Read Hollywood Princess Online
Authors: Dana Aynn Levin
Hollywood Princess (7 page)
Now he snuggled with me while the ice sat on my ankle for twenty more minutes. His arm wrapped around my shoulders. Danny caressed my hands. His were warm and soft. The attention filled me with love.
Danny gave my shoulder an affectionate squeeze. Those damned sapphire eyes twinkled at me, the happiest smile on his full lips. It was infectious. Despite the throbbing pain, I smiled back. I had no choice.
Relaxed and content, Danny kissed my forehead. I snuggled closer, my head leaning against him as Danny held me close. We were a picture-perfect couple; except that we weren’t.
“Time’s up!” Danny’s gentle voice jarred me.
“One more minute?” I pleaded.
“Cozy, Elizabeth?”
“Yes,” I smiled, dreamy-eyed.
“Me, too,” Danny agreed, and he kissed my head.
I was in serious danger of getting used to this.
Soon, Danny removed the ice pack and patted my ankle dry.
“How does it look?” I asked. I feared looking at my ankle.
Danny playfully examined my limb. “It’s as beautiful as the leg it’s attached to,” he said giving me a wicked smile that sent a spasm of pleasure through me.
Surprising me, Danny kissed my ankle, and I giggled. If only Danny were my boyfriend. I sighed. Wishful thinking, for now.
Danny flashed another killer smile as he finished wrapping the brace around my ankle. “It looks the same as before.”
Impatient, I wanted an instant recovery.
“Maybe by the morning?” I asked, disappointed by the lack of progress.
“Possibly,” Danny answered. “Let’s go watch a DVD.”
It felt good to get out of Danny’s small room. The spacious dorm lounge, all overstuffed couches and chairs, with a large flat-screen television affixed to the wall, was empty. It was our own private oasis.
Wearing pajamas, reminded me of when Danny and I were kids hanging out at home while our parents were out for the evening. Flora prepared the snacks then. Danny would set the television to Nickelodeon or some other parent-approved channel. Then he would pop in an R-rated DVD. Keeping an ear out for Flora and his finger on the remote, Danny would flip back to Nick whenever he heard her. Flora never caught on.
Tonight Danny did the honors. After placing cans of Diet Coke on the side table, he eased me on to the sofa and took the crutches, leaning them against a wall. Then he carefully placed my foot on a sofa pillow he’d placed on the coffee table.
Danny handed me the remote. “I’ll go pop some corn,” he said.
With a kiss to my forehead Danny disappeared into the adjacent kitchen. I could get used to this.
Danny soon returned with two large bags of butter-flavored microwave popcorn. He dimmed the room lights and settled in next to me. I continued flipping channels.
“There’s your mother!” Danny exclaimed. We laughed, having stumbled across the latest Miranda Jordan film airing on HBO.
“Sorry, Mom,” I shrugged and changed the channel to Showtime.
“Or we can watch this,” Danny pulled out a DVD in a plain cardboard case distinguished by it’s lack of artwork.
“What’s that?” I never thought we were going to watch Mom.
“Dad sent it. I can keep it until Monday.”
Right away I understood as I read the title printed in a plain black font.
“The new Ryan Gosling! I’m dying to see this. It doesn’t open until next month,” I exclaimed. “Pays to have the right Dad, Mr. N.” I smiled at Danny.
“Pays to have the right girl to watch it with, Miss J,” Danny returned my grin, and he rose to insert the DVD into the player.
Then Danny sat back down to start the movie. “Have some popcorn, Eli.”
Danny lifted a few buttery pieces from his bag and placed them in my mouth. His fingertips lingered on my lips. My pulse quickened and our eyes locked. Danny waited, and I sucked the butter off his fingertips. Then the film began.
Once the popcorn bags lay empty on the table, I became aware of Danny’s every motion, his every breath. The electricity radiating between us was undeniable. It was a fantasy high school first date I’d never experienced. The cool guys never asked out Elizabeth Jacobs.
Like an inexperienced fifteen year-old, Danny tentatively lifted his arm and carefully unfolded it across my shoulders. I inched even closer to him than I already was. In response he gave my shoulder an affectionate squeeze, and I smiled at him. In the dimness of the room, the pleasure registering on Danny’s face lit the space.
Emboldened, his other arm wrapped around my collarbone, enveloping me, warming me, both inside and out. I leaned into Danny and my hand pressed his arm telegraphing the enjoyment his closeness brought me.
After the film, returning to Danny’s room didn’t take long. I was getting the hang of using crutches. My strides were more fluent and under control. Still it was tiring and the renewed pain was causing me stress.
“Let me take those, baby,” Danny said as we entered the suite.
“You must be a mind-reader.” I leaned against his strong body for support.
“Nope. I’m a face-reader. You look exhausted, Eli.”
I hopped into his bedroom, both arms around Danny’s waist for support. Inside, he leaned the crutches against the desk while I continued to hold him.
“Time to take your meds and go to sleep, young lady.”
“You sound like Dad.”
“I’m definitely not Mike.”
“Good,” I said, and I wrapped my hands around his neck.
Danny’s arms were instantly around my back pulling me closer. His power gave me the strength to go up on my left toe, my weight supported by him. I brought Danny’s face down to mine for our lips to meet in the kiss I had been waiting all night for.
Anticipation lit a fire inside me. My heart raced. I tingled all over from his magnetism. But just as Danny’s lips touched mine, he jerked his head back, not far, but out of range.
“Not tonight, Eli,” he whispered. Danny’s expression turned downcast.
Throughout the movie Danny held me in his arms. Now that we were in the privacy of his room, it seemed the natural next step. Was it Juliette?
“We’re alone now,” I pointed out. “I thought you’d want to.”
“I do, but not tonight,” he said firmly.
Disappointed, I came down from my pointe and turned away.
“E,” Danny said as he turned me to his chest, “This is not a rejection. Making love to you would be amazing. Just not tonight.”
He wanted to! Danny thought making love to me would be amazing! My pulse quickened. I had been waiting all my life to hear Danny admit that!
I glanced up at sad, molten cobalt eyes. Nothing left to lose, I said, “I want you, Daniel.”
He smiled. “I feel the same. But we have to wait.”
I stared at Danny, bewildered. He felt the same! “You can’t say that and not tell me what you mean,” I stammered.
“You’re right.” Danny carried me over to the bed. In one fluid motion he was sitting beside me holding my hands.
“E, your ankle,” he pointed out. “You’re in pain.”
“I’ll take my meds.”
Danny smirked. “I don’t want you loopy your first time.”
“I don’t care,” I protested.
“You won’t give up, will you?”
“I’m a spoiled princess and I want my way,” I teased.
Danny sighed. “Princess, we need to talk.”
Shit! Nothing positive ever began with the phrase, “we need to talk.”
“Is it Juliette?” I asked, afraid of the answer. The truth could ruin my evening.
Danny smiled warmly. “No, it’s not Juliette. We broke up.”
“You did! When?” Total glee. Then I tamped it down for show.
“A few hours ago. She didn’t believe there was nothing going on between us.” Danny laughed and so did I. How quickly things had changed, sort of.
“Eli, I need you to understand where my head is at.” I nodded. “Elizabeth, what happens tomorrow if we make love tonight?”
“We wake up and do it again?” I shrugged with an impish grin.
“That might have been the wrong question.” Then Danny sighed. “We have a very special relationship. I don’t want to ruin it. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had.”
Danny glanced down at our joined hands, and them back up to my eyes.
“Mom was right when she said I’d never had a girlfriend. I’ve dated girls, including Juliette, but I’ve never had the emotional commitment. Then there’s you. Eli, it’s only since this morning that I began to realize we might be more than friends. When you hobbled out of the doctor’s office, my heart broke. I felt your pain. It was unbearable. I’d have done anything to make it go away.”
“And you did,” I assured him. “You’ve been amazing.”
Danny took a deep breath, crafting his next words with precision. His brow creased. He was troubled.
“Eli, I woke up happy and single this morning. If we make love, tomorrow I wake up in the most committed relationship I could ever imagine being in. I’ll go overnight from having a casual girlfriend in Juliette to being practically married. It’s overwhelming. I need to decide if I want that. I need time. Do I make any sense?”
Yes, yes, yes! I tried not to grin. If the end game was Danny and I together, he could have as much time as he wanted. Instead I kept my exterior calm and answered,
“I understand. I’ve thought about it before. You haven’t.”
Danny took my face in his hands. His devilish smile set my head to spinning.
“Time to take your meds, young lady.” Then Danny chastely kissed my lips.
It was not a deep or passionate kiss, but it was a kiss nonetheless.
After I swallowed the pills last night, Danny tucked me in. I hadn’t felt sleepy at first, but then wham! It was as though I’d been hit on the head.
Danny had held me against his chest and comforted me by stroking my back. My trust that he would not let anything bad happen was all that calmed me. Soon I stopped fighting the sedative effect of the drugs and I succumbed to sleep.
Rain was falling. In the distance a low rumble of thunder rudely announced the official end of summer. A cold front pushing in from Canada was arriving later today to visit the Donnelly campus until spring.
Danny’s arms folded around me, holding me close. His unspoken love enveloped me. Danny may not be ready to be my boyfriend, but the way he held me contradicted his words.
The thunder was getting louder. Thunderstorms were rare at home. Years passed between storms. The loud claps startled me. I snuggled even closer.
Danny’s room was cloaked in darkness. A flash of lightning startled me. My heart jumped. I clenched Danny’s t-shirt. I marveled that he was sleeping through the storm, but Danny’s ankle wasn’t throbbing and he had experienced similar storms at Bromley Hall.
It was tortuous lying next to Danny. Powerful longings overwhelmed me. Yet I had to wait, acknowledging that when we became lovers, it was for the long-haul. That’s what scared Danny. It scared me too, but my mind was made up. I wanted it.
I enjoyed sharing Danny’s bed. His hand against my tank top covered stomach felt so right. What if his hand was against my skin instead? I smiled. It would be great.
Danny was deep in sleep, breathing rhythmically. Slowly, I slid the fabric up. I passed the soft cotton underneath his hand. Perfect! Danny’s hand now rested on my skin. The warmth of his palm, and the softness of his fingers were intoxicating.
I quickly pulled my top down into place. If Danny woke now, he would believe that his hand had found its way by itself. But Danny’s hand had a mind of its own. It inched upward. My pulse quickened as I determined its destination. Ah! This felt so good!
Cautiously I turned my head toward Danny. His eyes, as dangerous as Medusa’s but in a good way, were closed in sleep. A content smile formed on Danny’s perfect lips. I turned away; my staring might wake him. Danny’s hand slid up my torso. I gasped as it reached my breast and Danny began to caress me, squeezing me. I moaned. My senses heightened, the most insane pleasure I had ever experienced. Tortuous!
I could not remain quiet any longer. My gasps and moans would not be contained. As Danny continued caressing my breasts, I pressed my hands against his, my body wanting more.
No longer in control, my back arched against Danny’s chest and my hand reached for his face to kiss him. My head twisted, my lips strained to share this moment of sweetness with his.
Danny began to stir, but he wasn’t yet conscious. He moved his other hand down to my waistband and his fingertips reached my white lace thong. I gasped as his fingers thrust into me. I vibrated. My pulse raced out of control. This is what I wanted.
Abruptly, Danny’s fingers withdrew. His other hand stopped caressing my breasts. My body on the verge, the verge of what I couldn’t comprehend, felt extreme frustration. My thighs squeezed together trying to relieve it.
“Elizabeth, what’s going on?” Danny asked. He was wide-awake.
“I don’t know,” I answered while fighting to regulate my breathing and pulse. “You were sleeping.”
“And you were lying here innocent?” Danny raised an eyebrow.
“Yes?” I said shyly.
“No,” he answered knowingly.
“Danny!” I protested.
“Elizabeth,” Danny said, gazing into my eyes.
“Well, maybe I gave you a little encouragement.” I was so busted.
Danny laughed. “You wanted me to seduce you.” I turned my head away, humiliated.
“I’m not angry, Eli. I’m amused.” Danny peered over my shoulder, smiling. “This has been the most enjoyable wake-up ever.” Danny kissed my forehead. “But don’t do it again. I almost did something we both would have regretted.”
“I wouldn’t have.”
“You would have if I’m not ready to reciprocate your feelings.”
Pouting, I turned away again. A long clap of thunder boomed directly overheard followed by a lightening flash. I tensed. Danny leaned over my side gently rubbing my bare arm.
“Hey,” he murmured, “You’re not scared, are you baby?”
“A little,” I whimpered. Danny gathered me into his protective arms just as the thunder boomed again, followed by more lightening.
“It’ll pass soon. You’re safe,” he murmured. “Elizabeth, what am I going to do with you?” he mused.
“I don’t know,” I answered.
“That was rhetorical. Until yesterday sex was never an issue with us. Now, it’s the only issue. Can we please stop this? Please, Eli?”
“Okay,” I relented. “I don’t want to ruin our friendship.”
“Thank you,” Danny replied. “Eli, I know how you feel about us. Give it a rest, baby. I told you I need time to think and I’ve been sleeping ever since. No epiphanies struck while dreaming.”
Another booming thunderclap sent me clinging to Danny all over again.
“It’s okay,” he said gently and rubbed my back. “Eli, let this be my idea.”
