Time to Pretend (18 page)

Daniel’s followed seconds later.

He sat up, unable to stay still. His arm came around Alaina, holding her close as his firm, full lips captured her.

When he released her lips, she collapsed against his shoulder, their chests both heaving as they waited for breathing to normalize.

His fingers played up and down her spine. “Did I tell you how much I love it when you get bossy?”

A weak laugh was her only response.

“Do you want breakfast or a shower first?” The gurgle in his stomach answered that question. “What do you have?” She envisioned cold cereal, but she was a picky eater who didn’t care for most cereals.

“Since we have limited movement, how about something simple?” He lifted her off him and moved to the side of the bed to peel away the used condom. “I make really good French toast.” She regarded him with no small measure of surprise. “You cook?” He grunted in an imitation of a caveman. “Yes. Dan cooks.” In an exaggerated display of alpha-maleness, he threw her to the mattress and held her down to bite at her shoulder and throat.

Alaina was ticklish on a normal day. Given their activities of the morning, she was extra-sensitive to stimulation. Her surprise dissolved into uncontrollable laughter. She squirmed under him, squealing at him to stop. The protest only fueled his actions.

138

Michele Zurlo

“I have to pee!”

That made him stop. Gingerly, he lifted himself off her. “You know, for an educated, enlightened woman, you sure have a dim view of men.”

“Yes, well, for a man who cooks, you sure behave like the stereotypical bachelor.” She said it with a smile, but he still flinched at the implication.

To cover his sudden frown, he turned away and got to his feet, pulling her with him. “What is that supposed to mean?” Alaina indicated his apartment with the sweep of her hand.

“Everything is in easy reach. You have a tiny kitchen and a large television.” She glanced around with a fresh frown. The place was clean and free of clutter. “You must have a cleaning woman who comes by at least once a week to keep the place looking nice for your revolving door of women.”

Daniel’s brows drew together in a sharp scowl. “I like variety.” His eyes closed, and his lips moved to form a curse word. “I clean my own place.” He set off in the direction of the bathroom, dragging her along.

“Where are you going?” Panic edged her question, but not in response to anything he said. She already knew he liked variety.

“To the bathroom. You said you had to pee. So do I.” She jerked her hand, halting his forward progress. “Are you sure you don’t have the key to these things?” His scowl turned to a smirk. He dragged her into the bathroom.

“What’s wrong, Alaina? Afraid the slutty caveman won’t let you go first?” He tossed the condom into the trash and washed his hands in the sink.

Her mouth opened and closed. When words came, she tripped over them. “I don’t think I can do this with you in the room.”

“You will if you have to go bad enough.” Daniel laughed. “The toilet isn’t that close to the door.”
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The bathroom was large. Though he had shut off the flow of water in the sink, the sound made her have to go all the more. In the end, Daniel turned the tap back on and turned his back to give her privacy.

She had to look away from his chiseled ass and close her eyes in order to make herself relax.

“You know, I haven’t been with as many women as you think.” He threw that nugget over his shoulder. It was laced with more than a little defensive hostility.

They switched positions without Alaina responding.

“I bet you’ve been with just as many men,” he said, not suffering from the same issues with privacy. “You’re pretty wild in the sack, Alaina. You’re not at all shy or reserved. Don’t get me wrong. I like that about you, but you’re not in a position to be judgmental.” They washed their hands together, and Daniel continued his tirade. “I have no idea why you think I’m incapable of cooking for myself or cleaning my own apartment.” Alaina stared at him as he pulled sweats from a drawer. She had already buttoned her shirt. It hung to her thighs.

“I like a clean living space. I was raised in a house where everyone pitched in for all the cooking and cleaning.” He threw his sweats back in the drawer. “You know what? We’re going to shower first, then eat.”

Alaina bit her lip to keep the smile hidden. He was working himself into a fine tizzy, and it amused her to see it. She trailed him to the kitchen first. He extracted a plastic baggie from a drawer and unbuttoned her shirt.

She looked down, watching his progress. “What are you doing?”

“You can’t shower with this on,” he explained. The impatient scowl was back. “You have fantastic tits. I’m all for carting you to Royal Oak in a wet, white shirt, but I think you wouldn’t like it so much.” He rolled it into a small bundle and shoved it into the bag.

Then he secured it with duct tape. It dangled from the metal links between the handcuffs. “That should stay dry.”
140

Michele Zurlo

It amazed her that he could be so thoughtful, so indignant, and so condescending all at the same time. He probably thought there was nothing wrong with the way he complimented her breasts.

In the bathroom, he held out a hair tie. “Do you want to wash your hair or put it up?” When she stared at the pink elastic circle, he exhaled sharply. “It’s Sophia’s. I’m sure she won’t care if you use it. I also have some of her clothes here. I’d offer you her underwear, but I don’t think women like to share those things.” Alaina took the band and put her hair up, studying him silently the entire time. She wondered if she should have insisted he eat first.

Zach also became cranky when his blood sugar was low.

The spray of water was warmer than she liked, but she didn’t say anything. He held their hands with her shirt out of direct contact with water as he soaped first her torso, then his. Silence fell as he cleaned the smell of sweat and sex from both their bodies.

“You know,” she said at last, breaking the pensive silence, “you kinda did the same thing to me. You climbed up on my roof and inspected my house like I had no idea how to identify what needed to be repaired.”

Reaching behind her, he snagged the showerhead and rinsed away the soap on her body. “You had no idea what needed to be repaired.

You didn’t even know that your roof needed tar paper in order to be water tight.”

“I didn’t put that roof on,” she said primly. “I had the garage roof replaced, but the previous owners were the ones who did the house’s roof.”

“Alaina.”

She ignored the warning in his voice. “I know how to handle insurance adjusters and contractors. I’m not completely ignorant about construction matters. I can read a contract, and I can see where my drywall has water damage.”

“What about your structural problems?” He gritted the words through clenched teeth. “What about the beams in your attic that are
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rotting away? They’re supposed to be holding up your roof. Your insulation is wet. You have moisture where you shouldn’t. If you don’t completely replace all of that, you’re going to have mold. I’m surprised you don’t already.”

Alaina’s eyes widened. “You’re really pissed about this, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” he growled, shoving her against the wall. His hands rested on either side of her head, holding her right hand captive. The tile was cool against her back.

She regarded him warily. She wasn’t afraid he would hurt her, but she had no idea where this display of temper would take them.

Perversely, his display of such strong feeling aroused her. Did this mean she had to turn in her feminist card? “Are you afraid I’ll ask you to stop seeing other people? I won’t.” His hand rose, hovering next to her cheek as if he couldn’t decide how he wanted to touch her. It dropped away. “I haven’t been with another woman since you walked into my life.” She doubted he actually remembered the day they met almost as much as she doubted he had been celibate for four months. “Bullshit.”

“April twentieth. Sophia and I met with you to do the paperwork for the grant. I had a date that night. I didn’t even kiss her.” His eyes flickered between her eyes and her lips. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

Alaina was struck speechless. She hadn’t begun coming to the sessions until the beginning of June. He hadn’t asked her out until July.

“It took me some time to get up the courage to ask you out. You seemed so uninterested in me. Even afterward, I tried to go out a couple of times. It didn’t work out. I want to be with you, Alaina. I don’t know why you hate me, and I’m getting sick and tired of this low opinion of me you seem hell-bent on having. I am not an asshole, and I’m not stupid. Maybe I don’t have a PhD, but I am just as intelligent as you are.”

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Michele Zurlo

She stared at him, vaguely noting the water washing over them both. It might have turned icy, and it wouldn’t have mattered. The heat darkening his chocolate eyes and emanating from his body warmed her from the inside out. “I never doubted your intelligence,” she breathed. Her breasts strained, yearning for his touch. “And you are damn sexy when you’re mad.”

His lips compressed into a thin line. He turned, shoving his head under the shower’s spray. “And you have the nerve to accuse me of seeing you as a piece of meat.”

Wary, but no less aroused, Alaina said nothing.

Soap and water cascaded from his hair. “That’s it?” he said. “You have nothing to say to that, Dr. Miles? No clever psychobabble response?”

“I think we should wait until after breakfast to continue this discussion.”

The quietness of her response must have penetrated because he said nothing until they were both dressed and in the kitchen. Alaina wore her clothes from the previous day. Daniel pulled on a fresh pair of jeans, but he remained shirtless. The handcuffs prevented him from dressing completely.

She helped gather the ingredients for French toast. Daniel skillfully tackled cooking duties with his one free hand. Next to him, Alaina browned sausage. She didn’t care for the little pieces of intestine filled with spiced meat, but Daniel needed more than just bread dipped in egg to balance his blood sugar and restore his mood.

Seated at his table, she waited until he was half-finished with his meal before speaking. “Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

“I don’t rate an apology?” He popped half a link into his mouth.

His defensiveness wasn’t gone. She felt a bit on the petty side. “If I don’t rate an apology after all this time, then neither do you.” He finished chewing and took a huge swig of orange juice before answering. “I’m not going to apologize for being concerned about
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your well-being. You wouldn’t even have called your insurance company if it wasn’t for me.”

A long stream of air exited her nose, a sound of disgust and frustration. “I’m not talking about that.”

“Then what?” His steely glare penetrated deep. “List my sins, Alaina. I’ve done everything I can think of to get you to like me, yet you still seem to concentrate on my flaws. I have no idea why you’re here with me.”

She held up her wrist in response. “You wanted me here, Daniel.

You came to the café, staked your claim, and then brought me back here and made sure I couldn’t leave.”

“Our date,” he snapped. “The one night you looked at me and your smile was genuine, not that measured crap you use on everybody else. I did something to piss you off, and I have no fucking idea what it was. You don’t seem inclined to let me in on that secret.” Alaina looked away, sadness sweeping over her. When they were having sex, she and Daniel were so compatible. It wasn’t until they spoke to one another that things fell apart. “This is a mistake.” When she turned back to him, her composure had returned. “I think it’s time we headed out to your sister’s house.” His hand closed over hers. “Lainie.” She stared at his hand, reveling in the warmth enclosing her fist.

“I don’t want to argue with you, Daniel. I enjoyed last night and this morning with you. I think we argue because we’re just two very different people. I’m ten years older than you. I’m in a different stage of my life. You’re still exploring your options. I’m at the point where I’m looking for someone who complements me, who understands and respects me. I’m not judging you, Danny. There’s nothing wrong with the way you live your life. We’re just not compatible.” He regarded her with somber eyes and stiff shoulders. “I disagree.”

Alaina smiled and turned her hand to grasp his. “I know. You’re opinionated and tenacious. I admire those qualities.”
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Michele Zurlo

“You have those qualities,” he interrupted.

“I know,” she said. “It’s another reason we disagree so easily.” He rose, gathered their empty plates, and led her to the sink to deal with the dishes. “So, your theory is that we don’t get along because we’re so alike, yet we have nothing in common.” He rinsed the plates and loaded them into the dishwasher. Alaina didn’t see how she could help without getting in the way. She handed him the pan he used to make the French toast. “That’s accurate.”

“I treat you like meat. You treat me like meat. I stereotype and underestimate you. You stereotype and underestimate me.” She winced at his use of straightforward terms. They sounded like such horrible people.

He turned to her, grabbed her ass, and pressed his pelvis into hers.

“We blow each other’s minds sexually.” Alaina’s breath caught. He did blow her mind. “That’s not enough to base a relationship on.”

He leaned closer. His lips brushed against hers. “I am husband material, Alaina.”

“I know,” she whispered, finding it difficult to breathe when all she wanted to do was throw her arms around his neck and mash her lips against his. “Just not mine.”

Daniel’s eyes closed, not quite hiding a flash of pain. “Don’t make that decision yet, Alaina. We could have a really good thing here.” She could think of nothing to say.