Chapter 5 Danni
DANNI
Iwake to the sound of birdsong and the smell of bacon. The sheets on this bed are luxurious and I stretch lazily, enjoying the heaviness in my bones from a night of really good sleep. The rainstorm has passed, and sunlight peeps in from behind the curtains.
Last night we played chess by the fire. It was my first time playing since I was a kid, and I’m sure Colter was going easy on me. He won four games and I won one, and even then I don’t think he was playing his best.
We talked as we played, and I got to know more about my handsome rescuer. Like that he was in the military, he’s a bike mechanic, and the MC he’s a part of is a group of ex-military guys who love to ride. Nothing illegal he assures me, which goes to show how much I know about motorcycle clubs.
He put me to bed in the spare room, which was slightly disappointing but the gentlemanly thing to do. It took me ages to get to sleep because I was thinking about Colter down the hall and wondering what he’d do if I snuck out of bed and slipped in beside him.
But that’s not the type of girl Mom raised me to be, even if my body goes into overdrive whenever I gaze into his dark eyes.
I find Colter in the kitchen with bacon sizzling on the stove top.
He goes still when he sees me, and his eyes widen. Most of my clothes are still in the suitcase in the trunk of my beautiful but useless car, so I slept in a flannel shirt he lent me.
It’s more of a dress on me and falls almost to my knees. That’s where Colter’s eyes dart, to the line of skin that’s poking out where the shirt rides up on the sides of my thighs.
My skin prickles under his gaze and heat spreads up my thighs, making my core clench tight. I squirm uncomfortably, hoping he doesn’t notice the reaction I’m having to his gaze. If his eyes on me can cause my body to heat this much, I can only imagine what the feel of his touch would do.
“Morning.” Colter clears his throat and drags his gaze away from my thighs. “You sleep okay?”
I stretch lazily, then realize that makes the shirt ride up. I drop my arms and tug on the hem, but not before his gaze darts back to my legs. He swallows hard, and desire flashes across his face.
I can’t say I mind the look he’s giving me. My legs go wobbly, and I slide onto a kitchen stool before they give out.
“Like a log,” I lie, But I’m not going to tell him I laid awake thinking about him half the night. “It’s so peaceful here. You?”
Colter’s gaze finds mine. “I was restless.”
My cheeks flush. Was he restless because of me?
I’m sure he senses this attraction too, but he made it clear that he doesn’t want a relationship.
Then he went and made that tantalizing offer to do whatever I want this weekend.
My thoughts immediately went dirty, thinking about asking him to touch me down there.
But I don’t have much experience with men, and I’m not sure what I’d ask for.
Colter holds up a tray of eggs.
“How do you like ‘em? Fried, scrambled, or poached?”
I love that he’s asking, but I don’t want to put him out any more than I am already.
“However you’re having them.”
Colter shakes his head slowly, making a tutting sound. “That’s not how this works, Danni. It’s your weekend, remember? You ask for everything exactly how you want it.”
The words make my core turn liquid even though he’s only talking about eggs. It felt fun in the moment and after a glass of wine to agree to a weekend of yes, as he put it, but he can’t mean to go through with it, can he?
“No really, I don’t want to be a nuisance.”
He gives me a disapproving look, and my insides shrink. It’s the kind of look Mom gives me when I give her the wrong answer.
Colter stalks over to me until he’s so close I can smell his pine scent and musky body wash.
“This weekend is about you, Danni, living exactly how you want. So tell me, how do you want your eggs?”
It’s such a simple question, but no one has ever asked me that before. Mom always said I should eat eggs poached because that’s the healthiest way. She disapproved of the curves that remained stubbornly on my body no matter what diet she tried to put me on.
I think about it for way longer than a question about how you want your eggs should warrant.
“Fried, please. Two eggs.”
I say it quietly, wondering if he’s going to think I’m unhealthy for wanting fried eggs and greedy for wanting two of them. But after two glasses of wine last night, I need some grease. Colter only nods his approval and turns back to the pan.
A few minutes later, I’m biting into a bacon and fried egg sandwich with ketchup and egg yolk running down my chin. It’s messy, it’s inelegant, and it’s the most delicious breakfast I’ve ever tasted.
“Mmmm.” A moan escapes me as I bite into the eggy goodness. Colter watches me eat, his eyes widening. I should probably be embarrassed about the way I’m stuffing my face, but today’s all about me, right?
“This is good,” I say between mouthfuls. “Thank you.”
He leans forward and wipes yolk from the corner of my mouth. The touch makes me shiver deliciously, and for a moment I think he’s going to kiss my egg-stained lips, but he sits back instead.
“What would you like to do today?”
I chew my last bite thoughtfully.
“Is there a post office? I promised Mom I’d send her a card. Or a really good view so I can post some pictures for Mom…”
I trail off at the way Colter’s looking at me.
“But what do you want to do, Danni? Not for your mom, but for you?”
His words bring me up short. I never realized how much of what I do is for her. It’s not Mom’s fault. She raised me and my sister on her own, working two jobs so she could send us to college. She wants a better life for us than she had, and now that we’ve both left home she’s lonely.
I decide to take a few pics from whatever we end up doing and sending them to her tonight. But until then, I won’t think about Mom for the rest of the day.
But what do I want to do. What does Danni Malone want to do today?
I watch Colter across the table. By the looks he’s been giving me, I’m sure he’s as attracted to me as I am to him. What I really want to do is kiss his smiling lips and find out if his beard scratches when it’s between my legs.
I squeeze my thighs together at the thought. If only he knew what I was thinking. Instead, I say the next best thing I’d like to do.
“Is there good hiking around here?”
Colter nods his approval, and I’m pleased I’ve hit on something he enjoys too. “The best.”
“Where there’s no people. I don’t want to see people today.”
A grin spreads across his face.
“As you wish.”
“Wait, did you just quote The Princess Bride at me?”
Colter chuckles. “One of my favorite all time movies.”
I guffaw imagining this big tough biker guy watching The Princess Bride.
“Can we watch it later?”
Colter stands up to clear the plates. As he reaches for mine, he leans forward so his lips whisper in my ear.
“As you wish, Princess.”
Oh boy. The warmth from his lips caresses my skin and sends heat skittering over my body. I’m having a weekend of doing whatever I want, and I think what I want to do is Colter.