Page 35 of Heart in Waiting
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Sunlight peeked throughthe window blinds and created a kaleidoscope of different shapes mixed with white and yellow light dancing across Dane’s face. Reese trailed her finger across his cheek, disrupting the ray’s artwork. Of course, the man himself had a certain beauty to him too. They’d taken a step toward something the night before, and she had no regrets. There was something about this man that filled a hole in her life. She didn’t know exactly what that was just yet, but she intended to figure it out.
As far as mistakes went, she’d made plenty over the years. Dane; however, didn’t even measure up to all those disasters. He was a good man. One she could count on no matter what and someone she hadn’t counted on finding at this point in her life. In fact, she couldn’t recall the last time she’d been this happy.
Dane rolled onto his side. His nose a mere inch away from hers—his lips tilted up into a lazy smile. “Good morning.” He slid his hand upward across her bare back. His fingers left a trail of anticipation in their wake as he skimmed them across her heated skin.
“Not as good as it could be.” Reese rolled closer to him and rubbed against him enticingly. “Want to play a little bit before we face the day?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” he said huskily before he touched his lips to hers. Then he moved lower to kiss her neck and shoulder. “But don’t you have a meeting this morning with Dr. Foster.”
“Ugh,” she groaned. “Why do you have to be the voice of reason?”
“Darling,” he whispered in her hear. His husky voice sent waves of desire through her. “I’d love nothing more than to spend all day in bed with you, but we both have jobs to do—important ones. People depend on us to do them.”
Reese hated that he was right. She liked the idea of a whole day of just the two of them though. She’d have to find a way to make that happen and soon. “Fine,” she agreed reluctantly, then pushed away from him. “But why don’t we save some time and shower together.” She winked and then hopped out of the bed. When she reached the bathroom, she glanced over her shoulder and asked, “Are you coming?”
She didn’t wait to see if he would follow. He would or he wouldn’t, but she expected that, by the time the shower was warmed up, he’d be by her side. Reese reached into the stall and spun the knob to hot. Water poured from the head, spraying against the tile. Dane sneaked in behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against him.
“I thought you weren’t coming.” Reese leaned her head against his chest, tilting it so she could look at him.
“I couldn’t resist such a gorgeous invitation.” He kissed her forehead. “The shower awaits us.”
Reese laughed and stepped into the shower. Dane followed behind her, closing the door behind him. He reached for the shampoo and then lathered it into her hair, massaging her scalp. It was almost as amazing as the sex had been, but not quite as earth-shattering. After the suds were rinsed clear, he worked on the rest of her, making sure not one inch of her body was left unwashed. As far as Reese was concerned, he could shower with her for the rest of her life.
“There,” he said and kissed her nose. “You’re now squeaky clean.”
“And aroused beyond reason,” she retorted. Reese wiggled her eyebrows enticingly. “Care to help a girl out?”
Dane lowered his hand until his fingers skimmed the curls between her legs. He dipped one finger in-between her folds and rubbed the sensitive bud. “Like this?” he asked.
“Yes.” She moaned as he rubbed a little harder. “Keep doing that.”
He had magic fingers. With each slide of his finger across her clit, she rose closer to her peak. Her moans reverberated around the shower stall. Dane pressed one finger on her clit and slid another inside her. He rocked his hand back and forth, one finger rubbing her clit and then the other slipping into her. After four repetitions of that motion she screamed as her orgasm rocketed through her. Her knees went weak and she’d have hit the floor if he hadn’t been there to catch her. He held her steady with one of his arms as he leaned down and said, “Easy now. Just breathe.”
Easy? Yeah it had been entirely too easy for him to destroy her ability to think, but oh, how good it had been. Days like this would lead her to a path of addiction—a Dane addiction. Was there any better kind to have? She might even be falling for him. She glanced up at him and smiled. “We’ll have to meet here again tomorrow morning.”
“There you go giving me tempting invitations again.” He chuckled lightly. “But we need to step out of this shower before it turns cold. I’ve taken enough of those by myself; I don’t need to start doing it with you too.”
Reese laughed and twisted out of his embrace. She left him in the shower to finish washing himself and went to prepare for the day. She did feel a little selfish leaving him aroused, but there was no turning back and finishing him off. She’d make it up to him later... If she didn’t have appointments, she’d go back and do all kinds of wicked things to him. Her meeting with Dr. Foster was about Halie Morris. It was not something she looked forward to and wished the necessity of it didn’t exist. That poor girl was so young, and she shouldn’t have to deal with life and death at her age.
The image of Halie filled her mind and she glanced back toward the bathroom. She would talk to Paige today and find out once and for all if Halie was Dane’s daughter. If she was, he had a right to know. Especially, with how sick she was. Dane would want to be with her no matter what the little girl had to face. Reese wanted to make sure he had that opportunity too.
***
REESE SLID INTO THEpassenger seat of Dane’s car. They were going to be late, but she didn’t regret how her morning had went. Her body practically hummed with energy after the orgasm in the shower. Her hair was still damp, but she’d plaited it into a braid that wrapped around her head to keep it out of her way. It would be a long day, and she didn’t need to worry about how it looked.
“I’m going to stay at the hospital today,” Dane explained. “I know I can’t be in the room during your meetings with the doctor and patients—privacy must be observed. However,” he began. “I have a bad feeling about Nolan and don’t want to leave you completely unprotected. So expect me to check in with you often.”
“I’m all right with that,” she said. Her voice took on a suggestive tone. “I might even be up for a private meeting with you later in my office.”
“Behave,” he said with a laugh.
“Please,” she scoffed. “We both know you love when I’m bad.”
A week ago, she’d have been appalled if someone suggested she’d have an intimate relationship with Dane Hunter. Now they were sitting in his car teasing each other as if they’d known each other their whole lives. In some ways they had—just not as well as Reese would have liked. There were some things she didn’t fully understand about him. She did know a couple things for certain though; he made her feel good and treated her like a princess. Every woman should know what it was like to be loved by a man like him. She’d never felt so special in her entire life.
He eased his car into a parking spot and then turned the engine off. Without any prompting he stepped out of the car and opened her door for her. Was this what love was like? Would he tire of her after a few weeks of dealing with her neediness? She hated questioning it, but her track record wasn’t the best. She had to make sure she didn’t make the same mistakes she had in the past. Dane could be her future if she allowed herself to be happy long enough to accept him into her life.
