Suddenly she wanted him naked. She wanted their bodies pressed together, joining and staying that way until they were both exhausted. She tugged at his sweater.
“Get your clothes off,” she insisted. “Now.”
“I like it when you’re bossy,” he said with a grin, then obliged her request. His feet were already bare so all that was required was for him to pull off his sweater, jeans and briefs. Then she could see all of him.
He had a perfect body, she thought as she walked around him, touching whatever interested her most. His shoulder, his back, the curve of his butt.
She did what he had done that first time they’d made love. She snuggled up behind him, pressing her body against his and began to touch him everywhere.
He was too tall for her to see over him, so she closed her eyes and imagined what he looked like. She explored his chest, paying particular attention to his ni**les. She stroked them, then squeezed them. He groaned softly. At the same time she trailed kisses across his back, punctuating them with little, soft nips.
She moved her fingers lower, down his flat belly, then out to his narrow hips. She brushed across his muscled thighs, before taking him in both hands.
He was hard—that always unexpected male combination of impossibly rigid flesh encased in the softest of skin. She explored his length, then circled the head, running her fingers along the sensitive underside before returning to the base and dipping her fingers to explore his testicles.
She wanted him as much as she’d ever wanted anyone. Okay, if she was going to be honest, she wanted him more. She wanted him inside of her, taking her, claiming her.
There it was—her secret truth. She wanted to be claimed by this man. Nothing between them but naked flesh and desire. And hearts, she thought, emotions welling up inside of her. She wanted him to care with a desperation that took his breath away.
The longing, deeper and more powerful than any she’d ever known, threatened her arousal. So she pushed it away to be dealt with another time. She dropped her hands, moved around to stand in front of him and kissed him.
He responded like a starving man. He kissed her hard and hot, touching her everywhere. He also began nudging her backward, toward the bedroom.
His hands were on her br**sts, between her legs. Frantic, urging and she soon found herself just as eager. Then she was on the bed. There was a second’s delay as he slipped on a condom, then he was inside of her, filling her, taking her with an intensity that gave her no choice except to give herself to him and enjoy the ride.
“DISASTER,” Dani said as she sank into the chair opposite Gary’s at The Daily Grind. “It was a total disaster. I loved everything about the place. Valerie was great, her staff was charming and happy. Martina, the chef, is someone I would love to work with.”
“So how was it a disaster?”
Dani glanced around, wanting to make sure no one from Valerie’s Garden happened to be lurking in the area, then spoke in a low voice.
“The food was hideous. Seriously awful. I hated everything. Even the iced tea. Apparently I don’t have an upscale vegan palate. If only they’d given me a regular cheese quesadilla, I would have signed up in a heartbeat. Or if it had been nearly any other kind of food. Even if I’d only sort of liked it, I probably would have tried to make the job work, but I’m telling you. What they served bordered on nasty.”
Gary chuckled. “They probably won’t want you in their ads.”
“Probably not. I’m seriously bummed. Why did it have to be like this? I feel like Goldilocks. So far, nothing is exactly right.”
Gary reached across the tiny table and patted the back of her hand. “You’ll find something. I know you will.”
“I hope so,” she grumbled, even as she tried to figure out what she felt about him touching her.
“I’ll keep looking,” she said. “I’m determined to further my career. I’m getting calls, so that’s good. I just have to be patient.”
“That’s the attitude,” he said. “Did you talk to the private investigator?”
“Yes. Thanks for giving me her name. She’s great and we got along, but she said without some more information, she can’t help me.”
Dani wasn’t surprised. She knew absolutely nothing about her father except for the fact that at one time he’d existed.
“I haven’t got a clue about him,” Dani said. “No name, no address, not even a description. I’ve asked my oldest brother Cal if he remembers anything but he doesn’t. He was pretty young and I’m sure my mother was careful to keep him away from the man she was having an affair with.”
Gary pulled back his hand and took a sip of his coffee. “What about papers from your mother? Letters? Notes? A date book?”
All good ideas, she thought. “I don’t know of anything like that. I’ll ask my brothers, but I don’t hold out too much hope. There’s only one person who might know something and getting her to talk would take a miracle.”
“They happen.”
“Not in my world.”
Gloria? Help her? Her brothers swore the old woman had changed, but was it enough? Gloria had made it clear she loathed Dani.
“I don’t want to give her the pleasure of going to her and asking,” Dani said flatly. “She doesn’t deserve it.”
“What do you deserve?” he asked. “If there’s a chance of getting what you want, isn’t that worth an awkward conversation?”