Authors: Elizabeth Moynihan
“You eating Hunter’s ice cream isn’t going to keep a child from starving somewhere in the world; osmosis doesn’t work that way,” Sergei stated, with a laugh.
Hunter looked at Dani in amazement. “You’re not full? I can’t believe it. Where do you pack it?” he asked, feeling like he was ready to explode and unable to believe that Dani could possibly fit another bit into her petite body.
“Take a good look at her ass, it’s probably spreading as we speak!” Sergei teased, ducking as his sister sailed a napkin his way.
“Dani’s ass looks great to me,” Hunter stated, not even realized he’d voiced his thought until the surprised gasps around him caught his attention. Feeling color rise up his neck and into his face, he gulped down half of his water, berating himself for saying something so stupid, and looked around for Mindy.
Dani wasn’t sure what to do, sit here and ignore the statement as if it had never been made or scream at him for making such a sexist remark. Either way, she felt both pleased at the compliment and confused that he would defend her against Sergei’s statement. It had to be that damned ‘barracuda’ gene again; always defending someone against something.
Blessedly, Mindy appeared with the check, which Hunter readily accepted, pulling money from his wallet, handing her the money and bill back, and telling her to keep the change. He obviously couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
“Everyone ready?” Hunter asked abruptly, wanting out of there as soon as possible. He still couldn’t believe he’d spoken those words aloud.
Everyone scooted out of the booth; each lost in their own thoughts, and made their way toward the exit, thanking Mindy as she passed them on her way to serving another table.
Hunter held the door for Dani, looked back to discover Chloe was stopping at the counter and ordering something, Sergei at her side. Following Dani, he clicked the button on his keyless remote and the door locks open with a subtle bump. Reaching the car, he gallantly opened the passenger door, allowing Dani to enter the vehicle, yet he refused to meet her eyes.
Closing her door, he walked around the car, slid in the driver’s side and started the engine, waiting as Sergei and Chloe made their way out of the restaurant, a white dessert box held tightly in Chloe’s hands.
Dani cast a glance at Hunter, who sat staring out the front window, his wrists draped over the top of the steering wheel. She could almost see the wheels spinning in his brain, he was thinking so hard. As much fun as it was to see him flushed with embarrassment and silent, she hated the sudden tension that had sprung up since his simple comment. Why shouldn’t he look at her ass? Considering she spent most of her time in clothes that barely covered it, if he was looking at her, it was going to happen that he looked at her butt too. Hell, half the time she was going backwards. What choice did the man have?
And it wasn’t as if she’d never looked at his body. God, he was gorgeous! His shoulders and arms were glorious; and that vine-like tattoo that circled his bulging left bicep had to be the sexiest thing she had ever seen! Truth be told, she didn’t have much to complain about as far as his butt went either! Suddenly she found herself flushing at the images her mind evoked and she shook her head, trying to dispel them.
“Hunter,” she called his name softly, wanting to tell him to chill out and quit being such an old fart.
“Yes?” His voice was a low rumble; his dark eyes suddenly capturing her as he turned to her had her thoughts disappearing and throat going dry. Bedroom eyes–that’s how her mother had described her father’s eyes–and until now, Dani had never understood the term. She did now! She felt herself dissolving a little beneath his heated gaze and with an effort, cleared her thoughts.
“I just wanted to let you know, your comment didn’t upset me,” Dani muttered, her fingers fluttering in her lap.
“It wasn’t meant to.”
“Well, it didn’t. So why don’t we just forget you said it and get on with things,” Dani suggested, her gaze catching sight of Sergei and Chloe as they meandered slowly toward the car.
“Good idea,” Hunter agreed.
“Okay, that’s settled then,” Dani stated, nodding her head up and down as if cementing the deal, feeling Hunter’s gaze on her face and refusing to meet his eyes.
Hunter felt anything but settled, and berated himself yet again for his lack of control.
Sergei and Chloe finally reached the car, Sergei opening the door and holding the box as Chloe slid into the back seat. Handing the box to Chloe, he slid in beside her. Both of them immediately felt the tension emanating from the two in the front seat and cast curious glances at each other, and shrugged in confusion.
Chloe looked at the white box she held in her hands, safely holding a French Silk pie, and whispered softly to Sergei, “At least Whit-taker will be happy with his dessert.”
Sergei sent Chloe a look filled with sensual heat, “I don’t know, I’m looking forward to my midnight snack!” he stated huskily, his lips tracing a heated path down her neck.
Chloe’s hands flexed on the box she held in her lap. “Sergei, if you keep that up, you’re going to have to explain to Whittaker why his pie looks like someone stepped on it,” she whispered, his mouth capturing her words in a deep kiss.
“For heaven’s sake, Chloe, give me that damn box before you crush it!” Dani growled, reaching for the box and pulling it from Chloe’s outstretched hands.
Rolling her eyes in, she placed the box in her lap, cast a glance at Hunter, who happened to be looking her way just then, darted a quick look at the box in her lap, and frowned.
Returning his dark look, she stated sardonically, “I know, don’t drip!”
Listening to the soft sounds of pleasure that echoed in the back seat, she thought Hunter should be more concerned about Sergei and Chloe drooling on the leather upholstery than the possibility of French Silk pie being spilled.
Hunter looked at the box in Dani’s lap and groaned as images of him smearing the sinfully rich filling and whipped cream over Dani’s body and then licking it off, an inch at a time, filled his mind.
She’s a baby, she’s a baby, she’s a baby
, he repeated to himself in a litany he hoped would save him. But as the sensual whimpering increased from the back seat, and Dani looked at him in commiseration, he found himself seeing her as anything but a baby!
A push of a button on the steering wheel had the volume on the radio rising, louder and louder, until finally the sounds from the back seat were covered over. Dani’s silently mouthed,
thank you
,had him simply nodding in acknowledgment, he didn’t trust his voice.
For the first time ever, Hunter’s Mercedes felt like a torture chamber.
t was a subdued Dani that lead the foursome into the house, still
I
in possession of Whittaker’s French Silk pie. The voices of her parents, Dee and Whittaker echoed from the family room, where they were still watching tapes and discussing changes to the programs; their voices rang with excitement and anticipation.
Whittaker heard Sergei’s deep voice and Chloe’s answering laugh and visions of the dessert he had been promised made his taste buds dance in anticipation. Leaving Dee, Jordan and Aleksei to continue their brainstorming session, Whittaker returned to the kitchen. “You all were gone long enough! Where’s my dessert?” he boomed, his expression crestfallen when he saw Chloe’s empty hands.
“In the box,” Sergei stated, nodding toward the box Dani had placed on the counter.
Whittaker popped open the top, smiled at the mound of whipped cream and chocolate shavings and sighed in appreciation. “Chloe, my love, you are truly an angel!” he sighed, scooping up a finger full of whipped cream from the edge and slipping it into his mouth, his sigh of pleasure a low moan.
“Don’t thank me, Dani made sure it got here in one piece,” Chloe stated on a laugh, casting Sergei a knowing look.
“Well then, thank you, Dani. Although in all honesty, I don’t care how it got here, as long as it did!” Whittaker’s booming laughter echoed in the kitchen.
“Whittaker, send Sergei and Chloe in here if you would please and put your dessert in the refrigerator, you can have a piece when we’re done here,” Dee ordered.
Whittaker cast a pathetic look toward his pie, closed the lid and sighed dramatically; you would have thought his goldfish had just died. “That woman has no heart. It’s not right denying a man dessert!” he groused, putting his coveted box into the refrigerator and sending the large appliance a final wistful look before slowly making his way back to the family room.
Hunter and Dani suddenly found themselves alone, and too aware of each for comfort. Emotions neither one were ready to admit to, let alone confront or discuss, hung tensely between them, perhaps another time, another day.
“If you’ll excuse me,” Dani asked, and headed for the back door that led to the skating rink.
“Where are you off to?” Hunter asked quietly.
“I really shouldn’t have eaten that huge dessert, I knew better and yet I did it anyway. And just like every other time I’ve shoveled one down, afterward I find myself feeling sluggish and guilty, and swearing I’ll never do it again. Which, of course, doesn’t happen. It’s probably my worst fault; seeing something I want and refusing to leave it alone until I get it,” Dani stated cryptically, her green eyes memorizing everything about him.
“Persistence isn’t a fault,” Hunter countered.
“Maybe not, but it can still have repercussions that you don’t consider until after the fact, or in my case, simply choose to ignore. And even knowing about them before hand, doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll change your course of action,” Dani said quietly.
Hunter watched her, his cognac eyes searching. “I hope you won’t take this the wrong way, but you’re not planning on doing something to make yourself lose the dessert, are you?”
Dani’s eyebrows lifted in surprise, a small smile lifting the corners of her full lips. “Why Mr. Attorney, are you possibly suggesting I’m planning to go ‘purge’ myself?”
“You wouldn’t be the first skater with an eating disorder.”
“No I wouldn’t, and I hate to burst the little bubble that has you believing you’re doing something noble by showing your politically correct concern, but all I’m planning on doing is skating for an hour or so until I don’t feel so full. I can assure you, vomiting is the last thing I have on my mind. If you knew me, and you don’t, you’d know that I take my health very seriously and would never–and I do mean never–do anything to purposely jeopardize it. I fully understand that if I decide to have a piece of cake, or an ice cream sundae or a dozen cinnamon rolls, I will have to do something to work off the extra calories. That doesn’t mean I plan on puking in my mother’s garden!”
“I was only concerned about you,” Hunter stated softly.
“Why? I’m not your concern. You’re here to see that Sergei and Chloe come out okay against the Manning’s, and you can’t do that if you’re spending your time watching me,” Dani voiced heatedly.
“What an ego! What makes you think I spend my time watching you?” Hunter growled, crossing his arms over his wide chest, a muscle flicking along the right side of his jaw.
“Some comment about a ‘nice ass’ might make me think that!” She fired back.
“I like ladies asses, so sue me!”
“My father isn’t paying you to watch my ass, in fact, he probably wouldn’t be very happy to know you were even looking at me that way,”
“And what way would that be?” Hunter asked in a low, dangerous voice, his eyes flashing angrily.
“You tell me. From my side of the fence, it looks kind of, well you know–sexual,” she answered quietly, pulling her eyes from his heated gaze.
“I’ve got news for you,
little girl
, just because I made a defensive comment about your butt, to your brother, doesn’t mean I have any inclinations toward you, sexual or otherwise. I prefer my women to be over the age of consent, independent, low maintenance, easy on the eyes and knowledgeable in the bedroom. I don’t want to have spend my time figuring out what I did to hurt their feelings or waste my energy making up some imagined slight to them. I’ve never groveled, begged or apologized; I don’t intend to start now!” His voice was low and deep, without inflection, yet filled with rage and hurt.
Dani looked at him calmly, recognized the hurt that went deep into his soul, and wanted to gather him into her arms and whisper words meant to soothe his pain and heal his hurts. In that split second, she felt herself falling so deeply in love with him in that it took her breath away, and yet it felt as if another puzzle piece in her life was slipping into place, that things were as they were meant to be. A sweeping rightness washed over her and she felt both bewildered and focused at the same time. She wanted to keep her secret safe and silent deep within her heart and scream it from a mountaintop, telling the entire world, both at once. At the same time, she knew if she said the wrong thing, it could send him running so fast from her she’d be choking on his dust for a month.
“You know, for supposedly being such a brilliant, charming legal eagle, you sure come off as a world class asshole. Do you treat all your clients this way, or only a few lucky ones?” Dani asked casually.
Hunter’s anger flared, and he slowly came to stand before her, next to the door, towering over her as he looked down into her deep green eyes, hating himself for the flare of heat that soared through his body at her nearness. “Don’t push me, Dani. You don’t know me well enough to know when to back off so I’ll grant you a boon, and let you know you’ve reached the line. If you push anymore, you might not like what happens next,” he warned, his voice a warm breath across her face.
“Is that supposed to scare me, Hunter?” she asked softly, looking steadily into his eyes. “Because if it is, I’ve got news for you, it doesn’t.”
“Then you’re not as smart as you think because you don’t realize what dangerous ground you’re standing on,” Hunter warned. His eyes were mesmerized by her mouth, only inches away, and the heat of her body radiating in gentle waves against him, made him more aware of her body than he wanted to be.
“I’m perfectly aware of exactly where I’m standing; it’s you that’s on shaky ground. You’re so confused you don’t know which way is up and that, in itself, is driving you crazy. Christ, Hunter, I can feel you vibrating, you’re so tightly wound,” Dani stated, placing one hand on the center of his chest, his heart pounding madly beneath her palm, the heat from his skin scorching her through the shirt he wore.
Hunter felt himself melting at her heated touch, saw the understanding in her eyes and wanted to hate her for recognizing needs in him he refused to acknowledge. He wouldn’t–couldn’t–let her get close to him. He didn’t think he could survive that kind of hurt again.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re playing a game you’ve no knowledge of, let alone experience in. Back off, Dani, you’re playing with fire!”
“Unlike you, I’m not afraid of a little heat, Hunter, I’m more than willing to take a risk,” Dani answered softly, her eyes glowing brightly as she looked up into his darkening gaze, her teeth lightly chewing her lower lip drawing his attention to her mouth.
Hunter felt his control slipping, felt his body swaying closer to the heat she offered and fought against the urge to simply lean against her, to feel the softness of her lips against his; to taste the sweetness of her mouth. Indifference and disinterest, they might be his only escape. Summoning every ounce of control he could muster, his expression turned to one of bored indifference, and he somehow managed to take a step away from her.
“You know Dani, considering what you’re offering so freely, it might be interesting to take you up on it. But, as you so aptly pointed out, I’m here to do a job and I should probably get on with it,” he said, turning and walking away from her, trying to keep his stride measured and nonchalant, despite his urge to run as fast as he could.
“Running isn’t going to change the fact you’ve already lost the game,” Dani called at his retreating back.
“What game?” Hunter tossed over his shoulder.
“The game between us; the game you’re fighting so hard to ignore.”
“There’s nothing between us, Danielle!” Her name slipping from his lips was a sensual whisper.
“There’s everything between us; you just don’t want to admit it. But believe me, the day will come when you do,” Dani stated knowingly, her gaze steady and filled with understanding and patience, and something else he was afraid to label.
Hunter felt his heart explode in realization and raged against the emotions and feelings that threatened to torpedo the wall he had built up so long ago that refused to let any gentle feelings near enough to harm him. He didn’t dare let this slip of a girl anywhere near him; didn’t dare allow her to know his dreams or fears; wouldn’t give her the power to hurt him. She was better off without him; she deserved someone whole and able to share their heart, their hopes, their lives, without always wondering when it would all disappear.
“Fuck you, Danielle,” he growled hatefully, but his voice was so low and filled with such desire, she refused to take his words at face value.
“Not today, Hunter, but mark my words, the day will come,” she returned softly, an understanding look in her eyes. With a final gentle smile, she opened the door and with a last glance, quietly offered, “And when it does, you’ll wonder why you fought so hard against it and why you waited so long!” She vowed, then slipped through the door and left him standing alone in the kitchen.
For several long seconds Hunter stood alone–and lonely-in the kitchen.
The brainstorming went on in the family room until after eleven o’clock, when everyone finally admitted they had gone over every inch of tape of Sergei and Chloe’s program, dissected it, critiqued it and decided when needed to be changed, altered or deleted.
As great a performance as it had been, it was agreed that Sergei and Chloe would run through the program in the morning, video tape it again, compare the two. At that point, final decisions would be made as to what changes were necessary, if any.
With everyone in agreement, good nights were said, and Whit-taker gallantly agreed to drive Dee to the hotel she was staying in temporarily.
“Hand them over, Frank. I’d like to get home in one piece tonight!” Dee demanded, holding her hand out and wiggling her fingers until he finally dropped then in her palm.
“I didn’t have a single drink tonight,” he argued, frowning as she rushed him along.
“No, but that third piece of pie half you ate a half-hour ago has left you so drowsy I’ll be lucky if you don’t fall asleep in the car. And if you do, pal, you’re sleeping there all night. I refuse to throw my back out again dragging your sorry butt up those stairs to your condo!” she fired back, passing out good night hugs and kisses to everyone.
“It’s good to know I have such caring, considerate friends,” Whit-taker growled, accepting Jordan, then Chloe’s kiss to his rough cheek.
“Sleep well Frank. We’ll see you in the morning,” Jordan offered, smiling as she felt her husband’s arm slip around her waist and give her a gentle squeeze.
“’Night, coach,” Chloe and Sergei called out together.
With nudge from Dee and a final wave over his head, the two coaches headed down the stairs and the long walkway toward Whittaker’s SUV, arguing every step of the way, their low voices causing little puffs of steam to create mini-clouds in the chilly air.
“I don’t know why they bother to act as if they can barely tolerate each other, when they’re constantly backing each other up? Everyone knows how close they really are!” Sergei laughed; watching through the window as the SUV pulled away and headed down the drive.
“They’ve been good friends for a very long time,” Jordan stated with a secret smile, locking the door and turning off the porch lights.
Sergei shook his head in bemusement; sometimes his mother still treated him like a six-year-old. “You can say it Mom; they’ve been lovers for ages!”