Eight Seconds (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 8

  Danielle sat down at the table out of breath from the fast-paced line dance. She had forgotten how fun that was. All the women giggled as they ordered another round, Danielle included.

  The years of isolation at school and constant studying, not to mention her internship, had left her…well, alone. She spied Stacy walking toward the dance floor with Will to dance to a slow song.

  Dave from the band walked over and extended his hand to Danielle with a smile. She stood and took his hand. Dave had always been a good friend but never a love interest, ever. They chatted as they two-stepped around the wooded floor, a good eight inches between them.

  Danielle smiled and laughed at his jokes, although they weren’t funny, at all. She wondered if J.C. was watching. If so, was he bothered by it? She was bordering between making him suffer and saying, “Hello, gorgeous, take me.” This was so not good.

  J.C. stood at the bar with blood boiling in his veins. Danielle was his, whether she knew it or not. Seeing her dance with Dave sent a jealous streak coursing through him. One part of him wanted to punch the guy. The other part reminded him that, no, Danielle wasn’t his at all. He sure as hell was going to try and win her. He headed to floor to cut in, hopefully in a gentlemanly fashion.

  As he got nearer, his hands balled into fists and his teeth ground in irritation. Just seeing another man’s arms around Danielle’s tiny waist pissed him off. Mine.

  Danielle looked panicked when J.C. tapped Dave on the shoulder and motioned to cut in. Dave reluctantly released Danielle and offered a weak smile.

  J.C. stepped up possessively. He put his arm around her waist and whirled her around while moving his hips and feet in time to the music. Neither of which helped her problem. Men that could dance well were sexy as hell. Combine that with all the allure J.C. possessed, and hell, she was in trouble, literally.

  Their bodies fit perfectly, and they moved in sync. Dancing with J.C. was an aphrodisiac for Danielle. She had always dreamed of dancing with him, and now he was making that dream come true.

  Her grandmother had said the way a couple danced together was how their marriage would be. If each stepped on the other’s toes, they would do that in marriage. But if they moved in time and gave each other space, their marriage would be filled with love and understanding.

  Well, her grandma had lots of crazy ideas and enough remedies and old wives’ tales to fill a novel. What did she know anyway?

  J.C. leaned his chin on Danielle’s temple and breathed in a long breath. Her hair smelled of honeysuckles as usual. That was one scent that captivated him, and every summer, he was constantly reminded of her from all the wild honeysuckles that grew in the area.

  Her soft hair begged to have his hands run through it, but J.C. fought his urges. Right now, he just wanted to dance in this silence with her and enjoy it for what it was worth. To her, it probably wasn’t much.

  Danielle felt his skin against her face. His warm, smooth, shaven skin felt wonderful, sensual. She could smell his fabulous cologne. What was it? Ah, whatever it was, it spoke volumes to her.

  The rich, musky scent was a turn-on. Oh holy heaven, it was sparking a fire inside her. This was too hard to deal with objectively. The closeness of him, the feel of him against her, was awakening much more than fuzzy feelings. In fact, she was falling apart. Her ruse would unravel soon if she didn’t get away from him. How could she hate him when her body begged for his touch?

  They continued to dance and move like they had danced with each other for years, fluidly and without error, almost like they anticipated the other’s movements and allowed for them.

  Danielle’s mind was a fuzz of alcohol and hormones. She reminded herself she had to get out of there and away from him, soon. Dancing was talking without words using only body language. Their bodies craved one another. They told each other so.

  Danielle’s nipples hardened under her bra as her breaths grew shorter. Her fingers ached to glide over every inch of his muscular body. Wow, her pussy ached badly, begging to be touched and explored by J.C.

  She snuggled her head against his chest, loving the feel of her body against his. It was not only intimate but also very physical. If the song lasted any longer, she would be in serious danger…danger of giving in, falling into lustful thoughts and into his bed. His bed? Oh heaven help her. That was where she wanted to be with him right now.

  J.C. held her tight, loving how they felt together. They felt right, perfect actually. This woman had his heart, and he was enjoying the thought of it. He wondered what it would be like to wake up to her every morning and see her beautiful face smile back at him. Of course, he wondered about having sex with her and concluded it would be nothing less than spectacular.

  Shit. He shouldn’t have started that line of thinking. Here he was holding her fabulous body against him in a public place, and of course, Mr. Happy thought he needed to join the fun. Well, this could be embarrassing.

  The song ended, and Danielle released him. “I have to go.”

  J.C. stood on the dance floor, watching Danielle quickly make her exit. What was that all about?

  * * * *

  Late that night, J.C. lay in bed running the events of the night through his head. He’d tried the “J.C.’s signature” way to woo her and struck out, well, not exactly. He had actually caused her to stop breathing momentarily. That was fun.

  Then he tried to woo her with gentlemanly charm and dancing, and she’d bolted on him. She’d be the death of him yet.

  Chapter Six

  Danielle struggled to get up. She had tossed and turned all night thinking about her encounter with J.C. Naturally.

  Everything had felt perfect, wonderful, like they were somehow kindred spirits finding each other. Today she disagreed. It would be no time until he would hit the road riding bulls and be gone all summer. He’d be away from here with his adoring female-following that would happily service any needs he might have. Ugh.

  That was the reality of how J.C. lived and worked. She wasn’t stupid. Although she hadn’t kept real close tabs on his career these last few years, she’d still caught plenty of stories and gossip to know. The idea of dealing with all that…Well, she couldn’t, period. Not that J.C. had made some offer for a relationship or anything, a definite offer for sex yes, but relationship, no.

  Danielle could live without the sex. Hell, if that was all she wanted, she was sure there would be no problem in finding someone to oblige her. Really, she wasn’t sure what she wanted. Maybe now wasn’t the time to think too seriously about anything other than landing a job and starting her life.

  The cell phone on her nightstand rang. Danielle assumed it was Stacy and didn’t bother with formalities as she answered with a silly “Hello.”

  She stopped and gasped. “Sorry, I thought you were…never mind.”

  Danielle listened and answered questions quietly. The smile on her lips widened as the call continued. “Yes, sir. See you then.”

  Apparently, her loud squeal carried down the stairs because soon she heard the rush of footsteps coming up. “Honey, are you all right?” Gabby asked as she bolted in the door.

  Danielle beamed. “I have a job offer. I have an appointment for Monday in Tulsa.”

  “Congratulations,” Gabby said, clearly trying her best to sound sincere, then she excused herself, leaving the room.

  Danielle caught the pause in her mother’s voice. She was too excited to pay any attention to her discontent. Danielle was a firm believer in destiny. She was absolutely sure that nothing happened by coincidence alone. This offer signified where she should be, or else it wouldn’t have happened.

  That solved it for Danielle. She was heading in the right direction. She had always felt she needed to work in a larger city for many reasons. A thousand ideas and plans began to form in her mind as she dressed. With a job in a new town, she would need a place to live. Of course, she would have to find a place of her own. Oh, and that place would reflect her style, her personality, and it would
be all hers.

  Danielle put on a pair of jeans and a tank top then sat down on the edge of the bed as her smile fell. After finding said place in Tulsa, she would be alone.

  * * * *

  Skipping breakfast and the possible breakfast drama, Danielle found refuge in her dad’s tractor. She turned on the air-conditioning and cranked up the radio. Hopefully she could drown out all the nagging feelings that had settled deep inside her stomach.

  Stress was not something she dealt with well at times and wasn’t that great since she was a registered nurse now? The barrage of thoughts ceased as she put her head into her work, a simple task where over thinking is not required, at least not much.

  Lunchtime came and went as Danielle forced herself to continue. Her goal was to complete by Friday so she could be there for Stacy at the Evans Ranch.

  One part of her wanted to go, but the other part kept telling her it was a bad idea. Maybe she could go and ignore J.C. Quicksand, he is quicksand.

  Late in the afternoon, Danielle’s father waved her down as she finished the last of the field. She stopped the tractor and put it into park and climbed down. “Something wrong?”

  “Do you want to explain why you have been on that tractor for seven hours without anything to eat or drink?”

  “Uh, seven hours? I haven’t been out here that long,” Danielle argued.

  Dean looked at his watch. “Yeah, you have. So what’s up?”

  What’s up? Nothing…nothing except life-changing decisions. “Wow, I just had a lot of thinking to do,” Danielle said then smiled sheepishly.

  “Huh. You about done?” Dean asked with an eyebrow raised.

  “Yeah, I guess.” Danielle was stumped by her father’s nosiness but realized she was a little hungry. Maybe it was a good thing he’d stopped her.

  “Why don’t you call it a day? I ain’t going to have you dehydrated putting up hay, hear me?”

  Danielle nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  Dean got in his truck and left the field. Danielle might be an adult and able to make her own decisions, but she never bucked her father’s authority.

  With the tractor parked at the barn, Danielle hopped out and headed for the house. The tractor had air-conditioning, but it wasn’t great, and now she was sweaty and sticky.

  The door creaked when she entered the backdoor, her mother was cooking, and it smelled heavenly. She’d miss that, too.

  Danielle hurried upstairs for a quick shower. Now she was starving. The smell of her mother’s cooking made her stomach growl. Cool water streamed down on Danielle’s body as she entered the shower. Her thoughts of J.C. rushed to the forefront of her mind as she lathered soap into her pink poof. The simple task of washing one’s body was so innocent at first, but it quickly heated into so much more as J.C.’s image became crystal clear. His smile promised passion and pleasure.

  Danielle clamped her eyes closed as she slowly began to wash. She began to imagine J.C. touching and exploring each and every region of her body with his strong hands. A smile came across her face, and her body quivered at her own hand mimicking the fantasy racing through her mind.

  J.C.’s mouth found hers. Expertly his tongue darted inside her mouth and explored while his fingers brushed across her taut nipples. She lost herself in the moment.

  Hunger gripped her as she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him tight against her aching body. Their kiss became wild and furious. She couldn’t get enough of him. She felt her need pulsate and thrum with excitement as his mouth traveled down her throat and to her sensitive nipples.

  J.C. nipped ever so lightly, causing a moan to escape her. His tongue circled her areola while his other hand gently squeezed her other breast in his large, capable hands.

  “Yes,” Danielle whispered as her hands swept across her breasts, pinching her nipples.

  The vivid scene continued to play out, and Danielle’s sexual frustration grew. J.C.’s hand smoothed down her waist, and his fingers found her slick pussy. Gently he flicked her clit. His mouth suckled at her breast.

  Danielle gasped lightly but kept her eyes shut as his fingers worked magic, taking her to heights she had never known. Her breathing became rapid as his pace climbed. The sensations were mind-blowing. He lifted her leg and wrapped it around his waist and continued his assault, his fingers the weapons. Gently at first then furiously, his fingers assaulted her, pounding into her pussy and tickling the inner walls then drawing out to do it over again.

  Something happened that took Danielle by surprise. A tremor built inside her. It came on slow and increased exponentially. She quivered in response and sucked in a breath as an orgasm plowed through her.

  Her body convulsed and shook as she grabbed the rail on the shower to steady herself. She tried to hold her loud panting and noise in the best she could but couldn’t help the squeal that escaped her.

  Danielle’s eyes snapped open. She stood in the shower alone and in complete awe of what just transpired. She assumed what had just taken place was an orgasm, but since she had no experience with sex, she couldn’t be sure. She had tried masturbation before with no real success. But now, wow.

  A smile broke across her face, and her cheeks burned with the thought of what she had just done. A giggle escaped, and the weight of the world seemed to lift.

  “Amazing,” she whispered through giggles. “Wow, holy moly, wow.” She continued to grip the rail. “Now I understand what Stacy was blabbing about.”

  Whenever Stacy talked about sex, Danielle usually nodded or laughed. She had no experience and couldn’t relate…at all. Stacy didn’t know that, thank goodness, she thought.

  A knock at the door brought Danielle to attention.

  “You okay in there?” Gabby asked through the door, her voice muffled.

  Danielle felt like a kid caught with her hand in a cookie jar. Embarrassed, she responded with a quick, “Yeah.”

  “Your dinner is getting cold,” Gabby returned.

  “Be right down,” Danielle said, and cut off the shower. Had her mother heard her? Oh, holy heavens, was she loud enough her parents had heard her?

  “Shit, shit,” Danielle mumbled under her breath as she stepped out and grabbed a towel. Yep, it was time to get out on her own, she surmised. She was twenty-three but felt like she was twelve at this point in time.

  With a clean set of clothes on, Danielle headed back down the stairs toward the kitchen. Her mother informed her of a new text message on her phone laying on the counter. Danielle smiled and thanked her mother and avoided eye contact. Surely she didn’t hear anything.

  Danielle sighed and picked up her phone. There was only one of two people that would be texting her. If it was J.C., she had no ammunition at this point. After her erotic daydream in the shower, that she should have never have allowed to happen, especially while using his image, she was doomed to blow her plan.

  She flipped open her phone.

  Be sure to wear your tight jeans. They make your ass look hot.

  Danielle ignored the text and clicked her phone shut. Jackass. Strike two.

  Gabby had made her famous finger steaks and mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, and hot rolls. It was Danielle’s favorite, and her mother knew it. A home-cooked meal and a sit-down dinner with her parents was a surefire way to put out the flames that still burned inside her.

  “Ah, Mom, thank you.” Danielle kissed her mother on the cheek.

  “I do my best, honey.”

  The food was probably not a cardiac doctor’s recommended dish, but Danielle couldn’t have cared less. She might be a nurse now, but she would still continue to eat like the country girl she was.

  Danielle’s parents were discussing how the hay was coming along when her cell beeped again. She made no attempt to retrieve it and continued to eat.

  “Honey, do you need to get that?” Gabby asked.

  “No, I can get it later. I’m pretty sure I know who it is anyway.” Danielle frowned. Suddenly, she thought about what she h
ad said. Yep, she had opened up the door for conversation. Her mother was very nosy at times.

  “I see. Do you not want to hear from whoever it is? You frowned,” Gabby said, prodding for information.

  Shit, now she was either going to have to lie or tell the truth. Considering it was her parents, she opted for the truth. She couldn’t very well say it was none of their business That wouldn’t go over well.

  “Um, it’s a guy that I don’t wish to communicate with right now,” Danielle said. No lies in that.

  Dean chewed his steak and looked at Danielle. If a guy was calling or texting her, he generally wanted to know who was interested in his girl. He was overprotective that way.

  “So, who’s this guy?” Dean asked as he forked his green beans.

  Ah, great. She was going to have to say. It would not sit well more than likely. Most fathers around the area would bar the door to keep J.C. away from their daughters His reputation was that good.

  “Not a big deal, Dad, really.” Danielle tried to duck out of the line of questioning.

  “Someone from school?” Gabby asked as she chewed thoughtfully.

  “No, it’s no one from school,” Danielle replied, suddenly feeling like she was fifteen again.

  “Huh, must be why you stayed out on the tractor all day,” Dean observed.

  Danielle couldn’t keep anything from them. She had learned that long ago. At this point it would be easier to spit it out.

  “Fine, the guy texting me is J.C. Evans,” Danielle said curtly as she stabbed her green beans, her fork clanking on the plate.

  “Wow, J.C. huh? I’m sure I don’t have to warn you,” Dean began.

  “No, Dad, you don’t.” Danielle looked down at her plate and sighed. This was why she needed to get a job and her own place. Here she was, daddy’s little girl, and always would be as long as she was under his roof.

  “I wasn’t finished,” Dean said solemnly. “Before you interrupted, I was going to tell you I went to school with his dad. They are real good people, and hopefully, one of these days, I suspect J.C. will be too…someday.”