Текст книги "Danny's Main"
Автор книги: Lisa N. Paul
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Текущая страница: 10 (всего у книги 18 страниц)
Chapter Fifteen
Your Mere Existence
“SO YOU’RE SAYING I’ll never be able to have babies, ever?” Julie’s voice broke as the question left her mouth. She felt Danny’s hand grip hers, but the room shrank, closing in around her. She hadn’t gotten her period since losing the baby, but at the six-week follow-up visit, the doctor had told her to be patient. In fairness, she remembered the doctor in the hospital discussing possible difficulty with future pregnancies, but she had been drugged up at the time and had refused to ask questions.
“I’m sorry.” Dr. Burke’s compassionate eyes moved between hers and Danny’s. “According to the ultrasound we just did, you have no endometrial lining, an unfortunate outcome from the surgery and embolization you needed to stop the bleeding. None of those things could have been avoided. It was a life-or-death situation.”
“Obviously there was no choice to be made.” Danny’s firm statement resulted in silence as Julie’s eyes leaked. Danny exhaled as he ran his hand through his short dark hair.“Okay.”
He’ll fix this. He’ll make it better.
“Let me understand what you’re telling us…because of what happened, we can’t have children. The baby that we lost is the only one we’ll ever have?” Danny asked.
“Biologically, yes,” the doctor answered. “I’m so sorry. I wish I had better news for you, different answers, but I don’t.”
“We wish you had different answers too,” he murmured.
Julie’s lungs burned with the need for air. She hadn’t let so much as a breath escape her body for fear of breaking down, never to be fixed again. Her gaze cut to her husband, ramrod straight in the expensive leather chair, tight jaw, wet eyes, but a supportive grasp on her hand. She kept letting him down, and he kept holding her close. They would have no children, no family.
With Danny’s arm looped around her waist, they walked silently out of the building and to the Ranger. Once inside the cab, Julie pulled the cork on the emotions she’d been holding in and let loose the keening cries of a woman who’d just lost her fantasies…again.
***
DANNY JOINED JULIE at the first therapy session after leaving the doctor’s office, which, thanks to the therapist and her magical schedule, was just hours after receiving the crippling news. In that office, they cried in each other’s arms, screamed at the unfairness of life, and determined that Julie would benefit from sessions twice weekly until the initial crisis passed.
Two weeks had passed since the fateful obstetrician’s appointment, and while Julie didn’t revert entirely to where she had been after she lost their daughter, she regressed deeply at first.
After sixteen days, Sheila contacted Danny when she hadn’t heard from Julie. Their friend was heartbroken by the news, but like the best of friends did, she came up with a plan instead of focusing on things that couldn’t be changed. While Julie didn’t return to work after losing the baby, she and Sheila still spoke frequently and the two couples continued to see each other socially.
With Danny’s blessing, Sheila stopped by the Marcus house one day while he was at work, and she convinced Julie it was time to return to her management position. Within two weeks, Julie seemed to be crying less and smiling more. He got a kiss on the cheek before work and a hug before sleep. She seemed happier, more alive, and he was grateful.
Danny used the time while Julie was at work to allow himself to grieve. They mourned together for the first few days, but then he tucked away his sadness and focused on keeping his woman above water. However, when alone, the loss crept in and felt suffocating. Their dreams of little kids, loud dinners, big Christmases, sibling rivalries, and bear hugs felt ripped away, leaving raw skin and exposed nerves. But new dreams could be made, of that he was certain, as long as he had Julie by his side.
The problem was that it had been four and a half months since she’d let him touch her. Four and a half months since he’d given her more than a peck on the cheek or squeezed her hand. They’d spent their whole marriage sleeping skin to skin, and she now slept in long sleeves and sleep pants. While he could continue to give her space, he feared the space was creating issues that would eventually cause a rift.
Julie had always loved his dominant ways. She bloomed under his words and writhed beneath his touch. For months he’d stayed back, fearful of pushing her before she was ready, scared to lose her due to impatience.
He snickered without humor at his reflection in the men’s room mirror at work. “You’ll lose her ‘cause you’ve been acting like a pussy.” New dreams will be made. He left the restroom and headed to his post.
In the months that he’d watched his wife grieve, blocking him out, keeping pain in, it was Chester who had become his closest confidant. After work that day, Danny called Chester for advice.
“If she freely gives you control in the bedroom, she wants you to control her in the bedroom,” his friend said.
“Chester, no offense, man, but she’s in a bad place. She barely comes near me.”
“Dan, no offense, boy, and believe me, this advice doesn’t come easy bein’ as I think of her as a daughter, but there comes a time when you’ll need to start thinking as a couple and not just about her. The shit that went down, son—it tears couples apart. That I can promise. You’ll know when it’s time, and when it is, take back the control she’s given you. Take it back in a way that she knows she’s loved and safe, but that’s it.”
“What?”
Chester huffed. “She’s hurtin’, runnin’, pushin’ you away. How do you stop her from doing that while lovin’ her with everything you got?”
“Ah,” The proverbial light bulb pinged over Danny’s head as a smile caressed his face.
“By George, I think he’s got it.” Chester chuckled and ended their call.
Danny began his planning.
###
“A MINT CHOCOLATE chip milk shake!” Her eyes lit up as she dipped her spoon into the extra-thick novelty. “Let me guess, a vanilla one for you, huh?” He always loved watching her “drink” shakes with a spoon. “Did you do something wrong, Mr. Marcus?” Her brow arched with mock accusation as her mouth opened wide to accept another generous scoop.
“No, babe, I passed the ice cream shop on my way home from work and figured you could use a treat.”
They had both worked day shift and had the night off. It was the first time in over a week their schedules allowed for that, and he planned on taking advantage of the night.
“Mmm, so good.” She swiped a napkin off the kitchen table and padded on bare feet to the family room. She cozied up on the sofa with her shake and the television remote. “Wheel of Fortune is starting. Come sit with me.”
Together, they watched the game show while calling out answers before the contestants, high-fiving when they were correct, laughing each time they guessed wrong. Danny’s focus split between the show and the way Julie’s tongue lapped at the quickly melting ice cream. So sexy. A needy rhythm throbbed in his cock each time an appreciative moan escaped her lips. Oh, sweet Lord, let me in.
Click.
“Danny, what…” Julie stared from the blank television screen to him. “Jeopardy’s on next. We love that show. Why did you turn off the TV?”
That question was the only one he needed to hear, and the answer was clear. Danny removed the empty shake cup from Julie’s hand and placed it on the coffee table before turning his attention back to her.
“Jeopardy, huh? Okay, the answer is…your mere existence.” Danny closed the distance between them, interlacing their fingers as he nudged his nose up her neck to her ear. “What’s the question, honey?”
When goose bumps rose on her skin, excitement surged through his blood. She still wanted him; he just needed to break through the wall of fear and contentment that she’d erected over the months.
“W-what?”
“The question, babe.” His tongue touched her lobe. “If the answer’s your mere existence, what’s the question?” Gently, he bit the sensitive skin and relished the tiny tremor that shook her body.
“Danny, I-I have no idea what you’re doing,” Julie faltered, her lids lowered, and her tongue glided across her bottom lip.
“Yeah, you do. You’ve just forgotten.” As he whispered in her ear, his hand lowered to her denim-clad thigh. “I’m here to remind you, honey. The question—what part of you makes my life complete?”
Her body stilled beneath his touch.
“The answer—your mere existence.”
“Danny…” She sighed, her body all but melting with his touch.
The husband inside him exhaled with relief while his primal side roared with unrestrained triumph. “Let me give you what you need.” He stood, slid his arm under her legs, and effortlessly cradled her as he walked them upstairs. “I’m your husband, babe, your man. I’ll gladly watch game shows with you forever. But right now, only thing I wanna do is strip you naked and lick every inch of your gorgeous fucking body.” He lowered her to her feet, flicked on the bedroom light, and stared at the woman before him. “Been so long since you felt pleasure, too damn long. You need it, and I can’t wait to give it.”
If her pale pink cheeks and glossy eyes weren’t enough of an indicator that she was aroused, then the way her breath hitched with each word he spoke certainly was.
“Oh, God,” Julie panted as her tongue caressed her bottom lip.
“Good place to start, but it’ll be my name you’re screaming when you’re coming on my face.” Danny winked as he popped the button and slid down the zipper on Julie’s jeans.
Her audible swallow had him choking back a chuckle. Fuck me. He subtly adjusted himself. It’s been so long, I might come from my own damn dirty talk. Danny cupped Julie’s cheek, staring into her eyes for a brief second before claiming her mouth. Coming home. That was how it felt to press his lips to hers. Scorching, claiming desire clawed through his body, screaming for release. His hand left her cheek and moved to the back of her neck, fisting the strawberry-blonde locks as his other hand lowered them both to the bed. Without breaking their kiss, he pushed the jeans down her hips and thighs, then used his sock-covered foot to remove them completely.
He ran his palm up the length of her outer thigh. “Your skin, Christ, so soft, so smooth. Missed touching you, honey, being wrapped up in all this silk.”
On his knees, he slid her legs farther apart, anticipation building with his every touch. Her shirt was a long blue number that she changed into when she got home from work. Soft and shapeless, covering her from torso to hips, it left nothing but a blue triangle of cotton panty exposed. Not the lacy thongs she used to wear, but he wasn’t complaining. Innocent…sexy. She could try to hide it, but she’d always be the sexiest woman he’d known. Leaning forward, he touched her over her underwear. His middle finger traced the seam of her pussy, immediately earning him a throaty moan.
“That’s it, honey. I can feel you getting wet for me already. Sweet little spot here on your panties.”
He went to lift her shirt, and her body stiffened. Her breath paused, and her eyes tightened, but not tight enough to hold in the tear that rolled off the side of her face.
“Julie?” His low question was followed by an even lower request. “Open your eyes and talk to me.” But it was more of a demand than a request. They’d come too far. No way would he allow her to bury her head back in the sands of denial.
“I can’t do this.” Julie opened her eyes, stared at her trembling hands, and cried. “All you talk about is giving me what I need. You keep standing by my side, supporting me. I can’t give you what you need. I can’t be what you deserve.” She wiped at her rapidly falling tears. “I’m not the woman you fell in love with anymore, and I never will be again.”
His heart splintered with each word that left her mouth.
“I’m barely a woman at all.” Her half-naked body was racked with sobs as she sat up and pulled into herself—knees up to her chest, arms wrapped tightly around her knees.
“So blind, honey. So goddamn smart, yet still so blind,” Danny muttered as he stood and moved toward their dresser. He grabbed his wallet and the handheld silver mirror that had belonged to her mother and returned to sit at Julie’s feet. “My love, since the day I met you, you were everything I needed and more than I deserved.” He stroked the soft bare skin of Julie’s arm. “What do you see when you look in this?”
He showed her her reflection in the mirror and had to refrain from roaring in frustration when she quickly flinched at her image.
“I see a broken woman.” The tremble in her words increased. “I see ugly, worthless, and unnecessary. I see someone who can never give you the children that we dreamed of, and it kills me.”
Her truth felt like a knife slicing through his soul. But he had asked. He had brought her to the cliff and it was time to put on their parachutes and jump together, or he feared she would fall alone. He wasn’t sure either of them would survive a solo fall.
Danny opened his wallet and pulled out a small photo. It had been taken by Chester the summer they met. “This is what I see when I look at you. The beautiful woman who stole my heart and captured my soul, who completes me in every fucking way. Your mere existence, Julie…your mere fucking existence…” His voice was clogged with emotion. “You’re right, Jules, you aren’t the woman I fell in love with, and guess what?”
Her eyes lifted to his.
“I’m not the same fucking man.” Shoving his fingers back into his wallet, he pulled out the plastic hospital bracelet that Julie had worn four and a half months prior. “See that? This reminds me every fucking day that I nearly lost you. I nearly had my wife, my goddamn lifeline, ripped away from me. Think the punk kid I was when we met would’ve been able to handle that? Because this man”—he pressed his finger to his chest—“would have never gotten over it. I thank God every fucking day they got you to the hospital in time. Yes, honey, we lost our child. We did. And I grieve that loss, but I grieve it with you, for you, for us. Without you, there would be no fucking life, no me. You understand?”
Her eyes stayed focused on the floral comforter, but she nodded.
“Julie?” Danny put his knuckle under her chin and tilted her head back so he could see her eyes. “We got the green light months ago from the doctor”—his eyes raked over her semi-naked body—“but you needed more time and I needed you comfortable. I gave you space, babe, but I see the space was misinterpreted.”
“It wasn’t you, Danny,” Julie protested. “I know you love me…it’s just…” She stretched the long shirt farther over her knees. “I have scars, physical reminders of what I can never do, never give you.”
Her scars had never crossed his mind—maybe because he hadn’t seen them since the hospital, maybe because he wouldn’t find them unattractive. Either way, they weren’t a factor for him. He needed to prove that to her and make her see past her skin and into the woman he saw daily. Moving his hand to her exposed thigh, his thumb drew small circles over the satiny skin before it climbed up her hip, waist, and torso and peeled the shirt from her body. Reaching behind her, he unclasped her simple cotton bra, then sat back on his haunches and stared.
“You’re beautiful. All woman,” he growled, his dick hardening by the second. “Every single inch of you, and lucky son of a bitch that I am, it was all made for me.” She was still tense but no longer crying, and Danny swiped the stray tears from her cheeks and sucked the saltiness off his thumbs. “All you, mine.”
He leaned forward and brushed his lips on her neck. The sweet smell of gardenias flooded his senses as his erection pulsed. When he felt another shiver go through her body and saw goose bumps reemerge across her flesh, he knew it was time to take back his woman. Not just take her, but claim her in a way they’d never tried before.
“Do you trust me, Julie?”
***
SHE DID TRUST him. She’d forgotten how to trust herself for months, but never once did she doubt her trust in Danny.
“You’re the one thing in this world I’ve never doubted,” she admitted. “I think that may be part of the reason I’ve kept away for so long.” I can’t believe I’m saying this, wearing practically nothing. I really am a disaster.
“What do you mean, honey?” There was an inherent strength visible on Danny’s handsome face. “Explain.”
She gnawed at her upper lip and looked away from her husband as she tried to put into words exactly how she felt. “You’re strong. You get knocked down and not only do you get back up, you get stronger. And when you love, my God, you love with your whole freaking being. I’ve never seen such dedication. I’m completely and totally head over heels in love with you, but I’ve spent months wondering if maybe you’ve only stayed out of loyalty. ‘For better or worse,’ right?” Silence fell between them as she continued to look around their bedroom, too cowardly to return her gaze to his.
“You done with that?”
Her brows snapped together. “Huh?”
“Obviously you know that’s bullshit. If you didn’t know before tonight, you damn well know now, yeah? Although, if we’re being honest, babe, gotta admit, that’s absolute bullshit.”
“Dan—”
“No, honey, you’ve known from the start how I feel, how I felt. Never made it a secret, never kept it hidden. Never will. You were scared. You had a good reason. We lost something special, something irreplaceable. But get this straight—you will never, I repeat never, lose me.” He touched his chest. “I’m yours.”
“Danny—”
He interrupted her a second time. “And as for me getting knocked down and getting stronger, I’m thinking a new mirror may be needed in this house, cause you and I ain’t looking at the same woman. My strength comes from you, and you’re practically a gladiator.” A forgiving smile played at the corners of his mouth. “Strength and beauty. Like I said, I’m one lucky son of a bitch.”
“Danny?” Julie released a stuttered sigh, relieved to have the tension between them gone.
“What?”
“Make me scream your name.”
***
FIVE WORDS, AND his dick was granite hard. If he was honest, no words were needed for her to have that effect on him. But, Christ, those five together were like porn for his fucking brain.
“You wanna scream my name, Jules?” Danny rose from the bed, opened a drawer in the dresser, and pulled out a neck tie. His pulse raced as Julie’s eyes rounded and her lip tucked between her teeth. “That bottom lip, honey, can’t wait to taste it.”
“What…what are you planning to do with that?” She swallowed, her gaze going from the silk in his hands up to his eyes.
“I plan to make you stay while I devour you. You’ve been running for too long, baby. Time to stop. This will keep you steady ‘till I’ve had my fill.”
“Oh my God.” The whisper barely left her lips, and Danny chuckled.
“Don’t worry, Jules.” He looped a firm knot around her wrists before affixing them to the headboard. He felt her head tip to the side, her eyes scanning first the silk binding, then him. She was waiting for more…maybe an explanation or direction. “You’ve given me your love and your heart. Now you’re giving me back your body—your trust isn’t lost on me, honey.”
Love, desire, and hunger warred through his body, fighting each other for the chance to devour the delectable meal sprawled out before him. A flawless beauty from head to toe, including the pink scars that marked her abdomen, she was his sustenance—his water, his air, his North-fucking-Star—and he intended to prove just how vital to him she was.
And he did. Over and over again.
Chapter Sixteen
The Empty Contest
“HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, HANDSOME.” Julie rested her chin on Danny’s lower abs, a bemused smile gracing her swollen lips. “Did you enjoy your wake-up call?”
He could barely think, let alone formulate sentences. “Christ.” Shivers bounced through his body. “Babe, twelve years married, still…you rock my world like you did that first summer.” Staring down his torso at his wife, his mouth watered. Her long hair was twisted around his fist as the globes of her pert naked ass were lifted and exposed…so ready, willing, wanting.
She giggled. “Whatcha doing?”
Claiming control, he tugged his arm around her waist and flipped her beneath him, her gray eyes rounded but hardly focused as she stared at his naked body between her thighs.
“Oh, thought this was a full-service situation you set up here,” he replied innocently. “Got my wake-up call”—his brows waggled with humor—“want my breakfast.” Dropping wet kisses on her ribs, he moved south, not stopping until he reached the apex of her thighs. “Fuck, you smell incredible.”
Her nails scratched at the cotton sheets the moment his tongue lapped her clit.
“Mmm, love these organic meals,” he teased as his tongue made another pass at the engorged bud.
“Danny…” she gasped, equally embarrassed and aroused by the statement. But when he slid two fingers into her wet heat and found her sweet spot, her gasp turned to a moan, and all talk ended.
###
“TO DANNY AND Julie,” Danny’s father declared as he lifted a champagne-filled flute.
With Julie by his side, Danny peered at those who made up the dinner party of seven: Allan and his wife Anita, Chester, and Sheila and her husband, Chris. All people who had become integral parts of his and Julie’s life.
“I knew the minute I saw you together, there would be no tearing you apart,” Allan said. “Because while everlasting love takes years of building, reinforcing, and supporting, it doesn’t have a shot in hell unless the foundation is strong. You two are made of titanium, chromium, and diamonds.”
Danny reached for Julie’s hand under the table, loving the way she weaved their fingers together the second his hand made purchase, as if she had been just waiting for his touch.
“You started with the strongest of the strong and have built up from there. While many couples, both young and old, have crumbled under far less than the two of you, you’ve only seemed to flourish. As your father”—Allan’s gaze shot between them as if once again claiming Julie as his daughter—“I couldn’t be more proud. Happy anniversary! May there be at least fifty more.”
“Happy anniversary,” was chimed in unison as the tink of crystal glasses filled the air.
For hours, the small group reminisced about the holidays they had shared over the years: the snow storms that had gotten Julie stuck at work, and both she and Sheila laughed while listening to their husbands rant over the speaker phone about why they hadn’t closed the Ale House sooner and headed home, and of course the infamous Empty Contest.
“Seriously, that may have been the dumbest thing you boys ever did…EVER,” Julie howled as the other two women laughed loudly.
“I beg your pardon, missy.” Chester swirled the tequila in his lowball glass.
Some would fear his gravelly voice, but not Julie. She saw the sparkle in Chester’s eyes and snorted.
“Lookin’ around this table, there ain’t no boys here,” he said.
“Jules, let me handle this one, please.” Sheila snorted while Julie’s entire frame shook with unbridled laughter. “It is not men who intentionally decide to fill their tanks only to see how many miles each car can go before empty truly means empty. Those are the actions of boys. Little boys. Toddlers, in fact.”
Anita piped up, “Oh, and let us not forget that if there were men silly enough to have come up with such a ridiculous plan, they would have checked the forecast and known that a coastal storm was coming.”
A hiccup of giggles had the women nearly rolling from their chairs. Danny rubbed his jaw to hide his smile. Their laughter was infectious.
“All four of you idiots needed rescuing over the course of three days.” Julie’s stare bore into Danny.
It had been nearly three years since the Empty Contest, and still he remembered with precise clarity having to make that middle-of-the-night phone call to a less-than-happy wife.
“Already snug in bed when you called…” She shook her head. “Lucky I love you."
No matter how annoyed she had been that stormy night, with each retelling of the story, Danny saw the sparkle of humor and glimmer of love in her eyes and on her upturned lips. It had been there when she dropped off the gas container and shielded him with an umbrella as he replenished his tank.
“See, at least I didn’t drag my wife outta work or outta bed.” Chester grinned, knowing full well that Allan and Chris had faced similar unpleasant fates with their cars and their spouses. Little bastard.
“No, you dragged your poor bar manager out of her bed, you old jerk,” Julie partially teased. “Tara was pissed when she called me the next day.”
“Tara got real happy the next night.” Chester lifted his glass and winked.
“Nice.” Allan high-fived Chester, and Danny grimaced. No matter how old he got, thoughts of his father having sex still made him uneasy. “Wipe that scowl of your face, son, and let no one forget, I was the winner of the Empty Contest. Sweet Lil’ Jessi Jane rode me thirty-two miles once she read empty.”
Julie’s body trembled with laughter while Anita rolled her eyes.
“What? I name my cars,” Allan explained, “and they treat me well.”
The table erupted into hysterics before Allan had finished his sentence.
“Speakin’ of being treated well…” Chester’s confident words were spoken slowly, grabbing Danny’s attention.
Danny leaned in before making eye contact with Julie alone.
“I’ve spent my life servin’…first with America’s finest, then for them. It’s been an honor and a pleasure, but…I’m done.”
“What are you saying, Ches?” There was no hiding the concern in Julie’s voice, nor the strength in the way her small hand gripped Danny’s under the table.
Chester chuckled. “Julie girl, alls I’m sayin’ is I’m sellin’ the bar and moving to Key West. Time to stop servin’ drinks and start havin’ some sweet lil’ honeys servin’ me.”
With jaws collectively dropped around the table, Danny spoke first. “Wow, Ches. Holy shit, man, I never thought the day would come, but I’m happy for you. For real, congratulations.” So few people worked as long and hard as Chester Murray had. The man deserved retirement while he was young enough to enjoy it.
Julie beamed. “Oh, Ches, I’m so excited for you. The women have no idea what’s headed their way.”
With another squeeze to his hand, Danny knew that Julie was about to share their news, so he squeezed back in approval. He swallowed back the excitement that he’d been dying to share the whole evening.
***
“WHEN IS THE move happening?” Julie couldn’t have been happier for the man who had been like a father to her for the past fourteen years. But there was a piece, a small piece that felt selfish, that wished Chester would live a short drive away forever. Especially now.
Chester explained that he had people in Key West, and one of them had been looking to sell their house. Chester had purchased it a month prior but kept it on the down low until he’d found someone willing to buy Chester’s Bar for a fair price. He hadn’t expected the bar to sell so fast for such a profit, but it did. “I’ll be leaving in about four weeks.”
“Four weeks…” Allan frowned. “Anita and I’ll come up here before you leave to say good-bye.”
“Fuck no,” Chester grumbled. “I don’t do good-byes. Not ever. You two wanna come to my place and help my old ass pack, be my guest. We can all go out for dinner or drinks—hell, we can hang out at this old place called Chester’s.” He winked. “Hear it’s under new ownership. But when you leave, it’s ‘see ya later.’ Got it?”
Julie’s heart thrummed as Chester spoke. The end of an era was approaching; big changes were on the way. Danny patted her knee, a reminder that they too had news to share, and it was time.
Julie felt a smile break across her lips. “So, Ches, do you think you could find it in your heart to make your way up north in about six months?”
“What?” the entire group asked in unison.
Excitement lit up her insides. The news was still so fresh to her and Danny. “You tell them,” she implored her equally radiant husband.
Danny brought their joined hands to the table top. His fingers were warm and strong as they grasped hers. “As you know, we’ve been waiting for over two years to adopt a baby. For the past week, we’ve been in talks with the adoption agency about a seventeen-year-old girl who’s only twelve weeks pregnant. Her parents aren’t supportive of her keeping the baby once it’s born, and the baby’s father isn’t in the picture. She’s giving the baby up for adoption, and she chose us to be the adoptive parents.”
“Oh… oh…a baby!” Anita jumped up from her chair, rushed around the table, and threw her arms around Julie.
“This calls for another round of champagne,” Chester ordered to the server. “And to answer your question, Julie girl, wild cowgirls couldn’t keep me away.”
“My question is, why the hell did it take you two so long to share this news?” Sheila’s motherly tone always tickled Julie. “Seriously, am I the only one thinking it? Or am I the only one ballsy enough to say it?”
“I’m with Sheila on this one,” Allan said as his fingers drummed a quick beat on the table top. “We’re having dessert already. Jeez, what were you waiting for?”
Julie turned her gaze from her father-in-law to her husband. Danny’s eyes glowed with enjoyment and tenderness; she knew he felt her excitement just as deeply, just as powerfully, just as intensely as she did. “We were waiting for the sweet moment at the end of dinner to share our sweet news.”
“And it doesn’t get sweeter or sexier than this,” Danny’s gravelly voice muttered a split second before his lips claimed hers. Passion and longing met in one brief kiss—Christ, she couldn’t wait to get home.
Allan cleared his throat, which cleared Julie’s erotic thoughts. “Please don’t forget you have house guests. Anita and I love you, but we don’t want a repeat of Independence Day 1996. Some pretty explosive fireworks that night.” Allan winked.
“Dad,” Danny groaned while Julie felt her face heat. “We promised we’d never discuss that again.”
“No, son, you promised we’d never talk about it again.”
Laughter filled the emptying restaurant.
