Dangerous to Know & Love (39 page)

Lisanne felt miserable. It was everything she hated: loud, false people; getting drunk; and being ignored by snooty girls from her old high school.

It helped that she was with Daniel, but the old insecurities needed more than a short skirt and a couple of makeup lessons from Kirsty to be fully exorcised.

She took a deep breath to steady her nerves, but jumped slightly when she felt Daniel’s fingers gently holding her chin.

“What’s the matter, baby doll?”

She shook her head.

“Nothing,” she lied. “I’m being dumb.”

“Don’t bullshit me, Lis,” he said, softly. “Talk to me.”

Her shoulders slumped. She should have known she wouldn’t be able to hide from him.

“This party,” she said, waving her hands to indicate their surroundings. “It’s not really my thing.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Why? I’ve seen you at the club – you were totally into it.”

“That was different,” she said. “I could… I could be anyone there, you know? Nobody knew me – I could start over. Here,” she pointed her chin at the Brandt’s house, “here I’m just a music nerd who plays the violin and is trying to act cool. They know me – they’ll know I’m just faking it.”

Daniel gave a quiet chuckle.

“Is that what you think? Baby doll, you’re hot and sexy and so fucking passionate. There’s
nothing
fake about you.”

“But…”

“I’m telling you, Lis. I’ve had
a lot
of women,” he said, raising his eyebrows to make the point, “and
none
of them compares to you. You’re the real deal.”

Lisanne chewed on her lip, and looked doubtfully toward the house.

“We don’t have to go,” he said, “but if you let them make you feel second class, then they win.”

Her head snapped up at his words – she knew he was right.

“Are you channeling Eleanor Roosevelt, ‘no one can make you feel inferior without your consent’?”

He grinned at her. “Yeah, baby doll. I’m all for feminism,” and he ran his hand up between her legs. “And I’m all for miniskirts – freedom of expression. Fuck, yeah!”

He unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned over, giving him more reach. She gasped as his thumb stroked her
right there
. Then he kissed her, simulating with his tongue what he was doing with his hand.

Lisanne panted into his mouth and when he pulled away, the black of his pupils had burned away the hazel irises.

His eyelids fluttered closed and he took a deep breath.

Lisanne nearly told him to forget the party, that she’d drive them somewhere secluded so he could finish what he’d begun, but another part of her wanted to be the person he thought she was. With him there, maybe she
could
be that person. She wanted to try, at least.

She unbuckled her own seatbelt and opened the car door.

“Let’s go,” she said.

Daniel grinned at her and winked.

He wrapped his arm around her as they walked toward the house, carrying the beer in his free hand. Much to Lisanne’s relief, he’d left the Jack under the seat.

As luck would have it, the first two people they met were the infamous Ingham sisters: cheerleaders, and twin pains in the butt – Kayla and Beth. They did a comic double take when they saw Lisanne, although most of their attention was focused on Daniel.

“What’s the magic word, Maclaine?” sniffed Kayla. “This party isn’t for nerds, but your friend can come in.”

Lisanne smiled pleasantly. “Fuck you. There’s two words,” and she breezed inside.

“Bad ass,” Daniel breathed into her hair.

Lisanne began to enjoy herself.

The entrance hall was heaving with bodies, some drinking, some moving to the pounding music that thundered from hidden speakers. Lisanne recognized a few people from her old high school, but none that she knew well. She planned to lead Daniel through the house out to the pool area at the back. But before she could reach it, Daniel dropped the beer onto a chair and grabbed her hips from behind, moving his body against her. Then he flipped her around, and pulled her hands up to his neck, grinding against her.

He rested his hands on her ass and gently drew her into the dance. Lisanne had never moved like that outside of the bedroom, and that was still very new to her. It was only dancing in the technical sense that they were moving to music. She waited for the familiar flush of embarrassment but instead she felt liberated, wanton and free.

She tugged Daniel’s head toward her and thrust her tongue into his mouth. Hearing him groan was the greatest turn on. She ran her hands down his spine, and shoved her hands into the back pockets of his jeans.

They were locked at the lips, and damn near joined at the crotch, and it felt fine.

“Oh. My. God! Lisanne Maclaine?”

Sonia’s shriek could have deafened bats in three states.

Lisanne unglued herself from Daniel’s willing lips, and looked nonchalantly at the party’s hostess.

“Oh, hi Sonia. Thanks for inviting us. Daniel, this is Sonia Brandt; Sonia, this is my boyfriend, Daniel Colton.”

“Hello, Sonia Brandt,” said Daniel, his eyes flicking in her direction for an insultingly short period of time.

Lisanne ran her hands up under Daniel’s t-shirt and he grinned at her, completely understanding the game they were playing. He buried his head in her neck, placing small bites from her earlobe to her throat.

Sonia’s face was everything that Lisanne could have hoped for: stunned, disbelieving, and so green with envy that she could have led the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Up until now, Lisanne had been playing, but the way Daniel was touching her made her think they’d gone straight from the rehearsal to the main event.

Sonia’s chagrined face disappeared from view, and Lisanne stopped caring what she thought, or what the Ingham sisters thought, or any of the people who’d belittled, disparaged and discounted her for four, long years.

Daniel must have felt the change, because he began moving more freely with her until they were really dancing, moving sinuously to the rhythm that he could feel through this supple body.

Eventually, Lisanne called a timeout, hot and bothered enough to need a cold drink.

Daniel retrieved his beer and they headed out to the pool.

Lisanne tugged off her pumps that she’d only worn once before to her cousin’s wedding, and dangled her feet in the soothing water.

Daniel sat down next to her so she was leaning against the solid comfort of his chest. She felt him sweep her hair away from her shoulder and place beer cooled kisses along her neck. She wanted to thank him for making her come tonight, but to have a conversation, she’d have to move, and right now she was very comfortable.

But it was Daniel who moved, carefully shifting away from her and twisting around until he was facing her.

“Didn’t you like high school, Lis?” he said, winding his denim clad legs beneath him until he was sitting cross-legged.

“Does anyone?”

“Yeah, I think some people do.”

“Did you?”

He grimaced, and Lisanne could have kicked herself. High school would hardly be on his list of greatest memories – not when it was the time in his life that he’d started to lose his hearing.

“Not so much,” he admitted. “It pretty much sucked. I was just… angry all the time. That’s why I got into so many fights. Trying to prove that… I don’t know… that I was still me.” He grinned at her. “Gave my parents a lot of nightmares.”

His smile faded and he rubbed at a spot of oil on his jeans.

“They’d be so proud of you,” Lisanne said with certainty. “Going to college, getting your degree.”

“They’d have liked you,” he said.

“Oh.” Lisanne was surprised and her heart gave a happy flip flop.

Daniel chewed on his lip, then reached into his pants’ pocket. She thought he was reaching for a cigarette but instead he pulled out a tiny package, wrapped in the same silver paper that he’d used with such comic results when gift wrapping the leather jacket he’d given her.

“Mom always used to make a big deal about Thanksgiving – said we should think of all the things we were thankful for. The last time…” he took a deep breath, “the last time, when they were alive, I said it was bullshit and I had nothing to be thankful for… But now I’ve met you, I don’t know, I feel like I
am
thankful. So I want you to have this. Thank you for being you. Thank you for putting up with my punk ass – for being in my life.”

Lisanne didn’t know what to say. With shaking hands, she unwrapped the paper carefully. Nestled beneath was a small gold locket on a short chain.

She stared at him, completely overwhelmed.

“Open it.”

Gently, she pried the two halves apart. Inside was a miniature photograph of them, taken during their day at the beach.

“It was my mom’s,” he said, shrugging. “I wanted you to have it.”

He stood up in one smooth move, and took the locket from her hands. Then, crouching behind her, he placed it carefully around her neck and kissed her hair.

She twisted around and caught his face between her trembling fingers.

“Thank you. I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t say anything,” he whispered. “Just wear it, so I know.”

She kissed him tenderly, deeply, and the heat flared between them.

“Whoa! Mouse Maclaine! Who knew you could be such a hot piece of ass?!”

Lisanne recognized the voice immediately. Grayson Woods, defensive lineman and star of the high school football team. She’d heard he’d gone to Alabama LSU on a football scholarship. But he was still the foul-mouthed Neanderthal she remembered.

Daniel hadn’t heard the comment but he could see from the expression on her face that something was wrong, and it didn’t take a genius to work out what was going on.

He stood up slowly, and pulled a cigarette out of his pocket while Grayson eyed him coolly.

“You want to say that again, motherfucker?” Daniel asked in a conversational tone.

Grayson’s mouth dropped open, but then a wolfish smile spread across his face.

He’d been surprised when Sonia had told him that the music nerd was here, and even more astonished when he’d seen that she’d transformed into a seriously fuckable piece of tail, but now it looked as if the fun would be in taking out her punk boyfriend, before humiliating her a little more.

“Well,” sneered Grayson, “looks like that uptight bitch finally opened her legs for someone and…”

Which was as far as he got before Daniel hit him.

Grayson didn’t even see it coming. Maybe he’d had some idea that he’d be able to finish his catalog of insults before Daniel’s patience ran out. Live and learn.

Grayson’s nose seemed to be spread across his face and leaking two trails of bright blood, before his arms flailed – but failed to stop him falling backward into the pool.

There was a stunned silence and Daniel sucked on his cigarette.

“Motherfucker had a foul mouth,” he said calmly, then tossed the butt, watching it bounce off of Grayson’s drenched chest.

An ironic cheer went up from some of the guys around the pool, but others looked angrily at the interloper.

Lisanne struggled to her feet and scooped up her pumps.

“Come on,” she whispered, tugging on his arm.

She led the way past the side of the house and stopped to pull on her shoes to cross the gravel drive, but Daniel scooped her up into his arms and carried her instead.

As they approached her mom’s car, she dug the keys out of her purse and beeped it open so Daniel could deposit her in the driver’s seat. When he slid in next to her, his expression was curiously blank.

“You’re not mad, are you, baby doll?”

She blinked. “Why would I be mad at you?”

“For hitting that guy.”

She smiled. “No, he deserved it. He’s done a lot worse to a lot of people over the years. I’m glad you hit him. I’m glad his ugly butt ended up in the pool.”

Daniel smiled with relief.

“Thank fuck for that. I thought you were going to chew my ass.”

Lisanne raised her eyebrows. “Now that’s an idea.”

“Baby doll, I’m shocked. Are you flirting with me?”

She laughed. “I’m going to do a lot more than that. I just need to drive this car some place quiet and show you how much I appreciate you being my knight in shining armor. Again.”

A slow smile spread over Daniel’s face.

“Fuck, yeah!” he muttered.

Lisanne swallowed nervously. It was one thing to sound like she was fearless…

They drove in silence, the car’s lights throwing a yellow beam into the trees that fled past in the forest. Daniel’s hand dropped to her knee, where his fingers drew mindless patterns on her pale skin.

Finally, she pulled over, and stopped at the side of a lonely, secluded dirt road – one of many that fringed the lake.

They stared at each other for a long moment. Daniel spoke first.

“It’s dark, baby. I can’t read you right now. But just… we only ever do what
you
want to do, okay? You want me to stop, you know how.”

The sound as she unclipped first her own then his seatbelt was loud in her ears.

She didn’t think she was the kind of girl who had sex in cars, but since meeting Daniel her views had broadened to the point of shifting seismically.

And yet, there was no pressure. His touch was gentle and reassuring, not frenzied or demanding. He was letting her lead.

She brought his hand up to her lips and kissed it.

“Thank you,” she said, even though she knew he couldn’t hear her. “Thank you for everything.”

She sucked his fingers into her mouth and bit them gently, making him laugh lightly.

“Baby doll, are you trying to lead me astray?”

She crawled across the seat divide and settled herself on his lap. He hummed happily into her neck, then licked her skin slowly.

“You taste good, baby.”

She mirrored his actions, breathing in the scent of his hair, his skin, kissing his cheeks, his eyelids, his lips.

He shifted beneath her and she could feel that he was hard, but he seemed to be content, sprinkling soft kisses across her chest and neck.

When she made her decision, it took her by surprise.
He
might be content to just make out, but
she
wanted to make love to him.