Dangerous to Know & Love (23 page)

Lisanne was definitely in the former category – it hadn’t felt like sex, it had felt like love. And, coming after her declaration to him, she knew he’d made love to her.

She snuggled into him, trailing her fingers over his chest and tugging gently on his nipple rings.

Then she leaned up to see his face.

“Why did you have your nipples pierced? Didn’t it hurt?”

He smiled.

“Yeah, a bit. It was intense.”

“But you like it?”

“Especially when you do that, baby doll. It’s a fucking orgasm waiting to happen.”

She grinned.

“What if I do this?”

She leaned down and sucked them into her mouth one at a time, teasing the tiny rings with her tongue.

When she looked up, Daniel’s eyelids had fluttered closed.

He opened one eye and smiled.

“Fucking hot!” he said. “You’ve given me a semi doing that.”

Lisanne gazed down and saw that the sheet was tenting slightly below his hips.

“Wow! That was quick! Um, I don’t think… I’m a bit sore.”

“It’s okay, baby,” he said, a smile tugging at his lips. “I can’t help getting hard around you. It’ll go away if I can think about math or something.”

Lisanne snorted and giggled. “Math?”

“Yeah, or something. C’mere.”

She lay across his chest and he stroked her back in soothing, loving touches.

They fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Chapter 10

The sky had turned a deep, dark blue, streaked with purple by the time Daniel woke up.

For the briefest moment he couldn’t remember where he was. Then he felt Lisanne’s warm body curled up on his chest, and the memories came flooding back.

He lay still, his chest filling with warmth.

She hadn’t run.

She hadn’t told him she couldn’t date a deaf guy.

He’d shown her the reality at the clinic – he’d even talked to her about cochlear implants, for fuck’s sake.

And then she’d let him have sex with her, let him be her first. She’d
wanted
him.

It had been amazing. The screwing had been good, sure, but it was more than that. Because she
knew
him – she knew
him.
She knew everything, and she still wanted him.

It was hard for Daniel to take in.

Since he’d first started to lose his hearing, he’d convinced himself that no girl would want him if they knew. That had begun his long line of hookups and one-night stands – leaving them before they could leave him when they found out the truth.

But not Lisanne.

Somehow she’d battered her way through all the walls and defenses he’d erected, not even knowing she was doing it.

She was extraordinary.

He stroked the soft skin of her shoulder, amazed that she’d fallen asleep curled up around him, her hair fanned out across his chest. So trusting.

He realized his cock was rock hard against her thigh. That was nothing new: he woke up most mornings like that and, depending on whether he was running late or not, usually did something about it in the shower. He’d really liked to have found a use for it with Lisanne, but she’d said earlier that she was sore, and he didn’t want to hurt her.

He shifted uncomfortably and she stretched sleepily, unconsciously rubbing herself against him. Daniel tried hard to concentrate on some algebra, but it wasn’t easy when a beautiful, naked woman was lying next to him.

She blinked a couple of times, and her skin turned pink as she realized that Daniel was lying beside her, equally naked.

He saw the moment her memories spilled into her mind and he tensed: maybe
this
would be the moment when she ran.

“How long did we sleep?” she said, squinting to see the time on her cellphone.

“About five hours,” he said quietly. “It’s nearly seven. Are you okay? How do you feel?”

She laughed huskily.

“Like someone rearranged my bones,” she said, holding her hand over her mouth as she yawned.

He tapped her shoulder.

“Say that again, baby. I couldn’t see your lips.”

“Oh, sorry,” she frowned then stretched again. “I feel like I’ve spent the morning at the gym. Everything hurts.”

She saw the look on his face and regretted the way she’d phrased it.

“I don’t mean it like that, Daniel. I’m a bit sore, that’s all.”

His mouth formed into a flat line.

“You’re not sorry, are you? I mean, about what we did?”

Lisanne smiled shyly, then kissed him softly on his lips.

“No, I’m not sorry about
that
. It was… wonderful.”

Daniel felt his whole body loosen.
Wonderful
. He could live with that.

“Um, could you close your eyes just for a moment? I need to get my robe,” she mumbled.

He stared at her in disbelief.

“Lis, we just fucked halfway into next week and you don’t want me to see your ass?”

She blushed even redder.

“I know, just… please?”

Shaking his head, Daniel closed his eyes. He didn’t like doing it, not just because he had enjoyed seeing her body at last, but because it deprived him of another of his senses. With no sound and no sight, it was just blackness and it scared him. He gripped the sheet and duvet tightly, wanting to be able to feel
something
.

He jumped slightly when she touched his arm.

“Sorry,” she whispered. “I know it’s dumb…”

He smiled reluctantly.

“It’s okay. I get it. Kind of.”

Lisanne looked at him, gratefully. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

She slipped out of the door and Daniel sighed. His erection was still showing signs of hoping for another play date with Lisanne. Staring at it with irritation, he swung his legs off of the bed and searched for his clothes. He pulled on his briefs and tucked his semi inside, cursing it softly. Damn thing never listened to him.

He was just zipping up his jeans when Lisanne returned.

She ran her eyes over his body hungrily, and frowned when she realized he was dressing.

“I thought I’d take you out for dinner.”

“Can’t we just stay here?” she said, yawning again.

He laughed lightly. “We could, but I’ll want to fuck you again and I don’t think that’s a good idea right now. He glanced back at the bed, wishing he’d thought to cover up the blood that showed on the white sheet.

Lisanne followed his gaze and looked horrified.

“Ugh! That’s gross!”

Daniel caught her arm and made her look at him.

“It’s not gross. It was amazing. I’m just sorry I hurt you.”

Embarrassment made her stiffen in his arms.

“It can’t be the first time you’ve slept with a
virgin
.”

His lack of response was all the answer she needed. She sat down on the bed, heavily. She wondered how it had been for
him
– after all, he was used to girls with so much more experience. And it wasn’t possible to have
less
experience than she’d had.

Shawna’s words from a few days ago came back to her:
maybe you’re just a lousy lay
. Her shoulders sagged. Maybe now he’d
had
her, he’d lose interest.

Daniel was worried by the conflict of emotions he saw on Lisanne’s face.

“Baby, talk to me,” he said, quietly.

“You’ve slept with so many people,” she said, sadly.

Was that all that was bothering her?
He tried to find the words that would reassure her.

“Do you know why?”

“Because you could.”

He shook his head and twined his fingers with hers.

“No. Because I knew they wouldn’t want me once I was deaf. After… it… I don’t know. It was… easier.”

Lisanne stared at him.

“But… but you’re beautiful – and hot – and all the girls want you,” she said, confused.

“They want what they
think
I am,” he answered. “They don’t know I’m
disabled
.” He spat the word out bitterly.

Lisanne was silenced. Was that how he saw himself?

“Daniel, I…”

He closed his eyes, refusing to look at her.

She stroked his cheek and let her finger trace around his beautiful, sad mouth. But he turned his face away from her.

She kept touching him, coaxing him gently. Finally, he turned to look at her.

I hear you
, she signed with her hands.

He smiled and placed a soft kiss on the end of her nose.

Then her stomach gave a loud rumble, and she rubbed her eyes tiredly.

Tapping his shoulder, she stood up.

“Come on then. Let’s go get something to eat. I’m starving.” She laid a gentle kiss on his pouting lips. “All that exercise has given me an appetite.”

Daniel gave her a wry smile. “Better than going to the gym?”

“Way, way better,” she laughed.

He let her tug him to his feet, then he wrapped his arms around her waist.

“You are so amazing,” he said into her hair.

Lisanne didn’t know if she was supposed to hear him or not.

She pushed him away gently.

“Elephants shoes,” she breathed.

His eyes widened, and he smiled at her.

They settled on dinner at Taco Bell, on the basis that it was both nearby and cheap.

Daniel was halfway through his steak burrito when Lisanne casually mentioned that her parents would be in the city the following week.

“They’ve been on at me to visit the campus and see my dorm room. So, I was wondering, maybe we could all go out for lunch or something on Saturday? Or coffee? Maybe.”

He stopped mid chew, sure that his face must look as horrified as he felt.

“You want me to meet your parents?”

Daniel felt the need to clarify, because he was damned if his brain was processing her words accurately. Lisanne nodded warily.

Shit!
She really did want him to meet her folks. How the hell was he going to get out of that one? Then he thought about how much it must mean to her to ask him. They were dating now: she wasn’t some random girl he’d screwed. His stomach churned, thinking about all the things that could go wrong. Then an image of his own parents came to him, and Daniel couldn’t help thinking how much his mom and dad would have liked to meet her – how happy they’d have been that he’d found someone.

He swallowed his food and took a large gulp of soda before he answered.

“Okay,” he said, quietly. “I’d like to meet your parents.”

“Really?” Lisanne beamed at him.

God, he loved it when her whole face lit up like that.

“Yeah. They’ve got a pretty amazing daughter – it would be good to meet them.”

Although he very much doubted that they’d feel the same about him. Daniel was no fool, and he could imagine just how
not
pleased her folks would be when they met him. Was
unpleased
a word? He had a feeling it was about to be invented – probably next Saturday. But if Lisanne wanted him with her, he’d do anything to make her happy.

Lisanne looked so surprised and delighted, he couldn’t help smiling back.

“So… have you told them? About me? About us?”

“Well,” she said, looking at him sideways with a sexy smile. “Mom knows that I’ve been working with you on the Business assignment. I
may
have mentioned to her that you’re really cute.”

“Cute, huh? Not awesomely hot? Or fucking amazing in bed?”

Lisanne immediately flushed beet red and Daniel smirked to himself, enjoying her embarrassment every time he mentioned anything to do with sex.

“Um, no! And my mom definitely won’t be hearing that any time soon!” she said, adamantly.

“Huh. So no tongues in front of them? I don’t know, baby doll, do you think you’ll be able to keep your hands off of me?”

“You are so bad!” hissed Lisanne, trying not to laugh, but rather shocked all the same.

Daniel grinned at her and winked.

She sat back and sighed. He looked so deliciously bad boy sitting there, with his pierced eyebrow and his tats peeping out from under his t-shirt. That boy was sex on legs. And now she knew what she was talking about.

Truthfully, she was still feeling sore, but gosh, it had been worth it. She felt changed beyond recognition, and that everyone ought to be able to tell just by looking at her. She cringed when she thought about how she’d cope with Kirsty asking how they’d spent their day. It was going to be
so
obvious. And she’d definitely have to do some laundry.

But at least she wouldn’t have to face Kirsty until tomorrow – she had another whole night to spend sleeping with Daniel.

Sleeping with Daniel!

Her toes curled up ecstatically at the thought.

When they arrived back at her room, Daniel had to sneak back via the fire exit. He tapped on her door and she let him in.

He grinned at her.

“There was a fucking line of guys waiting to get in,” he laughed. “Jeez, I thought we were going to have to take numbers or something!”

He pulled her into a hug and nuzzled her neck. Then he leaned back to look at her.

“What’s the matter?”

Lisanne smiled nervously. “I don’t want to, um, you know. Not tonight. I still feel a bit…”

“Hey, it’s okay,” he said, stroking her face with his thumbs. “I told you – we don’t have to do anything you don’t want.”

“Really?” she said, relieved. “Because I’ve read that guys think about sex every 15 seconds or something.”

He laughed loudly, his eyes dancing with amusement.

“Yeah, or more often than that around you, baby doll. Jeez, where do you read this stuff?”

Lisanne didn’t answer, suddenly becoming very busy hunting for clean sheets in her closet.

Daniel watched her for a moment, then helped her make up the bed with fresh linen.

“By the way,” she said, deliberately and obviously changing the subject, “where does Zef think you are?”

Daniel raised his eyebrows.

“Zef? I’ve no clue. Why would he care?”

His question pulled her up sharply. Zef didn’t care? Then she realized that Daniel didn’t have anyone who cared whether or not he went to school or got good grades – or even whether or not he got up in the mornings. The thought made her unbearably sad. She flung herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.