“What do you mean?” Sydney hadn’t seen any sign of that.
“He doesn’t want to grow up. But I think having April around has forced him to reevaluate his life.” She shrugged and said, “Like I’m one to talk. My longest relationship lasted less than six months. Our parents’ marriage was so lousy I think we’re all emotionally stunted to a degree. Except Angie. I swear she’s made of Teflon. Things hit the surface and slide off.”
Sydney felt an arm loop around her shoulder and turned to see Daniel.
“Care to dance?” he asked, pressing a kiss to her bare shoulder. Slow dancing with Daniel was like a form of foreplay. Lots of bumping and touching and kissing.
She slid down off the stool. “Love to.”
He looked at his sister and frowned. “How many is that, Dee?”
She dug her keys out of her back pocket and handed them to him. “They’re all yours, Deputy.”
“We can drive you home later.”
“That’s okay. I’ll catch a ride with Beth.”
“Let me know if you change your mind.” He took Sydney’s hand and led her to the dance floor, tugging her close. “I thought you might need saving.”
“What do you mean?”
“Dee has a tendency to get…dark when she drinks. And sometimes she says things she shouldn’t.”
“Like how my ex came on to her, and she threw a drink in his face.”
Daniel shook his head and sighed. “Yeah, like that.”
“It didn’t come as a big shock. And it explains why you dislike him so much.”
“I dislike him for a lot of reasons.”
His sister Beth and her boyfriend, Louis, sidled up next to them.
“You take Dee’s keys?” Beth asked Daniel.
“Yeah. What’s her deal tonight, anyway?”
“Jake bailed on her. She thinks he’s seeing someone else. He’s her on-again off-again boyfriend,” she told Sydney. “And it sounds like they’re going to be off-again soon.”
“Swell,” Daniel muttered.
“Are you dragging her out of here or am I?”
“I told Dave and Sammi I’d be home by midnight.” He glanced at his watch. “And it’s eleven-thirty now.”
Sydney could hardly believe it was so late already. The night had flown by.
Beth held out her hand and Daniel dropped Dee’s keys onto her palm.
“Good luck,” he said, and Beth rolled her eyes.
“Nice to have met you,” she told Sydney. “We’ll chat next weekend and I’ll tell you some really embarrassing stuff about my brother.”
“Goodbye,” Daniel said, giving her a playful shove. When they were gone he told Sydney, “Sometimes I wish I had brothers.”
“You guys are obviously very close.”
“Things weren’t easy when we were kids. We had to watch out for each other.”
“Your parents’ marriage was that bad, huh?”
“Both my parents had pretty volatile tempers. Occasionally the fights would get physical.”
“Your dad was abusive?”
“It wasn’t just my dad. My mom liked to throw things. One time, when I was in high school, they were fighting about something—probably money—and she threw a crystal vase at him. He wound up with a concussion and six stitches in the back of his head. My mom refused to drive him to the hospital, so I had to. He told the doctor in the E.R. that the vase had fallen from a high shelf and hit him. They separated a couple weeks later.”
When he had said his parents’ marriage was bad, she never realized how bad. Her parents’ problems seemed mild in comparison.
“Did they ever hit you and your sisters?” she asked.
“My mom had an old breadboard she used for spanking us. My dad used the belt. But when I got older, he would just crack me in the mouth with the back of his hand.”
“I couldn’t imagine Lacey doing anything so horrible that I would be compelled to hit her. And for all Jeff’s faults, he never so much as spanked Lacey. And he never raised hand to me.” Physical violence wasn’t in his nature. He’d been more of an emotional abuser. And a pathological liar.
“It stopped after the divorce,” Daniel said. “It was as if they brought out the worst in each other. I figured we’d all learned from their mistakes. Then Angie married Richard.”
“You didn’t like him?”
“At first I did. We all did. They both seemed really happy, but then Angie started to change. My sisters kept telling me that something was wrong. I guess I didn’t want to see it. I was friends with Rich. I couldn’t believe that he could be mistreating her. And when I asked him about it he said that Angie was just having a hard time adjusting to being married. He basically blamed it on her, and I bought it. Then she showed up at my door one day with a split lip and a black eye. She was pregnant with Jordan at the time. Turns out the bastard had been knocking her around almost since the honeymoon.”
The idea that someone would treat a woman as sweet as Angie that way made Sydney sick to her stomach.
“The thing I find the most ironic is that when my dad found out he flipped. He teamed up with a couple of his buddies from work and they paid Richard a visit. By the time they were done, he looked a hell of a lot worse than Angie did. And suffice it to say, he never laid a hand on her again. It’s just common sense. If you’re going to abuse your wife, don’t marry the daughter of a cop.”
“Your dad was a cop?”
“I never told you that?”
She shook her head. This Richard person must not have been very smart.
“Maybe Rich figured, since our parents got into it, it would be acceptable. He learned the hard way that wasn’t the case.”
“So Angie got a divorce after that?”
“Not right away. They separated and went to counseling for a few months. But he was offered a job in Washington state that he wanted to take, and there was no way Angie would leave her family, so they called it quits. The divorce was official when Jordan was six months old.”
“And I thought it was bad that my parents ignored me.”
He was quiet for a minute. Then he said, “You know what I just realized?”
“Hmm?”
“Besides my family, and a few close friends, I’ve never talked to anyone about this.”
The idea that he trusted her enough to confide in her made her heart skip a beat. That had to mean something, right? She laid her head on his chest and hugged him hard.
“What’s this for?” he asked.
“Because I—” She stopped herself when she realized the words that had almost spilled out of her mouth.
Because I love you.
Whoa.
Did she? Did she really love him, or was she just enormously infatuated? Was it possible to fall in love with someone in two weeks?
Daniel tipped her chin up to look at her. “Syd?”
“Just…because.”
He must have seen through her, but she didn’t give him a chance to question it. She slid her hands up his chest and behind his neck, and kissed him. The kind of kiss that she hoped would make him forget whatever it was he’d been about to say.
The low growl as he wound his fingers into her hair told her it was working. And she got so into it, she nearly forgot they were in a public place. When they broke apart, they were both a little breathless.
“You’re getting me all frisky,” he said.
“I want you frisky.”
He grinned. “Lacey is sleeping over at Veronica’s?”
“Yep.”
“So you don’t have to rush home?”
“Nope.” She didn’t have to be home at all. She’d told Lacey to call her cell if she needed anything, or if she decided to come home for any reason.
He flashed her a steamy smile. “Want to go to my place and make out?”
“Yes.” Last night had been so…fun. It was almost like being a teenager again. Passionate necking and petting over the clothes. Although some skin-to-skin
action would be nice, too. Why did he think she’d worn a skirt tonight?
“Maybe we should go soon. Just in case there’s traffic or something.”
“We probably should,” he agreed, leaning down to nibble her earlobe. Then he cupped her behind and her legs went weak. “In fact, I think we should go right now.”
NO ONE HAD EVER kissed Sydney as passionately, as thoroughly, as Daniel did. She couldn’t get enough of his mouth. The feel of it and the taste of it.
She straddled him on the couch, knowing that as wonderful as kissing him was, this time it wasn’t going to be enough. She was ready for more.
She wasn’t just ready. She needed it. Maybe taking things slow had been a good idea two days ago, but everything was different now. Sometime over the past week and a half, she had stopped being afraid.
Daniel, on the other hand, didn’t seem to be in a hurry. He was still holding back from taking that next step, so she took it for him.
She pulled her top up over her head and dropped it on the floor, and the rumbling sound Daniel made in his chest said he wasn’t going to stop her. He wrapped his hands around her sides, running them upward, over her rib cage to hold her breasts, using his thumbs to tease her through the lace cups. She moaned and closed her eyes, convinced that every time he touched her it felt better and better.
“Your breasts are so beautiful,” he said. He kissed the swell of one, then the other, and though it was pure bliss, it wasn’t enough. She reached behind her to unfasten her bra, then tossed it on the floor.
“Even better,” he said. He seemed content to just look for a while, but she wanted to be touched. She hooked a hand behind his neck and pulled him to her breast, and just before he took her nipple in his mouth, she could swear he mumbled something in Spanish, but it was drowned out by the sound of her own moans.
“Did you just speak Spanish?”
“Yes,” he said, kissing his way to her other breast. She moaned and arched as he took that one in his mouth, too.
“What did you say?”
He gazed up at her and grinned. “You don’t want to know.”
“Yes, I do.”
“It was a curse word. And not a very nice one.”
“Can you say anything else?”
“A few words,” he said, doing amazing things to her with his mouth. “Mostly I just know how to swear.”
“Do you know how to say that you want to make love?”
“No, but…” He trailed off as the meaning of her question sank in, and his gaze shot up to hers. “Do you mean…?”
“Yes, I do. I want to make love.”
“Are you sure?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever been so sure of anything in my life.” All of her apprehension, all of her fears, were just gone, as if they’d never even been there.
And her certainty must have shown in her face, because he didn’t question her. “Bedroom?” he asked, but she shook her head.
“Here, like this.” She fisted his shirt and tugged it over his head, but when she tried to get at his fly, her skirt got in the way.
“Take it off,” he said, lifting her off his lap, and in the time it took to yank her skirt and panties down, his jeans and boxers were on the floor. And he was…perfect. Beautiful all over.
He sat up and tugged her closer, leaning in to press a kiss to her stomach, then another. He started working his way down, and when his tongue darted out to taste her, her legs nearly buckled. It felt so good, she didn’t want him to stop, but she was so close already. This time when it happened, she wanted him inside her.
She pushed him back against the cushions and climbed over him, straddling his legs, trembling with anticipation. She centered herself over him and sank slowly down, taking him in. He gasped and dug his fingers into her hips. She rose up and sank back down. Again and again. And it was so perfect she wanted to weep. This was how it was supposed to feel. This was what making love was supposed to be. And she did love him. She could feel it deep in her soul.
“Syd…” Daniel rasped. She wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling her muscles begin to tighten. Daniel cursed again, in English this time, and for some reason that pushed her over the edge. Pleasure gripped her like a vise, fast and hard, and when he groaned and rocked against her, she knew she’d taken him over with her.
She went limp against him and Daniel dropped his head on her shoulder, breathing hard.
“Tell me we didn’t just have unprotected sex.”
She sat back to look at him. “Of course not. I’m on the pill.”
He blew out a relieved breath and let his head fall back against the cushions. “Thank God.”
“I guess I should have mentioned that earlier.”
“Yeah, because I think I just lost ten years off my life. I figured since you weren’t sexually active, there was no reason for you to be on it.”
“I take them to regulate my cycle.”
“Good to know. And in case you’re wondering, I got tested recently. I’m disease-free.”
Which she should have considered before they made love. She’d just been so…swept away. She wasn’t normally so irresponsible. In fact, Jeff’s promiscuity was what had motivated her decision to stop sleeping with him.
“I hope I didn’t ruin it for you,” she said.
“Oh, no, not at all,” he said. “I was so turned on watching you that it took me a minute to realize I’d even forgotten. And for the record, I usually last longer than forty-five seconds.”
“You know what’s really cool?” she asked him.
“What?”
“You get to spend all night proving it to me.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“WHAT THE HECK are you doing?” Sydney asked Lacey, who was sitting on her bed sulking instead of packing. “We’re leaving in less than an hour.”
“I won’t go,” she said, folding her arms defiantly.
“It’s only two days and we could both use a vacation.”
“I’ll stay home by myself,” Lacey insisted. “I’m old enough.”
“Nice try. You’re coming with us, unless of course you want to stay with your dad and the bim…Kimberly.”
Lacey narrowed her eyes. “I’d rather poke my eyes out with a fork.”
“Then I guess you’re coming with us.”
Lacey got up and stomped her foot, something she hadn’t done since she was six. “I want to stay here!”
“And people in Hell want ice water. Be ready, or else.”
“This sucks,” Lacey shouted after her as Sydney returned to her bedroom to pack the last of her things. She had no idea why Lacey was so against going to Jason’s. Especially since Angie’s son, Jordan, would be there. What teenage girl wouldn’t want to hang out at the ocean on the beach for two days sunning herself with a cute boy?
And Sydney had seen him. He was really cute.
At Lacey’s age, Sydney would have been thrilled. Of course, growing up in Michigan, they didn’t exactly have access to the ocean. Lots of lakes, though. Not that her mother had ever taken her to one. Maybe when she was little, when her father was still around. She honestly didn’t remember. It was the reason she had always tried to do those sorts of things with Lacey. Why she figured Lacey would enjoy this trip.
So much for that brilliant plan.
April was in her bouncy seat on Sydney’s bedroom floor and she squealed happily when Sydney walked back in. “At least you’re happy to see me,” she mumbled, opening her lingerie drawer. She paused when she realized her silk camisole wasn’t there.
“Lacey!” she called and Lacey stuck her head in the bedroom door a second later, scowling. “What.”
“Did you borrow my white silk camisole?”
“No.”
“Have you seen it anywhere? Did it maybe get mixed in with your clothes?”
She huffed. “No. You probably left it at Daniel’s house.”
Sydney shot her daughter a warning look.
“What? I’m ju
st sayin’.”
Even if she’d been trying to hide their relationship from Lacey, they had blown that when she’d walked in on them kissing in the kitchen the other day. Sydney thought she might be upset, but all Lacey did was say, “Ew, Mom, get a room,” and go back to her bedroom.
The truth is, it was a small miracle that Lacey hadn’t seen anything earlier. Ever since Saturday night when she and Daniel had made love, Sydney hadn’t been able to keep her hands off him. It was embarrassing, really, how completely under his spell she had slipped. Maybe it was hormonal, or her body was making up for lost time, but she couldn’t seem to get enough of him. They made love in the evenings after April went to bed, and she’d started coming over an hour early in the mornings, after Lacey went to work, waking Daniel in some very creative ways. She’d even started scheduling April’s nap when she knew he would be on break and stopping by the house. It was amazing what they could accomplish in fifteen minutes when properly motivated.
She’d begun to worry that she might wear the poor guy out, but so far he hadn’t complained. The fact that she’d been so nervous about not being able to please him now seemed utterly ridiculous.
And while she had spent a lot of time naked at Daniel’s house, she always wore her undergarments home.
“I did not leave it at Daniel’s,” she told Lacey.
Lacey shrugged. “Whatever,” she said on her way to her room. She was back a few minutes later, the camisole in her hand, looking a little less cocky. “I guess it did get stuck in my laundry.”
When Sydney was finished packing she carried her suitcase and April to the kitchen. She heard raised voices out the side door and looked out. Daniel and Angie were standing in the driveway, by the rear of Sydney’s van, arguing.
“This is not my fault!” Angie was saying.
“Well, if they don’t have to go, I shouldn’t have to go,” Daniel said.
“Come on, Danny. Don’t be like that.”
Uh-oh. Maybe she’d just strong-armed Lacey into packing for no reason.
Leaving April securely in her seat, Sydney stepped outside. Daniel and his sister appeared to be at a standoff, and Angie was obviously on the verge of tears.
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