I shook my head, draining more of my beer. I was glad that Danielle had wanted to leave that restaurant. I don’t know what I was thinking when I had picked that place anyway. Danielle wasn’t impressed with things like that or at least she hadn’t been in our youth. I had just wanted to do something nice for her, but this was more up my alley as she was by the moment. “Not yet,” I said, setting my beer down. Joey was going to have my ass for drinking and eating like this before the match, but I didn’t care. “I’m fighting for the title in a few weeks.” Then I could feel good about making the claim.

“Wow,” she said, genuine interest in her expression. “That’s awesome. Are you nervous?”

I leaned back in my chair, attempting to put into words what I was feeling about the fight. “It’s the one chance I will probably get at the title,” I started slowly. “So yeah, I am a little nervous.”

“Well I am sure you will do great,” she said brightly.

I looked at her, unable to really take my fucking eyes off her in that dress. Hell, it hugged her body like a second glove, and my hands itched to touch her no matter how much I attempted to rein it back in. “This is crazy,” I said, unable to help myself. “Us meeting like this.”

She blushed and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “Yeah it is, but I can’t say I’m disappointed that we met this way.”

“Me neither,” I said with a grin. “Ready to get those cheeseburgers?”

* * *

An hour later, we walked out into the night, stuffed to the gills with cheeseburgers and beer. “Well,” Danielle said as we started down the street, her arm tucked in mine. “I can honestly say that I enjoyed my dinner.”

I chuckled. “You should. You ate off my plate too.”

She pushed into me, laughing. “One onion ring does not count.”

“The hell it doesn’t,” I protested. “You slapped my hand away when I attempted to do the same thing.”

Danielle giggled. “Okay, so I will let that one slide then.”

I turned toward her, finding myself not really wanting this night to end. Over our cheeseburgers, I had talked about the gym, and she had told me about some of the funny police officer stories. It had been the best fucking time of my life in quite a while. “I don’t want this to end.”

She bit her lip, looking away. “I don’t want it to either. Would you like, I mean do you want to come over?”

Hell, yes I did. My damn cock was throbbing at the thought of having Danielle to myself. “If you want me to,” I found myself saying.

She looked up and nodded, the heat in her eyes took me by surprise. Alright then. “My car is over there.”

I grinned and walked her to the car, opening the door so she could climb in before crossing over to the driver side, sliding behind the wheel. “Now if you had seen me a week ago before my dad car.”

“This is not a dad car,” she interrupted, looking at the leather interior and the bells and whistles of the electronic system. “That would be more like a minivan.”

I shuddered. I would be dead before I ever went that route. It was bad enough that I had moved to a four door. “Bad word.”

“Bad word,” she echoed as I turned the key in the ignition. “But this is a nice car, even with the car seat in the back.”

I looked over at Danielle, giving her a wink. “It’s a chick magnet.”

She laughed as I pulled out into traffic and I wanted nothing more than to take a detour to my place so we could have some time alone together. It was hard to believe that this was the same girl from a past I didn’t care to admit to, the same girl that had begged me not to leave all those years ago. She might have forgotten, but I hadn’t. “Where to madam?” I asked as I reached the first stoplight.

“Redding,” she said. “It’s the last building before you get to Temple Street.”

I nodded, knowing where she was talking about. Decent sized apartments in a decent part of town, probably all that she could afford on a cop’s salary. I still couldn’t get over the fact she was a cop. Never once would it have crossed my mind that Luke’s little sister would be one of the women in blue attempting to protect our streets but after listening to her stories tonight, I could understand. Hell, I felt that way about fighting. It was my life, my pride. Well before Amelia.

It didn’t take us long to get to her apartment, and I parked in front of the building, climbing out and following Danielle up the stairs. I was revving on go, the thought of us burning up the sheets tonight far more than I had anticipated on having. I was going to take it slow, enjoy this moment. This wasn’t just any other chick, this was Danielle. She knew me when I was nothing and still if I had read her right, would have taken me back then.

We walked up a flight of stairs, her dress swaying tantalizingly in front of me as she climbed the stairs. By the time we got to her door, I was hard as a rock and nearly panting with need. She opened the door, and I walked into her little apartment, taking in the clean space. “Nice place.”

She laughed, throwing her keys on the counter. “Yeah right. It’s nowhere near as nice as yours is, but it’s cheap and clean. I’m not here a lot anyway. Do you want something to drink?”

I walked over and grinned as I saw the neat row of pictures on the wall, one of Danielle’s police academy graduation. “Damn. Luke hadn’t changed a bit. Still can’t grow a fucking beard.”

Danielle came to stand behind me, her scent winding its way around my head. “He’s due for a visit. I’m sure he would want to see you.”

I turned, thinking that my old friend would fucking kill me if he knew what I was about to do with his sister. “I’d like that.”

Her eyes sparkled as I reached out and touched her cheek with my hand, cupping it before tugging her forward. “Last chance,” I said softly. I was giving her an out. I didn’t do that often, not when the woman was the one who propositioned. But this wasn’t any woman.

“N-no,” she stammered. “I want to do this. Make me forget everything, Benji.”

“That’s a tall order,” I said huskily, bending down to kiss her softly. “How about we just forget for a while?”

“Fair enough,” she said against my lips, her eyes fluttering closed.

I kissed her again. Damn, I loved kissing her. Danielle moaned into my mouth as her hands frantically grabbed at my shirt, pulling it up until it was over my head and her hands were on my bare chest. I growled and started working on her dress too, successfully pulling it over her head with some difficulty. She laughed and helped it off the rest of the way, stepping back. I took in her breasts encased in her lacy bra and felt all the blood rush to my cock. I hadn’t been a boob man in the past, but damn, I was now. “Can I touch you?”

My gaze snapped back to her face. “What?”

“I want to touch you,” she breathed, a blush stealing across her cheeks.

I grinned and dropped my arms to my sides. “Sure. Have your way with me.”

She walked over and touched my chest with her fingers, tracing the planes of my muscles all the way down to my belt, where she stopped for a moment before tackling my belt and dropping my pants to my ankles. Her swift intake of breath told me that she hadn’t anticipated on me being commando, my cock jumping at attention instantly.

When she touched me, I hissed, her warm fingers tracing the length with an excruciating softness to the point where I thought I was going to lose it right then and there. “You’re killing me,” I said softly as she wrapped her hand around me.

“That’s the point,” she smiled, her hand drifting back up to my chest. “You’re so beautiful.”

“Guys aren’t supposed to be beautiful.”

“Well, you are.”

I reached out and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her flush against me, her glorious breasts pressed up against my chest invitingly. “No, you are.”

She laughed, looking up at me. “Are we really going to have an argument about this?”

“Later,” I said, pressing a kiss on her lips. “Much later.”

She sighed as I kissed her, my hands roaming up her back to release the clasps on her bra. The bra fell away, and I growled as my hands stroked her lovely breasts, tweaking her nipples with my fingers until she groaned in my mouth. My damn body was on fire for her, but I forced myself to slow down, tearing away from her mouth to rain kisses on her neck and shoulders.

“Benji,” she breathed, her hands touching me everywhere. “I need you.”

“I fucking need you like there’s no tomorrow,” I answered roughly, dropping on my knees in front of her. “But first I want to hear you scream my name.”

She gasped as I made quick work of her panties, inhaling her scent as she stood naked in front of me. “Oh, my god,” she whispered as I placed a kiss on her stomach before dragging my tongue downward. Her hands went into my hair as I tasted her for the first time, tracing the core of her with my tongue before delving in, finding the hard nub between the folds. She moaned as I worked my tongue over it, stroking her until her hands tightened in my hair. “Stop,” she cried out weakly, not moving to pull me away.

It wasn’t but a moment later that she cried out loudly and collapsed against me, her body shaking. I held onto her legs as the orgasm racked her body, standing only when I thought she could support herself. My body was thrumming with anticipation, my cock throbbing painfully as I grabbed her hand. “Condoms are in the bedroom?” I asked, blindly walking down the hall to where I thought her bedroom was.

“Yes,” she breathed, pulling me into a dark room. I caught a glimpse of a small bed before she tugged on my hand, causing me to fall on it. I watched as she reached into her bedside table and pulled out a roll of condoms, handing them over to me. “I hope they fit,” she said softly as I took them out of her hand, kissing her palm hard. I didn’t care if they were made for midgets. I was going to make them work. Nothing could stop me from doing this now. She attempted to touch me, and I twisted away, tugging on her arm until she fell on the bed. If she touched me now, I would explode.

Finally, I got one and slid it on before I turned toward her in bed, my hand drifting down her body lazily. I couldn’t believe she was laying here beside me, waiting for me to have sex with her. This was fucking Danielle, not just some chick off the street. I covered her body with mine as I kissed her, rewarded with a moan and her hands all over me. Hell yeah.

She gripped my hips as I pushed into her, rewarded with a hiss as she urged me forward. “Yes,” she moaned as I struggled to maintain control and not embarrass myself right then and there. “Benji.”

“You feel so good,” I whispered against her lips, pushing until I couldn’t go any further. She was so tight around me that I thought I would explode, repeating the movement until she screamed my name, her orgasm wracking her body. I gritted my teeth and fought through my own wave of need, pushing in and out of her until she came again, falling apart under me. I groaned and let go, pouring into her with a roar before I collapsed, my body covering hers.

For a moment we just laid there, my pulse pounding in my own ears, my body feeling like it was pumped full of lead. Hell, it hadn’t been that long since I had been with a chick, but the way I was feeling, it could have been years.

“Are you okay?”

Only Danielle would ask that. “I’m fine,” I said, pulling back to look at her. “Are you okay?”

She giggled, her eyes dancing. “I’m fine, but you are little heavy.”

“Sorry,” I said, feeling like some schoolboy after his first fuck. I pulled out of her and walked out of the bedroom, finding her bathroom and deposing of the evidence, giving me a chance to catch my breath. Hell, I wanted to do it again, but I had to pick Amelia up soon and doubted that Danielle would want to come to my place for a sleepover with a toddler. What had my life become?

Running a hand through my hair, I walked naked back to her bedroom, seeing that she had covered herself with the comforter, a small lamp now illuminating the room. But she looked fucking delicious, and I felt my cock rise in anticipation. “You’re killing me.”

She blushed, her arms wrapped around her knees. “Are you, I mean can you stay over?”

I shook my head, every fiber in my body wanted me to do something else entirely than my mind knew I could. “I have to go get Amelia.”

Her expression filled with understanding, though I could see a hint of disappointment in her eyes. “Of course.”

I walked over and leaned down, brushing my lips over hers. “I don’t want to go.”

“But you have to. I totally understand.”

“This isn’t going to be the last time,” I said, pausing at the doorway. “I hope you know that.”

She nodded, and I walked out where my clothes had been dropped. This wasn’t over by a long shot.

* * *

I pulled the BMW into the driveway and jumped out of the car, walking up the small stone path before knocking on the solid wooden door. It opened nearly immediately, and I gave the young girl a wave. “Shh,” she said, holding a finger to her lips. “I just got her asleep.”

“Great,” I whispered as she stepped back and let me in. “Thanks, Marcella. I really appreciate you doing this tonight.”

“Hey you keep my dad in a job,” Marcella Cerelo said with a smile. She was Joey’s oldest daughter, about to be a sophomore in college and needed some extra funds. It had been a godsend really, and the last thing I had wanted to do was burden Hannah or Tony again. Besides, they should be working on their own kid. “It’s the least I could do.”

Peeling off a few twenties, far more than she had quoted me, I handed them to her. “Hey he kicks my ass, what can I say?”

“Mr. Lomns, this is too much,” she breathed, holding out the bills. I pushed them back to her, knowing that she could use them. “Keep it for the inconvenience.”

“Thank you,” she said softly, tucking the money into her jeans pocket. “She was an angel really. I will be more than happy to watch her anytime.”

I thought of the future dates I wanted to have with Danielle and gave Marcella a smile. “This will not be the only time.”

“She’s back here,” the young girl said, showing me to what was definitely her bedroom. Amelia was asleep on the bed surrounded by pillows in case she decided to roll around. My heart clenched as I peered down at her little body. I wasn’t going to fail her like I had failed and had been failed by my own parents. I had missed her, not realizing how much so until this moment. I was going to fill out that paperwork and I knew the perfect person to help me with it.