by Terra Kelly
“Yeah.” Her voice cracked just a bit.”
He lightly laughed. “We’re in this for the long haul, baby. There’s no going back to just friends now. My feelings for you are stronger than I even realized.” He lifted her chin and demanded, “So those tears better be because you’re looking forward to the future.”
She flashed the biggest smile. “Really?”
Then he brought her on top of him. “Cause I’m not kidding when I say, you’re my new favorite toy,” she admitted. “Fuck all the other store bought battery operated devices.” She turned her head to the side and giggled. “Well, not literally fuck them, but…”
Danny realized at that moment that she talked too much. He needed more doing and less saying. He reached his hand down and cupped in between her legs. She went silent. Then he carefully started to move one finger over her sex in slow circular movements.
Shawna gasped and bent her head onto his chest. Her hands had been on the bed holding her in place. The moment Danny started to pleasure her, it had been almost as if she lost all her strength. Her arms gave way, and he needed better access. Quickly, he shifted her below his body. Danny noticed her relax into the bed, and she fisted her hands into the sheet on each side of her body. He never stopped touching her, his movements increasing to match her breathing.
Leaning forward, Danny kissed her tenderly. In a flash, her hands were fisted in his hair, and her body wrapped tightly about his own. Their kiss became heated, their tongues dancing around in quick urgency. They both were exploring every inch of each other’s mouths. Shawna started to nip at his bottom lip and moaned louder. He knew she had to be on the verge of an orgasm. Danny never let up; he made fast movements back and forth until she finally turned her head to the side and cried out his name. He watched her pant and try to regain her composure.
She glanced back towards him and laughed softly. “Are you trying to create a monster?”
Danny sure the hell was and more. He smiled. “Maybe.” He kissed her nose and then made an attempt to kiss her lips but instead he bypassed them and delicately caressed her chin. He heard her whimper, but he ignored her pleas. Instead, he left a trail of hot kisses down every inch of her gorgeous body. She tasted sweet, and with each kiss it brought him closer to the promise land, she left delicious flavors on his tongue. He started to feel hungry for more, which had been perfect since he finally reached his destination. Breathing in her arousal made him harder. Instinctively, Danny reached down to pleasure himself, needing a little relief.
Shawna immediately protested. “Nope. Here.” Then she surprised him by facing her body opposite his and quickly taking him into her mouth. He heard her moan and that had been all the invitation he needed. He took her clitoris in between his teeth and nipped lightly. Then he started to carefully suck and nip, which got her attention immediately.
Danny realized if they were looking to be delicate to one another, neither of them were delivering. Their movements were fast, intense, needy, and from the sounds in the room, completely amazing.
Chapter 16
“Fuck,” Shawna said through a perfect mouth full. She had not done this position in so long, she had actually forgotten how good it could be. “Don’t stop, please,” she said in a muffled tone.
Shawna felt slightly uncomfortable. She seriously just demanded to do the sixty-nine position their first time having sex. What was wrong with her?
Her mind wanted to drift back to her first sexual encounter in high school—something changed—and she used orgasms as her way to release pent-up energy. It didn’t have to be with a man, either. Late one night she caught one of those infomercials about toys for women. That’s how her collection of battery operated devices started. Of course, now only one other person knew of that fetish: Danny.
She moaned, loving how he tasted, and then she squealed, because Danny had bit down harder than before. Shawna wanted more and begged for it. “Do that again.” He just chuckled and complied with her demand.
She felt one last nip and then her body was being repositioned below Danny. He flashed that heart-stopping smile. “I can’t wait any longer to be inside you, Shawna.”
She heard the crinkle sound of a foil package and then his deep intake of air as he placed the condom over his length. She felt the anticipation of the moment and then he was there, slowly entering her. They made careful movements together, pushing him perfectly all the way to the hilt. Once he had entered her completely, they both stopped and looked at one another.
“It’s better than I imaged,” Shawna said with a sigh. It really was, and she felt so stupid saying the words out loud.
Danny nodded in agreement. “Yeah, so much better.” Then he took the lead and started to move in and out.
He kept the movements slow at first and then she loved how he increased the pace. They both were breathing heavily, and it was quite clear they were close to a release. She moved her hand down to pleasure herself to help push her over the edge faster. Danny didn’t protest; she wasn’t sure even sure he noticed.
After several minutes Shawna cried out, “Danny, I’m coming.” He started moving even faster until she yelled out his name again. Shawna’s release came first, but she continued to touch herself to make the feelings that much more intense. As he started to move even faster inside her—clearly on the verge of coming—she had to control the emotions running through body at that very moment. Finally, Danny made a loud sound of pleasure and then reached down and grabbed her hand in his own.
Danny finally opened his eyes and stared right into her emerald eyes. “You, Shawna Daniels, take my breath away.”
She giggled. “And literally, too.”
He carefully lifted off of her and started heading toward the bathroom to clean up. “Um, yeah, that would be correct,” he said over his shoulder.
As she waited for him to come back, Shawna reached over and grabbed the end of the comforter to cover her body. She loved how the bed had been a mess long before they started having fun. Danny obviously didn’t sweat the small stuff. Shawna sucked in a breath as he emerged from the bathroom in all his glory. God, he had the perfect body.
She noticed him look down and then back toward her. “What?”
He lifted up the comforter and slid in next to her, and then he pulled her body close to his. She felt a little chill run down her body—it had nothing to do with being cold and everything to do with the way he felt next to her.
Danny kissed her temple and whispered, “You okay?”
Shawna felt more than okay; her body felt like it was dancing it was so happy. She giggled. “Yup,” she moaned and snuggled in closer to him. “I hope I didn’t step out of bounds by being too demanding?”
He leaned his head back to get a better look at her. “What do you mean?”
Of course he would ask her to spell it all out—just what she needed. “Well, the few positions we may have partaken in together.” Hopefully that would be enough information. She really didn’t want to start discussing each position.
Danny chuckled. “Wait, are we discussing the upside-down position?”
Shawna scowled and then her eyes went wide as she laughed. “Upside-down sounds so much better than sixty-nine. Did you make that up?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe.”
“Oh my God,” she gasped and placed her forehead on his chest.
Danny grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it tenderly. He smiled and said, “Shawna, I really don’t care what position you demand to do—if you want it—I’m yours.”
Of course, Shawna had to ask, since he opened the door. “Wait.” She leaned up on one arm to get a better look at him. “So, you’re okay with super kinky stuff? Like BDSM?” She had explored some things but found overall that had not been her thing.
She burst out laughing at how wide Danny’s eyes went before he responded. “Like whips and chains?” He paused for a beat. “Um…no, we would need to talk about that maybe. You’re not in
to that are you?”
She shrugged her shoulder, trying to act like it would be no big deal. “What? A little pain never hurt anyone. It does help the orgasm, too.”
Shawna knew by those words she had made him really uncomfortable. “Um,” he stammered.
She wrapped her arms around him and quickly let him off the hook. “I’m kidding.” Danny noticeably sighed, and she burst out laughing. “Wow, I seriously made you uncomfortable. I’m so sorry.”
He shook his head. “You had me there. I really didn’t know what to do next. I mean, my mind was thinking, do I explore new ground, or just run?”
She let out a sound that indicated she truly felt bad, “Awwww.” She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “I’m so sorry.” Shawna sat up, letting the sheet fall away from her body. “Listen, here’s something about me. I’m not afraid to try new things, even if it may sound scary. I would never in a million years expect others to be like me.” She crawled over him and slid off the bed. “Plus, sex with you tonight was perfect. I wouldn’t change a damn thing.”
Shawna noticed him lean up into the sitting position, probably to get a better look. He answered in a husky voice, “I wouldn’t change a damn thing, either.”
She started to walk slowly next to the bed, running her fingers lightly along the comforter. Then she made a path with her fingertip up the wooden bed post, making a mark around the circular pattern at the top. “I like your place,” she whispered. She glanced over and noticed a button-down shirt on the chair in the corner. She took a few steps to reach the chair and grabbed the cotton fabric, bringing it up to her nose and inhaling the scent. Then, Shawna wrapped the shirt around her body and buttoned one of the holes. The shirt hung loosely around her and sat just below her knees. Turning to face Danny and finish her thought, she said, “You have plenty of room to dance.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
She noticed Danny’s phone on the nightstand and made her way toward him. Grabbing the device, she asked, “Can I look at something?”
He didn’t hesitate. He just reached forward and punched the code. “Sure.”
Shawna wanted to listen to a song with him—one specific song. She pulled up Spotify and typed in the artist and title: Hungry Eyes by Eric Carmen. Hitting play, she said, “Danny. Dance with me.” She reached her hand out to him and started to sway back and forth to the music.
Danny never hesitated; he grabbed some sweatpants and pulled them low on his hips. She licked her lips watching him dress and slowly walk her way. He reached for her hand, held their arms up, and spun her in a circle. The words of the song were everything she had been feeling.
They both continued to move around the room, and every so often he would spin her and then pull her close to his body. She had always loved dancing, but now, this, nothing could compare to the feeling of being wrapped in his arms. As the song slowly started to end, they both swayed back and forth in one place, their eyes clearly focused on one another.
“Thank you,” Shawna whispered.
Danny glanced to the side. “For what?” He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her closer.
She shrugged her shoulders. “For never giving up on me.”
Chapter 17
He felt silenced by her words for a moment. She really didn’t understand how much she meant to him. Danny knew from the moment he saw her it would be forever—he just had that feeling. Mrs. Winters used to always tease him about his predictions, but most of them came true. Well, more like ninety-nine out of one hundred came true. With Shawna, he never worried about that one percent chance it wouldn’t happen, because he just knew it would be okay.
He let his mind wander back for a moment. There had been a dance his junior year in high school, and he had his eyes set on Amy Jenkins. Of course, so did everyone else; she happened to be the most popular girl in school. He mentioned over dinner one night with his family he would be asking Amy to the dance. The Winters brothers gave him so much shit. Mrs. Winters on the other hand knew when he set his mind to something—he generally got what he wanted every time. So the day he came home excited because she said yes, everyone in the house stopped doubting him. Drew had been especially shocked, because Danny had never talked to Amy before he asked her out. He could remember classmates asking him how he convinced her to go with him. The funny part: there had been no convincing. She just said yes the moment he asked.
That had been one of many occasions where he would decide on what he wanted and then a few days later he had it. Drew actually started to beg him to just do the dirty work of asking girls out for him. Of course, Danny always declined.
He lifted her arms up and then they both swayed back and forth together. He let one arm go and spun her around one more time. When she finished the spin, she landed in his arms. He quickly bent her back into a dip and whispered, “There was nothing to give up on.” He made a circle in between them. “This, it was just always meant to be.”
She leaned up and stepped back away from him. Putting her hands on her hips, she asked, “What do you mean? How could you ever know that?”
Danny rolled his eyes. “Is there such a thing as man’s intuition?”
“No.” She laughed and walked over to the side of the bed to sit down. “Well, not with any man I’ve ever met.”
He nodded. “Fair enough.” Making his way toward the bed to sit beside her, he asked, “Well, maybe this time you just have to trust me when I say, I just knew.” He reached for her hand and interlaced it with his own. “Shawna?”
She glanced toward him and then pounced on him like a cat attacking her prey. His thoughts quickly faded as she peppered him with kisses. Yeah, he could get used to this…he sure as hell could.
One week later
“Finally!” Drew clanked his beer against Danny’s glass and said, “I think you just hit a new record.”
Danny scowled. “New record? What, for how long it took me?” He punched Drew in the arm. “Nice, real nice.” Of course, after close to two years of hoping to connect with Shawna, now it had finally happened. He laughed to himself, because it had only been a week since they had slept together. One week, and yet, they were inseparable already. He did work an odd schedule, but he managed to sneak the dance lessons in every night over the last four days. They both had to learn the dance steps together as a team, and he had never done any of the routines before.
“Speak of the devil,” Drew said, as he reached for Isabel’s hand and pulled her onto his lap.
Isabel gasped. “Devil? Me?”
“You are a little bit,” Shawna said as she leaned over and gave Danny a quick kiss. Her eyes went wide at the plate of french fries sitting in front of him. She reached over and grabbed one. “Sorry, I’m starving.”
Danny moved the plate closer to her. “All yours, baby.”
He actually hated sharing his food, and Drew knew that more than anyone. Something had been different lately. He found his habits were shifting slightly. Instead of just doing the normal, for the last seven days he found himself experiencing a new normal.
Drew cleared his throat and coughed out, “Share? You?”
He noticed Shawna look between both men. “I’m sorry. Here,” she said quietly.
Danny rolled his eyes at his friend and then put his arm around Shawna to pull her closer. He kissed her temple. “Nope, all yours. Ignore him.”
Shawna laughed. “What am I missing?”
Danny noticed Drew take a swig of his beer before saying, “Well, when you grow up in a house of all boys, sharing is not the strongest quality. Danny stayed at our house so much, he became a bit protective of his things.” He shrugged his shoulders and admitted, “Of course, I have eased up since being with Izzy.”
Danny loved how Isabel rolled her eyes and shook her head. “If only,” she said. Then he could tell she planned to test the waters by grabbing Drew’s beer. His buddy grabbed it so fast out of her hand, she laughed. “I rest my case.”
Just then Joshua, the middle Winters brother, walked up behind Isabel. Danny noticed him bring his finger to his mouth in a gesture for everyone to not make his presence known. He wanted to plug his ears, because he knew about two seconds later a loud squeal would sound off. Sure enough, Josh poked her sides, and she went flying in the air. The whole table erupted in laughter.
It had been a few weeks since Danny had hung out with his buddies, and not for any reason other than a busy schedule. He missed the crazy of the Winters.
Joshua seemed to be struggling with holding in his laugh. He shrugged his shoulders. “Sorry, sis.”
Danny really respected Josh. He had always been a hard worker—a true Winters trait—and also dedicated to his family. Joshua’s girlfriend, Kenzie, loved him to the core. A part of Danny wanted a relationship like Joshua and Kenzie had. Their love spanned back years before they had even really connected. Danny believed love was so much more than just saying the words. They both proved that with their strong relationship.
Joshua cleared his throat. “Hey Danny, did Drew tell you the news?”
Danny looked between both men and said, “Um, I’m going to guess, no?”
Josh laughed. “Alex, Alyssa, and the gang are moving here in a few months.”
Danny went to say something but noticed the bartender, Stacy, stop suddenly and look their way. She cleared her throat and asked, “What? They’re moving here?”
Isabel stood up and wrapped her arm around Stacy’s shoulders. “Yes sweetie, Jax is coming, too.”
Danny knew this had been huge news. Connie had been begging her son and Alyssa to move to Wilmington for months. He looked toward Josh. “Why the change of scenery now?”
Josh shrugged his shoulders. “Alyssa said something about needing to be closer to family. She is giving the cafe to her good friend, Anna, and said she may open a place down here.”
