Fringe Benefits (13 page)

“You’re wel—” His word turned into a growl when she squeezed her inner muscles tight. He settled his hands on her hips and thrust deeply, setting a fast and rather rough pace.

She caught his rhythm, loving how quickly her body responded to the feel of him deep inside her. It wasn’t long before she found herself again on the precipice of release, but she wanted him there with her.

Capturing his lips, she thrust her tongue into his mouth. When he squeezed her hips and groaned into her mouth, she let the feel of his hot seed spilling into her sweep her into another overwhelming orgasm.

Sated and happy, Dani made a quick trip to the bathroom and returned to the bed to wait while Nate made his own foray. When he crawled back into bed, she pulled the sheet over them and snuggled up against his side.

He brushed a kiss over her forehead. “I’m not sure there are any words to describe how great that was.”

She rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. “Ditto.”

“That was a helluva lot more fun than a run.”

“I guess we’ll have to make it a new Sunday habit.”

“Fine with me.” He let out a yawn. “Fantastic sex followed by a nap. When we wake up, I’ll take you to Yia Yia’s Pancake House.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Dani decided to follow his lead and be as honest with him as he always was with her. “I’d like you to start staying up here now. With me—that is, if you can stand me being a whirling dervish in bed.”

He chuckled. “Was that supposed to sound dirty?”

She made a fist and gently tapped his chin. “I’m being serious. I’ve got this king-size bed, and if we’re going to be doing
this
—”

“Making love?”

“Yeah. Then you might as well move upstairs. With me.”

“Are you sure you’re ready for that?” he asked.

“The only time you head to the basement is to sleep, right?”

“Right.”

“Then let’s make it official and really move in together.”

He thought it over longer than she’d expected. “I want to, sweetheart. But are you sure? Jules is waiting to start a search for a fixer-upper for me.” He shrugged. “I kinda put that on hold since I like your basement so much.”

“Then I’ll save her some work.”

“You’ve got to be sure,” he insisted. “I mean… now we each at least have a place to retreat for privacy.”

“We still will.”

“
I
will, since I’ll still have the basement. But if we share this bedroom…”

She leaned up on one elbow. “I don’t mind. We practically live together anyway. This really isn’t that big a change. Unless you don’t want to.”

“I want to… if I can have a bathroom drawer?”

“You can have your own vanity. There are two, after all. And there’s plenty of room in the closet.”

Nate cupped her neck and pressed his lips to hers. “If you’re sure this is what you want…”

Dani nodded.

“Then I’ll move a few things up later. After a good nap.”

“But remember the cardinal rule.”

“I know. No one can know. Only us.”

Dani shoved her empty containers into her thermal lunch bag. “Anyone have any big plans for the second week of fall break?”

Beth shook her head. “I’ll need every minute of that time to recover from our Chicago trip.”

“This year will be epic,” Mallory said. “Four of us, three days, two musicals, and a crap-ton of shopping.”

“And sheer exhaustion since I have to share a room with Dani.” Beth softened the rebuke with a wink.

“Sorry,” Dani couldn’t help but say. Since they’d decided to stay downtown for this year’s installment of their annual trip to the Windy City, the hotel costs were much higher than if they’d stayed in the suburbs like they usually did. Beth had reluctantly agreed to share a room with Dani. “I’ll
try
to behave.”

“I was teasing,” Beth said, picking up the remnants of her lunch. “There are two beds instead of us sharing a king. I’ll be fine. Besides, I’m really looking forward to this trip. You know how much I love
Wicked
.” She sealed her plastic bag full of crackers.

“Will this be the fifth or sixth time we’ve seen it?” Jules asked, wadding her fast-food bag into a ball and shooting it at the trash like a basketball. It banked off the wall and sank into the basket. “Swish.”

“The sixth for me,” Dani replied before knitting her brows at Beth. “Just crackers and peanut butter?” Since that was all Beth had eaten at lunch this week, Dani was worried her friend was trying yet another fad diet.

Beth just shrugged. “It’s all I had here, and I keep forgetting my lunch. Emma’s still such a handful in the mornings. I’m lucky to get her dropped off at day care and make it here on time.”

“If you’re like me,” Jules said, “your lunch is probably still sitting on the kitchen island. Mornings with kids can be such a joy.”

“Amen,” Beth said. “I might not have plans for the second week, but do any of you?”

“Ben and I are going to spend a couple of nights in Nashville,” Mallory said. “Indiana, not Tennessee.”

Jules smiled. “Connor and I did that last year.”

“Which is why I’m going this year.” Mallory dropped her silverware into her lunch container. “You raved about all the little shops and how beautiful the leaves were this time of year. I need to see it all for myself.”

“Is Amber going?” Dani asked.

Mallory shook her head. “She’s heading to stay with her mother.”

“I thought she hated Theresa.”

“They’ve come to a sort of truce,” Mallory explained. “I think Amber can stand a couple of days. So how about you, Jules?”

“Connor and I are taking the twins to Holiday World while it’s still fairly warm, at least jacket weather. Maybe we’ll get extra lucky and Indian summer will roll around while we’re there.” Jules settled her startling green eyes on Dani. “And how about you?”

Although Dani had mentioned to Beth that she might go on a mini-vacation with Nate, plans had changed. “Nate’s taking me to stay with his mom and stepdad for a couple of days.”

“Good thing you already know his mom. Shouldn’t be a big deal to meet her husband.” Jules’s tone was reassuring, which meant she’d picked up on Dani’s anxiety.

While Dani felt as if she and Nate were on solid ground in their relationship, she also worried about how Jackie, Mark, and Patrick were going to react when he finally told them that she and Nate were an official couple. She knew exactly how close he was to his family, and their reactions to his living in the basement suite hadn’t been good.

How would Jackie feel when she found out Nate had moved upstairs and was sleeping with his landlady—his older landlady, who also happened to be his boss?

Exactly as they’d promised each other, they had kept their relationship low-key and private. The Ladies and their men knew, but not too many other people. Oh, they might speculate. Douglas High ran on gossip, and Dani feared being the latest grease for those gears. They’d been very careful not to show too much affection in public, especially at school, which sometimes made her day difficult.

There were so many times she wanted to take his hand, to give him a quick kiss, or to see that sexy smile. She wanted to shout to the whole world that he was hers, to tell the young women on the faculty making goo-goo eyes at him that he was taken. The barely leashed jealousy was hard for Dani to admit, even to herself, because she knew exactly what it meant.

She was falling in love with him.

His patience in teaching her that their relationship was every bit as important as sex had kept her moving swiftly down the path to handing him her heart. Each day, he showed her that she mattered to him in a way no one ever had—except for the Ladies. They were sisters in Dani’s heart.

But Nate? Could he become her partner, her mate, the better half of her?

Since when had she started being so damned sappy?

“Dani?”

Beth’s concerned tone was sobering. “Sorry. A little lost in thought.”

“You’re nervous about spending time with Nate’s family.”

So like Beth to state the fact rather than pretend to ask. “Yeah, I am.”

“Just be yourself,” Beth advised. “They’ll love you just as much as Nate does.”

There was that word again.
Love
. Seemed to be hanging over her head like a storm cloud.

Dani thought about denying it, figuring if he hadn’t said he loved her, he obviously didn’t feel it. But his actions showed otherwise. The way he worried as much about her pleasure as he did his own. The way he helped around the house without being asked. The way he always touched her whenever they were together—a quick kiss as he passed her in the kitchen or a shoulder rub after they ran together.

Could he really love her?

“Beth’s right,” Mallory said right before the tone ending lunch sounded. “Just be yourself. You’re a wonderful person.”

Jules hefted the strap of her heavy tote over her shoulder. “You’ve got a killer sense of humor. I’m sure they’ll love you.”

“See you,” Dani said, hanging behind, hoping for a quick moment alone with Beth.

Jules and Mallory left the lunchroom, talking to each other and not even looking back.

“What’s wrong?” Beth asked.

“You know me too well,” Dani said, a bit frustrated that she sounded so pitiful.

“Tell me. We’ve only got a few minutes, and I need to pee.” Her sweet smile belied her strict tone.

“Afraid I’ll need more than a few minutes,” Dani replied. “We’ll have tons of time to talk in Chicago.” She needed to sit down and think. Hard. She needed to decide what she should do now that she’d admitted how she felt about Nate.

“Are you sure?” Despite the sincerity in Beth’s voice, she quickly checked her watch.

“I’m sure. Let’s head to class.”

*   *   *

“Thanks for coming down, Dani,” Jim Reinhardt said. “I won’t keep you long.” He inclined his head at the door as he sat down behind his desk. “Could you please close the door?”

Dani’s heart skipped a beat. In her years at Douglas, there had been only one time she’d been summoned to a meeting in the principal’s office and asked to shut the door—and that had been bad news.

With a hand that trembled slightly, she pulled the door closed and took a seat across the desk from her boss, hoping he wouldn’t notice how nervous she felt.

“First, I wanted to give you a ‘that-a-girl.’ You’ve done a great job with the English department. The kids were more than ready for state testing, and I sure hope the numbers reflect the effort you and your teachers put into preparing.”

“Thanks.”

“I also think the
Hunger Games
project went over well.”

“I do, too.”

He blew a long breath out his nose. “Any concerns with Nate Ryan?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I’ve observed him a couple times. I think he’s great on content knowledge.”

“Oh, I totally agree. I think his having a bachelor’s in English—especially with his emphasis on literature—gives him more of a handle on content than we’d typically get with a newbie.” Dani folded her hands in her lap. “So why do I hear a ‘but’ in your statement?”

Jim leaned back in his chair. “Just a small one. I worry about discipline.”

Scrambling to figure out what he was alluding to, she said, “Whenever I’ve been in his classes, I don’t see any problems.”

“You don’t think he’s a little too… personal with the students?”

“In what way?”

“This is secondhand, mind you, since I wasn’t able to get to the homecoming dance, but I was told he danced with some of the students—especially the female students.”

Mary Henry, no doubt
. She’d been bitching rather loudly to someone in the teacher workroom about how younger teachers needed to stop being so friendly with students, that it was totally inappropriate. The moment Dani had walked into the room, Mary had shut her mouth.

Time to set the record straight
. “I was there, and yes, he danced with students. Girls and guys. But there was nothing inappropriate. In fact, he taught them some new dances so they’d stop with that ridiculous grinding and twerking.”

Jim winced. “You mean when they act like they’re having sex instead of dancing?”

“Exactly. Nate showed them some line dances and a little bit of disco.”

“I’m amazed he’s old enough to even know about disco.”

“Jim, everyone knows about disco.”

At least she made him laugh. “Point taken.”

Hoping that was the end of the discussion, Dani half stood.

“Hang on a minute,” he said. “Please.”

She sat back down.

“Let me get right to the point… There aren’t any rules about teachers dating other teachers.”

Her whole face flushed hot, but she held her tongue. Better to let Jim show his cards first before giving him a verbal reaction. No doubt he’d already seen her blush.

“A parent called me this morning with a concern. About you. And Nate.”

“A parent?”

Jim nodded.

“A concern?”

“Perhaps that’s the wrong word. She wasn’t concerned. I suppose I’m the one who’s concerned.”

Dani folded her hands and interlaced her fingers to try to appear calm. This was what she’d feared all along. People knew about her and Nate. Sure, there wasn’t a “rule” about teachers dating. But department heads dating their department members?

“There’s absolutely no reason to be concerned,” she said.

“Were you dancing with Nate?”

She nodded. “I did some of the line dances with him and the kids.”

He shook his head. “The parent was talking about slower dancing. She thought it might be an inappropriate display of affection in front of the kids. That’s all.”

“We weren’t slow dancing in front of the kids.”

“Evidently, she was there to take pictures of her son and saw you two slip outside the gym.”

“Are you saying she followed us?”

His nod made her stomach lurch. “Without giving you her name, let’s just say she’s one of those parents who thinks everything in the world is her business. So, yes, she followed you and saw you dancing and said you two were a bit too… close.”

Small towns. So judgmental. So unforgiving. “What exactly do you want from me, Jim?”

“Easy there, Dani. This isn’t something you need to get upset about. What you do in your personal life is your own business. Yours and Nate’s. All I ask is that you and Nate keep your focus on the students whenever you’re chaperoning an event.”

Afraid that she’d lose her temper if she stayed in his office too much longer, Dani asked, “We will. May I go?”

“Dani… this isn’t a big thing…”

“Thanks, Jim. I’ll be sure and let Nate know what you expect from us.”

*   *   *

Dani let Nate take her suitcase at the top of the stairs. She followed him as he headed downstairs and out to the garage.

He shoved her suitcase into the trunk of her car before slamming the lid. “I’m amazed everything fit. We’re only going for a week. You didn’t need to pack the kitchen sink.”

“I just want to be prepared,” she said.

After taking her hand, he rubbed his thumb over her palm. “I know you’re nervous…”

“A little.”

“I’m really sorry that you didn’t get to go to Chicago.”

So was Dani. She’d been so disappointed when the call came. “Beth couldn’t help getting sick. I just hope she gets to feeling better soon. I still wonder if I should stay to help her. Poor thing can’t stop throwing up.”

“It’s up to you, but Robert swears she’s going to be fine. You sure don’t want to catch that kind of stomach bug.” He tugged on her hand, pulling her into his embrace. “We’ll have a great time in Indiana. There’s no reason to get this worked up about my mom.”

A week. A whole
week
with Nate’s mom and stepdad. Once the Ladies’ Chicago excursion had been canceled, he’d suggested they stay a lot longer than their planned three days. Now Dani was wondering if she should have agreed so readily.

“I want her to like me,” she said.

Nate rubbed his chin against her temple. “She will. No doubt at all. Once she gets to know you, she’ll realize how special you are. And you’ll learn to like her, too.”

“Let me check things one more time and grab my purse. Then we can get on the road. Thanks for taking my car.”

“Not a tough choice,” he said with a grin. “Yours isn’t nearly as likely as my beater is to leave us sitting on the side of the highway, waiting for a tow truck. Are you going to let me drive your car, or do I resign myself to shotgun?”

“Drive my baby?” Dani stepped back and blew a raspberry. “No way, José.”

“Shotgun it is. At least I can catch a nap part of the trip.”

Although she took another fifteen minutes to give the house one more go-through, she made up the lost time and then some by speeding most of the way to Indiana.

Nate’s parents had a condo in Indianapolis, which wasn’t far from Patrick’s house. No doubt she and Nate would visit there as well, but the plans had called for the two of them to bunk with Jackie and Mark. Nate’s stepsister Carly was supposed to be there later in the week—another person Dani would have to try to win over.

As she pulled along the curb and parked the car, she had a thought that made her stomach twist into a painful knot. “Exactly how much does your mom know about us? You did tell her we were dating, right?”