Chapter 6

The pizzas were mostly gone, and the bottle of whiskey empty. Mel broke out into laughter again beside him, and Danny grinned, realizing he was on the edge of being drunk with her. They’d spent the past few hours talking about her life and childhood, and about his time on the farm. It was refreshing, and he hadn’t laughed so much in a long time—really laughed. From the light in her eyes and the way she kept rubbing her cheeks as if they were sore, she hadn’t either.

And what a laugh that woman had in her. The sound was rich and smooth like honey on his ears. He wanted to hear more of it, to be surrounded by it in a way he’d never had before with any woman, certainly not Janet. He glanced at his cell as it buzzed again, but he ignored it.

“Need to get that?” Mel asked, glancing at it, too.

“Nah, just the office probably.” He turned it off. “There, now we’re alone.” Xena nudged his hand with her head, and he grinned, leaning down as she licked his face. “Sorry, now the five of us are alone,” he corrected, and she barked and wagged her tail in reply. “These dogs are amazing, have I told you that yet?”

“Once or twice,” she said. He stared at the lushness of her hair draped over her arm as she held up her head. “What are you staring at?”

He shrugged at her hooded eyes and the way she licked her lips every time she stared at him. Her cheeks were flushed, but it could’ve been from the whiskey, or it could be something more. As the night wore on, his desire for this woman grew. With each breath, with each shift of her body on the couch, so close to his, and the way their hands sent shocks up his arms every time they accidentally touched… At first he wasn’t sure if she’d sensed it, but the last time was so intense she gasped then coughed and cleared her throat.

Staring at her now, sitting barely a foot from him, Danny would’ve given anything to know what ran through her mind. She’d spoken about Robert a few times, and with each story, he noticed her relax more as if she was finally letting go of him, piece by piece. He was a good man, and funny, too, a man Danny probably would’ve gotten along with if they’d ever met. At least now, he knew why Mel had such a hard time moving on from him and why she refused to sell the inn, no matter how much pain it brought her. This inn was the last living memory she had of Robert and their life together. How could he think he could take that away from her and live with himself?

Mel poked his shoulder, and he let his head roll back to the couch. “What are you thinking about?”

“Lots of things,” he said, and she giggled when his words slurred. “Damn, I think we’ve had enough.” He looked at the empty whiskey bottle and grinned wider. “I used to drink whiskey with my dad on the farm. Good stuff. Homemade.”

“You made your own whiskey?” she asked, her eyes widening slightly in her intoxicated state.

“Yes, ma’am, we did. Best shit in town, too.”

“And then you switched to fancy wine.” She poked him harder. “How do you manage that? The city changed you that much?”

His hand slid across the blanket towards hers, and he waited to see what she would do when he entwined their fingers together. She licked her lips, and a jolt of warmth shot through his stomach and moved lower, filling every limb.

“I hung out with a different crowd. Things changed, I guess.”

“You don’t sound too happy about those changes,” she mused, holding his hand tighter.

Did he sound that unhappy? His job was great, the money was great, being the CEO of a company was great, but being here in this small town, in a quaint inn with a woman he never would’ve met otherwise… Suddenly, none of that other stuff mattered. He’d always ignored his longings for home, casting them aside as he strove to achieve his dreams and be a powerful man in a world that took advantage of his family and those like them. He meant to bring his parents to the city, but he knew better deep down. They would never leave their farm, and he couldn’t blame them.

Reaching with his free hand, he tucked Mel’s hair behind her ears, and when she leaned her cheek against his palm, the hunger for this woman enveloped him. A pang started near his heart and spread throughout his whole chest. His body shifted even closer, leaning over her legs, until their mouths were a breath apart. He stared into her blue eyes, warring between desire and hesitation.

“Those changes led me to you,” he whispered gently and closed the distance.

His lips brushed against hers, and he sighed. They were as warm as he imagined they’d be, soft and supple. He lingered, waiting for her to pull away, but her hands reached up around the back of his head and she kissed him back. Their lips moved in a sensual dance as Danny’s body covered hers on the couch. She lay back with a sigh. He shoved the blanket out of the way, and she laughed when it became entangled between their bodies. Once it was freed and on the floor, Danny lifted himself on his elbows and checked her face for any sign of hesitation, but she stretched up and kissed him hotly, her tongue dancing across his lower lip until he groaned and captured her mouth fiercely with his.

As the kiss deepened, tasting of whiskey, reaching deep within his body and mind, Danny wrapped one arm under her body, holding her closer as he devoured her mouth. She moved her legs, wrapping them up around his waist. His nerves on fire with want, he gripped her hip hard and ground his hips against hers. A moan caught in her throat, and reality slammed him in the face.

Three years. She hadn’t let a man close to her for three years, that was what Donna and Marty had told him. And she was intoxicated. So was he. Cursing himself for his damn conscience, he slowed the kiss, nibbling her lip before he finally pulled away.

“What’s wrong?” She tilted her head to study his face.

He kissed her forehead, then her nose and cheeks, and finally, her lips before he sighed and sat back, pulling her with him. “You’ve had a long day, and we’re both a little drunk.”

Her face fell, and he worried he’d pissed her off, but she sighed and a crooked smile graced her face, one that only made him want to kiss her again until they both said screw it and went for it. But he resisted and they made it to their feet.

“Damn,” he muttered when his legs wobbled and she fell into his chest. “Correction, maybe we are really drunk.”

Mel held onto him as she cackled, and his arms held her up as they maneuvered carefully around the couch and table, all three dogs following close behind, and eventually reached the stairs. They stared up them, leaning their heads back, and the laughter stopped.

“Well, shit,” Mel muttered. “Stairs. Why didn’t I install a damn elevator?”

“Never fear, ma’am,” Danny said and turned his back to her, bending lower. “Hop on.”

“What? You’ll drop me, or we’ll both fall down the stairs,” she said through her laughter.

“I won’t do either, promise. I’ll never let you fall,” he said as he glanced over his shoulder at her. They both stilled. He meant every word and knew from the smile on her face she believed him. He took her hand and placed it on his shoulder as he turned back around. “Come on, up you go.”

She sighed, but with his help, managed to climb up on his back. She felt smaller up there, and he told her to hold on tight as he broached the first step and then the second. He gripped the railing, more for show than actual worry about falling, loving how Mel’s hands tightened on his shoulders. She cackled with delight each time he wobbled and acted as if they were going down. The dogs followed them up, nudging his legs as if to help. They reached the first landing, and he paused long enough to bounce her up higher on his back as she kissed his cheek. His heart pounded in his chest as he eyed the next set of stairs but didn’t move towards them.

“Your room is a wee bit destroyed,” he reminded her before setting her down on her feet.

“Right.” She shoved her hands deep into her sweater pockets, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Sorry you… uh, you saw all that. Me losing my mind.”

He tilted her chin up so she faced him. “There’s no need to be embarrassed by it, but I don’t think you should try to get in there while it’s messed up. Why don’t you take my bed, and I’ll sleep on the couch? Or stay in one of the other empty rooms?”

She unfolded the blanket and plopped down on the couch as he finished speaking. She stared at him for a solid minute. “Too late, already settled in and I’m not about to move again.” She dug her butt into the couch more and fell back on the cushions.

“Mel, you’re not sleeping on the damn couch,” he stated. “You really think that’s going to stop me from moving you?”

She trembled visibly as he stalked closer, licking her lips and giving him that half-crooked grin that twisted his insides. “You will because it’s my inn. Go to sleep.” She snuggled under the blanket and lay back, closing her eyes. He stood over her, watching until she squinted one eye open and glared at him. “Really, it’s fine. I don’t mind the couch. I’ve slept on worse.”

“So have I,” he said. “Barn floor.”

“Hmm.” She opened her other eye. “Alright, can’t think of anything worse.”

“Good, then let me have the couch.”

She snuggled down deeper into the cushions and stuck out her tongue. Danny frowned at the action until he burst out laughing. She closed her eyes again, and he went into the bathroom to wash up for bed. He drank a little water before he passed out. By the time he came back out, Mel was asleep on the couch, snoring quietly, her hair a wild mess around her face.

“God, you’re beautiful,” he whispered, leaning down to kiss her forehead. “And too damn stubborn for your own good.”

He scooped her up into his arms, careful not to jostle her body too much, and carried her to the bed. Holding her close with one hand, he managed to drag the covers down enough to tuck her into them. He pulled the blanket away and tossed it back on the couch and tried to remove the cardigan, but she grumbled in her sleep and he left it alone. It was a man’s sweater, and he was sure it once belonged to Robert. Keeping it wrapped tightly around her, he pulled the covers up over her body and left her to sleep.

Bobby and Lucy hopped onto the bed, one on either side of her, and fell asleep. Xena took her place by the door, and Danny picked up the blanket, shook it out, then lay down, trying to fall asleep, but it eluded him. Part of him thought of curling up in bed beside Mel, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to wake up with her smacking him if her feelings changed. That kiss, though… That would stay with him for a long time. The way her lips glided over his and demanded everything from him as he knew he would do the same to her. The scent of her hair… Strawberries and something not so sweet—something more masculine, probably from the sweater she wore all the time, or the soaps she had left over from Robert.

Chiding himself for letting his mind wander too much for sleep, he climbed quietly off the couch and tiptoed from the room, closing the door partially behind him before he trudged up to her small upstairs apartment. He pushed the door open and gaped at the mess Mel had left in the wake of her rage and pain. Pictures of her and Robert covered the floor, but none of them looked damaged. He knew she’d never forgive herself if she ruined those memories. After he snuck downstairs to grab a broom and a dustpan, he set to work cleaning up the mess and righting the furniture. The coffee table was broken, but he could fix it given time, along with the bookshelf she’d toppled over, but a few trinkets were shattered beyond repair. He swept up each small mess and tossed it in the nearby trashcan as claws tapped on the hardwood floor outside the door.

“Hey, girl,” he whispered to Xena sitting on her haunches, watching him. “Don’t worry, just taking care of your mama for you.”

Xena whined and sank to the floor, resting her head on her front paws. Danny stopped his sweeping and went to pet her, but she jumped up, ran into the room, and lay down again on a photograph he hadn’t picked up yet. Carefully, Danny tugged it out from under the dog’s body and held it up. It was the one of Mel and Robert with him holding her pregnant belly.

“You miss him?” Danny asked Xena as he sat down on the floor beside her. “I bet you do, but don’t worry. I’ll take care of her, I promise you.”

His words hung in the still air of the room, and he wasn’t sure if he was talking just to Xena or Robert, too. Something had brought him to Westbend, and he wondered if it wasn’t for something more than simply securing the purchase of an inn. He didn’t normally believe in fate, but when a strange draft caused the hair on the back of his neck to prickle and Xena’s ears to perk up, he wondered if he was wrong.

He set the photo on the table with the others and finished cleaning up the room, sensing eyes on him the whole time—eyes that did not belong to the dog lying on the floor and staring into the shadows of the room as if they were not alone.

***

Mel groaned as she rolled over. Her head throbbed. Carefully, she opened one eye and then the other, glaring at the bright morning sun shining in the room. Except this wasn’t her room, and this was not her bed.

“Shit,” she gasped as she shot up and glared around Danny’s guest room. “Shit, shit!”

She lifted the blankets but was still fully dressed. What had happened last night? Her head aching and threatening to explode with each move, she set her feet on the cold floor and pushed herself up into a standing position as glimpses of last night filtered into her mind. Her rant in her rooms and him stopping her from destroying every last thing Robert used to own. Them drinking whiskey together and her laughing—a lot. For a man she just met, she sure as hell was comfortable around him. What had she told him about herself? About the inn? She wracked her brain, trying to remember, but it hurt and she grumbled as she moved for the door. None of the dogs were up here with her and neither was Danny. She reached the doorway, and when her eyes landed on the stairs, she grinned, remembering their trip up here.

“Piggyback ride,” she whispered. “He gave me a piggyback ride.”

And before that… before that, they’d kissed on the couch. Her fingers touched her lips tentatively, remembering the heat flowing from his body into hers and the growing hunger for more that started low in her belly. They’d kissed, but thankfully, he stopped them from doing more.

Too bad, she thought as she ran her fingers quickly through her hair and wiped at her eyes. He might’ve been a great lay after three years.

The idea of them tangled together in the sheets inflamed the hunger for his body even more and the need to be possessed by someone after so long being alone. A one-night stand was not something she’d ever wanted, and if the kiss from last night was any indication, Danny wouldn’t be able to let go after only one night. I’ll never let you fall, that was what he’d told her before he carried her upstairs. They might’ve been intoxicated last night, but she saw the truth in his face, felt it in his steady grip on her body.

After waking up to so many bitter mornings, a new sense of calm filled her and she told herself she would approach today as a fresh start. Some of the pain was still there, but she tucked it aside for now and stepped out into the hall.

The second she peered over the balcony railing, all her anger flooded back. “Danny! Daniel Stone, you get your ass out here!”

She heard a thud followed by a curse and pounding steps as Danny ran into the living area. “What? What’s wrong?”

“What the hell is all of that?”

“All of what?” he asked, but even from where she stood, she saw his lips twitch in amusement.

“Pack it all back up and get it out of here. I don’t want to see it,” she demanded. “I mean it! Don’t laugh at me—don’t you dare.”

“Sorry. I can’t help it that you grow more attractive in your rage.”

She grunted incoherently as she made a motion to strangle him. “There is a damn wreath hanging above the mantle and mistletoe everywhere! And a garland and… What is that?” She pointed an accusing finger at the bit of greenery she saw hiding behind his back. “Is that a tiny Christmas tree?”

He stood straighter, trying to hide it from view. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“And stop smirking,” she muttered as she walked down the stairs, taking in all the decorations he’d dragged out of her storage closet. “Did you really think I’d be happy about this?”

“You don’t have a choice,” a voice called from the kitchen.

“Donna? You dragged Donna into this?” she hissed, exasperated. “Mutiny, that’s what this is. Damn mutiny from both of you, but you especially,” she yelled towards the kitchen. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, Danny set the small tree on the coffee table and rushed to greet her. He glanced upwards, and she followed his gaze, her lips thinning. “Really?”

“Tradition,” he growled before he wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her.

Mel was going to push him away, but her body melted against his chest and she deepened the kiss, remembering last night and how it had felt to have him hold her. To feel that security again, that heat building between two bodies that craved one another.

Donna whistled, and Mel broke the kiss quickly, breathless, as was Danny. “My, don’t let me interrupt.”

“Why are you here?” Mel pushed past a laughing Danny to get to her.

“I was called in for backup and with an urgent request for breakfast food. There’s pancakes in the kitchen and fresh coffee. You have a long day ahead of you, so you better go eat,” Donna urged with a wink.

“Long day?” she repeated and turned her glare back to Danny, her hands shoved in her pockets.

“Yes, long day,” he agreed. “So go eat and we’ll finish up here and then you and I are going into town.”

“No, we’re not,” she said sternly.

Danny stepped closer, and Mel’s heart thundered behind her ribs. “Yes, we are,” he challenged. “It’s time you had some fun.”

“I have fun,” she mumbled, but Donna barked a laugh. “What?”

“Your idea of fun is messed up, dear,” she said as she opened another box of decorations. “Ah, here they are. Knew you still had ornaments.”

“No tree, though,” Danny said. “Can’t have the holidays without a tree. Guess we’ll have to get one in town.”

Mel watched them pull out her ornaments and lay them carefully on the coffee table. She wanted to be angry, wanted to kick them both out, but a man’s voice whispered through her mind and her annoyance calmed. You know they’re right, babe. What’s the worst that can happen?

Robert. That man just wouldn’t leave her alone, but she knew that’s what he would tell her if he was there, watching over her. Three years had passed since his death. Maybe it was time to swallow her pain and move on. Sucking in a deep breath, she walked to the kitchen for a stack of pancakes and coffee—lots of coffee. Listening to Donna and Danny work in the other room brightened the inn, and Mel no longer saw only its flaws. She saw the same potential Robert must have seen every day he worked to improve it.

If only he really were here to see how great it would become if she managed to pull through. If she could keep Danny around for longer than a holiday. He’d already stayed longer than she expected any man to when dealing with a woman on the brink of mental collapse. What he did for her yesterday was more than she imagined someone doing for her, and this morning he was decorating her inn and risking her annoyance at the same time. Pushing her past the comfort zone she’d let herself fall into.

Xena trotted into the kitchen and sat down on her feet before reaching up with her front paws to rest on Mel’s shoulders. She licked her face, and Mel hugged the massive beast close, burying her face in her fur.

“What do you think, huh?” she asked Xena quietly. “Think there’s a chance with him?”

Xena licked her face again in reply. Mel wanted there to be, despite her usual ‘never again’ when it came to falling for a man, but Danny didn’t give her a choice. After only two days, he’d swept her off her feet, and he didn’t even do it with roses or fancy dinners. He did it with that predatory glint in his eye, the stern tone of his voice when she tried to hide away, and the strength in his touch that told her that with him, she’d never have a thing to worry about.

But he lived in New York City, and her place was here. She could never handle city life and neither could her dogs.

“I guess we’ll worry about that later,” she told Xena as the dog fell back to her paws.

Mel drained her coffee and ate her pancakes before Donna had a chance to come in and scold her, then hurried upstairs to find some clothes for the day. She sensed Danny watching her and want coiled in her belly and caused her hands to tremble, thinking of his touch. That man broke down her defenses, but she worried even he might not be enough to keep them gone for good.