He was trembling with need, his c.o.c.k burning to be released. Looking into her eyes, he knew she was close and wanted to fall into her body, but he needed her to trust him, to trust them. Licking at her nipple, he blew across it then gently dropped by degrees onto her body. His legs and hips settled between hers, his torso sc.r.a.ped over her nipples, and he felt his tighten with hers. His mouth covered hers, taking and giving all that he could.
He felt her stiffen, her body tightening under him. Then he felt her moving into him, her mind merging with his. He was flooded with sensations, images of what she wanted, what she needed. He was not sure how to give back, but he thought about what he was feeling, how she felt beneath him, how she tasted when he kissed her, nipped at her. His body shuddered with need, rippled with pleasure. Moving up again, he took off his briefs, getting tangled in them, and finally settled once again between her legs.
Fisting his c.o.c.k, he nudged at her entrance and felt the heat, her wet answering need to his pull at him. Slowly, almost reverently, he entered her. Pushing to seat himself inside of her, he felt her tighten around him, and nearly came from that alone. Pulling out slowly, he moved back in, feeling everything she felt, his c.o.c.k as it brushed against her, stretching her open to take him.
Moving faster, rocking into her harder, he cupped her breast, took it into his mouth, and suckled her, first one then the other, while rolling the other nipple between his fingers. When he felt her come, her body convulsing under him, he lifted his chest off hers and pumped into her. Hard and quick, his climax grabbed him tight and he roared into her, filling her and emptying himself of his seed. He kept moving into her, feeling her come again and again until the last tremor left her.
He fell over her, sinking them both into the bed. Rolling to his back, he took her over with him and settled them both comfortably. His heated skin did not need a blanket, but he knew that later they would. He reached to the bottom of the bed, pulled the light blanket over them, and slipped into a deep sleep.
Dane woke the next afternoon to an empty house. Jamie had left her a note telling her that he had taken Pi to the grocery store and they"d be back sometime after three. He also reminded her that today was Sunday and that they would be expected at his mother"s for dinner. Great, just what she needed, a day with all the Grants.
Looking around the big kitchen, she decided that she liked it. It was bright and clean and Pi was happy. She was also surprised that there was a gallon of iced tea in the refrigerator. Happier than she expected to be, she poured herself a large gla.s.s and sat down at the little table in the alcove. That"s when she noticed the answering machine from the other place. Taking it to the study, she plugged it in and started listening. By the time Jamie and Pi returned, she was angry.
But enough was enough and she decided that she would handle this on her own.
Markus Lionel was not going to threaten her again. She was finished working with him and she was not making another trip across the country for him. He would have to figure out things on his own. Dane had a house and a boyfriend. Giggling, she wondered how James would feel about being called a "boyfriend."
*CHAPTER 18*.
As soon as the foodstuff was put away and everything cleaned up in the kitchen, Dane told Jamie that she needed to go shopping. She didn"t have anything to wear to his mother"s house and she wasn"t wearing the jeans she"d had on for two days. Pi decided she wanted to stay at the house and play in the yard, which had a surprisingly large herb garden as well as a tilled ground that she would be planting in the spring.
Twenty minutes after walking into the mall, they were walking out. Dane didn"t like to shop, had very little experience with it, and knew what she wanted. Next time, though, she was ordering online. She couldn"t handle the stress of the people there. And the teller was a horrible person.
"She never stopped chewing her gun. Was there a race or something? Did she hope to make me want to buy more by snapping it every ten seconds? I wanted to smack her in the nose with a rolled up newspaper."
"She"s just a kid. You should hear some of the students I have. Last quarter I had this kid who would lean to the side and fart all through cla.s.s. Not the small, sneaky ones either. He"d rip one so loud the next cla.s.s over thought we were having air raid drills."
"You"re making that up. Air raid drills indeed. And what was with her flirting with you? I"m standing right next to you and she actually asked you if you wanted her phone number." Dane was changing in the back of his car. The tinted windows helped, but he kept adjusting his mirror every few miles to try and see her. They were going to get a ticket, she just knew it.
"Yes, well that happens too. What can I say? I"m a cutie. Are you going to change into the bra thingy I picked out? Knowing you have that on is going to make me hard all day. And don"t forget Byron"s and Ronnie"s gift. You think she"ll like it?"
"If her husband doesn"t kill you first, you mean? What on earth possessed you to buy your sister-in-law a bra and panty set? That"s a very personal item." She covered her grin. She had one just like it now and was excited to see his face when she wore it.
"Nah, Devin will love it. And what about what you bought Byr? Chocolate paint and brush set? And how come I couldn"t have a set? I"d like to paint you and then eat my way through it." He sounded so cute she almost told him she got him a bigger set with other flavors, but again decided to wait until later.
"Byron was nice enough to show you how to have s.e.x. It"s the least I could do for making you one of his best students. Besides, I think Taylor will enjoy it more than he will."
"He did not show me how to have s.e.x. He suggested that I might try something to better my already fantastic ability to have s.e.x. I"m a phenomenal lover." She just grinned at him in the mirror.
They were pulling up in front of the house by then so she didn"t answer. Not that she had a lot of experience, but she thought he was better than phenomenal, maybe even the best. Getting out of the car, he pinned her against it. His mouth covered hers before she could say a word.
Then it didn"t matter, everything else faded away when he touched her.
"You never answered me. I"d like an answer before we go inside. If you give me the right one maybe I won"t ravage you standing right here next to the car." He was already making great headway into that. Nibbling at her neck and ears.
Confused, she answered him. "All right, next time we go to the s.e.x shop, you can have a paint set, but I want something too. James, you"re making me wet." His growl echoed through her body and ended in her p.u.s.s.y. She"d be lucky if she didn"t have to change clothes again when they got inside. Grinding her body to his, she felt his erection and she wept more.
"d.a.m.n it, Dane, will you marry me? I still don"t have a ring, but I wanted to pick one out with you. Pi wouldn"t even help me, said it was personal between Missy Dane and Mister Jamie-is she going to call me that all the time?"
"Yes." He looked at her strangely and she raised her brow. Now what?
"Yes, you"ll marry me or yes she"ll call me Mister Jamie all the time?"
"Both. She might be persuaded to call you-put me down, you idiot! What will your family think? You are nuts, did you know that? Swinging me around like a sheet in the wind. I can"t believe they let you out at times."
She heard the door behind her open and tried to make herself small behind the car. Jamie pulled her around, rather dragged her around, and shouted up to the group on the porch, "She said yes! She"ll marry me."
"Well of course she did. Come inside before the neighbors call the police again. Idiots. I swear, Dane, I raised him better than this. Come inside." Mrs. Parker waved them in.
Everyone was there. Dane hadn"t met Dan or his two grandsons who he and Margaret were raising now. Nor had she met Morgan"s twin boys or Ronnie"s daughter. Cait was there as well with their new son and Dane was holding him when Devin arrived.
"I just got back from the police department. Thanks to Dane, Phillip Sizemore is now in custody. He"s been arrested for the attempt on Jamie"s and Dane"s lives, mine, and robbery. He also had a mult.i.tude of other offences that are too numerous and too boring to name. Thank you, my dear, you are my new best friend. If you ever need anything, just name it and it"s yours."
"Good. Then what we discussed last night is a go then. I"m glad. Does this mean you won"t charge me now that we"re going to be family?"
The discussion about Dane"s new wealth was the topic of conversation. Dane and Jamie had discussed what they would do with some of the monies, but if Nick asked, they had a separate plan. And just as Jamie said he would, Nick cornered her before dinner.
"I would like to get my hands on your money, Dane. I can make you so much more than you have now by investing it. The market is a little low right now, but there are opportunities galore if you know where to look."
"Really? I think I"ve decided to buy an island with it. There"s one for sale that I read about in that paper at the end of the grocery aisle where you check out. It says that there isn"t any running water or anything and you have to get to it by boat, but I think it"ll be fun to make into a resort, don"t you? Then there is that charity that was written about there too. Did you know they have a foundation set up that you can have yourself frozen when you die and then thawed out again when they find out the cure? I wonder how that would work if you"re shot in the head.
What"s the matter, Nick, you look sort of, I don"t know...green. Doesn"t he look green, James?"
"Nicky? Are you all right?"
"A b.l.o.o.d.y island! Are you insane? Do you know that there is no return rate on that kind of deal? It doesn"t even have running water and I won"t even go into the fact that it has to be unsanitary and dangerous. And you can"t possibly be thinking of investing in cryogenics. My G.o.d, woman! You need a keeper!"
The entire room exploded in laughter. Nick took one look around the room then looked back at Dane. "Payback is a b.i.t.c.h, my dear, and I"m good at payback." He jerked her to her feet and kissed her soundly on the mouth. When Jamie growled, he kissed her again.
"Did he put you up to this?" When Dane simply looked over at Devin and Byron, both men took off running, Jamie right behind them. Nick kissed her again and gave chase. Dan saw them coming, opened the door to the back yard for them, and off they went.
Damon got up and followed, taking his medical bag with him, muttering something about tiny brains and big egos. Dane laughed at them all. She sat next to Ronnie, reached under the couch, and handed her the gift.
"This is from James. He said to tell you thanks." When she ripped the paper off, she squealed in delight. "I got me one too." Thinking she needed brownie points with the women more than the men, she handed the other gift to Taylor. Mrs. Parker came in at that time and leaned over Taylor"s shoulder to see what it was. Dane went crimson. And when Taylor started explaining what it was for, Dane wished the floor would come up and swallow her.
"I"m curious, that"s all," Mrs. Parker said as she picked up a brush. "Taylor has helped my education in this area very nicely. Why, the other day, someone mentioned ball gags and I knew just what he was talking about. It doesn"t hurt to be educated, does it, dear?"
"Do we even want to know why you were talking about ball gags with someone?" Morgan asked. Dane was curious, too, but wasn"t going to ask.
"No, dear, you do not. Suffice it to say he was quite shocked at my knowledge. Besides, a girl must have some secretes, isn"t that right, Morgan?" The two women glared at each other for several seconds and Dane could feel the emotion thick in the air. No anger, just profound love for each other.
"Oh all right, I"m pregnant again. The boys are two and Nicky and I want to have others.
This time, he wants to be there for me and if he doesn"t behave, he"ll miss this one too. We"re hoping for a girl this time."
"It"s a girl." Dane hadn"t meant to say anything. It just slipped out. When they all turned and looked at her, she heated up again. "I"m sorry. I didn"t mean to spoil anything." Morgan grinned. "Don"t tell Nick. Or maybe you could tell him we"re having triplets. All boys again. I loved that you got him so well with the money thing. He wouldn"t tell me how much, just that you inherited a great deal of money."
"Yeah, eight billion. And some jewelry too. I haven"t seen all the paper work yet. You should come out and see the...what?"
"Eight billion? Like in an eight and nine zeros, eight billion? Holy f.u.c.k! Can I borrow a couple million?" Morgan asked.
"Sure. I don"t need that much money. I mean, who does? That"s why I am going to hire your husband. I want to make sure that I can help people like me with it. And James said you head up a charity event every year that helps abused children, Mrs. Parker. I hope you"ll let me contribute to it."
"Call me Margaret, dear. Contribute? I"m hoping you, like the rest of my daughters, will help run it. I"m getting old. I need to leave it to others to run. I don"t suppose you know how long I have to live, do you? Just kidding. I would love for you to help, love."
"Mrs...Margaret, you will live beyond your years and have a special place in many people"s hearts too. My grandmother said you were one of the most influential women she ever met and that you could squeeze a dime out of the tightest politician. She loved working with you and was saddened when you stopped coming to the flower club."
"Good heavens, I hadn"t thought of that group of women in years. We should start one. Oh, Dane, what a lovely idea. You"ll be in charge. Devin said you have the room at your house.
Morgan, you"ll be the treasurer; Taylor, you can make sure the members are top notch. Ronnie, you will be the secretary and take the notes at the meetings. Yes, this will be wonderful. I"ll spread the word."
The rest of the afternoon was spent planning with Margaret making sure everyone was included in the new club. When Jamie and the other men came in, the only one with a bloodied nose was Damon. He"d gotten knocked over when Devin was tossed over Byron"s shoulder.
It was much later than any of them had ever stayed at their mother"s, but everyone agreed it was certainly the most entertaining. It was well after three o"clock in the morning when Jamie and Dane returned back to the house. Pi left a note saying that she was calling the utilities in the morning and if she forgot someone, to let her know. Dane looked at the note.
"Do you think we"ll get the power turned over to our name or will they think we"re invading China? I did it the last time. I"m not so sure she should be in charge of this."
"I"ll do it," Jamie said as he took off his shoes. "I have an early cla.s.s, but I"m free after ten.
Let me take it and I"ll call them then. Tell her that I wanted to do it. Then tomorrow night, we go ring hunting. Then we"ll have dinner. My mother hound you much about a date?"
"Sort of. She wants to wait until the gardens bloom to see if she wants to have it here. I never thought, well, maybe I did, but the gardens here are a show case all summer. Or at least they used to be."
"Good, that"ll give us a few months anyway. I"m exhausted, baby. Are you coming to bed?
I"m too tired to want to do more than hold you. You"ve worn me out these past few days."
"No. I can"t sleep. I don"t usually go to be before eight in the morning. I"ll be up by noon if you want to have lunch together. Pi and I are going to see your brother about the money and stuff."
She followed him to their bedroom and lay down next to him. He was so warm and when he pulled her into his arms and snuggled closer, she felt loved. After she was sure he was sound asleep, she got up and went to the pool house.
The building was suitable for what she needed. It was far enough away from the house so that she could get her distance, yet close enough she wouldn"t feel unsafe. The windows weren"t as long or as wide as she would have liked for them to be, but they could be changed. When she sat on the little wicker chair and looked around, she saw the note.
"Danish, I"m sorry, dear, to leave you all this, but I knew that you would need this house more than anyone else. The money is for you as well. Use it in good health.
I want you to find yourself a good man and get married. Fill this house with lots of children and children"s laughter. You"re a wonderful woman and I know you"ll figure it out. Babies will make you happy, you always made me happy with every smile you gave me. Love, your grandmother."
Dane read it twice more, lay back against the pillow, and closed her eyes. Picking up the book that lay next to her, she rubbed it and felt her grandmother-and her plans for the pool house. Smiling, she sat for a little while longer and went into the house. Her grandmother was the greatest.
*CHAPTER 19*.
Dane went to the mall first. For as much as she hated it, the early afternoon wasn"t as crowed. Besides, they needed linens and other things for the bathrooms. Pi was at the other end buying out the kitchen store. It was just after two when she felt a stir. Before she could turn around, the gun was pointed at her head. She couldn"t react quick enough to defend herself.
"h.e.l.lo, Dane," Markus said softly. "You should have returned my calls. I needed you to help me find some of those people. But now, because of you, I had to kill them. Come along nicely and I won"t hurt you too much." She started to raise her hands and he slapped her.
With her arm wrenched behind her back, he led her out of the store and toward his car. She was terrified that he"d find Pi, or worse, Pi would find them. James was still at work and would be for another two hours.
"I"ll come with you, but I have to call someone. My boyfriend. I have to call him. He"ll come looking for me and then I won"t be able to go anywhere." Dane could feel Markus" insanity. She could also feel that he had indeed murdered some people. She couldn"t get a hold on any one person. His mind was jumbled and too hard to see into.
"Boyfriend? Oh no, that won"t do. You and I are going to be together for a long time and he"ll just get in the way. You should have come to me when I asked, Dane. If I have to hurt him, too, it"ll be your fault. We are going to be a team. I"ll bring you the stuff and I"ll go and find them with your help. I"ll be famous." He grinned at that. "The greatest detective in the world, they"ll call me. I"ll be paid millions to do what you give away."
"Markus, this isn"t right. You know that. Someone one will figure-" The slap caught her off guard and nearly threw her to the ground.
"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! I told you time and time again that people would pay and when you wouldn"t...well, someone had to take the money. But when you stopped calling me back and that b.i.t.c.h woman wouldn"t give you the phone, I knew it was time to make a change." She decided to try and be firmer. "I need to call Jamie. I need to tell him that I"m not coming back home. He"ll not understand if I don"t. Please, Markus, let me call him." He had shoved her in the back of a van and she slammed her head against one of the walls.
She knew she had to stay on her toes or he"d kill her. She wondered how he planned on getting her back on a plane with the gun when he answered her unasked question.
"I had to leave Nevada quick and I decided to settle here. No one knows me but you, and that b.i.t.c.h Pi has never seen me, so I"ll be safe. This is because you didn"t call me back. It"s all your fault, yep, all your fault. I couldn"t find that man"s b.i.t.c.h of a wife and kid. Anthony Ormond does not like to lose what he thinks of as his." He hit her with his fist again and she had to fight to keep focused. "You call that boyfriend and you tell him that you"re not coming home.
Tell him you decided not to see him anymore."
"We...he asked me to marry him. I can"t just-" The gun hit her this time along the side of her jaw.
"Now look what you"ve made me do. You need to learn to speak when spoken to." He threatened her again by lunging at her. "I"ll tell you what to say and when to say it. Now, you"ll call your boyfriend and tell him you want to break it off. You"re not going to marry him." He handed her his cell phone, but she was too dizzy to see the numbers. He jerked it from her hand and dialed what she said. When it started to ring, she prayed she"d be able to convey a message to James without alerting Markus.
"h.e.l.lo. Grant. How may I help you?"
"Jamie, it"s Danish Message. I called to tell you I"ve decided to call off the wedding."
"Dane? What"s going on? What do you mean call off the wedding? Baby, what"s happening?"
"Nothing is happening. I"ve decided that I don"t want the ring you gave me after all. I want something closer to what I had before. Mark my words. What you gave me is nothing like I had.
I also don"t want to have your...I decided that I don"t want to carry your kids either. You can find another brood mare to do that s.h.i.t for you."
"I see. Is there anything else?" His voice sounded so cold it was breaking her heart.
"Yes. Tell Pi she was right all along. Everything she said...all of it was true. And tell her that I love her very much."
"Sure, you break it off with me and tell the housekeeper you love her. That sounds about like you. Well, thanks for telling me. I"ll pet the cat for you while I"m at it too, all right?"
"Yes. The cat. I forgot about the cat. I"d like that. It"s the least you could do considering." She closed the phone and her eyes. He got it. She was sure of it. Now she just had to hang on until he found her.
"You are one cold hearted b.i.t.c.h." He stroked her cheek. "d.a.m.n, remind me to never get into a p.i.s.sing contest with you. You are vicious. I love it. You showed more compa.s.sion for that d.a.m.ned foreigner and cat than you did him."
This time when he hit her, she couldn"t stay afloat. He hit her with his fist again and then her head hit the side of the van. She felt the void rush up to meet her and hoped again James could find her.
Jamie picked up his landline in his office and called Cait. He wasn"t afraid that Spencer would be mad about him calling his wife when she just got home from the hospital. He was more afraid of her anyway. She carried a gun and she knew how to use it. He could shoot as well, but she was better.
"Cait, Dane"s been kidnapped. I think I might know who did it, but I have to find Pi. The two of them were headed to the mall this afternoon. If he took her from there, then that"s where Pi is."
"Who is it and I"ll get an APB out on him." Jamie could have kissed her. "How long ago did it happen? I don"t suppose she gave you his name too, did she?"
"I don"t know his name, but I"m willing to bet Pi does. Dane said that Pi had been right all along. About everything." Jamie hoped he was right anyway.