“I just, I don’t get it. You’re amazing, Dane. Gorgeous, thoughtful, talented...why do you go out of your way to take care of me? I do nothing for you physically and I’m always worried about another guy. You have to know you could do so much better than me.” She chews her bottom lip and I fist my hands, fighting the urge to dive into her. “I know, we’ve been through this, but you deserve to be happy. Letting me ride your lap and going to bed with nothing can’t possibly make you happy.”
Her gaze is down, as though ashamed, and her blush is beautiful. She’s worried about my dick? Yeah, that’s pretty important, but she has no clue it bothers me a million times worse to know she still loves Evan, at least in some way. She talks to him every day. She has their prom picture on her headboard! Maybe she’s right, maybe I should date, see if there’s someone else who would be all mine. I already know the answer, though, no one’s complete attention would fulfill me even half as much as one laugh I pull from Laney. The minute I met her—I was all in.
“You want the truth or the gentleman’s answer?” “Truth.”
“You know I want you. You know all this foreplay is in the hope that one day I get to lay you down and love you. I think about it at least ten times a day, every day. I’m jealous as fuck of every feeling you have for Evan. I want you to tell him once and for all you’re with me and never leave my arms, my life or my bed ever again.” I pause, giving her time to process. “But for now, I’ll settle for watching a movie and falling asleep with you in my arms.” I stroke her silky, golden hair and dip my head to look in her eyes. “Sound good?”
She thinks on my words a moment before answering. “I’d love that.”
This is the first time she lets me hold her all night long. In Disney World, there’d been a gap in between us.
It seemed the size of the Grand Canyon as we faced each other and talked until we fell asleep. So precious, the first day she’d literally fallen asleep while talking about all she’d seen that day.
But tonight, well, tonight she’s curled around me like a kitten and every breath she takes fans across my chest. I’ve been fighting sleep for hours. I want to savor every moment of this; who knows when she’ll let her guard so far down again.
She’s perfectly soft, curvy in all the right places and she showed me tonight that she knows how to turn on her temptress side. When she dropped her top, I wasn’t sure if my heart or my dick was going to explode first. Laney’s beautiful breasts bared to me, her beautiful eyes peeking up through her wet lashes, silently asking for my acceptance will be the “go to” image in my head forever.
I need to think of something else or I’m gonna gouge her with my aching hard-on.
I just have to be patient until she comes to terms with what her heart and her body are already telling her. Her eyes can’t lie though, and tonight, she almost couldn’t stop herself physically. Emotionally, she still needs to feel closer to me. I want to let her in, but God, my baggage would scare away Mother Theresa. Gotta give in, though, I can’t let her slip away.
So many girls have put it in my face for all I could buy them or the connections I have and here’s the goddess who could have it all, wanting nothing. A laugh escapes me; the little scowl that comes across her face when she can’t stop me from giving her gifts is absolutely adorable.
I refuse to think about life without her now. Holy shit...I...l...oh, surely not.
Well, I’ll be damned. They say you’ll know right when it hits you, out of nowhere...this girl, she’s mine.
Chapter Thirty-Five
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DADDY’S GIRL
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Laney
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I let Dane drive me home for the weekend. How could I say no when he wants to so badly? He goes out of his way to make my life easier, so this is the least I can do. I made it very clear that if Evan comes around, the two of them are on their own; I’m not getting in the middle of any “manly” pissing contest. That made him laugh, but frankly, it made me a little nauseous to even imagine. Seriously though, I’m over it—I’ve been honest with them both and I’m done feeling guilty with every breath...Imma do me.
As though my thoughts had conjured him up, my phone rings on our way there. “Talking to the Moon,” by Bruno Mars blares from my purse, the new ringtone Evan assigned himself.
“Hello?”
“Hey, princess.”
“Hey, Ev.” I look over at Dane and seeing his scowl, I quickly turn back to my window. “Whatcha doing?”
“Not a damn thing worth telling,” he sighs loudly. “I’m just on my way to Dad’s now. Nothing exciting here, either.” I glance at Dane and give him an apologetic smile.
“About that,” he says, his voice now agonized, “I can’t come home this weekend. Got an away game then film, you know, football shit. I’m sorry, Laney.”
“It’s okay, not your fault.”
“I’ll see you for Thanksgiving, though, long weekend. I can’t wait.” He sounds so excited yet I’m chewing my nails at the reminder. Not good.
“Me either, Ev. But hey, can I call you back?”
“Yeah babe, of course. Be safe driving, and Laney...I love you.”