9 1/2 Days (19 page)

He turned and prowled in the other direction. “I did. She still wouldn’t pick up the phone, so I drove to her house. I stood there like an idiot, ringing the bell and knocking, but she never came down.”

“Jordan might not have been home, Dan.”

“Her car was there. She was home. She’s blowing me off.”

David drummed his fingers on the armchair. “Would you please sit down? You’re making me dizzy trying to follow you around the room.”

He dropped onto the couch, barely resisting the urge to kick the coffee table. Frustration and anger churned inside his gut over the injustice of it all. How could she believe he would stoop so low as to kiss Keisha at their grandparents’ party? How could Jordan think he would kiss her cousin at all?

“Damn it, she didn’t give me the chance to explain. She turned her back and believed the worst of me.”

His twin looked at him with sympathetic and all too observant eyes. “I can understand that you’re hurt—”

“I’m not hurt.” Danny shifted on the couch. “I’m just ticked off that it had to end this way. You know I prefer to walk away still friends.”

“Jordan isn’t like the other women you’ve dated, and you know it.”

He forced a laugh past the tightness in his throat. “Yeah, this was one for the books, huh? I hope the next woman comes without baggage. I mean, her family was a lot to deal with.”

Even as he said it, the truth sliced at his heart. The Gregorys’ rejection hurt him terribly. He understood their rallying around Jordan, but he’d wanted somebody to stand by him, too. He wanted someone to believe him, or at least to hear him out. Ever since he had walked away, a cold, lonely void had grown inside him. He was going to miss Jordan. He was going to miss all of them.

He injected a lighthearted tone into his voice. “I called Marlee to set up dinner for next week. And the jazz festival is coming up. I figure Valerie will want to go.”

David stared at him with an expression of wonder and disappointment. His dark brows drew together in a frown. “Why are you making dates with these women? Aren’t you going to try and win Jordan back?”

“Hey, it wasn’t going to work out anyway.” Danny affected a shrug. “She wanted more than I could give her. So this was as doomed as all of my other relationships.”

A hard light flared in David’s eyes. “Was it? Or were you following your usual pattern?”

“You think I should have hung around, waiting for things to turn sour? We always swore we’d never end up like Mom and Dad.”

David’s expression softened, but his tone of voice was firm. “At least they’re together and still trying. You, on the other hand, are going to end up alone with nothing except memories and shadows. Jordan is a very special woman. She’s your chance to reach for the light.”

Danny slumped deeper into the couch and dropped his chin. “This wasn’t real, David. It wouldn’t have lasted. Nothing ever does. It either blows apart or dies a slow, agonizing death. Either way, the pain is too hard to live with.”

“Take it from someone who learned this lesson the hard way, and at Jordan’s expense. You can’t go through life denying what you know in your heart. The fact that you don’t like it doesn’t make it any less true. You love her. Now, what are you going to do about it?”

It seemed that Tuesday night at the fire station might be quiet. There had been few calls during the day and the second shift was pretty relaxed as a result. Having spent the past two nights tossing and turning, Danny crashed out on one of the beds upstairs. Sleep eluded him for the longest time until he finally dropped into an exhausted slumber.

Around seven o’clock he was awakened by the strident peal of the alarm bell. Instantly going from sleep to full alert, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and into his steel-toed rubber boots. In the same motion he pulled up his bunker pants and snapped the suspenders in place. Danny stuffed his arms into his turnout coat as he raced for the stairs. The thunderous rumbling of the diesel engines filled the station and the bay doors were already opening.

The first rush of adrenaline hit his system as he jumped onto Ladder 24, listening to the dispatcher announce what they were facing. Fire in progress, commercial building, corner of Pratt and Howard streets. The second rush was a spiked fist in the gut. Oh, no. Had he heard the address right? No. Danny fumbled beneath his protective clothing for the cell phone in his trouser pocket.

Mike Cornwall yelled at him over the sirens as the fire truck roared along Pratt Street past King Boulevard. “Who the hell are you calling?”

“That address. It’s the CB&L building. Jordan works there.”

Danny stuck his index finger in his ear, listening for the connection to go through. Her home phone rang and rang, with no answer. He knew David was out with friends, leaving him free of worry about his brother. But where was Jordan?

Oh God, he hoped she wasn’t working late tonight. She’d said there was an important trial coming up, but she must have left the office by now. Please let her have left. He dialed the direct line to her office and got a busy signal. Shit!

Danny banged his fist on the roof and yelled at the chauffer, the firefighter driving the big ladder truck. “Move this thing!”

Mike leaned forward. “What’s up, L.T.?”

He swallowed against the nausea, practically choking on the words. “Her office line is busy. I think she’s still in there.”

Sirens screamed into the night, the sound reverberating off the skyscrapers and empty streets. Every fiber of his being hummed with dread as they got closer to the CB&L building. Through the tinted-glass windows, he could see the orange light of dancing flames on the middle floors.

The law firm was on the fourteenth.

Ladder 24 was the second company to arrive on the scene. Protocol dictated that they lay down supply lines to the first engine, which had only tank water to attack the fire. But Danny couldn’t wait for the third-on-scene company to perform the necessary search and rescue. He grabbed an SCBA tank from the equipment rack and donned his mask, then leaped off the truck and sprinted for the building.

He had to find Jordan. Now.

“You know we’re going to catch hell for this, don’t you?”

Danny glanced over to see Mike running at his side. Too grateful to speak, he simply nodded his head and ran on.

The lights were out, indicating that power had been lost. Several hoses snaked across the marble floor of the lobby. Mike almost tripped when the pressurized water rammed through the one and a half inch diameter line. Danny yanked the flashlight from his utility belt and turned it on.

A firefighter from Engine 32 came out of the stairwell, helping a distraught woman and reassuring the three other civilians with him. Shit. There were still people in the building. Danny and Mike reached the bank of elevators and he frantically flipped through his ring until he found the right key. “Where’s the focal point, Stonewall?”

Mike listened to the radio on his shoulder. “Twelfth floor. Some kind of office supply and photocopy business.”

He overrode the elevator doors. As they stepped inside, Mike pulled his mask onto his face. Danny shoved the key into the slot marked Fire Service and pressed the call button for twelve. His stomach plummeted as the car ascended. It was an unspoken rule that firefighters never discussed their fears with anyone, not even each other. But Mike had been his friend and partner long enough to read his face in the golden glow of their flashlights.

“Don’t sweat it, L.T. I’m sure she’s fine.”

When the elevator opened onto the twelfth floor, Danny saw that it was fully engaged. Flames licked the walls and spread up across the ceiling. Thick smoke billowed throughout this floor, giving the fire scene a murky, ethereal appearance. Hose crews from another company were already battling the blaze. Mike looked over at him and, by unspoken agreement, he punched the button to shut the elevator doors again.

“Fourteen, Mike. Head straight for fourteen.”

The smoke was thick up here, too, making an already dark area completely obscure. Playing their flashlights over the floor in front of them, they found the reception desk. Danny knew that Chase, Behr & Lily took up the whole floor, but he had no idea where Jordan’s office was located.

“Split up. You take this hallway. I’ll take the other.”

Mike nodded. “Let’s do it, L.T. We’ve only got another fifteen minutes of air.”

His pulse stuttered along his veins as he jogged down the passageway, flinging open doors to look for Jordan or anyone else that might have been overcome by the smoke. His hope grew with each empty office he found, but there were still too many left to check. He fervently prayed that Jordan wasn’t anywhere in here. Every moment that slipped away could mean a moment off of her life.

Then he heard it. The ominous whistling noise. The shrill sound warning him that he only had a quarter tank of air left. Fear as he’d never known it before slammed into him like a freight train. He couldn’t leave, not yet, not until he was sure. He began panting into his mask to conserve precious oxygen as he rushed toward yet another closed office door.

But the exertion was too much. Darkness crept along the edge of his consciousness. No. Not yet, damn it. Not now. He…had to…find… Fairy lights danced in front of his eyes and Danny knew he was in danger of blacking out. His strength ebbed and he felt himself sinking…

He couldn’t see. He could barely breathe. But he knew there were bodies all around him, trapped in the wreckage of the building and the plane, and he was helpless to save them.

Jordan. He had to save Jordan. His heart thundered in his chest and in his mind he cried out to her.

It was a nightmare of intense heat and unrelenting fear. Oily black smoke filled the air, surrounding him. Oh God, he couldn’t breathe.

Danny struggled against the terror. He couldn’t give in, not this time. He had to be strong. If he got a second chance, he wouldn’t waste it, he wouldn’t take it for granted. He’d been wrong, so wrong. Jordan had offered him the gift of her love and he’d been too afraid to reach for it, too afraid of it slipping through his hands. He couldn’t lose himself in the fear. He wouldn’t lose her.

There was no way out. Fires raged in a seething inferno of boiling smoke. They’d already lost four in that warehouse. He was out of air. Tears welled in his eyes. The darkness was coming and he couldn’t find the light…

Jordan.

As if from a great distance, he heard a voice yelling for him. “There’s nobody here! We have to get out. L.T.? L.T.!”

Mike dragged him to his feet. Then he hazily realized his partner had him in a fireman’s carry. Somehow he held on until they made it back to the elevator. Mike overrode the doors and tossed him inside. Danny propped himself against the wall and ripped the shield off his face. Mike replaced it with his mask. Danny gasped for breath as the pure, sweet oxygen filled his starving lungs.

Stonewall looked at him with a combination of humor and concern. “Man, the dumb-assed things we do for love.”

From behind the air mask, Danny managed a weak grin. By the time the elevator reached the lobby, he felt steadier on his feet. Again a silent look of understanding passed between him and his partner so that Danny walked outside unassisted. As they approached the nearest fire engines, the Battalion Chief came gunning for them.

“I told you we’d catch hell,” Mike muttered.

Danny leaned against the bumper of the truck, his eyes scanning the onlookers huddled behind the police barricade. Suddenly, through the crowd, the darkness and the commotion, he saw her. His relief at knowing Jordan was all right almost brought him to his knees.

He shoved past the Bat Chief in mid-harangue and ran toward Jordan. She cried out his name when he reached for her. As her hands cupped his cheeks, he felt her love touch his soul. Overwhelmed by the intensity of his feelings, Danny buried his face in her shoulder and held on, knowing he’d never again let her go.

As though her thoughts conjured his presence, the doorbell rang. She ran to answer it. Danny stood on her doorstep, simply gazing at her with an expression of tenderness and longing. He’d showered and changed clothes, but the specter of tonight’s fire still enveloped him.

Jordan wrapped her arms around him, sensing that he needed comfort and reassurance. “It’s all right, Danny. I’m okay.”

“I thought you were still in the office.” His rich voice was husky with emotion. “I thought I would lose you.”

“It’s okay now. Come inside.”

Holding hands, they moved to the sofa where Danny settled her onto his lap. She slipped one arm behind his neck while he hugged her around the waist and nuzzled her cheek. They sat in silence, simply touching and physically expressing their joy at being together again. Jordan brushed a kiss over his temple and heard his soft intake of breath.

Danny tightened his arms around her. He closed his eyes and she noticed his lower lip quiver before he pressed them into a firm line. When he sighed again, she felt some of the tension ease from his muscles. Without relinquishing his hold, Danny finally spoke.

“I didn’t realize how empty my life was before you came into it. I’ve never let myself get close to any woman, always pushing them away before they could disappoint or hurt me. I didn’t let myself care when it was over. I made sure I was the one to walk away.”

Jordan caressed his upper back, encouraging him to continue. When he looked at her, there were shadows in his eyes.

“I withdrew even more after September eleventh. That day made me realize how fragile life is, how quickly someone you love could be lost. I refused to take a chance on any relationship, knowing that the pain would be unbearable. But I’ve learned the hard way that you can’t go through life without taking the biggest risk of all. That’s not really living.”

Danny’s voice broke, breaking her heart along with it. The emotion evident on his face mirrored everything she was feeling. “So, I’m taking the chance. I’m saying it out loud, without hesitation and without fear. I love you, Jordan. With all my heart, I love you and I always will.”

This was everything she’d hoped for, all that she’d once wanted. To be part of a couple, to have someone in her life as a friend and a partner. She’d always believed that having a man accept and love her would make her whole. But instead, she’d discovered that giving love was what made her complete.

“I love you, Danny. I love you so much.”

Danny held on to her, gently rocking and whispering words of comfort in her ear. After a moment she stopped crying and he brushed the tears from her face. Jordan leaned closer and pressed her mouth to his in a slow, sensual kiss.

“You may not have realized, Danny, or wanted to admit it, but you’ve shown me your love in so many ways. It’s in the way you look at me, the way you smile, the way you touch me. And now it’s my turn to show you.”

Jordan smiled gently as she stood up and took his hand to lead him toward the stairs. In her bedroom, she walked over to the night table and switched on the small bedside lamp. Returning to stand proudly before Danny, she stripped off her clothes, knowing that her flaws were exposed, but not caring.

He gathered her into his arms, holding her tightly in his embrace. She could feel his heart beating in time with her own. She kissed him hungrily and he opened to her. His tongue traced sensual patterns inside her mouth as he glided his hands over her body.

Jordan broke the kiss and went over to lie down on her bed. Danny quickly shed his clothes and joined her, easing her back onto the smooth linen sheets before covering her body with his own. He claimed her mouth as she stroked her palms along the muscles of his bare back.

Heat, warm and penetrating, increased the fierce desire arcing between them until the kiss became eager and urgent. When Danny positioned himself between her legs, she spread her thighs, draping her calves over his, urging him to claim her completely. He began thrusting heavily and she lifted her body to meet him. The slow, insistent throb became a deep pulsating need until the orgasm shuddered through her. A moment later Danny’s body tensed and he cried out his release.

Afterward, she lay cuddled against his side, her head resting on his chest, his arm draped over her back. She planted a kiss on his warm skin then raised her head to look at him. “Thank you for loving me, Danny. And thank you for helping me learn to love myself.”

“My pleasure. The homework assignments have been a lot of fun.” He wiggled his brows suggestively, then his expression softened. His rich voice was hoarse with feeling. “I love you very much, Jordan.”

His kiss was gentle and sweet. As she began to drift off to sleep, Danny reached over for the lamp and turned out the light.