Wicked Flower (32 page)

“Why do you keep saying that?
Leaving, when it’s your job, doesn’t hurt the one you love.”

Her mind was nearly useless after
his use of the L word. Maybe he was trying to tell her he wouldn’t be faithful.

“You don’t understand me, Dani.”

“Then help me out here. Are you
saying you’d sleep around on the road? Is that some inevitable part of you
being Stefan Calderon, bass player?”

Crap. He wasn’t answering her.

“Fuck, I don’t know. Maybe. I’ve
never been tested like that.”

“What the hell do you mean?”

Again he went silent. And this
time he got up out of his stool and walked to the sink. As if they hadn’t just
been in an industrial sized conversation, he reached up and pulled a glass from
a cupboard and filled it with water. He guzzled the entire thing down then
filled it up and walked back over to her. He set the glass down in front of
her, nudging her hand which she realized was in a tight fist.

“Fighting can’t be good for the
baby. Dinner’s getting cold. Let’s eat. Then maybe we’ll talk more.”

Maybe
we’ll talk more?
Who
did he think he was? Ending their discussion like that. But her chest had
tightened and she knew he was right when she took in a deep breath and felt the
built up tension leave and her body relax back to normal.

She hated that he was right. But
if he thought she wouldn’t fight for him, he was dead wrong. She took the glass
of water, emptying it then handed it back to him.

“What did you get?”

She could play nice while they
ate. He loved her.

Stefan brought their plates over.
He sat down across from her and stabbed a peapod and a chunk of pink salmon,
shaking his head as he bit the food from the fork and chewed. He stabbed
another and another bite.

Whoever had made this man, had
gotten so many things so very right. No matter that all those things combined
made her absolutely crazy.

He loved her. He’d said so.

She chewed, and tried not to cry
smile.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Stefan remembered never to order
salmon again when he lived thirty miles from the closest restaurant willing to
deliver. Or when a fight was pending with the woman he loved but couldn’t keep,
and the fish was going to set out for longer than he planned.

She looked like he’d treated her
to a feast fit for royalty but it was just take out. Dani was taking such care
with each bite. Shit, he hadn’t been paying her enough. It was something he
would fix. He could imagine her face when he told her he wanted to up her
salary since he wasn’t separating his mom and her. She’d probably spit fire and
spear him with eye daggers. Well, he would never tell her. But the thought of
doing things like that for her managed to make him hard. He adjusted himself
below the table and watched her chew. As soon as she was done he’d send her
home, hoping she would forget his declaration.

“That was good. Thank you. I was
really hungry.”

He was just glad she wasn’t
yelling
,
forcing him to talk about shit he’d be better
off forgetting. He never should have said he loved her. It was a selfish move,
but he couldn’t take it back now.

“You’re welcome.”

The shorter his answers, the
longer the looks she gave him.
 

When she finally got to her dessert,
he was mesmerized as she pulled her fork out of her mouth for the last time and
he imagined how lucky the berries were. Now was the time to send her home. Why
bother fighting some more only to have to send her off anyway? He reminded
himself that he couldn’t keep her and he didn’t want to have to explain why.

“Dani, you should go back home
now.”

“I knew you’d say that. And it’s
not happening. Not unless we go together.”

Stubborn pain in
his ass.
Fuck, he didn’t want her to leave.

“What are you doing, Dani?”

“I forgot my sister picked this
out for me a few summers ago when we got sunburns and needed extra loose
clothing. Luckily it fits.”

Her rambling blew dangerous gusts
over the fire already burning inside him.

“That’s not what I asked you.”

 
“But you like it?” she asked, killing him with
her hiked shoulder.

Stefan stood up. He took two
steps until he stood directly in front of her. “You know I fucking like it.” He
grabbed her hand and pulled it away from the strap where she nearly untied the
halter top. “Get your ass home, now.”

“Or else what,
Stefan?”

“Don’t play with me, Dani. This
isn’t a game.”

“Oh, but I thought that’s exactly
what our whole time together has been. It’s too bad, you know.”

“What’s too bad?” His jaw
clenched so tight he barely got that out. What the hell was she thinking, baiting
him like that?

“That you’re so god damned afraid
to win.”

“I’m not afraid, sweetheart.” But
there was nothing sweet about the feelings welling up in him. The taste in his
mouth was bitter as he thought about the shit keeping Dani from him. He kept
her wrist in his fist and pushed her until her back met up with the wall. He’d
been gentle so as not to hurt her. He pinned her wrists to the wall in both his
hands and leaned down so that he spoke inches from her face. His lips ached to
kiss her. “What the fuck is so hard for you to understand. I. Don’t. Want. To.
Hurt. You. The only way to keep that from happening is for you to go back to my
mom’s. Done. Finished. Not playing this shit with you, Dani.” A thousand slaps
would have felt better than having to speak to her that way.

“Let go of my wrists, Stefan.”

Instantly, he obeyed her wish. At
last, she’d seen his reason and was grabbing her purse to leave. But no, she
only took it to put the baby picture from her dress pocket back inside. She
took two steps toward the stairs.

“Dani,” he said, tiring of not
being able to just love her.

“If you’re not afraid to win,
prove it. Once and for all.” She made her way up the stairs, one slow step at a
time, and disappeared into the bathroom.

Fuck. He waited at the bottom,
squeezing his eyes tight to block out the vision of her swishing, fine ass. If
this was love, how the fuck had the world continued to populate? Because it was
doing its best to kill him. No wonder Will couldn’t go through this shit again.
But Stefan also knew in that moment that there was no stopping it. If he went
up those stairs, he wasn’t coming back down until he made her his.

He bit back a curse and swallowed
hard. Then he took the stairs, one at a time.

Chapter
Twenty-Four

Stefan stepped inside the bathroom
and pulled her closer to him by one lock of her shiny black hair. “Fine. Since
you’re being so stubborn. But you asked for this.”

Right before her very wanton eyes, he
stripped out of his clothes, without shame for standing there completely naked
in front of her. For a few seconds, he didn’t move or look directly at her. Which
was different. Stefan always made strict eye contact, but not now. It reminded
her that this hadn’t been his idea.

Dani’s eyes dropped with the sting but
slowly she let herself take him in. His feet were planted there, a hip’s width
apart and it was the same stance she’d seen many times at the house. Him in
front of the fridge, him out on the porch. The cocky pillar pose when he wasn’t
budging for anyone or anything. His legs were much longer than she realized but
the same natural tan as his chest. As if that was what she was really focusing
on. Before she could ogle his front any longer and how at rest, his penis hung almost
to the middle of his thigh, he turned and stepped into the huge round tub,
giving her the full view of his ass.

Inside, she made a sloppy aww sound.

Stefan had a bubble butt which made her
smile because it was sexy as hell rounding out from his thighs. Two thick
muscles framed either side of his back that was so broad, just looking at it
left her feeling protected. His neck. The black hairs curling as they grew up
his hairline trickled along the tattoos that sprang from his arms and connected
in an arch over the top of his back.

Jet-made bubbles floated over the top of
the water, hiding nothing from her view as he sat down and hung his arms
cockily over the sides of the tub. The perk was her view of him right now. The
drawback was that now she had to undress while he awaited and watched. Maybe he
was counting on her not being able to follow through. She’d show him.

Dani pulled her long hair up into
a makeshift bun and tied it around itself on top of her head then reached
behind her neck to untie her dress’s halter top. Once she did that, it fell
loosely to the ground. He smiled more to himself than for her benefit, she was
sure. She liked that about him. No shame, even though she’d bated him up here
and he’d clearly preferred she just go home.

Next she stepped out of her
sandals. Finally, his grin appeared, although only for a second. Yes, he must
be aware she was wishing she had more to strip off but all that remained were
her bra and panties.

An awareness
came over Dani
just then, just like it had that morning when the nurse had rubbed the
ultrasound wand over her. When she looked down at her white cotton panties
hugging her hips, she saw the bump of her belly sticking out. Like she had a
kid-sized ball tucked under her skin. It was so hard not to get lost in the
little man growing in there, now that she’d seen him. She didn’t just feel
bloated now. She felt like a mother.

Before she knew it, splashes
sloshed around and the gorgeous, brooding man soaking in the tub stood toe to
toe with her. Water gushed off Stefan’s wonderfully large and shiver-inducing body
and onto the floor but he didn’t seem to care. His large feet were planted
right by hers and his black hairs ran down his long legs in streams. Dani’s
hands now rested over her belly, mesmerized as she was, picturing her baby boy
floating in there, happy. Asleep because he wasn’t kicking her.

Unless she was hallucinating, she
felt Stefan’s arms wrap around her and pull her in for a hug she was so
grateful for. His chest, God his chest. But what he was really doing was
unclasping her bra. It fell to the floor by her dress. She’d taken too long and
he wanted what he wanted. What she’d dangled in front of him at the front door.
His wet, warm hands skimmed down her sides, making her shiver. She waited to
feel her panties being torn off but what she felt were his hands covering hers
over her belly.

His hands stayed over hers while
he rested his chin on top of her head. A hiccup or a cry tried to escape her
mouth but she held it in because she didn’t want to ruin this moment. Yes, it
was incredibly sexy but she’d never felt more cared for in all her life when
his hands moved to her back and rubbed.

Vaguely, she remembered she still
had her good news to share with him. But the power of this moment had claimed
her. Stefan wanted her this way, he was so evidently turned on by her as she
felt his every hard muscle and member slowly coming to life along her hip,
making her shiver in response.

“Stefan, there’s something I want
to tell you. I don’t have to say it right now, just please don’t let me forget.
You’ll want to hear it. Two things.”

“What?”

She wanted to scream that they
could have sex, just to make it official but the look on his face said he’d
already guessed. Was she that easy? Yeah, but she didn’t care because she
wasn’t alone. This man hugging her to his hard hot body was easy too. There was
no shame in being this way together. He’d never believe her that Gina had
agreed to move. If she could remember to spit it out.

His lips moved over each other
like he was smoothing lip balm over them.

“Come to Nashville with me.” It
was a low, dark whisper.

Her ears must have water in them.
But no, in her fog she remembered she hadn’t gotten in the tub yet.

Her voice left her the deeper his
became.

“I want you to come. And my mom.
I’ll,” he paused and kissed her shoulder. “I am buying a house and I want you
both with me. I know it’s wrong, and you have every right to say no, but that’s
what I want.”

She couldn’t move but felt a
murmur leave her lips.

“Shh, don’t answer me now. Let’s
get in the tub and you can tell me your good news.” He laid a scorching trail
of wet kisses up and down her throat. But the only coherent thought she could
make was that he’d asked her! A thousand emotions must be hammering across her
face. She couldn’t leave with him in two days but in two months, he’d get both
her and his mom. If he could wait. Unaware if she was supposed to speak or just
free fall into the warmth of his invitation, she followed him into the tub.

****

That scrambled look she got. Fuck.
Why had he thrown that out there?