“Thank you, Mrs. Divine,” Daniel said, not taking his gaze off of me. “That’s very kind of you.”
Yes, it was very kind. And slightly odd, considering Mom’s usually not-so-warm feelings concerning Daniel. I started to wonder if her thoughtful gesture was a sign that her mental health still wasn’t 100 percent, but then she grabbed me by the shoulders and propelled me right past Daniel before I could properly greet him, and ordered me upstairs to bed. That’s when I understood her true intentions for offering Daniel superior sleeping quarters over the other boys.
Jude’s basement bedroom was the farthest point in the house from mine.
But it didn’t matter, because even two floors away, even with all the snores and noises of so many sleeping people in the house, I could still feel Daniel’s presence. I found it impossible to sleep knowing he was lying on a bed in the dark somewhere in the same house as I was. There were still so many unfinished things—and unsaid words—between us. We’d barely had a chance even to talk about just us since he turned back into human.
How do you spend an entire night holding each other, and then let two floors separate you on another night?
I longed to see him, if just for a moment. Have a few seconds alone in the chaos of our lives.
I could just sneak down there for a few minutes…
Yet the idea of it felt downright dangerous as I contemplated it.
By three in the morning I couldn’t stand it any longer. My body buzzed with so much anticipation and longing, I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep at all unless I could see him.
Just for a minute. Just a quick, “Hello, I love you, don’t forget that,” and a kiss and then I can go back to my room and sleep…
I tiptoed down the stairs, past the sleeping boys in the front room. Slade was still awake, watching infomercials in the family room. I almost turned back when he looked up at me.
“Um, just have to take care of something real quick,” I whispered. “Don’t mind me.”
“Sure,” he said, and nodded, a little too much knowing in his smile.
My cheeks grew extremely hot, and for a second I contemplated running back upstairs, but I realized I’d feel even dumber turning back with Slade watching me.
I held my head high, simply pretending I desperately needed a sweater from the laundry room, and opened the door that led down to the basement. I closed it tight behind me.
My feet moved on their own accord after that, propelling me quickly but quietly down the basement stairs. Right up to the door of Daniel’s bedroom. My hand rose to knock, just to see if he was awake, but I stopped.
He was probably asleep. He was probably exhausted from everything he’d been through today. He probably would think I was nuts for waking him in the middle of the night just to say a quick hello.…
I dropped my hand to my side. It was dumb for me to have come in the first place. I turned, ready to tiptoe back up the stairs so he’d never know I’d been there, when the door opened behind me.
“Grace?” Daniel asked.
I looked back at him standing there in a wrinkled pair of flannel pajama pants, no shirt covering his perfect abs and stomach, hair all rumpled like he’d been tossing and turning. Like he hadn’t been able to sleep, either.
“I hoped you come,” he whispered. “I didn’t think you would. But I’d hoped.”
“You did?”
Daniel’s large hands wrapped around my waist, pulling me against his bare, warm chest. Our mouths melted together, kissing in an urgent, almost-frantic way. He pulled me into his room, closing the door behind us.
“I only came for a quick hello,” I said against his skin.
“That’s all I was hoping for.” He kissed me hard. “Hello,” he said, and kissed me again.
“Hello,” I said, and giggled until he cut off my laugh with his searching lips. His hands felt like fire, clasped against my hips.
“I should go,” I said between kisses, not actually wanting to tear myself away.