DanielsSurrender (5 page)

Chapter Six

Gathering what she could of her composure, Shannon headed
toward the elevator. She got there just in time for the doors to slide open,
leaving her to step in and relive her moment with the second most beautiful man
she’d ever seen. When he’d smiled at her, a naughty sparkle in his eyes, she’d
decided he was every bit as beautiful as Matthew, in a different way.

Matthew was pure boyish charm. He radiated sex, but he also
exuded fun. This man was movie-star gorgeous. There wasn’t anything boyish
about him. He radiated sex, but it was dark, hinting at forbidden pleasures.

He smelled good. Really good. Matthew’s taste was still on
her lips, but she wanted to taste this man, too. And his voice was like crushed
velvet, brushing over her with an almost physical touch. What was happening to
her? It was as if when she had driven across the Michigan state line, some
inner barrier had dropped. Something had changed, freeing a woman who could
hunger for two men at the same time. Who
could
hunger, she realized, to
take two men at the same time.

He’d almost kissed her. He had touched her, and when her
nipples had rubbed over his her breath had hitched, and she knew he’d felt it
too. She was flushed and wasn’t sure if it was from embarrassment or arousal.
Because if her nipples had been hard against his chest, his cock had been even
harder, dragging over the soft skin of her belly. She wondered how his mouth
would taste and slumped against the elevator wall. Apparently she could hunger,
but she wasn’t quite brave enough to do anything about it.

Five minutes later, Shannon found herself staring at a door
for the second time in less than an hour. Only this time it was her own. And
she was locked on the wrong side of it.

“Fuck!” She didn’t use a lot of profanity. It was a bad
habit for a teacher to get into—it wouldn’t do to slip up in front of the
kiddies. But sometimes only a good old four-letter word got the point across.

Well, she could stand here like a statue hoping Matt noticed
her keys and brought them down to her, or she could go back up and get them
herself. Maybe she’d get lucky and catch him with his shirt off. Or his pants.

Wondering if he’d agree that she’d had enough time to “think
about things”, she turned and headed back into the jaws of temptation.

* * * * *

“You forgot your keys.” Matt was smiling as he opened the
door. Daniel stood leaning against the jamb with his hands tucked casually in
his pockets. Matthew’s smile faded a bit, became more speculative.

“Expecting someone?” With a hungry little grin, he looked
over his shoulder then back. “Wouldn’t happen to be that really hot little
number I just ran into?”

Matt walked away from the door without answering. Daniel
followed him in, not bothering to close the door behind him.

“What do you want, Daniel?” Matthew crossed his arms and
stood facing Daniel. Daniel couldn’t help but notice the flush on Matthew’s
cheeks, and the heavy thrust of his erection through his thin gray trousers.
Matt’s eyes were a stormy gray-green. He must still be pissed. Daniel was very
much afraid Matt was going to make this harder than he’d anticipated.

“Matty, we need to put all the shit behind us or we’ll never
manage to work together. With Marcus gone, it’s up to us to finish this project
on time.”

“Don’t call me Matty.” Matthew’s brows were drawn together
in obvious aggravation. “I haven’t been Matty for ten fucking years.” He walked
toward Daniel.

Daniel threw his hands up as if to ward off Matt’s approach.
“Point taken, Matt. We still need to act like grownups.” The barb was
deliberate and Matt realized it, if the narrowing of his eyes was anything to
go by. “It’s past time that we come to an understanding so we can get to work.”

“Oh, I understand, Daniel. I understand that you’re in
denial.”

This wasn’t going the way he’d planned. Daniel took a moment
to regroup. They needed to have this out once and for all, or they’d never be
able to work together. He didn’t care to examine too closely exactly why he was
so determined to confront the younger man.

“There is no denial, Matt. We had fun. We got off. End of
story.”

Matt stalked over to him, closing the distance between their
bodies. “If it was just about getting off, then why are you so obsessed with
talking it to death? Why can’t you look me in the eye?” He cupped his hand against
Daniel’s tented pants, rubbing his palm roughly over his erection. “If it was
just about getting off, then why do you get hard every time we’re in a room
together? You look at me and you’re ready to explode.
You’re
the one who
keeps making this about more than getting off.”

Daniel needed to end this now. He couldn’t seem to stay
casual with Matt, and there were too many reasons why they couldn’t be anything
serious to each other. He wasn’t capable of giving Matt what he needed, what he
deserved.

There would be no happy ending for Daniel. He would never be
the hero to swoop in and save the day. He fucked. That was what he was good at.
He stayed comfortable, he stayed in control. Matt deserved more.

Matt threatened the tight control Daniel had spent so many
years cultivating. At thirty-six, he had his emotions contained behind a nice
thick wall of ice. No one got hurt, and he didn’t have to live with guilt.

He sure as hell wasn’t telling Matt he felt something when
they were together. Daniel wouldn’t even acknowledge to himself the spark of
need that flickered somewhere north of his dick whenever Matt was around. As
long as he didn’t acknowledge it, it wasn’t real.

“Matthew, I don’t look at you any differently than I do any
other person I’ve had sex with.”

A flash, maybe hurt, passed through Matt’s eyes, and for a
brief moment Daniel felt regret at his harsh words.
This is for his own
good.

Daniel closed his eyes, trying to gain control of the
situation. Mistake. When he opened them, Matt was on him, branding his mouth
with a kiss as potent as straight whiskey. Daniel tried to push him away, but
Matthew wasn’t having it. He grabbed the front of Daniel’s shirt and pushed him
against the wall, pressing with his body to keep him in place.

Daniel refused to open his mouth. It didn’t stop Matt from
licking his lips. He pulled back and whispered against Daniel’s damp mouth,
“You’re a liar, Daniel.”

Those four little words ripped through Daniel. Liar, was he?

This time he grabbed Matt and pulled him around so his back
was against the wall. Daniel pushed his leg between the younger man’s thighs.
Matt’s hard-on ground against his thigh. He slapped his hands against the wall,
framing Matt’s head.

“You don’t know what the fuck you’re asking for.” Daniel
could barely form the words as hazel eyes widened, and Matt smiled.

“You keep saying that, and you keep being wrong.”

Daniel shook his head. He was going to regret this, but he
couldn’t seem to stop.

“Then you’re a fool.” He brought his mouth crashing down on
Matthew’s and thrust his tongue deeply into his mouth. Daniel plundered and
pushed, taking the other man’s mouth over and over again. He bit at Matthew’s
bottom lip as he pushed his hips into the cradle of his pelvis. He grabbed
Matt’s jaw, widening his mouth so he could lay claim.

It wasn’t supposed to be a kiss of passion; it was
punishment for pushing Daniel too far. His lips were bruising in their
intensity, but Matt wasn’t intimidated. No, Matthew was moaning, his hands
grasping Daniel’s ass, grinding him against his cock.

A small gasp broke the spell. Both men turned their heads
toward the sound. Standing in the doorway was the little hottie Daniel had just
met in the hall. He pushed away from Matt and walked to the woman. He didn’t
stop until he was close enough for her breath to touch his face. Daniel let his
gaze travel up and down her perfectly curved form, stopping at the beaded
nipples straining against her white tank top.

She’d watched them kissing, and it had turned her on. Drawn,
as if by a magnet, he lowered his head, closing the distance between their
mouths. He breathed in deeply, and the sweet aroma of orange blossoms invaded
his senses. When she tilted her head up to meet him, it broke the spell. Daniel
pulled back with a jerk and walked out the door, leaving both Matt and the
mystery woman breathing hard and wanting more.

Leaving himself wanting more.

* * * * *

They stared at each other for a long, charged minute before
Matthew spoke.

“Sorry about that.” His voice was deep and raspy, and for
once there was no laughter in his eyes.

“Who the hell is he?” Shannon flicked a glance at the closed
door, and then to Matthew’s very obvious erection. “And is he the reason you
stopped earlier?”

Matthew sighed. “He is a force of nature named Daniel Ellis.
And yeah, he does have something to do with why I stopped.” When she went pale
and narrowed her eyes, he hurriedly continued. “But not the way you mean.”

“Okay.” Shannon tried to control her profound
disappointment. She’d found not one, but two amazingly hot men and had thought
she might have a chance with at least one of them. It was depressing beyond
words to discover they were more interested in each other than in her.

“Okay,” she repeated. “Then I think you’d better explain to
me exactly what it is you want from me. Was what happened earlier on the couch
some sort of…fluffer until the main event?”

She met his eyes somberly. Her body was at war with her
brain. She wanted, and it looked as if she wasn’t going to get any
satisfaction.

“Oh, sweetheart, I meant every second of what happened on
the couch. And if I was getting ‘fluffed,’” he winced at the term, “for anyone,
it was you.”

He sighed and gestured for her to sit. Somehow Shannon
couldn’t bring herself to sit calmly on the couch where they’d almost made love
less than an hour ago. Walking over to gaze out the window, she motioned for
Matthew to continue.

“Things between Daniel and me are…complicated. He’s not my
boyfriend. But I do want him, and God knows he wants me, too. That doesn’t have
anything to do with my wanting you. Shannon, before you there hasn’t been a
woman to make me hard with just a look in years. Hell, not since I was a horny
teenager. The reason I stopped earlier wasn’t because I’d rather be with
Daniel. It was because everything with Daniel is a struggle. He wants me, but
he doesn’t want to. I don’t want to be with you and then find out you regret it
later.” He came to stand behind her, gently turning her to meet his eyes. “I
want you too damn much for that.”

Shannon knew she should turn around and walk away right now.
This was a situation destined to break her heart. And yet, she understood
Matthew completely. Hadn’t she just stood in the elevator marveling at her
desire for two unique men? Returning Matthew’s serious look with one of her own,
Shannon lifted her hand to his stubble-roughened cheek.

“I won’t regret it later.” And she guided his mouth down to
meet hers.

Her smile felt like sunshine, and Matt realized her kiss
tasted like it, too. After too many times of being the aggressor with Daniel,
having Shannon freely offer her mouth was like a balm to Matthew’s bruised
heart. He wasn’t quite sure when fooling around with Daniel had become
something more than a really sexy experiment, but he found with each of
Daniel’s rejections, he hurt a little more. Shannon eased that hurt. Her desire
for him was so clear, so pure, and he felt as if her totally unselfish passion
was healing hurts he’d never even realized he had.

At first she just pressed her lips to his, a sweet, chaste
kiss. He felt her breath on his cheek and slowly realized they were breathing
in synch. With no contact beyond their closed lips, they had become one.

After a while, her lips began to move. Kissing Shannon was
the polar opposite of kissing Daniel. Her lips were so soft, shaping and
reshaping his. She sipped softly at his top lip, and then his bottom, pulling
back from time to time to examine her work. Matthew could feel his lips
flushing and swelling under her attention, and her satisfaction was evident in
the wicked, feline smile she gave him.

Reaching up with her free hand, she cradled his face,
surrounding him in her warmth. Her softness. His hands, which had been fisted
in his pockets, came out to brush softly over her hair before sliding down her
back to rest lightly at her hips.

Without any encouragement, she stepped closer. Matthew loved
Shannon’s body. He loved that she didn’t look like some stick figure who would
break the first time he rode her hard. He loved how she felt crushed up against
him, no hard edges, just warmth, soft and giving. He loved her round, natural
breasts, and he even loved the round curve of her belly. In fact, he loved her
belly quite a lot because at this very minute it was cradling his aching
erection like a soft pillow of heat.

Shannon felt Matthew sigh, long and contented, against her
mouth and smiled into their kiss. He’d let her take control, even seemed to
need that from her, and she was soaking in every minute.

She kept the pace slow, even languid, but she could feel his
cock throbbing like an iron spike fresh off the fire against her belly and knew
slow wouldn’t work much longer. Shannon didn’t think she could take much more
of slow either. Her pussy was on fire and with every lick of her tongue over
his lips, the fire burned hotter.

Letting her hands feather gently down Matthew’s face, she
stroked the lean cords of his neck, sliding into the open collar of his shirt
to run inquisitive fingertips over his shoulders. One by one she plucked open
his buttons, baring the bronzed expanse of lean, hard, muscled chest. His shirt
was satiny smooth under her hands. Matthew’s skin was even smoother. And so
warm.