Daniel
All these years, Daniel Bishop had no problems keeping his distance from women. It wasn't that he didn't find women attractive, because he did. It's just that his boundaries had been in place for so long that he didn't even consider looking at women in that way.
He was a cute boy who grew into a handsome man, and he had his share of willing, would-be girlfriends over the years, but none of them were even a temptation to him.
That all changed when he met Courtney Cole. She had the capability to tear down walls he didn't even know existed. She somehow made her way through the back door of his heart and took up residence there. She did it so swiftly and subtly that he didn't even know it had happened until it was too late.
He loved her and that's all there was to it.
It wasn't just because she was rich, famous, or talented. It wasn't just because she was beautiful. It wasn't just because she had the capability of leading, inspiring, and commanding a room full of tens of thousands of people.
All those things were true, but that wasn't why he loved her. He loved her nature, her spirit, and her heart. He loved her when she was sick and when she was well. And the best part of it all was that he could tell she loved him in that same way. He could tell she loved him in spite of his struggles and his past mistakes. She loved him for who he was.
There was still so much to do in their relationship—so much to talk about and so many steps to make. No one besides Daniel and Courtney really knew the extent of the feelings they had for each other. She hadn't even met his family, and they hadn't even been seen in public together.
But none of that mattered.
Daniel knew that everything would fall into place. What mattered most was that love existed at the very core of their budding relationship. At the center of it was true love—the type of love that no one could take away from them—the type of love that didn’t see outward beauty, or talent, or past failures.
It was that spark that drove Daniel to take real, practical steps in overcoming his past. It was that spark that caused him to get on yet another plane and go to Los Angeles.
He found himself at a farewell party for the road crew of Courtney's Freedom Tour. He knew the road was physically taxing on her and that this would be her last tour for a while, if not for good. She hadn't made any official announcements, but Daniel knew she was more than ready for an extended break.
He watched her at the party, thinking he could understand why. He had seen her in action backstage when he was filling in for Trevor, but he was so preoccupied with making sure he had security under control that he wasn't able to fully appreciate how very much of herself she poured into leading this group. He didn't fully grasp it until that night at the party.
He watched as Courtney captured the love and attention of her team and their guests. There was a dinner followed by an awards ceremony with trophies and gifts for the whole crew. Courtney made a touching speech about how special each of them were and how the tour wouldn't have been a success without their hard work and dedication. She was truly humble and grateful, yet at the same time, she was a strong, passionate leader.
Daniel was already in love with her before this evening ever happened, but seeing her in action with the crew put him over the top. He was so proud of her.
She finished her speech and wished them all the best, and then he watched in amazement as a couple of the tables in the back of the room began to chant.
"Freedom!
Hoo.
Freedom!
Hoo.
Freedom!
Hoo."
They shouted the word 'freedom' as a war cry, and then the word 'hoo' was said in a low, guttural tone like a bass drum, keeping the rhythm between each cry. They all stomped when they called out, making it even more dramatic.
It was a chant Courtney led backstage before every show to pump everyone up. She usually got it started, but this time the chant began in the back of the room.
Before long, the whole room was swaying side to side with the rhythm. Courtney smiled and shook her head at the fact that they wanted one last song. She put the mic to her mouth and made a confident pose like she was a rock star from way back.
"We got some cameras.
Hoo.
We got some lights.
Hoo.
We got our costumes.
Hoo.
We lookin' tight.
Hoo.
We got our dancers.
Hoo.
We got our band.
Hoo.
We got a room.
Hoo.
Sold out with fans.
Hoo.
They out there now.
Hoo.
All goin' crazy.
Hoo.
Cause they all know.
Hoo.
This show's amazing."
Daniel had seen her do that chant before, but there were a lot of people in the room who had never been present to witness it, and he watched in amazement as everyone in the room got pumped up in spite of there being no crowd waiting or show to perform.
Everyone burst into applause when they finished, and Courtney blew kisses and yelled, "I love you guys!"
"We love you Courtney!" someone yelled through the applause.
She bowed and then held her hands out as if offering them all a big hug. Her arms were still extended as she opened her hand and let the microphone drop, causing them all to yell out again.
***
"I can't believe they started the chant," Trevor said in the limo on the way home.
"I know," Gabe said. "That was crazy. That was my favorite part of the whole night—besides the steak. Did you practice that?"
"She does it with them before every show," Denise said.
"She changes it up some," Trevor said. "Sometimes she mentions the name of the town or calls out specific people, but it's similar to that every time."
"Those awards were funny too," Gabe said.
They talked about it the whole way to Courtney's house. Daniel chimed in a little, but Gabe, Denise, and Trevor were so excited that he and Courtney just let them chatter.
For the last couple of hours Courtney had given herself over to leading her team just like she did when they were on the road, so she was glad for the opportunity to be quiet. She held Daniel by the arm, resting her head on his shoulder. She noticed when they were pulling up in her driveway, and she leaned up to speak near Daniel's ear.
"Are you staying at my house?" she asked.
He turned and gave her a little smile. "Are you giving me the option not to?"
"Not really," she said. "I mean, if you really don't want to stay, then I'm not going to—" she stopped talking when Daniel leaned down to speak next to her ear.
She was sweet and tender, and she smelled like heaven to him. "Courtney," he whispered. "I really don't want to leave your side."
Daniel's words made her squeeze his arm tightly, which caused all sorts of protective, desirous feelings to course through his body. He had to have her in his life and that's all there was to it. He would work it out with his brother, or his own feelings, or whatever else he thought might get in the way. She held onto him tightly, and he realized that he wouldn't let anything get in the way.
"My things are at the hotel," he said.
Denise overheard his statement, and she chimed in. "I can send for someone to pick up your stuff if you want," she said.
"Would you, please," Courtney said.
"You staying with us?" Trevor asked.
"Of course he is," Courtney said. "I have tons of room."
Daniel knew Trevor lived at Courtney's house. His full-time protection was part of the job, and ultimately, Daniel took comfort in that, but he couldn't help but cringe when Trevor said the word 'us'. He was considering his own jealousy when the limo driver came around to open the door for them.
Trevor got out first, leaving the two couples in the backseat. "Are you guys coming in?" Courtney asked.
Denise looked at Gabe who shrugged as if it was up to her.
"We can go swimming," Courtney added.
Denise raised her eyebrows at Gabe and then looked at Courtney. "I'd have to borrow a bathing suit," she said.
"So would I, actually," Gabe said.
"Me too," Daniel added.
"I have one for you, Denise, and I'm sure Trevor's got something in there for the boys. Whata ya say?"
"I'm game," Denise said with a shrug.
By the time the couples made it into the house, Trevor had already checked things out and was standing in the kitchen chewing a bite of food.
"We're gonna swim," Courtney announced. "The boys will need to borrow some of your swim trunks if you don't mind."
"Not at all," Trevor said.
"I'm going to take care of getting your things picked up from the hotel," Denise said to Daniel. "What's your room number again?"
"604," Daniel said. "Are you sure it's not a problem? I can go get it myself."
Denise shook her head. "I'll just ask the concierge to get it packed up and send the driver back over there. Let me catch him before he leaves."
Denise took out her phone and began pushing buttons, and Courtney took her by the arm pulling her toward the bedroom.
"You can do that while we change," Courtney said. She looked at Daniel. "Trevor will hook you up with a pair of shorts," she said with a smile.
It was fifteen minutes later when Courtney and Denise finished changing into their swimsuits and making all of the arrangements to get Daniel's things brought over. Of course, they talked while they were doing that. Denise was a wonderful assistant who knew how to maintain professional boundaries, so she never asked Courtney too many questions about her personal life or feelings. Courtney wasn't much of a gabber, and Denise respected that. She was, however, curious about Daniel because she could see how very affected Courtney was by him. She asked Courtney if she planned on being seen in public with Daniel, and Courtney told her that she was more than ready to go public with their relationship and was only taking it slow out of respect for Daniel.
Daniel and Gabe were waiting in the kitchen for the girls when they came downstairs. Daniel had borrowed a pair of Trevor's swim trunks that were a blue and white striped pattern. He had been wearing an undershirt under his tux, and he left it on when he changed.
Gabe hadn't done the same. He was shirtless, but Daniel felt more comfortable leaving a shirt on until they got into the pool. Courtney and Denise were both wearing swimsuits when they came downstairs, but Daniel only had eyes for one of them. She was wearing a blue one-piece number with gold accents, and she came into the kitchen smiling at him and looking like she belonged on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
"Where's Trevor?" Courtney asked.
"In his room," Daniel said. "He said he might meet us out there in a little while."
Courtney nodded as she came to stand right in front of Daniel. She looked straight at him, causing him to experience that same wave of protective desire he always seemed to get with her.
"We'll meet you guys out there," Courtney said, talking to Denise and Gabe but looking straight at Daniel.
The other two took off for the swimming pool, leaving Courtney and Daniel in the kitchen. "I'm pretty sure Gabe and Trevor couldn’t care less about looking at me, but I still wore a one-piece for you," Courtney said.
Daniel scanned her body from head to toe before making eye contact with her again. "I'm pretty sure no one can really care less about looking at you, Courtney, so I'm glad about the one-piece. Thank you."
"I'm not glad about your one-piece," she said, looking him over the same way he had done to her.
"I was thinking about taking my shirt off before we got in the pool," he said, touching his stomach.
"Thinking about it?" She asked incredulously. "I wouldn't have even suggested a swim if I would've known you were a shirt-swimmer."
He laughed at that.
Courtney didn't have to see him without a shirt. She could see the shape of his chest through this thin undershirt and knew she was going to be in trouble once he took it off.
Daniel, on the other hand, was already in trouble. He wasn't lying when he said Courtney would look beautiful in a canvas sack, and there she was in a gorgeous blue swimsuit, staring at him like he hung the moon.