Danny thanked him and said, “Actually, I’ve got work to do this evening, but we’ll be back soon.”
Carl nodded and signaled to the waiter to bring us our check. I turned to Danny with an eyebrow raised.
“Your girlfriend, huh?”
His triumphant grin cracked me up. “And?”
I giggled and kissed his cheek. “I think I like the sound of that.”
He looked at me seriously and said, “I hope so.”
Danny polished off his steak and finished his water. “I’m sorry. I should have asked if you wanted dessert, but I really just want you for dessert, so I’m taking you home. Can you forgive me?”
I laughed at his ‘gimme’ face and said, “I can’t think of anything they’d have on the menu that could top that proposition.”
Danny paid the bill, leaving a generous tip, and then hurried me out the door and into the car. Before pulling out of the parking lot he pulled me to him and kissed me hungrily. When he let go it took me a few moments to catch my breath.
“While I’d never encourage you to break any speed limits, I’d appreciate you getting us back to your place quickly.”
He bit his lip and groaned. Of course we hit a ton of traffic on Sunset, so to pass the time, we pointed out our favorite places.
“Meltdown Comics is a great place! Does Jane like to read graphic novels at all?”
He shrugged. “I don’t really know what she likes to read other than those horse novels. She’s kind of got a one track mind.”
I laughed. “You could do a lot worse. Be glad she’s not boy crazy yet.”
His eyes darted nervously toward mine. “I’m so screwed,” he said and I laughed harder.
“Yes, you are. But you’ll handle it great. You are so good with her.” He smiled.
“You are, too. I loved watching the two of you together when I was doing my work. I think she looks up to you.”
I swallowed hard. If she didn’t go for this new scenario, it could make life pretty miserable for all of us.
“She’s great. I hope she’ll be ok with us being together.”
Danny squeezed my hand. “She will. I have no doubt. She’s got a good eye for people, and I can tell she likes you.” I flushed a little. “Since I’m already scaring the shit out of you by talking weddings, what about kids? Do you see yourself having them?”
I felt a small stab of sadness in my heart. I took a deep breath. “No, I don’t. My body probably wouldn't handle the strain of pregnancy very well. But I’m really ok about it. I have my students and the dance studio... I get more than my needed fix of kids on a daily basis. Maybe that’s why I love teaching so much. They’re all my kids.”
Danny was quiet. He held my hand up to his lips and kissed my knuckles softly. “I hate that you’ve had so much taken from you. It’s not fair.” His voice sounded more hoarse than usual and I looked over to see him wiping a tear away.
“Oh, Danny, I’m fine. Really. Don’t cry for me! I’ve been given such a gift. I love what I do. I had a great, if a little short, career in dance, and now I have you! I feel blessed.” I did feel blessed. “I am sorry, though, if you were hoping to have more children one day. Although more red-haired Dannys in the world might be scary.”
He lifted up one side of his mouth in a half smile, but there was no humor to it. I hoped he wasn’t disappointed. There were so many things I couldn’t give him. I didn’t know how I’d ever be enough.
We were nearing Doheny when Danny pulled over and stopped the car.
“What’s wrong,” I asked him, worried.
He turned to face me, taking my hands in his. “I wish I could take the pain away from you and give you everything you ever wanted. If you want kids, we’ll adopt. If you want to teach, you’ll do it. I want you to have the world. You may feel blessed, but you are my blessing.”
His words were so heartfelt. He was so passionate.
“Danny, everything happens for a reason. If I had never gotten sick, if I was still dancing, then you and I never would have met. I wouldn’t change a thing if it means I get to have you. I’m just sorry I can’t be more for you. I hope I haven’t disappointed you.”
His expression was determined and he shook his head. “Jesse, you could never disappoint me. I have Jane, that’s enough for me. I’d have more kids if you wanted them and I’d love them like crazy, too. But I just want you. You’re more than enough for me.”
I could feel him straining, needing, so I whispered, “Let’s go home.”
His eyes held mine and he smiled.
The rest of the drive was quiet and when we pulled into the garage, Danny jumped out and ran around to my side of the car. He opened the door and pulled me to him, kissing me eagerly.
He shouted to Nora that we were home and she hollered back that Alex had come by.
“The guys want to meet tomorrow night to discuss the studio schedule again. And Patricia called. And Brooke called. She wants you to call her back.”
Danny gave Nora a hug in the kitchen and then excused himself to make his calls.
“I’ll just grab my bag,” I whispered and he pulled me to him, kissing me again.
“I’ll hurry, I promise.” He stepped into his office and I walked over to give Nora a hug.
“How did the meeting go,” she asked.
I rolled my eyes. “Even my boss was swayed by that man! She wants me to continue working with him and she’s going to evaluate his work and issue his grades.”
She laughed. “Good. I’m glad his smile works on everyone. Means he gets what he wants.”
We both laughed. Then I yawned.
“I think I’ll go lie down until he’s done with his calls. We’re supposed to read tonight and discuss Shakespeare. I’m going to get him back on his schedule tomorrow. No more playing around! He’s got the exit exam in two weeks.”
Nora laughed. “That’s right! Get him, Teacher!”
We both giggled and I said goodnight to her. I went out to the car and grabbed my bag, then went back to the kitchen. I could hear Danny talking in a low voice in his office, but I didn’t disturb him. I poured myself a glass of iced tea and carried it down the hall to his room. Nora had cleaned up our mess from earlier... Embarrassing much? From now on I was totally cleaning up after us. She had more than enough work to do without us making more for her! I sat my bag down on the floor next to the bed and took a long drink of my tea. I rolled my head around on my shoulders and then set the glass on the table. I looked at the picture of Jane that Danny had there. She was so adorable. I hoped everything was going ok in New York with her mom.
I stepped out into the hall and into the library to grab Romeo and Juliet. I heard Nora and Danny talking and laughing in the kitchen and then heard him saying goodnight. I waited for him in the bedroom. He came in looking tired.
“Everything ok?”
He nodded and flopped down on the bed next to me. “Yeah. Hope you don’t mind company tomorrow night. The guys are coming for dinner.”
I lightly grazed my fingernails over his scalp and he sighed happily. “It’s fine, Danny. I have dance class tomorrow anyway, so I’ll be out of the way.”
He reached out a hand and touched my thigh. “They’ll probably be over late afternoon, whenever they roll out of bed. I want you to be properly introduced to them. They are a big part of my life and they’ll be around a lot. Julian wants to apologize for the pool incident, too. He felt terrible about Stacey touching you.”
I snorted. “He doesn’t need to apologize. Who was that guy anyway?”
Danny rolled over on his back and laid his head in my lap. “He’s a sessions musician we’ve worked with before, but he’s not someone I’ve ever really hung out with. He knows now he’s not welcome at my house.” He was frowning and I ran my fingers over the crease on his forehead.
“I think you made that pretty clear,” I said, giggling.
He raised an eyebrow. “Damn right. He’s lucky I didn’t beat the shit out of
him.”
“That was when I knew, you know.”
He looked up at me. “Knew what?”
“I knew you still had some feelings for me. You called me your 'woman!' It was the most Neanderthal way I’ve ever been referred to but it made me happy.”
He laughed. “Of course I had feelings for you! I was just being an idiot. Thought we already cleared that up.”
I laughed and leaned down to kiss his forehead. He moaned. His hand snaked up through my hair, his fingers grazing the back of my neck.
“Mmmm, that feels good. Shall we finish reading this story before we get to the hands-on?”
He nodded.
I read the final act to Danny and his eyes were on me the whole time. When I read him the end he looked ready to cry.
“That is so fucking beautiful. Damn. I hate the ending of that story.”
I kissed him softly again. “Have you ever seen Shakespeare performed on stage?”
He shook his head and smiled. “But I love the Baz Luhrmann version on film.”
“That is a good one. But you haven’t really experienced Shakespeare until you’ve seen it live. I’ll have to find us a show to see. It could be a real date that a non-boring couple would go on!”
He sat up from where he’d been lying with his head in my lap and crawled onto on all fours, obviously ready for phase two of our work.
“Enough reading. Let’s save the discussion for tomorrow. I’ve been dying to get under that skirt since you put it on.”
I laughed and jumped off the bed. He gave chase and I let him catch me at the slider to the patio. His hands immediately grasped my hips, pulling me in close as he kissed his way down my neck and across my chest. He lifted up my leg and pressed against me, showing me how badly he wanted me.
“Danny, I love the way you feel.”
He made a pained sound and dropped to his knees. He looked up at me in adoration and said, “I love you so damn much, Jesse.” He pressed kisses into my thighs, lifting my skirt over the top of my hips, running his hands over my ass. He pulled me close, kissed my belly and over my panties until I was panting with need. He then had me stripped in seconds and was kissing my neck, hard.
“Jesse, I keep telling myself to take my time with you, but then I get so fucking worked up. I’ve got to be in you now, honey. I promise I’ll...”
I sucked in his bottom lip and tugged on it, causing him to growl low in his chest. “I say go with your gut, Danny. I want you, too.”
He tugged his shirt off over his head and kissed me, desperate to get closer. He lifted me up, pressing my back to the chilled window, undid his pants with one hand, and was in me with one thrust. My body was ready for him and this time there was no pain, just intense pleasure as he moved deep inside me. I wrapped my legs around his hips and clung to his shoulders for support, catching myself before I drew blood with my nails.
Not long after he started, his whole body started shaking. “God, Jesse, you feel so fucking good...Jesse,” he moaned and then he was pulling down on my hips harder and harder until he cried out and slumped against me. His body thrust deep into mine as he came with a shudder. I couldn’t help but giggle at that moment as I realized what the window probably looked like.
“You know you could really give a guy a complex here,” he said with a groan.
“Oh, baby, I’m sorry! I couldn’t help but think of the evidence we are leaving behind on your window. I’m totally cleaning these tomorrow. There’s no way Nora is going to see what we’ve been up to.”
Danny laughed so hard his legs started to give way and we landed in a heap on the floor. He pulled me onto his chest and kissed me for a long time. I laid my head on his chest and looked out at the stunning view from his bedroom. The sky was in the last stages of dusk and the glow coming up from the valley floor left shadows across the backyard and the pool.
“Your view is amazing. It’s so strange. You can’t see any of the other houses. You could almost believe that you’re alone up here.”
He turned his head to look out the window. “It better be amazing, it cost enough.” I pinched his non-existent love handle and he squirmed underneath me. “You better watch that, or this time I'll throw you in my pool.”
I lifted up to fix him with a mischievous smile. “Oooo, promise?”
His eyebrows raised and he said, “You wanna try me?”
I nodded and walked my fingers across his ribs and down his side.
“That’s it, young lady.” He rolled me over, scooped me up, and had me out his slider before I could actually tickle him, and then we were both flying into the pool. This time I didn’t almost drown.
“The water feels so good,” I exclaimed as I emerged. Danny was right in front of me in the water, pulling off his pants and grinning.
“You know you could have just said you wanted to go swimming.” I swam toward him and wrapped myself around him.
“Yeah, but this was more fun. I’ve never been skinny dipping before.” I couldn’t help but giggle, feeling like a teenager.
His hands roamed all over my back and backside and he kissed me teasingly. “Lot of firsts going on here. I like it. This is my first time skinny dipping with someone else in my pool,” he said with a chuckle.
I laughed. “Really? You come out here naked a lot?”
He nodded. “Many mornings I climb out of bed and jump in the pool. Better than coffee!”
He was moving us around the pool and taking us close to the drop off. We both rested our arms on the ledge and looked out over the view of Los Angeles.
“Brooke called to discuss arrangements for Janey. She’s not planning to come back to LA for the time being. Janey wants to stay here, so I guess that’s it. I thought it would be a much bigger fight.” He was smiling, but looked like he was thinking ahead. “She sounded exhausted. Guess this new show she’s doing is taking a lot out of her. I hope Janey’s ok.” His smile faded to a concerned frown.
I kissed his shoulder and his eyes met mine, aware that I was trying to show him support. “You’re going to discuss that with the guys tomorrow?”
He nodded. “It will affect our schedule, but I can work that out. We’re going into the studio when I’m better and probably won’t kick off a tour for another couple of months after we're done with the album. I’ve got a few bands I’m producing between now and the end of the year, too. Nora’s already said she will take her to and from school every day, and will move into the house when I’m on tour, so Janey won’t be disrupted.”
“Nora’s great. She loves Jane, and I’m sure she’ll do whatever you need.” He was still staring off into the distance.
“What can I do, Danny?” I moved around behind him and rested my hands on his chest. He took one hand in his and kissed it.
“Keep holding me,” he said softly.
I rested my head against his shoulder. “That’s a given. Whenever and however you want.”
He laughed softly and turned in my arms. “I guess a lot depends on how things go with Janey this weekend, right?”
I nodded. “I think so. Let’s see what she says about us. I don’t want her to think that I’m going to interfere with the two of you, so we’ll have to be very sensitive to her at first. She may even be weirded out by the fact that I was your teacher. I hope that doesn’t cause problems. We need to make it clear to her that you fired me, and I quit, before we ever decided to get involved like this or she might think that it’s ok for there to be a student-teacher relationship like ours.”
Danny shook his head and laughed. “There’s no way, Jesse. This is totally different!”
I shook my head. “The only thing we have going for us is that we’re adults. It's still an abuse of power for a teacher to have this kind of a relationship with a student. Think about at a job when a person has a relationship with a superior... It’s the same thing.”
He looked at me strange. “You’re serious. I guess I didn’t see it that way because we’re adults.”
“I’d say ‘you’re hot’ and ‘when?’”
I slugged him playfully. “Danny! I’m serious! What if I was like fifty, unattractive and had bad breath and I said that to you?”
His smile faded a little. “Ok, you’ll never be unattractive, and I don’t care how much your breath smelled, but I get what you are saying. But we’re fine, right? Your boss understood, you’re not giving me my grades... It’s more like two friends getting together to study... Naked.” He pulled me close to him and kissed me.
“I guess since I’m not your teacher anymore, naked studying can definitely stay on the menu. And just so you know, you’re getting back to work tomorrow. I know I can’t order you around anymore...”
He pulled me close to him and said, “Oh yes you can. Girlfriend gets to order me around. Girlfriend definitely gets to order me around.” His smile was all deviousness.
I pushed away from him and swam to the other side of the pool. “Ok, let me get in a couple of laps before I start ordering you around.”
He was smiling at me in the dark, his face reflected in the lights from under the water.
I cut through the water starting out at a leisurely pace and working my way up to a sprint. It felt so good to be swimming. My joints were appreciating the workout. I must have done about eight laps before I finally slowed down and floated on my back close to where Danny was treading water in the deep end.
“That looked like it felt good,” he said.
I smiled at him. “It felt great. I used to swim a lot in college. It was a great way to work out my joints without jarring or injuring myself. I love to swim.”
Danny reached out and pulled me to him, kissing me sweetly. “And I love to watch you swim. But I’m turning into a prune and it’s late. Can I take you to bed?”
Chapter Eighteen
Danny must have been tired because he actually slept with me. We woke up a tangle of limbs in the middle of his humongous bed. We’d left the drapes open and the sun was shining brightly. I watched him sleep for a few minutes before he started to stir.
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