Coming Home

by Priscilla Glenn

  But instead of driving him crazy, this time it made him feel sick.

  He watched her fingers fiddling awkwardly under the table, and before he could think about what he was doing, he reached over and placed his hand on top of hers, stilling the movement.

  She froze, slowly lifting her eyes back to the conversation as her posture straightened.

  “DeLuca, what was it the dude said when we told him he had no gas?” Jake asked through his laughter.

  Danny chuckled, using his fingers to turn Leah’s hand so that it was palm up beneath his. “He said, ‘Well, spank my ass and call me Fudgie.’”

  Jake fell forward in hysterics as the entire table cracked up, and Danny looked over to see Leah staring at him. He slid his fingers between hers, clasping their hands together, and even through the raucous laughter around them, he heard her tiny intake of breath.

  That little hiccup of a sound did more to him than the touch of any woman he’d ever been with.

  His eyes met hers as gave her hand a gentle squeeze, and then he turned his attention back to the table.

  “Remember, we were gonna have T-shirts made for the shop that said that on the back,” Tommy said through his laughter, and Danny nodded with a smile.

  That had actually been Bryan’s idea.

  Leah gently squeezed Danny’s hand before she caressed the scars that peppered his skin, and that little movement sent tiny sizzles of electricity up his arm and through his chest. He closed his eyes for a second before he attempted to refocus on the conversation.

  It was such a simple, innocent gesture—holding hands—but there was a significance to it that Danny could not overlook, and coupled with the fact that everyone else at the table was completely oblivious to what was going on just beneath it, it seemed that much more intimate.

  She shifted her hand and their thumbs met, circling around each other’s slowly.

  Okay, he was wrong. He had thought holding someone’s hand was innocent, but this was so goddamn sensual in its simplicity that it made him want to throw her down on the booth and cover her mouth with his.

  You need to get the fuck out of here. Now.

  His fingers tightened around hers for just a moment before he cleared his throat and slid his hand out of her grasp.

  “Alright, I’m gonna head out,” he said as he stood, and Leah’s expression dropped slightly as she looked up at him.

  Give a reason.

  “I have to be at the shop early tomorrow.”

  “On a Saturday?” Jake asked, cocking his head.

  Two years. He’d make him clean the shop floor for two years.

  “Yeah,” he said, running his hand through his hair. “An old friend of mine wants me to do a rebuild for him, and I promised him I’d get it done in good time.” He stared at Jake a little longer than he needed to, hoping he got the message, before he turned to the girls.

  “It was so nice to meet you guys,” he said, and then he looked at Leah. “I’ll talk to you soon?”

  She smiled, reaching up to fiddle with her earring again as she nodded.

  He turned then, because if he had to look at the poorly shielded disappointment on her face for another second, he would slide right back into that booth and spend the rest of the night doing anything she asked of him.

  Danny forced his way through the crowd for the second time that night, only this time, instead of feeling desperate to get to the door, he felt a tug in his chest, demanding that he turn back the way he came.

  He pushed the door open, ducking his head against the wind as he jammed in his hands in his pockets.

  “Such an asshole,” he mumbled to himself, shaking his head. He had no idea why the hell he’d done that. Everything was going perfectly. They were having fun. Friends out at a bar. That was his plan for the night.

  And then he had to go and put his hands on her.

  He laughed bitterly, running his hand over his eyes.

  “Danny!”

  His head jerked up as he stopped short, looking over his shoulder.

  She was standing just outside the bar, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she wrung her hands together in front of her.

  He turned, walking back toward her, and she took a tentative step forward before she picked up speed and met him in the middle.

  Her eyes were wide, almost panicky, as she approached him.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  She opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it without saying anything.

  “Is everything okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” she said. “I just…I didn’t say good-bye to you in there. So I just…wanted to say good-bye.”

  “Okay,” he said with the hint of a smile.

  “Okay, so,” she looked down, spinning her bracelet over her wrist before glancing back up at him. “Good-bye.”

  The smile he’d been fighting finally broke as he nodded once. “Good-bye.”

  She stood there, staring up at him, and he knew if he didn’t leave, he was going to do something stupid. Danny turned away from her, freezing when he felt her grip his bicep.

  He spun to face her just as she took a step toward him, going up on her toes as she brought her mouth to his.

  He froze.

  She stilled against him, and for a moment, they just stood there, both struggling to get over the shock of what had just happened. But then her lips softened against his as they parted gently, closing over his bottom one.

  He still hadn’t moved.

  He could feel his heart slamming in his chest, preparing his body for action, but it was as if he no longer had control of his body.

  Her mouth parted again, and this time she brushed the tip of her tongue along his bottom lip before she closed hers over it.

  It felt like something inside his chest snapped.

  Danny grabbed her face in his hands, pulling her mouth to his as he kissed her back. She pressed her body against him, and he slid his hand to the back of her head, knotting his fingers in her hair.

  Slow down. Too rough.

  But he couldn’t stop. Her lips were so fucking perfect and he needed this and she was so beautiful and he couldn’t stop.

  She moaned lightly against his lips, gripping the back of his shirt and tugging him closer as her tongue entered his mouth, and his hand came to her hip, squeezing it firmly as he tried to keep himself grounded.

  Fuck. She was going to make him hard right here on the sidewalk.

  As if she had heard him, Leah slowed the kiss down, pulling back slightly before bringing their mouths back together, languidly running her tongue over his.

  His hand in her hair went slack as it slid down to caress her neck.

  She pressed her hips against him as she caught his bottom lip between her teeth, and his other hand slid around to cup her ass, holding her against his body.

  And then his eyes flew open as he pushed her away, taking a quick step back.

  She gasped as she stumbled backward, staring up at him with wide eyes.

  His breath was coming in short bursts, the white puffs of vapor clouding the image of her standing before him.

  And then he whirled around, jamming his fists in his pockets as he stormed off down the sidewalk.

  Danny ripped the keys from his pocket and hit the button to unlock his door, trying to make his legs move faster. When he finally reached his car, he yanked the door open and slid inside, starting it before he had closed the door behind him.

  He didn’t even check for traffic before he pulled out onto the street, hitting the gas and causing the tires to squeal slightly as he took off down the road.

  Just before he rounded the corner, he made his final stupid move of the night.

  He looked up at his rearview mirror.

  The last thing he saw before he made the turn was Leah standing on the sidewalk, her fingertips pressed to her lips as she watched him speed away.

  One week.

  It had been one week since she’d ki
ssed Danny outside The Rabbit Hole. One week since she’d totally put herself out there for the first time in years. One week since the fire coursed through her veins and burned in her belly at the feel of his mouth on hers.

  And one week since she’d heard from him at all.

  He hadn’t called. He hadn’t texted. But the most frustrating thing of all was, this time Leah knew it was her fault. After all, she had been the one to push boundaries multiple times that night. She had been the one to initiate the touching under the table. She had been the one to chase him outside after he’d already said good-bye. And she had been the one to initiate that kiss.

  She wasn’t angry at him; it wasn’t his fault if he wasn’t interested in her that way. In fact, it was something she had sort of suspected all along. But now she’d made it awkward; he probably wouldn’t ever call or text her again for fear he’d be sending her the wrong signals.

  Robyn and Holly had been so upset on the drive home, alternating between bouts of silence and strings of apologies for pressuring Leah to go out after him that night. She tried over and over to reassure them, telling them it just meant Danny wasn’t into her, and it was probably better she found that out sooner rather than later. This seemed to placate them, and Leah found it somewhat amusing that she was the one doing the consoling when she had just made a complete fool of herself in front of a guy she really liked.

  At least it provided her with a much needed distraction.

  Leah placed her cup of tea on the coffee table before she fell back onto the couch with a sigh, stretching her arms above her head. Her phone buzzed with Holly’s ring tone, and she leaned over, swiping it off the coffee table before bringing it to her ear.

  “What’s up?”

  “Hello my love. Are you showered and ready?”

  “Showered and ready for…?”

  “It’s Friday night. Let’s go out.”

  Leah yawned, rubbing the back of her hand over her eyes. “Not tonight.”

  “Please, Leah? It’s the last weekend before Robyn’s wedding, and then she’ll be gone for two weeks on her honeymoon.”

  “Okay, so go out with Robyn. We can hang out whenever.”

  There was a stretch of silence on the other end before Holly exhaled. “Don’t go backward, Leah. I don’t want you sitting home and moping over him. It’s not worth it.”

  “I’m not moping,” Leah said.

  She wasn’t moping or pouting or fuming or brooding. She wasn’t…anything.

  “Leah.”

  “I swear, I’m not moping,” she said with a laugh. “I’m just tired. We can hang out tomorrow, okay?”

  “Okay,” she sighed in acquiescence. “Call me if you change your mind.”

  “I will.”

  “Alright. Peace out, baby.”

  Leah laughed. “Peace out,” she said with an eye roll before she ended the call.

  After a minute she sat up, grabbing her mug and turning off the television before she made her way down the hall, shutting off the lights as she went. Leah grabbed the book she had just started before she padded into the bathroom and ran herself a bubble bath.

  “Exactly. What. I. Needed,” she breathed as she submerged herself under the steaming water, placing her book on the edge of the tub as she rested her head back and closed her eyes.

  She read until the water chilled, and then she pulled herself lethargically from the bath and drained the tub, throwing on a pair of flannel pajamas and crawling into bed.

  The next thing she knew, her eyes flipped open as a shrill sound echoed in her ears. In her disoriented state, she reached for her alarm clock, swatting to turn it off.

  She hit the button, but the sound continued.

  Leah lifted her head as she slowly gained coherency, realizing it would be Saturday; her alarm wouldn’t be set. When it finally registered that her phone was ringing, she bolted upright. The room was pitch dark, and she turned to look at the clock on her nightstand.

  One fifty-seven in the morning.

  Leah leaned over, sliding her hand along the top of her nightstand and cringing when she heard the clink and subsequent splash that meant she had just knocked over her glass of water.

  “Shit,” she hissed, reaching to turn on the light. By the time she got it on and spotted her phone, it had already gone to voice mail.

  She brought the phone to her face, squinting against the offensive light to see who had called.

  One missed call from Danny.

  Her hand flew to her mouth as she sat there, cursing herself for taking so long to get to the phone. Why was he calling her? And at two in the morning, no less. Should she call him back? Text him? Maybe he was leaving a voice mail?

  As she sat there staring at the phone and contemplating her next move, it started ringing again. Her stomach flipped as she saw the words flashing on the screen.

  Incoming call from Danny.

  She tapped the screen before bringing it to her ear.

  “Hello?” she said softly.

  “Leah,” he said, sighing heavily into the phone. “God, I don’t even know what to say.”

  She pulled her brow together as she sat up further, running her hand through her hair. His voice sounded strange.

  “Danny? What’s going on? Is everything okay?”

  “No. I want it to be okay, but I don’t know what to do anymore. And I’m sorry I kissed you, but I’m not sorry, you know? I just…I wish you knew. God, I wish you already knew, because I don’t wanna have to say it.”

  “Wish I knew what?” she asked. “Danny, what are you talking about?”

  He sighed softly. “You have no idea how much I want to see you right now, but he took my keys, and this is bullshit because I’m fucking fine.”

  Leah closed her eyes as she pinched the bridge of her nose. Because she realized then why his voice sounded so odd, why he’d called her at two in the morning.

  He was completely wasted.

  She sighed heavily before switching the phone to her other ear. “Who took your keys?”

  “Joe.”

  “Who’s Joe?”

  “Bartender,” he said. “But I’m fine. He knows I’m fine! Goddamn it, I just want to go home.”

  Behind his drunken slur, there was an unmistakable desperation in his voice.

  Something was wrong.

  Plus, hadn’t he just told her last weekend that he didn’t drink? And here he was, absolutely hammered.

  “Where are Tommy and Jake?”

  “Not here.”

  Leah’s eyes widened. “They left you alone like this?”

  “I just don’t know what to do anymore. About anything,” he said dejectedly, his words running together. “All I wanna do is go home.”

  “Where are you?” she asked, swinging her legs over the side of the bed.

  “Outside.”

  She huffed heavily, rolling her eyes. “Outside where?”

  He didn’t respond, but she could hear a rustling sound, like he was walking quickly.

  “Danny, you have to tell me where you are.”

  “McGillicuddy’s.”

  “Okay, where is that?”

  “Valhalla,” he said, and the despondency was gone from his voice, leaving him sounding oddly detached.

  Leah dropped her head back, blinking up at the ceiling before she sighed heavily. “Alright, you need to go inside, okay? I’m coming to get you, but I don’t want you to go anywhere else.” She slid off the bed and pulled a pair of yoga pants and a sweatshirt out of her drawer.

  “Leah?”

  “Yeah?” she said, stepping out of her pajama bottoms.

  “I don’t deserve this. I just really need you to know that, okay?”

  She froze with one leg in her yoga pants. What the hell was he talking about? His keys being taken? Her coming out to pick him up? Or something else entirely?

  Either way, his words were dripping with misery again, and she quickly pulled her pants on as she held the phone with her shoulder
.

  “I’m leaving right now. Just go back in the bar, alright? Don’t go anywhere.”

  “Yeah, alright,” he said distractedly before ending the call, and Leah tossed her phone on the bed as she pulled off her pajama top and threw on the sweatshirt. She combed through her hair with her fingers as she sat on the end of her bed, doing a Google Map search of McGillicuddy’s in Valhalla. The directions said the trip would take twenty minutes, but at this time of night, with no traffic, she could probably make there in ten.

  Ignoring the little voice in her head that told her she was crazy for doing this, she scooped up her keys and purse and walked out of her bedroom.

  If nothing else, Danny had become a friend of hers, and she would do this for any one of her friends, she told herself as she locked up the apartment and made her way down to the car.

  Besides, there was something in his voice, something in the fraught way he spoke that caused a knot in her stomach. He needed help, and he had called her. It didn’t matter what had happened between them last weekend. After all, what kind of a person would put her own ego before helping someone in need?

  Leah made it to the bar in just under fifteen minutes, pulling up to the curb right out front. She didn’t really know the area and wasn’t thrilled about walking around alone this time of night, so she hoped getting him to leave would be quick and painless.

  She exited the car and pulled her hands into her sleeves, wrapping her arms around herself as she approached the bar.

  Behind the impressive oak door, McGillicuddy’s was nothing but a dive bar; a few random patrons sat scattered about rickety wooden tables, and Leah’s heart rate kicked up a notch as she scanned the area, not seeing him.

  Just as she was about to take out her phone and try to call him, she spotted him at the far end of the bar by himself. His head was down, his elbows resting on the bar as he spun a half-empty drink in his hand, and Leah frowned.

  Why would they have served him again? The bartender took his keys, but gave him another drink?

  Leah walked briskly toward the back of the bar, glaring at the bartender as she passed. When Danny heard her approaching, he lifted his head.

  “Leah?”

  She put her hands on her hips. “Danny.”