“I don’t think that’s a good idea. In fact, I’m sure it’s a bad idea.” She sounded defeated, but there was no help for that. She craved another wild night, in spite of knowing it would end with her right back where she’d been…lonely and still in love with forbidden fruit. Not to mention that she’d be wearing the title of home wrecker. Danton was a married man, she had to keep that in mind. If he’d cheat on a wife, he’d doublecross her too. All that did was make her heart hurt even more. She wanted to keep her sterling ideal of him, even if she couldn’t have him.
“Wrong.” He stepped closer once more, crowding her against the door. She had to tip her head back to stare at him. Something flickered in his gaze that looked like desperation, and that confused her. Danton had never struck her as needy before. He was always the pillar of strength.
“I don’t do new-husband panic attacks, Danton.” Toni moved away from the door, and his gaze followed her as she placed a few feet of space
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between them. Disappointment flared through her, but she savored the feeling as a reminder of what she tended to receive from Danton. Hard, painful lessons needed to be remembered or you ended up repeating the class. Losing him once was enough for her.
“I’m sorry you’re having trouble settling in with your new wife, but I’m not going to feed you. My bed is off limits now that you’re married. You’ll have to adjust to home life. Go back to your wife for both our sakes. I’m not a home wrecker.”
I’ll get my own man…somehow,
someway.
“I’m going home, you should do the same.”
She turned her back on him and fumbled in her purse for her car keys. Getting home was a necessity; she didn’t need to display her addiction for him where he could see it. Some things were better left buried along with a broken heart. It was like a raw wound that refused to begin closing because she kept fussing with the bandage.
“Sure, Toni, I’ll do that.” His voice was rich but coated in a soft amusement that drew her attention back towards him. Danton swung one leg over his bike and pulled his helmet on as he watched her.
“Thanks for the advice.” He turned the engine over and rode smoothly off into the flow of traffic.
A warning bell was going off somewhere in the back of her head but she couldn’t quite put her finger on exactly why. Only a sneaking suspicion that Danton didn’t ever give up so simply. That, or she just didn’t want him to be finished with her so quick. That was idiotic, to say the least.
All right, now she was being stupid, but lying to herself wouldn’t solve anything. Being so happy at the idea of him looking for her tonight was going to land her in a pot of trouble. There were a lot of things that she thought about him, but “cheating dog” had never been one of them. Danton had always kept his word and told her straight what his opinion was. His touch left a sour taste in her mouth tonight because she had never once pictured him as a lying husband.
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Damn it. The least he could have done was let her keep her image of him. Losing that was another twist of the knife. The dull pain hit her hard as two tears eased from her eyes.
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Full Disclosure
Chapter Three
“When are you going to learn to lock your windows down?”
Toni shrieked as she hit the light switch and her keys clattered onto the floor of her entryway. Danton glared at her from across the room. His face was set into a deep frown as he tossed a look at her living-room window. The curtain was pushed aside, telling her exactly how he’d gotten into her home.
“That’s stupid, Toni, really dumb. I didn’t secure this house to have you let laziness allow someone to break in. You know how to lock it down and how important it is.” Anger laced his voice as he glared at her. “I thought you were safe.”
Heat burned across her face as she recognized her own failing. Oh yeah, she’d messed up. Danton had spent two days installing window locks and outfitting her little house with security equipment. She shook her head as she switched back to him being in her house without her permission. Danton had an annoying habit of tailoring conversations to support his opinion. Even when he was misbehaving, he turned the tables to make it look like he was doing you a favor by pointing out your weaknesses.
No way was she admitting any kind of mistake to the man tonight. Even if she should have locked her windows before heading out. It wasn’t his job to educate her.
“Excuse me, but you’re the one breaking in right now. I’m not one of your Special Forces men who will benefit from your training exercises. Get out.”
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He crossed his arms over his chest and smiled at her. It wasn’t a pleasant expression though. His lips curled up to show his teeth. “If you’re so confident of your position, make me leave.”
She flipped her cell phone open and pressed the nine key. A second later, Danton’s hand clamped around her wrist. He pulled her arm across his body to his opposite hip. A swift twist of his midsection and her body whipped around his like a damp towel because of his grip on her wrist that pulled her arm taut across his wider body. He let her go and she stumbled to a halt, but without her cell phone. Danton held it up for her furious glance before pushing it into his shirt pocket. The man never wore something simple like a T-shirt. There was always a neat row of buttons down the front of his chest, and pockets; the sort of shirt you expected to see a hiker in. A garment built for utility. Even his jeans were the type with sturdy pockets that buttoned. That was Danton for you; all business, and deadly in the execution of it. Her little dress felt like tissue paper compared to his capable appearance. While she’d dressed to endure the weather, he was outfitted with survival in mind. Comfort was measured by his clothing being just baggy enough for him to move with ease. No skintight jeans for him, his pants had enough fabric in them to allow for moves like the one that had just netted him her cell phone. Leaving her neatly at the mercy of his goodwill. A little shiver shook her spine as she recognized how much strength he really had in his body. He had always been careful not to hurt her, even in their most intimate moments. Trust was a double-edged blade because she honestly couldn’t evict him on her own. She’d only been bluffing with her cell phone and he’d called it. That left her high and dry with no recourse.
“Damn it, Toni. Don’t look at me that way.” He made a disgusted sound under his breath before he dug her cell phone out and tossed it across the distance to her. “I told you we need to talk.” He watched her catch the little bit of technology. He stared at her for a long moment to see what she’d do with the returned cell phone. A frustrated growl escaped her lips as she stuffed it into her purse. Calling the cops wasn’t the answer, in fact, it would only serve to tie her into a knot of tension as
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she waited for Danton to corner her in some other place. The man didn’t know the word “quit” existed in the English language. If he intended for them to have a talk, he’d keep appearing until he was satisfied. The man’s tenacity was frustrating but it was also admirable—if you enjoyed satire.
He grunted approval. “Next time, dial it in your pocket so that your unwelcome guest doesn’t know what you’re doing. You’d have been dead long before the local patrol car made it into your driveway, if that was my intention.”
“That’s assuming rape isn’t on your mind.”
A ghost of a grin curved his lips. “Don’t make suggestions you don’t want me to take interest in. Seducing you sounds like a lot of fun.”
Toni hissed at him. Conversations with Danton spiraled out of control faster than paper caught fire. Only tonight, she was the one dealing with the heat boiling up inside her. Her body didn’t much care about the details. But she sure didn’t need him painting a picture that she’d have to sleep with in her unsatisfied dreams once he went home to his new spouse. “What do you want, Danton?”
His face lost all traces of humor as he moved closer. His feet never made a sound, even on her hardwood floor. Toni fought the urge to wiggle backwards as he kept moving. She had to lift her chin so their gazes locked, but she refused to budge and show him any weakness. That need burned bright enough to keep her in place in spite of his body looming over her. He turned his hand over and stroked one side of her face with the back of it. Sensation rippled down her spine. Her nipples tingled before drawing into tight little nubs. Danton’s eyes blazed into hers as that ripple went lower, making her shift as her clit softly throbbed.
“You. I want you back, Toni.” His voice was husky with desire. His opposite hand snaked around her waist. That quickly she was a captive of his stronger body, held against him while his fingers moved around to cup the back of her head. He considered her intently, like he was memorizing her trapped in his embrace. A shudder shook her body
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as her hands pushed against his chest. It was a feeble excuse for a protest, one she couldn’t maintain for very long. Her hands smoothed over his chest, transmitting just how hard the man who held her still was. Heat raced through her veins as she felt her mouth go dry in anticipation of his kiss.
It had been too damn long since he’d kissed her. Right and wrong didn’t hold much value as she watched his gaze drop to her mouth. On instinct she licked her lower lip. His eyes followed the tip of her tongue as they narrowed.
“You are so damn sexy. The way you move, even breathe. It turns me on instantly. I haven’t had a single night’s sleep since we parted without seeing you in my dreams.” His mouth blocked out any response she might have made. His hand tightened on the nape of her neck to control her head. Pleasure flooded her starving senses as he pressed her lips apart. He’d been the last man to kiss her and right then, it seemed like she’d been poised for three whole months waiting for this second. A little mutter of delight rose from her throat. Danton didn’t rush the kiss. He lingered over the first meeting of their mouths before increasing the pressure by small degrees. He teased her to open her jaw, and the promise of sharing his kiss again was too much. She wouldn’t burn in Hades over just one kiss…right?
The tip of his tongue traced her lower lip. Her lips parted further as he thrust his tongue into her mouth. He stroked her tongue as the kiss became hard and demanding. His body moved until they were flush against each other. The arm holding her back draped lower until his hand cupped one side of her bottom and pressed her hips forward. One thick thigh pressed between hers until he could rub it against her mons. Her clit clamored with appreciation as he stroked it, even through her dress. Danton released his grip on her bottom and she curled her hips back from him only to have him press her right back into solid contact with his thigh. Sensation shot into her pussy, shaking her with a deep pleasure intense enough to steal her breath.
Toni broke off their kiss as she gasped. Danton rubbed her mons again with his knee as his fingers roamed over her bottom, gently
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squeezing in a purely sexual way. His cock was hard against her ribs, taunting her with just how much she wanted it back inside her.
“You’re married.” Trying to cling to her sanity, Toni pushed against the body she craved. If she stayed in his embrace, tossing him out was going to slip right out of her mind. She wasn’t sure she could face the morning alone after a fresh taste of him.
Danton released her and a twist of pain went through her heart. Toni focused her attention on that evidence of what Danton brought into her world. Pain. They were bad for each other, addictive in a fashion because neither of them was moving on very effectively. Like junkies, they were panting for another taste even though they both knew it couldn’t last.
“I won’t be married for much longer.”
“Excuse me?” Her voice trembled because his words were pure temptation. Her body certainly liked the idea of Danton being back on the list of acceptable men. She wasn’t the staunchest member of her congregation, but she drew the line at breaking commandments. Adultery was off limits. She grasped at her rational thinking while trying to keep her mind on the facts that had split them apart and led him to the altar.
“Look, Danton, you two are going to have a baby. You need to go home and iron out whatever sent you here tonight. Kids need a home. I understood your reasons. But I can’t have an affair with a deadbeat father. Even you.” Looking into his eyes, she soaked up every bit of strength she saw burning there. Plain and simple, she loved him because of the man he was. “Don’t tarnish my vision of you by asking me to be your lover. Please.”
“It’s not my kid.” Danton’s fists tightened until she heard the knuckles pop, and the raw fury of betrayal flashed in his gaze. For a man like him, dishonesty was the worst of all sins, especially over a child. Locked up in his chest was a heart that loved family. He’d walk through fire for any and all family relations. “Come on, I need some air before I forget all about discussing anything with you and drag you back to your bed.”
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He wasn’t joking. There wasn’t a hint of mercy on his face, nothing but the blazing need in his eyes. Her body shouted for her to fling out a denial, just to wave the flag in front of the bull to see if he’d charge her. But it was a cowardly impulse, a way of shoving aside her principles in favor of letting Danton take responsibility for their passionate explosions. Danton was worth better than that. He deserved a woman who stiffened her spine and gave him that same hard honesty right back. That ground rule fueled their passion because, as lovers, they told each other exactly what they craved. It took them on a journey through desire and need that scorched every inch of her flesh, even touched her heart.
“Sure.” Toni reached for a ponytail holder and twisted it around her hair to secure it back. She refused to think about anything else as she opened her closet and found the jacket she couldn’t bear to part with. It was dark plum leather, the first gift she’d received from him. The garment represented his growing need to share more than sex with her. He had given her the jacket so she could ride on his motorcycle with him. It was an invitation he’d never extended to another woman. Only to her.