Standing so close, the two made a beautiful couple. It became painfully obvious to Story then that they’d been intimate at some point in the past. The knowledge felt like a punch to the gut.
These are the kinds of women he normally dates, she thought. The same kind of woman Fisher left me for. Classy, well connected…beautiful. She could barely stand being in high heels longer than an hour. Until now, Story hadn’t realized the women she’d been picturing as Daniel’s conquests were loud and trashy with bad dye jobs. She should have known he would attract women like this instead. Women with whom she’d been unconsciously competing for Fisher. And now Daniel. Only this time, she didn’t think she could survive losing.
Every instinct told her to turn and run. Run away from what she was seeing. Go back to California and pretend none of it ever happened.
But then Daniel’s eyes met hers, a dozen emotions flickering in their depths. Relief, desire, apology, dread. And then, for just a brief second, she saw shame. Not shame as though he’d behaved inappropriately. No, he clearly couldn’t be more relieved to see her. Quite possibly, he even needed rescuing from the woman in white. She read shame over what he’d done in the past. Of her bearing witness to something she wasn’t meant to see.
That made her mind up. Whether or not she’d consciously made the decision, she’d made Daniel hers in her mind long before now. He meant something to her. She wanted to belong to him, too. And if they had a chance in hell, she needed to get thicker skin. This probably wouldn’t be the last time a woman from his past popped up, but what she chose to do now would determine how she handled it in the future. She could either run away crying or go get her man. She chose the latter.
Taking a deep, fortifying breath, she started toward them. Daniel held an arm out, his eyes begging for understanding.
She slid into his side in time to hear him say, “Here she is. This is my—”
“Girlfriend. Story.” She smiled and extended her hand out to the brunette. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Dutifully, the woman shook Story’s hand, but didn’t return her smile. “Wow. Daniel Chase has a girlfriend. I honestly didn’t believe it. You deserve some kind of a medal, hon.”
Turns out a nice outfit doesn’t mean class. “I don’t need a medal. I’ve got him.” She reached down and took Daniel’s hand. Their eyes met, his filled with astonished gratitude. “Ready to head home, trail mix?”
“Ready, sunshine.”
Chapter Eighteen
Daniel watched Story from across the taxi’s leather seat as they weaved in and out of traffic on the FDR Drive. She’d rolled down her window, allowing the warm night air to rush in and blow blond hair around her face. Streetlights illuminated her briefly as they passed underneath, giving him flashes of her face in the darkened cab.
They hadn’t spoken since leaving the party, but thankfully their joined hands rested on the seat between them. She hadn’t let go of him once since the unfortunate encounter with his past at the bar. Daniel gripped her fingers like a lifeline. Without the simple connection, he felt like she could disappear at any moment.
He’d been granted a stay of execution. He knew how difficult it must have been for her, seeing him with someone he’d obviously slept with. If he ever saw Story with an ex-boyfriend, he would never have been able to swallow the jealousy long enough to be the bigger man. Especially if the faceless prick had the nerve to touch her.
Despite his requests for the woman to back off, she’d completely disregarded his words. She’d actually laughed at him, thinking he was joking. And could he really blame her? He didn’t recall the when and how of their association, but she probably had every right to assume he would go home with her, no questions asked. She couldn’t have known how drastically he’d changed. That one woman ruled his every thought and action.
He’d been on the verge of walking away, giving up on any attempt to be polite. Before he could make his move, he’d seen Story watching them and thought, “That’s it. It’s over. I fucked this up before it even began and hurt her in the process.”
Debating on the quickest way to catch her when she inevitably turned and ran for the elevator, he’d been shocked when instead she’d swooped in and claimed him. I don’t need a medal. I’ve got him. Daniel would never forget that moment if he lived for a hundred years. Within the space of a minute, he’d gone from feeling like the lowest possible life form to champion of the world. Someone who might be worthy of her. She’d made him feel wanted in a way he wasn’t accustomed. Now that she’d referred to herself as his girlfriend, he didn’t know how he could live without hearing it every day. Did he have a choice?
Story turned toward him now, hair billowing around her beautiful face and lights dancing in her eyes. Her lips stretched into a broad, reassuring smile and Daniel’s heart stuttered before kicking up a faster pace in his chest.
He’d fallen for this girl. The realization felt like pain and perfection at once. How do people live their lives feeling like this, day in and day out? Like your next breath depends on another person’s happiness? She’s torture and heaven all wrapped up in one forbidden package.
And she’ll leave you.
Hadn’t he known better than this? If his childhood had taught him anything, it was that wanting something inevitably led to disappointment. Somehow that lesson had utterly deserted him when it came to Story, because he wanted her with every goddamn bone in his body.
Certain she could read every thought on his face, Daniel quickly turned away. Declarations threatened to burst from his mouth, but he knew it would be too soon. Story wanted to pretend that she wouldn’t be leaving when Jack recovered. As though tonight was any regular night between them. And after what she’d done for him back at the party, he would do anything she asked of him. If he revealed how deeply his feelings for her ran, it might push her away.
She squeezed his hand. “What are you thinking about?”
If she only knew. “You were on the verge of running away back at the party. I saw it on your face. What changed your mind?” When Story didn’t answer for long moments, Daniel turned to meet her serious eyes.
“You,” she replied simply.
The cab pulled up in front of his building then, saving him from having to speak around the knot wedged in his throat. He paid the driver and minutes later, they stood outside his apartment door. It felt surreal, having her there when he’d done nothing but wish for her presence over the course of the week.
When they walked inside, Daniel stood at the entrance and watched Story wander around his living room. This apartment had been his first permanent home after graduating from the academy. He’d placed furniture, rugs, and photographs exactly where he wanted them and kept the space ruthlessly clean in appreciation of having a place to call his own. Something he’d always wanted, but never expected. Kind of like Story. Now, he tried to see it through her eyes, hoping she liked what she saw.
Daniel watched as her hand trailed over the back of his couch. He wanted that hand on him, starting on his belly and inching its way lower. Having her in his apartment, among his things, was turning him on. Without removing his attention from her, he made a quick mental calculation of how many surfaces on which he could have her. When she rested her hands on the windowsill and leaned forward to get a look at the river, her dress rode up the backs of her thighs. He bit down hard on his tongue to keep from groaning.
Story must have sensed the shift in his energy because she turned from the window. He thought he might have heard her breath catch as her eyes landed on his face. “It’s a nice view.”
“Stunning,” Daniel agreed. He tossed his keys on the kitchen counter and went toward her. “What about the rest of it?”
She looked around. “It feels like a home. I think I expected to see Mets pennants on the wall. Or maybe a painting of dogs playing poker.”
“Oh, I have one. It’s in the bedroom.” Her easy laughter rolled through him. Touching her couldn’t wait any longer. Danie
l grasped her around the waist and lifted her onto the windowsill, watching as the dress climbed up her legs and left them almost completely bare. His hands skimmed down the outside of her smooth thighs, over her knees and down to her feet. He slipped her heels off and let them drop to the floor, laughing when she whimpered in relief. “I want you to be comfortable here. No sore feet on my watch.” He leaned forward and kissed the skin beneath her ear. “And hopefully I won’t wake you up this time with a nightmare.”
She stiffened against him. “Daniel, it’s okay to have nightmares. I understand.”
Daniel’s hands ceased their movement and he pulled back to study her. He read people for a living. Something about the way she said those words, with a slight hitch in her voice, tipped him off. “What do you understand?”