A Wedding in Apple Grove (13 page)

“I happen to know who Dan invited over that night.” Mrs. Winter was waiting for Meg to turn back around. “Would you like to know who it was?”

Meg shuddered. She wanted to know but hesitated to ask. What if her suspicions were correct and it was one of the McCormack sisters? Then her initial feelings for Dan would be crushed out like a smoldering cigarette that someone had finished with and then discarded. “I guess if it was any of my business, which it isn't, Dan would have mentioned it.”

“When?” Honey B. asked. “You're always working. When you're not working, you're ordering and restocking the supply room at Mulcahy's.”

“That leaves just enough time for getting a good night's sleep.” Miss Trudi was watching her intently, so Meg nodded, agreeing with the woman.

“You're too young to spend your nights sleeping,” Mrs. Winter said.

“But I—”

“I've got a fresh-baked cherry pie sitting on my counter that says you're too busy to walk over there and ask Dan Eagan out to dinner.”

Meg practically salivated at the thought of another cherry pie with her name on it. “Now why would I want to do that?”

Miss Trudi leaned forward and whispered, “It's called a date, dear. It's been so long, you might not remember what it's like.”

Meg bit her tongue to keep the caustic reply to herself, while Honey B. started to laugh.

“Not so fast, missy,” Mrs. Winter cautioned Honey B., leaning in close. “We have some work to do tonight. I want to put your profile up on at least three dating sites tonight. Melanie said that she'd let me in after hours, so no one else knows what we're doing.”

Meg was grateful that she was no longer the center of attention. She wanted to tease her friend but didn't want the older ladies to start harping on her again. Besides, it gave her a chance to see if the crowd had shifted and she could see Dan. If she were sixteen again, she'd have to admit to having a crush on him. But she wasn't—she was pushing thirty and women her age didn't develop crushes; they had affairs with men who interested them. At least that's what she'd been told. She'd spent too much of her late teens and most of her twenties burying herself in her work and had missed out on that particular part of life. Was it too late to catch up and start living it to the fullest, starting with a certain broad-shouldered hunk who was a bona fide chick magnet?

Maybe that was why she had been so tempted when Dan had caught her in his arms. Meg noticed that Dan was still surrounded by well-wishers congratulating him on his heroic feat.

“Meg!”

“Hmmm? What?” She turned around and a strand of hair got caught on her eyelashes. She tucked it behind her ear and wondered why she listened to Honey B. She liked her hair in a ponytail—it stayed put. She rarely wore it down.

Three faces were staring at her and she knew right away that something was up. “Are you plotting against me?”

Miss Trudi shook her head. “We're plotting for you, Megan dear.”

That took the wind out of Meg's sails. “I guess I'd better hear it now instead of tomorrow when I'm trying to wrestle Mr. Ainsley's ancient plumbing into submission.”

Her friends smiled. “Well then,” Mrs. Winter said. “As I said, I have that cherry pie just waiting for someone brave enough to walk on over to that crowd and push her way through to save Dan.”

“From what I've heard, he's a hero,” Meg insisted. “What would I be saving him from?”

“He really doesn't like crowds,” Miss Trudi said quietly.

Meg processed that particular tidbit that Miss Trudi provided and knew then that she was hooked. For all of his size and obvious strength, Dan Eagan had a human weakness after all. Her gaze met Miss Trudi's and she gave in. “All right, I'll do it, but you ladies don't fight fair using my weakness for pie against me.”

They were giddy with excitement by the time Meg pushed to her feet and brushed her damp hands on her thighs. With a glance over her shoulder, she received the encouragement she needed when the group gave her the thumbs up.

Digging deep for the strength to not just turn and walk out the door, Meg walked over to the group surrounding Dan and tapped the first of a dozen men on their shoulders.

Before she could get to the middle of the crowd a wolf whistle sounded nearby. Meg huffed, crossed her arms, and looked around for the source.

“I haven't seen you in tight-fitting jeans since we were in high school.”

She glared at the man brave enough to bring that up—Jimmy's cousin Clint. “That's because it's hard to get beneath a sink wearing clothes like this.”

“I'd forgotten just how pretty you are.”

She felt her face go hot at Clint's comment. The last thing she needed was a reminder of her past. She shook her head. “Well, tomorrow when I get to the third job on my list, you won't even recognize me,” she promised. “I'll be invisible again.” Clint shook his head as if he didn't believe it.

“What's up, Meg?” Peggy asked, sliding through the mass of people to stand beside her.

She was about to answer when Katie joined her sister, saying, “You look great, Meg.”

“Thanks.”

Dan had that deer-in-the-headlights look on his face as people moved closer to shake his hand and congratulate him. There were folks she hadn't seen in a while gathering around the reason they made a special trip to town. Meg realized his aunt had been right. He was uncomfortable and did need saving. “Miss Trudi wanted to ask you something if you have a minute, Dan.”

His look of gratitude warmed her.

Dan glanced at the crowd and said, “I've… uh… got to go. My aunt needs me.”

Meg's heart picked up the beat when Dan placed a protective hand to the small of her back and leaned close. “You are a lifesaver,” he whispered. “I'm not used to being the center of attention like that.”

Mrs. Winter and Miss Trudi were smiling up at them when the returned. Miss Trudi said, “Daniel, do you still think you'll be able to help out Saturday morning?”

He pulled out a chair for Meg. When she sat, he walked over to stand by his aunt. “With everything that happened today, I forgot that I was going to ask Doyle and Hawkins to help. Maybe a few other team members would be interested in helping.”

“How about if I promise fresh cinnamon rolls and coffee for when we're finished?”

“That sounds great. I'll ask tomorrow at practice.”

“Wonderful,” Miss Trudi said, patting him on the hand he'd rested on the back of Meg's chair. “Oh, by the way, did I thank you for that wonderful meal you cooked for me the other night?” She turned toward Meg and said, “The night your power went out.”

Meg felt as if she'd had the wind knocked out of her. She couldn't draw in a breath or let one go.
He'd prepared that wonderful meal for his aunt?
When she messed up, she messed up big time.

As if sensing her dilemma, Honey B. leaned close and whispered, “Just breathe.” Her friend slowly stroked a hand up and down Meg's spine to help her relax. When she had her breathing under control, she glanced over at Dan and his aunt and knew she owed the man an apology.

A quick look at Miss Trudi confirmed that the crafty old woman knew all about Meg's hint of jealousy where her grandnephew was concerned. She wondered if she were that transparent and that everyone knew what she was thinking. Mrs. Winter took her hand and squeezed it. “Isn't that sweet? Instead of unpacking boxes, he was making dinner for his aunt.”

“Yes,” Meg answered. “It is.” She lifted her gaze to his. “I, uh… thought—”

His solemn look bothered her, but she couldn't apologize with an audience. “You thought…” he prompted.

Damn.
She owed him that apology now. “I'm sorry, Dan,” she blurted out. “I thought your emergency that night was that you had a hot date and it ticked me off that I was tired and wanted to go home to relax but had to drive to your place to fix whatever the problem was so you could make dinner for Peggy.”

The look on his face was priceless. “But I told you it was for my aunt.”

She felt like a fool but worse, acted like one. “I didn't hear you.”

“Now, Daniel,” his aunt interrupted, snagging his attention. “Why don't you drive Meg home. Honey B. is driving Amelia Winter and me over to meet with Melanie, and Meg looks dead on her feet.”

Meg knew a plot when she heard one. “No thanks. I can walk.” He hadn't accepted her apology, and it had scraped her guts raw just getting up the courage to say she was sorry only to find out she'd wasted energy being angry for no reason. She had to leave now before her Irish was up. If her temper bubbled any closer to the surface, the lid was bound to blow off.

She made it outside and breathed a sigh of relief. It was a nice night, warm for October. The walk to her apartment might just help her clear her mind. Five minutes down the road, she realized just how dark it was with the moon hiding behind the clouds. “Should have noticed that before you let your temper do the talking.”

The sound of an engine coming closer had her focusing on the road ahead; the last thing she needed to do was stumble and fall into the path of a car. Careful not to misstep, she didn't notice that the car had slowed down until she heard her name being called. “Let me drive you home, Meg.”

Dan.
It figured. “No thanks. I'm good.”

“It's pitch black out here—I can't let you walk home. If you don't trip and break your neck, some car won't see you until it's too late and you're roadkill.”

She had to stop because she was laughing so hard. “Roadkill? You really know the way to get a woman's attention.”

He'd parked the car and was walking toward her. “Got yours,” he said, reaching for her hand. “Come on, Meg.” He sounded tired. “I really don't need any more guilt piled on top of the shit storm my day turned out to be.”

Wondering if this was the real Dan talking to her now or the stressed-out Dan who'd saved two of his student's from being run over by a freight train, nearly causing one of them to drown in the process, she decided she wanted to find out and took his hand. “It sounds like you need a friend to talk to.”

He squeezed her hand, but didn't let go until he opened the passenger door for her. “I can't decide if I'm the cause of their brush with disaster or their savior.”

The turmoil inside of Dan called to her. She could almost feel the knots tightening around him. “I'm not trying to come on to you, Dan, but I could brew a pot of coffee or make you a cup of tea if you want to talk—as friends.”

He nodded and shut her door. When he was in the driver's seat, she gave him directions to her new apartment. “It's kind of empty right now, but I'm saving up to buy a small sofa.”

His deep chuckle eased the knots forming at the base of her neck. “Sounds like my house,” he admitted. “I'm hoping to be able to buy a sleeper sofa by Thanksgiving.” Dan pulled into the long driveway and parked in front of the garage. “Don't you have a car?”

She shrugged. “I haven't needed one. I drive my dad's truck during the day.” Her eyes met his. “I don't go out at night.”

“So tonight's special?” he asked, reaching to tuck a strand of auburn behind her ear.

His touch had her skin tingling. Meg had to clear her throat to speak. “Yes. It's not every day that someone rescues two teenagers from disaster.”

He shook his head. “I'm still not sure about that.”

She wanted to tell him how proud of him she was, that she'd have been scared spit-less if she had been in his shoes. But what she wanted to say was getting tangled up with what she needed—to be touched by him, kissed by him—and that was a problem because she'd already promised that she'd invited him up as a friend.

His fingertip traced the line of her jaw and tapped against her bottom lip. “You look different with your hair down… softer.”

Her mouth went dry at his touch. “Maybe I wouldn't be much help tonight.” The reality of him being so close in the dark had her belly fluttering and parts of her anticipating what she had no business even thinking about!

“So you're not going to make me a cup of tea?”

He sounded so forlorn that, against her better judgment, she caved. “Well, maybe one cup.” She got out of the car and warned him, “But that's all—just a cup of tea and some friendly conversation. Deal?”

He got out of the car and walked to where she stood. “Meg,” he rasped. “Is that all you want from me?”

Her heart skidded to a stop as his arms banded around her. When their lips were a breath apart, he brushed his lightly across hers. “Tell me I'm reading you wrong and that you don't want me to kiss you again.”

She melted against him. “I can't.”

He captured her lips in a tongue-tangling, heart-pumping kiss. Meg got caught up in the rapture of his mouth molded to hers and distracted by the strength of his hands as he slowly traced the line of her spine from the back of her neck to the top of her backside.

He paused for air and urged, “Ask me inside, Meg.”

“My apartment?”

He groaned. “That'll do for starters.”

She knew what he was asking, and at this moment, standing in the dark, locked in his arms, she knew she wanted more—she wanted it all. “Come upstairs with me, Dan.”

Dan couldn't seem to hang on to any thought save one: he wanted Meg—needed her more than his next breath. He'd been waging a silent battle with himself to take things at a slower pace. Fast and furious had only ended in disaster. But Meg had been on his mind and in his heart since the first moment he saw her walking on that fence. Today had pushed him to the limits of his endurance. He'd never been so scared in his life. He was trembling on the inside and using every ounce of strength not to let it show.

He needed to channel the emotions rioting inside of him before they consumed him. Gathering Meg in his arms to soothe the ragged remains of what could have been a devastating disaster was all he could think to do. Where it led from there might just be the balm he needed to soothe the adrenaline beast inside of him.

When she closed the door behind him, he crushed her against him and dug deep for honesty. “I'm not thirsty for tea.”

Her groan nearly sent him to his knees; he'd been right. She wanted him too. Nuzzling her neck, he gave in to desire and pressed his lips to the tendon beneath her ear, flicking the tip of his tongue across it, tasting the sweetness of her skin. “Do you taste this good all over, Meg?”
Would
she
let
him
find
out?

“I, uh—”

He was too impatient to let her finish. Lifting her up higher, he let his lips savor the salty sweetness of her collarbone and used his teeth to tug the neck of her shirt and bare her shoulder. He nipped it, then soothed it with his lips. “God, Meg. This isn't me—I'm not like this.” His hands started shaking. “But I've been dreaming of making love with you since you fell off that fence and into my arms. I wanted to wait and take things at a slower pace.”

“Don't,” she rasped, moaning his name as he set her back on her feet and stripped her shirt up and over her head. Drawing her in close, he pressed his palms to the middle of her back so he could let his mouth and tongue sample the creamy, smooth skin he'd bared. He found the hook to her bra and flipped it open. Her breasts spilled into his hands and he knew then he wouldn't be waiting to get to know her before he made love to her.

“Tell me to stop now, Meg. I'm not strong enough to resist you tonight.”

She stroked her hands up and over his shoulders and drew his head down to her breasts. “It's been a long time for me, so don't expect too much.”

He clamped his jaw shut and breathed in through his nose. “Don't expect too little.” Lifting her into his arms, he drew her breast into his mouth and suckled, drowning in the taste of her, reveling in the gift she was giving him—her sweetly curved body.

He let his tongue torment her left breast until she was squirming against him, then he let go of it and sucked her other breast into his mouth. She had a delicate build but packed a lethal punch. “Tell me what you want, Meg. I need to give it to you.”

She buried her head against his chest. “Equal time, Dan. I want to drive you over the edge.”

His chuckle sounded rusty. Before she could ask, he started walking. “Where's the nearest bed?”

Her laughter bubbled up from deep inside of her. “First door on the left.”

He opened it with his hip and closed it with his foot, but surprised her when he gently laid her out on the bed. She'd almost expected him to toss her on it. The sweet edge to his passion was her undoing. She was a grown woman with needs she'd been ignoring for way too long.

Dan had been the one to unlock the torrent of passion raging inside of her, and he would be the one she would share it with. She lifted her arms to him, and he paused to unbutton his shirt. The raw beauty of the man standing at the side of her bed had every ounce of moisture in her body coming to the surface. She'd reason out the whys later. Life was too short—it was time she indulged her passionate side.

Instead of stripping out of his jeans, he crawled up the bed until she was beneath him, looking up into the depths of his stormy gray eyes. She confessed, “Your eyes were one of the first things I noticed.”

He pressed his lips to the end of her nose. “Really?” He braced himself on one elbow and tilted her chin up with his free hand.

“Yes,” she breathed out the word, and every other thought evaporated as his lips touched hers and his tongue swirled along the rim of her mouth. Her body ached to feel him skin-to-skin; her core wept for him.

“I want to feel you touching me,” she rasped.

He lifted himself off of her but froze in place above her at the broken sound she made. “Did I hurt you?”

A sweetness filled her. He cared whether or not he pleased her or hurt her. For tonight it would be enough. “Not unless you decide you're finished,” she teased. It was freeing to confess what was in her heart.

“Brace yourself, Megan,” he promised. “I won't be finished until daylight.”

He knelt on the bed, unbuttoned her jeans, and tugged them off, but left her panties on. “You're so delicate.”

She disagreed. “I'm strong from years of working with my hands,” she told him. “Why don't you let me show you?”

The look in his eyes told her he was tempted to let her. “Not just yet. I'm not finished warming you up.”

“I'm not cold.”

He laughed, a rich sound that reverberated from deep within his broad chest. “Think of it as priming the pump.”

She felt her cheeks filling with heat, but she ignored it. She could be embarrassed later; right now she had a devastatingly sexy man in her bed, wanting to make love with her. Who was she to quibble?

“That flicking thing you did with your tongue before had all of my cylinders firing.”

“God, I love a woman who can talk cars.”

He bent his head and kissed her until her toes curled. “Dan, I—” She wanted to tell him that she didn't do this sort of thing with just any man, but the words got lost in her mind as callused hands swept up her sides and began to knead her breasts. Her thoughts scattered like dandelion seeds on the wind.

He was watching her intently, and she knew from the way he was touching her that he would find the places that hadn't been caressed in more years than she'd admit to. “Do you like that?” he asked as he cupped and stroked her breasts before smoothing his hands up and over her shoulders.

He was relaxing her and exciting her at the same time—talented man.

“Mmmm.”

“Then you're going to love this.” His mouth replaced his hands and she gasped for air.

“Daniel—I—don't make me wait!” She moaned as his tongue flicked in the hollow at the base of her throat. Who knew that her neck would be so sensitive to his touch?

“You're like fire in my arms.” He nestled his face against her breasts and held her for one achingly sweet moment. When he lifted his head, he was grinning. “Let me see if you're really ready.”

His hand swept down her belly and tested the moisture that had been building inside of her with each flick of his tongue, each press of his lips, and brush of his fingertips. He rested his forehead against hers. “God you're so wet!”

“What are you waiting for?” she urged.

He eased up off of her and the bed, and shucked his jeans. She should have been afraid by the sheer size of him. Clothed, Dan was impressive; naked and fully aroused, he stole her breath. Taking her silence for agreement, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a foil three-pack. Gripping it with his teeth, he ripped the first one open and slipped it on.

Settling between her thighs, he captured her lips and gently slid into her welcoming warmth. “I don't share, Meg.”

She lifted her gaze to meet his. The emotion swirling beneath the dark and desperate desire he was controlling for her sake reached out and grabbed her by the heart. It wasn't a promise of forever, but it was close enough for right now.

She lifted her hips and took him deep inside of her. “I won't either.”

His groan echoed in the room around them as he plunged into her again and again. Spreading her legs to draw him in closer, Meg felt her body taking over and her mind stepping back to let it. It had been so long since she'd made love that she wasn't prepared for the heart-stopping orgasm that whipped through her, bringing tears of sheer joy to her eyes.

“Meg,” he growled. “Tell me I haven't hurt you.”

She couldn't speak. The sensation of falling, only to be pinned beneath the formidable strength of the man connected to her physically, opened her heart to the possibility that this was the man she wanted in her bed and in her life for more than one night. Without words, she lifted her hips and urged him to make love to her faster… deeper.

He bent down and took her breast in his mouth. The swirl of his tongue and thrust of his body sent her up and over the edge, free falling into the madness that embraced her and took her under.

***

She woke when he shifted and his erection throbbed beneath her backside. “Mmmm.” She turned over so they were face-to-face. “I've never…” She didn't know what to say that wouldn't make her sound pathetic.

“You pack a lethal punch, Megan Mulcahy.” He pressed his lips to her forehead and settled her against him. “I think I should warn you that I'm keeping you.”

She chuckled. “Shouldn't you ask me first? It's not like I followed you home.”

It was his turn to laugh. “True,” he said. “But I thought you should know to give you time to decide if beginning a relationship with me would be worth the gossip it's sure to cause.”

She pushed against his shoulder and he rolled onto his back. She sighed as she stacked her hands on his chest and rested her chin on them. “What makes you think we'd be gossip-worthy?”

“I may not have been living in Apple Grove long, but long enough to know that if Mrs. Winter's cat crossed the road, it would be gossip worthy.”

Dan's eyes crinkled at the corners and she lost a little piece of her heart just then. Unsure if she should let any more of it go, she shifted away from him.

“Having second thoughts?” he asked, watching her closely.

“No.” And she wasn't; she just didn't know what to do now. She didn't have much experience with what to do after making love with the man who'd just turned her ordered existence upside down.

“Good,” he said. “Me either.” She still hadn't moved back into his arms, so he asked, “Are you kicking me out already?”

She shook her head. “Of course not.” The devil in her prompted her to add, “I haven't made your tea yet.”

Dan didn't wait for her to come back to him; he reached out, snagged her arm, and pulled her beneath him. “Ah,” he groaned. “Much better.”

When he pulsed against her, her gaze flew up to meet his. “You aren't seriously ready to make love to me again? Are you?”

His eyes were thundercloud gray as he reached for the second foil packet, covered himself from tip to base, and rolled her onto her back. “Ready or not,” he rasped as he filled her to the core.

She lifted her hips and joyfully let him fill her—all the way to her heart. “Ready.”

***

Meg woke to the sound of rhythmic snoring. She had a man in her bed… she, Megan Maureen Mulcahy, had a to die for, sexy as all get out man in her bed… and they'd just made love not once, but twice!

She'd never experienced multiple orgasms before. Daniel Eagan had changed all of that in a few magical hours. She reached out to trace the strong line of his jaw, the cleft in his chin, and fullness of his bottom lip. He shifted onto his back, freeing her from his embrace.

She scooted off the bed and reached for his shirt. Buttoning it up, she tiptoed out of her bedroom and into the kitchen. She was ravenous and planned to cook a late-night breakfast to go with the promised cup of tea.

“Here you are.” He walked into her kitchen, looking all rumpled and manly with his jeans barely zipped, like he'd just pulled them on and zipped them high enough so they wouldn't fall off. He was staring at her as if he expected her to vanish into thin air.

“Are you all right?” she asked. “Were you dreaming about what happened earlier today?”

He shook his head. “Not yet, but I probably will later,” he admitted. “I got cold and was beginning to wonder if I'd dreamed you into existence.” He slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against him.

“You're real,” he breathed against her neck before he brushed his lips to the sensitive skin there.

“Very,” she said, twisting in his arms until she could wrap her arms around his neck. “I don't know what's going to happen next, Dan.”

He grinned. “I'm going to kiss you, Meg.”

They were both laughing when their lips met, but their laughter died as he kissed the breath out of her.

When she had it back, she looked up at him and confessed, “Seriously. I don't get out much and have a relationship that is hard to explain.”

“You said you didn't have a husband or boyfriend.”

“I don't—except for a few days a year when…”

“Van Orden comes back to town… I heard.” Dan paused for a moment then asked, “Does he have a girlfriend in the city?”

Meg felt deflated. “Probably—yes—maybe one or two. You see, I don't want to live in the city, and he doesn't want to live here.”

“So you're what to him?”

She shook her head. “I have no idea… convenient?”

He nodded as if he understood.

She busied herself with frying the bacon. After making love with Dan, she had something to compare what she and Jimmy shared to… and what they had had paled in comparison to the lush tastes, textures, and emotions Dan had shared with her all in one night!

He sighed and wrapped himself around her again and she set the fork down. “I'm feeling out of my element here and to be honest, I don't want to mess up the most amazing night of my life. This was a huge step for me.”