The moment was as miserable as when she'd watched him walk out of her office. Separations and divorce proceedings sucked.
By the time Tabatha got off the plane and arrived at the hospital, they'd found the source of her dad's internal bleeding and were able to stop it. They'd had to sedate him pretty heavily though to keep him from moving around and reopening the wound.
Her mother, a bit of a basket case in a calm situation, was not handling the stress well so Tabatha took control of making sure she drank enough to stay hydrated and took her for food when it was time to eat. She was taking better care of her mother than she did herself at home, but without back-to-back meetings she had the time.
Uncertain of her authorization power, Sheree called several times with questions about venue selection right after seeing a site with a client. Otherwise her updates had all been via email and they all sounded like things were on track and going smoothly.
At the hospital later than usual on Friday night, Tabatha checked her pocket for her phone on her way back from a snack run to the cafeteria. Danny should be calling soon, but she'd left the phone in Dad's room. If Mom heard the ring or saw Danny's name there would be no stopping the questions.
Just outside the door, she heard Mom say, “you're a sweetheart, Danny. How'd you know Bob was hurt?”
“I took Tabatha to the airport in Miami.”
Oh God. What's he doing here?
Curious, Tabatha peeked around the edge of the door.
Danny had dressed up, exchanging his bare feet, shorts and t-shirt for loafers, jeans and a polo. She'd bought the shirt he was wearing, but no amount of begging on her part had convinced him to put it on. He was sexier than she'd thought he could be, and she'd always thought of him as damn sexy.
He stood with his arm around Mom's waist and Tabatha's heart melted a little.
“I had no idea you two were back together.” Mom practically purred with excitement. This was going to get complicated.
“We're not, but I couldn't stay away once my schedule freed up. How's he doing?”
“He's improving. They're going to ease off the sedatives tomorrow so he can stay awake for more than a few minutes at a time. It will take time, but he'll make a full recovery.”
“Maybe stay off the mountain trails. For a little while anyway.”
Watching Danny and Mom, it occurred to Tabatha how much the two of them were alike. And how much like Dad Tabatha was. Mom and Danny both loved the light and fun side of life. If they could go a day without drama and responsibility it was a good day. Dad and Tabatha were at the other end of the spectrum. They enjoyed fun, but the duties of being the caretaker fell to them.
Mom wasn't a bad mother. In fact, she'd always been there for Tabatha with great advice and amazing support. She was a friend to everyone and could make any situation better because of her zest for life. It was no wonder she'd felt comfortable with Danny from the first moment.
“Danny. What are you doing here?”
“Checking in.” Danny turned and smiled with the left side of his mouth. It was an arrogant smile he didn't employ often, but when he did it was irresistible. She barely held back a smile of her own as she searched his face for clues and ignored her mother, standing behind him with a wide-eyed curiosity in her questioning gaze.
“There are phones in Miami.”
“You didn't mention Danny was in Miami, Tabatha.”
“No I didn't.” And they weren't going to talk about it now.
Her parents had adored Danny, especially her mother. When Tabatha told them she was leaving him, Mom had sulked and informed her how much work a marriage was. Then she'd said she was disappointed in Tabatha for quitting. That had sliced deeper than the hurt she'd already been feeling over her decision.
The same disappointment was in her tone when she responded to Tabatha's dismissal with a stiff, “I see.”
“Maybe while you're here we can talk.”
“We could,” he agreed with a nod.
After putting the snacks she'd gotten for her mom on the table, Tabatha picked up her things and kissed Mom's cheek. “See you in the morning. And stop scheming.”
“It was nice talking to you again, Danny.”
“You too, Vanessa.”
Mom had been the dependable optimist in Tabatha's life with Dad being the dependable logic. They were the perfect balance for each other, which was all she'd wanted to find with Danny. He was fun and an optimist, but he'd refused to add any dependability. Tabatha had tried to balance it all, but the pressure had become too much.
When Tabatha stepped in the hall with Danny and the door to her father's room closed, Danny raised her chin with a finger and challenged Tabatha in a rare show of seriousness. “We're talking tonight. Not repeating the car.”
The car.
The memory of her straddling him and asking him for a quickie before she left town rushed back. It would've been a short trip, because the thoughts hadn't moved far from her mind since “You don't want to have sex?”
“Of course I do, but that was never our problem.”
“No.” No, sex had never been their problem.
They settled into a companionable silence while they left the hospital. She agreed to follow Danny to his hotel, thinking that might be a little safer than her parents' house. When the door closed behind her, locking her in a small and private place with Danny, with a bed nearby, she doubted the wisdom of her decision. Thankfully, he seemed to be staying focused.
“We're here, free of distractions from work or your parents. Do you want to go first?”
Suddenly nervous, she moved to the windows and fiddled with the drapes. For over a year she'd only seen the negative sides of Danny. Now, those negatives were growing dim in the light of the differences in him. “I'm not sure I know where to start.”
“You never saw me as dependable.”
She shook her head. “But you were early for lunch. You were there to drive me to the airport. You're here.”
“It's what a husband should do, but more importantly, it's what a friend should do. We went from acquaintances to lovers to spouses. We skipped right over friends.”
“You think that would have made a difference?” she asked, turning to face him.
“I do, because more than we loved each other we needed to like each other.”
“I always liked you, Danny.”
“No.” Clearly content to maintain the distance between them, Danny sat in a chair by the small round table. “You stayed as long as you did because you're loyal, but I gave you next to no reason to actually
like
me.”
“You made me laugh.”
“I made you cry every time I missed a date.”
“You made me feel safe every night.”
“In bed. Out of it, I made you angry every time I wasted our rent money on something I thought would be fun.” Tabatha had left Miami filled with doubts, but then Danny had called her every day, at the same time like clockwork. He'd wanted to check on her dad, but he'd lingered on questions about her. Then he'd shown up in her dad's room.
He faced everything they had been, the good and the bad, and he didn't run from it. Somewhere along the way he'd figured out what it was like to be responsible. “You're giving me several reasons to like you now.”
“And I'll give you more if you let me have another shot. I won't let you down again.”
Truth rang with believability in his tone. She would deny him nothing when he asked like that, and if she was really honest with herself she would enjoy whatever he had planned.
Chapter Seven
Danny drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he sat in the car and waited for Tabatha to exit the airport with the rest of the disembarking passengers. Taryn had apparently offered the plane for the return trip, but Tabatha had insisted on flying commercial. It didn't surprise Danny; she wouldn't want to feel like she was taking advantage.
He didn't care what plane she'd used, or that it was the last flight in for the night, because she'd agreed to let him pick her up. He scored it as another victory. The victory he cared most about, that he couldn't budge from his brain, was that she'd had sex with him. Yes, she'd said it was only a distraction. He knew her well enough to know she hadn't been completely honest with herself.
She was too loyal to take sex and vows lightly and too kind to play mind games like having sex with him if it meant nothing on some level. She'd believed what she was saying in that moment, but it hadn't been the full truth.
As soon as she approached, he was out of the car. His heart pounded hard and fast. His dick hardened in anticipation for a repeat of their goodbye. Staying calm, he kissed her quick and casual before he took her bag and moved to the trunk. “Welcome home.”
“Thanks for picking me up.” Instead of getting in the car, she followed him to the trunk. “How was practice this morning?”
“Will's giving me shit, saying I'm playing too nice, but we're still winning.”
“Are you playing nice?”
He closed the trunk and looked at her while he walked to her door and opened it. “No, but I'll admit I've been a little distracted this last week.”
The skin beneath her eyes was slightly darker than usual and the spark in her eyes was a little dulled. She smiled, but it lacked its regular warmth. Each difference was a sign that she was tired, but in true Tabatha fashion, she kept going and didn't mutter a complaint.
“With?” she asked, sliding into the seat.
An instant before he closed the door, he said, “You.”
When he slid behind the wheel, she turned in her seat and faced him. “You're letting me affect your game?”
They'd almost become friends again, and he wanted to keep it going, without getting stuck in the friend zone and ending up divorced. Choosing his words carefully, he shot for honesty. “Yes. Turns out, I don't like you being in another town where I can't drive by your office and catch a glimpse of you rushing from one meeting to another or sit outside your apartment until I know you're home safe.”
“You did that?”
“Too close to stalker behavior?” he asked as he pulled into the stream of traffic.
“If you didn't manage to make it sound sweet. How do you do that anyway?”
“Because I only do it to make sure you're safe.”
Slowly, almost as if she didn't want to say it, she asked, “You want to know something?”
“Sure.” He would listen to anything she said, because it meant she was near enough to hear. On some level, that meant she was giving him the second chance he'd hoped for.
“I drive by the court sometimes to see if I'll see you.”
He basked in the pleasure of her admission the rest of the way to her apartment. She was curious about him, checking on him to see how much he'd changed. And she was opening up to him, which meant she was beginning to believe in him again.
When he pulled into the lot of her apartment and parked, Danny didn't ask if he could walk her to the door. He just got her suitcase and carried it up. She said nothing as she unlocked the apartment and went in, leaving the door open for him to follow.
It all felt so natural, like he picked her up from the airport and drove her home on a regular basis.
Something else felt natural.
He closed the door, crossed the space separating them and turned her into his arms. Curling a hand around her neck, he pulled her close and lowered his mouth to hers. She gasped, but then rested her hands on his arms and returned the kiss angling her head for better access.
They needed to talk about what had happened the last time they were together, but it would wait. Everything could wait.
The restraint he'd shown during the last few kisses weakened. The excitement that had driven him when she straddled him in the car snapped to the forefront. He was ready for anything she would allow.
He placed his second hand on her waist and eased her closer. She moved her hands to his neck and held tight.
His pulse raced and his palms tingled with the purity of the pleasure he found in her arms. Tabatha moved a hand down his back and fisted her fingers in his shirt. Her nails scraped lightly through the fabric, sending shivers down his spine. His stomach knotted.
When she moved a leg against his, he moved in response. Together, without breaking the kiss or their hold on each other they walked to the couch. Danny lowered himself and Tabatha followed until she was straddling him.
He wanted to pull her clothes off and lay her back and make love to her through the night, but she'd have to ask for it. If there was a chance rushing things would ruin what they seemed to be rebuilding, he wouldn't risk it. So, instead of tempting fates and laying her back on the couch, he stayed as they were. He did allow his hands to journey down her back and over her legs.
She took her hands on a path over himâhis neck and shoulders, his arms and chestâand every inch she touched responded. Chills of excitement raised the hairs on his arm while the heat of arousal made them dance. His heart raced faster than it did after an hour of hard volleyball. Sweat beaded his hairline.
“I could happily stay like this all night,” he said, trailing kisses down her neck.
She sighed and dropped her head back into the palm he raised to offer support. “Okay.”
“But I think you should go to bed and get some sleep.”
“I haven't been sleeping much.”
He changed the angle of her head and began kissing the other side of her neck. “Don't take this the wrong way, but you look it.”
She pulled back, moving slowly so it wasn't a sudden retreat, which was something. “You saying I look bad?”
“Sweetheart,” he said as he traced her bottom lip, “you couldn't look bad if you were sick and dressed up like a corpse.” Sliding his hands beneath her thighs, he lifted her into his arms and started to stand. “But I can tell when you need sleep.”
“What are you doing?”
“I'm taking you to bed.”
“Goodie.”
“And tucking you in.”
“Really?” She asked as he stood. “You're not going to ask to stay?”
“I want to, but I'm going to resist for tonight.” Damn he wanted to stay if only to sleep at her side, but until he knew where she stood on the idea of them being a them again he wouldn't sleep with her. It could too easily be a heart shredding disaster.
“At the risk of sounding needy, will you lay down with me for a little while? It's been a rough week.”
He hesitated at the entry to her hallway, looking down at her. She wasn't a malicious person. The thought nagged though, and since he was trying to be more honest with himself and her, he voiced his fear. “You're not pulling my strings for some kind of revenge are you?”
“I know what I did before going to see Dad didn't help matters, but no. I'm not trying to play games.”
He wanted to let that be good enough. He wanted to shut the hell up and lie down beside her. He just couldn't do it. “Tell me one thing before I answer, Tabatha.”
She looked directly into his eyes and nodded. It was a single up and down movement of her head that lifted his hopes drastically. He still needed the words she wasn't giving.
“Are you suggesting there's a chance you'll take me back?”
“I'm saying I've thought a lot about it and you do seem to have changed.”
It wasn't the resounding yes he craved, but it was more than he'd hoped to hear so soon. With the new hope buzzing through him, he smiled. “I'll stay. For awhile.”
Reveling in the idea of taking care of her, something he'd never bothered to do before, he carried her the rest of the way to her room. While she undressed, he took the throw pillows off the bed and pulled back the covers. After tucking her in, he turned on the ceiling fan knowing she slept better with it on.
Tabatha crawled into bed. Danny pulled the covers up and then slid behind her staying on top of the covers. If he got under them with her he wouldn't leave. He had to keep some distance in case she changed her mind and refused to let him back in her life. That distance meant no more sex until she made up her mind.
With a long exhale and a shift of her head, she curled her body into his and pulled his arm over her stomach. It was how they'd always started the night out before he shifted and took over the bed. She'd hated how little room he left her, but try as he might he'd been unable to change his sleeping habits.
He started the night out on his half of the bed, but every morning he woke up sprawled across the whole bed. It was another reason not to stay all night. He might stand a better chance of winning her back if she thought she could have her half of the bed every night.
“Thank you for doing this, Danny.”
“I'd do anything for you, Tabatha. You only have to ask.” He brushed the hair away from her forehead. “For now, you do me a favor and go to sleep. I'm sure you'll have a lot of catching up to do at work tomorrow.”
“Yeah.” On a final sigh, her body grew heavy against his as she fell asleep.
Danny closed his eyes and refreshed his memory with the feel of her in his arms while her scent drifted on the air surrounding them. The next time they saw each other they would talk about the future. He would stay patient as long as it took, but being so close to her with so many questions still unanswered was killing him. The biggest question of all was how good were his chances at a second match?
Tabatha woke the next morning feeling more refreshed and relaxed than she had in over a year. Afraid to open her eyes, she stretched a hand behind her and found Danny's spot behind her empty. Danny's spot. The thought was there like it had never left.
She'd known he probably wouldn't stay and she hadn't wanted to deal with the complications that would come from waking together, but damn if she wasn't disappointed to find him gone. Rather than dwell on the possibilities of what could have happened or might still happen, she got up and got ready for work.
She found a note on her bathroom mirror, written in the lip gloss he'd bought her.
Think of me. Love D.
The top thought in her mind an hour later when she arrived at Tulle and Tulips, before running into Jenny and everyone else other than Sheree, was of Danny. The thoughts only shifted slightly when Sheree met her at the door to her office.
“You're here early,” she said, surprised to see her assistant in before her.
“I figured you might want some help setting up for the Vasquez wedding this morning.”
“Really? That's it? There are no burning issues you wanted to get in front of?” Asking the universe to keep things running smooth in the wedding business while a planner was gone for a week was just too much to ask. She'd expected to walk into a handful of issues. She was pleasantly surprised with Sheree's answer.
“Last week went smoothly. I have two more renderings to do, but those meetings aren't for a few days and I'll have them finished tonight. We're in good shape.”
More relieved than she'd have thought possible, Tabatha pulled Sheree into a hug. She'd trusted her assistant, but wedding plans were unpredictable and often troublesome. A quiet week was a divine gift worth celebrating. “Thank you!”
“Just doing my job.” Sheree, not a toucher let alone a hugger, chuckled as she patted Tabatha's back. “If it means you'll stop hugging me I'll screw something up.”
Now Tabatha laughed as she released her assistant. “Sorry. It won't happen again.”
“No worries.” Sheree stepped back with a tight smile. “If you're ready, I have everything loaded in the van out back. The crew is supposed to be there in thirty minutes.”
“You're a goddess.”
“And you're in a really chipper mood.” Sheree said with cautiously narrowed eyes.
“Had a good night's sleep.”
With a man I love beside me.
The thought jarred Tabatha back a step and had her forcing her focus to the day ahead of her. Danny didn't move far away in her mind though. “I'm just going to handle a few emails and then I'll meet you there.”
“You want me to pick you up a Starbucks?”
“That might earn another hug.”
“Then I'll mess up the order.” Sheree smiled as she backed away. “See you there.”
Tabatha was laughing, something she seemed to be doing more of than normal, as she went into her office. While the computer booted up, she pulled the lip gloss from Danny out of her pocket and put some on.
He'd been kind the night before, taking care of her, making sure she slept. He hadn't asked for anything in return, had put no pressure on her. The Danny she'd known in California would never have been attuned enough to her needs to set his own wants aside. This Danny made her laugh, saw to her needs and was on time for things. The list of ways he'd changed grew more each day that she talked to or saw him, and every change was for the better.
He was more dangerous than ever, because she was really thinking he deserved a second chance.
Forty-five minutes later she pulled up to the beach where they were setting up for the Vasquez wedding. She stepped onto the sand to find the problems she'd expected on the first day back after a week.
“What do you mean the lights and the crew to install them aren't here,” Sheree was asking, Joe, the crew foreman. “I specifically confirmed those yesterday.”
Joe was tall and slightly overweight, and he was one of the best foremen Tabatha had ever worked with. He never budged beneath the weight of Sheree's disappointment.