All of You (38 page)

They’d gone from antagonistic acquaintances to serious, committed lovers almost overnight, which naturally beget the question: Where in the hell did they go from here?

Kat was sure of Danny’s love for her and she was sure of her love for him, so it would only be a matter of time before they were able to sort out, process, and proceed with everything. Until then, Kat decided she’d do her absolute, albeit stilted and probably subpar, best to make Danny feel as secure as possible.

She held his eyes. “You weren’t bugging me and you know it, Danny.”

Kat slid her hand up his right thigh and was immediately rewarded with a relieved expression that broke her heart – and confirmed her suspicions.

Kat squeezed gently, loving the quirked brow and half-grin that replaced his anxious look. “The past week has been the best week of my life.”

“Mine, too,” Danny said softly.

A car honked behind them and Danny snapped-to, facing forward and hitting the gas, but Kat kept her hand right where it was…slowly inching it up his thigh, little by little, until her fingers were just beneath the bulge in his jeans.

Danny’s fingers went white-knuckled on the wheel as he lifted his hips a bit and ground out, “
Fuck,
Kat…
”

When she grazed the bulge with her fingertips, he inhaled sharply. Hard, quick pants escaped his parted lips as Kat teased him – rubbing him, pulling away, and then rubbing him again.

Danny shot her a hooded look. “You keep doing that and I’m gonna fuck you when we get back to your place, Kat. Virginity just lost yesterday or not, I’m not gonna be able to stop myself.”

Kat gripped his erection hard. “Promise?”

The groan he exhaled and the smoldering look he shot her answered her question – and set off crazy surges of estrogen and androgens, which prompted a whole bunch of physiological responses that had Kat squirming in her seat.

And the massive rushes of dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine weren’t helping, either. Her heart was racing and pounding, her muscles felt shaky, and her breathing had become as shallow and hard as Danny’s.

Thankfully, a few seconds later they pulled into the parking lot at Kat’s apartment. Danny whipped the car into a spot, jumped out, and jogged around to her door. He yanked it open and tried pulling her out.

Kat swatted at his hands, laughing. “Hold on a sec, Danny. I’ve gotta get my seatbelt off first.” He ducked inside and leaned over her to unbuckle it, which brought his face very close to hers.

It felt wonderful to be near him again.

“
You smell so good, Danny
,” she whispered, gripping his bicep and leaning up to press a kiss to his jaw line.

A second later, Danny’s hand was wrapped around the back of her neck, his mouth was on hers, and they were full-on making out in the middle of the parking lot in broad daylight.

Danny must have felt her lips curl into a smile against his, because he pulled back far enough to glance down at them. At the sight of her huge grin, his lips curled. “What are you smiling about?”

She dragged a fingertip down the side of his neck, beneath his collar, and tugged it aside – eyes glued to his bulging trapezius muscle. Kat ran her finger down farther, pulling aside the top of his shirt to eye the tattoo peeking out.

Damn, if she wasn’t suddenly dying to see all of him again. To put her hands all over his body and feel his all over hers. To feel his weight on top of her and to get on top of him again…

When she finally managed to lift her eyes to his, Kat’s smile was long gone…and so was his.

“Take me inside, Danny. Now.
Please
.”

He wound his right arm around her back, easily lifting her up against him in one smooth, strong movement. Kat wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, giggling giddily into his neck as Danny slammed the door shut with his other hand and – with very long, very urgent strides – carried her to her apartment door.

He’d had himself
all but convinced. Had spiraled so hard into negative shit that he’d been sure of it. And when he’d come upstairs and Kat hadn’t initiated any conversation or contact, Danny would have bet his life on it…

That Kat had allowed her sisters to talk her out of her feelings for him. That they’d somehow brought her to her senses and that Danny could expect very soon, if not imminently, to hear the words:

“We need to talk.”

Or, “I’ve been giving it some thought.”

Or, “You’re a great guy, but…”

Danny had allowed himself to feel a tiny bit more secure when Stella’s attitude had softened toward him, but then his fucked-up psyche had quickly convinced him it was because Stella felt bad for him; that she was being sweet because she knew what Kat was about to do.

So Danny had spent the remaining time at Pops’ house trying to mentally prepare.

To come up with flippant, deflective comebacks to things she might say.

To devise logical arguments against points she might make.

To exert enough control over his mouth to keep from begging her to stay.

To exert enough control over his body to not to lose his shit completely.

Danny knew the actual scenario would have gone much more along the lines of Kat ending things, Danny laughing it off and telling her “no big deal,” and them parting as supposed friends.

Danny hadn’t allowed himself to imagine what would have happened after they’d actually said good-bye. He’d choked on the images that had snuck into his brain of the days, weeks, months, and years ahead…

Without Kat.

But then she’d smiled that sweet, wry smile at him. And touched him. And told him that it had been the best week of her life.

And he’d finally been able to breathe again.

Danny felt like a man-card-handing-in, Hallmark-card writing, pussy-whipped, pathetic fucking fool, but he didn’t give a shit.

Kat still loved him.

And wanted him.

And Danny loved and wanted her so badly it hurt. In every way possible.

“Gimme your keys,” he damn near growled, reaching for Kat’s purse, even though he’d just told her to get them.

Kat reached down, pushed his hand away, and unzipped her purse. She handed Danny the correct key and slipped her arm back around his neck, pressing her lips to the spot on his neck she’d been nipping at and kissing a second ago.

Danny’s hand shook like hell as he slipped the key into the deadbolt and then her knob lock. He managed to get the door open and slammed behind them, despite the sexual mind-and-body fuck Kat was currently performing with her tongue against his collarbone.

“
Hmmm…I love this…
” she murmured, her lips making their way to his shoulder muscle. Kat sucked at it, before gently nipping at it with her teeth.

With a stifled groan, Danny threw her keys off to the side, barely registering the sound of them pinging against God-knew-what.

He strode through the living room, down the hallway, and into her bedroom. Danny got them to the edge of the bed, leaned forward, and laid Kat down – his front still flush against hers and her legs and arms still wrapped around his body. His lips found hers and he went after with all the longing, love, and lust in him – sucking and biting at her lips as she writhed beneath him.

Danny’s mind jumped back to the night he’d stood just a few feet away, staring at Kat’s bed and imagining her in it. Getting turned on thinking about her body moving beneath the sheets. Getting infuriated thinking about the other men he’d assumed she’d shared her body with – and so fucking jealous that he’d never experience that with her.

Now I’m here with her. And I’m the
only
one who has ever been here with her.

I get to touch her and taste her and tell her I love her anytime I damn well please. I get to take in all of her love – even though I don’t deserve it and never will. I get to take care of her…only me.

Feelings that could only be described as joy, relief, and gratitude coursed through Danny’s body.

Suddenly desperate to look into her eyes, Danny broke away from their kiss to stare down at her beautiful, flushed face. Kat’s expression as she gazed up at him was so open, so full of trust and affection…

She reached up to cup his cheek, her hazel eyes searching his. “Danny?”

He needed time.

To formulate the words.

To find a way to tell her everything he was feeling.

To let some of it out so his chest didn’t burst.

“It’s just…I thought you would never come. I had given up on anyone ever coming, Kat, and…” Danny’s throat constricted and he was mortified to feel his eyes water. “When I met you, I wanted you so badly. And I loved you all along. But I never thought…” He shook his head slowly, still not sure if this could possibly be real. Not sure how exactly, after a lifetime of shit, he’d suddenly gotten so goddamned lucky. “I never let myself think…” A shiver rolled through his body when Kat’s hand came up to cradle the other side of his face, her eyes boring into his so hard Danny knew, without a doubt, she was staring straight into his fucking soul.

So he told her the truth, because he was pretty sure she could see it anyway.

“I’ve been so alone, Kat…and lonely…and broken…and lost…” His words trailed off as his breath caught.

“
Danny
,” she whispered, gently tugging on his neck until he buried his face in her neck. Kat turned, her lips brushing against his ear and Danny shivered again. “I’m here now.” She wound her arms around his chest and held on tight. Kat curled her fingers into his back and whispered, “You aren’t lost anymore, Danny, because your home is with me.”

“It was always with you, Kat. Even before I met you.” The tears came out of nowhere and were now pouring out of his eyes and soaking into her skin.

Danny knew he should be embarrassed, but he was just too fucking torn up to feel anything but relief and comfort and love. “My home. It was always with you.” Danny pressed his face harder into her. “I don’t know how I did it for all those years without you…”

Kat pulled on his neck, wanting him to lift his head, but Danny wouldn’t budge. It was one thing to cry into her neck like a little bitch, but a whole other thing to let her watch him do it.

“Danny,” she said, pulling at him again. “I want to look at you.”

He shook his head, the tears still coming too quickly and too heavily for him to even consider that. It felt like a dam had burst and thirty-three years of feelings were pouring out of him at once.

It was the first time he’d ever felt safe enough to express them – even non-verbally. The first time he’d ever been certain he could let go and know the other person would still be there when it was all over with.

Kat held him, one hand still curled into his back and the other now holding the back of his head.

“Danny,” she began softly. “I…” Danny felt her inhale as much air as his body weight on hers would allow and exhale it slowly. “I have a big family and I love them all dearly, but in many ways I was as alone as you were…different and off-to-the-side. Sometimes pitied…” Kat’s voice caught and Danny nuzzled her neck. “And sometimes almost forgotten. I know that’s not true, but I still felt that way sometimes.” Kat huffed softly. “A lot of times.”

Danny licked up the side of her neck and nuzzled the skin behind her ear, loving how Kat tightened her hold, leaning her head to the side to urge him on.

“And then I met you. And I hated you.” When Danny grunted, she laughed breathlessly. Her laugh morphed into a soft moan when Danny sucked her earlobe between his lips and bit down gently. “But you saw me. And made me feel things I didn’t think I was capable of feeling. Things I didn’t understand…things I was afraid of. And I loved and hated you for it. But I never thought of…
us
…because you are so gorgeous and outgoing and experienced and I am just so-”

Kat inhaled sharply when Danny’s head whipped up.

“You are
just so
, what, Kat?” He latched onto her eyes, not giving a damn that his were still wet. “Beautiful? Brilliant? Sexy? Funny? Kind? Loyal? Honest?” Danny continued staring down into her widened eyes. “You are all of those things, Kat, and a million more. I never want to hear you referring to yourself as
just
anything ever again – not to me and not to anyone else. Because you are anything but
just
. You got me?”

Her eyes welled and nodded, tears spilling over and trailing down the sides of her face. Danny lowered his lips to her temple, kissing them away…taking her tears into him like she’d taken his into her.

“I’m gonna make love to you, now, Kat,” he whispered against her temple, one hand braced against the mattress next to her head and the other fumbling with the buttons on her jacket. Danny got it opened and pushed the lapels aside before lowering his fingers to the top button on her jeans, popping it open, and quickly pulling her zipper down.

“
God, yes…
” Kat managed to unzip his jacket and push it back off his shoulders, but she couldn’t go much further because Danny’s arms were busy trying to get her clothes off.

With a soft laugh, Kat met his eyes. “We’re not going to get anywhere in this position. Let’s get these clothes off and then get back to it, okay?”

Danny was off of her, peeling his clothes off so fast Kat laughed again. He was totally naked before Kat even got her jacket off.

He yanked off her shoes and socks and then grabbed the bottom hems of her jeans, pulling them clean off. Her bikinis were next, then her tee-shirt and bra – which he had unclasped and tossed across the room in record time.

In one smooth motion, Danny slid himself on top of Kat again.

Kat couldn’t get
close enough to him. Even with her arms clutching him to her, her tongue deep inside his mouth, and her leg wound around his hip, it still wasn’t close enough.

She broke away, panting, and reached down toward the vicinity of his erection. “I’m ready, Danny.”

“Aren’t you sore, sweetheart?” he asked, inhaling sharply and dropping his forehead to hers when her hand made contact. Kat began stroking him and Danny exhaled a loud groan.