Chapter Seven
Sean hummed as he flipped the pancakes over in the pan, and hearing noise behind him, he turned and saw Danielle sitting on a seat at the island counter.
Her eyes were sleepy, and her hair had been combed roughly.
She yawned, before burying her face in her arms, murmuring, “Something smells good.”
He found himself smiling at the picture she made of a contented cat who had gotten the cream.
“Here.” He put a mug of coffee in front of her. “This will help.”
She stared at the coffee and then buried her face in her arms again, her voice muffled, “I just want to sleep.”
“Well, you can’t.”
He couldn’t help but be charmed by her sulky tone. It was a side of her she rarely showed others and he enjoyed the chance to see it.
He put the pancakes in front of her, “Breakfast.”
She yawned again and slowly picked up a fork and knife, “You kept me up half the night. Walking is a task in itself.”
When he grinned down at his coffee, Danielle glared at him, “It’s not funny. I have to go to work like this.”
“Try not to limp, darling.” He kissed her cheek, making her scowl at him.
When she opened her mouth, he popped in a piece of pancake, forcing her to chew.
She was absolutely adorable, Sean thought with amusement.
He suddenly paused at his train of thought, when the doorbell rang, and he got up to answer it.
She was a mark.
That was it.
He could not get involved with a mark.
That was a rule he had never broken.
His grandfather stood at the door, and Sean blinked, “Hi.”
The older man pushed him aside, “Was that Danielle’s car-“
He came to a stop seeing Danielle sitting at the counter eating breakfast.
She raised a fork in greeting and then returned to her food.
“Don’t mind her,” Sean spoke. “She’s still half asleep.”
Thomas took a seat next to her, “Are there more of these?”
Sighing, Sean offered his own to his grandfather, and grabbed an apple, “I can make myself more later.”
“So, did you two have fun?”
Danielle choked on her food, and Sean had to go thump her on the back, a little worried.
Danielle stared at her food and then pushed it towards him, her face still red, “I’m, ah, going to go get changed and go. Meetings. Uh, work stuff.”
“Good job.” Sean commented to the elderly man, as he ate what was left of Danielle’s breakfast.
Meanwhile, in the bedroom, Danielle stared at the rumpled bed and her face turned red as she recalled the activities of last night.
Had that really been her?
Had she really been that wanton?
She saw the ball gag lying on the dressing table and her mind wandered to what Sean had done to her, after she had started teasing his body.
The feeling of her lips stretched around the red piece of ball in her mouth as he had fucked her on the ground.
The feeling of his cock in her mouth, as he had taught her how he liked it.
Her womb twisted and she forced the images from her mind.
Now, was not the time.
As she quickly donned her clothes, her eyes fell on a small painting that hung out of sight. There was something oddly familiar about it and she frowned.
She didn’t know where she had seen it before.
Trying to recall, she tied her hair up in a bun, and gathered her things.
Saying goodbye to Thomas, she let Sean walk her out. His kiss devastated her senses, and she had to get her bearings before she started driving.
Sean watched her leave and then returned to the kitchen where his grandfather waited for him.
“Don’t hurt her.”
The words sounded almost pleading, and Sean glanced sharply at him, “Why would you-“
“The girl has been hurt enough. First her family. Then that bastard, Julian. I always knew he was bad news. I couldn’t protect her.”
The anger in his voice shook Sean. It was the same helpless anger when his grandfather had found out that Sean’s father had beat up his wife relentlessly till they had been forced to survive on the streets.
He studied an imaginary spot on the wall, “I’m not going to hurt her, Gramps.”
Danielle was going to break up with him on her own.
“She deserves a chance to be happy.” Thomas muttered, and Sean wondered what had happened that had his grandfather so protective of this young woman. And how would his relationship with his grandfather be affected when he and Danielle went their own separate ways.
Maybe he needed to rethink this idea.
Danielle may not be the best person to mess with. Too many relationships hung in the balance.
But his mind drifted to the statue that would be the highlight of his collection, and he found himself yielding to temptation.
It would also be the biggest risk he took.
But a small niggling in the back of his mind still remained, as he recalled Danielle’s sleepy voice.
***
A week passed without incident.
Then her mother called her unexpectedly with a request to meet Danielle for lunch.
Danielle’s relationship with her mother was no longer as strained, but she was cautious at best.
“I hear you and Sean Callaghan have been spending a lot of time together.” Her mother asked, watching her over the coffee she was sipping.
Danielle gave her a forced smile, understanding what this was about.
“Mr. Arton wanted me to show him around a little. We’re far from best friends.”
Her mother studied her, “That’s not what I heard.”
Danielle rolled her eyes, “Oh, yes. Because your sources of gossip are so trustworthy.”
“Jenny told me you went to his house for dinner.”
Danielle cursed her friend. She had never told Jenny the true details of what had happened with Julian and her own parent’s involvement. So it was not surprising that Jenny had casually mentioned Sean to her mother.
“It was a dinner. Nothing more, nothing less.” Danielle nibbled on the salmon in front of her.
Her mother smiled, “You should invite him to dinner with us this weekend. Your father and I would like to meet him. Besides, your father is working on a project that might interest your young man. They can talk business while I catch up with what’s going on in your life.”
Danielle put down her fork and knife, feeling herself grow cold inside.
The pain that slashed at her heart did not leak into her eyes.
She gave her mother a formal smile, “Sean is not my young man. He’s not my anything. If dad wants to involve him in a business venture, then I suggest he calls him up himself.”
She checked her watch, “Now, I’m running late for a meeting, so you’ll have to excuse me.”
Her mother just watched her, not saying a word as Danielle left.
Danielle looked at her car, and then decided to walk to the office.
Her mind was breaking apart, her heart shredded.
She had thought things would be different.
But her parents thought nothing of using her for their benefit.
They had not changed.
She walked slowly, her coat flung over her shoulders, warding off the cold.
A voice calling her name.
She blinked, and looked up to see Sean in his car, staring at her, “Do you need a ride?”
She took a shuddering breath, not wanting to see him just yet.
He had sent her flowers two days ago and then had taken her out to lunch yesterday.
But right now, she didn’t want to see his face and be reminded of her mother, back at the restaurant.
She offered him a tight smile, “No, I’m good.”
She started walking again, and felt annoyed when he parked his car and fell in step with her, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She muttered. Then with an afterthought, “Work stuff. You wouldn’t get it.”
He raised a brow, “Try me.”
She stopped and whirled around to face him, “I don’t particularly want company right now, Sean.”
Her expression was dark and her eyes held hints of vulnerability, that told him she was near shattering.
She was struggling to regain some measure of composure.
And was failing.
“Danielle.”
He clasped her chin and lifted it, forcing her to look directly at him, “Breathe.”
“I am breathing.” She said, a hint of annoyance present in her voice.
But his eyes were steady as he watched her, and she regulated her breathing.
His hand on her, his presence was comforting. It was letting her look past everything.
“Are you going back to work?” He asked.
She looked in the direction of her office, and then shook her head, mutely, “I don’t think I should. Jenny can handle the meeting today. I’m going to head home.”
“I’ll come with you.”
She looked away, “I don’t think that’s a very good idea.”
“I think it is.” He stared at her, his voice firm, making her grit her teeth.
“Fine. Do whatever you want,” she told him.
He stuck his hands in the pockets of his three-piece suit, and gave her a charming smile, “Oh, I intend to.”
She made him walk back to her apartment.
It was a half hour walk, but she was used to it.
To her annoyance, he wasn’t even slightly out of breath, or disgruntled by the fact that he had to leave his car at a random spot.
“Would you like something to drink?” Danielle asked him stiffly, as she let him in.
“A beer?”
She bared her teeth at him, “I don’t keep beer at the apartment. How about some organic apple juice?”
Sean felt the bite in her tone and was amused at her attempts to drive him out.
He moved over to study the statue that he had his eye on, and murmured, “That’s my favourite kind.”
“You know, sometimes, you can be a git.” She told him, forcing a laugh out of him.
“Yes, I know.” He grinned at her as he accepted the glass from her.
She watched him study the statue and frowned, “You really like that, don’t you?”
His lips curved slightly and he sipped his drink, watching her over the glass, “I have an interest in history, you can say.”
Danielle rolled her eyes, “Okay.”
He watched her walk around the room, her movements agitated.
“Is my presence bothering you?”
A glare his way, “What gave it away?”
Chuckling, he moved towards her, and wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning back against the back of the couch, forcing her into him.
“What happened?”
“Nothing.” She wouldn’t meet his eyes.
“Danielle.” The authority in his voice made her shiver and she looked up to see his eyes dark and serious.
“It’s nothing important,” she insisted.
His hand roamed over her back, offering affection, while his eyes were fixed on hers.
“Tell me.”
She hated this.
She hated being forced to talk about her problems. Nothing good ever came out of it.
“I was engaged to a guy until last year. His name was Julian.”
He knew who Julian was. His grandfather had told him a little bit about that.
However, he said nothing.
“My parents wanted to meet him before he proposed. And he and my dad started a new venture together.” Her jaw was tense.
“Julian started cheating on me. Everyone knew. My dad knew. My mother knew. They didn’t tell me because if I broke my engagement, it might have affected my dad’s project which was in the works. So they kept silent.”
Sean scowled.
But she was far from done.
“My parents even took him and his girlfriend to dinner to celebrate the signing of the final contracts. While I was still engaged to him.”
Her face was white and although her tone was calm, the confused pain in her voice was like that of a child who had been punished for something she didn’t understand.
Sean’s blood heated at such an act of betrayal.
“I-“ She took a shuddering breath, “I walked in on him and his girlfriend when I came back from work one day to pick up some documents I had forgotten. And well, the rest is history. We broke up. I found out my parents knew.”
Sean was silent, his hand rubbing her back in a way that made her feel not so alone.
“They’re my parents. I had to move past it. And today, I was told that they wanted to meet you.”
A laugh that lacked humour, “Let’s repeat history, shall we?”
He wasn’t supposed to feel for her. He wasn’t supposed to want to beat Julian up for causing these scars on Danielle’s heart. He especially shouldn’t want to protect her from the world.
Sean’s mind was a mass of raging emotions, as he glared at a spot over head, his blood demanding violence. It had been years since he had wanted to bloody someone up. He had stepped out of that role of being a mean Dublin rat. Quick fingers and a stronger fist.
He had made something of himself and now, standing in front of her, watching this woman try to bury her hurt inside of her in a place that no one could see, he wanted to hurt Julian. He wanted to hurt her parents for treating her like they had.
“I’m not going to cheat on you, Danielle.”
She gave him a forced smile, “I’m not saying you will. I didn’t mean to imply that.”
She tried to pull away from him, but he, instead, gripped her arms, and slanted his mouth over hers in a way that had her eyes widening in shock.
Her heart stuttered at the way he was kissing her.
It was rough, almost wild, with a tinge of desperation, and she fell into it.
Her eyes closed as she let him dominate the kiss, dominate her.
His tongue forced entrance into her mouth and explored it. Each crevice, each angle, he hit and devastated. Each time he sucked on her tongue, Danielle’s knees went weak as her arousal grew.
She felt one hand go down and lift her skirt, slipping his hand over her panties and rubbing over her sweet spot.
Moaning into the kiss, as he slowly rubbed her in just the right way, she found herself unable to process any thought as he inserted a finger in, her panties still in the way. The rough material inside her dripping pussy had her making small sounds as he thoroughly devastated her body.
His mouth moved lower, kissing her jaw, her neck, and then trailing its way back to her mouth.
He didn’t let her come, however.
As she started moving in his finger, he pulled it out, instead, gripping her waist in a firm hold and slowing down the kiss, making it more gentle, more loving.
The onslaught of sensations was too much for her, and when she felt the wetness trail down her cheeks, it startled her.
It startled her even more when he kissed away her tears, almost worshipping her, and when he pulled away, she had to find her balance.
She rested her head on his face, her breathing harsh, her legs still rubbing against each other in an effort to find some sort of fulfilment.
“You can be a bastard sometimes.” She panted out, and heard his chest rumble in suppressed laughter.
He cupped her face and made her look at him, “You’re like an addiction, Danielle. Trust me, you’re all I want.”
She watched him with dark mistrustful eyes, but there was a softening there, that told him he might have been a little successful.
“And I’m not a huge fan of your parents to begin with, so I’ll meet them only at your insistence.”
Danielle sighed and moved away from him, “I have to call Jenny. Tell her that I’m working from home today. You should go do what you have to do. I don’t need a babysitter.”
Those intense green eyes followed her around the room, “I was coming by to see you. So, I’ll stay.”
Danielle frowned, “But I’ll be working.”
Sean shrugged, settling in front of the television, “Then I’ll just hang about.”
She studied the back of his head, and then shook her head.
It was his choice.
But as she worked on the couch on her laptop, her eyes kept flying to him. He was keeping an eye on her, providing her with company so that she wouldn’t break.
When was the last time someone, aside from Jenny, had worried about her like this?
It was a nice feeling to be cared about like this.
She hadn’t intended to fall for this man.
He was a force of nature, taking over a room when he walked in. He had a commanding presence, and his voice when he took over in the bedroom was hard, demanded discipline, obedience, and she liked it.
When he had told her she was sexually submissive, it had worried her. Was she losing her own identity? But outside of the bedroom, he treated her like he always had, with amusement, patience, and respect.
But inside the bedroom, he expected her to be completely submissive to him.
It was a fair trade, she thought.
That was the one time she could let go of everything and worry about nothing but to listen to him.
Feeling him drag her feet onto his lap, she smiled at him, relaxing in his presence.
She had a feeling she was way in over her head where Sean was concerned.