If Tomorrow Never Comes (Harper Falls Book 2) (21 page)

"Warmer now?"

"Mmm, lovely." She raised her head just long enough to give him a sweet, lingering kiss, then snuggled close, her head resting on his shoulder.

"I want you in me."

Alex almost choked on the laugh that burst from his throat.

"You're insatiable."

"And you're hard."

She took him in her hand. Though still confined by jeans and underwear, there was no concealing his arousal. Not that he was trying. Dani smiled as he shifted, giving her just a little more access.

"I'm good for now. Your hand feels incredible." Alex brushed his lips over her temple. "Rest. We have plenty of time."

She'd been resting for too long, Dani thought, moving the blanket aside so she could straddle his lap. She wanted him again—now.

"I brought a box of condoms, but they're over there somewhere." She waved a hand in the general direction of her purse. "So I hope you have one in your pocket because otherwise I'm going bareback."

"I thought I was in charge," Alex said as she unbuttoned his jeans and carefully lowered the zipper.

"You were." She shifted just enough to let him lower his pants and kick them aside. Taking the foil package from him, she tore it open and started to cover his mouthwatering erection. "Now it's my turn."

Alex breathed in deeply, concentrating on her emerald eyes, not the feel of her fingers sliding condom down his length. The wicked, knowing glint helped, challenging him not to come before she was done with him. There was no way he was losing it until he was balls deep and had her screaming for a second time.

"Impressive," Dani finished, then shifted until he was just teasing her entrance. "I thought for a moment there you weren't going to make it."

"And miss out on this?"

His eyes were glued to the show—her slow decent. Inch by agonizing inch, she lowered herself until finally they were joined, and they both let out the breath they'd unconsciously been holding.

"How good does that feel?" Dani laughed, the vibrations shooting through him.

"Baby, you have no idea," he groaned.

Leaning in, a hairsbreadth away, Dani whispered, "Oh, yes I do."

The kiss was carnal—the fuck out of control.

Dani moved like a woman possessed. No slow build, no easing in. This was raw, primal. She threw her head back, grabbing his hands, pulling until he cupped her breasts. She urged him on, not asking for or expecting soft caresses. She needed his touch to be hard, taking her to the edge of pain but somehow knowing just when to pull back.

She thrust her fingers into Alex's hair and tugged until their mouths fused together—until they shared the same oxygen. There came a point, just before they climaxed, that she would have sworn that if one of them had stopped breathing, the other would have died. And neither would have cared, not as long as they reached that peak—together. She held back, waiting, needing to hear it.

"Jordanna!"

And with the sound of her name ringing triumphantly through the room, she let herself go.

"Check the top of my head, I think it blew off."

Dani laughed. God, how did she have the energy? She collapsed, limp as a rag doll, on his chest, her lips rubbing lightly against his hot, damp skin.

"I don't want to move."

"You don't have to," Alex assured her.

He lifted Dani to the side, just far enough to let him dispose of the condom, and brought her back. He liked the feel of her legs gripping the sides of his hips, how softly her breasts pillowed his head, the touch of her hand as she smoothed back his hair.

Alex reached around pulled the discarded blanket back up over them, tucking it around their bodies, cocooning them from the chill of the air-conditioned office.

"Rest," he whispered, allowing himself just a moment to let down his guard. A couple of minutes and he'd move. But for now he sank into the sweet oblivion he could only find in Dani's arms. And before his could stop himself, he slept.

Alex knew he was going to die.

It was a dream. He knew it, fought to get out. But still it came, taking him back to a place he didn't want go but could never completely get away from. It played itself out, as it always did, right to the point where the gun blasted a hole in his side, waking him, making him reach for a weapon that wasn't there.

"Alex?"

He knew that voice, but why was she here? She didn't belong in the hell his mind dragged him into.

"Alex? Sweetheart, wake up, you're dreaming."

Sweat covering his body, Alex's eyes flew open. It took him a moment to realize where he was, and another to realize what he was doing. But when he finally focused and found himself leaning over Dani, his hands around her throat, the haze lifted immediately, followed quickly by horror and self-disgust. He pulled back and would have jumped off the couch if she hadn't been faster, wrapping herself around him like a protective cloak.

"Let go, Dani." His body was rigid, his hands up in the air. He couldn't trust himself to touch her.

Instead of loosening her hold, she held on for dear life.

"No, I won't let go, not ever."

"I said let go. Now!"

The look on her face changed from concerned to scared right before his eyes, confirming his worst fears. He couldn't control the rage, not even for Dani.

"Let go, let go."

"I can't. I think we've become glued together."

The voice in his ear was a purr, no fear or panic—just relaxed, sleepy woman.

Well, shit, Alex thought. It had been a dream inside of a dream—that was new. The relief he felt, knowing he hadn't hurt her, that Dani hadn't actually been witness to the ugliness he carried inside, was short-lived. He knew now that it was just a matter of time. If he didn't find a way to purge himself of his demons, he was bound to drag her into it, and that was something he refused to do.

"Mmm." She sighed, tightening her arms around his neck. She lifted her head and smiled. "I'm hungry. But I think I need a shower first."

Play time. He couldn't fix his problems, at least not tonight. He needed to lighten his mind and take advantage of having a warm, willing Dani in his arms.

"Not a problem." He grinned. "Hold on."

Alex stood, anchoring her to him with one hand and using the other to open his office door. He walked them down the hall to what looked like a dead end. Pushing a hidden panel, he waited for the door to the elevator that would take them to the lower level to open.

"Impressive," Dani said. She'd never considered the benefits of being carried around by a gorgeous man with arms like steel beams, but she decided she could definitely get used to it. "I thought maybe there would be a fireman's pole and you'd tell me one of you guys was really Batman."

"No superheroes, but Jack and Drew are super smart. And lucky for us we get to reap the benefits."

It was a quick trip, the doors sliding open to reveal a tropical paradise—lush green plants, artificial light that mimicked the sun. The air filtration system, along with everything else, was state of the art, which meant the chlorine smell that usually accompanied an indoor pool was almost nonexistent.

"Rose told me about this, but it is definitely a
you have to see it to believe it
kind of place."

Alex walked to the deep end, Dani still in his arms. He bunched the muscles in his legs, poised to jump but paused.

"Ready?"

"I guess I won't be needing that bathing suit after all."

"I could always go back and get it."

Dani was glad to see the twinkle back in Alex's eyes. She'd woken from their nap, relaxed and happy. After what they had just shared, Alex should have been the same. Instead, he was distracted, tense. She could tell something was weighing him down. In all likelihood, it was the same thing that had sent him running from her the other night. But somewhere between his office and the pool, his cares had dropped away—her teasing lover was back.

"It would seem counter-productive since you've already seen me naked."

"Such a smart lady."

"Wait," she yelled, briefly stopping the inevitable. "Is it heated?"

Alex just shrugged. "Let's find out."

DANI HAD AWAKENED ninety-nine percent certain the world was her own personal playground, her oyster; heck, you name it, it was hers.

After the night before, how could she have any doubts? The sex had been incredible—off the charts. She and Alex had spent almost an hour in a nicely heated pool, sometimes swimming, mostly lazing, floating, touching. They ate and talked—had sex again. It was perfect until…She growled in frustration. Why, when everything else had been perfect, did she have to dwell on the one thing that hadn't lived up to her expectations. That pesky, crappy, frustrating one percent?

The answer, of course, was because it had been what ended the evening. After hours of bliss and multiple orgasms, she had ultimately been left frustrated.

"Stay with me."

When Dani had asked Alex to come home with her, he had made what was becoming his go-to excuse about needing to spend the night at H&W. Then, she offered, she would stay with him. But no, it was too uncomfortable, nothing but cots with thin mattresses meant for smelly men who spit all the time and scratched their crotches. Which was why it made even more sense for him sleep at her loft. They could shower together in the morning, walk down to
Pansy's Diner
for breakfast.

But Alex wouldn't budge. Instead, he put her in her car and insisted on following her home. Half-way to angry, Dani wanted to storm off on her own, which was what she had done, hitting the gas and leaving Alex standing in a cloud of dust. As she parked her car in her garage, she even managed a few moments of childish satisfaction until she heard the roar of his motorcycle. She had a choice. Close the garage door and fight another day, or confront him now. Taking a deep breath, she got out of her car and walked to where he was waiting.

"Stay with me."

She had seen the regret in his eyes. She'd known he wanted to say yes. She didn't know why she had ended up spending the night alone.

He hadn't even said anything, just shook his head. Dani had stared him down, but he didn't even blink. So with a growl of frustration, and to her embarrassment, a childish stomp of her foot, she marched back into the garage and closed the door, refusing to look back. Maybe some part of her hoped at the last minute he'd jump off his bike and stay. That was dashed when she heard the him pull away into the night.

Now, the next morning as she drove around returning boxes of pictures to their owners, Dani was proud of herself. At some point during her restless tossing and turning she had whittled her annoyance down to a fraction of where it had started. It wasn't as though he had treated her like a casual fling. He had been courteous and sweet; the sex hadn't been a one and done. He'd even seen her to her door. So what if he didn't want to spend the night. Did it really matter?

Well, that was a no-brainer. Of course, it did.

The problem was, she knew what it was like to sleep in Alex's arms. She knew how it felt to wake, hazy with sleep, and settle back against his warm, strong body to watch the sun rise. It had been part of what made their time together in Portugal so special—the quiet bonding. She had felt cherished and safe. And she wanted it again.

Dani could almost hear her mother's voice,
"Patience—give him time. If it's right,
if he's the one, it will be more than worth the wait."
So that's what she would do. She had to remind herself that he hadn't been in Harper Falls very long and that even though
she
wanted to jump ahead in their story, Alex wasn't ready. Since she was certain he
was
the one, she would wait.
Patience
—not her strong suit. But maybe practice would make perfect.

"You look chipper."

Rose was waiting for her when she pulled to the curb outside of Tyler's warehouse studio. At one time, the place had been the drop off spot for lumber, cement, and the like. If you used it to erect a building, this was the place to come. The riverside location had been convenient and the brick building bustling hub of activity right up until the mid-nineteen-seventies when there had been a sudden downturn in new construction. After that, the place had changed hands several times over the years, each owner having big plans. For one reason or another they either fell through or failed—miserably.

Some people thought it was because the place was cursed. One man died on the very day he signed the final purchase papers, another had a heart attack just as he was about to step through the doors for the very first time.

After that, some brilliant newspaper columnist had dubbed it
The Folly,
and the name had stuck, especially after a woman tried to turn it into a restaurant. An all you can eat Italian buffet? How could it fail? When half the town got food poisoning after the grand opening,
Mangia, Mangia, Mangia
, closed its doors, not even a month into its run.

The place became real estate poison. Ten years went by without even a nibble until Tyler swooped in and bought it for a song. The whole bad luck, curse thing had been a plus. Smaller price tag, no neighbors, very few visitors. Her idea of heaven.

The town had waited with baited breath to see what she would do with the run down building, and for the most part, they were still waiting. If it had been up to Tyler, she would have stopped at giving the inside a good cleaning and having the electricity brought up to code. It was only after some not so subtle pressure from the town council that she'd had the weeds around the old loading dock pulled up and the debris of years of neglect hauled away. Hiring someone to pressure wash the grime and cobwebs from the outer building had been her last concession. As far as she was concerned, if the people of Harper Falls were offended by the sight of her home when they drove by, they could just look the other way.

"Chipper?" Dani thought for a moment. She liked that. "You look pretty perky, yourself. And considering what we are about to do, I say we hold onto those feelings as long as possible."