Chapter 14

Kendal

I shouldn't have brought work with me to New York, but something told me that Dana would be a late sleeper. It had to be her laid back persona. Seeing that I usually woke up at five on the dot unless the world was falling apart around me, I knew I'd have a few hours to myself to get some grading done.

After kissing her back and shoulders a few times in the darkness of the early morning, I slipped on my jeans and t-shirt and snuck out into the living room with my briefcase.

The coffee pot in the kitchen was set to go off in two hours, but I quickly adjusted it and made myself comfortable at the kitchen table. I plowed through a handful of grading assignments before I heard someone moving around behind me.

I glanced up and peeked over my shoulder to see Olivia standing in front of the coffee pot.

"I started it about an hour ago." I stood up and stretched as I turned to face her.

"Oh good. I usually let myself sleep in on Saturdays and use Sundays to catch up on all the work I didn't get done from the week before." She rubbed at her eyes before tugging her robe closer. "Let me go put something on."

"Don't do it for me. You're all covered up and it's your place. You deserve to be comfortable." I picked up my empty coffee mug and walked into the kitchen. "Thanks for letting us crash here. I love the place. It's elegant and in the perfect location for being downtown."

"Of course." She poured herself a cup of coffee and moved out of the way to lean against the counter beside me. "I miss home a lot more than I'd ever let on."

"I think you're fooling yourself." I lifted my cup to my lips.

"What? Why? You don't think I miss it?" She gave me a quirky smile. We could be friends for sure. She had a pureness to her that shone like a beacon. I could see why Dana was invested in her. She was good people.

"No, I'm sure you miss it. Hell, I miss it and I've been gone a day." I leaned back against the counter nearest me. "I’m just saying that it’s hard to leave part of who you are somewhere and try and start over."

Her eyes flashed with recognition. "It hurts like hell."

"I know." I shook my head and set my coffee down. "I never left home, but I'm a very different man than I was in my younger years. Being that guy still haunts me and yet I miss parts of him so damn much."

"Tell me about him." Her smile spread across her face as if she were preparing for something great.

"He was a whore, firstly." I chuckled as she did. "He wanted the world to bow down to him and he was beyond passionate about everything."

"So leave the whore part and the egomaniac and find your passion again." She took a sip of her coffee and studied me.

"I think I'm doing just that. Dana's like a fresh breath of air for me. I haven't dated for six years because it's hard to meet people when you're working all the damn time."

"Don't I know it?" She moved from the counter and walked to sit down at the kitchen table. She glanced down at my stack of papers and smiled. "Are you passionate about accounting?"

"Actually, yes. I love puzzles and the structure they provide. The final picture at the end is usually worth the effort to get it there." I moved toward the table, but remained standing. "I honestly never thought I would end up teaching, but when I chose that path, it just fit. It's part of who I am now."

"And does it scare you to let that part go?" She glanced up at me.

I had to think about my response for a few minutes. If she'd have asked me before meeting Dana, I wouldn't have hesitated in telling her that it scared me shitless, but now... I wasn't sure.

"I don't know." I moved around the table and sat down as the door opened down the hall. "I think in the past my job defined who I was. It was the only good thing about me, but that's changing because of Dana."

"You guys talking about me?" She padded out into the living room in a t-shirt and panties. Her dark hair was a holy hell mess, and fuck if I didn't love it.

"Always." Olivia glanced over her shoulder toward my girl. "There's coffee in the kitchen. Get a cup and join us."

"How long have you been up?" Dana walked over toward me and leaned down to kiss me a few times before moving slowly toward the kitchen.

"For a couple of hours. I'm used to getting up early in the morning. I used to jog all the time, but over the last few months I've slipped out of the habit."

"I wanna start jogging." Dana glanced over her shoulder at me.

"We can do it together after you graduate." I settled back in my chair to find Olivia watching me. "What?"

"That just sucks. It’s still eight months away. That's a lifetime."

"Tell me about it." Dana groaned as she walked back into the dining room to join us.

"Then say to hell with the rules and do what you feel is best for the two of you." Olivia glanced between the two of us.

My phone rang from down the hall, giving me a chance to get out of having to discuss my situation all over again. It would inevitably lead to me talking about the situation with Ana and my other students, which was something I'd be grateful to never talk about again.

"My phone's ringing. Let me grab it and Dana can explain." I jogged down the hall and closed the door behind me before scooping it up. Damon. "What's up, buddy?"

"Where the hell are you? I'm sitting outside of your house and you're not here. Did you sleep over at Dana's place?" He sounded more curious than perturbed.

"Oh fuck. I totally forgot to tell you that I was going out of town." We played golf every Saturday morning with Damon's younger brother Matt. We'd been doing it for years. How could I have forgotten?

"You get a mulligan for this one, but know I'm due some serious payback. I left a sexy woman in a white g-string to come get your dumb ass." He grunted and threw a few more punches at me.

"Please don't tell me what Bethany wears under her clothes. She's my fucking TA." I stood up and walked toward the window to pull back the curtains. The sun was sitting in the far side of the sky, and the city was empty, which was odd.

"Where are you? And who are you with?"

"Well, mother... I'm in New York with Dana. I took your advice. We're going to sneak around for the time being until we figure out what our best course of action is."

"Nice!" His tone changed immediately. I was still in trouble, no doubt, but if Damon loved anything, it was to be right, and this time, he was spot on. Dana and I did belong together.

"It's been great. I'm not sure what we're going to do for the next eight months, but-"

"Take it day by day. Get out of town when you can and be smart about your relationship. If things go south, you always have a job with me. You know that." It was good to hear his voice and to be reassured by his position on things.

"I appreciate that buddy." I moved back from the window and glanced around for my shoes. Going down to Central Park and walking around in the coolness of the morning would be romantic. I wanted to be that guy for Dana. The one that swept her off her feet and left her heart racing every time I walked into the room. I wasn't sure if it was possible, but Damon seemed to have Bethany in that trance. If he could do it...

"You still there? Did I lose you?" Damon's voice brought me back from my thoughts.

"Sorry. I'm just not myself lately. Dana leaves me feeling so full of life."

"I like full of life. Beth does the same for me. Hold tight to that, brother. It's what a good woman has the power to do."

"I will. I'm not sure how, but I'll figure the shit out."

"When can I expect you back in my neck of the woods?"

"Monday. Why? You need something?"

"Beth's excited about this wedding planning and has picked out the colors for our suits. I told her that you probably weren't ready to go out and live just yet seeing all the shit you've been through, but when you are ready-"

"I'm ready. Mandy's passing isn't going to go away anytime soon, but thanks to you and Dana, I'll get through it. I already am." I brushed my fingers through my hair.

"Awesome. We'll grab Matt and Bethany's friend Jake and go try on suits sometime in the next few weeks."

I snorted. What a motley crew we were pulling together. "Sounds like a plan."

"It’ll be painful, but at least Matt will keep us on our toes and make the day an adventure."

"Your brother is definitely good for that." I turned as the door opened behind me. "I'll give you a buzz next week. Let me know if you need me."

"Same here, brother."

I hung up and tossed the phone on the bed as Dana gave me a questioning look. "Damon?"

"Yeah." I sat down on the edge of the bed and put my socks and tennis shoes on. "I want to go down to Central Park and walk around while it's still cool outside. Come with me?"

"Oh yeah. That sounds like fun." She closed the door and picked up her bag from the floor, opened it and dumped out the contents on the bed. She pulled her t-shirt over her head, leaving nothing but lots of silky tanned skin and a pair of pretty pink panties that were far too tiny for the curves the woman was sporting.

My cock twitched in my jeans and my heart skipped a beat. "God, you're beautiful."

I moved up behind her and ran my hands up her sides to the front of her body to cup her breasts. I tugged softly at her nipples and leaned down to press kisses up the side of her neck.

"That feels good," she whispered sensually and leaned back against me.

"Maybe the park can wait." I smiled against the side of her neck and let one of my hands move down over her tummy toward her mound.

"No. I want to go. We can make love again later this afternoon before we take a nap."

"You're seriously the perfect woman for me." I slipped my hand down the front of her panties and patted her silky skin as I continued to play with her tits. "Naps, pizza, sex and parks? I'm thinking I might have to keep you."

"Might?" She bumped me with her butt and laughed as I released her and backed up.

"No might to it." I stuck my hand in my pants and adjusted myself in an effort not to scare any of the kids in the park that morning. "What's on the agenda for tonight?"

She pulled her bra on and got dressed far too quickly. Where she looked exceptional in her shorty shorts and t-shirt, I'd much prefer her in nothing but panties.

"We're supposed to have drinks with Jackie and Parks, but I haven't been able to get ahold of her just yet." She pulled her long hair into a high ponytail, making her look five years younger. I almost suffered a moment of feeling like a cradle robber, but forced myself away from the thought.

"Should we track her down?" I opened the door to the bedroom and moved out into the hall behind her. I couldn't seem to keep my eyes from moving down the swell of her perfect ass to her legs. She'd taken me so good, so deep from behind the night before. For someone who appreciated sex as much as I did, not having it for a long time left me wanting to make up for it.

I needed to keep myself on lockdown so my newest obsession didn't think any less of me. I was a well-rounded guy, but not taking care of myself for so long had me twitching for more of her.

"No. I'm sure they're just having a fuckfest." She walked into the kitchen as Olivia turned around from the dining room table.

"Who's having a fuckfest? I wanna go."

I chuckled. "Jackie, Dana's friend that we came up from Dallas with."

"She's fine. We'll get ahold of her later." Dana shrugged. "We're headed to Central Park. You wanna come with us?"

Olivia shook her head. "No. You guys go have fun. I just wanna lounge around. I'll see you after awhile when you get back."

"Suit yourself." Dana winked at her friend and walked to the door. "Come on, handsome. Let's go make out behind a tree."

"The cops will fine you." Olivia gave us a cheeky grin. Something told me that she knew from experience.

"Might be worth it." I took Dana's hand as we walked out into the hall. Being with her in another place where I could breathe easy was exactly what I needed most. We'd have to make our out of town trips a regular occurrence.

Or I could go work for Damon. I might actually enjoy it.

It was a thought if nothing else. There was comfort in knowing that I might be getting closer to trying something new - something less restrictive - something that would open the door to usher love in the way I wanted it. The way I needed it.