by Daria Wright
Danika turned to Seth. Her jaw almost dropped as she stared at him. It wasn’t those eyes, or even the smile on his lips. It was his muscular chest and the way his arms flexed as he ran a finger through damp hair. Her eyes lingered on his six pack abs. Just what you would expect from a football player. She swallowed dryly.
“Um, no you didn’t.” She forced herself to speak.
“Good. I’m sorry for earlier. I made some coffee and I hope you don’t mind I raided your fridge.”
Danika’s cheeks flushed. She knew there was hardly anything in the fridge. “I hope you found something, I know I haven’t done the shopping in a while.”
“I did.” He closed the distance between her. Thankfully, he had a pair of jeans on, but that didn’t stop her from staring at him.
Danika cleared her throat, forcing herself to look away from the man she had once been in love with. Yea, those feelings are still there. She thought as desire pooled in the pit of her stomach. She mentally shook herself.
“I am really sorry for earlier. I didn’t scare your daughter, did I?”
“No. Beka’s a lot stronger than she lets on.”
“Just like her Mommy,” he smiled, his eyes sparkling as he came to a stop in front of her.
Danika felt her cheeks grow warmer. She looked away from him, unable to bring herself to look at him. So many emotions rushed through her body but she couldn’t pinpoint one. She was mad at him for coming here. She was happy he’d come. She wanted his arms around her.
Her cheeks flushed thinking about the night they had spent together years ago.
“How old is she?”
Danika raised an eyebrow. “Does it matter?”
“I guess not.” He looked away from her without saying a word. A soft sigh passed through his lips. “I guess the idea of you being with someone else… just… I guess I never really closed the doors on us…”
Guilt tugged at Danika. I did what I had to do. She told herself.
“If it makes you feel better, I’ve always had a place for you in my heart, Seth.”
He reached out, his warm fingers touching her hips softly. “Is that true?”
“Of course.” She wouldn’t lie about that. The truth was, she hated lying. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t do it if she had to.
His lips crashed against her, pulling her closer to him. A soft moan passed through Danika’s lips. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer to him as the kiss became something Danika needed.
Seth pulled away from her. “Danika… When you stopped talking to me, you broke my heart,” he confessed.
“I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you. Trust me, I was trying to protect you. I…”
“You what?”
“I can’t…” She whispered softly. She couldn’t tell him. She pulled him into a kiss, their lips melting together as she guided him to the couch. It was just like their first time, except it had been in a bed. They’d been young and they’d run into each other at the right moment when no one was around. She’d been just buzzed enough to give herself confidence.
Tonight she was thinking straight when she guided him over to the couch, reaching for the button on his jeans.
“Danni,” his voice was thick with lust, “you can’t tease me like this.”
“I’m not teasing.” She promised. She wanted him. She wanted to give herself to him like she had when she had just graduated and thought she had her entire life ahead of her.
She pushed him down onto the bed, shedding her jeans before she climbed onto his lap. Seth’s fingers traced over the curves of her body. His lips traced over her neck softly.
“Danni,” he pulled away, his eyes locking on her. His warm hands against her body.
“Shhh.” She cooed, her hips lowering to his hard cock.
Seth’s eyes rolled back as he filled her. His fingers pressed into her gently as she moved her hips, a gasp escaping her.
He grabbed her hand, their fingers tangling together as she did the work. Her heart raced. She wasn’t willing to admit that he had been her only time, but she was sure the way she moved was giving her away.
Without a word, Seth guided her back first onto the couch, his eyes sparkling as he took over.
Thrusting in and out of her, slow and gently. Danika’s heart raced as pleasure filled her body. Pleasure built in her body as she bit her lip, willing herself not to moan. Seth thrust into her faster and faster, hands tracing over the curves of a body he’d already touched.
Danika’s toes curled; her eyes rolled back as everything went a hazy white.
Her hips arched as she came. Her fingers pressing into Seth’s skin.
He thrust faster and faster.
“Oh,” Danika let out a soft moan.
Seth crashed into her, his lips lowering to hers. The kiss was pure passion. Pure affection. Neither of them said a word as he pulled out of her and Danika made her way to the bathroom to clean up. When she stepped out of the bathroom she found Seth waiting for her. “You know, I really did care about you. I still do.”
“I cared a lot about you, too.”
“It didn’t seem like it.” She could hear the hurt in his voice.
“I… I know you won’t believe me, but I really did think it would be best for both of us…” Guilt tugged at the pit of her stomach. She knew she shouldn’t have lied to him, but it’s not like she ever thought she was going to see him again. Now this just sucks.
Danika prayed he wouldn’t be there when she woke up. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to face him after last night. They’d spent the night talking, and she’d stayed up longer than she had in a long time.
This morning she was feeling it. She stepped into the kitchen and took a deep breath. The scent of coffee filled her lungs.
“Mommy!” Beka looked up from where she was sitting on the ground. Danika’s jaw dropped. She stared at the scene in front of her.
Beka was fully clothed, sitting in front of Seth, who held a Barbie in his hand. He looked up, no shame whatsoever crossed his face.
“Morning! We didn’t wake you, did we?”
Danika’s mouth fell open, and try as hard as she might, she couldn’t bring herself to say a word.
“We played really quiet so we wouldn’t! It his idea!” The little girl beamed.
“No you didn’t wake me. Thank you.” Danika smiled. She really couldn’t tell the man how much it meant to her that she’d managed to get a good night’s rest- and that someone else had gotten her daughter dressed. At this age, it was always a battle.
Chapter Seven
Seth’s brow furrowed as he tuned out his future brother-in-law. At least tried to.
“I just don’t get what anyone sees in small-town living. It’s gross, and is it just me or do people look… dirty?” Well yeah, that’s what happens when most of the town is farmers and they all work 16-hour days. Seth thought, but he didn’t say it out loud. Just remember your sister’s in love with him. “And I don’t think I like Ally’s old friends. I mean, do you see them? They dress…”
“Like they can’t afford to blow a grand on a watch because they have bills to pay and mouths to feed?” Seth offered.
“Yes!” His future brother-in-law actually thought that was an insult.
Seth resisted the urge to groan. Mouths to feed… he thought about Beka. He couldn’t shake the feeling of how much she looked like Ally when Ally was that age. She said she was 3. That would line up with the night they’d spent together. His heart skipped a beat. It had been a long time ago, but he still hadn’t had another night like it. With Danika… he’d felt connected to her. No other night had made him feel like that.
That’s not true.
His pulse raced. It wasn’t true, not anymore. Not after last night.
“I just can’t wait to get out of here and get Ally some place….”
Seth scowled. What the fuck is he talking about now? Without a word to Connor, Seth headed for the door. He had to pick Danika
up, and there was something he needed to ask her. Something he needed to get an honest answer about.
The drive over to get Danika hadn’t been very good for him. Between slamming his finger in the door and all the questions going around in his head, when Danika stepped out of the door he was hardly smiling. He looked her up and down.
“My sister has something close to that,” he stated. The second he said it, he felt guilty. Her cheeks turned a deep red and he understood what his sister had done after he told her about Danika’s comment. She gave her some clothes so she would have something to wear. He didn’t like it. “It looks better on you, though.”
He hated the idea of her wearing his sister’s clothes. It made it hard to appreciate just how gorgeous she was.
“Thank you,” she stammered.
“Anyways, let’s get going.” He led the way to the car.
As they drove they didn’t say a word. Why did she stay here? Was it just for Beka? She wouldn’t have given up on her dream, would she? No, he couldn’t imagine the woman he’d fallen in love with as a teenager giving up on her dreams because of a kid. She’d have found a way to make it work.
Chapter Eight
The night didn’t go too bad, except that everyone was staring at her when she came into the house with Seth. Micky’s eyes narrowed but she didn’t say a word. Like, at all. Micky didn’t talk to her the whole night.
The rehearsal went pretty fast, and then there was the dinner which looked like was being catered.
Ally sat beside Danika, most of the night the talked about everything that they had planned for tomorrow. Her eyes sparkled as she talked about the way the backyard of her parents’ home would be decorated.
“It’s going to be beautiful,” Danika reassured her friend. Despite the fact it had been a few years, she could still tell that Ally was nervous about everything.
“And you’ll be there tomorrow, right? To make sure it is?”
“I’m still waiting to hear back… about a couple things but I think I might be able to.” Now that she had some nice clothes she kind of wanted to put them to use, but she hadn’t decided yet.
Beside her, Seth cleared his throat. “Speaking of things, we’d better get going.”
“But it’s still early!” Ally protested.
Danika glanced down at her watch. For Ally it might be early, but it was getting close to Beka’s bed time.
“Sadly, I think Seth is right. I’ve got a couple things I need to wrap up before bed.” She stood, her friend following suit. Danika pulled Ally into a tight hug.
“Thank you so much for inviting me.” She meant it, she truly was thankful.
“Anytime. And by the way, I love your outfit.” Her eyes sparkled as she said it.
“Thank you.” That was all Ally had said about the clothes that, until the other day, had been hers. She hadn’t made any comment about the fact that she’d given them to Danika, and for that, Danika couldn’t say how thankful she was.
Together, her and Seth made their way out of the house and down the parking lot to his black BMW.
His hand touched the small of her back, slipping lower. Danika didn’t mind. They came to a stop in front of the passenger door of his car.
His hands grabbed her hips and pulled her into a kiss. Danika tried to pull away, hoping no one saw but gave in, her body craving his kiss. She could taste the alcohol as they kissed. His hand slipped up her skirt gently.
“Seth,” she moaned. “Not here… not…”
Seth pulled away from her. “Danni, last night you said that Beka wasn’t mine. I know what my sister looked at that age-”
Shame filled Danika. She looked away from him, she couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze.
“You did lie to me about it, didn’t you?” She could hear the hurt. The anger.
He pulled away from her, leaving her cold as she circled around the car.
“Seth-”
“Just get in the car,” he said as he slid into the driver’s seat himself.
Danika did as she was told, guilt overwhelming her. I did the right thing, she told herself.
They made their way back to her house without a word to each other. It wasn’t until he shifted the car into park that he turned to her. A single tear streamed down his cheek.
“How could you do that?”
“It was for the best! If you’d have known, you wouldn’t have left. Everyone knew you were going to be successful. Everyone knew you were going to make it big. I couldn’t stop that.” She refused to feel sorry.
“It wasn’t your choice to make. I left because I didn’t realize I had-”
“You don’t! You don’t have anything. Just because…” Danika tailed off. She wouldn’t be hurtful. “She’s got a mother, and she’s turned out just fine.”
“But-”
“You meant the world to me… and when I found out… you were already gone. I wanted you to be successful, if I’d have told you… you don’t deserve to be stuck here like I am. You deserve to be happy.”
He stared at her, his mouth open.
Tears pushed against the corner of her eye. She took a deep breath.
“Thank you for the ride home,” she whispered as she opened the car door and stepped out. Her heart sank as she made her way back into the house. Tears rolled down her cheeks without even realizing it. I can’t believe it. She felt numb. Like nothing would ever be okay again.
She stepped into the house, thankful to see that neither her daughter nor babysitter were around.
Well, I’ll have to find an excuse not to go to the wedding.
Danika lay in her pajamas. Really, what was the point in getting dressed together? She had cried herself to sleep last night, but it didn’t make her feel any better. She didn’t even look up when someone knocked on the door.
“Mommy, are you going to get that?” The little girl asked.
“No.”
“Okay.” She didn’t sound upset or confused.
Danika stared blankly at the TV. She wasn’t actually watching it.
“It’s you!”
“Hi Beka,” Seth said.
No. Danika’s head spun to see who stood in the doorway. Oh no. Beka had taken her “no” as a sign that she should open the door!
Danika’s heart raced. “What are you doing here?”
“What do you mean?” Seth stood, “I’m here to pick you two up. For the wedding, of course.” Danika stared blankly as he held out a plastic bag. He handed it to Beka. “I didn’t know what size you were, so I picked out a couple sizes. Why don’t you go get dressed?”
“Okay!”
He watched her rush off before turning to Danika. “You know, you’ve always meant more to me than I can put into words. You’re right, if I’d know about… I would have stayed and I would have given up on my dream. For you. But that’s all in the past now. Now, I don’t need to give up on my dream. And I’m not going to, but my dream is different. You’re my dream.”
The End
A Soldier’s Last Hope
By: Stephanie Hunt
Chapter One:
Scott sighed, leafing through the thick sheaf of papers in his hands. The end of his career. A career that he’d thought would take him to retirement was over before his twenty fifth birthday. He looked out the window, focusing on the landscape instead of the cold black and white words.
The landscape wasn’t much better. What should have been a verdant and flourishing cornfield was dry and stunted. The crop had failed while he was gone.
A bitter smile curved his mouth. Maybe he had something in common with this place after all. He’d heard his parents talking last night about selling some of their stock. Not for a vacation or to do some of the repairs the old place desperately needed, but simply to pay the bills that were piling up. Feed and seed bills, utility bills, the payment for the tractor that they would owe for another three years. He’d left with plans to help them take care of all of that. Now he was back, jobless and hu
miliated. They’d been so proud of him when he’d left.
“Scott!” his mother called up the stairs. “Suppers on the table!”
And he was simply another mouth to feed. With a heavy sigh, he pulled himself upright and went down the stairs. The paper was lying on the table and he picked it up, pulling the want ad section out. Every day he hoped for something different, but there weren’t very many jobs in the farm town.
He was desperate enough to take anything now, but even that hadn’t turned up any luck. The grocery store wasn’t even hiring. He scanned the ads. A law firm needed a paralegal, but he didn’t have the qualifications to do that. And the local dentist’s office was hiring a hygienist. He had even less qualifications there. At least he’d been in court before.
His father laughed suddenly. “Hey, I might have found you the perfect job,” he said as he looked over his own section of the paper.
Scott looked up eagerly and saw a large ad surrounded by roses. “Looking for love?” It read in curlicue cursive. “Come out to Cargill Estate Friday, April 22nd to meet Miss Catherine Cargill, our lovely daughter! The lucky chosen man will be her groom!”
Scott stared at his father who was chuckling and then at his mother was looking at the paper with wide eyes.
“That can’t be serious!” she said, dropping a pan of cornbread onto the table. “No one in this day and age would--”
“That’s the Cargills for you,” Eric said with a shake of his head. “Nothing crazier than a person with money and too much time on their hands.”
Linda shook her head too. “All the money from those hotels and this is how he spends it? Publicity to marry off his daughter?”
Scott took a thick slab of cornbread and crumbled it into his potato soup. “Hotels?”
Linda handed him a napkin. “You know who he is,” she said. “All those luxury hotels? From the rocky peaks of Vail to the shores of Hilton Head,” she said in a refined and soft toned voice. “Come and relax while the Cargills take care of your every need...and want.”
“Oh,” he said, plunging his spoon into his bowl of soup with a grin at his mother’s acting. “Yeah, I’ve seen that commercial.”
