AFTER WE ARRIVE AT the restaurant, I help Danny out of the Rover and place my arm around her waist. She insisted on leaving her jacket behind, and I don't argue. We have about twenty feet to walk and it will be warm inside. Even so, I take my sport coat off and wrap it over her shoulders. It's not much, but I don't want her freezing before we get inside. She's a bit wobbly on the heels and this makes me smile. I like that she went out of her comfort zone tonight.The steakhouse is warm and Danny hands the jacket back to me. The place is decorated for Christmas and I do my best to ignore it. The restaurant isn't crowded. I reserved a nice table in the corner, but we pretty much have our choice."Do you mind if we sit at a table by the window? I love the snow," Danny says as she gazes at the tables by the windows.I know she loves the snow, but I'm not sure exactly why. I'm more of a spring-summer guy. My dislike for being cooped up is one of the reasons, and the holidays are the othe
DANNY'S IS BACK TO being uncomfortable as soon as we enter the room and have a few feet separating us. I set the wine on the table and take the cake from her."I need a few minutes," she tells me as she turns to the bathroom door.I snag her hand and she looks back over her shoulder. "Wine, dessert, and only as far as you want to take this. I'm glad you're here, but there's no pressure."The panic in her eyes fades a bit, and then she gives me a grin that goes straight to my dick. "Don't worry, lover boy; I'm putting the pressure on you."I release her hand and watch her enter the bathroom and close the door. I grab two water glasses and carry them to the table. This is how my dates usually end, but this is Danny, and there's so much more at stake. She comes out of the bathroom, minus her shoes, which she's holding by the straps in one hand.She lifts them slightly. "I couldn't it take anymore."I gaze from her lips to her bare feet and walk closer. "You look beautiful in the dre
"Are you sure, Danny girl?"She nods. That's it. She doesn't speak. I slowly lower the bra straps on each arm and watch her eyes go soft. I step back and take the bra with me. She releases her grip on the waist of my pants. I bend slightly, and move them down until I can kick them off. My boxer briefs go with them.I move one hand to her neck and slide her hair aside, while my other goes to her breast. Both places are softer than fuck. Her eyes are large and dark, and she isn't looking away from me. I lower my lips to her neck, where it meets her collarbone. It's one of the many places I've wanted to taste all night.I breathe her in before I taste. Sweet honey and the silkiest skin I've ever run my lips across. "God, Danny." I kiss the skin and tighten my other hand on her breast. At her moan, my dick hardens. A slow throb settles in my balls, pounding to the beat of my heart. Her fingers grip my arms and her nails dig in. My lips travel upward, across her jaw, and finally to her m
WHEN I CAN FINALLY move, I situate us so we're laying in the right direction on the bed, with the covers pulled over us. Danny's head is against my shoulder, and I'm playing with her hair. I'm not thinking about tomorrow or making a quick escape. I'm thinking about how to keep her.I know she's awake. I'm afraid if I say anything, I'll entirely fuck this up. I keep it simple, "You okay, Danny girl?""Mmm," she whispers.I roll. Her head slides off my shoulder, and I rise on my elbow so I'm looking down at her. "Mmm's not a good enough answer." I pick up a chunk of her hair again, and let it slide slowly through my fingers.Just the sides of her lips tilt up. "I'm not as good at this as you are, Van."I tighten my fingers around the strand, and use it to turn her face toward me. "If you were any better, I'd be comatose." For some reason, I want to talk. I've never fucking wanted to talk. Fuck some more, maybe, but not carry on a conversation. "Thank you for wearing a dress for me."
THE LODGE HAD FLUFFY white robes in the closet, and we have them on. I'm looking over the breakfast menu to place an order while Danny stands at the window, looking out at the snow.She doesn't look at me when she speaks. "The roads should be open."She looks adorable in the robe, with her hair curling around her head. I don't even remember it curly in college, so she's been disguising it for a long time. "You have someplace you need to be?"She turns her gaze from the snow and it lands on me. "No.""Then let's stay another night."She stares, and I almost give up on her answering me. Her cheeks go a bit pink and she says, "Without condoms, what are we going to do with all the time?"She's so fucking beautiful I could just look at her for the next twenty-four hours. "There's a drugstore two blocks from here. I'll take a short trip and pick us up a few things." She looks back out to the snow-covered parking lot. "I'll be back before our food gets here." I stand up and head to my c
LEAVING ON SATURDAY MORNING is hard, but not awkward. After our outing into the snow, we spent the rest of the day in bed and ordered room service for dinner. I used more than half the box of condoms, and told Danny I must have lost part of my groove because they all should have been gone. She got embarrassed and hit me with a pillow. We used one more condom after that.I drive her to her apartment and walk her up. I kiss her at her door, and refuse when she invites me inside. There are so many things I want to say, but I say none of them. I had things to do in order to make Danny part of my life for good. I leave her after another long kiss.I pull over about ten minutes away from her apartment and send her a text.Date next Thursday? I feel like an idiot that I hadn't asked her before I left the apartment. Her text comes in a few minutes later.Sounds good. Can I cook you dinner?Perfect, see you at six.I get back on the road. Danny cooking will fit perfectly into my plans
THE NEXT EVENING, AFTER a great dinner and fantastic sex, we are lying in Danny's bed. "Why did you punch Rob?" she asks out of nowhere. Rob is Dick-face, and I don't like her even saying his name. I fight for control because I'm behaving like an idiot.I'm not sure how to explain it. Explaining feelings for guys is like having your fingernails pulled out by the roots. Danny deserves the truth, though. "I'm jealous. Hell, I was jealous back when you dated him. That night, the night I punched him, you wouldn't speak to me, and had sidestepped all my plans to get back into your good graces. When he opened the door, I lost it." This next part is seriously hard to say, but I bite the bullet, "I owe him an apology."This revelation is met with silence for several long minutes. When she replies, her voice is lower than usual. "Do you have any idea how I felt each time you left the tavern with a different woman?"I slide my arms from around her and roll, so we're facing each other. The hur
IT TAKES US ALL day to decorate the house. I remember my mom browbeating Joel and me the entire Thanksgiving weekend so everything was set up perfectly by Sunday night. Looking back, those were happy times, and someday I'll have children to do the same with.We concentrate on the lower floor of the house. I cut a tree the day before and it rests in a bucket on the back porch. Decorating the tree is the last thing we do before I show her my surprise. I lift her up while she's laughing, wobbling a bit as she puts the star at the top of the tree. I made sure the curtains were drawn in the front windows before the sun went down. It's dark now, and I have my surprise set on a timer so the lights go on when the sun goes down. After giving Danny a lengthy kiss in front of the tree, I grab our jackets and make her put hers on while I do the same. I pull her to the front door and open it."Van," she says in a breathy voice as we step out onto the porch.The entire house is lit with Christmas