Daniel

She looks like a vision, walking around the kitchen in the early morning light wearing my shirt, unbuttoned. It reaches just below her ass, hiding it. I’ll remedy that in a second, but for now, I just want to enjoy this moment. She’s here. She’s mine.

“Holy crap,” she exclaims, whirling around. “I didn’t see you. You scared me. Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

Closing the distance to her, I wrap an arm around her waist, pulling her flush against me. Her thighs rub against my jeans, her breasts against my bare chest. Her nipples feel like pebbles. I lean into her, intending to kiss her, but she turns her head, offering me her cheek. “Caroline?”

“I have morning breath. I came straight to the kitchen to start the coffee machine. Didn’t shower or brush. You can’t kiss me like this.”

“You’re fucking adorable.” I kiss down her neck, push the shirt off one shoulder, nip at her skin.

“Dan... what are you doing?”

“Kissing every other inch of you, since your mouth is off-limits.”

She groans. “We can’t. Don’t tempt me. I have to leave for work in half an hour.”

“Call in sick.”

“I can’t take the day off. You can’t either. You run a company, remember? Go run one of ‘the most successful companies in the Bay.’”

The words sound familiar. “You’ve read that article?” 

“Yeah, I did. Kept the magazine too. Though I found the article lacking. They didn’t mention your IQ, or that you were the best in our class, and at Stanford too. Blake told me. You’re the smartest person I’ve met.”

Knowing she thinks so highly of me is the best damn way to start the day.

“So go run your company. Go boss people around.”

“Today I just want to boss you around.” I give her ass a little smack, and she shudders against me. 

With a shrug, she says, sounding a little nervous, “So you want to come by tonight? If you don’t have plans. Only if you want to. You don’t have to.”

“I want to.” I tilt her chin up and cup her face with one hand. “I want to see you every night. Don’t be so nervous around me.”

“I’m sorry. I guess... I’m just afraid of doing or saying the wrong thing.” A deep breath, another shy shrug. “I can’t believe you’re here, in my kitchen. That this is happening. That we’re happening.” She drops her head in her hands. “I’ll stop talking now. I’m embarrassing both of us.”

I run my nose from the crook of her neck to her ear, bite at her earlobe. “We are happening. And I want to spend as much time with you as possible. Caroline, whatever you need, just say it, ask for it. I’ll do the same. We’ll work everything out.”

“One awkward moment at a time.” She moans softly while I kiss back down her neck. “Dan, I need to go shower.”

Instead of letting go, I wrap my arms around her.

“In a minute. I just want to hold you for a minute.”

She melts against me as I bury my nose in her hair, enjoying our togetherness as much as I do. 

***

Caroline

Ten minutes later, I step out of my bedroom fully dressed. Hurrying back to the kitchen, I discover Daniel’s made sandwiches. I want to memorize everything about this moment: Daniel walking around my kitchen, wearing nothing but jeans. I’ve left his shirt here, but he didn’t put it on.

“Looked through your fridge, hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. I’m starving. Thanks for making these.”

“Dig in.”

I don’t wait to be told twice; I grab a sandwich and bite into it. It’s delicious. When I down the last mouthful, two strong arms come around my waist, washboard abs pressing against my back.

“For a second there, I thought you’d run off again when I woke up and you weren’t there.”

I laugh. “Where would I run off to? It’s my apartment.”

“So, you would have left if we weren’t at your place?”

“No, no. Sorry, that came out wrong. Not what I meant.”

He flips me around, placing his palms at the edge of the counter at my sides, caging me in. “You sure?”

I nod, startled at the doubt in his eyes. “One hundred percent.” Standing on my toes, I place a quick kiss on his lips. Correction—I meant it to be quick. But Daniel takes charge the next second, slinging a hand at the back of my head, the other on my waist. He kisses me so hard and so hot that all my lady parts quiver. When he palms one of my breasts over the fabric of my blouse, I moan against his mouth. I smile ear to ear as we pull apart.

“What’s with that smile?” he asks.

“Nothing,” I answer quickly. He levels me with his gaze. I stubbornly hold it, and hold it... and lose. I never could win a staring contest against Daniel. In my defense, though, the man holds so much heat in his gaze, I’m sure he could melt glaciers. If ice doesn’t stand a chance against him, what chance does poor little me have?

“Fine, if you must know, I was thinking that it was almost worth it to get you all worked up for that kiss. There, I said it.”

I jut my chin forward in a challenge. Daniel’s lips curl in a smile, but his gaze loses none of the intensity. The disheveled morning hair and five o’clock shadow on his cheeks look good on him.

“Want to put your shirt on?” I ask.

“Why? Am I too distracting?”

“Damn right, you are. When do you have to be at work?”

“In two hours.”

“So how come you woke up so early?”

“The bed was cold. I needed you.”

Wham! Shot straight to the heart. I needed you. Three simple words are all I need to feel like I’m walking on a cloud. Leaning forward, he traces the contour of my lips with the tip of his tongue. I feel every lick straight between my thighs.

Gathering my wits, I push him away. “Stop tempting me or I won’t leave the house in time.”

“Sounds right up my alley.”

“Daniel Bennett, don’t think you can bribe me with sexy times.”

“How about pancakes?”

I do a double take. “Come again?”

“I can make us pancakes.”

“You don’t cook.”

Daniel winks. “You’re behind the times, Caroline. I added some skills on my résumé over the years.”

Mouth open, I stare at him. “Hang on, I need more info. How did this happen? You survived on takeout during college, and Blake’s fried eggs.” 

“Yeah, but takeout is not healthy. Loaded with fats and sugar. Had my nieces and nephews sleep over a few times. Learned to cook the basics for them. Pancakes are everyone’s favorites.”

Ahem, I’m not melting. Not melting. Not melting. Yeah, who am I kidding? I melted already sometime between “nieces” and “favorite.” Daniel, the family man. That’s something I look forward to seeing. I mean, he’s always been close to his parents, overprotective of his siblings, but just the thought of Daniel cooking for his nieces and nephews does things to me. 

“You look like you just had an entire conversation in your mind just now.”

I smile sheepishly. “Yeah, we women tend to do that.”

“Walk me through it. Can’t read minds. Not part of my skillset, I’m afraid.”

“No, I don’t think I will.”

He levels me with his stare. Stepping closer to me, he brushes a strand of hair out of my face. Uh-oh. I can practically feel my determination slipping away. Pulling myself straighter, I try to work in every ounce of severity I can muster in my tone.

“Now, don’t go all intense and domineering on me.”

“I have other ways of persuading you.” 

I try to look away from his eyes, or mouth. Unfortunately, the rest of him is just as distracting, if not more so. Why isn’t he wearing his shirt? All those hard muscles and defined lines on display is messing with my concentration—not to mention my hormones. In an attempt to put some distance between us, I step back, hitting the counter. Placing my hand on his chest, I shove him gently away. He takes the hint and steps back, but unfortunately, his taut skin simply feels too good under my fingers for me to let go, so instead of retracting my hand, I trace the dents and planes of his abs, the V-shaped lines.

He groans. Oops, lost my head there for a second, and my hands somehow ended up at the rim of his jeans. Flashing him what I hope is a convincing doe-eyed look, I grin, letting my roaming hands drop.

He grips my hips, aligning our bodies. I burn for him at every contact point. Skimming his hands up, up, up the sides of my rib cage, he stops when his thumbs are level with my breasts. Dragging them inward, he flicks my nipples over the fabric until they’re tight peaks, until my entire body is wound up.

Then he kisses my forehead and steps aside, biting into his own sandwich, leaving me so hot and bothered I’m entertaining thoughts of an incognito trip to the shower. I need a cold spray.

“By the way, my parents are hosting a Halloween party at their house next week,” he says. 

“Halloween? That’s new.”

“Eh, Halloween is a much bigger draw for the kids than Thanksgiving, I’m telling you. And all the adults are having a kick out of wearing costumes too.”

“Wait, what? I can’t picture—all adults, really?”

He nods, chuckling. “Yeah. It’s a sight, all right. I’d never thought Sebastian or Logan would be up for it, but you wouldn’t believe what parents will do for their kids.”

“What are you going as?”

“Pirate.”

Pressing my lips together, I fight hard not to laugh, but I lose the battle, giggling.

“What’s so funny?”

“You, channeling your inner five-year-old. A pirate.”

Daniel points a finger at me. “Stop laughing or I’ll tickle you.”

The laughter dies in my throat at once. I take tickling threats seriously. I am the most ticklish person there is, which Daniel knows well.

“You’ll need one too.”

“One what?” I ask, confused.

“A costume.”

Is he saying what I think he’s saying?

“You want me to come to the party?”

He winks at me. “Yeah. Come with me. Unless you have plans already?”

My pulse ratchets up, pounding in my ears. Wow. Wow.

Daniel doesn’t easily invite others to family events. Summer and Pippa told me that he hasn’t brought a date to any event in years. Even after we got together in college, it took a while for him to ask me to join him at family gatherings as his date.

“No plans. I’d love to join.”

Truth be told, Halloween doesn’t even make my top ten list when it comes to favorite holidays, but no way in hell would I miss a chance to spend time with Daniel and the family.

“Great. I know a costume shop. I’ll take you there this week.” Mercifully, he shrugs into his shirt, buttoning it up. “Let’s go or you’ll be late.”

I stand on my toes, kiss his cheek. Then, feeling feisty, I steal his sandwich.

“Mmm, this is delicious. So, what other skills have you acquired over the years? Just so I’m not gobsmacked again.”

Daniel cuffs my wrist in one hand, stealing back the last mouthful of the sandwich. After swallowing it, he leans into me until his breath is on my lips. “I’ll allow you the pleasure of discovering them. We have ten years’ worth of catching up to do.”