When the mention of cops just made Kat cry harder, Fi exhaled a hard sigh. “Sorry,
cara
. No cops, okay? No cops.” Fi exhaled a hard sigh. “I guess citizens arrests, it is,” she muttered, heading into the bedroom.
Kat continued crying, not giving anywhere close to a shit about any drunken party girls stumbling around outside…at least not until she heard a male voice join in…
Kat slowly lifted her head off the couch and cocked it, straining to hear.
But she never got another chance to evaluate the male voice – not that it mattered, since, deep-down she already knew who it was, anyway – because a few seconds later, some heavy-handed knocks landed on their front door.
“Aw, hell, no,” Fi said, storming toward the door.
“
Fi, wait! Don’t!
” Kat croaked out, trying to stand.
But it was too late. Kat was too slow, Fi was too pissed, and a few seconds later, their front door was swinging open.
“Well, hi, there, Fi!” Danny’s voice boomed, echoing through their quiet apartment and slamming into Kat’s chest like a ton of bricks. “How ya doin’ tonight?” Danny flashed Fi a shit-eating grin and winked. “Or should I say, this
morning
, Miss Fi?”
“
Dear God
,” Fi finally breathed out, standing stock-still, hand on the door…clearly shocked at what her eyes beheld.
But
shocked
didn’t come close to describing Kat’s reaction to Danny standing in their doorway, a woman under each arm.
Her physiological reaction was nothing less than what incredibly hard sucker punches to her head and stomach would have caused – momentary inabilities to think, breathe, move, or do anything other than sit there and try to live through the pain.
“Had my new friends bring me by…” Danny’s smile slipped a bit, as did his hold on the young, petite blonde under his left arm.
When the woman pressed her left hand into Danny’s side to right him – and probably to keep herself upright, as well – Kat’s hands balled into fists in her lap.
“Thanks, darlin’,” Danny said, flashing the woman a smarmy smile before turning back to Fi. “Anyway, like I was sayin’, I had my new friends…” His smile faded again, brows dropping. He turned back to petite blonde. “What was your name again, honey?”
She giggled. “Roxi. With an ‘i.’”
“That’s right! Roxi with an ‘i!’ So, I had Roxi and…” Danny turned to the taller, long-haired brunette on his right and gave her a hooded, expectant look.
She huffed indignantly, sticking her lower lip out. “Dan-
ny
! It’s Jessi with an ‘i!”
“Sorry, baby, that’s right.” Danny looked back at Fi, grinning and winking again before shrugging his shoulders. “Knew they both ended in some damn vowel, but the fuck if I remembered which one!”
“Okay, Danny, that’s enough,” Fi said, finally finding her voice. “You need to leave. Now.”
Danny reared back, brows up. “Why? Jus’ stoppin’ by for a friendly visit. She said maybe one day we could be friends…well, I wanna be friends
today
.”
“Let’s go, Danny,” the blonde said, the hand that had been resting on his side now curling into his tee-shirt. “You said we just had to say ‘hi,’ and then we could go back to our place and party.”
“But I haven’t said ‘hi,’ yet…not to
her
…” Danny stepped forward, arms dropping off the girls shoulders, but Fi blocked his way into the apartment.
“No frickin’ way, Danny,” Fi said, head shaking. “Uh-uh. I don’t know what went on with you guys, but showing up here, drunk as a skunk with two…” Kat could almost hear Fi’s lips curl. “
Friends
…is not the way to work things out with her.”
“There’s no workin’ anything out with her anyway, Fi, so the fuck’s the difference?” Danny made it far enough around Fi to see into the living room.
Kat’s stomach twisted into a million knots at the series of emotions that crossed Danny’s face when he spotted her.
Relief.
Distress.
Happiness.
Longing.
“
Kat…
” Danny tried walking around Fi again.
Fi pushed against his chest with both hands, not physically able to hold him back, but making enough of an impact to make him hesitate.
When his heavy, drunk head dropped to meet her eyes, Fi shook her head. “
No
.”
Kat’s heart ached when Danny looked back at her, his expression now pure longing. “Kat, I just need to see you…please…just for a minute, sweetheart…just the two of us…please…”
Kat reflexively clutched at her chest.
Oh, God…
“C’
mon
, Danny,” the brunette said, wrapping both hands around his bicep and pulling. “We’ve gotta get to the drugstore before it closes at two.” She pulled on him again, but Danny yanked his arm back, eliciting a dramatic pout. “Partying the pain away, remember, baby? Condoms, cigarettes, and some Coronas, remember?”
Kat knotted up stomach dropped to her feet.
“Oh, for crying out…” Fi said, head shaking. “
Enough
.” She leveled gazes on the blonde. “
You
…” And then on the brunette. “And
you
. Go home. Or go to the drugstore and grab your three C’s. Or go fly a kite. I don’t give a damn what you do, just get the hell out of here, got it?” Fi turned to Danny. “And
you
? I’m calling Nathan to pick you up. I’d offer to do it, but I don’t want you barfing in my car. Plus, you deserve everything Nathan’s gonna give you for pulling this little stunt tonight.”
“I’m not leavin’ without talkin’ to her,” Danny said evenly, eyes still boring into Kat’s. “I don’t care who the fuck you call, Fi.” He shook his head slowly. “But I’m not gonna go until she talks to me.”
“So, what…” The blonde scoffed, hands finding her hips and head shaking. She looked at Danny, then her friend, then back at Danny. “What the hell? Does this mean we’re not fucking tonight, Danny?”
Kat almost vomited – probably would have if she’d had anything in her stomach. Her hand did fly up to cover her mouth, anyway.
“Yeah, what the hell, Danny?” Brunette said, clearly as indignant as her companion. “You said if we drove you over here to say ‘hi’ to your friend, you’d come back to our place and fuck us both. You promised!”
Kat’s gasp was audible, as was Danny’s weird strangled, somehow mournful, groan.
“
That. Is. It,
” Fi gritted out.
Kat was well-acquainted with that tone. Two-thirds of Danny’s threesome had just pushed Fiorella Theresa Ciaramitaro too far. And they were about to find out that was never, ever a good idea.
Hands now on hips, Fi looked at the blonde. “I don’t know who you and your
skank
friend are gonna end up fucking tonight, but it’s not gonna be
him
,” she said, jerking a thumb at Danny. “But here
is
what’s gonna happen: you’re going to stand over there…” Fi pointed at the sidewalk in front of their complex. “While I call and cab and have it pick you up. Because you are both too drunk and too stupid to be driving anywhere tonight.” When brunette opened her mouth, Fi leveled a gaze on her. “And if you do not to exactly what I just said, I will have my brother-in-law, who is a cop, haul you both off to jail when he gets here.” When blondie opened her mouth, Fi turned back and added, “And if you get into your car and try to drive away, I will give my brother-in-law your license plate number and your asses will wind up in the drunk tank so fast your puny brains will spin.” When Fi spoke again, Kat heard the smile in her voice. “And then I will have my boss, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor, take a special interest in your drunk driving cases.” She paused. “Have I made myself perfectly clear,
ladies
?”
They huffed and they muttered, but eventually Danny’s “friends” let go of him and walked away…exactly where Fi had pointed, if Kat had to guess.
Fi turned to Danny. “And
you
…” She eyed him up and down, not that Danny noticed or cared. One hundred percent of his attention was still centered firmly on Kat. “What the
hell
are you thinking, Danny?” She turned to Kat, head shaking, and gestured to Danny. “Do you see, now, Kat? A leopard never changes its spots.”
“Go call Nathan from the car, Fi,” Kat said quietly.
Fi reared back. “Why?”
“Because Danny and I need a moment of privacy, please.”
The relief flooding his features broke Kat’s heart.
Fi huffed. “There is no way in hell I’m leaving you alone in here with this drunken fool! He’s a mess! And he obviously doesn’t have two working brain cells in his flippin’ head right now!”
“I would
never
hurt her,” Danny said to Fi, his voice so low and tight it made Kat’s heart ache even worse. “Ever. In any way. I would
die
before I hurt her. And she knows that…” He looked back at Kat with those hideously wounded eyes. “Don’t you, Kat?”
Kat’s eyes welled.
Yes, you amazing, wonderful, beautiful, darling man, I know that.
“Uh, what do you think taking your traveling ménage show on the road tonight did, Danny?” Fi scoffed. “You don’t think that hurt her?” She flung her arm in Kat’s direction, pointing. “Does that look like a woman who’s not hurt?” She shook her head, staring up at his profile. “Jesus, Danny, don’t you think you’ve already done enough damage?”
“Fi,
stop
. It’s not his fault,” Kat said. “None of this is his fault.”
“Yeah. Right. I’m sure he’s a perfect angel. You’re half-dead from grief and he’s riding around town planning drunken gang bangs and then shoving them in your face.” Fi scoffed, again. “Yep, he’s a real peach, Kat!”
Kat waited for it…
For Danny to tell Fi all of this was because Kat had dumped
him
. That he was a now a single man – free to do as he pleased, with whomever he pleased, however he pleased – because Kat had set him free.
That he’d only brought those women here to prove a point, lashing out at her because of his pain. That, despite this whole charade, Danny had no intention of sleeping with those women. Or any other women. That he was in love with Kat and, despite them being apart, Danny didn’t want anyone else.
That, according to Kat, she didn’t love him anyway, so bringing two women here shouldn’t have hurt her in the first place.
All things Kat knew were true with every fiber of her being. And all things he could say right now to exonerate himself in Fi’s eyes.
But, true to Danny form, he said no such things.
He just continued holding her eyes, his own so full of anguish, until Kat couldn’t stand it another second.
She pushed herself to her feet and walked around the couch, holding onto the back for support. “Fi, go call Nathan. Please.”
Fi scoffed. “Kat-”
“Do it, Fi,” Kat commanded evenly. “Now, please.”
Fi paused, then looked back at Danny. “Danny, look at me.” When he did, Fi stared up at him, square in the face. “
Watch. Yourself
. I’m not kidding. Or what Nathan does to you is going to seem like child’s play. Got it?” When Danny nodded, Fi grabbed her jacket off the ledge. She pulled it on, grabbed her purse, and walked over to Kat. “Give me your phone. Mine’s charging.” Kat handed it to her and walked back over to the door. “Best behavior, MacDonough,” she said as she passed him. “Do not mess with me. You’ve got ten minutes until Nathan gets here.”
Fi shot Kat one more look before pulling the front door shut behind her.
They stared at each other for a few long moments before Kat finally cleared her throat. “It’s twenty degrees outside, Danny…where is your jacket?”
He glanced down. “Oh…uh…” Danny looked back at her, the most adorable half-grin pulling at those amazing lips. Lips Kat could hardly keep her eyes off of, despite the situation. “I dunno. Guess I left it somewhere. The bar probably.” His brows furrowed. “I remember…” Danny shook his head. “I can’t be sure, but…I
think
I might have wrestled someone.”
Kat’s lips involuntarily twitched as she gestured to his chest. “Might be why your shirt’s torn? And stained?”
“Might be a solid guess,” he answered, that incredible smile still lingering.
I love your smile. It is my favorite smile in the world. And I especially love when you get it from me.
She cleared her throat. “And why, pray tell, were you wrestling someone at the bar?”
“Hell if I can remember.” Danny grabbed the back of his neck, head shaking. “I don’t think it was a fight.” He lifted his hands and turned them over a few times. “No scrapes or bruises…and I think my teeth are all still there….” Danny grinned wide, letting Kat inspect.
Kat used all available willpower not to kiss his silly, beautiful face off. “Yep, all there.”
Danny shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and swayed a bit on his feet.
“Do you need to sit down, Danny?”
He shook his head, smile fading, as they entered into another long stare down.
As much of a selfish, horrible, evil bitch as it makes me,
I want you to hold me right now. I want you to not take
no
for an answer, walk over here, and grab me…and never let me go…
Her hands twitched and reflexively curled into the back of the couch just thinking about it…
Touching his body…shoving her hands up the back of his shirt and feeling his skin…pressing her face to his chest and inhaling his scent…whispering every difficult piece of truth into his ear and allowing him to love her, anyway…to take care of her, just like Danny had said over and over again that he wanted to do…
Yeah, but he doesn’t really know what loving you and taking care of you entails. But
you
do. And so it’s up to you to save him from himself.
When Kat didn’t speak, Danny stepped closer. “Went out tonight with guys from the precinct…to a bar on Rosewood Ave…downtown…it’s just…I’ve been such a fucking mess since you left…” He lifted as shoulder. “Thought maybe a night out, like in the old days, might help.” Danny averted his eyes to the ground. “Didn’t do shit, though…going out…getting hammered…forcing myself to talk to those girls…because all I could think about, the whole time, was how I wished I was with you, instead…only made me miss you more…love you more…”