Daniel

By the time I step out of the plane, my legs are stiff. My entire body is protesting. A trip to Australia is always exhausting. Reversing the trip within forty-eight hours is insane.

I was afraid I’d fall asleep during the cab ride to my parents’ house, but I needn’t have worried. The cabbie’s murderous driving skills have me on high alert.

When he slows to a stop, I tip him anyway, out of sheer joy that I survived the ride. I walk the long path from the gate to the house, my spirit lifting with every step. I called Mom as soon as I had any semblance of a plan. I could’ve called any of my siblings, but when the going gets rough, no one’s better at being on top of things and calming the waters than Mom. I also knew Caroline needed Mom’s soothing presence after the entire incident.

I can’t wait to see the look of surprise on her face when she sees me. As I approach the front door, I see my father and Martin on the far end of the property. From here, I can’t assess Martin’s appearance, but I assume the man is recovering well if he can traipse the distance.

I follow the sound of Caroline’s and Mom’s voices to the kitchen. Caroline is laughing, and I let the sound wash over me, melt away some of my worries. As soon as I step in the kitchen, I feel like I’m literally going to melt. There are about a million degrees inside, but I forget all about it at the fantastic sight in front of me.

Mom and Caroline are huddled around three large pots at the stove, tasting the contents. Caroline looks relaxed. She’s also sexy as hell, wearing some shorts I’ve never seen on her and a washed-out tank top. Her hair is up on top of her head, messy strands hanging out.

Catching sight of me, she lets out a little shriek, then covers her mouth.

“What are you doing here already?” she asks through her fingers. 

I look at my mother in defeat. “You told her.” I should have seen this coming. Keeping secrets isn’t her forte.

She shrugs.

“Told her you’d be here in four hours. Kept an element of surprise.”

Oh, how helpful.

“With that said, I’m out of here,” she continues. “Martin, Richard, and I are going out for dinner.”

“It’s early afternoon,” Caroline points out.

Mom winks. “Early dinner. The house is all yours.”

The second she leaves the kitchen, Caroline goes into a frenzy. “I need to shower. And change clothes. I was going to before you came. I’m wearing Summer’s old clothes, and I’m sweaty. Stinky too, I think.” She sniffs the air a bit, then drops her face into her hands. “I can’t believe I sniffed myself in front of you.”

Adorable as it is to see her this flustered, I have to put a stop to this before she works herself into even more of a frenzy. I roll my suitcase against a wall, then head to her.

“Stop driving yourself crazy.”

If I thought my words would calm her, I was dead wrong. She’s shaking like a leaf, and a strand of her hair is clinging to her cheek. After several attempts to push it away, I realize there is marmalade in it. I clean her up with tap water and can’t help myself. I kiss her. I wanted to say a million things first, but I need this more. I need it desperately. I tease my tongue over her lower lip until she parts her mouth, granting me access. She tastes like apricots and sugar, and I wrap my arms around her, pull her flush against me, greedy for her warm body, her soft skin. Even lost in her as I am, I can still feel her shuddering, and not in a good way.

“Why are you so nervous?” I ask, pulling back. I’m nervous too, but she seems downright scared.

She takes a deep breath and stares at a point on my chin, clearly avoiding my eyes. “You didn’t fly over from Australia to break up with me, right? For my own good or something?”

Ah, I understand her worry perfectly now, given our past. “No. Absolutely not.”

“Okay.” Tension bleeds away from her limbs. She nods, smiles up at me. “Okay. But if you had flown in for that, I wasn’t going to let you do it. Not without putting up a fight first.”

“Will you look at that? My little tigress.”

“I’m sorry about how I handled things on the phone. I was scared and the stupid came out.”

“You had all the reasons to be scared, don’t apologize.” I take her hands in mine, steeling myself. Here goes nothing. “I can’t promise something like this won’t happen again. I’m going to do my best, but I can’t guarantee it. I’ll make whatever changes are necessary in my business to minimize the risk, cut out all the celebrity outings, but I can’t guarantee it won’t happen again. Can you live with that? Can you love me despite that?”

***

Caroline

The strain in his voice cuts through me.

“I don’t need you to promise me anything, Dan. And you will not change your business for me. I’ll learn to deal with it. You can teach me. Coach me, as you put it. I can learn. I want to. Anything you need, I’ll be there. And I love you no matter what.”

He presses his forehead to mine. “God, it feels good to hear that. I love you too. So much. It’s always been you. Always will be you.”

No, no, no. Calm down, silly heart. I need my wits about me, and my ears free of the relentless thumping that makes discerning his words rather difficult. He seems to have more to say, and I don’t want to miss one word.

“I want us to build a life together. I want a family with you. Tell me you want the same,” he whispers.

“You know I do.”

“I need to hear it.”

“I want a family with you. I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy. I’m all in, Dan. I’m all in.”

He lets out a sharp exhale, releases my hands, and cups my face instead. Then he kisses me, and it’s like I’m breathing again for the first time since I dropped him off at the airport. I’ve been too stressed out to fully enjoy the first kiss, but I’m determined to enjoy every single second of this one.

I slide my arms under his, encircling his torso, pulling him to me. He brings our bodies flush against one another, sinking against me as if he needs to feel every inch of my body against him, as if he needs me as much as I need him.

I give myself to him the way I always do: wholeheartedly. Only this time, I try to put every feeling and emotion into the kiss.

When we pull apart, I notice I’m trapped between the counter behind me and Daniel in front. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place. Such a sweet hardship. I’ll take it any day of the week. Dan kisses my forehead, my temple, then the tip of my nose. I’m shaking lightly. Maybe from the relief of being back in his arms and knowing he wants me in his life forever, just as I want him. Maybe it’s because every cell in my body is clamoring for skin-on-skin contact, for him to be inside me. I want us to be united in every way.

As if reading my mind, he takes me in his arms, carries me up the stairs.

“I’m staying in your old room,” I inform him, a thrill of anticipation running through me. He carries me straight to the en-suite bathroom. While we’re ridding each other of clothes, I search his face. I’ll never tire of looking at him, of trying to read him and anticipate what he needs to be happy.

We step in the shower together, and as the warm water sprays down on us, Daniel pours shower gel on his palms, then lowers himself, running his soapy hand along my leg, up one thigh. He brushes his thumb over my clit, luring a moan out of me, right before he moves his hands on my other leg, starting to soap it from my ankle, making his way up slowly. I’m shuddering with anticipation, my center burning. When his hands reach the apex of my thighs again, I need his fingers inside me so badly I nearly beg for it. Looking straight up at me, he slides his hands over the outside of my thighs to my ass, cupping it. One swipe of his tongue against my clit is all it takes for me to cry out for him, fisting his hair. He licks me again and again, until I’m unsteady on my legs. Then he kisses up to my navel, moves to my breasts, sucking one nipple into his mouth.

“Dan, oh!”

I feel him lift my legs, propping me back against the tiled wall. Instinctively, I wrap my legs around him and he lowers me onto him, filling me inch by inch. He groans my name as I clench around him and kiss his neck. His hands are holding my ass cheeks, his fingers digging into my skin. He fits me so perfectly. We simply stay like this, not moving or attempting to, simply being with each other. This moment is so intimate I’m trembling from the intensity of it.

He presses his thumb at the corners of my mouth, then kisses me again. When I part my lips and his tongue slips inside my mouth, I feel more tenderness and heat than ever before. I pulse around him, push my hips forward, seeking friction. He kisses down the side of my neck, then back up before finally unhitching his lips from my skin and looking me in the eyes. 

“I still can’t believe I’m lucky enough to have your love,” I whisper.

“Then I’ll do my best to prove it every day.”