Of Love and Deception (9 page)

“Yeah, it smells delicious.” Daniella accepted his hand and they made their way to the kitchen. Cruz pulled her chair out and scooted her in after she sat down. He sat next to her.

Meg came waltzing in and of course, she parked her butt next to Cruz.

~~~

After breakfast, Daniella went to get ready. Cruz popped in, leaning against the doorframe.

“Hey.”

“Hey yourself. Are you going to stand there or come in?” Daniella said in a lilting voice.

Cruz stepped in and wrapped his arms around her waist. He rested his chin on her shoulder and smiled at her in the mirror.

“Mm. You smell good.” He pressed his lips against her neck and nibbled his way up to her ear. “If only we were alone right now.”

“Stop teasing me.” Daniella stepped away from his embrace and glanced at him. A wide grin spread across his lips.

“Meet me at the boating dock when you're finished. I've got to go take the boat for a quick run and then I'll pick up whoever's ready.”

“Great. You know, I haven't been on water skis since I was a teen. This ought to be a laugh, but okay, I'll see you shortly.” She gave him a quick peck on the lips and he headed out the door.

~~~

Daniella stepped out of the house in search of Cruz. Warm sand seeped between her toes as she walked toward the lake. Where was he?

“Daniella! Over here.” Falcon waved his arms. He was just to the east side of the lakeshore, but several feet away from the dock.

When Daniella reached Falcon, she dropped down beside him on the warm sand and wondered where Meg and Cruz were. The whine of a speedboat caught her attention. Cruz sat in the driver's seat spinning in circles. Meg sat next to him with her hand pressed against his bicep. As Cruz stopped spinning circles and slowed the boat to a mere crawl, Meg jumped up, clapped her hands and plopped herself on Cruz's lap, embracing him and kissing his cheek.

Daniella was furious. She balled her fists and pressed them into the sand. 

“Don't worry about it, Daniella. It's not what you think.” Falcon must have caught the scowl on her face. “Meg doesn't mean anything by it. She has always been close to Cruz; she confides in him. Kind of like a big brother, little sister scenario.”

Falcon placed a hand on her shoulder and gave a little push.

“I think it's odd.” Daniella released her fists and relaxed. “I hardly know her and I haven't been dating Cruz all that long. Any normal female would look at it the same way, don't you think?” 

“She's probably testing you to see how strong you feel about Cruz—how much you'll put up with. She thinks it's the best way to tell if you're worthy of Cruz.” Falcon gave her another friendly nudge, causing Daniella to turn to face him.

“Well, that's just weird. Does she do this to everyone he dates?”

Falcon shifted his gaze from her eyes to the boat and back again. “Yep. None of them stuck around very long.”

He stood and reached for her hands.

“What?” Daniella scoffed.

“Just give me your hands so I can help you up. Cruz is waving us down.” He pointed toward the boat where Cruz flapped his arms and whistled through his teeth.

“Ah.” Daniella let Falcon pull her to her feet. They headed toward the dock. “Can you tell me why Cruz would allow this behavior? I mean, doesn't it peeve him when Meg does whatever she does to chase his girlfriends away?”

“Hm. Not really. Don't get me wrong, Daniella, he's different with you, but the others were never anyone Cruz wanted to be serious with. He hated when they whined to him about Meg. He's the first to admit he can't stand a jealous female.”

“Dang. That's kind of harsh. I mean, Meg's somewhat threatening. Her looks alone would make most females jealous. And doesn't it bother you when she does that… flirting and all… since she's
your
wife?”

Falcon hissed a little as he took in a deep breath and then exhaled. “Not really. I trust Cruz and I trust Meg's judgment. We've all been friends since high school and I'm the one she married. Besides, it's kind of hot, the way she flirts.”

“I guess… whatever goads you.” Daniella shed her swimsuit cover to reveal a red bikini with gold trim. Her abs and legs were firm, and her skin glowed a golden tan.

“Damn, Daniella!” Falcon's eyes drifted from her neck down, and back up again. “Cruz would be crazy to let you go. Shit. Meg's really going to be jealous. Promise me you won't let her get to you?”

“This is just insane. Why does she need to be jealous… or flirty with Cruz when she has you?” She examined Falcon. He had deep blue eyes, jet-black hair with a silky texture, and a great tan to go with a muscular body. What's there to be jealous of? She also found it funny that Falcon's shorts were red, maybe brighter than her swimsuit, but still red.

“It's about her and nobody else. I can only sum it up to attention. Meg wants all of the attention. I'm sure you're a threat because you're beautiful. Just roll with it and hopefully she will warm up to you.” He gave her a lopsided smile.

As Daniella stepped into the boat, she caught Cruz's look of approval, and Meg's disapproval. She did her best to ignore Meg's glare.

Cruz grabbed Daniella's hand and pulled her toward the rear of the boat. He leaned over, pulled a life jacket from under one of the seats, along with two sets of skis. He pressed his chest against her chest as he helped her put on the life jacket. Before she could pull away to snap the clips, he slid his hands under her arms, brushing her breasts as he did, and locked them behind her back.

Warm lips greeted her ear as he whispered, “You shouldn't wear that suit.”

Daniella tried to pull back, but he didn't let her. He continued to whisper, “Because I want to rip it off you right here, right now. And I have a major hard-on. How the hell am I supposed to hide it?”

Daniella reached her arms around his neck and pulled his head down further. She whispered, “I'll walk in front of you. Just don't poke that thing between my butt.” He laughed and turned her around as he followed close behind.

~~~

They enjoyed a ride around the entire length of the lake. The water sprayed along the edges of the boat and cooled Daniella's heated skin. The waves were slightly rough, but fun.

Meg was the first to jump when Cruz mentioned skiing. She must have thought she'd get to partner with him because she scowled when he handed Falcon the second set of skis.

“Cruz. You said you'd ski with me. You better make good on it before the day is done.”  Meg stormed toward the back of the boat. She threw herself over the side, practically a belly flop, in her fit of a tantrum.

After a long journey with several spins around the lake, Falcon and Meg let go of their ropes and glided along the waves before they sank. Daniella's stomach turned into a twisted knot of nerves. She knew she wouldn't look as smooth as they did. She was certain she'd biff many times before she'd actually maneuver a standing position.

“You ready?” Cruz waggled his eyebrows.

“Um… why don't you make good on your promise to Meg first?” she asked.

“What? Are you serious?” He paused and looked as if he were examining her expressions. “You're frightened, aren't you?”

“No!” Daniella turned to look at the water and then shifted her gaze back to Cruz. “Well, kind of. I'm pretty sure you're not going to enjoy skiing with me. I'll probably end up being dragged under the water, probably never getting up.”

“Ah, stop it. You'll do fine. Come on, let's go.” Cruz took her hands, tugged her from her seat and nudged her toward the back of the boat.

Meg and Falcon made their way back to the boat, climbed in and handed over their skis.

“Gosh, Meg, you were like a pro out there.” Daniella buttered up a smiling Meg. “Now promise me you won't laugh at me when I get dragged along the water?”

“Oh, Daniella. Are you really that bad?” Meg asked.

“Worse than bad. I'm so bad that I'm certain you'll get your turn to ski with Cruz long before the day ends. Give me ten minutes to prove just how bad I am.” She shivered with a mixture of fear and anticipation.

Meg appeared to lighten up. She laughed and offered some friendly tips on how to get up on the skis.

Cruz was already in the water waiting for Daniella. She jumped into the chilly, dark lake and Cruz pulled her by her life jacket toward him. He gripped her thighs as she leaned back against his chest. Her attempts to slide her feet into the skis were hampered by Cruz slipping his fingers along the inner lining of her swimsuit.

Clenching her legs together, Daniella said, “Stop doing that or I'll never get these things on my feet.”

“Mm. But I like it.” He moaned and helped her slip her feet into the skis.

“Ready?” Falcon hollered.

Cruz looked at Daniella. She nodded, and he shouted, “Go!”

Falcon gunned it, Cruz went up immediately, and to Daniella's surprise, she pulled up as well. Meg's tip to tilt backward worked.

“Way to go, babe!” Cruz's Colgate smile flashed his perfect white teeth.

Daniella laughed nervously. The rope tightened and her legs stiffened at every wave her skis slid across. Cruz kept giving her the thumbs up every time she braved to look at him. As she gained confidence and maneuvered her stance, she watched Cruz fly over the waves like a pro. He did a sideway flip, causing Daniella to panic. She hadn't seen the wave come crashing at her, but she didn't miss the instant pain that shot through the core of her bottom. This was the exact reason she never attempted to ski again.

A wedgy of the worst kind licked her bum, leaving her breathless. She couldn't even cry or be embarrassed because it hurt so bad. All she could do was float along the ripples moving underneath her. Cruz's shouting went unanswered, but not his arms as they folded around her.

“Shit. Are you okay? What hurts?” he asked as he held her from behind.

Shit. Ha-ha. Not funny. Please, whatever you do, do not touch my butt.
Daniella attempted to laugh at her own thoughts, but it came out as broken up hysteria.

When Cruz went to move his hands exactly where she prayed he wouldn't, Daniella cried out, “Don't! W-wedgy… of the worst kind.”

“Ouch! Double damn, baby. But you know you should really let me check to see if your bottoms are still wedged or dislodged?”

“N-no. Not… happening. I'm so done with skiing.” She shivered in a lame attempt of a chuckle.

“Ah. I'll just have to stay aboard and pamper your little bottom while Meg and Falcon ski.” Cruz slowly reached for her foot and slipped the ski off. The other ski had flown off when she biffed it.

After Cruz gently pulled Daniella into the boat, she lay across the bench on the passenger side. He leaned down and brushed her cheek with his palm.

Watching him closely, she said, “You should really take your turn with Meg. I'm fine, really, I am. I'd hardly call a butt assault an emergency, so go have fun.”

By the smirk on his face, his thoughts were evident.

“What?” Cruz asked, his guilt obvious.

“What, my ass. I know you're thinking you wished it was you assaulting my ass, right?”

His smile was hot and sexy. He blew a warm breath against her ear and whispered, “You have no idea. But what I'd do wouldn't be painful.”

Ewe.

“Come on, Cruz! The sun is gonna die before we get a turn!” Meg whined.

“I'm coming.” A quick brush of his lips greeted her cheek and then he was gone.

Daniella lay in the boat, doing her best to avoid Falcon's stare. It made her feel awkward. She was thankful when everyone finished skiing and they finally pulled up to the dock. Cruz tried to help her, but she promised him she'd made a full butted recovery.

~~~

After dinner, everyone sat out on the deck and shared stories of high school days. Emma, Cruz's mother, offered stories about Cruz's childhood. Daniella could tell that Cruz didn't care much for the stories covering his tantrums. She laughed as she imagined Cruz as a little boy jumping up and down and crying over a worm he thought he killed when he stretched it so far that it broke in half. According to Emma, there was no soothing him. He hadn't believed the worm was fine.

Shifting his position, with Daniella between his legs and her back pressed against his chest, Cruz nipped her ear. “So you think that's funny, huh?”

Daniella giggled. “Yes I do.”

She cocked her head to the side so she could see his face. His eyes turned into pools of lust and she begged to taste his lips, but not in front of an audience. Meg had been watching them all night, and whenever Daniella would catch her, Meg offered a warm smile and looked away.

“Cruz, I'm tired. Can we call it a night? Maybe you could come to my room for a little while?”

Cruz stood, lifting Daniella with him. “Daniella and I are wiped out. We're saying our goodnights and we'll see you all in the morning.”

“Night.”

“Goodnight, Son.”

“No hanky panky, since you're not married,” Meg said with much sarcasm.

~~~

The sheets were cool against Daniella's heated and slightly sunburned skin. Cruz came in with only a pair of boxers hanging low on his hips. The fine definition outlining his abs, his really, really, low abs, planted naughty thoughts in her head. She almost forgot what she wanted to talk to him about.

  “You better keep that sheet covering you while I lay next to you. I don't know how long I can control myself,” Cruz said in a husky voice as he stretched out next to her.

“Mm-hm.”

His lips were one hot breath away from hers. He motioned them in an open-mouthed kissing pattern, closing in, but not touching when he said, “You wanted to talk to me?”

Unable to speak, heart pounding with growing anticipation, Danielle closed the distance, urgently pressing her lips against his in a heated frenzy. He deepened the kiss, rolled on top of her, and with both hands, he fisted her hair. Daniella wrapped her arms around his neck and raked her fingers along the back of his scalp. She arched her hips slightly below the sheet as he pressed his heavy excited member between her legs. Fingers slid down her side, underneath her nighty, and danced upward along the bare skin of her abdomen. As he cupped her breast, the sound of creaking hardwood echoed throughout the hallway.