Closer Than A Brother (10 page)

He looked back at the road. “I know…”

“You know, but you’ve been avoiding me like the plague.”

“I haven’t.”

“Bullshit.” She called his bluff.

He pulled into his driveway and turned to look at her. “I’ll admit we have some things to talk about. But I have had a lot on my plate. I’ve been busying myself with work.”

“I thought you were on desk duty.”

“I am.”

“But?” she pressed him.

“I’ve done some investigating—”

“Shane!” She cut him off. “You are supposed to be taking it easy. I swear to God if you put yourself in danger.” He saw the anger flare in her eyes.

“I’m fine.”

“You told me everything was okay before you got shot at the club. Does your mother know you are working again in that capacity?”

“I’m a grown man—”

“I don’t give a damn!”

“Why the hell do you even care? It’s not like I’m your man or anything.” The words came out in a flurry of frustration, and he wished he could take them back. He opened the door to his vehicle, hopped out, and slammed it before she could say anything and before he could embarrass himself further.

“Whoa, buddy,” she said coming after him. He heard the passenger door slam. “We are not going to have this conversation out here for your neighbors to overhear. Let’s get these bags and go in the house.”

“That’s fine. I don’t want to dwell on this anyway,” he said.

“You will dwell on it. Like it or not,” she hissed at him.

* * * *

Dani stormed around his kitchen, too upset to enjoy the aesthetics of the decor. She pulled out the chicken for the lemon picatta she wanted to prepare. She couldn’t believe he was doing private work. After everything that happened, the fact he would put himself in the middle of danger again burned her up.
Of all the stupid, selfish…damn him!
And to throw in her face that he wasn’t her man…Just three weeks ago he was between her legs like he was her man.

She ran a hand over her face when he walked into the kitchen behind her with the last of the bags. She whirled on him, surprising them both. “You!” She poked her finger in his chest. “You…” she said again this time weaker, her voice cracking. She felt the tears coming.
Get it together.

“I am so fucking worried about you,” she choked out. “You scared me to death when you got shot and now you are working in the field again. You…you.” She moved her hands in front of her body trying to get the words out. “I don’t know what this thing is between me and you. It’s intense, okay. I’ve thought of nothing else, but
you
for the last four months. I was just coming home to visit damn it. You got in my head. You scared me, and you came to me and you…you touched me.”

Her hand ran down between her breasts, and he watched the trail. She saw something light in his eyes, but he didn’t move. “I can’t stop thinking about how hot it is between us. I mean it is hot…and it’s so good. Then you left me. I was crushed. You wouldn’t speak to me. Three weeks I tried to call, email, text, social network, every damn thing. You ignored me and…” She shook her head closing her eyes, trying to block the emotion that was bubbling. “I’ve missed you so much.”

He didn’t leave his spot on the other side of the kitchen. She had to finish this before he spoke or came to her, if he even would. “Shane, I’m scared okay. I’m scared because I have feelings for you I never…ever thought I would have for you. All I’ve done is deny it, and that is stupid because it’s there no matter what I do. You over heard me denying something that everyone else sees and I wish I could take it back.” He came to her then and she tried to step away from him, but he stopped her, taking her hand. She turned to look him in the eyes—gorgeous eyes staring right into her soul.

“Why does this scare you?” he asked.

She choked on a sob. “I never thought about us like this before.”

“Is that so bad?” he asked.

“No…no it’s not bad, just shocking. I wasn’t expecting to fall for you.” She sighed. “You mean so much to me, Shane,” she confessed. She dropped her head, unable to look at him.
Oh my God, I’m falling hard for him.
Plain and simple, she couldn’t deny her feelings anymore.
Heaven help me.

“Hey,” he said, causing her to look up at him. “What are you saying? It’s just you and me here. Be honest with me. I can’t…” His voice faltered. “I can’t take the game playing or the uncertainty anymore. I know how I feel about you and I can only hope that you feel—”

She put her fingertip to his lips to stop his words. “You mean more to me than you will ever know,” she whispered, leaning in to kiss him.

He gathered her up in his arms pressing her body hard against his. “You mean the world to me,” he breathed in between kisses. “You always have.”

“Shane, I…”

“You may not be able to say the words, Danielle, but know I love you.” He groped for the hem of her shirt, tearing it up and over her head and discarding it on his kitchen floor.

“Should we go to your bedroom?”

“Forget that,” he growled. “I want you right here.” He bent his head and kissed at her responsive nipples through the thin lace material of her bra. She cried out her approval. “Oh God! Mmm!” His hands grabbed at her butt hoisting her up and around his waist.

Her mind was numb with lust and love for him.

“Wait.” He stopped kissing her

“What,” she moaned.

“What about dinner?”

“I don’t give a good Goddamn about dinner, baby.” She felt him smile against her neck.

He continued kissing her neck. “We will eat eventually.”

She giggled as he nuzzled her neck. “That tickles.” He kissed at her mouth, capturing her between his lips. He walked her through his condo, she assumed toward his bedroom. “What are you doing? I thought we were going to make love in the kitchen.” She choked out the words in between gasps and giggles and sounds of pleasure. He worked at her bra hooks, sliding her bra away discarding it in his hallway. He pushed through his bedroom door. She opened one eye to take in the masculine room with blues and browns. He deposited her on his bed, ripping his shirt over his head. “Nice room,” she breathed. Her hot gaze roamed over the length of his body.

“I promise to give you the full tour of the house in the morning.”

“The morning?” She laughed. “Did I say I was spending the night?”

He did not answer her questions. He had a serious expression as he crawled on his massive bed. The way he looked at her blocked everything else out. All joking aside, she watched him as he spoke. “I have plans for us tonight.”

“Hmm, really?” She sighed in between the scorching hot kisses and the suckling to her neck.

He moved the length of his body over hers. His unmistakable erection pressed hard against her middle. She slipped her hand between their bodies and worked at his buckle. A grin slipped across her lips when she heard his response of approval. She cupped his manhood with gentle hands. He snagged her wrist and pulled her hands out to her sides, not allowing her to move. “Not now, baby. I want to last for you.” He positioned her hands up and away from his body.

She smiled against his lips. “You are so pleased with yourself aren’t you?”

He asked, “Hmm, I have no idea what you are talking about.” He pinned her body against the bed.

“You know you are going to pay right?” She giggled when his hands tickled at her stomach. Her breath immediately caught in her throat when his hand took a new direction and trailed teasing fingers over her nipples. She closed her eyes to revel in the pleasure of his capable hands.

“You like that, don’t you?”

“You can’t keep me captive forever,” she cooed the words as he worked a trail of hot kisses up and down the side of her neck.

“Says who?” he whispered against her ear.

“I have to go back home sometime.” She closed her eyes tight as his hands slipped between their bodies to the button on her pants.

“If you have to go back home, just give me tonight.”

“What’s tonight?”

“To show you how much I love you.” Her body arched away from the bed when he lowered himself to her pleasure. “You are beautiful, Danielle.” He pulled her pants and panties away from her body.

“Stop teasing me,” she yelped when he moved a gentle hand over her sensitive clit “Uh,” she moaned, clenching his micro fiber sheets.

“Is this what you want, baby?” he whispered against her sensitive bud. She let out a satisfied sigh as his lips closed around her tender parts.

Chapter Fifteen

“Shane, sweetheart.”

“Hmm?”

He smiled when he felt her warm body move against his. He wrapped his arms around her body, moving her warmth closer to his.

“It’s morning.”

“So what?” He moved to cradle her to his side.

“It’s time to wake up.”

“No it’s not.”

“I have to leave.”

“Like hell.”

“I have an afternoon flight.”

“Fuck that,” he said opening his eyes.

“No seriously. I have to leave.”

“I thought you were just playing hard to get. You aren’t really leaving are you?” He let her scoot away from him.

She sat up bringing the sheet with her. “I already booked the flight. I hadn’t planned to stay here this long after the wedding. I’ve already been here with you through Christmas. It’s time to go back.”

“I know you don’t have to go back to work yet. It isn’t even New Years.

“I was going to go back for the ball drop.” Her gaze darted from his.

“To spend with whom?” He knew his voice was accusatory, but he didn’t care. He would be damned if he let the woman who held his heart walk out the door and into the arms of another man.

“What are you talking about!?”

He sat up in bed running a hand down his tired face. They hadn’t gotten much sleep in the last week, spending most of the time making love and exploring every area of each other’s bodies.

“I didn’t think you would be going back home this soon is all. It’s just… Damn it, Dani, I didn’t even give you your Christmas gift yet.” His heart warmed when a smile spread across her face.

“Well I’m here now, man. Lay it on me.”

“No,” he refused, pulling the covers back from his bare skin. He noticed her gaze drop to his semi-hard erection. “Oh no you don’t,” he said covering back up. “You don’t get to look at me after you ruined my morning, and I’m not giving you your Christmas gift like this.”

“Well you are in a foul mood this morning.” She stood up letting the sheet fall from her naked body. He appreciated the perfect curve of her back into her backside. She trudged into his en suite bathroom.

“Damn it,” he muttered. He thought he would have Danielle to himself the whole week after Christmas. This was not how he planned this.

* * * *

He sat on the side of the bed with his head in his hands when she emerged from the bathroom. She felt horrible that she was the reason for his stress, but she needed to get back home. Plus, she knew what he had in mind.
He wants marriage. I’m not sure if I want that.

He deserved someone that knew, without a doubt, they want forever with him. Yes, she loved him, but she didn’t know if that was enough to be his one and only.

“Hey,” she said softly, sitting next to him on the bed.

“You’re really leaving aren’t you?” he asked without looking up at her.

“Yes.”

“I don’t understand. I thought after this week we were moving in the right direction.”

“I need to get back to my life in New York.” She put a hand on his bare thigh. There was nothing else she could say. This didn’t even make sense to her. She just couldn’t marry Shane Matthews. She would love him before she walked out of his life. She positioned her body to straddle him.

Chapter Sixteen

One year later

“She is beautiful, Brandi. Oh my God, I could just kiss her little face all day,” she said looking down into the angelic face of her goddaughter, Gabrielle. “After just having a baby, you look wonderful.” She kissed her best friend’s cheek. She sat down next to her on the hospital bed and reached out to take the small bundle.

“I’m so glad you’re here, Dani.”

“Where else would I be?”

“We haven’t seen you in over a year…right after the wedding.”

“I know, I know. I just went back home and was so engrossed in my work that—”

“You know who you are talking to right?” Brandi stopped her.

“I know,” she conceded. “How is he?”

“After you left he was inconsolable. Pouring himself into work. Not talking about it. Jason invited him over to have dinner with us often, he declined.”

“Thanks for making me feel horrible, Brandi.”

“Well you asked.”

“Is he seeing anyone,” she asked the question, not taking her eyes off the baby.

“Yes, actually he is.”

Danielle looked up and stared at Brandi. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I’m telling you now.”

“You know what I mean. When did he start seeing her?”

“About six months ago. After he figured you weren’t coming back.”

“What’s her name?”

“Ellen.”

“Is she his age?”

“Same age.”

“Good.”

“Age is only a number, Danielle.”

“I’m aware.”

“I’m older than Jason.”

“I know.”

“You know how I feel about this situation.”

“You’ve made yourself perfectly clear a number of times throughout the year, Brandi. You think I should have stayed with Shane. You also know I care about him too much to saddle him down with my uncertainty.”

“You were chickenshit.”

Danielle chuckled standing from the bed. She handed the bundle of joy back to Brandi. “She is perfect, Brandi,” she said, changing the subject. “You and Jason outdid yourselves.”

“Thank you. We are in love with little Gabi.”

“Jason should be back soon. I don’t want to be the third wheel for family time so I’m going to make a quick getaway. I promise to be here when you get released. I have to make sure my goddaughter is all settled in to the new crib I bought her before I head back to New York.”