Outer Core (14 page)

I keep reading the same page over and over, but the content doesn't register. The author flawlessly portrays the story of a young girl's path from starvation to the Dutch parliament, but it's wasted on me. All I can think about is licking a path down Daniel's abs. Rereading how the brave girl pumps water from a well, the only thing I'm left with is the pumping. Which immediately nourishes the restless buzzing inside me. I close my eyes in frustration and all I see is Daniel. Naked. Sweaty.
Screw talking and settling our differences
. I reach for my phone and shoot out a message to the object of my desire.

When are you coming to bed?

Daniel: Later.

I roll my eyes. Time to be less testy and much more tasty, D.

How about now?

Daniel: I'm working.

Please come to bed?

Daniel: Are you done trying to pick a fight?

Oh, for goodness' sake.

Sorry for that.

Immediately, I send him the next message.

I'm sort of horny . . .

A grin spreads across my lips to the tramping of steps coming from the hall. The grin stretches into a radiant smile when Daniel appears in the doorframe. He slows down, looking at me, scratching his lips with his thumb.

“You were saying . . .”

In lieu of an answer, I push the covers aside. Looking at him from under my lashes, I send my hands to the hem of my shirt and pull it up. I don't wait for him to reach the bed to shimmy out of my panties. A lingered sigh of release leaves my mouth to the touch of his lips on my skin. There's a tough flair to the way he takes me next. Some sort of pleasure mixed with punishment, he is fierce and demanding, almost dominating. It's sensual and sinister and leaves me breathless, yet with a craving for more.

“You killed me, woman,” Daniel says more than an hour later, making a whole production of crawling up the bed like some wounded soldier climbing out of a ditch. He drops onto his back next to me, catching his breath.

“Bless your philanthropic soul.” I pat his bare chest, catching my own breath.

Daniel chuckles; damp clusters of hair cling to his forehead, his cheeks flushed with exertion. Still slumped on the bed, he cranes his neck to look at me, his cheek pressed into the mattress.

“Not that you'll ever, ever hear me complaining, but you were quite . . . demanding.”

He grins at me.

“Can you really blame me?” I echo his smile and add, “Have you seen
you
?”

He sends his eyes to the ceiling. Sliding his hand under my lower back, he rolls me to lie on him. I kiss his lips through a smile. He chuckles into my kiss to the very blatant grumble coming from my stomach.

“Worked up an appetite projecting?” Daniel says to the room as I bury my smile in his chest.

“I could definitely eat.” I tip up my head to look at him.

Not bothering with clothes, we make our way to the kitchen. I twist my lips from side to side, taking inventory of the profusion our fridge has to offer.

“How about all the food Nadine made?” Daniel asks from behind, leaning on the island, biting on an apple.

I shake my head, turning to face him. I don't think I'll ever get enough of his post-projecting looks. Bare, tanned chest, hair sticking in every possible direction, and a satiated glow. Inwardly patting myself on the back, I ask, “Do we have any beef jerky?”

Biting into the apple, Daniel shrugs in a how-the-hell-should-I-know manner. His eyes follow me as I turn to accost the pantry. “No beef jerky.” I heave a peeved sigh.

Daniel cocks his head. “What's up with the face? It's only dried meat.”

I frown at the odd craving I'm having trouble explaining. I'm not even that big on beef jerky in general. My mouth waters and I can almost taste the savory tang on my tongue. The look I give Daniel next must be of the desperate kind. Otherwise, I couldn't explain him grabbing his car keys and saying, “I'll go get you some.”

“It's after midnight,” I say, glancing at the oven's clock.

“Let me just get dressed,” he says over his shoulder, halfway through the hall.

More than enjoying the sight of his muscled butt parading before me, I follow him into the bedroom. Shrugging on panties and a hoodie, I say, “I'll come with you.”

Daniel buttons the last button of his jeans, pocketing his car keys. “That's what you're wearing?” He gestures at my bare legs with his hand.

“I'll stay in the car.” I smile, stepping out of the room. “Let's take my car, though. It has butt warming.”

“The owner's manual would probably disagree on the term.” Daniel opens the passenger door for me. “It's a seat heater.”

I smile to the window, enjoying the music as we pass by quiet streets. Daniel squeezes my hand. I turn to him, studying his concentrated profile. He sends me a sidelong glance and returns to look ahead at the dark road.

“I love you,” I whisper, choked up with emotions.

He brings our joined hands to his lips, brushing mine gently with a kiss. “Love you,” he says to my skin.

Less than ten minutes later, he rolls the car to a stop at an all-night gas station.

“Just beef jerky?” Daniel asks, holding the car door.

“Yes, please.” I grin at him. I watch him as he steps out of the car. “Oh, and those . . .” One hand on the roof, he bends to look at me with a raised eyebrow, waiting. “What are they called? Those marshmallowy peanuts. Oh, circus peanuts.”

Daniel gives me one, long assessing stare and nods. “Beef jerky and circus peanuts.” Both a thin smile and a crease above the nose appear on his face.

 

“Here you go . . .” Daniel hands me the goods and opens a bottle of water for himself.

“God, they are so good.” I relish the saltiness in my mouth.

Feeling Daniel's stare on me, I turn to face him. Utterly focused on my little midnight feast, I haven't noticed that he hasn't started driving. With the engine on, one hand on the wheel, he is turned my way, watching me enthralled.

I swallow the contents in my mouth. “What?” I beam at him.

His stare moves from my eyes to the open package of dried meat on one of my thighs to the ripped open bag of candy on my other. His eyes follow my hand as I bring a gummy peanut to my lips. “Hales?” he says somewhat contemplative. His eyes trade glances between the food on my thighs to my face before he asks, “Are you sure you're not pregnant?”

“You think I'm fat?” I swallow the candy; my voice wavers as my face falls. His expression turns from soft to somewhere along the lines of oh-no-I'm-engaged-to-a-nutjob. I drop my eyes to the strange food duet on my legs and take a deep breath. Everything about tonight runs through my head as I realize just how unbalanced I've been acting. It's as if I'm on auto-psycho this evening. I raise my eyes to Daniel, who's watching me attentively with a side smile. “I've been totally nuts tonight, uh?”

He nods. His smile broadening.

“Thanks for supporting all the crazy.” I send him a timid smile.

“Always.” He takes my hand in his. “Are you, though?”

“I don't think so. And I think it's too early to check this month.”

He nods, giving me another weighing gaze before driving off.

I smile to myself, enjoying Tash and Ian's animated gibe ping-pong. A trickle of sadness infiltrates my happy, turning my smile sentimental. This farewell dinner for my eternal soulmates has taken its toll on my emotions, to say the least. I'm a basket case, complete with my mood switching like an alternating current. I couldn't be happier for them both, and proud. Ian on the very promising path of living his dream, and Tash about to fast track up the corporate ladder while exploring new, exotic places. However, in the most selfish sense, I could not be more bummed.

“Told you, there are planes.” My happy smile returns to Daniel's whisper in my ear. I tilt my head back to look up at him. Standing behind me, gazing down at me, he sends his hands to my shoulders. Squeezing gently, he rewards me with the softest of smiles. He bows down to leave a kiss on my lips. Still bent over me, he says, “For what it's worth, I'm not going anywhere.”

“Promise?”

His answer is another kiss. A longer one.

“I think we're out of beer,” Rafael says, drawing our attention.

“I'll get some more,” Daniel says.

“I'll come with you.” Rafael takes a step closer.

Hearing my name, I turn to Josh and Ian, catching up on their conversation. In my periphery, I notice Daniel replacing my sparkling wine with a glass of sparkling water. I turn to look at him in question. Holding the glass of wine in his hand, he subtly shakes his head. I roll my eyes only to be gifted with a beautiful smile and a wink.

“So many changes, uh?” Ian declares with enough drama that wouldn't fail a Hallmark movie. His eyes slowly move from me to Tasha, ending with Josh. After replenishing the booze supply, Daniel and Rafael left us to munch and talk while taking control of the grill. It's an impromptu dinner Tasha and I decided upon less than an hour ago while packing the last of Tasha's suitcases she'll be taking with her to Bangkok. Recalling Ian's response to the last-minute invite brings a smile to my face.

Ian: Mr. Josh Wild and Mr. Ian Tamura accept with great pleasure the kind invitation of Mrs. Idiot get hitched already, why don't you? and Mr. Hot-Stuff-Stark for the Last Meal Soirée, tonight at eight pm.

“The era of change.” Tasha's voice matches Ian's melodramatic tone. I let out a light chuckle, causing Tasha to join me. “I don't think that we've been apart for this long since our undergrad days.”

I sigh. “True.”

“Weird.” Tasha's turn to sigh.

“I have faith in you all. You'll manage.” Josh smirks. Concurrently, three fries fly his way. Noticing our similar reaction, Ian, Tasha, and I beam at each other.

“Steaks, anyone?” Rafael places a plate of juicy steaks in the center of the table.

I'm not sure if it's the impending good-bye or my unstable mood, but the smell of grilled meat, which usually would have my mouth watering, has the very opposite effect. I snatch a bread roll from Ian's plate and tear a piece. I feel queasy and the bland taste of bread is the only thing remotely palatable. The elated conversation around me tunes down to the background as I space out, gazing at Daniel. He pushes up the sleeves of his black Henley, revealing his veiny forearms, ready to flip the burgers. He must sense my eyes on him as, tong in hand, he turns to look my way. Our eye lock feels more like an emotion because one can't feel as warm and loved by a stare alone. It's moments like this, the way we connect, that have me wishing I could be in his arms and never let go. Breaking our stare, he fetches his phone out of his pocket. A short glance at the screen and his placid air edges.
Must be work
.

“So Hales, how about you join us then?” Tasha's voice penetrates my Daniel gazing state.

“Ah?” I say, my mind still in Daniel land.

“Where are your etiquettes, gorgeous?” Ian quirks a brow, utterly amused. “Maybe wait with the eyeboning till your guests are gone.”

Disregarding Ian, Tasha repeats her question. “Why don't you join Josh and Ian when they come to visits us?”

“Yeah, explore the Asian City of Sin with us, gorgeous mine.” Ian grins.

“The only sin you'd be exploring is carby food,” Josh says flatly.

“When is it happening?” I ask.

“We thought about letting them settle in first,” Josh says.

“Sometime after the filming is done,” Ian completes Josh's words. “In a few months, maybe.”

Tasha's coaxing expression encourages me to say, “Sounds good. We could use a little vacation. I'll talk to Daniel.” To my answer, the discussion turns into plans and excitement. I crane my neck, checking in on Daniel, only to find him still on the phone. Seeming troubled, he turns toward one of the guesthouses.

 

Taking a deep breath that does nothing to appease the increasing mayhem in me, I turn toward the guesthouses. Making sure I'm not in anyone's line of vision, I ask, “When?”

I shut my eyes, pinching my nose bridge. “Tomorrow? Why are you just now telling me about this?” I listen, my temper getting the better of me with each ticking moment. “I don't care what
you
think is best.” Immediately regretting my lash out, I take a deep breath. “I'm sorry. When tomorrow?”

“It's okay,” she says in a gentle voice. “At four.”

“I'll be there.”

She immediately objects.

“You don't get to decide that for me. I. Will. Be. There.” I shake my head at her insistent attempt to convince me not to. “Please, don't argue with me.”

She sighs heavily. “I love you.”

I swallow hard over the pain in my chest. “Me too.”

I take a step back to lean on the wall. Tipping my head back, I squeeze my eyes tight. The pounding in my head gains momentum. I try to compose myself with the rationale that at this point, I know nothing. We know nothing. I'm never one to speculate or jump to conclusions. I don't operate this way. I make a decision based on facts and logic, not assumptions. But somehow, this time, my gut feeling tells me I should worry. I'm well aware that any attempt to shake this off would be futile.
You've got to pull yourself together, Daniel, for Hayley's sake
. I can't have her go through anything that will break her heart. At least not for the time being.

I pocket my phone and take another deep inhale.

Glad to notice Rafael took over the grill in my short absence, I make my way back to Hales and her friends. Taking a seat next to Hayley, I notice her worrisome stare. I send her a side smile. She smiles back, but her eyes still assess me. I put my arm around her and pretend to take an interest in the conversation around me.