“LITTLE PRINCESS, WHAT THE HELL are you wearing?” Daddy rumbles, taking my beer out of my hands. “No,” he snaps, playfully slapping my hand and takes a sip.
“I don’t think so,” I laugh and grab it back.
He raises one dark brow but doesn’t make a move to take my drink again. He had the hardest time when I turned twenty-one and could legally drink. He kept switching out my beers for apple juice the whole night.
“Want to tell me what has you down so I can go fix it?”
“Nothing is wrong, Daddy,” I mumble into my cup.
“Right. You get that I wasn’t born yesterday, yeah?”
“Oh yeah, I know that. You were born, like, fifty years ago.”
I snicker to myself when he starts bristling. He hates to be reminded that he’s over that fifty hump. I’ve seen pictures of him when he was my age, and honestly, if it weren’t for the light peppering of gray, you would never know he was fifty-one. He’s still one of the largest men I’ve ever met. He towers over Mom and me at six foot six, with muscles that have only gotten bigger and bulkier over the years. It’s clear to not just me, but every friend I have had over the years that my daddy wasn’t just hot when he was younger—he still has it.
“Don’t think I didn’t notice you going solid when the twins got here. Did you girls get into a fight? Does this mean you need to come home now?”
I roll my eyes and laugh. He’s been trying to find reasons to get me to move home ever since he got back from his trip and realized I was gone. For a whole day, he wouldn’t leave my living room. I think he would still be there if Mom hadn’t shown up. All it took was her to whisper in his ear, and just like that, they were gone.
Of course the first conclusion he comes to is that the girls and I are fighting. He probably wishes we were. Which is really silly because one thing about Lyn’s, Lila’s, and my friendship—we don’t fight. We never have and I don’t see it happening any time soon.
Okay, well, time to divert his attention.
“Nope. We’re fine. It was . . . uh, cramps, Daddy. You know, period stuff.”
He looks horrified. Which was the goal. Daddy doesn’t talk female issues. I asked him once to grab me some tampons from the store one day. He threatened to take Nate’s car away if he didn’t go instead. Nate came back thirty minutes later and threw the box at my head, cutting me right above the eyebrow and losing his car anyway for hurting me. To this day, I like to leave tampon boxes in Nate’s car.
“Uh . . . yeah. I’m going to go over here with the guys and talk about football and boxing. You know, guy stuff.”
I smile to myself when he walks away. God, he’s too easy.
“Cramps, my ass,” Liam laughs, throwing his arm around my shoulders and pulling me close. His strong hold makes it clear that I’m not getting away without talking to him.
I take a deep swallow of my beer and look up into his chocolate eyes.
“I don’t think they’re dating, if it makes a difference. He’s hardly said one word to her, and she is sticking close to Chance’s side. Chance, who I’m guessing isn’t dating her either, looks like he would rather be anywhere else than glued to her side.”
I look across the room where Cohen is talking to his brothers, Camden and Colton. As if he senses my gaze on him, his eyes meet mine, and he frowns when he sees Lee’s arm around me. His eyes move back to mine, and even from the distance, I can see them heat. That fire that burns across my skin.
Okay, so he still wants me.
What the hell ever.
“Yeah, that right there. A man doesn’t get jealous of someone he knows is just a friend if there isn’t something else there, Dani. I’ve told you this a million times over: he’s scared. Think about it and you know I’m right. His parents, your parents, all of the relationships mixed in that would go insane if you two got together. Sure, it could have a happy ending, but he isn’t going to upset the fold. Not when it could just as easily go bad.”
“It wouldn’t go bad, Lee.” And it wouldn’t. I know it with everything I am that it would be a flawless love.
“You can’t know that. Not for sure, anyway. Regardless of what your stubborn little heart tells you, you can’t predict these things.”
“Are you telling me I should give it up? Give him up?”
“Never, Dani. I would never tell you to give him or your feelings for him up. You know my parents’ story. Dad never once gave up on Mom, even when it seemed fruitless. What I’m trying to get at, but clearly doing a terrible job of, is that if you believe with one hundred percent of your soul that he’s your other half, don’t you dare stop until you’ve had a taste of it.”
Oh shit. My throat is burning. I swallow thickly and nod my head, not trusting my words.
“Do you think he knows how bad it is?”
“That you’re in love with him and that you don’t just want him to fuck you?” Liam guesses correctly.
“Yeah, that.”
“He isn’t stupid, Dani. He knows. Or at least he has an idea. Look, before, it wouldn’t have been good for him to even entertain the thought. You were too young. I’m not saying that isn’t an issue for him now, but you’re almost twenty-two, so I don’t think that’s it. You know him. You know how important his family . . . this family . . . is to him. All I can tell you is to talk to him. He leaves tomorrow. Just talk to him. I know you guys talked before, but obviously, you didn’t talk enough. Make him hear your points, and don’t leave anything out. You say that he’s saying no because he’s leaving . . . well, don’t let that stop you. If it’s really that simple, then go for it.”
“What about that girl?” I question, my mouth having a hard time getting the question out.
God, he’s right. I’m eaten up with jealousy over her. She’s pretty. Blond, busty, and tall. Everything I’m not. She is my complete opposite in every way.
“Who? The date? Yeah . . . something tells me you really don’t have to worry about her. Seriously, Dani. She hasn’t gotten up from that table he parked her at when he got here. If a girl were here with a man like him, you better believe she wouldn’t be leaving his side. In case you haven’t noticed, there are a few overly horny men in this room.”
“You’re so sick.” I laugh and look up at Liam’s smiling, handsome face. “What would I do without you, Lee?”
“Probably get lost in life, Dani. It would be tragic. Just confused and walking in circles around reality all of the time.”
I throw my head back and laugh. How absurd the thought is. He knows I’m as independent as it gets. But he’s halfway right. Just like without the twins, I would be lost without Lee in my life. My skin tingles, and I stop laughing to look around the room. Cohen’s stopped talking to his brothers and is scowling over at Lee and me. His hand grasping his beer is turning white around his fingertips.
“Uh oh. Could the bear just come out of hibernation? Looking at his prey for the first time since a long, cold, lonely winter?” Liam snickers.
“Shut up,” I hush, punching him hard in the stomach, only to pull my hand back when his rock-hard abs cause millions of little tingles to shoot up my arm. “Did your body just break my hand!?” I screech when the pain won’t stop.
“The hell?” I hear growled, and before I can react, Daddy wraps me in his arms and looks at my hand. I let the familiar scent of leather and cinnamon calm me down, and I fight back the stinging tears and burn in my throat. “Liam Beckett, did you break my daughter?!”
“Oh come on. She hit me! I didn’t break her. Well, my perfectly chiseled body might have hurt her slightly. But it wouldn’t be an issue if she would learn how to keep her hands off of me.”
“You little shit,” I laugh over my father’s shoulders.
Liam laughs loudly, “I’ll go get some ice for the big baby.”
“Don’t call my little princess a baby!” Daddy yells after Liam.
“I’m fine, just hit him weird,” I say to soothe his worry.
“How many times do I have to tell you not to hit like that? I could see your form was off all the way across the room. Should have gone for the crotch. Always go for the crotch, Dani.”
Oh lord, here we go. He’s been teaching me how to kick a man’s ass since I was five and Zac stole my doll. Of course, his first lesson was for me to always go for the crotch.
“Daddy, I wasn’t trying to hurt him. We were just joking around.”
“Joking around? You aren’t supposed to joke around with boys. I need to look into that island. Ship your ass off,” he grumbles under his breath.
It’s going to be a long night.
Four long-as-hell hours later, the parents have all left. Which was a relief. Not that it isn’t fun to have everyone around, but I know we’re all ready to let loose and enjoy the night. They wanted to keep the beginning of the evening just the close families. More intimate so that way we could all spend some time with Cohen. Through the hours, more of our friends came—some of Cohen’s from school and some from Basic Training. Everyone is ready to make sure he enjoys his last night home for the next year. This is his second deployment, and I don’t think it will ever get easy.
Cohen joined the Marines after he finished his football career at University of Georgia. He probably could have gone pro, but he’s always wanted to follow his father’s footsteps and join the Marines. Then again, for a boy who wore a cape for the majority of his childhood, it makes sense that the hero inside him would win.
The first time he went overseas, I was depressed for months. Worried, sad, and heartbroken. It was hard to watch his parents struggle with their worry and his siblings deal with the fear, and everyone in general just had a hard time knowing he was fighting in the middle of a war zone.
Like his father, mine, and the rest of the father figures in our close-knit family, Cohen was special ops, and when he was deployed, it was lights out for communication. It was months until we finally heard an update from him. In the thirteen months that he was gone, he was able to call home twice.
This time, he already warned his family that this would most likely be a longer tour. A longer tour and even less of a chance that he would be able to get in contact with us often.
I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t terrified for him. Not because I have doubts in his abilities, but because of the very real fear that, no matter how trained he is, something terrible could happen to him over there.
“What’s got that frown on your face, Dani-girl?”
God, that voice.
I suck in a deep breath when I feel Cohen sit down next to me. His smell instantly surrounds the dark haven I’ve escaped to. I thought I was doing a good job hiding back here. The party had gotten pretty rowdy when the parents left. Usually, I would be right there with them, but with Liam’s words still floating around in my head, I just needed a moment to myself. To collect my thoughts and figure out a way to get him alone so I could force another talk.
When no one was looking, I walked behind the stage curtains, plopped my ass down in the middle of the floor, lay back, and let the vibrations of the DJ’s music lull me and the darkness wrap around me like a comforting hug.
“Nothing, Cohen. Just thinking.”
“Thinking about what?” he pushes.
“Are you scared?” I ask, sitting up on my elbows to look at him.
He turns his head but doesn’t speak.
Given this opportunity to take him in, I don’t waste a second. His dark eyes are looking directly into mine. Searching for what, I’m not sure, but one thing I’m certain of is that he isn’t looking at me like a man who has a girlfriend should. Or whatever she is. His hair is freshly buzzed along the sides and slightly longer on the top, which makes me wonder who cut it for him since I know I didn’t. He usually keeps it a little longer, perfect for all the times I’ve imagined running my fingers through it when I’m not in the middle of cutting it. The light beard he was sporting all year is gone, which allows his strong jaw to show. I love it when he shaves, but I also love the look of his beard. Every time he swallows, his jaw flexes in this sexy way I’ve never been able to control lusting over. Jaw porn. With Cohen, it’s a very real thing.
I am staring at his lush, full lips when I realize I have been basically lusting over his face since he sat down. Shit.
When my eyes meet his, I expect to see humor at busting me, but all I see is the mirrored hunger I know is dancing behind my green eyes. His are heated, a deep fire blazing behind them. He isn’t even attempting to hide his desire for me.
I hold my breath, waiting while the world stops spinning around me, and I go for it. Clearly, he’s taken off guard when I all but leap off the stage flooring and into his lap. My legs fall on either side of his hips, my hands dive into that freshly cut hair—enjoying the prickle of the buzz against my palms—and my lips are on him before he has a second to figure out what my intentions are. He’s solid and unmoving. If it weren’t for his strong hands holding my hips in place, I probably would have gotten up and run away.
Pulling my lips off his motionless ones, I look into his shocked eyes and feel a heated blush of embarrassment wash over me.
“Oh my God. I’m . . . I . . . I shouldn’t have done that.”
He doesn’t say anything, but he also doesn’t let go of my hips when I try to move off him. It takes me a second for the reality to hit me—I’m sitting in the shadows, straddling a very shocked Cohen Cage.
Holy crap. Okay, so maybe I really was reading too much into the last couple of weeks.
“I . . . I don’t even know what to say. I’m sor—”
My apology never leaves my lips, because in a split second, his hands tighten, pulling me harder against his body, and his thick lips crash down on mine. The feel of him, the reality of a kiss I’ve dreamt of since I was old enough to crave it, is so overwhelmingly perfect that I feel it all the way to my soul.
“We shouldn’t be doing this here,” I gasp against his lips, knowing that I don’t mean a word of it. If he stops, I just might die.
“Can’t stop, Dani-girl. Now that I finally know what you taste like . . . I can’t stop,” he moans when I shift my weight against his lap.
I can feel the truth in his words against my core, and I can’t stop myself from rotating my hips against his hardened length.
“Jesus. I knew you would make me come undone.”
His lips are back on mine. Caressing, lightly nipping between his teeth, before his tongue slides along the seam and demands access to my mouth. Our tongues dance together, almost as if they were made for each other. My breaths dance with his in a heated tango.
It.
Is.
Glorious.
“Your girlfriend,” I pant, trying to pull back but knowing it will be impossible to let this go.
“Not my girlfriend.”
I pull back and look into his hooded eyes, “She came with you, Cohen.”
“She isn’t with me. She came because she is the widow of one of the men from my unit, Dani-girl. She is here because she has no one else and she’s had a hard time recently. But she isn’t who I want in my arms. Good lord, woman. Shut up and kiss me.”
Well, alrighty, then.
When I still don’t move, his hands slide up my sides. His thumbs brush over the sides of my breasts, causing my nipples to harden painfully, before his hands cup my face. His fingers go into my hair, his thumbs lightly caressing my cheeks, while he studies my face. I have no idea what he sees there, but it must be enough, because seconds later, he pulls my face to his and devours my lips.
There is no other word for it. He takes my lips in a kiss so brutally perfect. His tongue duels with mine with effortless control.
It takes my sluggish mind only seconds to get with the program. Seconds, minutes, hours—I have no idea. It isn’t long before I’m working his shirt over his head and his hand is working its way into my shorts.
“Dani, we need to stop,” he groans as his fingers roll against my core, lightly pressing against my swollen clit before he pushes two thick digits deep within my wet core.
“Can’t,” I gasp against his mouth and dig my fingers into his shoulders. “Don’t want to.”
“Not here. Anyone could find us.” He’s right. I hate it, but he’s right.
“Cohen Cage . . . I swear to God that I’m going to go insane if you’re going to leave me like this.”
He doesn’t say anything. His eyes are back to searching my own.
“I’ve waited forever for this,” I whisper.
His eyes close, and he drops his forehead against mine.
“Forever,” I repeat.
“Shit,” he groans. Then he pulls his fingers from my shorts, helps me right my clothing, and helps me stand with his hands against my hips.
I watch in confusion as he grabs his shirt and pulls it back over his head before he starts to pace around in the darkness.
Good job, Dani. Way to scare him off with your freakish admission that you’ve always waited for him to shove his hands down your pants. I bet he’s trying to figure out the best way to run as fast as he can without hurting my feelings.
Well, too late for that.
“Listen, I’m just going to go . . .”
His head snaps over to mine, and within seconds, I’m back in his arms. He just holds me tight against his body. When his body starts to sway with the music coming through the stage’s thick curtain, I struggle to keep up with his mood changes.
Until I hear the song the DJ is playing.
Brett Young’s “Kiss by Kiss.”
The same song I had my first dance to with him four years ago. The same song that has always reminded me of him day after day and year after year.
His lips go to my temple and he places a lingering kiss there before sliding his jaw down to rest it there. His breath against my ear is coming in deep pants as I hear him singing the song lyrics. Lyrics that will forever have a new meaning to me.
“And every time you look at me I just want to hold you. All my life I’ve been waiting for you. Little by little falling for you.”
Oh. My.
I pull back and look up into his handsome face. His lips curl slightly in a smile that seems to say, Well, I guess the cat’s out of the bag now. His eyes hold mine as he waits to see what I’ll do with his admission, and he pulls me deeper in toward his body. As if he’s afraid I’m going to run.
As freaking if!
“I fell for you a long time ago, Cohen Cage. I’ve loved you my whole life.”
His face relaxes, and he lets out his breath. When his forehead drops against mine, I brace myself for his rejection.
“Dani-girl,” he groans like a prayer for strength.
Which is when it happens. When he realizes just who he has in his arms. And he starts to pull back. This is going to change everything between us. This final rejection. If the families find out—my brother, his siblings . . . Oh, God, Liam was right. This is going to be terrible.
“I have to go check on Megan. Make sure Chance can take her home.”
And just like that, he’s walking away from me, pulling the curtain to the side, and jumping down off the stage.
I didn’t think it would hurt this bad. But having something I’ve wanted, desired, craved, in my arms for just moments only to have it ripped away is more painful than never having him.
Because no matter the obstacles we would have had to face, having him there, realizing that we really are just as perfect as I’d always imagined and knowing I’ll never have it again feels like someone just died.
To top it all off, I was so close to what promised to be the most powerful orgasm I’ve ever experienced.
“Shit.”
After dropping my ass back down to the floor, I curl my legs up and wrap my arms around them before laying my head against my knees.
Well, doesn’t this just take the cake for shit outcomes?