Epilogue
Danica got out of the backseat of the towncar. “Thanks, Eric. See you next time.”
“No problem, Ms. Foster-Grant. You have a nice night.” The driver carried her small suitcase to the front steps of the Vandermeer house, gave her one last wave, and got back into the black sedan.
Danica breathed in the sweet, unmistakable scent of the West Oaks hills. She’d been away for over a week, and she was ecstatic to be home.
Her smile got even bigger when she heard the distinctive rumble of a Ducati engine.
Noah’s motorcycle came down the driveway and parked right in front of her. She admired his long legs in his jeans as he cut the engine and tugged off his helmet.
“Hey, gorgeous.” Noah’s hair was messy, and his dimple sank into his cheek as he grinned.
Danica waited until he’d swung his leg over the motorcycle. Then she ran over to him and jumped in his arms.
“I think somebody missed me,” he said.
“Missed your sexy body.”
They spent a couple of glorious minutes making out until the front door of the house opened, and a throat cleared.
Ginger stood on the porch, a delighted smile on her face and curlers in her hair. “You two are always so punctual. I wanted to say hello, but then I need to finish my primping.”
Noah set Danica down, and she wheeled her suitcase over to the porch. Ginger kissed her on both cheeks. “My dear, how is it you look more beautiful every time I see you?”
Noah mounted the steps. “I ask her that every day.”
Danica smirked at Ginger. “He’s just trying to earn points so I’ll go easy on him in our next argument.”
“As he should. If you’re always battling, you’re never bored.” Ginger winked. Then she looked Danica up and down. “You truly have a dancer’s body. Ever considered taking the stage? The Pacific Burlesque has an amateurs night…”
Noah scowled. “Gigi, no.”
His step-grandmother leaned into Danica.
“So easy to bait, that one,” she said in a loud whisper.
“All right, you two get dressed, grab some champagne, and relax. I’ll make myself beautiful.
Noah, if your grandfather doesn’t turn up in five minutes, please pull him away from the television? Some horrendous golf tournament is on.”
They all went inside the house. Danica had come straight here from the airport after a whirlwind trip to New York, Miami, and Chicago.
But being with Noah again had filled her with energy.
She was looking forward to spending tonight with family and friends, and later, catching up on time with her boyfriend.
He seemed to have the same thing on his mind. Noah palmed her butt as they walked through the entryway. “Want to get changed in my room?”
“We both know where that will lead. We don’t have time.”
“I can be really quick. You won’t know what hit you.”
She cracked up. “As difficult as it is to turn down that offer…”
“Remind me why you let Ginger schedule this dinner party the very night you got back after a week away? A week of leaving me alone with Lucifer hissing at me from your side of the bed?”
“But look at you, you survived. You’re so resilient.”
She took her suitcase into one of the downstairs bathrooms to get ready. Danica had picked a black, wide-legged jumpsuit for tonight’s dinner party. She added a few swipes of dark eyeshadow and mascara, fluffed her hair, and she was ready.
When she emerged, Noah was greeting the first guests. He’d changed into tailored pants that hugged his ass and a shiny black button-down Danica had bought him. Because she was so over the polo shirts.
Tori hurried over when she saw Danica. She held out a bakery box. “Hi! I wanted to bring something, and Noah said you like chocolate cookies?”
“I love them. Thank you, Tori.” Danica hugged her sister. “I’m so glad you could come.”
“You kidding? I wouldn’t miss it.”
Over the last months, Danica had continued bonding with her sister.
Tori had been helping to expand the Foster-Grant Foundation’s presence in West Oaks.
Danica had invited some of her other new foundation employees tonight as well.
Tori and their team were taking the foundation in exciting directions, and Noah had been serving more and more of an active role himself.
But Noah was still a part of the Bennett Security family, too, even if he’d reduced his hours as a bodyguard.
All the usual suspects would be here tonight: Tanner and Faith, Aurora and Devon, Max and Lana.
Plus Sylvie, Bennett Security’s computer expert, and her boyfriend Nic, whom Danica was excited to meet.
Noah had invited Chase, the West Oaks PD officer who’d helped Danica before, but Chase had to work.
The party wasn’t going to be forty people like Ginger had wanted, but these were the people Danica had come to love in West Oaks. She may have grown up here, but these new friends had really made it feel like home.
Soon the house was filled with talking and laughter.
Ginger made a grand entrance, decked out in a midnight-blue pair of cigarette pants and a matching cropped blazer that Danica had seen at the last New York Fashion Week.
Noah didn’t even have to drag his grandpa away from the TV.
Gramps appeared at Ginger’s side, gazing at her adoringly.
They sat in the formal dining room for a plated dinner.
Ginger had arranged all the details of this party, along with some help from Aurora, who’d been eager to try out a new caterer.
The food was delicious, all modern Californian cuisine with touches of Mediterranean influences.
As promised, there were wine pairings for every dish.
“So, what’s your next glamorous event, Aurora?” Danica asked.
Dinner was finished, and they were standing on the back patio, enjoying the sunset. Faith, Lana, and Sylvie were standing in a circle with them, all sipping bubbly. Everybody was a bit tipsy after all the wine and rich food, laughing and joking easily.
Aurora gave Lana a knowing glance. “A certain wedding that’ll be the talk of all of West Oaks.”
Danica raised her eyebrows. She’d known that Max and Lana were engaged, but she hadn’t heard the exact date yet. “Will it be soon?”
Lana nudged Danica with her elbow. “Don’t worry, you and Noah are definitely invited. I’m still trying to nail down a date.”
“And every venue is booked for at least the next eight months,” Aurora complained. “This is why people do one-year engagements.”
“But Max and I don’t see the point in waiting.”
Aurora heaved a dramatic sigh. “We might have to start looking at different towns.”
“I keep telling her we could set up a big tent in that park near Bennett Security headquarters.” Lana tipped back her wine flute.
Aurora pulled a face. “With its sweeping views of the freeway and the dumpsters in the next alley? I don’t think so.”
“What about a house up here in the hills?” Sylvie asked. “Have you looked into renting a place?”
Faith clapped her hands. “Oh, do that! It’s so pretty up here with all the trees and views.”
Danica assumed some of the estates around here doubled as private venues. But what was the point of renting when they could have one for free?
“What about my father’s house? The back garden overlooks the ocean.
It’s secluded, plenty of room to set up your tent, Lana.
And I can guarantee it’s available whenever you need it.
” Not like Danica’s father had any big plans of his own.
Besides, William was willing to do pretty much anything his eldest daughter asked these days.
Lana’s and Aurora’s eyes lit up.
“It wouldn’t be any trouble?” Lana asked.
“Not in the least. But I’m sure you’d want to take a look and make sure it’s right for you. Don’t feel obligated to accept if it’s not what you had in mind.”
Aurora laughed. “Are you kidding? Lana is not picky.”
Lana nodded. “About weddings? It’s true.”
“You are the best, Dani.” Aurora put a hand to her mouth and raised her voice. “And so are you, Noah!”
All the men looked over. They’d been chatting and drinking some kind of scotch Noah’s grandfather had pulled out.
“I know I’m the best,” Noah said without hesitation. “Anything in particular I’m excelling at currently?”
“Just having amazing taste in women.”
Noah grinned at the other guys. “It’s one of the things Max asks about during job interviews.”
Ginger walked through the open doors onto the patio, holding up a bottle of Veuve Clicquot. “So that explains it. I’ve never seen so many beautiful couples. Now, a far more important concern. Whose glass needs freshening?”
Noah took a sip of scotch. “Lot of conspiring going on over there, Max. You worried?”
“Careful, Vandermeer. You’re about to get roped into this wedding, too. Sounds like your girlfriend just volunteered to host it.”
“Does that mean I get to be best man?” Noah asked.
“Only if Tanner says no,” Max quipped.
Noah had been a little annoyed to attend a dinner party this evening instead of having Danica all to himself.
But he’d been enjoying this time with his friends.
He hadn’t been seeing them as much lately since he’d been slowly scaling back his role at Bennett Security.
But there was no way he could say goodbye to them entirely. They were way too much fun.
Tanner tossed back the last of his scotch. “Not it. I think Devon should do it. Aurora’s the maid of honor, right? They’ll look good together.”
Devon’s nose wrinkled. “You don’t have to ask me, Max. It’s fine.”
Max paused, rubbing his chin like he was trying to figure out some way out of this conversation. But then, Max surprised them all by nodding. “Tanner’s got a point. I’d be honored if you’d stand up with me, Devon.”
“Really?” Devon’s voice squeaked like he was a kid getting asked to the senior prom. “Absolutely.”
Tanner slung a heavy arm around Noah’s shoulder. “I sense an epic bromance coming on. Don’t you love happily ever afters?”
“You know I do.”
A few minutes later, while Noah was pouring another finger of scotch into his glass, he noticed Danica break away from her group and walk inside the house.
She glanced over her shoulder straight at him, a coy smile dancing across her lips. He knew that look.
Chase me.
Oh, hell yeah. He was definitely up for whatever she had in mind.
Danica still loved her schedule and her routines. But she’d also gotten more spontaneous since they’d gotten together, and Noah had been taking full advantage of that.
He set down his glass and made his way to the second floor.
His knuckles rapped at his bedroom door. “It’s me,” he said softly.
“Hurry up and get in here.”
He stepped inside and found his girlfriend in his bed, a sheet drawn up over her breasts. Her black jumpsuit was on the floor, along with a matching set of black lace lingerie.
When he closed the door behind him and flipped the lock, she kicked the sheet away. “I figure we have about ten minutes until they realize we’re gone,” Danica said.
Noah walked toward the bed, already stripping off his button-down and pants, eyes feasting on her naked body. “Who the hell cares if they do?”
He sprawled onto the bed, covering her body with his. Danica grabbed his face and kissed him. Their tongues battled. She tasted like champagne, smelled like expensive perfume and arousal.
Noah rutted his erection against her thigh. Not subtle, but after almost a week since last seeing her, he was too horny to be subtle.
“I want you to fuck me with your tongue,” she said. “And I want to suck you.”
So Dani wasn’t feeling too subtle, either.
“Sixty-nine?”
“It is more efficient.”
“Wouldn’t want to keep our guests waiting.” Noah rolled off her and lay flat on his back. Danica swung around, wiggling her ass near his face. He playfully swatted her butt cheek with a loud smack.
She looked back at him. “Hey, quiet.”
“They’re not going to hear. Everyone’s outside. Well, except the caterers.” Dishes clattered downstairs in the kitchen.
Danica lowered her head to lick the underside of his shaft until she reached his sac.
“Mmmm,” Noah hummed, eyes closing.
She nuzzled his balls and kissed each one. “I missed how you smell.”
“I missed how you taste.”
Noah grabbed some pillows to prop behind his head. He pushed her thighs further apart and dragged his tongue over her opening, letting her sweetness coat his taste buds. At the same time, Danica gripped the base of his cock and lashed her tongue over his slit.
Oh, fuck. If he moaned as loud as he wanted to, they’d definitely hear him outside.
Her hips moved as he licked her and sucked her clit. He knew just what she liked, the speed and the roughness. His teeth nipped at her folds, fingers squeezing her ass. The first few times he’d gone down on her, Noah had noticed her self-consciousness. But Danica had lost any such inhibitions.
All the while, his own pleasure was building as Danica blew him. Her tongue swirled and her mouth suctioned on his dick, taking him deep.
Her cries muffled were muffled when she came. Noah let loose a moment later. His cock spasmed, spilling down her throat.
Danica collapsed onto the mattress beside him, head still facing the end of the bed. Noah kissed her legs, running his palm over her smooth calves and thighs.
“We should get back to the party,” she whispered.
“Kind of enjoying our private party here.”
But Noah loved his friends, and he especially loved seeing the friendships Dani had made here in West Oaks. Their lives had intertwined in the best way. And they’d have plenty of time later tonight to continue their private reunion.
Forever. He didn’t know what that word meant in reality, but every moment of “forever” that he got, he wanted to spend with her.