Chapter 23
SADIE
It was obvious that Danny switched seats with Lorenzo at the game because of something I said or did, so I ignored him while we were there. But I couldn’t keep doing that while hanging out at his place. I’m not a total bitch.
Danny leans forward and reaches for the last slice of pizza, but then he stops and looks at me. “Do you wanna share?”
“God, no.” I lean back on the couch and stuff my belly out. “I look like I’m six months pregnant.”
He drops his eyes to my stomach and shakes his head. “You look nothing like a six months pregnant woman. Four tops.”
He takes a bite of the pizza, and gooey cheese drips down the sides. That sight should have been gross, but hell if Danny doesn’t make it look sexy. His tongue darts out to capture the string of melted cheese, and I can’t look away.
He turns, catching me staring. “What?” he asks with his mouth full.
I sit straighter. “Nothing. I should get going. It’s late.”
“What? No way,” Lorenzo complains. “You promised another round of Mario Kart . I have to reclaim my title.”
From the other side of the couch, Andy says, “Yeah, Sadie. Stay. Besides, how many beers did you drink? You probably shouldn’t be driving.”
I’d take him seriously if he hadn’t said that with a smirk.
“I’m fine to drive,” I grumble.
“Says the girl who crashed into my parked car when she was sober,” Danny chimes in.
Narrowing my eyes, I whip my face to his. “Really? How long are you going to hold that over my head?”
“For as long as it annoys you.” He takes another bite of his pizza.
“Teasing aside, I also think you should stay,” Jane says. “Danny can sleep on the couch again, right, Danny?”
“Yep. I like the couch.”
I have hundreds of reasons why staying over is a bad idea, but I did drink one too many beers. Maybe I did it deliberately, so I’d have an excuse to stay. My mind is weak when it comes to Danny.
“Fine. I’ll stay. But I’ve got nothing on me. I have to borrow one of your shirts,” I tell him.
“That can be arranged.”
“Maybe you should leave some stuff here since you and Danny are such close friends.” Andy smiles like a cat that ate the canary.
I want to say “Hell to the no,” but it would probably offend Danny. I choose to glare at his roommate instead.
“So, Mario Kart ?” Lorenzo asks.
“Sure, but since I’m staying, I guess I can have another beer.” I make a motion to stand, but Danny puts his hand on my arm.
“I’ll grab it.”
He heads to the kitchen, taking the empty pizza box with him. My eyes begin to follow him, but I catch myself in time and snap my gaze to the TV.
Lorenzo and I get busy picking our avatars and then customizing our race cars.
“Sadie, we’re out of regular beer,” Danny calls from the kitchen.
“What’s not regular beer?”
“Cherry.”
“Oh, I like those.”
“How in the world did we end up with cherry beer in our fridge?” Andy asks.
“I don’t know. I think Charlie brought them the last time she and Troy were here.”
“I miss them,” Jane says in a morose tone.
“Me too, babe.” Andy kisses her on the cheek.
“Who are they?” I ask when Danny returns with the bottle of cherry beer.
“Troy is my brother, and Charlie is his girlfriend,” Jane explains. “They’re living in London now.”
“Really? If they need suggestions on the best places to go, I’d be happy to give them some tips.”
“Oh, that’d be great. I’m sure they’d love it.”
“Are you ready, Sadie?” Lorenzo draws my attention back to the game.
“Oh, yeah. I’m so going to smoke your arse again.”
“No chance.”
We play until my fingers are numb and Lorenzo finally beats me. Andy and Jane have gone to bed already, and after a silly victory dance, Lorenzo trudges to his room. I stand and stretch my arms, eyeing the three bottles of cherry beer I drank between rounds of Mario Kart .
It’s then that I notice Danny is also not in the living room anymore. Gee, I guess being in any type of competitive game takes all my focus.
I bring the empty bottles to the kitchen, setting them on the counter. They probably have a recycling bin somewhere, but I’m too tired now to go look for it.
On my way to Danny’s bedroom, I realize I am tipsy.
His door is open only a sliver. I have no idea what I’ll find inside.
Maybe I should have knocked first, but the thought only occurs to me after I’ve already opened the door all the way.
To my regret, I don’t catch Danny in the middle of changing clothes.
He’s asleep with a thick book lying across his stomach. I tiptoe toward him, and upon closer inspection, I see he was reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire . My favorite book in the series. A smile tugs on my lips.
Since there are no witnesses, I give myself permission to stare at Danny unabashedly.
Giddiness takes over, and who can blame me?
The boy is swoonworthy. I don’t know what I love more about his face: the kissable lips, his chin dimple, or his blond curls.
I sit next to him and lightly run my fingers over his hairline.
Danny wakes with a start and a second later squints. “Did I fall asleep?”
“Yeah.”
“Sorry. I’ll go set up my bed in the living room.” He begins to sit, but I push him back.
“I’m not going to make you sleep on the couch. I’ll do it.”
Undeterred, he rises despite my hand pressing in the opposite direction. If he wants to sit up, I’m not going to manhandle him into bed. Although I’d love to manhandle him in other areas.
Bollocks, my train of thought is already derailing into smutty territory. Next stop, O-town.
“You’re not sleeping on the couch. Don’t be ridiculous.”
“I’m not going to let you sleep there either. So I guess we’re sharing the bed.”
Oh my God. What am I saying? I can only blame my behavior on alcohol.
“Fine. If that’s what you want, we’ll share the bed. But if you start to hog the covers, I will push you over the edge.”
Since my hand is still on Danny’s shoulder, I pinch his arm.
“Ouch!” he complains.
“If you push me off the bed, I’ll do to you what I did to Nick Fowler at the gym.”
Danny’s back turns rigid as his face twists into a scowl. His hand ends up on my leg. “That’s the day you said nothing important happened.”
Ah hell. Stupid drunk tongue revealing all my secrets.
“Nick grabbed my arm at the gym when I told him to get out of the way, so I did the only thing I could. I brought my knee up to his nuts. Crushed ’em.”
His eyebrows shoot up, and his lips curl in a grin. “You did that? For real?”
“Yep. It’s not like I hadn’t warned him before.” I shrug.
To my surprise, Danny pulls me into a hug, and damn it if I don’t melt into his arms.
“You’re the best.”
“I know.” I laugh.
Too soon, he releases me and gets out of bed. I watch him go with lovesick puppy eyes. He pulls a long T-shirt from his drawer and tosses it in my direction.
“You can wear this. It should look like a dress on you.”
I eye the piece of clothing, loving how it smells of him. I might have to steal it. “Only because you’re a giant.”
“I’m not a giant, at least not compared to Paris or Puck. Those two are Hagrid wannabes.”
I smile. “I love that you’re an HP fanboy.”
He gives me a crooked smile. “Oh yeah. I got my membership card and everything.”
“What house are you? No, let me guess. You’re a Hufflepuff.”
He glares. “Woman, I’m offended. I’m a Gryffindor.”
“Oh yeah. I get that now. Soooo proud.”
He narrows his eyes. “I bet you’re a Slytherin.”
I jump from the bed and shorten the distance between us. “How dare you? I’m also a Gryffindor.”
He pinches his lips together, trying to suppress a chuckle.
“Laugh again and you get another pinch,” I say.
“Stop being so bossy, Hermione . If you want to brush your teeth, there’s a new toothbrush in the bathroom cabinet.”
Immediately, I fear I have bad breath. I step away from Danny before I say anything else.
“Cool. Thanks.”
I disappear into the bathroom and look for the aforementioned toothbrush. It’s not in the cabinet above the sink, so I search the drawer. I do find it, but also a box of condoms. Great, like I need another reminder that I want to jump Danny’s bones.
I close the drawer with a shove, then take my time brushing my teeth. I even brush my tongue—something I never do. Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I list in my head all the reasons why I should keep it in my pants. But my tipsy brain is keen on ignoring every single item.
Bloody hell.
In a hurry to change clothes before Danny decides to check on me, I almost end up falling on my butt, trying to remove my tight jeans. I bang my elbow against the wall, which sends white-hot pain up my arm.
“Fuck,” I grit out.
“Sadie? Are you okay in there?”
“I’m fine.”
I change into Danny’s shirt next, and like he said, it covers every bit that counts. It’s still short though, so he’ll get a good visual of my legs.
Why is that important?
You know why, Sadie.
God, the little voice inside my head is annoying.
When I return to the bedroom, Danny is already under the covers sans a T-shirt.
“You’d better not be naked under there.”
He rolls his eyes. “Come on. I’m not a perv. If my bare chest bothers you, I can put a T-shirt on. But I usually get hot at night.”
Hell and damn. I won’t survive sleeping next to him.
“Just stay on your side of the bed and we’ll be fine.”
I slide under the sheet, trying my best to act like this is natural. I can’t get comfortable to save my life though. I turn around and hit the pillow to see if it helps, all the while ignoring Danny’s stare.
“Are you done abusing my stuff?”
“Yeah. Keep talking and I’ll abuse you next.”
“Okay.”
Ah, hell. That sounded bad.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to imply I’d… well…. Ugh. Forget it.” I turn on my side, giving my back to him.
“I got what you meant. Can I shut off the light?”
“Yeah.”
The room turns pitch black for a moment, but my eyes remain wide open. After a while, they get used to the darkness and I can see the outline of the furniture. Danny fidgets next to me, switching positions several times.
Is he as uncomfortable as I am?