He answered while she was still knocking, as if he’d been impatient to see her, which made her smile in spite of her trepidation over dinner with her folks.
The sensible pumps she’d worn to work the charity ball didn’t have much of a heel, so she raised up on tiptoe to kiss him. “Happy Valentine’s Day.” She handed him a gift bag. It was a relatively silly token of her regard, but Daniel could use some silly in his life.
He ushered her inside, and she gratefully accepted the stay of execution. “Wait right here,” he told her, disappearing around the corner and returning with a bag of his own.
She accepted it with a smile, opening hers first at his urging. Inside was an adorable teddy bear with red horns, a pitchfork and a red cape. Daniel had attached a handwritten note that said, “To My Valentine, who’s hot as hell.”
She laughed. “Cutest devil I’ve ever seen. Thank you.”
He seemed amused by his gift, too, a book cataloguing Shakespeare’s best dirty jokes. “If I used this in class to liven up the material, my students would love me.”
Love. Her smile faltered at the word. It would be so unwise to let herself fall that completely for him, but in her honest moments, she wondered if she hadn’t already started the plummet. It wasn’t as if a person could just stop midair. So, now what? Keep screaming and wait to see if she landed safely in his arms or in a jagged heap of emotional carnage?
She swallowed. “Ready to go?” Might as well get this over with.
He nodded, but instead of reaching for the keys that hung on a wall hook a few feet away, he reached for her. He didn’t kiss her, just tucked her against his broad chest and rested his head atop hers in a moment of wordless comfort as he reminded her he was there for her. She squeezed her eyes shut against the sudden burn of tears. The teddy bear had been a playful expression of an inside joke, but this hug? Best Valentine’s Day gift ever.
* * *
MIA TURNED DOWN her car radio. “I want to tell you something.” Well, want was too strong a word. But it was as though Daniel’s hug had knocked something loose inside her. She felt compelled to share parts of herself that she normally kept closely guarded. At any rate, it seemed only fair that she tell him more about her history with her dad and stepmother so that he had a frame of reference for what he was walking into.
“Fire away,” he encouraged.
She took a deep breath. “I told you my dad and I had a falling out. It was because of a single father I used to babysit for when I was a teenager. The man had been out later than expected one summer night, and when his friend dropped him off, he was drunk. Drunker than I’d ever seen an adult before. I was antsy to drive home, but his six-year-old had been having nightmares since the divorce, and I worried his father might not be there for him if he was passed out. The way my father was always there for me after my mom died.” At one time in her life, she’d idolized her dad. That’s what had always hurt the most, not that they hadn’t shared a close relationship but that the person closest to her had failed her.
“Anyway, I stuck around to try to get some coffee into the guy and make sure he didn’t break his neck trying to go up the stairs to bed. At first, he thanked me, told me how sweet I was, how I would make a much better wife someday than his unfeeling bitch of an ex. Then his comments got more... He cornered me in the kitchen and kissed me.” Kiss was too pretty a word for the way he’d plunged his tongue in her mouth, tasting like acrid liquor and cigarettes. She’d been too shocked to move at first, although she’d hissed and clawed like a wet cat once he shoved his hand inside her tank top.
“Mia.” Daniel’s voice shook with rage. “Did he—”
“He was inebriated enough for me to fight him off, especially with the aid of hot coffee.” He hadn’t thought she was so sweet when she’d scalded him with it; he’d yelled obscenities as she sprinted out of the house and to her stepmother’s borrowed car. Afterward, she’d felt guilty for leaving the little boy in the house with an outraged drunk. She’d sent up prayers of gratitude when the boy’s mom won full custody a month later. “I was a mess when I got home. In hindsight, I was really too upset to be driving safely. I went straight to my dad and stepmom. They’d already gone to bed for the night. At first, I think they couldn’t quite process what I was telling them. But then it was like, they didn’t want to process it.”
“They accused you of lying?”
“Not in so many words. But they questioned whether it was really as awful as I described it or if I’d blown the incident out of proportion in melodramatic teenage hysteria. The guy hadn’t been handling his divorce well, but he’d been a member of the community for years. He’d attended barbecues at our house. I think denial was easier for them than accepting that they’d had their daughter’s would-be rapist over to play cards. And they kept asking whether I’d said or done anything to encourage him, if I’d flirted or practiced any newfound womanly wiles on him.” Insult to injury, in a way that left her second-guessing her own rights and innocent actions.
When she realized how tightly she was gripping the wheel, she tried to do some yoga breathing to lower her blood pressure. “My dad was already nervous about my leaving for college the following summer, and this put him into hyperdrive, lecturing me on all the things I should avoid so I didn’t give boys the Wrong Idea, on how I should protect my virtue so I didn’t end up with the reputation of campus slut. That wasn’t his exact wording.” But close enough.
“Hence the chip on your shoulder?” Daniel asked.
“I was furious.” And, on some level, she still was.
It was no longer about the horrible babysitting incident. It was about the year of being told she should be more like Patience, who never drew untoward attention. It was about the disappointed sigh of “oh, Mia” when she pulled out a bikini during her first—and last—spring break home from college. It was about the unsolicited advice that parties were not a reputable workplace for a single young woman with an MBA, never mind that she was now in the contact list of one of Atlanta’s most respected socialites or that the ball she’d arranged this evening had earned thousands of dollars to help kids with cancer.
“After my mom died, Dad was my world,” she said raggedly. “I spent my childhood secure in the knowledge that he was proud of me, my biggest supporter. For him to be ashamed of who I am, to try to change me...” She expelled a gust of air.
“I’m humbled you opened up to me like this,” Daniel said carefully. “But I have to admit, hearing all of this right before I’m about to meet the guy may color my opinion of him.”
Was that why she’d told him? Were her motivations petty? Did she want Daniel to dislike her father on her behalf? Not consciously. “In his limited defense, after he ticked me off, I acted out some. You’ve met me. I’m sure you can imagine.” She’d been trying to prove a point. Or maybe she’d just been trying to see if her father could still love her in spite of her rather dramatic flaws.
“So.” Daniel met her eyes fleetingly before she turned her gaze back to the road. “Your family reunions are about as much fun as mine, is what you’re saying?”
His wry tone helped soothe her, and she flashed him a grateful smile. “Something like that. I thought you deserved a heads-up in case I get a little...cranky. Tonight might not be a typical Valentine’s Day date.”
“If I wanted typical, honey, I wouldn’t be with you.”
They’d arrived at the swanky hotel, a romantic splurge for her parents, and she let the valet take the keys to her car. She was starting to feel jittery. The last thing she wanted to do was accidentally sideswipe someone’s Lexus in the parking lot.
Daniel took her hand as they entered the hotel and asked an employee to point them toward the restaurant. Mia tried to remember the last time she’d seen her parents. Most families made a point of visiting around holidays and long weekends, but since those were some of
her busiest event-filled times, she had a ready-made excuse not to go home. It had been at least a couple of years since she’d seen her estranged family.
And those years showed in the abundant silver threaded through her dad’s dark hair and the new lines around her stepmother’s doe-brown eyes as they rose from the table to greet Mia and Daniel.
“Dad, April, this is Daniel Keegan. Daniel, Joseph and April Hayes.”
Joseph regarded Daniel with suspicion, which had been how he looked at all of Mia’s dates since she’d held hands with a boy on a fourth-grade field trip. But April looked flat-out delighted to see him. She actually hugged him instead of shaking his hand.
“So, so nice to meet you,” she gushed. “Since Mia rarely visits, we never get to meet any of her...friends from the city.”
Mia squirmed at the reminder that she hadn’t been home in years. Maybe if being there didn’t make me feel uncomfortable and judged, you’d see more of me, she silently told her stepmother.
They all sat, Mia and Daniel on one side, her parents on the other, and her throat closed with all the things she’d wanted to say to them since moving out, both angry and conciliatory. There was just too much of it, and she wouldn’t know where to start.
Daniel gamely threw himself into the awkward silence. “How was the musical? I’ve never seen it, but the Fox always has wonderful performances.”
They chatted about the play for a few minutes, and by the time the waitress took their orders, Mia was feeling much calmer. She told them about how she’d planned the wedding that Daniel was best man in, which rekindled their “college friendship.” It was a simpler explanation than explaining they’d been college rivals who’d secretly wanted to sleep with each other.
“So your business is doing well?” Joseph asked.
She wished he didn’t sound so surprised. “Very. I’m really increasing my client base. I do personal parties like quinceañeras and baby showers, but I handle events for organizations, too, like the charity ball earlier tonight.”
“I’m so happy for you,” April said. “And you’ve never looked better.” She nodded approvingly at Mia’s braided hair and cashmere dress before beaming at Daniel. “It’s easy to see you’ve been a good influence on our daughter.”
Mia’s spine tensed.
Beneath the table, Daniel placed his hand on her thigh, high enough that, under different circumstances, heat would already be twisting through her. “She was smart, beautiful and successful long before I went out with her. If anything, she’s influenced me to be a better version of myself.”
Mia shot him a grateful smile. You are getting so lucky tonight.
April cleared her throat. “Maybe, if you had a few days in your schedule to come home, we could hire you to do an event, Mia?”
A birthday? Or maybe a milestone anniversary, she thought, trying to do math in her head. “What event is that?”
“Your sister’s wedding.”
Mia gaped. “Patience is getting married?” She hadn’t even known her stepsister was seeing anyone. Granted, she didn’t go out of her way to call or email Patience, but communication was a two-way street. Or in our case, a no-way street.
“Her engagement is very recent,” Joseph said gruffly. “Since we already knew we were coming to Atlanta, she didn’t call you. We thought our telling you in person was the next best thing to her telling you face-to-face.”
April frowned, toying with the straw in her drink. “I know the two of you were never as close as Joe and I hoped...but maybe that can change now that you both have so much going for you. Her, engaged. You, running your company and dating this handsome fellow.”
Daniel smiled at her, but Mia could feel him studying her, trying to process how upset she was. Truthfully, Mia didn’t know. Sometimes she felt like an outsider in her own family, but asking her to coordinate Patience’s wedding seemed like an olive branch. When dinner was over, she told her parents she’d think over the request and would talk to her stepsister about it.
She was in a strangely vulnerable mood as she and Daniel climbed into her car. “Come home with me?” she asked. She wanted to be in her own environment, but she didn’t want to be alone.
“I’d be happy to,” he said softly. He also seemed happy to give her some space to sort out her thoughts, not saying much about dinner during their drive. It wasn’t until they were turning into her apartment complex that he ventured, “They seem nice. Flawed, maybe, but decent. And for what it’s worth, they love you.”
“I know.” They’d even seemed proud of her, although April, in particular, had seemed more admiring that Mia was with a fine upstanding man than of Mia’s individual accomplishments.
“Think you’ll do the wedding?” he asked.
“Not without some lengthy discussion with Patience. She’s the bride, it should be her decision, not something our parents cooked up to try to bring us closer. Even then...” Trying to pull something together where she didn’t know any of the vendors or venues would be different from working here. Not to mention, she’d have to take significant time away from the office.
“You told me before that you regretted going off to college with a chip on your shoulder. There’s something to be said for second chances.” He gave her an endearingly crooked grin before climbing out of the car. “I’ll be eternally grateful that you gave me a second chance after I botched our first date.”
He wasn’t the only one feeling grateful. “You made tonight so much better than it could have been.” He’d listened and supported, he’d praised her talents, he’d offered advice that was insightful but not pushy.
“Don’t mention it. Just doing my job as your Valentine.”
“I know this hasn’t been the most romantic Valentine’s Day, but I think there’s still time to salvage it,” she said as she unlocked her front door. “How would you feel about a bubble bath for two?”
“Soapy, naked fun?” He tugged gently on her braid. “Count me in.”
She scooped up an armful of electric candles as she passed through the living room. While Daniel went to get towels from the closet, she started the water, pouring in a generous capful of vanilla bubble bath. She’d just pulled off her dress and was reaching behind her to unfasten her bra when his shadow fell across the doorway.
He watched with avid eyes, his voice a low rasp, “Don’t stop on my account.”
Holding his gaze, she slid the straps of her bra slowly down her arms. Then she turned around to give him a better look as she removed her bikini briefs, bending all the way over to tug them free of her ankles.
Daniel was there in an instant, pressed against her, his hands cupping her breasts as she straightened. He licked the shell of her ear. “The sight of you bent over like that is going to be seared onto my mind for decades to come.”
She grinned inwardly at the admiration in his voice. He did know how to make a woman feel sexy. She spun around in the confines of his embrace. “Now we just have to get you undressed.” She reached for the top button of his black shirt. When she’d popped the first two open, she leaned in to kiss the strong column of his throat. As she bared his chest, she scraped her teeth across a flat nipple, and his hands tightened on her ass.
“More,” he breathed.
She did the same to the other side, then dotted kisses toward his navel as his shirt hit the floor behind him. His belt took her a couple of tries, the front of his pants distended by the heavy erection beneath. But finally, she had him unbuckled and unzipped. As she pulled the boxer briefs down, she sank along with them, going to her knees on the cushiony bath mat, running her fingers over his strong thighs and calves, enjoying the slight friction of the coarse hair that dusted his skin.
A glance over her shoulder showed that the bubbles in the tub were more than halfway to the top; any higher, and water would slosh everywhere when
they got in. She arched back on her heels, practically a yoga pose, to reach the faucet behind her. Steam rising from the tub curled over her skin.
“We should let it cool,” she said, meeting his eyes. “The water’s super hot.”
“Not as hot as the sight of you kneeling in front of me.”
Smiling, she wrapped her hand around the base of his swollen cock, leaning forward to lick the crown, swirling her tongue and making him hiss out a breath. Lowering her head, she took him as far as she could before her mouth met her hand. She didn’t suck him yet, just moved up and down until he was wet and slick. When he subtly bucked his hips, she increased her suction, hollowing her cheeks as she stole a glance up at him. His eyes were closed, his face was rigid, jaw clenched, cheekbones in stark relief. Seeing him that turned on made her feel needy, too. She moaned around him, and he suddenly opened his eyes.
“I have to be inside you.” He helped her to her feet.
She grabbed a condom from the medicine cabinet behind him, her heart racing at his expression. How could anyone look so primal and tender at the same time?
There was nothing tender about his kiss as his mouth slanted hungrily against hers. He backed her into the wall, lifting her so that she could wrap her legs around him, settling her entrance over him. “I have the world’s sexiest Valentine,” he said, flexing his hips and driving up into her.
She couldn’t move much, pinned between him and the wall, but oh, holy hell, could she feel. Hands on her hips, Daniel worked her ruthlessly up and down his shaft, giving her more pleasure than she could process. When she glanced to the side and caught sight of them reflected in the mirror—his muscles straining, her ankles locked just above his chiseled ass, a sheen of sweat covering them both—the tremors started, small convulsions as she contracted around him, drawing him tighter into her, and then it was a clenching deep in her core as she shook and clung to him for dear life. He had her. Of course, he had her. He’d been proving it all night, with his reassuring touches and words of praise.
Tempting the Best Man Page 15
