He gripped her like she’d melt away and looked at her with a wonder reserved for the crystalline sky above. Desperation swept over her faster than the tide, a longing so intense and real she wanted to drown in it.
Danny stepped on her tiptoes and leaned in, pressing her lips to his. The kiss was featherlight and filled with the hesitation buzzing through her, as if this moment would crumble apart as quick as the sand. Adrian responded at once, his mouth hot and hungry against hers. Danny dug her fingers into his shoulders as he wrapped his hands around her waist. She melted into him, surrendering to the melody of his mouth.
He tasted sweet and earthy like the wine, and he kissed with a mesmerizing skill and urgency that caused her to gasp for air. Her nails curled into the fabric of his sportscoat, and the cold waves coiled around her calves as she leaned into him, all hard planes and incendiary heat. His grip around her waist imprinted like a brand, and a moan escaped her throat.
The sound of a phone ringing cut through the quiet between them, so jarring she stepped away on instinct. For a moment she reached for her purse, but she’d left it by the shore. Her lips were swollen, and her chest heaved as she stared at Adrian.
“It’s yours,” she murmured.
“Fuck it,” he growled, but she reached forward to pluck the phone from his pocket, a grin curling her lips. Too real. Things had gotten too real, and she needed some way to step back.
The screen said Lex. “Your sister’s calling,” she said, handing the phone over. “You should pick it up.”
Adrian heaved a sigh but lifted the phone to his ear and answered. “Hello? This better be good.” A second later, his expression darkened, and his lips thinned. “Fuck. We’ll be right there.”
Danny cocked her head to the side, homing in on the “we.”
“Mom fell,” he explained, slipping his phone into his pocket. “Do you mind coming with? I can understand if you want me to drive you home first. I pretty much took us on the worst date in history.”
Danny shook her head and grabbed his hand as she took the first strides through the water toward the shore. Worry buzzed off him like an oncoming storm. No way would she keep him from his family any longer than necessary. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Eight
Irritation flashed through Adrian, followed by guilt. The one time he indulged in a little bit of selfishness, his family smacked open the door to come stampeding in. Except Mom had gotten hurt, and he didn’t know how badly. He loved his family more than anything, but Christ Almighty, the way they depended on him made it impossible to have a life of his own. No woman could put up with this shit, a fact Betty had never forgotten to hammer home.
His car zoomed along the highway, and he brimmed more tension than a pressure cooker on full boil. Danny leaned back into the seat next to him, fanning the edges of her dress in front of the heater he’d put on full blast to try and dry their clothes off.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered again for the thousandth time. Already, he hurtled toward Hanahan, the suburb they both grew up in. When he’d asked her out on this date, he sure as hell hadn’t planned on bringing her to his parents’ house. This had been something private, for him, something he didn’t have to share with the rest of his chaos.
And the way she’d melted against him in their kiss, the sensations more consuming than the thundering sea—fuck, Adrian never possessed that chemistry with anyone before.
“Apologize again and I’ll kick you,” Danny responded. “You gave me the option, and I agreed to come along. I’ll have you remember, I told you to pick up the phone, so you can blame me.”
She might be considerate now, but what happened when she discovered this sort of thing was the norm? Danny would check out like Betty had. His stomach squeezed tight. There he went, thinking about the future when she’d explained it clear from the start—this wildfire between them would be smothered when she had to leave.
“Hope you don’t mind the extra coating of sand lining your car,” Danny said, her voice drawing him to the present. She fluffed her dress out in front of the heaters, a few more granules trickling down. His pant legs began to dry under the blast, but bits of grit still lingered inside his shoes. He didn’t regret a second of it.
“Nothing a vacuum won’t fix,” he responded, tapping his steering wheel as he zoomed closer and closer to his parents’ house. Lex said not only had Mom fallen and refused to go get checked out, but Matty and Nellie got into a screaming match that increased in volume by the second. Dad did his best to tame the raptors while Lex handled, i.e., argued with Mom, but they could use the extra help. Sometimes he wondered why he hadn’t become a nanny. He’d be dealing with the same amount of dramatics, but at least he could excuse kids for their behavior.
“She’ll be okay,” Danny murmured, her thoughtfulness drilling right through to his heart. He hadn’t even realized he’d lapsed into silence, stewing over his family’s problems the same way the ones from work consumed him. Betty used to assume he wanted to be left alone, so she’d retreat to another room. All he’d wanted was for someone to try to pull him out.
“Are you prepared to face a mob of Dukases at once?” he asked. “Diving into family dinner means the horde is there in all their ugly glory.”
“Not a problem, as long as you make it loud and clear that I’m Danny Reynolds,” she warned, the implication clear. Lex might remember her from high school, but he’d be able to keep her quiet. Somehow.
“Y’all aren’t so scary.” Danny crossed her arms over her chest, her thick Carolina accent returning like it never left. “Just mouthy.”
Adrian snorted. “That’s about right.” He passed her a sidelong glance. “So you should fit right in.”
Danny jabbed him in the arm a second later, and laughter escaped from him. Something about the way she played around carved through his serious exterior every time. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this light or free, but he would treasure every second with her.
Adrian got off the highway and wove through the snarl of backroads leading to his parents’ rancher. How they’d fit five kids in this house had been a miracle in and of itself, but between sharing rooms and two squeezed into the finished basement, they’d made it work. Besides, as they’d gotten older and the nest emptied, Adrian was grateful his folks didn’t have some massive mansion to upkeep or flights of steps to climb.
As he zipped down Everwood Drive, familiar houses popped into view, of neighbors he knew like aunts and uncles. He pulled up to park on the street in front of a rolling green lawn that stretched to the patterned grey and black stone of his parents’ rancher. Lights glowed amber through the wide bay windows, and the American flag they kept out front rippled in the night breeze.
Danny stared out the window, a look of longing flickering across her features. Her fingers curled around the door handle as she sat there absorbing everything. He reached over to grab her other hand and squeezed tight.
“You haven’t been to Hanahan since,” he murmured—not a question, because he could already tell. Her gaze landed on him, a helplessness there that had his stomach in knots. As if the years melted away, and she was seventeen again.
“It’s just a shock being around here.” The words were a whisper on her lips. She sucked in a deep breath and straightened her back. “I’ll be fine. Let’s go check on your mom.”
He gave her hand one last squeeze, and her eyes melted with relief. Christ Almighty, he wanted her like nothing else. Adrian hopped out of the car, and together they walked through a front yard that needed a trim, the tendrils tickling his ankles as they headed to the front door.
Adrian didn’t bother knocking—the rest of the family expected him. The closer they got, the louder the voices sounded even from where they stood. He turned the knob and stepped inside.
The savory scent of Mom’s moussaka filled the air, and warmth from the heater blasted him as he took the first steps inside, Danny following close behind. Shouts exploded through the house like shrapnel, and
he might as well have entered a war zone. Mom sat in the living room on one of their weathered couches while Lex crouched by her side. Meanwhile, Nellie screeched from across the room at Matty, tears running down her cheeks and blurring her mascara. Dad shouted louder, both of his hands out as if he were a lion tamer at the zoo, and Matty sat at the dining room table, his arms folded as he offered a snarky comment that set off his sister anew.
Adrian heaved a sigh and headed toward the living room.
Danny leaned in and whispered, “How long until they realize we’re here?”
“A bomb could go off and that wouldn’t deter them,” Adrian muttered.
“My boy, what are you doing here?” Mom called from where she rested on the couch. At once, she tried to stand, and Lex glared, stepping in her way. “I thought you had a date tonight,” she continued as if Lex didn’t stand right in front of her.
“I do,” he said, and Danny slipped out from beside him to offer a quick wave. Lex’s brows rose high, and she opened her mouth, a familiar look in her eyes, like she prepared to say something stupid. Adrian met her gaze and shook his head no. The two of them had always been close enough to communicate without words.
Instead, Lex stepped away from Mom and gestured to the couch. “Here, take a seat and check her out. She’s refusing to go to the hospital, but I caught some pretty nasty bruises forming.”
“Because I’m fine, and it’s no bother,” Mom piped in, thwacking Lex’s side. Adrian couldn’t help his smile as he knelt in front of her.
“I’m going to check those spots regardless, okay, Mom?” he asked as he settled onto the ground. His mother stretched out her legs, pulling up her flowing salmon skirt to reveal thick calves. Familiar spider veins traveled up them, something he always associated with her hard work. Black and blue marks traveled up her legs, but one on her right thigh spread bigger than a fist. He reached out to place his fingers overtop it, tuning out the continued fight in the other room.
Behind him, Lex murmured something to Danny, who joined her in discussion. Mom watched him with a fondness that warmed his chest, those dark eyes of hers crinkled with a thousand lines around them, and a soft smile on her lips, painted the same color red she wore on an almost daily basis.
“Are you feeling dizzy? Where did you fall?” he asked. The skin on her thigh felt hot to the touch, but apart from inflammation, he didn’t see anything drastic.
“I was cooking in the kitchen and got a case of the spins,” Mom started.
“Because you have vertigo,” Lex shot back. Mom gave her a dirty look.
“Let’s hold off on the diagnoses, Doctor Web MD,” Adrian said, stepping up from his crouch. “If the spins continue, you should go to the doctor about them. You know that. As for your legs, you have a couple of bruises and a hematoma. Are you getting any sharp, shooting pains?”
Mom shook her head. “Like I said, Alexis is fretting over nothing. I’m not feeling more than a little shaky, and my head’s right as rain. You didn’t need to come over, sweetheart. You take care of us enough, and now we interrupted your date.”
Adrian shrugged, relief coursing through him at knowing his mother was fine even as the exasperation followed in close second. He glanced to Danny, who offered an amused grin. She tilted her head in the direction of the shouts coming from the other room. Adrian heaved a sigh as he stepped beside Danny and placed his hands on her shoulders.
“Do you mind if I go step in?” he asked, weariness settling like a mantle.
“I’d be happy to get to know this young lady,” Mom said, mischief sparkling in her dark eyes. She waved her over with a gesture. “Look at that beautiful copper hair. Adrian kept you quiet from us, probably for good reason.”
Danny let out a surprised laugh as she slipped out of his grasp and strode over to the couch. She plopped down on the cushions beside Mom. “It’s the other way around, Mrs. Dukas,” she said, a grin spreading on her face. “I’m the one he’s keeping quiet, because I cause trouble everywhere I go.”
Adrian blinked, shock settling in at seeing Danny chat with Mom as if they were fast friends. Lex started taking the first steps toward the dining room to split up the fight, which snapped Adrian out of the moment. The last thing their argument needed was Lex adding more gasoline to the blaze.
“Why don’t you get Mom an ice pack for her hematoma?” Adrian said, jerking a thumb toward the kitchen. Lex shot him a sour look like she knew what move he pulled, but she detoured toward the kitchen where the savory scents of dinner wafted in. The spices of moussaka wafted his way, making his stomach rumble, even after he’d set into some of the best steak he’d ever tasted.
“Not my fault your husband is a piece of shit,” Matty shot back, a corrosive edge to his voice that had become the norm over the years. Even though he lashed out at a lot of the family, he and Nellie rarely fought, so Adrian didn’t have to guess the fight was over her husband, not anything she did.
“He didn’t mean anything by the statement.” Nellie slammed her hands on the table so hard the smack reverberated around the room. “That’s the last time I invite you over, if you’re gonna act like an ass.” Her pin-perfect strands had come out of her bun, blonde hair that contrasted the rest of the family’s dark, and her ocean eyes glittered with tears. She hated arguments, and any pent-up emotions tended to surface in a heartbeat.
If Matty was involved, chances were he’d started the fight by slinging his scorpion’s barbs, and it took this long to get to the heart of why he’d jabbed at her in the first place. Dad passed Adrian a weary look, leaning forward on the table as he slumped into a seat.
He stepped in beside his father. “You want to go comfort Nellie? I’ll talk to Matty.”
Dad nodded, and Adrian clapped him on the back. He and his father had always been so similar that Mom joked Dad cloned himself when they had Adrian. Their temperaments were the same, as were their values, and he couldn’t have had a better, more patient teacher growing up.
Adrian slipped into the seat beside Matty, his younger brother by five years. Mateo was all cheekbones and attitude, piercings on each eyebrow and plugs in his ears. He kept his thick hair slicked back on the top, shaved on the sides, and his younger brother did everything to shove people away with his sarcasm. Too bad for Matty, Adrian knew which button caused him to flip the handle every time.
“What sort of homophobic shit did Greg spout this time?” Adrian asked, keeping his voice low so Nellie couldn’t hear. None of them approved of her husband, but his little sister was an impulsive sunbeam who got whisked away by the first asshole to propose.
“I’m not going to sit there and let some dickweed call me a fag,” Matty muttered, staring at the table something fierce. “I mean, we’ve got to support Lex, right? That sort of talk is messed up.”
“Yeah, that shit’s not okay,” Adrian responded, knowing full well Matty would keep clinging to Lex as the excuse. Everyone in the family knew and accepted Matty was gay—except him. The group of assholes he rode with were the sort of testosterone-fueled guys who mouthed off to the hospital staff after they banged themselves up good and caused more problems than they fixed. So Matty stayed in the closet, and the rest of the family bore the brunt of his bitterness.
“Still,” he continued, knowing he snared Matty’s attention. “What’s tormenting Nellie about it going to help? She’s the one who has to deal with ‘the dickweed’ on a daily basis. I know a little bit about bad calls, and I have to say, this family is what pulled me through the Betty break-up, you know? If we push her away, she’ll be isolated, and if Greg pulls anything heinous, she won’t feel like she can come to us for help.”
Matty let out a huff of a breath, his arms crossed in front of his chest, but he listened. His serious, dark gaze meant he wasn’t going to continue spitting poison.
“I love Nellie. You know I do,” Matty muttered, continuing to drill holes into the table with his stare. “But I can’t deal with guys like her husband.”
&nbs
p; “Then don’t,” Adrian responded. “She rarely brings him around, and he’s out on business enough for you to have one on one time with her. If she invites you to something he’ll be at, skip it. You’re allowed to hate Greg and still be there for Nellie.”
“Fuck, look at you spouting wisdom like Yoda or some shit.” Matty shook his head, pushing up from the table. “Bro, you’re too selfless, getting involved in all our messes like this. Go save your girl, I think Mom’s got the ‘I want grandkids’ gleam in her eye.”
Dad had Nellie calmed down to sniffles—the girl moved through emotional stages like a hurricane, and her storm already petered out. Matty plunked his hands into his pockets and walked over, his lips pressed tight and his shoulders hunched forward. Adrian didn’t need to watch to know they would make up, because as much of an ass as Matty could be, if he did you wrong, he’d make penance.
Adrian crossed over to the living room, surprised by the laughter trickling his way. Danny leaned forward, her palms braced on her knees as she told some story that had both his Mom and Lex riveted. His mother’s shoulders shook from laughter, and Danny’s eyes sparkled in response, like a flower begging to bloom. Lex crouched beside Mom, trying to apply ice while getting swatted away in the process.
Danny glanced up as he entered, her green eyes vibrant with light and life. Adrian stopped still for a moment as their gazes met. The sight of her there laughing alongside the most important people in his life socked him in the gut. Even though he promised he was fine with seeing this through for as long as she remained in town, he’d lied. Danny Reynolds coursed new hope through his veins, whisky warmth and honeyed surrender all at once.
One thing hadn’t changed since they were kids in high school. Out of all the women he’d met and pretty faces that flashed before him, he’d choose her every time.
Chapter Nine
Fuck, who didn’t own more than one mug?
Taking Root (The Eros Tales Book 1) Page 7