Beyond Eden (7 page)

Danny was so focused on the pleasure pooling in his stomach, working its way into his limbs the longer he fucked him, he didn’t bother to jerk Paul off. He didn’t have to, Paul was moaning, his breathing labored and desperate.

“Gonna come,” Paul panted as he arched back against Danny, spreading his legs wider and taking him deeper. “Right—r-right there.”

Danny bent his knees a little more and angled himself in a way he knew he would hit the right spot. When he surged forward once more Paul cried out and Danny had to wrap an arm around him to keep him standing when his knees buckled. Paul’s whole body shuddered from the force of his climax. He gasped out Danny’s name once more as he started clenching around his cock and that was all it took to pull him down with him.

Danny felt as if he were sucker punched by the orgasm, because he wasn’t ready to come yet. He wanted to enjoy being inside Paul a lot longer. Stars burst behind his closed eyes as he fucked Paul to the raging, pulsing rhythm of the pleasure pouring over him in liquid waves. The bliss throbbed outwards from his cock and radiated through his whole body, making his arms and legs tingle. He hadn’t wanted it yet, but the orgasm was all encompassing and he had no choice but to collapse under the force of it. He wasn’t sure if it lasted for ten hours, or ten seconds but he felt as if every ounce of energy was pulled out of him when it started to subside.

“Shit,” Paul gasped out in a shaky whisper. “I think I’m gonna pass out.”

Danny realized Paul was bearing most of his weight when he blinked against the shower spray and opened his eyes to find himself draped over Paul, his cheek resting against his shoulder and his arm wrapped tightly around his waist. He was also close to passing out, the heat from the shower, too much alcohol and Paul combined would easily do the job if he wasn’t careful.

The two of them slid down to the shower floor, a messy tangle of hard, wet limbs. Finally Danny found himself sitting next to Paul, who had his head hanging between his knees as he took long, steadying breaths. That seemed like a good plan, so Danny followed suit, bringing up his long legs and resting his forehead against his knees as he also focused on breathing while his heart beat the hell out of his ribs.

It felt as if the shower stall was spinning even with his eyes closed. It seemed the alcohol was choosing now to rear its ugly head and point out he may have had too much to drink. He needed an anchor, something to focus his mind on as a distraction before he got past dizzy and to the actual sick part of being drunk.

“Are you okay?” he whispered once his breathing had calmed. “I’m fine,” Paul said tensely. “You know I’m durable.”

That didn’t make Danny feel better. He brushed his wet hair out of his eyes and turned to look at Paul in concern. “Did you eat? I know you don’t eat well at work. Did you finish your dinner?”

Paul’s shoulders grew tense and he turned his head, resting his cheek on his knee as he glared at Danny. “You’re not my mother—or my wife.”

Danny turned away from him because he knew the pain was showing on his face. “Boy scout, my ass,” he whispered bitterly as he stood. “You’re a dick.”

“Danny—”

“Bite me,” Danny growled as he opened the shower door. He stepped out and then just to be vindictive, reached over and turned the shower to ice cold. Paul gasped and jumped to his feet so fast he wavered where he stood. When he reached over to turn the shower back to hot, Danny lurched forward, pushing his hand away. “Leave it. Get used to it. Learn to love it, because you’re going to be taking a lot of showers like this once you marry that bitch.”

Danny shut the door harder than needed. He noticed Paul left the water cold as he pulled off the condom, threw it away and then washed his hands. No steam rose out of the shower stall and Paul didn’t say anything. Knowing he was probably waiting for him to leave before he got out, Danny left.

He crawled into his bed naked, hoping Paul would join him but knowing he probably wouldn’t. His heart ached and Danny realized how lonely he was. What was going to happen once Paul got married and left? Who would Danny have to take care of?

He closed his eyes. An image of Eve swam up in his mind with her long, beautiful red hair, pale skin and a soft, feminine figure that made her so nice to hug. She was as lost as Danny, stuck at a crossroads in life, and he couldn’t help but wonder if their paths had crossed at just the right time. It could be destiny, but Danny preferred the idea that his mother was watching over him from somewhere and had sent Eve back to him right when he needed her.

One thing was certain—Eve Everton was at the top of his “to do” list and no one stayed there for long. Danny had made up his mind he wanted her and he always got what he wanted.

Eve woke to the dull throb of a headache at her temples. She groaned, rolling over in bed, clutching at a pillow she realized with dreadful certainty wasn’t her own. She blinked awake against her head’s profound protest against it and found herself in a strange room. The bright sunlight filtering in through the window nearly blinded her and she moaned out loud as she looked around. The room was sparsely decorated and she frowned at the simplicity of it.

Memories surged at her then, putting her mind on fast forward. She groaned again, putting a hand to her head and rolling over to lie sprawled across the bed in Paul and Danny’s guestroom.

Would she ever stop making a mockery of her life?

As if returning home with nothing to show for ten long years away wasn’t enough, she had gotten herself completely trashed and hung all over Paul—who had a girlfriend.

She vaguely remembered Paul calling her mother and making up excuses for her, which made it even worse. Way to make a good impression. She had envisioned seeing Paul a million times over the years but her fantasies had never played out so horribly. She couldn’t have made up a more humiliating situation if she had tried.

Someone give her a gun and let her put herself out of her misery. “Evie Girl?”

“Lemme alone,” she moaned, putting the pillow over her head. “I’m plotting my demise.”

“Oh, don’t do that,” Danny called from the other side of the door. “Can I come in?” “I don’t care.”

Eve was still sprawled out over the bed, wearing only Paul’s enormous shirt for modesty. She felt Danny’s eyes on her as she hid under the pillow, pushing it closer to her face, deciding suffocation would work if she couldn’t locate a gun.

“You’re adorable,” Danny said, his voice soft and strangely full of longing. “I thought of you all night.”

“Are you still drunk?” Eve asked accusingly into the pillow.

Danny laughed and the sound was endearing enough to force Eve to move the pillow aside and blink up at him. Danny stood over her, wearing a pair of faded blue jeans—and nothing else.

“Want some coffee?” he asked, raising dark eyebrows as he stared down at her. “I just made it.”

“What?” Eve mumbled, her eyes wide as she took in Danny’s strong, cut arms and muscular chest. He was built more lithely than Paul, reminding her of a panther rather than a bear. Her eyes ran down to his flat stomach that was defined with the lines of a very nice six-pack. His hips were narrow, his legs impossibly long. His hair was mussed from sleeping, his dark eyes sated and heavy. He was beautiful enough to make her breathless and she decided right then any world that had a man that handsome in it was worth living in. “Maybe suicide is over the top.”

“I think so,” he said with a sexy grin. “What about the coffee?”

“Sure,” she said, pushing the pillow aside and rolling out of bed. She raised her eyebrows hopefully. “Cuban coffee?”

Danny turned around to walk out of the room, showing off a nice, firm backside that looked divine in jeans. “Is there any other kind?”

“Bonus,” she said, pushing her hair behind her ears, knowing it was probably a ratted mess. “I feel like absolute hell. Hide all the mirrors. I know I’ll faint if I see myself looking dreadful when you’re such a nice sight first thing in the morning.”

“You think so?” Danny asked casually as he walked down the long, narrow hallway.

“Oh, yeah,” Eve said, very aware it was her hormones and nothing else that had her padding barefoot behind Danny in nothing but an overlarge football jersey. “I’m not awake enough to put my Danny barriers up. Cuban coffee is a necessity.”

“If that’s the case, you can’t have any.”

“Stop it,” Eve said, following him into their kitchen that was spotlessly clean this morning. “Who did the dishes?”

He turned around and frowned at her. “Does it matter?”

“Not really.” Eve shrugged, staring around the house again, taking in its clean, homey atmosphere. “Just trying to figure out which of you is the neat freak.”

“We’re both neat freaks,” Danny said, pointing to a chair at the kitchen table. “Sit.”

Eve sat obediently, staring bleary eyed at Danny as he poured her a cup of Cuban coffee. “Two men being so neat, I find that suspicious.”

“Paul’s a military brat. He was raised to be neat. Do you want cream and sugar?” “Lots.” Eve rubbed at her eyes, trying to find the will to wake up more fully. “What

happened to you, then?”

“I suppose Paul was a bad influence,” Danny said as he doctored her coffee for her with cream and sugar.

Eve frowned at Danny, her sleep-clogged mind doing a very poor job of figuring out why she felt as if she were clearly missing something important. “There’s something different about you. I’m trying to figure out what it is.”

Danny set the cup of coffee down in front of her as he sat across from her. “Let me know when you do.”

“I have my eye on you,” Eve said as she picked up her coffee. She took a long drink, ignoring the burn to the roof of her mouth because it tasted like heaven. She had forgotten what really good
café con leche
tasted like. “The coffee is awesome.”

“Thank you,” Danny said, leaning his elbow against the table and staring at her with those dark, smoldering eyes that made desire shimmer over her whenever he focused them on her. “When are you going to let me take you out on a real date?”

“Danny barriers,” Eve reminded him as she took another sip of coffee. “You’re not allowed to flirt until I get my defenses back.”

He rested his chin on his open palm as he continued to stare at her as if he didn’t have anything else to do in the world except look at her. Eve drank her coffee, arching an un-amused eyebrow at him as his look started to affect her. She didn’t know if it made her want to run away or throw herself at him, but either way she was uncomfortable. She looked toward the ceiling as a distraction, seeing there wasn’t a speck of dust on the fan.

Why did she feel like she had just fallen into the twilight zone?

“Where’s Paul?” she asked when the silence and his staring started to cause a small, insistent throb between her legs she didn’t want to have to satisfy.

“Fixing your car.”

Eve frowned over the rim of her cup of coffee. “What’s wrong with it?”

“It’s a piece of shit.” His eyes still smoldered as they ran over her face and then down to the line of cleavage that was revealed by the deep dip in Paul’s football jersey. “I think it’s sexy you’ll walk around in only a shirt before we’ve done it. You’re bold, I like that.”

Eve gave him a look. “We’re not going to do it, Danny Boy.”

“Sure we are,” he said, raising his eyebrows as his eyes bored into hers. “It turns me on when you call me Danny Boy. It’s been only Paul calling me that for way too long. Do you think you’ll scream it when I make you come?”

“I’m done with you,” Eve said, setting her coffee down and standing. “My mother is probably freaking out about last night. I need to get dressed and go home.”

“Oh, don’t,” Danny said, reaching out to grab her arm when she moved to walk off. “I’m sorry for being forward.”

Eve looked down at him dully. “No, you’re not.”

“Okay, I’m not,” he admitted with a wince as he stared up at her, his eyes reflecting a longing that surprised her. “Is it so bad that I want to make love to you?”

Eve rolled her eyes, tugging at her hand halfheartedly. “What a load of bullshit.

You’ll have to be a lot more creative than that to get into my panties.”

Danny stood in front of her. Eve gasped when he leaned into her, trapping her against the table, his hands resting on either side of her. She could feel the warmth of his body through the thin material of the football jersey. She stared at his bare chest rather than meet his eyes because lust surged through her bloodstream, waking her up

far more efficiently than Cuban coffee could. Moisture pooled between her legs and she realized with a sinking heart it had been a very long time since she had gotten laid. Her defenses were at an all-time low.

“Okay,” Danny said in a low, compelling voice that rolled off his tongue like butter as he leaned down to whisper in her ear. Eve turned her head away, but it was more to feel his warm breath against her skin that was suddenly hypersensitive and tingling. “You want me to cut the bullshit?”

“Yes,” Eve said, her voice weak and breathy sounding. “Cut the bullshit so I can go home and deal with my psycho mother.”

“I want to fucking drown myself in you,” Danny rasped against her ear. His breathing was suddenly ragged, which sent a fresh surge of want through Eve as her pussy started throbbing to the rhythm of her rapid heartbeat. “I want to lick you until you go hoarse from screaming. I want to pass out in your arms completely exhausted from fucking you as thoroughly as you deserve and I want to wake up in the morning next to you and make you breakfast and Cuban coffee for as long as you’ll let me.”

Eve’s eyes grew wide and she slouched against the table, tilting her head to look up at Danny for a sign he was joking. What she saw was a look so deadly serious it left her momentarily speechless.

She would be lying to herself if she didn’t admit his words had washed over her like fire, making her skin hum in arousal. She felt like an insect being trapped in a spider’s web, falling prey to him willingly without even a semblance of a fight. It had been a very long time since a man had made her literally breathless and if the situation were different, she’d already be naked instead of taking deep, steady breaths to keep her ardor under control.