Dangerous to Know & Love (27 page)

“We must do this again some time. Maybe when Harry’s free. He’d like to see where you’re going to school, Lis.”

“Sure, mom,” mumbled Lisanne, without much enthusiasm.

“And we’ll see you at Thanksgiving. That’s only five weeks away. You’ll be ready for some home cooking by then, I’m sure, won’t she, Ernie?”

“Hmmph,” he said, then stood up to pay the check.

They both watched him stalk off to accost the cashier.

“Perhaps you should come home in a couple of weeks,” said her mom, dropping her voice. “He’ll have calmed down by then. It’ll do you both good.”

“I can’t, mom,” said Lisanne. “I’ve got a… concert coming up. I can’t miss rehearsals.”

Lisanne felt a tiny speck of relief – she hadn’t told them about
32
^o
North
. She couldn’t imagine how her father would react if he knew she was singing in dives and hanging out with the criminal looking Roy.

“No, no, of course not. Well, it was just an idea. You’re welcome anytime, darling, you know that. Well, we’ll drop you back at the dorms and head off now. It’s a good three hour drive and you know dad doesn’t like driving in the dark.”

“Sure, mom. No problem. Thanks for coming.”

“And Lisanne: do talk to your young man – to Daniel. Honesty is so important in a relationship. You must tell him how you feel.”

Lisanne hung her head.

“I know. Thanks, mom.”

They followed her father toward the exit, but a loud and very familiar sound made them look out the window at the same time.

Lisanne didn’t know whether to laugh, cry or run when she saw Daniel pull up at the curb.

He looked straight at her, before pulling off his helmet.

“My goodness! Isn’t that…?” said her mother.

“Oh, shit!” muttered Lisanne.

She watched as Daniel hesitated at the door of the restaurant for the briefest moment. Then he pulled it open and strode in.

“Hey, baby,” he said, throwing her a smile. “I thought I’d say goodbye to your folks before they left, and see if you wanted a ride home.”

He turned to stare at Lisanne’s father, whose face was turning from white to red to purple with astonishing speed.

“Stay away from my daughter!”

“I can’t do that, sir,” replied Daniel, evenly but firmly.

Lisanne’s father gaped at him.

“I’m sorry that we met the way we did, and I didn’t mean to disrespect you – either of you – but your daughter is very special and I care about her. I’ll leave when
she
tells me to, not you.”

Throughout his speech, Daniel kept his voice low and calm, but there was no doubting the challenge in his eyes as he gazed at Lisanne’s father.

Her dad started to huff and bellow, but it was her mother who laid a soothing hand on his arm and replied.

“Well, it certainly wasn’t the best of circumstances, Daniel, but we appreciate you apologizing. You seem like a very…” she eyed his piercing and tattoos apprehensively, “...like a smart young man, so I hope you’ll understand when I say that we want nothing but the best for our daughter…”

“She deserves it,” said Daniel, hotly.

“Yes, she does,” agreed Lisanne’s mom, a small smile twitching at her lips. She held out her hand. “It was nice meeting you – more formally.”

A faint blush colored Daniel’s cheeks, and he scrubbed his palm over the back of his jeans before he shook hands.

Lisanne’s father stood in outraged silence as his wife kissed Lisanne and gave her a tight hug.

“I think you got the answer to your question, darling,” whispered her mom. “Now for goodness sake, be safe on that motorcycle.”

Then she dragged her husband to the car. Lisanne could hear his raised voice for nearly half a block.

Daniel let out a lungful of air, and turned to her with an amazed grin.

“Wow!” Lisanne said softly.

Daniel’s smile softened as he gazed down at her.

“And you came without body armor! My hero!”

“Yeah, us heroes do stuff like that,” he said nonchalantly, but the twinkle in his eye gave him away.

“You’re definitely my white knight,” she said, standing on tiptoe and kissing him on his beautiful lips.

He dropped his nose into her hair and nuzzled her neck, causing Lisanne to shiver.

“Does that mean you were a damsel in distress?” he asked, letting her go.

“You better believe it!”

She spoke so quickly, Daniel couldn’t help laughing.

“That was the longest morning of my whole life.” Lisanne sighed as she looked up at him. “Thank you for coming to rescue me. I didn’t mean for you to do that when I texted you – but I’m really glad you did.” She looked at him thoughtfully. “You really charmed my mom.”

He grinned at her, clearly delighted.

“What can I say, baby d… Lis? Women find me irresistible.”

Lisanne laughed and playfully slapped his arm.

“Oh for goodness sake – just call me ‘baby doll’. I can live with that.”

“Yeah?”

“But being irresistible to women isn’t going to work with my dad, so you’d better come up with a plan B.”

Daniel didn’t look fazed.

“Don’t need to, baby. Your mom is my backup. And if she’s anything like my mom was, she’ll talk him around.”

Lisanne was surprised – she’d never heard him speak about his parents before.

“What was she like?” she said, shyly.

Daniel smiled, although his eyes were distant. “Her name was Rebecca and dad was Adam. Mom was the best. Shit at sign language – always confusing ‘yellow’ with ‘I love you’, which got pretty weird sometimes, but she tried really hard. She always said I could do anything I wanted to do.”

His smile faded.

“Come on, I’ll take you back to the dorms.”

“Sorry,” said Lisanne, running her hand down his jaw to cup his neck.

“‘S’okay,” he said, quietly.

They rode back to the dorm room on Sirona, with Lisanne’s arms wrapped tightly around Daniel’s waist. She was still stunned at her mother’s behavior – even to the point of not getting too bent out of shape knowing that her only daughter was riding around on a motorcycle.

Daniel kept one hand cupped loosely over hers for sections of the short journey, but when they arrived, his mood seemed to have shifted again.

As soon as Lisanne had dismounted and removed her helmet, he grabbed her waist and pulled her toward him, kissing her hungrily then biting at the base of her neck, just above her shoulder.

“Can I come in with you?” he growled against her skin. “I really want you, Lis.”

She could feel his need as he rocked his hips into her.

The pile of homework she had waiting was no competition for the raw desire in his voice.

Peeling herself off of him, they rushed through reception, and took the stairs two at a time.

It was the hardest thing in the world for Lisanne to find her key in her purse, while Daniel was pressing hot kisses to the back of her neck.

They almost fell through the door when she finally got it opened.

“Eager much!” Kirsty’s caustic voice vaguely penetrated Lisanne’s lustful haze. “I’d say get a room, but I guess you already have.”

Daniel swore softly under his breath and discreetly adjusted himself, while Lisanne tried to calm her hammering heart.

“Oh, sorry, Kirsty,” she said breathlessly. “I thought you’d be with Vin.”

“No, he has a frat thing tonight. Guess you’re stuck with me.”

Daniel pulled a face and tugged Lisanne toward him.

“I’ll take off now, Lis.”

“Where are you going?”

“Home. Text me later?”

“Can’t I come with you?”

He shook his head, and an expression that Lisanne didn’t recognize darkened his eyes.

“No, baby doll. Not tonight. We can do something tomorrow maybe?”

“I’d like that.”

Feeling flustered with Kirsty’s judgmental eyes on her, Lisanne kissed him lightly on the lips. It wasn’t enough for Daniel. Ignoring Kirsty, he kissed Lisanne deeply, then rested his forehead on hers.

“Later,” he said quietly, and slipped out of the door.

Kirsty primly ignored Lisanne’s glowing face. “He seems… enthusiastic.”

“Um…”

“How was lunch? Did your parents have fun?”

Lisanne knew Kirsty was fishing, but she didn’t care.

“You mean apart from them arriving early and finding Daniel half dressed in my room?”

Kirsty’s eyes opened wide.

“No way! Well, that explains the weirdness.”

Lisanne nodded.

“It was awful. Dad pretty much threw Daniel out and wouldn’t talk to him or anything. I spent the whole morning feeling like a slut or a criminal or something. Mom was trying to get Dad to calm down, but it was pretty intense.”

Kirsty looked appalled and sympathetic all at the same time.

“I thought things seemed kind of strained when I saw you.”

Lisanne laughed mirthlessly.

“Yeah, you could definitely say they were strained.”

“Oh crap! And then I had to go and put my great hoof in it and ask if they’d met him! I’m so sorry, Lis! I had no idea.”

Lisanne shrugged.

“Don’t worry about it – by that point I didn’t think things could get any worse. But then Daniel turned up at the restaurant where we were having lunch.”

“Oh. My. God! What happened?”

“He rescued me.”

“What?”

“Yep. Rode up on his bike and told my dad that the only person who could make him leave was me.” Lisanne’s voice dropped to a whisper. “He said that I was special and that he cared for me.”

Kirsty’s face could have been used on a poster for an Edvard Munch exhibition. She was shocked. Or stunned. Amazed. Aghast. Astounded. Bewildered. Stupefied. Maybe even stumped.

“Oh wow! Truly?”

“Yes, he was amazing.”

“Oh my God!” she repeated faintly. “That is the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard! That boy is
totally
into you.”

Lisanne smiled.

“I know.”

Chapter 12

Daniel was wound up badly after leaving Lisanne in her dorm room.

Having met her parents – twice – and having told them how much he cared about her, and really putting it all on the line, he’d wanted nothing more than to reassure himself that she was really his, in the only way he understood. But the bitchy cockblocker had been there. Again.

He badly wanted to get laid right there and then, just to be free and stop all the fucking
feelings
that were choking him, but he couldn’t do that to Lisanne. It was
her
body that he craved,
her
hands on his cock,
her
mouth against his, and no one else would do. He’d had wilder sex, he’d done it in ways and places that Lisanne couldn’t begin to imagine, innocent as she was, but
none
of those times,
none
of those women had come close to making him feel what he felt when he was inside her.

He’d almost wavered in his decision not to take Lisanne back to his place, but he knew it wouldn’t be right.

He didn’t know why – and Zef never told him anything, muttering about ‘need to know’ – but things had really amped up at home. It seemed that every night was party night lately. He didn’t want to risk Lisanne having anything to do with it. The least he could do was shelter her from that shit.

Since Daniel had had his run-in with Detective Dickwad, he’d kept a casual eye open for any sign of Zef dealing meth. He didn’t think his brother would get involved like that, but he also knew that some his brother’s suppliers weren’t the kind of people anyone said no to. Not twice. But so far, all he’d seen was normal stuff – the unholy trinity of booze, weed, and speed.

With sex off the menu, Daniel wanted to get shitfaced or stoned. Either way, he intended to spend the evening numb and trashed.

Despite the fact it was still only mid afternoon, it was party o’clock when Daniel pulled up outside his house. He didn’t recognize the three guys sitting on the porch drinking from bottles containing a colorless liquid – gin, vodka, or moonshine, for all he knew. But the way they eyed up Sirona made him wheel her around to the side of the house, and lock her away in the garage.

He had a few possessions that were important to him including some books and photographs that had belonged to his parents, but the only items that were of any value were his $2,700 Martin guitar, and Sirona. When Lisanne had asked him about the Martin, he’d slung it in his closet, unable to speak. He’d retrieved it only after she’d left, and had since packed it away carefully in a hard carry case. The beautiful rosewood instrument now resided in the attic space above his bedroom. He didn’t want to look at it, but he didn’t want to have it too far away either. How dumb was that? He knew he should sell it and take the money. But it had been a gift from his parents. He just couldn’t cut that tie. Not yet.

The living room was a scene straight out of a disaster movie. Bodies lay comatose across the sofa and floor, and the place stank of tobacco and spilt liquor.

One guy was smoking a joint, letting the ash fall onto the destroyed carpet. Daniel lifted it straight out of the man’s limp fingers.

“Hey!” the guy protested weakly.

Daniel ignored him and headed to his room, swiping a bottle of bourbon along the way. It wasn’t Jack but it would work just as well.

He took one toke of the joint and found that the guy had made it wet. Too fucking gross. He wiped his mouth, stubbed it out, then reached into the drawer of his bedside table for his blunt wrappers.

After it was remade, he sucked in the smoke appreciatively. One thing he could say for his brother: he always got the good shit.

Daniel was just taking a slug of bourbon when he felt his phone buzz in his hip pocket. He expected it to be a text from Lisanne, but it wasn’t.

* C: Hey D! Am in Sav for weekend.

Meet tomorrow? Your diner, lunch?

Don’t say you busy or will come to find you. lol. Cori x *

Fuck. Just what he didn’t need.

He hadn’t seen Cori in a while, but he knew how single-minded she was. She knew where he lived, too, and he was damn certain she’d come to find him like she threatened if he didn’t show. At least the diner wasn’t somewhere other students went. It should be fairly safe to meet her there. Besides, he hadn’t seen her for a while – it would be good to catch up.