She resisted the urge to cross her arms over her chest, but only barely. “I think I like you better when you’re being irrational and pushy.”
“It’s a hell of a lot easier to say no to me when I am.” He sounded too freaking cheerful for her blood pressure. How was he acting so calm when their entire lives had gone topsy-turvy? Unless this is what he wanted all along…
She shut that thought down real fast. This was an accident as a result of two consenting adults. She was as much to blame for the error in judgment as he was. Lord, she should be happy that he wasn’t freaking out and blaming her and acting like this was the worst thing that had ever happened to him. “Daniel…”
He reached over and took her hand, the shock of his skin against hers stealing her breath. “We’ll figure this out. I know it’s not how you had your life planned out, but this is where we’re at. It’s not going to be easy, but what about life is?”
Too reasonable. Something is up.
She extracted her hand, because she couldn’t quite think straight when he was touching her, and turned to look out the window. All the words coming out of his mouth were right, but there was something off about the delivery. It was like he knew the steps to go through but he didn’t really believe that it would be that easy any more than she did. “I don’t…I don’t trust you anymore.” It hurt to say that aloud, but it was necessary. Everything had changed, and that lack of trust was the most damning part. Hope took a deep breath. “I’m not staying. End of story. So whatever you’re planning, knock it off.”
“What makes you think I’m planning anything?”
Because he was too calm, too settled, when a few short hours ago he’d been totally and completely out of control. That switch didn’t flip without a good reason, and she hadn’t agreed to anything he wanted. Not really. She was leaving and that was that, and the fact he was so calm about it didn’t sit well with her.
It all added up to trouble.
Even if she didn’t know the specifics, she was smart enough to see which way the wind was blowing.
Chapter Nine
Daniel spent the next hour walking on eggshells. He knew he’d pushed Hope too hard that morning, and he was determined to figure out a better way to convince her that staying with him was the only option. Every single thing he said was the wrong thing, and he didn’t know how to fix that. All he knew was that if Hope left in a couple days, she wouldn’t be back.
So he gave them both a break and went outside to let Ollie run for a bit. The pup was in her element, running circles around him and then darting off to chase phantom animals, racing back and then starting the whole process over again. She, at least, didn’t plan on leaving him the first chance she got.
Ollie barked again, wondering why he’d stopped playing, and he crouched down to ruffle her ears. He’d never considered himself underhanded before now, but he’d do worse than mess with Hope’s car to get her to sit still long enough for him to find the right words to get her to stay.
Can’t convince her from out here. He pushed to his feet and headed for the door, Ollie on his heels. Daniel opened the door—and then stopped when he heard humming deeper in the house. He sat down on the mudroom bench long enough to yank off his boots and then went in search of her. The living room was empty, but he found her in the kitchen, her phone set up to play some funky music he’d never heard before, her hips shaking as she moved around the stove, dumping ingredients into a casserole dish.
This could have been my life.
It still could be.
Without thinking, he crossed the distance between them and slid his arms around her waist. She went still as he rested his chin on the top of her head. “Damn, darling. I missed you.”
“Danny—”
He turned her in his arms and framed her face with his hands. “We talk too much.” And they never solved a damn thing doing it. Then he kissed her.
She went soft against him, her hands sliding down his chest to grab his hips and pull him closer. That was all the invitation he needed to tip her head back and deepen the kiss. Shit might be fucked up beyond all reason when it came to them, but at least they still matched up here.
Today she wore those damn yoga pants again. It didn’t matter to him that he could see the ridges of her scar beneath the thin fabric, because they gave him a heavenly view of her ass whenever she turned around. And the stretchy fabric was more tease than barrier. He reached between them, rubbing the heel of his hand over her clit. “What do you say?”
She blinked at him, her brown eyes hazy with lust. “What?”
“This thing.” He kept rubbing her, shifting so he could press a knuckle on either side of her clit, stroking up and down slowly. “I want inside you, darling. I want it so bad, it’s been driving me fucking crazy.” Her breath hitched, and he pressed his advantage. “You want it, too. You’re so wet, I can feel it.”
“I…” She bit her lip. “It’s a mistake.”
“Probably.” Definitely. “But what’s the worst that could happen?”
Her smile was bittersweet. “It’s already happened.”
Part of him hated that she thought getting pregnant was the worst thing that could happen, but now wasn’t the time to start fighting about it. He’d have to show her that this was a second chance in disguise—a way to make things right once and for all—and the only way to get her to sit still long enough was an orgasm-induced coma.
It doesn’t hurt that you’ve been in a permanent state of blue balls since you saw her last.
No, it didn’t hurt one bit. Everything else might have changed, but he wanted Hope more than he wanted his next breath.
He slipped his hand into her pants, resuming the motion that had her quivering in his arms. “Might as well take advantage of me, then.”
“Take advantage of you?” Her voice was a little breathy, but she managed to keep it together. Mostly.
“Mmm.” He skimmed off her shirt, dropping it next to them and cupping her breasts. “Fuck. When I fill you with my cock, I want you naked. I want to see these beautiful breasts bouncing with every stroke.”
“Arrogant.”
“Realistic.” He stroked her nipples with his thumbs, watching her face. “You know you’re craving it. I bet you’ve been touching yourself remembering that night. Coming with my name on your lips just like you did then.”
Her fingers dug into his biceps. “I hate you more than a little bit right now.” She arched, pressing herself more firmly into his hands. “But I don’t really care.”
“Say yes.”
“Yes.” It was barely more than a whisper, but it might as well have been a yell with how the word reverberated through him.
Daniel spun her around, keeping a hold on her hip to make sure she didn’t stumble, and shoved down her yoga pants. He reached between her legs from behind with one hand. “Christ, do you ever wear anything other than yoga pants?”
“Not when I’m lounging around the house, you jackass.”
He delivered a stinging slap to her ass—more to get her attention than anything else. “When did you get so mouthy?”
“Right around the time you got so damn bossy.” She braced her hands on the counter. “Now take me before I change my mind.”
Daniel stroked a hand down her spine and palmed her ass. He undid his belt and jeans with his other hand. “How many times?”
“What?”
He pushed his jeans down and notched his cock at her entrance. “How many times have you fantasized about this?”
“Since we last had sex or since I was eighteen?”
The words hit him like a sucker punch to the gut. He sheathed himself to the hilt, using his hold on her hips to pull her back onto his cock. “Both.”
She squirmed, breathing hard, but he wasn’t about to let her move until he was damn well ready. Hope muttered a curse that made him smile despite everything. “A dozen times to the former, impossible to count to the latter.”
He felt like crowing with a vi
ctory he sure as fuck didn’t deserve. So he started moving, sliding out of her almost completely before slamming home again. “I’ve thought about you, too, darling. Over and over again, palming my cock and imagining it was your tight little pussy wrapped around it instead. It doesn’t fucking compare. Nothing—no one—compares to you.” He reached around to rub on either side of her clit, his mouth against her ear, his chest pressed against her back. “You want to know why you couldn’t stop thinking about me?”
“No.” She shoved back against him, taking him deeper.