picture on her screen had jolted her back to her senses. Max had been really cool about it, which made things a little easier. But her heart was still broken and her emotions were raw. Max had begged her to get out of her room, to go have lunch with him and do some shopping. Then he suggested that later they could go out with Lora and a few other co-workers. Krista had refused every invitation. All she wanted to do was be alone and wallow in her heartbreak.
Today was the day Danny was getting married. It had been the hardest thing in the world to do, but she'd avoided him, deleted his number from her cell phone, and then she'd even had his number blocked from calling her. A clean break was the only way she was going to survive this and move on. Krista had also been avoiding her email because she was sure he'd sent her several of them.
A banging on the front door momentarily disrupted her thoughts. It was probably just Lora again. Krista ignored it, rolling over and pulling the covers over her head. This wasn't the first time Lora had shown up in the past two days. Lora would bang on the door, shout at Krista to get out of bed, and Krista would ignore her until she eventually went away. Sometimes Max would do it too, which was downright annoying considering he was staying here and had a key.
"Go away!" Krista shouted from beneath the blankets.
"No! Open this damn door."
Krista bolted upright, her ears perked up. Her heart thundered so loud in her chest and ears she couldn't hear anything but that. She could've sworn that was Danny's voice she'd just heard. But that was ridiculous. Danny wasn't here. He was probably watching Jessica walk down the aisle toward him right about now. No, she was just hearing things. Wishful thinking was all.
The banging continued. Krista lay back down trying really hard to ignore it, but whoever was out there wasn't giving up this time. She muttered a slew of cuss words as she got out of bed and stomped toward the front door. Prepared to let loose on the person on the other side, she yanked the door open, and then she froze. As if hearing things wasn't bad enough, now she was hallucinating too. She blinked several times, but the man didn't go away. Sure enough, he was really there, standing in her doorway, looking sexy as hell in a pair of faded blue jeans and a black t-shirt stretched across his massive chest. She cupped her hand over her mouth. "Oh my God," she mumbled.
He stepped inside, yanked the door from her hand, and swung it closed. His blue eyes were blazing with so much emotion, Krista stumbled backward a few steps. "Danny? What're you doing here? I thought..." She attempted to shake the confusion from her mind. It didn't work. "Aren't you supposed to be getting married today?" God it hurt so much just to say that. None of this made any sense. There was only one explanation. "I swear if I'm dreaming again, I'm gonna..." she muttered under her breath.
"Shut up, Krista." He closed the gap between them with one long stride, took her face into his hands, and crushed his mouth over hers.
Krista whimpered a little, but then she leaned into him, her mouth working frantically against his, her fingers bunching in his hair and holding him to her. God, he tasted better than she remembered, and she devoured his lips, nipping at them, dueling with his tongue. Danny wrapped his arms around her and jerked her against his body, lifting her as he did. Krista wound her legs around his waist and clung to him as he spun and pinned her against the door. His erection poked at her and she ground against him; her body wept for him.
"Fuck," he groaned, releasing her lips just long enough for each of them to draw a deep breath. Then his tongue was back in her mouth, exploring, tasting, and stealing her ability to think or comprehend what was happening.
Danny's hands were on her ass, holding her up and squeezing; the warmth of his touch burned her alive. Of course, the fact that she was wearing nothing but a pair of panties and an oversized t-shirt might have something to do with that. None of that really mattered to her, though, because Danny was here, in New York, in her apartment, kissing the life out of her.
"God, I've missed you so damn much," he said in that voice, his bedroom voice, the one that she loved, the one that could take her from simmering hot to raging inferno in a single moment.
Her head fell back against the door as Danny kissed his way across her jawline toward her earlobe, which he caught between his teeth. Krista moaned when he worked his tongue and lips down her neck. She still couldn't believe this was actually happening. If this turned out to be just another wet dream, she was going to be seriously pissed. "Danny," she whispered her voice weak with need and uncertainty.
"I'm right here, baby." His lips hovered over hers. "Right here," he said, claiming her lips as his own once again.
"Please," she panted. "Just...stop."
He pulled back just enough to be able to look into her eyes. "Really? You want me to stop?"
No, but she needed to try and make some sense of what was happening, because if she didn't, her mind wouldn't shut up long enough for her to enjoy any of it.
Apparently she hesitated a moment too long. "That's what I thought," he said with a grin, reaching between their bodies, slipping his hand down the front of her panties, and sliding two fingers into her pussy. "So wet," he crooned at her ear, nipping on the soft lobe.
"Ahh!" she cried, her hands clutching his shoulders. He'd plunged his fingers into her all of three times and she was already getting dizzy, her body reacting to everything that was Danny---his scent, his presence, his touch, his ragged breathing. "God, yes!" The last time she'd had an orgasm was the last night she'd spent with Danny, and holy shit she needed to come so bad. And she was so close, too. She could feel the tension building to a peak that was going to drain her, but that didn't stop her from giving in to it.
Using only his hips and his hand that was buried between her legs, he kept her pinned to the door while he reached down with his free hand and undid his jeans. "I need you, Krista. God, I need you so fucking bad."
He'd said need, not want. Did that mean something? The sound of his zipper being pulled down reverberated around her, jerking her from her thoughts and back to the present moment. Yes! As good as he was with his fingers, what she real
ly wanted was his cock. Her sensibility was shouting at her to stop this right now, to demand answers before anything else. But, damn she needed this. She needed him. Just once, a quickie to take the edge off. Then they could talk. Danny pulled his fingers from her, yanked her panties to the side so they were out of his way, and he shoved his cock all the way into her with one easy push.
They moaned simultaneously. Danny let out a guttural, "Fuck yeah," drawing out each word. Then he stilled for a moment, adjusted his stance to gain better footing, and then he moved within her.
No sooner than he entered her, she came, bucking against him and screaming his name amidst a flurry of "yeses" and "oh Gods." It wasn't enough, though. She needed more.
Danny scraped his teeth down her neck, his hips pushing his cock into her with a delicious, hard resistance. "Krista," he whispered, bringing his gaze to hers.
Her eyelids lifted to meet his gaze, and she was shocked by the intensity burning in his eyes. There was something different about the way he looked at her this time. She didn't have time to dwell on it though, because she was racing toward her second orgasm, and Danny was right there with her. But before he gave in to his needs, he lifted her away from the door, and carried her to the couch. He sat, bringing her down on his lap. She cried out in pleasure at the feel of being completely impaled on his hard as steel cock. In the few times they'd been together like this, not once had she rode him. And damn it if she wasn't going to take full advantage of that right now.
Krista rotated her hips, grinding them back and forth, meeting a delicious hard resistance each time she came down on him. Danny lifted her nightshirt and pulled it off over her head, leaving her breasts bare and exposed. He took one into his hand and the other into his mouth. She arched her back, let her head fall to her shoulders, and moaned. Everything felt so wonderful. His hard, throbbing cock buried inside of her aching pussy; his hot, wet tongue teasing her nipples into painful peaks; his hands splayed on her back.
Danny brought one of his hands up her back and into her hair, grabbing a handful, and tilting her head down and to the side; the perfect angle for him to kiss her. His other arm wrapped around her waist, holding her down on his cock as he thrust his hips up, fucking her with tight, deep movements. All she could do was grasp the back of the couch and hold on. It shouldn't have surprised her. Every single time they'd had sex, Danny had found a way to either tie her up or put her in a position that restricted her ability to move. He definitely liked to be in control that was for sure.
"You're mine, damn it," he growled into her mouth. "Mine."
Where the hell had all of that possessiveness come from?
"Say it, Krista." He released her lips and captured her gaze. He'd stopped moving inside of her, and he held onto her just tight enough that she couldn't move either.
She didn't know what came over her, because Lord knows she'd waited so long for Danny to give her some sort of sign that he was interested in more than just friendship or sex. And now, here it was. He was claiming her and he wanted her to acknowledge that. God, how she wanted to---it would be so easy to just say, yes, I'm yours. But she would not be a fool again.
"Say it!" he demanded.
"Why should I? Last time I told you how I felt, I heard nothing but crickets in response."
His blue eyes flickered, and then flared with anger. Krista felt the change in him immediately, and she climbed off his lap. He didn't try to stop her, which was mildly upsetting, but the moment had been ruined. She snatched her shirt from the floor and put it on. When she turned back around, Danny had stood and composed himself. They stared at each other for several moments. She'd give anything to know what he was thinking right now.
Taking a deep breath, she mentally prepared herself for everything that needed to be said. "I told you I loved you, Danny, and your response was to leave me and marry Jessica."
"Don't!" he hollered, pointing his finger at her. "You're the one who left me, Krista. I begged you to stay, but you left anyway."
She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "The only reason you wanted me to stay was so you'd have your best friend around to stroke your ego and make you feel better when things got rough."
"No. I wanted you to stay because I loved you. I was just too much of a chicken shit to say it. There," he said, throwing his hands in the air. "I said it. Are you happy now?" He paused and lowered his voice. "I love you, Krista. I always have."
Krista staggered back a step or two, shocked by his admission. "Then why are you marrying Jessica?" she whispered.
He dragged a hand through his hair, and she noticed he was shaking. "I'm not."
"What?" The word was barely audible.
Danny stepped toward her, his hands clasping her upper arms. "I'm not marrying Jessica."
"But, you were going to?" Her lips trembled and tears pooled in her eyes, spilling free the next second.
He nodded and hung his head. "Yes." He brought his gaze back to hers. "When you left, I was devastated. I was so afraid of Jessica leaving me again, too, and then truly being all alone. I panicked and proposed to her. It was a mistake. I know that now."
"Does she?"
Danny dragged his hands up her arms and cupped her face, his thumbs brushing away her tears. "Yes. I told her last night. I came clean about what happened between you and me, and how I really felt about you."
She couldn't stop the flow of tears. God, she'd waited and wished for so long to hear Danny say these things to her. And now that he was, she was having trouble comprehending all of it.
"Why are you crying?" he whispered as he wiped more of her tears away.
"Because I don't know what to say." She turned her face away from him, breaking his hold on her, and took a step back. It was impossible to think when he was so close. "Why now?"
"What?"
"You knew how I felt about you before I left, before you proposed to Jessica. So, what changed? Why are you telling me all of this now? Why not tell me that day at the airport?"
He swallowed. "I wanted to, believe me, I wanted to. But I was afraid if I told you, you'd think the only reason I said it was to convince you to stay. I just..." Danny shook his head and shrugged. "I don't know. I was scared of what would happen to us if we took things further than friendship."
When he reached out and pulled her into a hug, she didn't resist. When he gently lifted her chin and slanted his mouth over hers, she eagerly accepted his soft kiss. She weaved her fingers into his hair and moaned lightly into his mouth. His kisses tended to have that effect on her.
"I knew that there would be no going back to being just friends if things didn't work out between us, and that terrified me because my biggest fear is losing you, Krista. And then I did. I lost you anyway."
"Oh, Danny." She ran the pad of her thumb across his lips. He puckered and gave her finger a kiss, his eyes closing momentarily as he did.
"It wasn't until I heard Max's voice the other night, though. That's when it really hit me that I was going to lose you forever if I didn't do something. So I told Jessica the truth and then I got on a plane to New York."
Wow. Everything was happening so fast. She was still in a daze, part of her still wondering if this were nothing more than a dream.
"The thought of Max, or any other man, touching you drives me fucking insane. I see red just thinking about it. We belong together, Krista. I know that now. And I know that you know it, too. So, please, for the love of God, stop punishing me and just tell me that you love me. Tell me that you want to be with me. Tell me that you're mine."
Yes, she would tell him all those things, but not just yet. After all the hell she'd suffered through, she was going to torment him a little longer. Was that mean and vindictive? Yeah, a little, but he kind of deserved it. Krista stepped out of his embrace, and she saw his face pale. She crossed her arms over her chest and fought to hide her smile. "I'm not leaving New York."
"I'm not asking you to," he said quickly.
"You kn
ow how I feel about long distance relationships."
His eyes narrowed into tiny slits. "Who said anything about long distance? Trust me, baby, when you give me the word, there will be nothing long distance about what's going to happen between us."
Her heart raced at the determination and promise in his voice. "Well, in that case," she stood in front of him and walked her fingers up his chest, "I'm all yours, Danny."
"It's about fucking time," he muttered right before crushing her mouth in a possessive kiss that made her knees shake and her body tremble. "Bedroom?"
"End of the hall."
Danny grabbed her hand and led her to her bedroom. He kicked the door shut and within moments they were both naked. He scooped her up into his arms, carried her to the bed, and laid her down. "I swear to fucking God, I'm going to die if I don't get inside of you soon."
She knew the feeling. When he leaned over her, she reached up and ran her fingers down his chest, loving the feel of his hard abs and smooth stomach. "I was going crazy without you," she said.
"So was I," he said as he spread her thighs with his knees and settled between them. His forearms rested on either side of her head, and he smoothed the hair from her forehead, peppering her nose and forehead with kisses. "You have no idea how much I've missed you."
"Oh, I'm pretty sure I know." She smiled and traced his lips with her tongue before dipping inside his mouth to taste him.
As their kiss gained momentum and rose in intensity, taking her need for him to a whole new level, he entered her, his hard cock slipping into her wet channel with such ease, as if their bodies were made specifically for each other. Krista arched her neck and back, her eyes closing of their own volition as Danny filled her, fucked her, made love to her, made her feel whole again.
"God damn, you feel so fucking incredible, so hot and wet," he said, increasing the pace of his thrusts.
"Yes, Danny, oh, God, yeah."
"Shit," he groaned as if in some sort of pain. "I'm gonna come. It's just too good."
The feel of him swelling, growing larger with each forward thrust, had her screaming his name over and over again, which only seemed to make him hornier.