Second Chance Read online

  To escape Daniel? Hell, no. That wasn’t happening.

  “I’ll walk you—” Hillcrest began, rising.

  “How about you and I get the gang a round of drinks?” Brock threw his arm around the man’s shoulders to lead him away. Not that Hillcrest resisted. He stared up at Brock as if he’d hung the moon.

  As Thea hurried to the bathroom, Daniel chased after her, hot on her heels. She made it past the door before he caught up with her, so he leaned against the wall just outside, waiting. Five minutes passed…ten. Two women entered and left the bathroom with no sign of Thea. If she’d climbed out the window…

  He was about to leave his post to search outside when the door opened. She’d thrown water on her face, droplets clinging to tendrils of her hair. One slithered down her neck and caught in the heart-shaped collar of her shirt.

  When she spotted him, she stomped her foot. “I told you to stop it, Daniel, and I meant it. I’m fixing to get angry.”

  “Get angry, then. I can’t stop wanting you, sweetheart.”

  “You only want me because I keep turning you down. I’m still a challenge for you, admit it.”

  “We’ve had this conversation. You’re a challenge, but that isn’t why I want you.” He gave a violent shake of his head. “I don’t care how I get you, just as long as I get you.”

  She rubbed her temples, wilting like a flower that hadn’t been watered in days. “You can’t do this to me, Daniel. I told you my hard limit. No secret relationship. It’s too demeaning for words, and contrary to public opinion—”

  “I told my dad.”

  “—I do have some self-respect. But here you are—Wait. What?”

  “I told my dad I want to date you.” He took her by the waist and swung her around, then pressed her against the wall. “I want to tell everyone in town you belong to me.”

  A thousand different emotions flittered over her features. The one he loved most? Hope. “I…I don’t understand. What changed?”

  “I changed. I can’t promise forever, and marriage isn’t something I’m interested in—with anyone—but I don’t like my life without you in it.” He stroked the curve of her hip bone with his thumb. “Do you like your life without me in it?”

  She only stared up at him with those wide shamrock eyes.

  “I’m going to the inn, sweetheart, and I’m getting a room. Consider the slate between us wiped clean. You don’t owe me another date, or anything else. If you want to be with me of your own free will, you knock on the door. That’s all you have to do. I’ll take care of the rest.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  DOROTHEA COULD ONLY stand in place, rocked to the core, as Daniel walked away from her. He didn’t return to the table, didn’t say goodbye to his friends. He left the club, just as he’d promised. He was going to the inn, where he would be waiting for her.

  If you want to be with me, you knock on the door.

  He’d offered her a real relationship. They would be able to hold hands in public, and when someone asked him if he had a girlfriend, he would say yes. As if he was proud to date her.

  He could change his mind tomorrow, after they’d had sex and the challenge was gone. With him, that would always be a risk. But…

  He’d taken the first step, simply in an effort to please her. How could she not take the second one?

  But…

  The word continued to echo inside her head. If Daniel’s spark for her died, she would want to die.

  Great risk, great reward.

  She trudged back to the table. Both Brock and Jude gave her a searching look. Lincoln West had arrived, and he was cuddled up to his wife. The two were lost in each other, and a deep pang of envy cut through Dorothea.

  John frowned at her and squeezed her hand. “Everything okay?”

  What to do, what to do? Risk everything, or play it safe?

  Daniel hadn’t lasted with any of the other women he’d dated. How could Dorothea succeed where they had failed?

  Oh, crap. She was doing it again. Thinking less of herself. Self-confidence wasn’t just a decision, she realized. It was a daily battle.

  Well, fear wouldn’t rule her today. She wouldn’t let it.

  I’m taking the risk!

  “John,” she said, and sighed. “Will you take a walk with me? Outside?”

  Everyone else at the table looked away, suddenly interested in something else. John released a sigh of his own but nodded; they left the dim, soulful atmosphere Ryanne’s voice had created and entered the coolness of the evening.

  There were no clouds in sight, just mile after mile of twinkling stars.

  Silent, they walked through the parking lot…headed toward his car? He already knew.

  “You’re in love with Daniel Porter,” he said without fanfare.

  “I am.” How strange, admitting the words aloud. Especially to someone other than Daniel. But John deserved the truth. “I didn’t want to love him. I hoped another man could help me get over him.”

  “I understand. I really do. I’m kind of in love with him, too.” They shared a laugh, and he added, “To be honest, I’m still not over my ex, and I hoped the same thing. Just seeing you smile did more for me than…well. Anyway. Daniel is a lucky man. And an amazing one. I drooled on him, didn’t I?”

  “You did, but don’t worry, you’re not the first.” She bumped him with her shoulder. “There’s something about him no one can resist.”

  They reached John’s car, and he fished his keys out of his pocket. “Come on. I’ll give you a ride home.”

  “No, thank you.” If she was going to do this thing with Daniel, she was going to do it all the way. That meant a clean break with John. Not that they’d ever been an item. It was just that she knew how she’d feel if Daniel accepted a ride from a woman he’d once been interested in dating. “I’ll catch a ride with Jude and Brock.”

  He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “If things don’t work out…”

  “I’m going to do everything in my power to ensure they do. I truly wish you all the best, John.”

  He offered her a sad smile. “Right back at you.”

  She backed away, and he climbed into the sedan. As he drove off, she made her way back inside the club. Jude and Brock were already halfway to the door. Planning to check on her?

  “I need a ride,” she said.

  “Where’s the date?” Jude asked. He looked stressed to the max, but she didn’t think it had anything to do with her or John. He’d looked that way the entire time he’d been in the bar.

  “He’s on his way home.”

  Brock cracked his knuckles like an evil supervillian. “Good. Saves me the trouble of…chatting with him.”

  She wagged a finger in his face. “There will be no harming John. He’s a good guy.”

  “Yeah, well, Daniel’s better.” Brock said the words, and Jude nodded emphatically.

  “In some areas, yes,” she agreed.

  Both men gaped at her.

  “What? Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed his faults,” she said. “Anyway. He’s waiting for me at the inn.” She lifted an arm in the air and in her best superhero impersonation called, “To the car! We drive like the wind!”

  Brock snorted. Jude shook his head, but his frown wasn’t as pronounced as before.

  Along the way, Dorothea’s nerves pitched a bona fide hissy fit. Soon she would be with Daniel. In his room. Alone. They would have sex. He would want the lights on. She would insist the lights stayed out. Would they fight?

  Other questions flooded her. Were they just going to jump each other at moment one or were they going to talk first, maybe settle a few details about their relationship?

  “Do I need to pull over so you can vomit?” Brock asked, his tone dry.

&n
bsp; “Yes!” she shouted, but he kept driving. “Drive to Mexico. I’ll call Daniel from the beach.” After she’d had a few mai tais.

  “No way.” Jude shook his head. “You’re going to wear our boy out so he’ll finally get some sleep.”

  “He doesn’t sleep?”

  Neither male responded, but she didn’t need their confirmation. She could guess the answer—no—and the reason. PTSD. It must be worse than she’d imagined.

  How long had he gone without a solid eight-hour rest? How much stress did he deal with on a daily basis?

  “Pedal to the metal,” she said, wanting to reach him faster.

  Finally they arrived at the inn. Brock parked, and both he and Jude escorted her inside. She looked for Holly, who’d wanted to work this weekend, but found no trace of her sister. Had she already abandoned ship?

  Brock patted her bottom. “Go get ’em, tiger. Whatever you do, he’ll love it.”

  Was that his version of a pep talk? “Someone has to stay at reception to—”

  “We’ll do it,” Jude said. “Go on.”

  She hugged him, then Brock, and neither returned the gesture, but she wasn’t upset. They probably weren’t used to shows of affection. “Thank you.”

  She checked the registry for Daniel’s room. Her legs trembled as she made her way up the steps to her own room, where she painted her nails glittery white. Then she did it. She marched to his room and raised her hand to knock on the door—only to pause.

  Was she really going to do this? There would be no going back.

  Well, good! She didn’t want to go back. She knocked. Hard.

  The door swung open a second later, and there he was. Tall and muscled and every fantasy she’d ever had come true. His eyes were hooded, his pupils enlarged. Locks of his hair stuck out in spikes. He looked fierce. The air between them thickened, as if a storm brewed. Lightning seemed to arch through her veins, burning away her nervousness.

  She held up her hands and waved her fingers, displaying her polish. “I told John—”

  He yanked her against the hard line of his body, his lips slamming into hers, his tongue thrusting into her mouth. As she gasped with shock and bliss, he moved them both backward and pushed the door shut. Then he pushed her against it, crowding her personal space. Heck, she had no personal space. They were practically fused.

  He cupped her breasts and kneaded the plump flesh as his thumbs stroked the stiff peaks.

  Her desire for him intensified. His mouth—oh, his mouth. His hands. His body. I want it all. Everything he’s willing to give.

  “Off.” She jerked his shirt over his head. The collar snagged on the chains hidden beneath. When the material gave, the dog tags and locket fell into place. His bare chest was a bounty. Broad across the shoulders, pecs and abs rock hard; he had the sexiest navel she’d ever seen. A trail of dark hair led to the waist of his jeans, where his fly was already unbuttoned.

  Mine. All mine. She drew her nails lightly down his stomach, and he raised his head to peer into her eyes.

  “You are a delicious dinner buffet, Porter.”

  He gave a husky chuckle. “Do you want to eat me up?”

  “More than anything.”

  “I’d say ladies first, but I’m not feeling gentlemanly.” He reclaimed possession of her mouth, his tongue owning her. His taste was incredible, everything she remembered but heightened, just like her senses. He was the incarnation of lust and pleasure…

  He was addicting…

  He tugged at the hem of her dress, and for a moment, she felt frozen solid, her heart nothing but a block of ice in her chest. The lights were on, and that just wouldn’t do. She reached blindly for the switch. Contact.

  As darkness flooded the room, Daniel froze.

  He most definitely wanted the lights back on, and she was already desperate to see his chest again. To see the rest of him. But old fears plagued her. What if he rejected her again? What if he compared her to other women? If he found her lacking…

  “I want to see you,” he said, confirming her fear. His thumb brushed the pulse at the base of her neck. “I’ve dreamed of you.”

  “I—” yes, say yes “—I’m not ready.”

  He hesitated before gently kissing her lips. “I know you’re scared of my reaction. I screwed things up the first night you showed up at my door, and I’ll take this as my penance like a good boy. But, Thea. Sweetheart. Desire for you isn’t the problem. I wanted you at ‘Do you need more towels?’ Thought you were the most exquisite woman on earth. Still think it. Your body was made for mine. More than that, I like you. You make me laugh, something no one else can do. One day you’re going to trust me enough to leave the lights on, and I’m going to pay proper homage to these curves.”

  With a cry of abandon, she wrapped herself around him. Devoured his lips and tongue.

  He picked her up and carried her to the bed and, despite the dark, he had no trouble removing her clothes, ripping them away piece by piece until she was naked. Cool air enveloped her, and she shivered.

  She almost cursed as he stripped himself. She would have enjoyed opening her present, because that was what he was. A present to herself. But the only word to escape her was “Yes!” as he lowered himself on top of her.

  Fevered skin met fevered skin, burning her chill away. He kissed a path to her breasts to suck on her nipples.

  “My sweet babies. I’ve been missing you. Your mean momma kept you hidden. But don’t worry, darlings. I’m going to give her a good tongue-lashing for it.”

  She wanted to laugh. She wanted to scream. Sex had never been fun, had never been playful or deliciously dirty—and never all at the same time. Sex had been a pleasure with some fondling, some thrusting and a pleasant climax before reaching her favorite part: the cuddling. But Daniel was giving her everything she’d never known she needed, and there was nothing pleasant about it. This pleasure was sharp, and inexorable, and it shot straight to her core.

  He played with her nipples until she was writhing, babbling and begging for more. And when he kissed his way down her stomach, her pleasure only sharpened. She couldn’t bring herself to worry about her excess softness, didn’t care. Just as long as he kept going!

  Upon reaching the scars on her abdomen, he stilled. He couldn’t see the raised tissues that the fall down the steps—and the subsequent surgery—had caused, but he could certainly feel them. The blood in her veins began to cool…until he licked a scar from one end to the other. She melted against the mattress.

  He moved on without asking any questions, kissing around her inner thighs, teasing her with what was to come. Soon she was writhing once again, her head thrashing atop the pillows.

  “Daniel.”

  “I swear I nearly come every time you say my name. It’s those lips of yours…that breathy tone. It tells me you’ll do anything I want…as long as I do you.”

  “Yes. Pleeease.”

  “Please what?” He rested his chin on her pubic bone, his warm breath fanning her belly.

  He seemed relaxed, while she was pretty sure she’d lost the ability to form coherent sentences. She gave it a shot, anyway. Anything to get what she wanted, what she needed…what she would die without. “Taste me.”

  “Taste you where?”

  She beat her fists into the mattress, saying, “You know where.”

  “If you won’t utter the word, then you’ll have to show me.”

  Determined to push her past her comfort zone, wasn’t he? She slid a trembling hand down her stomach, glided her fingers through the tiny thatch of hair between her legs—he moaned—and tapped the swollen bud now crying for his attention.

  His palm found hers, and their fingers linked together. They stayed like that for several heartbeats, lost in the simple delight of holding hands, a bond being forg
ed between them. Aches continued to escalate, plaguing her, and the fever in her blood left her molten inside and out. She drew Daniel’s hand to her core and, upon contact, they both sucked in a ragged breath.

  “You are liquid fire.” He lowered his head.

  She held her breath, waiting, waiting.

  Waiting.

  Lick!

  She screamed his name.

  He licked her again and again, as if ravenous. “Never tasted anything so sweet. You’re like warm honey. My honey.”

  His words…his actions…his sheer masculinity…he surrounded her, drove her need higher, branded her; every part of her responded to every part of him. No doors in her mind remained shut. No windows in her heart remained closed. She was open to him, her every secret fantasy laid bare before him.

  He urged her knees farther apart. As far as they could go. Leaving her vulnerable.

  “I bet you’re real pretty here,” he said, his voice strained. He ran a finger through her wetness, and she cried out. “I’m going to be on you every damn day.” He sucked on her.

  The more she writhed, the more pressure he applied, driving her wild.

  “Now, Daniel. Darling,” she managed to say as she panted. “I don’t want you thinking I’m complaining about your technique. It’s perfect. You’re perfect. But if you don’t get to the main event, I’m going to use up all my energy during the opening act.”

  He stopped. Stopped! Then he released a heavy sigh. “Well, hell, Thea. You know I’m a slave to challenges. How am I supposed to live with myself if I can’t make sure you enjoy the main event more than the opening act?”

  The truth suddenly became very clear. She wasn’t going to survive the night.

  He got back to work, licking and sucking with an almost brutal determination. Her mind fogged; they were the only two people in existence, this moment the only time that mattered. She struggled to catch her breath, her every pulse point trapped in a wild frenzy, her body nothing but sensation and flame.