Time to Pretend (4 page)

“No,” Evan agreed. He was a few inches shorter than Daniel’s six-foot frame. The slight disparity forced him to tilt his head up to meet Daniel’s lips. He grasped the nape of Danny’s neck, threading his fingers through the thatch of short hairs there, and feathered his lips across Daniel’s. “No woman.”

Danny increased the pressure of the kiss, thrusting his tongue inside Evan’s mouth to deepen it. The sweet, hot taste of Evan’s kiss never failed to excite him.

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He caressed Evan’s damp skin, running his fingers down Evan’s back in a series of firm strokes. He kneaded Evan’s ass with one hand, squeezing and pressing the taut muscle there. The skin was smooth, but not soft. With his other hand, he reached between them and wrapped his fist around Evan’s growing erection. One thing he liked about being with Evan was that neither of needed much foreplay.

Sometimes they teased one another for hours. Other times, like now, they skipped the preliminaries.

Evan moaned into Danny’s mouth. He used the fist still wound in Daniel’s hair to pull his friend and lover away. “Fuck, man. You got one week. I’m not waiting any longer. If she’s half the woman you say she is, then I’m not going to let her get away.” His chest heaved, starved for oxygen and for the feel of Evan’s skin. Daniel nodded and stripped off his shirt. Evan unsnapped Danny’s jeans and shoved them down. Danny turned and planted his hands on the counter. It was warm, covered with a damp film from Evan’s shower. The drawer next to him opened and closed. Daniel closed his eyes, bracing himself for an experience that never failed to send him over the edge.

He heard the wet squishing sounds of Evan massaging lube onto his hard shaft. The fingers on his anus were gentle, spreading the jelly outside before venturing in. Evan was always so gentle with him. It was something else he loved about his friend. Somehow, Evan always knew that Danny needed this tender care, just as Danny knew Evan needed it to be rough when he was on the receiving end. It was yet another way in which their personalities perfectly complemented one another.

Evan’s finger withdrew. The hard, mushroom-shaped tip of his cock pressed against the tight muscle guarding Daniel’s entrance.

Daniel moaned in anticipation, his hard cock throbbing.

“You might try apologizing,” Evan said as he breeched the resistant ring. “You can be such an uncompromising asshole sometimes, but I still love you.”

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That heady feeling overwhelmed Daniel. He knew Evan didn’t expect a response. In all the years they’d carried on their odd affair, Daniel had never once professed his feelings.

Evan sank into Daniel, burying his full length with agonizing slowness. Soon, the coarse hairs of Evan’s thighs pressed tight against the backs of Daniel’s legs. Evan gripped Danny’s hips, those strong, work-roughened fingers digging into a bruise from one of Sophia’s more vicious kicks. No pain registered, only the feel of Evan’s thick cock sending shocks of pleasure through Danny’s body.

Evan pulled out just as slowly, but his next thrust was faster.

Danny wrapped his fist around his own cock. He imagined it thrusting into Alaina’s soft wetness as Evan filled him like this. Ragged moans filled his ears and pressure built.

The thrusts came faster and faster. Evan’s hips smacked against Daniel, sticking briefly to the sheen of sweat that now covered them both. Hot shocks shot to his core, and Danny knew his climax was moments away. From the way Evan’s moans peaked, Danny knew Evan was close, too.

Jets of hot semen shot into his rectum at the exact moment Daniel spilled his ejaculate all over the counter. The cock in his ass slid out, and Danny turned to mash his lips against Evan’s. He toed off his shoes and shed his jeans the rest of the way.

“Shower,” Danny growled as he moved his mouth to nip at Evan’s neck. “My turn.”

Evan nodded and shoved Daniel away. “There’s not much hot water left. I didn’t know if you were going to come by.” Daniel twisted the knob. Water hissed from the head. The tingling in Daniel’s ass wouldn’t subside for some time. Though he had just climaxed, Daniel’s cock was already hardening in anticipation.

Danny smiled and ground his hard-on against Evan’s thigh. Wind shrieked past the window, shaking the pane. “Looks like a killer storm. We’ve got all night to screw around.”
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Evan’s mouth turned up in a wicked grin Danny knew all too well.

This was going to be a good night.

The wind picked up outside, howling in concert with the noises they elicited from one another.

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Chapter 3

Her home office was just as messy as her office at work, but she knew exactly what was on her desk, and she knew exactly where it was. Colleagues had long ago learned to keep their hands away from her desk. If they had something to drop off, they left it with the department secretary or in the tray strapped to her door.

Alaina prided herself on being able to find anything at a moment’s notice. That’s why it pissed her off so much that she couldn’t remember where she put Tamara’s phone number. The woman needed individual treatment, which Alaina wasn’t in a position to provide. However, she could pass Tamara’s name and information on to a friend who could help, if she could only find it.

Sinking into her nicely padded chair, Alaina mentally reconstructed the events occurring after Tamara wrote her number and address on a slip of scratch paper. It was a painful exercise because it necessitated reliving her encounter with Daniel.

Visualizing always worked for Alaina. She saw Tamara searching for paper. She saw herself giving Tamara a pen. She saw the paper next to her purse. Had she folded it and put the paper inside? No.

She’d already ransacked the oversized handbag.

Sophia went upstairs. All the women left. Alaina put the chairs away. Daniel teased the hell out of her and didn’t kiss her. Sophia returned. Alaina grabbed her purse and fled.

Ten million curses flowed through her head in the blink of an eye.

She had left the damn paper on the counter. Pacing her office did little to dispel her anger at herself for such a stupid accident. Had she put
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the damn paper in her damn purse, she wouldn’t have to contact Daniel.

A glance at the clock showed no reprieve. It was only two in the afternoon. The studio would likely be open. She couldn’t think of a single, believable reason to put off her task until the following Wednesday. Though it was Friday, Daniel ran classes on Saturday. He would be open then as well.

Throwing caution to the wind, she phoned the studio and prayed for one of his employees to answer the phone. The machine picked up. After listening to a lengthy message detailing the studio’s hours and online registration procedures, the thing finally beeped. She left a message.

An hour later, nobody had returned her call. She ended up leaving three more messages, the last with her cell number. Nobody called back, and she headed home for the night.

By the next morning, nobody had called. Her empty voicemail box was pathetic on so many levels.

Tamara was expecting a call. At the very least, Alaina owed her an explanation as to why no one had contacted her. She was going to have to go to the studio and find out why nobody returned her call.

She finished loading the dishwasher with her morning dishes, slammed it shut, and grabbed her keys. If she didn’t get this over with, she would chicken out, and Tamara would be the one to lose.

She climbed into her car and headed over to Daniel’s studio. It would be open. Daniel would be busy with a class. She could just go into the back and look where she’d left the number. Maybe she could avoid Daniel entirely. After their last encounter, which left her with an insistent throbbing between her legs that her vibrator couldn’t seem to quite cure, she didn’t want to face him.

The parking lot was a mess when she arrived. Cars and trucks littered the lot, and a giant bin occupied all the prime parking spots.

Workers stood on the roof and threw things into the giant dumpster.

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Alaina stared at the disarray. Most of the shingles on the roof were missing. Even on the flat part, men peeled back sheets of something black and heavy, or so it appeared from the effort they had to put into it.

She had dressed informally today, though she did want to maintain a professional appearance. She wore a pale sage sundress and strappy sandals. She’d wrestled her unruly auburn hair into a French braid.

A large-brimmed hat would have been the appropriate accessory, but Alaina hated wearing hats. At least her skin wasn’t the kind that normally came with reddish hair. She had a few freckles, but not the amount found on some of her red-headed relatives.

Taking a deep breath, she picked her way through the parts of the mess that hadn’t made it into the dumpster and headed toward the front door.

Someone grabbed her arm. “You shouldn’t be here.” Looking up sharply, Alaina took in the features of a deeply tanned, shirtless man. He was large, definitely not someone with whom one should mess. His broad shoulders topped a thickly-muscled torso that tapered to hips that might have one day been slim, but that were now just as bulky as the rest of him. He wasn’t fat, just fantastically built. She bet he could move an entire refrigerator without breaking a sweat.

He was handsome for an older man. Alaina studied him silently.

He looked familiar, friendly and comfortable.

“I left something inside,” she said. “I won’t be long.” He chuckled as if they shared a private joke. “Classes have been cancelled. See the website for make-up dates.”

“I’m not a student,” she said. “And I really need to get inside.” His grin didn’t fade. “I expect you’re looking for Danny?” She’d rather not encounter Daniel if it was at all possible. “That’s not necessary. I just need…”

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“There he is.” The man bobbed his head, indicating a place behind Alaina. “Danny, someone here to see you.” She willed herself to turn around and face him and just get it over with. Dread made her feet slow to obey. Surely he wouldn’t do or say anything in front of all these people?

Oh, Lord.
He wore jeans and no shirt. The definition to which his shirt had hinted three days before far exceeded her imagination. He was rock solid. Sweat glistened over his entire torso. She followed the expanse of skin down to where his jeans rode low on his hips. The tool belt helped to reveal more than the jeans intended. Alaina couldn’t find it in herself to be sorry about that. And she couldn’t stop looking.

“Alaina.” Surprise was the dominant tone in his voice, but pleasure was there, too. He was
happy
to see her? This didn’t bode well.

Moistening her lips was essential if she was going to form coherent words. “I’m sorry,” she managed at last. She knew she was staring. She just couldn’t seem to stop. “I came at a bad time. I just need to get inside. I left contact information for one of the women on the counter in the back room. I need it.” Daniel looked toward the front doors. They were completely blocked by stacks of what appeared to be shingles. “I can take you around to the other side.”

“Daniel.” The warning came from the big man who hadn’t moved from his position behind Alaina.

“I’ll just be a minute, Dad.” Glancing from Alaina to his father, Daniel gestured to the man. “Alaina, this is my dad, David. Dad, this is Alaina. She’s the shrink that helps out with Sophie’s class.” David nodded, and his entire demeanor became more welcoming, not that he had been foreboding before. He tugged off a dirty work glove and held out a hand, which she took. “It’s a real pleasure to meet you, Alaina. The kids were just raving about what a good job
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you do counseling the women. They said they haven’t seen that many people come consistently the whole time they’ve been doing this.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. DiMarco.” Alaina strove for polite.

The whole time, all she could think about was how good Daniel would look when he aged. He looked a lot like his father. Sophia did, too, for that matter. It explained why he looked familiar.

He closed both of his hands around her much smaller one. It was a dominating move, but she knew he meant it as reassurance. “David, please. Anybody who does the good things you do doesn’t have to stand on formality.”

“David, then.” She smiled, and he finally released her hand.

Daniel motioned in the direction he wanted her to take to the other entrance to the building. Alaina knew he expected her to go first. It was one of the things he did that made it seem like he had good manners when he was really establishing his control of the situation.

She gritted her teeth and allowed him that control. She didn’t exactly have a choice.

“I did call,” she said, turning to direct her voice over her shoulder.

“I didn’t know you were doing construction.” She stumbled over a twisted, wayward shingle, and he caught her elbow to steady her.

Chagrined to be caught in that position, Alaina reddened. “Thanks.”

“That storm we had on Wednesday night knocked some of my shingles loose. I knew the roof needed replacing, so I decided to do all the work at once.” He didn’t release her elbow, even though the ground around the corner of the building was clear. “Lightning hit the back corner of the building. I had a little fire, mostly electrical. It fried my phone.”

Alaina didn’t know how to respond. She wanted to express the appropriate reaction to the horrible things that happened, but he didn’t seem too fazed by it all. His apartment was above the studio.

Glancing up to where he pointed, she saw that the fire had been on that part of the roof.

“Were you home?”

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Daniel shook his head.