Layers (19 page)

“Oh, you sneaky little thing,” he chuckles, and sends his right hand toward my ear. And his left near my waist. My character on the screen is pushed backwards, stars circling his head.

“Come on, fight.” Daniel’s all smiles, his eyes dancing with joy. He’s jumping from side to side, giving a full show that would not fail a Broadway stage.

“You are so full of yourself,” I murmur behind gritted teeth.

“Am I now?” He cocks one eyebrow and swiftly sends his fist toward my cheek. The crowd on the screen goes wild as my character wobbles, falling into a corner. I send him a dirty look which he laughs off. I try to get closer to him, but he dodges to the side. I minimize the gap between us in fast sneaky moves. Standing on my toes, I hastily grab his face with both hands and plant a deep, moist, lustful kiss on his full lips. I rub my body against him with my mouth still devouring his. Even after I pull back and cease my sudden attack, he stays frozen on the spot, so I take the opportunity to swing a quick sucker punch near his left eye. His player drops to the floor, lying helplessly flat. The referee counts him and as he fails to get back to his feet the referee declares a knockout. Daniel looks at me with tapered eyes, a crooked little curve tugging at the corners of his lips and he shakes his head. I counter his stare, boring into his hazel depths. With our intent eye connection the electric field between us charges wildly and before I know it, we are drawn to each other and our mouths follow. Our hands are desperate: grabbing, caressing, stroking and frantically touching.

“Game over.” The ring’s announcer declares in a mechanical voice, accompanied by red flashing letters on the screen indicating the same.

“Game just started,” Daniel murmurs hoarsely to my mouth as he lifts me up and moves toward the wall, leaning me against it. In no time we are having the wildest, animalistic sex.

Most of our clothes are still on us as we come to our senses. He is flushed and by the heat radiating from my face I know I am too.
Someone check my vital signs.

Daniel next to me is slightly bent, hands on his knees. He tilts his face to look my way and says, “I love playing with you, Hayley, even though you don’t play fair.”

“This was great, and I must say I’m surprised to learn that you’re not the sore loser I thought you’d be.” I giggle.

“You
will
be surprised, baby. I. Do. Not. Lose. This fixed match you schemed up here requires a rematch, you devious pixie.”

“Pixie? Wow, Daniel, you really know how to compliment a woman. That is by far the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me.” I chuckle and he joins me, laughing with his low, appealing laugh.

An unfamiliar loud beeping sound comes suddenly from the entrance. I look at Daniel quizzically.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake with the pizza,” Daniel grunts. “Now?”

I smirk. “Is this a thing you have, sending food to be fucked? Is this one of your kinks? Something I should be worried about? You’re quite the pervert, you know?”

His face lights up with my remark, scar lifted by a wide smile, and a loud laugh rolls out of him. “No, but I can definitely think of something creative to do with you naked plus food …”

“I can get the pizza,” I reply, shaking my head, humored.

Daniel regards me with a straight face, jaw working under his skin and in a throaty, almost growling voice he says, “The odds of me letting the delivery guy see you this way are zero to none.”

Talk about fast mood changes. Weren’t you laughing a millisecond ago, Mr. Hyde?
I study him, trying to read his face for some explanation.

“What’s wrong with the way I look?”

“Well, for one, these short, short pants. Then there’s this white top that I love, revealing your nipples so nicely. And to top it all off, you have messy hair, your face is flushed, and you’ve obviously just been wildly fucked. This look, my sweet Hayley, which, don’t get me wrong, I could stare at forever, should be seen by me and me only. Clear?” He winks at me, bends over to kiss me then reluctantly heads to the hall to get the pizza.

“How much pizza can you even eat? Where does it go?” Daniel says, looking at me with a small side smile, fascinated.

My mouth is full of unbelievably delicious pizza.
Tony does know what he’s doing
. I try to swallow and gesture “give me a moment”, holding my finger to my mouth; the curve of his lips pulls higher as I do so.

I swallow the last bit and reply, “Well, I was pretty active today. I need to regain energy.”

“Indeed you were. Keep it up please, I am totally enthralled by the way you gobbled that food.”

I narrow my eyes at him.
Jerk.

“So, you surf.” Daniel’s eyes are steady on me, and he’s biting his lower lip.

“I do. Well, I did. Haven’t surfed for a while now, but let’s put it this way, through most of my high school years, I was with my board.”

His eyes lighten as I speak.

“You can’t imagine how thrilling it is to surf in Chicago during the winter. You can almost surf in the actual streets. During one of the storms last year my friends back home surfed just a couple hundred yards from Michigan Avenue, the main commercial street,” I tell him enthusiastically. “When I saw the actual photos of that day I was shocked.”

Daniel looks captivated by my story.

“Do you surf?” I ask him.

“Oh, I do. It’s my thing. You know: it relaxes me, puts me in focus. Puts me in the right mood when I’m in need of a diversion.”

“I miss it; my board is back at my parents’ house.”

“In Chicago?”

“Yes, that’s my home town.” I play with some crumbs on the counter, shifting them from side to side. “What about your parents? Do they live in California?” I turn my eyes to look his way.

“My mom lives in Baja, Mexico.” he replies.

“Baja?” That comes as a surprise. Being Daniel Stark’s mother I would have imagined her living somewhere more urban and sophisticated, more New York-ish.

“Yes, she lives in Baja. She’s an artist and the most amazing human being on earth.”

New layer of Daniel revealed
. D, the adoring son
.

“I think she would like you,” he murmurs as though to himself, his stare wandering to some indistinct spot ahead. “I also own a house there,” he says, vaguely.

Of course you do
.

“
It’s my surfing hideaway.
”

Hideaway? Why do you have to hide, D?

“Sounds great. I would guess Baja is the perfect place to surf. At least, that’s what it’s known for. I’ve never been there.” I yawn all of a sudden, feeling exhausted.

“Are you tired?” He smiles at me, running his fingers through my hair.

“Well, I did play and have dinner. It’s time for my nap now.” I wink playfully and start picking up our leftovers. He joins me as though it’s a habit for us and we’ve been doing it forever, cleaning together after dinner.

Putting the last dish in the dishwasher, I turn his way and ask him about his dad, since he only spoke about his mother.

“He’s not relevant.” There’s a hard edge to his voice, a tone I have learned to recognize. That will be the end of the discussion.
What is it? What aren’t you telling me?

~~~

Lying in his too big for one person bed, I gape at him from a gap of the open bathroom door. He is bent, one hand propped over the sink, brushing his teeth, wearing nothing but snug black boxers. I can’t take my eyes off him and his chiseled muscles, standing there tan and sensual.
Come on, D, stop with the beauty pampering and get to bed, there’s an urgent need for you here and now.

“Did you enjoy the view?”

He loves embarrassing me, the jerk.
“I was just making sure you’re okay,” I say, keeping up a casual façade.

“So you were.” His mouth twists at the side with a smug grin.

“What have we got here?” Daniel crawls under the covers facing me and sends a hand to caress my waist, settling on my butt, pulling me closer to him. “This is one superb Hayley ass,” he grins.

“Hmm, don’t get too excited. I have the most terrible headache.” I add an agonized expression to emphasize my misery. His mouth turns to a flat line, eyebrows slightly pushed together; he couldn’t look more disappointed.

I stare at him for a while. “Relax, kid, your toy is good to go. I’m just messing with you,” I giggle. “You should have seen your face, you were all, ‘my toy is broken, I am so upset’.”

He laughs and immediately turns serious. “Don’t ever do that again, Hayley. You don’t play with food, and you don’t joke about sex.”

I laugh deep belly laughs and tease, “Is that so? Are these the house rules?”

“Come here you, or else you won’t get what you were ogling a minute ago.”

Jerk.
He doesn’t let go. Without further ado he pulls me on top of him.

“Well, I’ll admit to the ogling, but you’re the one who’s completely ready.”

Through a wide grin he releases a raspy laugh. “I can’t help it. It’s those damn shorts.”

“I can always take them off if they’re an issue.”

“If you put it that way I think all of your clothes are a major issue, Hayley. For fuck’s sake, get rid of all of these issues.”

“So keen to play?”

“Take them off already, and let’s work on some burning projects.”

I giggle again, cooperating.

~~~

I am being spooned by Daniel Stark, sleeping, literally sleeping, in his bed.

“Good night,” he whispers through my hair and turns to the other side.
Why did he turn? I want some more of this Daniel cocooning.

What the hell? Do I hear right?
Daniel recites the AA serenity prayer.
What the hell?
I am completely freaked out. His voice is low and sincere, almost weary.

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”

My mind is frantically riling up. What’s going on here?
Should I say something?
Well, he did recite it loud and clear enough for me to hear.
Does he want me to say something?

“Daniel,” I choke as I try to talk.
What should I say? Seriously, should I even address that? I’ve never had to deal with a recovering addict before!

“Relax kid, your toy is not an addict. I’m messing with you.” He breaks into a healthy, contagious, husky laugh and I quickly join in, utterly relieved.

JERK. Demented. Handsome. Psycho.
He turns back to cradle me and I pull back to minimize the gap between us so he can scoop me up in his firm, serene embrace. He kisses my hair and breathes me in.

Chapter 17: Nooner

“Hayley,” Daniel whispers, pressing a soft kiss with his delish scent on my sleepy lips. “Double shot, extra hot, not too much foam cappuccino, wake up.”

I open my eyes to see Daniel, steamy in boxers, sitting cross-legged at my side, a cup of coffee in his hands. My lips curve with delight.

“Screw the coffee,” I mumble, stretching out my hand to touch his thigh.

“I like where you’re going with that.” His hoarse morning voice is accompanied by a wicked, thin smile, tempting me.

“What’s the time?” I yawn.

“Seven thirty-ish.”

“Well, it’ll have to be a quicky. I need to get your car from home.” His smile stretches, and the cup of coffee moves to the nightstand.

“I’d rather work with ‘quick’ over ‘no go’.” He shifts closer. “Anyhow, it’s not about duration, it’s about quality,” he says, now propped on top of me, a wide smirk stretched across his bristled morning face.

I gaze at him, elated.
What a superb way to wake up …

“So we’re going for quality over quantity this morning, Miss. Ready, steady, go …”

I giggle, tilting my head back as he lightly bites my chin. And quality it is.

Quickly we are deep in the deed and as promised he’s taking his pledge of quality very seriously. Each thrust, each interaction with the very deep of my delight is more enhanced and more intense. His lips are all over me: ears, lips, breasts, neck and those achingly sweet, precise encounters with the spots that make me quiver in pleasure.
He definitely knows what he’s doing, and with such remarkable aptitude.
I open my eyes to look at him; on his face is a wild look of pleasured concentration that pushes me higher. With his touch and the vision of him above me, those full lips, these unbelievably rough looking scars, I climb higher and higher. In accordance to my body’s reaction, he adapts his pace. The sensation he causes within me with his steady and passionate precision, skillfully aiming at the exact spot, sends me to an overwhelming ecstasy, and as I whimper uncontrollably he joins me with a loud gasp.

I can’t move. Circles of bliss travel through me.
God
. I can hardly gain control of my uneven respiration, though, my body, inside and out, is in seventh heaven.

“Definitely pure, unadulterated quality,” I breathe, shifting my head to look at him.

His eyes wrinkle with silent joy; his mouth twists into a small, crooked, I-knew-what-I-was-doing grin. I sigh in sheer bliss.

“Glad to meet expectations.” He pecks my lips, inching up to stand. “Now, coffee, and off we go if we need to pass by your house. Up, Hayley.”

~~~

As I’m waiting for my PC to load, my phone beeps with a new message from Daniel.

Daniel: Don’t make any plans for the weekend. D.

God forbid you ask. You’ve certainly got the “demanding” part down.
I shake my head in fondness. What can I say? Just the thought of him puts a content, goofy smile on my face.

Depends, is that an order or a request? H.

“Hayley, staff meeting in five.” Josh’s Colgate grin illuminates my cubicle.

“Do you need me before? And good morning to you too, Josh.” I raise my brows and smile at him.

“Just be there in five, and a wonderful morning to you too.”

Someone else is in a good mood; perhaps he got the same breakfast special I got earlier.
Reminiscing over it, a certain part of my body awakens, wishing Daniel was nearby. My vibrating phone ceases this short reverie.