Chapter Nineteen
I loved how Danny gently placed my belongings on an end table like they were something precious and then slowly emptied his own pockets, as if I wasn’t creating a puddle in his living room.
“Turn off your phone,”
he commanded as he silenced his. “No more interruptions this time.”
Oh. His voice was swift and decisive. He knew what he wanted. This wasn’t the time for dillydallying. I had to keep up. My hands shook as I pressed the side button and then dropped my phone by the rest of my stuff so I could help Danny out of his shirt.
Danny clasped my hands over his chest. “You’re cold.”
“I bet you could warm me-e u-up.”
This would’ve sounded sexy if my teeth weren’t chattering. I tried to convince him I was okay with a kiss, but he backed away.
“Hey,”
Danny kissed my cheek, taking away the sting. “You’re freezing. Let me draw you a bath. There’s no need to rush. Not like the first time.”
I laughed, surprised that he brought it up. That had been so embarrassing. It shouldn’t even count, since we didn’t get very far. “You mean we’re actually going to take our clothes off this time?”
“God, I hope so.”
Danny took my hand and led me down the hallway. “Come on.”
Danny ran the water, checking the temperature as it filled the tub in the master bathroom. Waiting gave time for nerves to surface. It was one thing to get naked in the heat of the moment, but we were under bright, unflattering bathroom lights and the bathwater was clear as day.
I crossed my arms in front of my chest. The camisole was too small and too thin, now that I saw my reflection in the mirror. “Do you have a bath salts or something bubbly?”
Danny made a face like I was speaking a different language. It was pretty cute, though I had a feeling he’d protest the word, like he’d outgrown it. Maybe he could live with “adorable.”
“I don’t have anything unscented.”
Now I was the one making a dumb face. “You looked like you were about to pass out when we were at Noodle World. In the bathroom?”
Oh. He remembered that? That felt like a lifetime ago.
Danny rummaged through his vanity drawers. “Uh, I have three-for-one bodywash, or this pink-and-purple bath bomb that, uh”—he cleared his throat in a startlingly loud way—“came in some gift set, I think. I don’t know how it got in there.”
He didn’t even need to take it out. I could smell it from where I was standing. It was like walking into a Bath and Body Works. I covered my nose with the back of my hand. “I’ll use whatever soap you use.”
Was that weird to say? Because we spent the next five long seconds staring at each other, while his ears stayed a persistent pink.
“Okay.”
Danny kissed my forehead and threw his thumb over his shoulder. “I’ll give you some privacy.”
As he left, he adjusted the lights, so it wasn’t so bright. “Don’t go for any more swims. The tub isn’t big enough for that.”
“Ha-ha,”
I replied, but I was grateful. I undressed and lowered myself into the water. It was perfectly warm, just shy of hot. It took awhile to find a comfortable position and relax. I rarely took baths because showers were more efficient. I lathered soap in the water, recognizing the mild linen scent. I ran my hands along my arms and legs, each pass melting the stress of my day away. I realized I should listen to my body more. It was telling me to slow down.
I could hear Danny’s feet padding around his bedroom and wondered what he was up to. If he wasn’t busy, maybe he could help me release a different kind of tension. My own hands didn’t feel quite enough anymore.
“Danny,”
I called out.
“You need something?”
The door to the bathroom was behind me, so I couldn’t see him, but he could see me.
“You were right.”
“I’m sorry. Can you say that again? I don’t think I caught that.”
I rolled my eyes. “You were right.”
“What’s this in reference to?”
This guy was trying to milk “you were right”
for all it was worth. “This bath is really nice, but”—I lifted my leg and arched my foot toward the faucet—“the water’s gotten cold,”
I lied. “Think you can help me?”
“It hasn’t been that long.”
The water sloshed when I dropped my leg back into the tub. Just when I thought Danny was hopeless, he announced, “Maybe I should come in and check.”
I bit my lip to stop my smile. Danny could never make it as an actor.
He took two steps and stood still by the side of the tub, wearing the same damp clothes. His hands were squarely in his pants pockets as his eyes swept my body, which had more dimples and stretch marks these days. Not that Danny knew that. He didn’t look like he cared.
Danny knelt beside me and rolled his sleeve to his elbow. His fingers swirled in the water above my belly button. “Seems warm to me.”
“You should keep checking.”
Danny squeezed my knee. “Nope. Warm here too.”
“Danny,”
I warned. I didn’t call him over to play games. “Are you done?”
“What are you talking about? I’m just getting started.”
His hand slid up my thigh, and I was groaning softly when he reached the center. I closed my legs to keep him there.
Danny smirked as his hand slipped away to rest palm flat on my belly. “You’re so impatient.”
“Oh really? Because I think you started something twenty years ago that you haven’t finished.”
I, for one, would like to finish.
“We can’t have that happen again, can we?”
His hand wandered over my body, caressing the curves of my breast. “Tell me what you like.”
Oh, so this was how he was going to play this.
“I need you lower.”
I thought the message was clear until Danny asked, “And do what?”
“Do you want me to give you step-by-step instructions?”
“Well, you’re the tutor.”
Danny massaged my inner thigh, frustrating me to no end. He was so close to where I needed him. “What do you want me to do next?”
“Touch me.”
I pushed his hand to the apex of my thighs. “Here.”
Before I could say another word, a sigh escaped my lips. Danny ran his knuckle down the center, teasing me. He didn’t even try to hide his satisfied smile. “Okay, what else?”
“More.”
My breath grew hot and heavy as Danny’s steady finger applied more pressure, changing the current in the water. “Harder.”
Apparently, I could only speak one word at a time.
Just when I thought this was all fun and games for him, Danny’s breath grew ragged. “Like this?”
Danny kissed me, making me gasp in his mouth as he inserted a finger and then two. There wasn’t anything for me to teach him when he was reading my face with heavy-lidded eyes, watching me fall apart. My thighs shook as pleasure climbed and climbed.
Danny groaned, hot and low in my ear. “Fuck.”
It broke me. Every sound I made—every moan, every whimper—echoed throughout his bathroom.
Danny pressed his lips on my temple as I rode out the rest of my orgasm. “Enjoy the rest of your bath, okay? There’s no rush.”
He said that, but as he stood up to leave and I got a good view of the front of his pants, I saw that we had urgent business to take care of.
I dried my hair and wrapped a towel around me, then caught up to him in his bedroom. He was sitting at the edge of his bed, bent forward, his hands pressed on the back of his neck, staring at the floor.
I stood in front of him. “Are you okay?”
“I need a minute.”
His eyes dragged up my body as his head slowly turned up to mine. “Two minutes.”
“Is there anything I could do?”
I asked, taking a step closer.
“You’ve done enough.”
His hands flirted with the edge of my towel. “We don’t have to jump right into bed. You need to give me a chance to make it last.”
“What about you, though?”
I palmed his hard length over his pants, earning myself a low moan from Danny.
“What about me?”
His words came out strained as he continued to resist. “I’m fairly easy to please.”
“Oh yeah?”
I slowly unwrapped the towel and let it drop by my feet. Danny groaned like I was being unfair.
“You’re killing me.”
His eyes grew hungry, taking advantage of the up-close view. He dropped his head, nipping the valley in between my breasts. “I want to live here.”
His enthusiasm made me laugh until he gripped my thighs and lifted me onto the bed. There wasn’t anything funny about the way he got rid of his clothes. His body was smooth and strong, a sculpture out of my own desires. Danny licked his lips as he crawled in between my legs.
“Danny. You already—”
He hushed me, spreading my legs wider with clear determination. “Just let me have a taste.”
“A taste”
was underselling it. Danny was savoring it with his languid tongue. I would’ve let him have at it and get seconds, but I was already wound up.
“Dan—”
I swallowed my gasp. “Danny. I need you. Inside. Right now.”
This time he listened to directions. He sat up, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
“Are you sure?”
The earnest way he said this reminded me of the boy I used to know, who always tried to make me laugh, the one who stole my heart without even trying.
“You like taking care of me.”
I saw it in the way he looked after me and put me first.
Danny reached for a condom from his bedside table. It was excruciating watching him roll it down slowly. “I want to make sure it feels good.”
“Trust me,”
I said, pulling him over me. “It does.”
He thrust slowly, letting me feel the entire delicious length of him. I loved how concentrated he was on me and having the weight of him on top of me. But as I ran my hands down his body, feeling the strain of his back and shoulders, I wondered how much he was holding back.
I dragged him down for a kiss. “I want to know what you like too,”
I said into his mouth. “Show me.”
There wasn’t anything I wanted more than to see Danny lose himself to me.
“Yeah?”
Danny kissed me, hesitating for a moment before he retreated. He sat up once more to reposition himself, gripping my hips as he slammed into me once, giving me a sample of what to expect. “Tell me if you want me to stop.”
Not a chance. “Keep going.”
As Danny picked up his rhythm, his sounds became raw and rough. I had to shelter my head from hitting his headboard, but it was a small price to pay when Danny felt this good. I rocked my hips, meeting him where he needed me until my mind went blank, free from past mistakes and failed attempts. Danny’s hands followed the arch in my back, his mouth tracing the curve up my neck. I hung onto him as he buried himself into me, relentless until I surrendered my pleasure. My orgasm came hard and fast, more intense than the first time.
Danny kept going through my aftershocks until he found his own release.
“That was—”
Danny blew out a deep breath without finishing his sentence, then collapsed beside me. I mumbled a sound of agreement. I wasn’t exactly in a position to form insightful thoughts either. He rolled over and kissed my shoulder.
“Stop.”
I slapped him away. “I’m sticky.”
“So am I,”
he said, bringing my attention to the sheen of sweat illuminating his flushed skin. “How about a shower?”
I laughed. I was still wet from my bath.
“Only a shower,”
I said, though I wasn’t sure if I was trying to convince him or me.
I learned something new about Danny. He was remarkably energetic after sex. Yes, it was the most exciting shower I’d ever had, but it was past my bedtime. I could’ve easily nodded off in the soft T-shirt and sweatpants I borrowed from Danny. However, he knew my weakness: a late-night movie.
“We might as well watch something while your clothes dry,”
he reasoned as he picked up the remote.
I made myself comfortable on the sofa. Danny opened the search bar and entered his query one letter at a time. I was giddy as “Keanu”
spelled out on the screen, until Danny selected a John Wick movie. “Speed was right there.”
“My house, my pick.”
Danny slowly eased into the seat next to me.
“Is it your butt? Is it still sore?”
“For the last time, can you stop talking about my butt?”
“I could, but it’s fun.”
I tugged his arm and patted my thigh. “Lie down so you’re not putting any weight on it.”
Danny hesitated, but he eventually gave in and rested his head on my lap. Instead of facing the screen, he looked up at me.
“You’re not watching the movie,”
I said, playing with his luscious, luscious hair, still damp from the shower.
“I’d much rather look at you.”
From that angle? Did he like looking up my nose?
I rolled my eyes. “You think you’re so smooth, huh?”
“No. Just trying to beat you at your own game.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re the one who always watches me to see how I react.”
“Oh.”
I hadn’t realized. “I didn’t mean to be a creep.”
Danny’s body shook with laughter. “It’s not creepy. I thought it was your way of including me, like you were letting me in on a secret.”
My breath hitched when he took my wrist and kissed my palm before pressing it on his cheek. “There’s something I’ve been wondering, though.”
I turned down the volume on the TV. “What is it?”
“Earlier you said you were sorry for breaking up our friendship, but I never thought it was broken.”
What was he talking about? “On Awards Night, I told you that I never wanted to speak to you again and never returned your messages. I broke it.”
“You didn’t read any of the messages I left you,”
he said, like he was working that out as he was speaking.
He left me messages?
“I basically quit IM-ing people after,”
I explained, hating my dumb younger self. When I said I didn’t want to talk to anyone again, my decision was final like a sale item on clearance. No returns. No exchanges. I was horribly stubborn that way. “Do you remember what any of them said?”
“Not really. I just wanted a chance to talk to you,”
he said. His sincerity broke my heart.
“How could you still want to be my friend after I got mad over your grades or how I basically avoided you after prom?”
“We’d been friends for so long. I wasn’t going to give up on you so easy.”
Danny reached up and tucked my hair behind my ear.
“Still. I wasn’t that nice to you.”
“No, but it’s like that one saying. Set something free and if it comes back, it’s meant to be.”
“So wise,”
I teased. I was pretty sure that wasn’t how the saying went. “Is that why you give advice professionally?”
“Someone told me once that I was a good listener.”
He reached up and held my face. “It kind of stuck with me.”
“It’s true,”
I said. “I second whoever told you that.”
Danny’s hand went cold. “You told me that.”
“I did?”
I couldn’t recall ever saying that to him. Was it over AIM?
“You don’t remember?”
Danny laughed, incredulous. “We were at the park. I got you to ditch school. You were lying on the grass, looking up at me like I’m doing right now.”
His voice grew more passionate as he tried to set the record straight. “We talked about going to college. You don’t remember that?”
I squinted, like I was trying to squeeze out every ounce of memory, hoping something familiar emerged. “Uh, I remember wanting to kiss you.”
“Oh my god, Rachel.”
Danny palmed his forehead, horrified. “That is one of my core memories.”
“Same for me!”
I insisted.
“Yes, but mine set the trajectory for my adult life. Yours was because you were horny for me. Actually, now that I think about it, I’m okay with it.”
I smacked him with a decorative pillow. “You’re an idiot.”
Danny blocked my attacks as he sat up and tickled me in his defense until he had me underneath him once again. “Let the record show, Rachel Dang was horny for me!”
I laughed like I hadn’t laughed in a long time. I laughed at the absurdity of this night, culminating in this moment, something I never thought I’d ever have again. It was more than I could ever have hoped for.