Chapter 13

When it was over he stood there panting, dizzy, trying to hold on to her and stay upright.

“You came, right?” he asked. “Sorry, I got lost in my own.”

“Down,” she said, her voice shaking. “Please.”

“Okay,” Danny said, sensing something was wrong. “Did I hurt you? Damn, I’m sorry, baby. I got carried away.” He leaned down to kiss her. At first she avoided him, but then she turned to him and met his lips. The kiss was sweeter than he’d planned on, but it was just right. “You all right?” he asked again, rubbing his cheek against hers, the water making them slick and soft.

“Yes.” She pushed him away, not looking at him. “I have to go.”

“What?” he asked, not sure he’d heard her correctly. “Going back to Tom?”

“Tom?” she asked. She shook her head. “No.” She blew out a breath. “I needed a shower. Mine is…not working.”

“Wait.” He backed up. “Didn’t you spend the night with Tom?”

“No.” She shook her head again. “I needed a shower.” She was repeating herself and Danny wasn’t getting it.

“Your shower? Upstairs?” He pointed up. “It’s broken?”

She nodded, relief on her face. “Yes, broken. Sorry. Tom said I could use yours.”

Danny ran his hand over his face. Shit. “I thought…that you and Tom…I mean…Damn. I’m sorry. I assumed…” He was trying not to panic. If she’d been sleeping with Tom, too, then this was just a fling. A fuck. But now…what the hell was she going to think? What had he done? He should have known she wasn’t like that. But he hadn’t been thinking straight. He could tell the minute she understood what he wasn’t saying. Her eyes narrowed.

“Let me out.” She tried to push him out of the way.

“Look,” he said, manning up. “This didn’t mean anything. Did it? I mean, you seemed to want it, too. Right?”

“Right,” she said in a flat voice. “I have to go. I have to go see someone.”

“Who?” he asked, not moving. “Who do you have to go see? Sam?” That’s not what he meant to say. He was fucking this all up, he could tell. But he wasn’t good at this shit. He never had been. Hadn’t he been telling himself all along that he needed to leave her alone?

“No,” she said, shoving him harder. “I have a job.”

“Where?” he asked in surprise.

“You don’t think I can?” she asked. She punched him in the chest. “Let. Me. Out.”

This had gone downhill pretty fast. Danny tried to regroup. “No, that’s not what I said. I just never knew you had a job. That’s all. I’m sorry. Here, let me get out of your way.” He moved aside and she stepped out of the shower. She grabbed a towel off the counter and barely wiped herself down before grabbing her clothes and opening the bathroom door. “Carmina, wait,” he called out, stunned at how quickly she was moving. This wasn’t how he wanted their time together to end. He jumped out of the shower and grabbed the same towel she’d used, wrapping it around his waist as he ran after her.

Just as he came out the door he saw Tom standing in the hallway and watched as Carmina ran right into him. “What the hell?” Tom asked, looking back and forth between them. Carmina wasn’t even dressed. Tom wrapped his arms around her protectively. “You’re all wet.” He looked at Danny. “You are, too.” Comprehension dawned. “Holy shit. What did you do?” he asked Danny.

“I didn’t do anything she didn’t want to do,” Danny said defensively, holding his hands up to ward off Tom’s anger. He didn’t like the way that sounded, and neither did Tom. Why couldn’t he say anything right this morning?

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Tom didn’t look or sound appeased.

“I thought you two had slept together last night.” Okay, that didn’t actually make it sound better. “And she was in my shower.”

Tom shoved Carmina behind him. “I told her she could use it,” Tom said angrily. “I didn’t know you were going to attack her.”

“I didn’t attack her,” Danny said, getting angry too. “Is that what you think? Shit, you of all people know I wouldn’t do that. She asked me to fuck her.” Tom’s eyes got big and he glanced over his shoulder at Carmina, who was busy pulling on a T-shirt. “Ask her. Tell him,” Danny demanded.

“Yes,” she snapped. “I asked.” She leaned around Tom. “I won’t be asking again.”

“What? Because I said it didn’t mean anything?” Danny asked incredulously. “It’s not like we’re dating. I found you naked in my shower and we both wanted it.”

“You actually said that?” Tom asked. “What kind of douchebag are you?”

“I’m not!” Danny ran his hand over his wet head. “I just didn’t want her to get the wrong impression. I thought it was better we were on the same page now instead of later.”

“Maybe before you fucked would have been a better time,” Tom said sarcastically. He turned to Carmina and took her shoulders in his hands. “Did you?” he asked. His question didn’t make sense to Danny, but Carmina seemed to know what he was talking about.

“Not now,” she whispered. She looked totally freaked out.

“You mean you didn’t?” Tom sounded disappointed. “I’m sorry.”

“I did,” Carmina whispered. Danny thought she didn’t want him to hear, but they were in the freaking hallway, no more than three feet apart. Of course he heard.

“Oh, shit,” Tom said. He looked between her and Danny.

“I have to go,” Carmina said, trying to pull away from him. “I have a job.”

“You got a job?” Tom asked. “That was fast.”

“Meet him,” Carmina said. She paused and took a deep breath. “Interview,” she finally said. She blew out a breath, as if just saying that word had been damn hard. That, more than anything, made Danny feel like a total shit, because he’d obviously upset her so much she couldn’t talk.

“Look, I’m sorry,” he said. “I know you have to go, but I don’t want you to go like this. You’ve got to understand, yes, there’s been this thing between us and I was trying to ignore it because I’m not in a place where that’s a good idea. But then there you were, and…I’m an idiot. I’m sorry.” He was talking very fast and he could see Carmina frowning a little as she tried to follow.

“Not all on you,” she said. “Me, too. It’s all good.” She turned to go but Tom caught her arm again.

“We have to talk about this,” he said. “You call me.”

“Later,” she said impatiently. She tugged her arm free and ran off.

“Put your pants on,” Tom called after her. The slam of the door was the only answer he got. He turned to Danny, eyes narrowed. “I have to kick your ass. You know that, right?”

“Do not make me kick your ass in self-defense,” Danny said. “Seriously. I do not want to hurt you.”

“As if,” Tom said, snorting in disgust. “Carmina is sweet and you treated her wrong. You know it. You take your beating like a man.”

“She wanted the same thing I did,” Danny said. “And she enjoyed every minute of it. I did not take advantage or attack her or whatever you’re thinking. I’ve always been attracted to her and the situation got out of control. I’m sorry.” He was slowly backing toward the bathroom. To his dismay, Tom turned and punched the wall, leaving a big hole behind.

“You better get out of my sight,” Tom said, staring at the wall. “I need some time to process what just happened and figure out what I’m going to do about it.”

“Do about it?” Danny asked, confused. “You realize this has nothing to do with you, right?” When he saw the hurt look on Tom’s face, he pulled his head out of his ass and tried again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. Look, I know how you feel about her, and it was a shitty thing to do. I’m guilty of being a bad friend, I admit it. I just…I just didn’t think.” He tapped his fist lightly against his head. “Shit, man, I really am sorry.”

“Not as sorry as I am,” Tom said cryptically. He walked past Danny, giving him a hard shove into the wall before he slammed his bedroom door closed behind him.

Carmina was shaking when she got to her apartment. She had to try three times to open the door. As soon as she closed it behind her, she slid to the floor and sat there, stunned, shocked, horrified. What had she just done? Buster K came over and lay down beside her, his head resting on her thigh. He made an inquisitive dog sound while he looked up at her with his big, brown eyes.

“I did it with Danny,” she whispered, staring back at the dog. “I came. What does that mean? What does that say about me? That I came with a guy who doesn’t care about me at all, and I can’t come with Tom, who is the sweetest guy ever, and is trying so hard to help me?” She gave a frustrated, throaty growl and dropped her head back against the door as she petted Buster. “I’m a self-destructive, masochistic head case, that’s what it says about me.” She looked over at the clock. “Shit!” She had to be at her interview in forty-five minutes. Which meant she had to catch the bus in twenty. She jumped to her feet. When she ran her hands through her damp, tangled hair they were still shaking. “I think I have to take you with me,” she told Buster, her voice shaking, too. “I don’t think I can handle it all this morning.” Buster whined. “Exactly,” she said.

The bus was running late, so Carmina and Buster had to run from the bus stop to the office where the meeting was scheduled. The interview was for a job as a file clerk in a large insurance office. She figured she could handle that. Very little public interaction or speaking required. But as soon as she walked in and shook the interviewer’s hand, she knew it wasn’t going to go well. He was frowning at Buster.

“We have a strict no-animals policy,” he said, right off the bat.

“Buster Keaton is a service dog,” she explained patiently. He was wearing his vest and everything, so it should have been obvious.

“Are you blind?” he asked in surprise. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. We, um…The files aren’t in Braille.”

“I’m not blind,” Carmina said. She didn’t add the Duh that was on the tip of her tongue. Why would she apply for a file clerk job if she were blind?

“I see.” He paused. “May I ask if he is required because of a disability?”

“Yes,” she said. She’d been through this with Sydney. He had the right to ask for proof of a disability if it wasn’t obvious. She pulled out the card from Buster’s vest that explained her situation and handed it to him. He read it quickly.

“Would the dog be required to help you perform tasks on the job?” he asked, handing her back the card.

“Not always,” she said. “Some days are better than others.”

He sighed. “I’m sorry, Ms. de la Cruz,” he said. “But our no-animals policy isn’t negotiable. Several of our employees suffer from severe allergies.” He stood up and held out his hand. “Good luck in your job search.”

She stared at him for a moment. That was it? She didn’t even get a chance? She got the impression the issue wasn’t with Buster so much as with her. Once he’d read that card and discovered she had a traumatic brain injury, he crossed her off. Buster was just an excuse. She almost felt like calling him on it by telling him she didn’t need to bring Buster, but the truth was she might, and she didn’t want to put herself in that situation. Also, she didn’t need the job that badly, and she didn’t want to work with this guy if she didn’t have to. She stood up, pissed off that she’d rushed to get here this morning for nothing. “Thanks,” she said, not burning any bridges. “I appreciate your time.”

“If your situation changes, don’t hesitate to apply for a job here in the future,” he said insincerely.

She didn’t bother to answer, just turned and left with Buster. He’d been so good during the interview, sitting quietly next to her, not moving or drawing attention to himself. Once they were out on the sidewalk she squatted in front of him and gave his ears a good rub. “We don’t need them,” she told him. “We’ll find another job.” He licked her chin and she grinned. “Thanks. I needed that today.”