Closer Than A Brother (5 page)

“Oh no you don’t.” She held it back and pressed her breasts into his chest to distract him. His shaft twitched against her, causing her own wet suffering.

“You know I want you, Danielle. I always have.”

“Hmm.” She sighed, as he nipped her ear.

“Give me the damn condom,” he grunted.

She chuckled as he moved a hand around her to take it from her. His mouth caught hers as he did, and she moaned her pleasure as his tongue moved with hers.

“You are a remarkable kisser,” she said gasping for breath when he let go of her lips. He slipped the condom on while she wasn’t paying attention. “I want to make love to you, Danielle.” He lifted her right leg up around his waist pressing her butt back on his desk. She watched his eyes become glassy as he raked them over her body, causing goose bumps to break out all over. This wasn’t the look of a puppy-dog-eyed little boy who had a crush on an older girl. This was a man who wanted a woman and was ready to take her at any given moment. She could feel his hard erection rub against her swollen lips indulged by his mouth only minutes before. His mushroomed head split her folds as he looked her in the eyes. She held on to his shoulders ready to let him take her. The knock on the door evaporated the erotic haze around them.

“Fuck me sideways.”

“I was hoping you would,” she said slyly.

The knock persisted, this time louder. He tensed and shut his eyes. She kissed his jaw and he softened a little bit. “Can you give me a minute to put on my dress,” she whispered in his ear.

“We aren’t finished, Danielle.”

“I know, but I really don’t want my naked ass exposed to whoever is on the other side of that door.”

“Hold on a minute,” he yelled over his shoulder at the door. They scrambled for their clothes. He helped her tie the back of her dress. She turned to help him with his shirt as he buttoned his jeans back over the throbbing erection. He lowered his head to capture her lips. “Come home with me tonight?” He stared at her, waiting for a response.

“I don’t know…” She buttoned the last button of his shirt, stepping away from him.

“Whoa, wait, you are uncertain now?” The door to his office opened. “What the hell!” he roared turning around. Jason and Brandi stood at the door. “I said hold on a minute. We’re talking.”

“We have a situation out there, man. If you hadn’t noticed, we need to go out.” Shane looked over Dani’s shoulder, down at the club.

“Shit.”

“Exactly,” Jason said, taking his partner’s holster off the coat rack at the door. “Baby, stay here with Dani, please. We’ll be right back.” Jason kissed Brandi briefly.

“This isn’t finished,” Shane said in Danielle’s ear. The door shut behind them.

Brandi turned to raise a knowing brow. “It smells like sex in here.”

“Oh, shut up.”

“Why did you keep us waiting, Dani?”

“Yes, it got a little steamy.”

“A little?” Brandi asked eyeing the foil wrapper on the desk.

“Shut up. We didn’t get to do anything since we had visitors. What’s up with you and Jason?”

Brandi ducked her head sheepishly. “We’ve been dating for a little while.”

“Shane said two years. Why am I the last to know?”

“Well, I know how you feel about Shane. I thought you would think poorly of my relationship.”

“Honey, what you do with your love life is your business. As long as you are happy, who am I to judge?”

“Really? I’m glad you feel that way. I really do think this is the real thing. I think he may pop the question. Every time I think he may, something distracts him or something happens.”

“The
big
question? Really? Shane said you’d only been dating off and on for two years. I didn’t realize it was that serious.”

“We really haven’t told anyone how serious we are. Just enjoying our relationship. You know?”

“Wow, well just hold tight, honey. Good things always come to those who wait.”

“Maybe that good thing is a sexy cop for you—”

Brandi’s scream was the last thing Danielle remembered hearing before the glass behind them spider webbed and loud, firecracker sounds erupted below.

“Fuck!” Brandi said, climbing behind the oak desk. “What was that? Was that—”

“Gunshots!” Danielle finished the sentence for her.

“Shit! Jason is out there.” Brandi crawled toward the door.

“Hold on!” Dani yelled grabbing her ankle. “Do you hear all the yelling and screaming down there? Do you want to get hurt? Jason said to stay here and that is what we are going to do. There were a ton of cops in the VIP. We’re safe. The guys are safe.” She tried to calm her friend.

* * * *

The gun shots stopped. He lay on his back, pain knifing through his side. “Fucking son of a bitch shot me,” Jason cursed. He moved his hand to his side and came in contact with warm, sticky liquid.

“Officer down! Officer down!” He heard someone to his left yell into a walkie.

“No man, I just need a medic,” he moaned. “It just grazed me.” Jason sat up looking at the glass where they had left the girls. The bulletproof glass had spider webbed, but not shattered. He lifted a hand to the glass in case Brandi was looking down—he couldn’t tell. “I’m okay, babe,” he barely mouthed.

“Where is…” He coughed, grimacing from the pain that shot through his side. “Where is Shane?” he asked the officer now standing over him. The officer looked at Jason, but didn’t answer. He continued to bark in the walkie. “Damn it, officer down,” he ordered, “I need a fucking bus here, now.”

Jason held a hand to his side, and looked to the left.

“Oh God…Shane.”

Chapter Six

She was numb—couldn’t think or breathe. She just stood motionless at the window looking down at Shane’s body. She watched Jason crawl to his side.

“Come on, let’s go,” Brandi said, grabbing her hand.

“Brandi, is he…”

“No, honey, don’t talk like that. The medics will come and get him. He will be fine.”

“I can’t lose him.”

“Stop it. No one is losing anyone today,” her friend scolded.

“Ladies, please stay here.” An officer in plain clothes stopped them before they could get on the dance floor.

By this time the paramedics were loading Shane on a stretcher. Jason was being assisted as well. He turned and noticed Brandi. “Hey, let them come here,” he called out to the officer. Brandi and Danielle made their way over to where Jason was being bandaged. “I have to go to the hospital,” he said kissing Brandi. He grabbed Danielle’s hand. “He’ll be fine.”

“He looked…he looked…” Danielle, usually strong, usually able to find a word for everything, was speechless.

Brandi wrapped an arm around her. “You heard what he said, honey.” She took charge, already turning to walk toward their vehicle. Looking back at Jason, she said, “I’ll drive her. We will follow the ambulance to the hospital.”

* * * *

“What happened!?” Dani watched Mr. and Mrs. Matthews rush into the emergency room.

Brandi came to Mrs. Matthews. “Shane was shot in the abdomen, but the doctor just came out and said the bullet missed any vital organs. They were able to stop the bleeding in time and he will be fine. It looked a lot worse than it was. Shane is tough.”

“That’s my boy.” Mr. Matthews sighed, dropping into a nearby seat.

Jason walked through the ER doors forcing as much of a grin as he could. Brandi met him, taking his hand, whispering in his ear. Danielle took it all in.

Her mother came into the ER, followed by her father, shortly thereafter, and went right to her. “Honey, are you okay?”

One look at her mother made her break down and cry. “I have never been more scared in my life. When I saw him, I thought he was dead,” she whispered.

“Have you been in to see him?”

“Not yet. Jason was just in. I’m sure Shane is resting”

She listened to Jason talking to Mr. and Mrs. Matthews. Supposedly a drug deal had gone horribly wrong. They tried to bust it up, but the dealer started shooting at them. “This was no doubt out-of-town folks. Everyone knows that’s a cop run club.”

“Honey, do you want to go in and see him?” her mother asked.

“No, his parents and his partner are here. They have to go in.”

“Well, me and your dad are gonna go see about him.”

“Okay,” she said, holding her ground.

* * * *

“Where is she?” Shane asked, taking the water Brandi handed him. He attempted to sit up in bed. His stitches pulled and he winced.

“Man, you’ve been out of it for a couple of days from the loss of blood and the meds. Dani has been here pretty much every day.” Jason tried to calm his friend.

“She usually sits with you at night once everyone is gone,” Brandi chimed in, filling in the blanks for him.

He had vague recollections of her talking to him softly, holding his hand…crying. He winced. “Is she at her parent’s house?” Shane asked.

“She was at her parent’s all week. She went back to New York yesterday, once she was sure you would be okay,” Brandi answered.

Shane closed his eyes. “Damn it.”

“She said she will be back as soon as her work allows. But, she had to get back to New York. She’s called several times today,” Brandi said.

Shane rested back on the pillows.

“That was a close call, brother. You had all of us pretty scared,” Jason said, trying to change the subject.

“Did we get the son of a bitch?”

“Yeah, we got him. Running from the scene.”

“Good.” He closed his eyes. “I need you to ask the doctor when I’ll be able to fly.”

“Fly?” his mother asked as she came into the room. “Now isn’t the time to be traveling, son.”

“I have to go get her.”

“Dani?” his mother asked, surprised.

“Who else?”

Chapter Seven

“I know it’s Thanksgiving, Mama, but I’m a decorator and you know these storefronts don’t decorate themselves for the holidays!”

Two months after she’d left South Carolina, Danielle stood in her studio apartment twisting her curly hair up and out of her face. “Send everyone my love. I’ll definitely see you at Christmas. How is he?” she asked as she did every time she spoke to her mother.

“Doing so much better. Still in pain at times, but that’s to be expected. He asks about you every chance he gets. You know you really did break his heart leaving here like you did.”

“I was at the hospital a whole week, Mama. I didn’t know they would have him knocked out that long. I had to get back home. Plus, he doesn’t need me starting an argument about this while he’s healing.”

“You know he loves you.”

“Oh, Mom, please. I love you
all.
I really do have to go. Send Dad and Miss Mary my love.”

“Danielle Rose,” her mother scolded. “You need to talk to him.”

“I promise I will as soon as this holiday rush is over.”

“He wants to talk to you, and you know he will find a way.”

She quieted, thinking about Shane’s persistence the night he was shot. They almost made love right there in his office minutes before. She was glad he was okay, but she couldn’t allow herself to have feelings for him—the feelings he wanted anyway. The thought of him lying in the hospital bed, the color drained from his body, made her sick every time she thought about it. She put a hand to her mouth. “You are sure he is doing better, Mom?” she whispered.

“Honey, he is fine. You should call him and talk to him about it.”

“Okay, I will.”

“I don’t know what happened to you two before the shooting, but he has done nothing but bug me to death about you and you are avoiding the hell out of him. What happened?”

“Typical Dani-Shane nonsense, Mom. Nothing to speak about.”

“Mm-hmm, and I smell a lie miles away.”

“I have to go.”

“Well enjoy your evening,” her mom said with a chuckle.

“I don’t have anything planned, Mom. I will be resting tonight.”

“Okay, night dear.” Her mom hung up on her before she could say anything else.

“Well that was odd.” She placed the phone back on the charger and looked at the window. “Mmm, starting to snow.” She turned up her thermostat and poured herself a glass of wine.

She looked over at her laptop. Brandi had sent her a wedding announcement. She and Jason were engaged finally. They were planning a short engagement. The wedding was set just a month and a half away for Christmas. She would see Shane then. He was the best man and she the maid of honor.
I’ll e-mail him,
she thought, starting across the room to her laptop. Just drop him a line:
Shane, Mama told me you are doing better. I’m really glad to hear that. We will have to keep in touch so we can plan parties for Brandi and Jason, yadda, yadda, yadda.
She continued thinking up BS lines in her head on the way to her laptop. Something was nagging at her—her feelings for Shane for the last two months—and she was trying to ignore it.
There will never be anything between you and Shane
, she told herself countless times.
He is like family. He is four years younger than you.
Her cell phone rang on her desk. A South Carolina phone number.
Oh, Brandi
. She smiled answering the phone. “Hey!”

“What’s up, girl? What are you doing?”

“I was actually sitting down to send out some e-mails.”

“Well, I won’t keep you. I just wanted to thank you for agreeing to be my maid of honor.”

“You don’t have to thank me—”

“Hush, let me finish,” her friend said cutting her off. “Jason and I wanted to do something special for you.”

“Girl, please, you are like my sister. There is no need—”

“I said hush.”

“Well, yes, ma’am.”

“We had a package for you delivered to your apartment this afternoon. It should actually be there now.”

“I didn’t hear the carrier leave anything at the door, and I already went down for my mail.”

“I told them just to leave it, no signature needed.”

“You are too much.” She made the trip back across her apartment. “You know you are going to have to come up here so we can go shopping before the wedding. We don’t have very much time. But a Christmas wedding will be so beautiful!” she chatted as she undid the locks on her door.