“And, my friends, I have found her.” Danny turned and swept Sarah off her feet in one smooth gesture, lifting her and spinning her around. Later people swore that flecks of gold shimmered off their bodies as they spun, but others thought it was just the wine or some elaborate trick with hidden projectors.
“Hi,” Sarah said, as she spun around. “It’s very nice to meet you, or to see you again!” she called over his shoulder. On the video chat screen, her mom was crying with joy and her dad was drinking wine straight from the bottle. “I’m not really a fan of crowds or even public speaking, but I’m making an exception for tonight, for you, and mostly for Danny. We’ve been friends for what seems like ever, and many of you know I have had a crush on him for just as long. I don’t know what you call it when your crush becomes real. Or what you call it when the person you wished you were with, and that you’d written of as a hopeless fantasy becomes yours. But I’m going to call it fate.”
The crowd was utterly silent, except for the happy sobbing of Sarah’s mother.
Danny took her hand and lifted it high, in victory. “May I introduce you to Sarah Honeywell, my fiancée. The one I’ve been searching for all my life.”
The crowd erupted in applause. Music roared to life. The magic in the wine hit some subtle peak and everyone danced like they were twenty-three again. Anna and Natalie and every other one of their friends surged forward, tears shining on their cheeks, hugging and congratulating Sarah and Danny in a happy throng. Good Boy hugged Danny tightly about the chest, squeezing so hard that Danny had to growl out a command to get him to let him go. Everyone was excited and jubilant and wanted to tell Sarah exactly how she was, or how lucky Danny was. Or how lucky they both were.
But with the crowd and the attention, came a ratcheting up of Sarah’s crowd phobia. Her heart raced. Her breath grew shallow. It was as if all the people at the party were sucking up all the air and there was none left for hr.
“Excuse us,” Danny said, sweeping Sarah off her feet and cradling her in his arms. He lifted her above the crowd and carried her through the party. “You look like you could use a breather,” he said. Concern shone in his eyes.
“Just for a bit. It’s getting too close in here.” Being in his arms, above it all, her anxiety fell away and she could enjoy the scene again. From her lofty vantage point, she could everything. A benign madness gripped the party. Sarah grinned widely at the dancing people, the clients downing wine, the friends stuffing themselves with delicious food. How had she gotten so lucky? Why had fate chosen her for such a blessing?
Danny carried her away, up the stairs to his bedroom. On the way they passed Rhett and Anna. She had her legs around his waist and he had her up against a wall. They were kissing and moaning and thrusting. Anna saw Sarah pass through half-lidded eyes. “I like your friend,” she said with a laugh that broke into a warbling cry of pleasure.
“Well, now I’ve seen my friend’s O face. That’s weird,” Sarah said.
“Come show me yours,” Danny said.
“Pretty sure you’ve seen it like five hundred times this week.”
“It’s true. But I love seeing you bite your lip and gasp my name and roll your eyes.”
“I don’t bite my lip. Or gasp,” Sarah said. He carried her up the stairs effortlessly.
“Wanna bet?” Danny grinned.
* * *
CHAPTER FIVE
Danny’s bed was massive, but of course it was. He was a big bear shifter of a man and would need a big bed, but this bed was big. His bedroom stretched across the entire top floor of the building. The eastern wall was all windows looking out over the San Francisco bay. The water sparkled in the moonlight. Sarah felt exposed, but they were four stories up and there was no way anyone could see them. The Bay Bridge arced across the field of view, jumping from the city to Treasure Island and then across the field of stars that was Oakland and the East Bay.
She stopped in her tracks at the view. It was breathtaking. To see this every night, what a treat that would be. But that was going to be her life from now on, wasn’t it? How could she possibly get used to it? Would she get the wind knocked out of her every time she looked to the east?
Danny vanished into a free-standing closet and removed his suit. When he emerged he was naked. Sarah saw his reflection in the windows and watched as he padded up behind her wordlessly.
“You look amazing,” Danny growled. In the reflection, Sarah saw golden fire spark in his eyes. The heat within her had been at a critical level all night, but the anxiety had made her numb to it. Now, alone with her mate again, her fear was gone and all that remained was the heat. Seeing Danny’s eyes, she knew he felt the same primal need.