DanielsSurrender (11 page)

She constantly found little ways to break their tension, to
make them smile. He’d never been taken care of like this, and wouldn’t have
expected to like it. In the dark hours of the morning, when Matt bundled her
into his car to take her home for a couple more hours of sleep, Daniel found
himself missing the weight of Matthew’s head on his shoulder, the slow stroke
of Shannon’s hand over any bit of him she could reach.

Now, he found himself almost mesmerized as she sat before
them. Her skirt belled around her like an exotic red, orange and yellow bloom,
and the orange of her camisole top made her tan glow. Her eyes, when they met
his, were like melted chocolate. So sweet and warm they made his heart ache for
things he knew he could never have. Things his parents had taught him were
beyond his reach.

This, he realized, was why he rarely allowed himself to meet
Shannon’s eyes, hers
or
Matthew’s. When he looked into their eyes he
didn’t see demands or pleas, he saw pure, generous giving. And it scared the
shit out of him, because he wanted them to demand. To force him to give them
everything—all that he was. And he wanted to make demands of his own.

Definitely not safe.

Fuck, he was petrified one day he would see a different look
in their eyes. One he’d put there when he inevitably fucked up.

Faithful. It wasn’t a word in his lexicon. Mommy Dearest had
taught him at a very tender age that grownups, even those who claimed to love
each other, were still unfaithful to one another.

Her betrayal of his father had led to the kind of emotional
prison no child should ever have to bear. The dangerous yearnings stirred up by
Daniel’s lovers brought back vivid memories of his mother’s desertion.

A six-year-old Daniel, clinging to her leg and begging her
not to leave him. His father, pulling him roughly away from his mother, forcing
the young boy back into the house. The neighbors who had gathered outside,
shaking their heads in pity at the scene of a family being torn in two. Why
hadn’t his mother been able to love him enough to stay with him and out of the
bars?

Dan hated feeling this way, this helpless, this vulnerable.
It sucked, and the pain gnawed at him. Why now, when he was as happy as he’d
ever been in his life, did the memories of his mom and pop creep in and cast
doubt on who he was as a man?

He knew why. Because as much as he wanted to believe
otherwise, the reality was he carried their DNA, and in the end he would hurt
Matt and Shannon because of it.

Once again Shannon seemed to sense his tension and broke the
moment by rising and gliding to a console hidden along one corner of Marcus’
desk. After fiddling with several buttons and switches, she managed to dim the
lights, and after a moment soft, adult contemporary music filled the room.

Dropping a kiss on the top of Matthew’s head, she gracefully
lowered herself to straddle Daniel’s lap. Her skirt flowed around them, and he
found himself absently stroking the soft fabric, the same way she stroked his
hair.

“You look tired.” She drew one gentle fingertip over his
eyebrows as she made the observation. “Have we been wearing you out?” Her smile
was impish, and he was reminded of his first impression of her. She was like a
naughty little fairy.

“Angel, the two of you are probably the only thing that’s
kept me going all week.” The words slipped out without his permission, and he
was dimly horrified at the admission. But the obvious pleasure on her face—and
on Matt’s when he snuck a glance in his direction—helped him to get his
emotions under control. After all, a Dom’s job was to fulfill his subs’ every
need. Matthew and Shannon needed to know they pleased him. It didn’t have to
mean anything more.

Yeah, right.

She smiled, giving her enchanting little nose wrinkle, and
then leaned over to the side and spread soft, pungent cheese over a chunk of
bread. He valiantly ignored the press of her warm cunt over the growing bulge
in his pants. He could tell today wasn’t about sex. More, he knew how worried
Matthew was about Marcus, who’d been missing all week. Hell, he was worried
too. They both needed a distraction, and Shannon was certainly a perfect one.
And Matt needed to be comforted. While Daniel himself didn’t have that to
offer, Shannon did, and he would allow her to coddle them both for a little
while.

She took a slow bite of the gourmet treat she held, and then
offered it to him. Carefully, almost meeting her eyes, he flicked his tongue
over the place her lips had been before snapping the morsel from her grasp.

She yelped, pulling her fingers to safety, and then laughed
up at him.

“So, you want to play, do you?”

Sliding off his lap, she plucked up another delicacy to
offer to Matthew, who’d been watching them with laughter in his eyes. Matt
engulfed her fingers between full lips, sucking the fruit from her fingertips.
Shannon giggled, a low musical sound, and then accepted the bite he offered
her.

Soon they were feeding each other. All three offering choice
bites, only to pull them teasingly away and gobble them down at the last
minute. Daniel and Matthew were the worst at this, teasing Shannon unmercifully
until she collapsed back on the floor, laughing breathlessly.

As she lay there panting, Matt turned to Daniel and offered
him a bite for the first time. Daniel paused, and when Matt made as if to draw
the strawberry away, he very deliberately ate it from his hand, allowing his
lips to brush the younger man’s fingers in a stolen caress. Matthew brushed
those fingers over Daniel’s lips, stroking them with the tip of his tongue as
if to savor Daniel’s flavor, and the room temperature seemed to rise by about
twenty degrees.

Shannon, who’d been watching them with laughing, sleepy
eyes, wagged a finger at the men and said, “Oh, no. That’s not what we’re here
for.” When they sent her identical looks of irritated arousal, she laughed and
pulled herself to her feet. A bouncy song had come on the radio, and she
extended her hand to Matthew and commanded, “Dance with me, you big
instigator.”

Matt grinned back and allowed her to drag him to his feet.
Pulling her into his arms with a flourish, he spun her around the room until
they were both dizzy and laughing. Daniel lounged on the floor, idly sipping
his wine, and enjoyed the spectacle. They were both young and tanned and so
beautiful it almost hurt him to watch them. Matthew was perfect in an underwear
model sort of way. Matthew was as lithe and as graceful as a jungle cat, his
naughty smile and infectious joy kept his beauty from seeming untouchable.

Shannon, on the other hand, had a different kind of beauty.
If Matthew belonged in fashion magazines, Shannon belonged in a field of
wildflowers. She wasn’t traditionally beautiful. Her wide brown eyes were warm,
but not exotic. Her full lips were red and moist, and utterly natural without a
hint of dye or collagen. Her figure was full and lush, and closer to a size
twelve than a size two. And the light that shone from those ordinary brown
eyes, and the warmth that beamed from her smile, and the comfort and fire he
felt pressed up against her lush body made Shannon the most beautiful woman
he’d ever seen.

His. The thought stole into his mind, and before it could
steal into his heart he amended it.

His, for now.

Shannon saw Daniel glance at the clock and begin cleaning up
their makeshift picnic. She wasn’t about to let Daniel close himself off from
them. Not when they’d all been so close. So she waited until Daniel’s hands
were empty and then neatly spun away from Matthew and into his startled arms.

Daniel caught her with a small puff of surprise and
automatically pulled her in against his chest. Matt smiled when she sent them
each a coy look before purring into Daniel’s ear.

“I’m not done dancing. Will you dance with me, Danny-boy?”
Matthew choked on his laughter at her use of the nickname, and probably at
Daniel’s raised eyebrow, too. Shannon waited with bated breath to see how he’d
react, regarding Daniel’s arrogant expression with a wicked, evil little smile.

Finally, Daniel put them out of their suspense, sweeping
Shannon into a low dip, startling a squeal of laughter from her. Laughing
himself, he began to waltz her around the room with exaggerated formality.

“You have absolutely no respect, do you?” His voice was
stern, but his lips quirked and his eyes were sparkling with laughter.

“Nope.” She was utterly unrepentant. “Respect is no fun.”

When Daniel spun her away from him and then pulled her back
in, she cupped one hand behind his neck and tucked one leg over his hip in
classic tango fashion. “Rattling your cage is fun.” She allowed him to guide
her across the room. “Seeing your eyes get all hot and sleepy is fun.” He
rested his hands on her hips, ready to pounce, but she took over and kept them
dancing. “Watching you get all flustered and confused,” she gave him an impish
smile, “that is
so
hot.” She kept dancing but let him pull her closer,
so her belly rubbed over his engorged cock. “And it’s fun!”

Skipping away from Daniel, she spun Matthew in a circle
before hiding behind him. Daniel was advancing slowly, stalking her, and she
was determined not to be caught. Yes, the sex was amazing, but that was for
tonight. Today was for fun.

Darting over to the desk, she grabbed a handful of olives
and held them up threateningly. “I’m armed and dangerous.”

Daniel’s incredulous look only spurred her on. She was
determined to make him laugh again. He didn’t laugh enough, and she loved the
sound of it. As he continued to move in her direction, she gurgled out a laugh
of her own and added, “I have olives.” She heard Matthew choking in the corner
and shot him a grin. “And I’m not afraid to use them.”

Daniel was apparently less than impressed with her choice of
weapon, and continued his advance. Cringing back in mock terror, she launched
several olives in his direction. He probably hadn’t believed she’d really
attack, because he didn’t immediately duck, and the first edible missile hit
him square in the forehead.

He neatly avoided the rest, and his shocked, disbelieving
look convulsed her with laughter. Hadn’t this man ever had a food fight? They’d
been regular occurrences at her house, and were some of the fondest memories
she had of her father and brother.

Daniel was moving in for the kill now, and she ducked around
the desk, grabbing a branch of grapes along the way. She sent Matt an appealing
look, but his expression was a little too intent to suit her. Like Daniel, he
looked like a man with quick and dirty sex on his mind.

“There’s no time,” she protested, pelting Daniel with
grapes. “It’s almost two! Don’t you guys have meetings or something?” Daniel
sent Matthew a speaking glance, and he promptly began closing in on her from
the opposite direction. She was peppering them both with flying food, ducking
the pellets Matthew sent back in her direction, and looking for a way to escape
when a deep voice sounded from the outer office, and her men froze in place.

Chapter Twelve

“It’s my damn office, and I don’t care what my baby brother
is doing in there. We’re going in.” Marcus faced the gray-haired dragon who’d
all but thrown herself between him and the office door. Carrie stood behind
him, unsuccessfully smothering her laughter. He sent her a smoldering look and
a murmured, “I’ll deal with you later,” and her laughter promptly turned into
something else.

When he finally pushed his way into his office, he found a
tableau right out of a comic movie. Matthew and a pretty toffee-haired woman
were scurrying around the office picking up grapes, olives and other assorted
food items from the floor. Daniel leaned negligently against his desk,
observing with an amused and indulgent expression on his face. There was also a
pink smudge, one that looked suspiciously like strawberry juice, on his
pearl-gray lapel.

Well, fuck. He’d been gone a week and Daniel was sharing
with Matthew? While it was true he had no intention of sharing with his friend
again himself, he wasn’t sure how he felt about his little brother stepping in
to fill the role.

And what was up with the food on the floor? Studying his
brother’s woman, he caught her looking at one of the olives in her hand and
sending Matthew a speculative glance. Matt’s exaggerated look of horror brought
a smile to Marcus’ face. One he quickly erased as he faced his wayward friend
and sibling.

Finally he addressed Daniel. “Well, hell. I can’t believe
you let Matty draw you into his foolishness.” He shook his head regretfully.
“You make a shitty babysitter, Dan.”

Daniel raised his eyebrows, and Matt, who was used to
Marcus’ cutting sense of humor, just grinned. The little brunette, on the other
hand, leapt into the fray, defending her man.

“I’ll assume you’re Marcus.” Those chocolaty eyes narrowed
on his face and her hands fisted on her hips. “You have a lot of nerve
lecturing Matthew and Daniel about foolishness. They didn’t take off with
hardly a word and leave you to wonder if they were alive or dead.”

Marcus felt an unwilling twinge of guilt at her observation.
Of course Matt had worried. And he’d had the added stress of trying to learn
Marcus’ job in less than a week. And, God, Meredith must be a basket case.

Fuck.

Carrie’s soft hand on his arm soothed him, and he gave the
spitfire before him a nod of acknowledgement.

“Matty,” she emphasized the diminutive and all three men
winced, “has been worried sick about you. So has Daniel. And in spite of that,
they both stepped up to do your job.” Her glare could have melted steel, let
alone a mere man. “And, for your information, Matthew is a man full grown.”
Matt stood behind her, grinning like a besotted fool. Marcus could totally
relate. He knew he wore the same exact expression when he looked at Carrie.

“He doesn’t need a babysitter.” She glanced at Daniel, who
was also watching her closely. Maybe he wasn’t grinning like a besotted fool,
but he had an absorbed look Marcus had never seen him direct at another person,
man or woman. “He needs a friend, something you obviously aren’t willing to be
for him.”

At this, she’d gone too far. Marcus saw Matthew’s
instinctive step forward, whether to protect or scold, and was about to respond
himself when Carrie stepped around him to face the woman.

“I’ll give you that one free, because you don’t know my
fiancé.” Daniel and Matthew both shot him startled looks, and he felt a
satisfied smile curl his lips as Carrie continued. “You’re obviously new to the
family, and there are a couple of things you need to understand.” Marcus burst
with pride. His woman was fierce, both in and out of the bedroom. “Marcus would
never, ever deliberately do anything to hurt Matthew or Meredith.” She sent
Daniel a smile full of remembered heat. “Or Daniel.” The little brunette’s eyes
narrowed still more at Carrie’s smile.

“If Marcus hurt any of the people he loves,” Carrie said.
Daniel cleared his throat, and Carrie ignored him, “he’ll make it right with
them
.
And it’s none of your business.”

The other woman looked into Carrie’s eyes and said softly,
“It’s my business because I had to watch two people I care about suffer.”

At this, Carrie’s fierce demeanor softened and she
approached the other woman to put a comforting arm around her shoulders. “It
looks like they were in good hands. Now let Marcus make it up to them. He’s
been suffering, too.”

The younger woman gave Carrie a considering look and said,
“They’re off limits now.”

Carrie nodded. “They’d be off limits to me even if you
weren’t in the picture,” she responded.

With a somewhat warmer smile, the little spitfire ventured,
“You must be Carrie, the only one in the office who knows how to order lunch.”
Carrie gave a surprised laugh and Matthew studied the ceiling while Daniel
looked determinedly out the window. “They nearly starved to death without you,”
she added dryly.

Now all three men squirmed uncomfortably as the women bonded
in that incomprehensible way of females everywhere. Finally, Matthew stepped
forward and, relieving his woman of her olives and dropping them into a bag on
the desk, he introduced his little warrior.

“Marcus.” His voice was filled with pride and affection as he
stepped up behind the woman and slid his arms around her waist. “This little
pit-bull is Shannon Whitney. To my great luck, she’s claimed me.” He sent
Daniel a speaking look Marcus decided to interpret later. “And Shannon, my
love, as you’ve already guessed, this is my big brother Marcus.” He looked down
at her with a mock scowl. “Who loves me very much.” He grinned at Marcus.
“Which is probably the only reason he hasn’t flayed the skin from your back.”

Marcus offered a lazy smile before settling on the couch
that dominated one wall of the room and pulling a very willing Carrie onto his
lap.

“I don’t flay skin, Matty. I just spank it ’til it’s nice
and red.” He grinned at Carrie’s blush, and gave her a kiss that was meant to
be brief but somehow wasn’t.

“Shit, Marc, do you need some privacy?” Matt was laughing as
he said it and, after giving Shannon a squeeze, he pulled Carrie out of Marcus’
arms.

“So, hey, new baby sister!” He smacked big, noisy kisses on
both of her cheeks before swinging her around for Daniel to greet properly.

Daniel, apparently noting Shannon’s carefully blank look,
restrained himself to a brief hug. Carrie, who’d laughed at Matthew’s
theatrics, laughed even harder at Daniel’s obvious restraint. Before releasing
him she whispered in his ear, “You are
so
caught!”

Daniel released her as if he’d been burned, and all three
noted that Shannon’s shoulders seemed to relax just a little. Marcus hoped his
friend didn’t wound the fierce little creature too badly. That would twist him
up with guilt he didn’t need. And, if Matt was as wrapped up in the girl as he
seemed, it would hurt him, too.

Marcus, who’d been ignored for too long, decided to take
back control of his office. Looking at Matthew, he began.

“So what the hell? I’m gone for a week and you fill my
office with hostile women.” He gestured to the outer office. “Where in God’s
name did you find her?” He gave an exaggerated shudder. “She all but
disemboweled me to keep me from disturbing you.” His voice rose. “It’s my damn
office!” Carrie, who’d returned to his lap, ran her hand over his chest in a
playfully soothing manner. Marcus glared at her and she giggled.

“I had nothing to do with it,” Matt denied quickly.
“Besides, she hates me too!” Marcus didn’t look convinced, so Matt continued,
“Hell, she wouldn’t even give me a cup of coffee until Casanova here,” he
gestured at an innocent-looking Daniel, “seduced it out of her.”

Marcus shook his head before getting down to business. “And
the company? You’re a bright kid.” He glanced at Shannon. “Er, man, so I’ll
assume you’ve kept things on track for me.”

Matthew looked proud, an expression Marcus had never seen
him wear in relation to the Worthington Group before. “Everything’s good.”

Daniel added, “He signed off on the Traverse City purchase,
and has the bids lined up for construction.” He looked inquiringly at Matthew.
“You’re thinking of using Renatto for that project, too, aren’t you?”

Marcus noted the way Daniel deferred to Matthew’s knowledge
of the project, and found himself adjusting his perception of his baby brother.

“So, if we can clear the riff-raff,” this was directed at
Daniel, who smirked in response, “and get Meredith in here, maybe you can catch
me up.”

Daniel laid a hand against Shannon’s lower back, a
possessive gesture that none of them missed. “I can tell when I’m not wanted,”
he groused. “I’ll walk you out, Shannon.” He continued, leading her to the
door.

Matthew, heading for the desk to call Meredith’s office,
passed close to them and paused, tipping Shannon’s face up for a soft kiss.
Daniel, in an unconscious movement, brushed his free hand over Matthew’s hair,
stroking over his ponytail.

The gesture had looked totally natural, as had Matthew’s
responding smile. They’d looked…affectionate. Marcus blinked a couple of times,
then squeezed his eyes closed. By the time he was ready to open them again,
Daniel and Shannon had left the room. He must have been mistaken. Maybe sleep
deprivation while he’d waited for Carrie’s return had scrambled his brain.

Carrie wriggled into a more comfortable position on his lap
and laid her lips against his ear. “So,” she purred. “Am I riff-raff?” Her
pointed little tongue teased his earlobe.

He’d definitely misunderstood Daniel’s caress. Carrie’d
drawn all the blood from his brain, so he was hallucinating.

Losing himself in her touch, he answered, “Definitely not
riff-raff,” and proceeded to ignore his amused brother until Meredith rushed
into the room.

* * * * *

The next few weeks passed in a blur for Shannon. She had two
attentive and inventive lovers, a job she loved and an exciting new city to
explore. The first week of school had been a joy. Her students were, for the
most part, adorable and eager to learn. Of course there were a few tough cases,
but Shannon was confident that it was nothing she couldn’t handle. After all,
they were children. There were very few children in the world who couldn’t
eventually be won over by genuine affection and caring.

Once the school day was over, life just got better. Matt
arranged outings to all the local landmarks, dragging Daniel along on weekend
trips to see the Spirit of Detroit and the sculpture of Joe Lewis’ fist, Belle
Isle and Greenfield Village.

They’d spent one entire Saturday at the Detroit Zoo, where
Daniel paid a small fortune so Shannon could ride the train for almost an hour
straight. He’d claimed it well worth the expense, as she showed her gratitude
with hot, wet kisses bestowed equally on her men every time the train entered
the pitch-black tunnel.

Over dinners in Greek Town and Mexican Town, and Shannon’s
home-cooking, they came to know each other. Matthew seemed to be an open book,
but as the weeks passed he began to share stories about his childhood that
broke her heart.

Her
father had been a dominating jerk at times, but
even with all the demands and disapproval, she’d known deep down he loved her.
And when she graduated from college, he’d taken her face in his hands and
whispered, “Your mother would be so proud of you. As proud as I am.” It was the
memory she clung to when he was particularly demanding.

Matthew had had a very different relationship with his
father. Stirling Worthington had, from both Daniel’s and Matthew’s stories,
been a cold man. Nothing Marcus or Matthew had done had ever been good enough
to satisfy him. Matthew was very circumspect when he spoke of his father, but
Shannon could tell the man had wounded him deeply.

No, the father figure in Matthew’s life, and in his sister
Meredith’s too, had been Marcus. Marcus had taken over as Matthew’s confidant,
and had helped to mold him into the remarkable man who’d stolen her heart. For
that alone she had to forgive the man for hurting her men. And for being an
arrogant pain in the ass.

Daniel rarely spoke of his father at all. The only time he
mentioned him was when, one sultry evening, a slightly tipsy Shannon had tried
to lure him into one more margarita. He’d refused, commenting, “I’ve had
enough. Any more and I’ll be as big a drunk as my old man.” She’d wanted to
question him, but his closed expression and the quick shake of Matthew’s head
changed her mind.

Daniel spoke to them about his early dreams of being an
architect, and his years in college. He cracked them up with what Shannon knew
were highly sanitized stories of his youthful adventures, though he carefully
avoided mentioning his sexual exploits. This was fine with Shannon, who found
she was insanely jealous of him. She had no reason to be jealous of Matthew—his
commitment to her and Daniel was as obvious as it was absolute. Daniel, on the
other hand, flirted outrageously with other women—many she suspected he’d been
with intimately—and never gave her any reason to think he saw their situation
as anything but temporary.

Daniel wasn’t committed to them in the way they were
committed to him. It was there in the way he never met their eyes when they
made love. In the way he kissed her goodnight and ran his hand through Matt’s
tangled hair every night before sending them home to Matt’s condo to sleep. It
was the only thing keeping her world from complete perfection, and she knew there
was nothing she could do to change it.

Daniel had been wounded, and all she could offer him was her
love. As a teacher, a caregiver of sorts, she longed to dive in and repair his
injuries, but knew enough about him to realize he had to heal himself from the
damage his past had obviously inflicted.

What kept her hopeful was a look Daniel would get in his
eyes when he thought no one was looking. Shannon swore she saw love there. Her
instincts screamed Daniel was really happy to be with her and Matt. So she
waited patiently for him to open his eyes and his heart.