She reached over and touched his chest, the flat of his stomach, and her eyes drifted up to him. She pulled her lower lip between her teeth. What was she doing, offering herself up to him? Her hands were like a slice of heaven, so he gripped her wrist and pulled it off him, shaking his head.
“Don’t you want me?” she said as he walked away, stepping around the table, needing to clear his head and block out the sexual energy that was ramping up in his loft. With his bed right there, he knew he could strip her down in a second and bury himself inside her to ease some of his discomfort, which only added to his guilt. What was it about Charlie that had him considering doing just that?
He pressed his hands on the chair back and took her in. “That’s the problem, Charlie. I do want you, but I’m not clear on how I feel about you.”
She started over to him, and he squeezed the back of the chair again harder until she was standing right in front of him, looking at him with confusion and wanting. He was seeing what it could be with her.
“Wanting me is good. Why are you overthinking everything?” she said, and she rested her hand on his arm so carefully and stared as she ran it up over his triceps, biceps, to his shoulder, allowing her eyes to linger and then lock on to his.
He had to look away, because she was doing it again. Just being with her was confusing the hell out of him. Maybe he just needed sex. It had been a long time, but seeing how Charlie was hooking into him was bringing him a seesaw of confusion. Did he want her? Then there was Evie.
Charlie’s hand was still pressed to his arm, running up and down and then tracing circles. She was so deliberate, and he turned, facing her as her hand pressed over his stomach again and then down to his belt buckle, skimming over it and lower. He hissed as she touched him, and he grabbed her wrist again, holding her away even though he wanted to weep from the loss of her touch.
“You should know that I don’t know how I feel about you. We aren’t really anything, Charlie. Going out a few times… You should know I kissed Evie yesterday, and I feel like absolute crap.”
There it was, shock, what he needed to cool his desire. She was holding her hand and then fisting it, and he couldn’t tell whether she was getting ready to slug him or walk away. She should walk away, but was that what he wanted?
She pulled her arms around herself and slowly looked up to him. “Are you in love with her?” she asked.
Danny walked away, back over to the railing, leaning down and staring at the empty stairwell. “Evie and I are friends. We have been since we were kids. Of course I love her that way, but more than that, I don’t know, just like I don’t really know how I feel about you,” he said as he heard her cross over to him and lean down on the rail beside him. This time, she didn’t try to touch him, and he wasn’t sure what was going through her head.
“So I still have a chance with you, then,” she said. It was the one thing he hadn’t expected her to say. He said nothing, and she tossed him an easy hesitant smile and nudged him with her shoulder. “Just give us a chance, give me a chance.”
He just took her in, her image, her narrow nose, her full lips, the shape of her brows, and the light makeup she wore, which made her eyes really pop, eyes that were filled with so much passion and light and fun.
“Don’t say anything.” She rested her hand over his mouth. “Just come for dinner tomorrow night, no pretense, no… Just come for dinner, meet my family.” She pulled her hand away and then pressed a kiss to his lips, so gentle. Then she pulled back and headed for the steps.
Instead of being clear and knowing what he wanted, he was even more confused.
“Six, come by,” she said. “I’ll see you then.”
“Just dinner,” he said. “Charlie, no promises for us, and this doesn’t mean we’re together.”
Her wide smile was far more confident now. “I know, but it’s something. Just give yourself a chance, and me. I think you’ll see that you won’t be able to resist me. But, Danny, you need to get clear on Evie too.”
Then she was gone down the steps, and he listened to her footsteps on concrete as she walked out of the barn. He knew he owed it to both Charlie and Evie to get his head screwed on straight.
Chapter 10
Evie had hitched a ride to work with her dad. Opening for lunch on a Sunday was something he’d never done before, but he was now hoping to cash in on the weekend business. Evie needed to figure out something else to do. It wasn’t that she hadn’t been putting some serious thought into her future, because that was all she’d done as of late. She had a high school diploma, and she was living with her parents, working for her dad, trying to keep his dream of the barbecue restaurant alive, but the reality was that the restaurant industry had the lowest success rate. More eateries died a painful, slow death than succeeded, and even her parents, as they’d sat at the kitchen table that morning, had come to the conclusion that something had to give.
Her dad could always start butchering again at the superstore, and her mom was picking up shifts again at the drycleaners. Evie needed to polish up a resume and start knocking on doors. There were always the local fast food joints, which seemed to have openings. It would be a minimum-wage job that would at least get gas in her truck, which was now sitting at home, empty. Or she could suck it up and walk next door to the chain restaurant, which was always busy, and pick up a job serving tables, hoping for more from tips.
She heard the ding above the door and turned to see Danny, dressed in blue jeans and a light blue western shirt with snaps and a heavy buckle. His deep red hair and blue eyes nearly had her knees giving out on her, and she took in his amazing build, remembering what it felt like to have him pressed against her, wanting her. She had to fight the warmth that filled her and could feel her cheeks start to burn again. She’d never in her life been uncomfortable around Danny, and now, seeing him walking toward her, she had to fight the urge to hide.
“Hi, was wondering if we could talk,” he said. The intensity with which he was staring at her had her fisting her hands on the counter to try to gather her footing again.
She wanted to say, Sorry, we’re busy working here, but not a customer had come in yet. Her dad was in back and would be able to hear everything, too, and that she couldn’t have.
“Dad, I’m going to take a break,” she called out, and she heard him yell back to go ahead. She walked around the counter and over to the corner by the window, where she pulled out a stool and sat. It was far enough away that her dad wouldn’t be able to hear. Danny pulled out the stool opposite her and straddled it. It wasn’t lost on her how much bigger he was in comparison to her petiteness. He smiled, and it was awkward.
“Okay, so talk,” she said. She could’ve made this easier, but she was a frickin’ mess, with how she was feeling after the day before. She’d barely slept, tossing and turning in the night and waking in a sweat at the image of her and Danny together naked in bed, skin to skin, feeling him inside her and on her. It was horrible, because she’d never allowed herself to think of him this way, and now this was the only way she could think of him.
He rested his hands on the round tabletop. He was so close she could touch him, but instead she was seeing those hands and imagining what they would be like running over her naked skin. “I’m sorry for what I did, for how I behaved.”
Her heart sank a little more. “For…” she prompted him, because it hurt to not be wanted.
“The way I reacted with you, chasing you down and kissing you and almost…” He stopped, and she could see the difficulty he was having saying it. Yes, he’d wanted her, but he was a guy, and guys were about sex. She’d just never expected that from Danny. It was a loss that she realized would likely haunt her forever.
“Well, I realize I’m not a stacked supermodel who’s all that experienced with guys, but I didn’t think kissing me could be that bad,” she said. She couldn’t figure out why her smart mouth always went to sarcasm. She thought he’d laugh, but instead his expression seemed angry.
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“You don’t get it, Evie. That’s not what I’m saying. I care about you so damn much that I didn’t think, and then I was kissing you, and the problem was I was so close to ripping your clothes off and burying myself in you, riding you in that grass like an animal, and I didn’t want to stop, because I never expected to want to kiss you as I did.”
Whoa! She hadn’t expected that reaction, not from Danny. She didn’t have a clue what to say, as her mouth gaped and nothing but a squeak came out.
He sat up straighter, looking around at the emptiness of the place and back to Evie. “You’re my friend, and just the thought of tossing that friendship away because I can’t get clear on what this is? Then there’s Charlie,” he said, and that had her pulling back, sitting straighter, her hands fisted in her lap.
“So let me get this straight,” she said. “You think you have feelings for me, but then you also have feelings for Charlie, and you need to, what, take a step back, evaluate, figure out where I fit in? Or is it that you want to choose who you want in your life, and you want me and Charlie to just sit back and wait?” She gestured at him and took in the confusion on his face.
“That’s not what I mean,” he said. “What I’m trying to say is how important you are to me, and I’m bothered by the line I crossed, taking our relationship to something I never intended. I don’t know what’s wrong with me or why I did it or why it is I can’t forget that kiss, or you, and the feelings I’m now feeling for you aren’t those of a friend.”
She sat straighter, hearing what he was saying and feeling sick, because it was as if he was deciding who he wanted more, and she couldn’t be that girl. She couldn’t be the kind of girl who waited on the sidelines to see if she would be picked. She’d done that all her life in just about everything else, and it didn’t feel good, not at all.
“I see,” she said, swallowing the giant ache that was building in her chest and in her throat, threatening to erupt into something that could have her curled up in a corner, crying. Not that she was one of those girls, but everyone had a breaking point, and she realized Danny was hers. This here, this moment, could break her. Nothing in her life was going her way, and everything was such a damn struggle right now. “So you’re asking for what from me, exactly, Danny?” She pulled a breath, long and deep. Her hands were shaking, and she tucked them between her thighs as she sat straight, feeling the strain in her shoulders.
“I’m asking you to forgive me. I have school to finish, and then I’m off to law school next year, and I need to know that we’re okay, that we’re still friends, that…”
She tilted her head, sensing the “but,” or maybe he was trying to get her to agree to forget what had happened and pretend she didn’t know what it was like to have his lips on her, his tongue tasting her, his large hands rough and running over her, feeling her intimate curves, to feel his desire pressed against her. If he said it, it would crush her, because she never believed Danny to be that shallow. She could make it easier, or not.
“I don’t want to lose you in my life, and I just need some time to figure out me and what I want.”
“You mean who you want,” she added, and before he could say anything else, she slid off the stool and stood, keeping the table between them, taking in the way he wiped his face, the way he seemed on edge, returning to the quiet deep thinker she’d known him as. She rested her hand on the table, staring at the dings and scratches and tiny chunks taken out of the wood.
“I’ll make it easy for you.” She stared at her hand, refusing to look up at him. “I’m not interested in being a choice for you, the girl who’ll maybe be waiting for you, so you just go on with Charlie, and I’ll…” She stopped and then flicked her gaze up, taking in his shock, not sure whether he was relieved or hurt. “I’ll see you around,” she said.
Then she walked away back to the counter, pausing only once to see Danny slipping off the stool and standing there, watching her. Before he could say another word, she slipped through the doors to the back room, past her dad, who looked up from where he was butchering ribs, and she took off out the back, where Danny couldn’t find her.
Chapter 11
He pulled in the round circular driveway up to the impressive two-story home that was a mix of brick and frame, surrounded by bushes filled with different flowers.
Charlie’s bright red Mustang was parked with the top up and windows rolled up in front of an open triple-car garage. Parked inside were a Mercedes, a white Cadillac, and what looked like one of the newer model Humvees. He stepped out of his Bronco, seeing how it looked so out of place as he passed a silver BMW and started up the circular wide front steps.
The door popped open, and the joy that shone from Charlie’s face should have warmed him. She was wearing a long slimming skirt, black heels, and a loose cream tank over what he thought was a black bra, based on the straps showing. Her arms linked around his neck, and she pressed her incredible body against him. All he could think about was the hurt he’d seen in Evie’s face and the loss he couldn’t shake of something greater, Evie’s friendship.
He wondered whether there was a special place in hell reserved for him after what he’d done. If he could just go back… That had been all he could think of as he drove to Charlie’s, wishing he’d cancelled. But he’d caused enough hurt that day. He wasn’t going to add to that.
“What’s wrong?” Charlie asked, and he took in how she looked at him with such intensity. Yeah, she really did care for him. That was a given. He could see it, and it only caused his heart to ache more because he didn’t feel the same. He just shook his head, not trusting his mouth to make anything better.
“Not sure I’m the greatest company right now,” he said, but Charlie just steered him, linking her arm through his, leading him inside.
“Don’t be silly. You’re here, and that’s all that counts. Besides, don’t dismiss my charm and ability to cheer you up,” she teased, holding him as she led him inside. The entrance was huge, and he looked up to the high ceiling as they walked past an impressively decorated living room, a massive kitchen that was five times the size of his parents’, and a second family room with tons of windows. In the back yard, two men were sitting at a patio table. The umbrella was up. Danny recognized her dad. The other man had gray hair, and he couldn’t see his face.
“Mom, this is Danny,” Charlie said. “Danny, this is my mom, Sandra.”
He’d never seen the woman in the kitchen. Her dark hair didn’t show a speck of gray, and she was tall and fit, in a sleeveless shirt that showed she worked out.
“Danny Friessen, I’ve heard nothing but great things about you,” she said. Now he knew where Charlie got her smile from. She was tearing up lettuce at a center island. “I can see my daughter wasn’t kidding when she went on and on about how handsome you are. So glad you can join us for dinner, and hope we see lots more of you.”
“Great to meet you, Missus—”
“Sandra, please,” she said, cutting him off. “Never liked that mister and missus stuff, always made me cringe. Mrs. Adams is Perry’s mom, and I found myself looking over my shoulder when someone would call me that, wondering if she was standing there.” At the face she made, he wanted to laugh. She was warm and welcoming, and he hadn’t expected that. “You go on out there with the men. Charlie, why don’t you get your young man a drink?”
Then Danny was outside on the patio, and Perry was standing, his hand out, as Charlie introduced them.
“Hey, so glad you could come join us, Danny,” Perry said. “This is a friend of mine, Hank Billows. Him and I go way back.”
Danny looked down at the lawyer who was a legend. He was distinguished, with white hair, distinct features, and blue eyes that were almost gray. He didn’t stand up. He, like Charlie’s father, was wearing golf attire, one in light, the other in shades of blue, ultra conservative. Danny pulled a chair out, and Charlie rested her hand on his shoulder as he sat.
“You want a beer, Danny?” she asked.
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br /> He took in the cocktails both Perry and Hank had in front of them. He could smell the bourbon, or he thought so, anyway. “Sure,” he said, and then Charlie was gone back into the house, leaving him with the men, taking in the landscaping of the huge yard, the pool, the decks, and the grass, all well manicured.
“So Charlie was mentioning that you’re studying to become a lawyer,” Perry said as he leaned back in the mesh chair. He was in the shade, and Danny could feel the sun beating down on him. He wondered too, dressed as he was, in a blue western shirt and his nicer blue jeans, if he shouldn’t have dressed up a bit more.
“I am, but then, my mom’s a lawyer, too.”
“I was telling you about her, Hank,” Perry said. “Diana Friessen, small-time stuff here, mostly wills, estates, litigation. How many years has your mom been practicing in these parts now?”
Danny wasn’t sure how comfortable he was talking about his mom and her business. “A few years now. She put us kids first and waited until Mark was in school to start practicing again.”
Hank was holding a glass, taking a swallow. His gaze never wavered from Danny. Then Charlie appeared with a bottle of beer, not the kind Danny drank but rather an import, and a glass of white wine, obviously for her.
“Thank you,” he said as Charlie took the seat beside him and gave him a bold smile. He twisted off the cap and ignored the glass she’d also put there for him, instead lifting the bottle to his lips.
“So what are your plans after law school, Danny?” Hank finally asked.
He’d kind of expected that, but he’d not put a whole lot of thought into it. He was expecting to settle back in the area, helping out folks who needed so much more. “Pass the bar and come back here, settle in the area. My family’s here,” he added, but he also knew that wasn’t what he’d really meant. Everyone else focused on ambitious things, articling under some Supreme Court justice, interning in a top firm, working under the best of the best, climbing the corporate ladder.
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