Thank you, God. Thank you, God. Thank you, God.
A thought occurred to her and Kat lifted her head. “I need to grab my cane.”
He stared down at her with a stern, knowing expression that tightened a few stomach knots. And, in that moment, Kat knew Danny
knew
…maybe not everything, but enough.
It wasn’t too surprising, given he’d been left alone with her four crazy, loudmouth sisters without Nathan there trying to monitor and mitigate the shit-storm that had certainly happened as soon as Kat had left.
Kat whispered, “We can talk about it all, but you need to grab the cane. Because I can’t walk without it right now.”
He kicked the door shut hard and strode toward the front door. “Stella said you using it now has nothing to do with the MS getting worse…that it’s all because you haven’t been taking care of yourself.” Danny maneuvered until his hand could reach into his jacket pocket and retrieve his keys. He finagled to find his house key, slipped it into the lock, and turned it. “Which means you don’t need to be walking around any more than necessary until you build your strength back up.” As he pushed the door opened and crossed the threshold, Danny stared down at her, upper lip curling. “Which works out perfectly, because I’ll be keeping you on your back for a long, long time, sweetheart.” He paused, brow quirking. “Well, not
just
on your back, mind you. You’re gonna be on all fours, your side, riding me, and sitting on my face. Gonna be fucking you against the wall and bending you over every piece of furniture, too.” Danny’s lip curl morphed into a sensual, sexy half-smile as he eyed Kat’s mouth again. “And that’s just what’s on the menu today.”
Danny kicked the front door shut and began walking toward the staircase. “Now, I know you’re run down and the MS has been acting up, but don’t worry…I got no problem doing all the heavy lifting, sweetheart. You’re just gonna sit back, let me do all the work, and it’ll all turn out just fucking fine.”
As Danny started climbing the stairs, old familiar feelings of apprehension, doubt, and embarrassment crept back into Kat’s consciousness.
How could you ever be what he wants? What he’s used to? What he needs?
He says he doesn’t care about what your body can do, but that’s easy to say now when you’re still somewhat healthy.
You’re learning to let go of your emotional limitations, but you will always have physical ones…ones that will probably get worse, until you can no longer satisfy him at all.
And then he’ll be forced to take care of you.
And then you’ll die.
A wave of nausea washed over her.
Danny must have noticed her tight expression and felt her tensed muscles, because he paused at the bottom of the staircase and stared deep into her eyes. “Tell me exactly what bullshit you have rattling around in that head of yours, Kat,” he demanded. “
Now.
”
Without a split second of forethought, Kat’s old, familiar habits kicked in. She affixed her stoic mask, held his direct gaze, and evenly replied, “Nothing. I’m fine.”
Danny’s expression hardened and stayed that way for what seemed like forever until he began shaking his head slowly – the unhurried, resolute smile forming much more intimidating than the hard stare had been.
“I see.”
Danny began climbing the stairs.
“You see?” she asked, searching his profile.
He nodded. “Yes. I
do
see.” Danny reached the top of the stairs and turned toward the bedroom.
When he didn’t say anything else, Kat’s anxiety spiked. “You do see,
what
?”
“Well, to be honest, I was hoping I could adjust your attitude the easy way, Kat. You know, we could get some stuff straight and then get down to the important shit with everything all cleared up and figured out.” Danny walked into his bedroom and over to the bed. “But I can see now that you haven’t really gotten with the program. From that motherfucking bullshit answer you just gave me, it’s obvious you haven’t quite learned your lesson yet. So it appears we’re going to have to do this the hard way.”
Danny set her on the edge of the bed and took a few steps backwards, holding her eyes as he took off his jacket, tossed it onto the floor, and started unbuttoning his dress shirt.
“What are…” Kat’s mouth went dry and her words ran out as she watched him peel off his shirt and toss it on top of the jacket. Danny untucked his undershirt and pulled it over his head, baring his gorgeous, broad, chiseled, inked-up chest – which only made it harder for Kat to breathe and made it all but impossible for her to speak. After a few throat clearings and a cough, she did manage to choke out, “
What are you doing, Danny
?”
He toed off his shoes. “I’m getting naked. Just like you’re going to in about five seconds.” Danny kicked his shoes aside and yanked off his socks.
“But…I thought we were going to talk first. I have a lot of things I need to say and…”
Kat’s words trailed off as Danny approached.
He crossed his arms over his chest and gave her entire body a quick once-over before meeting her eyes. “How is your body feeling today? Other than the overall tiredness, I mean. Any pain or stiffness I should know about before we get into it? Any spot I should avoid going after too hard?” The intensity that suddenly appeared in Danny’s eyes had Kat balling her fists into his comforter. “Because once I get through straightening you out, I’m gonna to jump on you, Kat. And I won’t be thinking straight by that point because you’ll be naked, I’ll be naked, and getting back inside of you is all I’ve thought about since the last time I pulled out of you.”
Kat clenched her fingers tighter and squeezed her legs together, nearly moaning aloud at the friction.
Oh, God, me, too…
Kat’s eyes dropped to the enormous bulge just beneath Danny’s belt and what was left of her rational mind flew out the window…because she knew the havoc that thing could wreak…had been dying to drown in the insane pleasure it could give since – well, like Danny said – the last time he’d pulled out of her.
“So, let’s hear it, Kat,” Danny said, yanking her out of her dirty thoughts, but scrambling her brain more by subconsciously flexing his arms muscles as he shrugged. “Anything I need to know before shit gets crazy, sweetheart?” A weird expression suddenly crossed his face and he stepped closer to her. “Show me your stitches.”
“Wh-what?”
Danny gripped her chin gently and tilted her head back. “I don’t want to hurt you, so you show them to me. I want to see them with my own eyes, so I can actually try to accept that my woman – the woman who
knows
I love her more than anything and who
knows
I live to take care of her – got hurt that badly and didn’t call me. That she, instead, relied on another man to help her, shut me out, and then walked away from me for reasons I cannot fucking understand – but ones you’ll explaining to me once you get naked.” He slowly guided her head to the right. “But, for right now, I just need to see them, Kat. So show me.”
Kat reached an unsteady hand up and gently parted the hair hiding the row of three neat stitches. She heard Danny mutter something under his breath and exhale a hard sigh. Kat released the hair and slowly turned back to face him, so ashamed of how she’d handled their whole relationship, but most especially of how she’d pushed him away when they’d needed each other the most. The anguished expression on his face tore at her heart and soul.
“Danny, I-”
He pressed his fingertips to her lips to quiet her and then slowly dragged them across both her bottom and top lips. “Not yet, sweetheart. Right now all I need to know is if there is anything else on your body I need to avoid or be aware of before we get started.” When Kat slowly shook her head no, Danny stepped back. “Then let’s get to it.”
Kat watched in rapt fascination and utter arousal as Danny’s hands found his belt buckle. With deliberate, controlled movements that made her heart race and her palms sweat, Danny popped his belt free from the silver prong and then very slowly pulled the buckle end of the belt until the two ends separated. He unbuttoned and unzipped, but didn’t take off his pants…which really bummed Kat out.
Her eyes lifted to his and he answered her silent question with a half-grin and a wink. “Time for you to catch up, sweetheart.”
Participating in this
excruciatingly slow strip tease with Kat was the last thing Danny felt like doing. What he
wanted
to do was rip all her clothes off, make her come eighteen different ways, put her clothes back on her, and then drag her down to City Hall. He wanted to marry her, get her moved in here, and start their lives together as soon as humanly possible.
Oh, and knock her up preferably sooner than later.
All stuff he would get to, eventually, but not before he made a few things very, very clear to the future Mrs. Daniel MacDonough.
Danny gestured to her still fully-clothed self. “Well?”
“There are things I need to say to you first, Danny,” Kat said quietly, her eyes full of uncertainty, pain, and sorrow as she stared up at him. “Things you need to hear…things you deserve to hear.” She paused before adding, “And things we need to consider before you can decide exactly how you want to proceed.”
Danny snorted. “How I want to
proceed
?” When Kat nodded, he scoffed. “Yeah, here’s how I want to proceed – hell, how things
will
proceed: I want you completely naked. Now. You’re going to get a chance to say everything you want to say and you’re going to answer every question of mine – no ifs, ands, or buts about that. But we’re gonna do it totally naked, Kat.”
Her brows dropped. “But why do we have to be naked?”
“Because I am
done
with you hiding – behind that smart-ass mouth, that cold fish attitude, your sisters, the shit you manufacture in that big, impressive brain of yours, and all of your lies. Do you understand me, Kat –
done
?” Danny said. “We’re gonna talk it all out and get you all squared away, sweetheart, don’t you worry about that, but we’re gonna do it naked. You and me. Totally naked. Nothing between us. Now.”
When Kat opened her mouth to argue again, Danny shook his head slowly, crossing his arms over his chest and leveling a direct gaze on her. “Naked. You.
Now
.”
“Then you get naked, too.
Now
.” Kat shot back, gesturing to Danny’s still-clothed lower half. “If I have to, you have to,” she said with a hint of pout that made Danny want to scrap the whole
bare-souls-and-bodies
plan and skip right to fucking her into next week.
But he couldn’t. Because if they didn’t get this shit straightened out, they would continue to have the same problems over and over again and Danny knew neither one of them could physically or mentally endure another separation.
No, this needed to happen…but it needed to happen quickly before one or both of them lost their resolve and jumped the other.
Danny lifted a shoulder, already reaching for the waistband of his pants. “I got no problem getting naked for you, sweetheart, you know that.” He shoved his pants down, stepped out of them, and kicked them aside with a shit-eating grin. “In fact, anytime, anyplace. My body is your playground.” Danny gestured down to himself and winked at her. “And it’s open 24/7 just for you, Kat. Ride it anytime you like, any way you’d like, as many times as you’d like.”
Kat eyed him, head shaking. “You’re the craziest man I’ve ever met, you know that?”
“Crazy for you, sweetheart. And I swear to God no one could be crazier for you than I am,” he said softly. “I always have been and I always will be.”
Kat’s eyes welled. “
Danny…
”
“Please take your clothes off, Kat,” he begged, stepping closer. “Please, so we can talk this through…so I can touch you…and so you can touch me…
please
…”
Danny was thrilled to see Kat’s hands fly to the zipper of her jacket and, a few seconds later, her jacket, pants, shoes, and socks were off.
Her eyes boring into his, Kat gripped the hem of her tee-shirt and paused. Danny’s heart raced and his dick twitched against the fly of his boxers, just knowing he was going to see her naked body very soon. Touch it and taste it, too.
Own it.
Forever.
“Kat, take it off…please, sweetheart,” he gritted out. He balled his hands into fists at his sides to keep from ripping her clothes off himself. “Don’t be afraid…as much I want to fucking pounce on you, I’ll control myself. I promise.”
“I could never be afraid of you, Danny.
Never
,” Kat said with an intensity that stole his breath. “You are the sweetest, kindest, gentlest, most loving man on earth. The safest, most protected moments of my life were when I was with you.” Her voice tight with emotion and her eyes searching his face, Kat added, “I know I never told you that before and I’m sorry. There are so many things I should have told you, Danny, so many things you needed to hear that I was too stubborn and scared to say.” The smile she gifted him with was the most loving, most open one he’d ever seen – from her or anyone else. It literally made him feel warm inside. “But I’m going to say them now. Totally naked. With nothing between us.”
As Danny stood there gaping at her like the love-struck and lust-filled fool he was, Kat pulled off her shirt and tossed it aside before she unhooking her bra in back and slowly bending forward, allowing the straps to slide down her arms and the cups fall forward.
“
Shit, Kat…
” Danny breathed out the moment her incredible breasts were exposed. She tossed her bra onto the ever-growing pile of their discarded clothes and slid her fingers beneath the waistband of her panties. She began sliding them down over her hips and Danny went lightheaded. “
Jesus Christ…
”
Kat laughed, hands stilling. “You’ve seen this all before, Danny. Many times, remember?”
“And your absolute fucking perfection will never stop knocking me out, sweetheart. I could look at you all day, every day, for the rest of my life and never get enough.”