Page 29 of Peak of Love
“And you have me. You’ll always have me.”
Celina turned her body away from him, not wanting to reveal how much his words affected her. She put her face in her hands, hoping to quell the rising emotion and flushed reaction of having Dane so close.
Have him? As a dependable supporter and an occasional companion, sure. However, he made clear that anything beyond a friend’s loyalty had no place in everyday life. Their passion belonged in a fleeting moment at a faraway place. She made a weak attempt to pull away.
Instead of releasing her, though, Dane placed firm yet gentle hands on her shoulders. He kept her back flush against his chest.
And although she shouldn’t, she let him.
“What’s really wrong, Celina? I realize you must be exhausted. I hear your frustrations. But you must know what an incredible mother you are. Just look at those boys. They’re the best, baby. Despite all the odds against you, you’re doing it. Raising strong, healthy, amazing kids. This isn’t about them, really, is it?”
“I don’t… I don’t know. I ha—haven’t felt like myself since… ”
“Since Whistler?”
She closed her eyes tight and offered one barely perceptible nod.
Something in Dane awoke. A flicker of hope that she also felt the lingering intensity of their time together. At some level, he knew he had to let her go. He knew he never earned the right to cling to her like she was his. Yet somehow, in his muddled brain, he’d reasoned that in letting her go and keeping her trust, she would find her way back to him. At the end of the day, that’s how it had to be.
Celina had to be sure and Dane had to be better.
“Is that why you went out with Ben?” Dane asked tartly.
“Leave him out of it. He’s a… a nice guy.”
He indulged in one subtle nudge of his nose against her cheek. Breathing her in as he offered his teasing remarks. “You sure about that? He wanted to take you to a jazz club, Celina. You can’t stand jazz.” The chuckle they shared was a salve to his agitated nerves.
“Yeah, well, there was dessert,” she retorted with a hint of sass. Dane’s notorious ability to draw out the ridiculous was still useful, after all.
Begrudgingly, Celina offered more information. “Although he doesn’t like chocolate.”
“That right there is grounds for disqualification. He wouldn’t survive in this house.” He was feeling smug now.
“Oh, shut up,” she burst out in vexed amusement.
They were quiet for a few minutes before he spoke again. Honesty reared its unwelcome head. “It was weird seeing you with another man.”
He felt her stiffen. In an effort to explain what he meant, Dane continued. “At least now you know he’s not for you.”
She wiggled away and spun around. He was mortified by the cold fortitude in her eyes. Fuck, he saidexactlythe worst thing again, didn’t he?
“You don’t get to do that. I appreciate that you’re in my boys’ lives, but you don’t get to say who is or isn’t for me.”
“Are you planning to go out with him again?” The sudden vehemence of his question startled both of them.
How did they go from teasing lightly to this senseless confrontation? He watched, amazed, as Celina’s fatigue evaporated. It was replaced by grinding teeth and a hostile glare. She was the picture of rage. Beautiful, righteous, infectious rage. He felt his own anger simmer under the surface of overheated skin.
“As a matter of fact, yes. I would love to see him again,” she hissed. “The only thing stopping me is making sure Jonas and Jerome don’t feel left out in any way. I’ve told Ben about them. Maybe the solution is for all four of us to go somewhere. A casual afternoon at the zoo. Or maybe a hike.”
As she spoke, Dane realized three things.
First, this sharp pain in his side from holding himself back didn’t stay in his side. It spread to take over his whole belly and then up his chest, turning into a vise around his throat.
Second, the very thought of a zoo or a hike with fuckingBensent him into a tailspin of other images; most prominent of all was the image of his fist connecting with Ben’s nose.
Third, both revelations were immensely inconvenient because they prevented his mental faculties from working. He needed to stay calm and reasonable and helpful. Instead, he was simply and unabashedly mad.
“The four of you?” he grunted through a stiff jaw and flared nostrils. Dane was a large man. When he eliminated the distance she caused, Celina didn’t back down. She stared up and stuck her chest out, daring him to contest her in any way. If he was mad, she was a fiery ball of rage.
