Текст книги "Danny's Main"
Автор книги: Lisa N. Paul
сообщить о нарушении
Текущая страница: 7 (всего у книги 18 страниц)
Chapter Nine
Wanderlusty
AFTER RETURNING HOME from North Carolina, Danny tendered his resignation to the station. They offered him counseling, offered him more time to grieve, but Danny had already left the position before he entered the station. In the end, the captain and other firefighters said their good-byes and wished him well. Danny walked out of the firehouse without a weight on his shoulders or a plan for the future. Not his brightest idea, but one he and his wife had come up with together.
He entered the café where he and Julie had planned to meet after he left the station.
“How’d it go?” Julie asked, already sitting at a small table with his coffee waiting.
He shrugged, approached the table, and kissed his wife’s soft cheek. “Actually, it was easier than I thought it would be.” Straddling the empty seat she’d saved for him, he quickly recounted what had happened at the station, and how the captain suggested grief counseling. When the Captain said, “If you truly love the job, Marcus, you can’t just walk away,” it hit him yet again how little love for it he actually had.
A proverbial light bulb glowed above his head as a plan began to take shape. “Jules, you and I never went on a honeymoon because I started at the academy immediately.” Another thing, looking back, that he could kick himself for. What’s that saying? Hindsight is 20/20.
“I know.” She winked and picked up her mug to sip what he knew was decaf with too much creamer and too much sweetener.
They had gotten married in a simple service at the Baltimore County Courthouse, attended by no more than his father, Neal, and Chester, followed by lunch at a nearby restaurant. Even though the occasion hadn’t been marked with frills and cake, it had been the most important day of his life.
He’d never forget the sheer bliss, followed almost immediately by complete anguish, on her face when he went down on bended knee before her.
“There’s nothing I want more than to marry you, Danny Marcus.” She’d touched her throat as her eyes filled and great big tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Honey, if you’re so happy, why are you so sad?” Rock-hard fear gripped his gut.
“I’m gonna marry you”—the tears continued to flow—“and my parents won’t be there to walk me down the aisle. My mom won’t help me pick out a dress, my dad won’t get the father/daughter dance we always planned…”
He had never heard Julie sob the way she had that night. Other than when she first opened up to him, she only spoke of somber but positive reflections of her parents. He knew she grieved and he saw her cry, but he’d never seen her in such raw pain.
“What can I do, baby?” he had asked as he knelt on both knees with her small hands wrapped tightly in his.
She turned her head, breaking their eye contact. He thought in that moment that she knew what she needed from him but was too afraid to ask. He rose to his feet, swept her up in his arms, and carried her to the sofa, where he sat down with her planted on his lap.
“Julie, I wanna spend every day for the rest of my life with you. There’s something you need, something that will take away the sadness that’s tearing you up right now; tell me, honey, and I’ll give it to you.”
Nodding, Julie’s gray stare met his. “I do want to marry you, but…” The but nearly killed him until she completed her thought. “But I can’t go through with a wedding. I can’t do it without them. I know you’ll try to convince me that it’s every girl’s dream or that I’ll regret it later. It was my fantasy once too, but now the thought is a nightmare. I have enough of those to last a lifetime.”
Relief, then heartache. That’s what he felt, but it wasn’t what he said. “Honey, you wanna marry me?”
“Yes,” she answered with confidence.
“It kills me you don’t get to have your fantasy wedding and your daddy/daughter dance. I hate seeing your heart breaking when I know how happy you are with us, but I’m not gonna convince you that you’ll regret anything, baby. I’m gonna marry you, and if at any time in our lives you wanna have that big dream wedding, just let me know, and we’ll do it.” He used his thumbs to wipe away her tears. “You’re taking my name. A man has never been so lucky.” He touched his lips to hers. “Whatever you want, as long as it’s in my power to give you, it’s yours. Forever.”
She’d smiled brightly on their wedding day. A real smile, one that declared true happiness. The only thing that had stood in the way of their union was work. Danny was set to start training, a twenty-one week program, and Neal and Julie had needed to request time off from their jobs for the wedding. Within two months of Danny sliding the engagement ring on Julie’s finger, the wedding band followed. There was no time for a honeymoon, but she didn’t complain.
“Where did you go just now, sweetheart?”
Julie’s question popped his memory bubble, dropping Danny back to the coffee shop. “I was thinking about the day we got married, how beautiful you looked.”
Julie’s eyes got soft the way they always did when they discussed that day. Blessed and bittersweet, she called it.
“We slipped right into married life and never looked back.”
“Are you complaining?” she teased. “’Cause it’s too late to return me, and I wouldn’t go quietly.”
Danny’s laugh filled the quiet café. “No, babe, no one else in the world I want. However, I’d love to be able to finally take you on that honeymoon.”
Julie subtly covered her mouth, but Danny saw the happiness radiating from the tiny lines that appeared on the outsides of her eyes.
“I know you’ve always had a serious case of wanderlust with no outlet,” he said. “My dad gave us all of that money when we got married. I’m thinking we could take some of it and plan a two-week vacation to the destination of your choice. Other than a couple of sick days, you haven’t taken any time off since you started managing O’Brian’s. I’m sure you can get the time off…if you want.”
***
HE WASN’T WRONG. Julie had started as a waitress at O’Brian’s Ale House the week after she left Chester’s Bar. In fact, Chester Murray had gotten her the job. With Danny attending the Fire Training Academy in Baltimore and hoping for a job in a station in Baltimore County, Chester’s was a hike and a half. Chester and Sheila O’Brian were friends, which meant Julie got hired sight unseen. After six months, Sheila was grooming Julie for a management position. O’Brian’s was work, but it was also fun, and it was her safe place when Danny worked days at a time. Sheila’s brother was a firefighter, and her husband was a volunteer firefighter, so she knew the ropes and showed Julie how to keep her shit tight when Danny was on duty.
Sheila would be more than happy to give Julie two weeks off because she’d already “okayed” four weeks of leave.
“Jules, do you want to go away for a couple of weeks?” Danny asked.
“Yes and no, Danny,” Julie answered in a sing-song voice, pleased when she saw confusion on his gorgeous face. “I absolutely want to take our long-awaited and well-deserved honeymoon, but I don’t think two weeks is enough.”
“Wha—”
Julie lifted a finger to her lips. “Shhh…” Danny’s pinched brows and dropped jaw made her laugh. “Sheila and I had a long chat last night after my shift. We think that O’Brian’s will be fine without me for at least four weeks.” She stood and stalked over to his chair to plant herself on his lap. “Effective as of today, you’re unemployed, so how about it? Wanna take a month and get wanderlusty with me?”
“Fuck me,” he growled, making her core pulse and her panties wet.
“I plan to do that in several different countries,” she purred.
“Let’s get out of here, woman,” Danny commanded quietly.
“You lead, I’ll follow.”
###
COORDINATING THE PERFECT excursion took several weeks. Julie knew that while her husband was excited to travel and explore the world with her, the magnitude of the trip had more to do with her than him.
Traveling with her parents had been her post-high-school-graduation plan. They’d planned three months of explorations before she settled into the “real world,” as her dad had referred to it. At the end of her freshman year in high school, they mapped out a journey that would have taken them through Asia, and they tweaked it throughout the fall of her senior year. While the trip was meant to be her parents’ graduation gift to her, the expense was astronomical. Julie wanted to pitch in as much as possible, so she worked any job she could find, from babysitting to serving ice cream at the local Friendly’s. As the vacation expanded, she stopped serving ice cream and got a job at a local restaurant. The minute she was old enough to serve alcohol, she started working in a pub. After all, with alcohol came bigger tips, and each tip was money set aside for their dream vacation.
Her dream ended the day her nightmare began, and world discovery became a memory that was both wistful and cruel. When she and Danny got married and they realized there would be no time for a honeymoon, her disappointment was less sharp and quick to fade.
But when Neal died, paralyzing fear struck Julie in ways that far surpassed what she’d felt after she lost her mom and dad. She had mourned and struggled after the earthquake that consumed her parents, but part of her knew that she would be okay, that she’d move forward, and while life would be painful, it would continue. When the news about Neal hit, all Julie saw was Danny. Danny running into a burning building. Danny succumbing to flames or to damage the flames caused. Danny no longer in her life, in her world. Terror clawed through her gut like nothing she’d ever felt before.
So when her husband told her that he no longer wanted to be a firefighter, she could almost envision the orange flames being suffocated for the last time, hear the sizzle as the oxygen left the fire and the embers turned to ash. They were safe, free. Alive. And there was nothing she wanted more than to celebrate their existence by experiencing all life had to offer. Starting with the globe.
***
IF BEAMING SMILES, frequent Post-It notes, and a never-ending supply of destination pamphlets didn’t clue Danny in to how happy his wife was, her expressions of joy would have done it. He thought he’d seen her happy, blissful, even thrilled in their years together, but this school-girl side of Julie was brand-new, and he loved it.
“Eeep, I can’t believe we’re finally going,” Julie squealed, her round eyes glued to the window facing the plane at Baltimore-Washington International Airport.
“The world is ours, honey,” Danny promised as he stood behind her with his arms wrapped around her shoulders. He planted a kiss on the top of her silken strawberry-blonde hair.
And for the four weeks that followed, it was.
The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace was something he’d seen on television, but that wasn’t nearly as cool as seeing it in person. Snuggling in the high-speed train to Paris felt luxurious—even a bit naughty when he draped a blanket over them and made Julie come quietly so as not to disturb the other travelers.
Once in Paris, they did all of the “touristy” things—the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe. But what the other tourists didn’t get that he did was the look of fascination and awe that blanketed his wife’s face and softened her eyes.
He fell in love with Julie day after day on that trip, without exception.
***
TRAVELING TO SPAIN was a dream. What was she thinking—the whole damn trip was a dream. But there was something special about Barcelona. The city still sparkled with its post-Olympic shine.
As they traveled from place to beautiful place, taking in sights and turning them into memories, something clicked in Julie’s mind. The old saying “everything happens for a reason” played on a loop in her mind as the trip wound down, and she realized that while her original plans with her parents would have been an unbelievable dream come true, she couldn’t imagine sharing her first world traveling experience with anyone but Danny.
“How’s this for the grand finale?” Danny whistled, taking in the magnificent sight around them.
Julie had planned the whole trip, but Danny had requested she let the last four nights be his special surprise. She couldn’t turn down the determined look in his eyes, so she, with a bit of hesitation, handed her husband the reins and asked no questions. Looking around the island paradise, she realized that had been a wise decision.
Bora Bora was heaven on earth. The small South Pacific island northwest of Tahiti was surrounded by turquoise water and coral reefs. Never had she seen something more exquisite, and never could her dreams have imagined such beauty.
“Danny, oh my God, this…this is beyond words.”
“This is what I should have given you when you accepted my last name.” He cupped her cheek, lifting her eyes to his. “Stunning.”
In that moment, she wondered if her husband was still talking about Bora Bora.
For four days and four nights, they worshipped the sun, snorkeled in the lagoon, hiked, and made love. They stayed in a bungalow perched on stilts above the lagoon, making the lapping sounds of water part of their soundtrack each night.
“I can’t get enough of you,” he rumbled, his hands stroking the sensitive flesh between her thighs.
“You’ve had me three times today, sweetheart.” Though she certainly wasn’t complaining. She could spend full days devouring her man, and that was exactly what she’d intended to do on their last day in paradise. Mission accomplished. Warm water splashed around them as the jets from the hot tub massaged her skin.
“Fucked you, baby. Over and over again.” As always, his naughty words had her body tingling before his fingers penetrated her. “Wanna make love to you this time, savor you, yeah?”
Emotion made her throat so thick, her words got caught.
Danny didn’t need them. “Bottom lip, honey…”
With that, he shut down the jets, scooped her up, and exited the tub. With lagoon water lapping in the background and a warm breeze blowing through the open room, her husband gave her the most poignant memory of their whole trip.
Chapter Ten
Hint Number Three
THE BEDROOM WAS still dark when Julie’s eyes popped open. A slight wave of nausea rolled through her, reminding her of the lulling waters she and Danny had seen in Bora Bora. The feeling was becoming more familiar with each passing day. Six weeks had passed since they returned home from what had been the most enchanting time of her life. In each day, she and Danny found a sense of peace that neither had realized was missing before their trip.
When her tummy clenched again, she slid out of bed, mindful not to wake her husband. There was no reason to get him excited if the test was once again negative. She tiptoed to the bathroom. Once the door was shut and the light on, Julie pulled out the home pregnancy test kit she had purchased several days before. Her period was late—two weeks late, to be exact—but over the past few months, her previously regular cycle had become more sporadic. The doctor had informed her that nerves could mess with her menstrual cycle, and since she had been nervous about their trip, she didn’t jump the gun when her period was late…again. Two weeks late, however, was something to be concerned with.
Her hands fumbled as she opened the box and pulled out the articles inside. She’d purchased a different brand of home pregnancy test, foolishly hoping the new test would give different results, positive ones. Butterflies replaced the nausea as she read the instructions. Oh, God, I want this. Please let me be pregnant.
As soon as the stick was dipped in the “first morning urine” resting on the vanity, Julie sat on the closed toilet lid and waited. Three minutes, she thought as she stared at her watch, may as well be three hours.
“Jul?” The bathroom door creaked open, and there stood Danny, sexy from sleep but awake enough to look concerned. His presence infused the small bathroom with security and comfort that instantly settled Julie’s nerves. His eyes searched her face before they landed on the countertop. “Woman?”
“I…I didn’t want to wake…” She shrugged as heat moved from her neck up to her cheeks.
“Baby,” Danny tsked, shaking his head, “you leave my arms, I feel it. You don’t return, you bet your sweet ass I’m awake.”
She dropped her gaze as her cheeks rose, the smile too hard to fight. She should have known he’d wake up without her by his side. The man kept her tucked close as they slept; she often felt as though he protected her even in sleep, and she loved it. Since marrying Danny, her nightmares were all but gone, and she owed that to the feeling of safety and love that he provided.
“Danny, umm, I think I might be pregnant.” She looked at her watch. “We’ll know in about thirty more seconds.”
Puffing out his beautifully naked chest, an expression of confidence formed on a very alert Danny. “Julie, honey, you should’ve just told me you were doing this. I could’ve saved you the time. You’re preggo, babe.”
How was it possible for him to look so serious even with his lush lips curved into a shit-eating smile? That was what crossed Julie’s mind. What crossed her lips was, “Stop it, you have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“The fuck I don’t.” His brows arched as if to punctuate his statement. He lowered himself before her, his knees resting on the blue, fluffy bath mat, his large hands on her bare thighs. “It’s my job to know your body.”
Goose bumps rose on her heated flesh as his hands slid down her legs and rested on her knees. Slowly he parted her legs, exposing her most intimate parts. There was something so sexy, so naughty, and so primal about him when he just watched her, staring at her nakedness, as an expression of his desire for her. She’d lost her inhibitions with him years back, but Christ, she got so seduced by his hunger.
His gaze shot back up to hers. “Your pussy is mine, is it not?”
Her heart thundered as she whispered the answer. “It is.”
“Been licking it, eating it, savoring it for years now.” His nostrils flared, and his voice lowered. “I’d know my pussy if we’d been separated a decade and I was blindfolded the first time I tasted it again.”
A delicious shiver surged through her, pulling her naked nipples into tights buds and sending a rush of wetness to her exposed core.
An appreciative growl vibrated in Danny’s chest. “This is my pussy, and as sweet as it is, over the past month or so, it’s been changing.”
Julie’s body tensed as she tried to pull her knees together.
“No way, honey.” Danny’s eyes lit up like candles. “Said there was a change, never said it was bad.” He moved his hand to her center. With his eyes never leaving hers, he dipped one thick finger into her warmth. “So wet, always so wet and responsive. And lately, a bit more swollen.” He plunged a second finger in, turning his wrist and immediately finding her sweet spot.
“Ah, Danny, that feels so good…too good.” Her body was wound tight. He hadn’t even touched her clit, and she felt tremors of an orgasm in the pit of her belly.
“Yeah.” He bent down and dropped kisses on her upper thigh. “Hint number two, beautiful, you’ve been more sensitive lately.” His finger swiped her g-spot again, massaging with perfect pressure as her breaths became shallow and uneven.
“Oh, God,” she pled, “you can’t possibly imagine…” She couldn’t finish the sentence. She had no words.
“Oh, honey, I can imagine,” Danny groaned.
Julie whimpered as his face disappeared between her legs. The minute his talented tongue entered her while he caressed her clit with his thumb, she unraveled. Thrusting herself onto his face, Julie rode his tongue like a pole dancer out to make rent. Her pulse raced as tremors shook her legs. Her climax consumed her, stripping her of air and rational thought. When it passed, every muscle in her body was shaking like gelatin and her mind was practically blank.
“Hint number three”—Danny grinned as he wiped his mouth, then licked her juices from his hand—“you taste sweeter than you ever have. I can’t get enough of you, baby. I think about it constantly.”
Her breath and wits were finally coming back to her. “Danny”—she shook her head—“none of those things can possibly be signs…”
She watched in fear as her husband picked up the test stick. An enormous smile broke over his face. “Told you you didn’t need that test. We’re gonna have a baby, honey.”
Tears filled her eyes as the news sank in. “I’m…we’re…oh my God! Danny!”
Instantly she was lifted into his muscled arms and carried back into their bedroom.
“It’s too damn early to call anyone, but Dad and Anita will be here later for the Memorial Day barbeque. Why don’t we celebrate just the two of us?” He waggled his brows, making it as clear as the line on the test just what kind of celebrating he was up for, and she wanted nothing less.
They were finally starting their family. Life was amazing.
