Just Human (26 page)

Staring in amazement, I step forward, glancing at Danny’s eyes. They’re glittering with excitement.

“Can I look?” I approach with caution. Danny nods, so I gently peel off the masking tape and carefully unwrap the cling film. I’m blown away by what I find underneath. Max has taken him to the right guy for the job. A local guy we’ve both been to on many occasions, it can be really hard to book him because he travels, but it’s worth the wait if you do. He specialises in dot work and produces the most beautiful intricate geometric work I’ve ever seen. Danny has really gone for it and had a half sleeve. It’s so incredibly sexy!

I study it for ages. I’m just stunned.

“Do you like it?” he asks, snapping me out of my trance.

“It’s amazing.” I grin, taking his face in my hands and drawing him in to a passionate kiss. I want to jump him right now, but he is probably sore and I’m fresh from the shower. There’ll be plenty of time for that. Fleetingly, I think about kissing it once it’s healed, it makes my hairs stand on end. I know it’s bizarre, but it does something to me. I pull away before I go too far.

“Did he tell you not to leave this on?” I ask, holding up the balled-up cling film.

“Yeah, he told me you’d show me how to take care of it.”

“You’ve certainly come to the right place.” I wink. “Come on.” Taking his hand, I lead him to the bedroom and from my bedside drawer I produce my ointment of choice. Very gently, I rub it into his skin, loving the opportunity to touch it. He winces slightly as I cover the skin on the inside of his arm. “Hurts there doesn’t it.”

“A little.”

“There!” I exclaim, finishing my duties. I kiss him on the cheek, resisting the urge to kiss his raw skin. “All done.”

“Thanks. So, you like it then?”

“I love it, very jealous actually. I’ll have to make an appointment now. How did you get in with him so easily?”

“Max gave me his slot. He got another one for while we’re in LA.”

“Wow! Max must
really
think the world of you.”

“He’s a good guy. We’ve really bonded.”

I chuckle. “Quite the little bromance you’ve got going on.”

“Oh, stop!” he jokes. Then he gets serious. “I really like him and I love that he loves you. Besides, it makes it easier to stay here if I have friends.” I smile to myself, it’s true and I am so glad the most important two people in my life seem genuinely fond of each other. I know too well how hard it can be when that isn’t the case. Max and Mark despised each other.

At just before eight, I come out of the bedroom, ready for our big night out…well in, we live here. But it’s Max’s birthday on Monday, so tonight we’re hitting the bar. We could go somewhere else, but why not stay where we’re treated like royalty and everyone knows where to find us. Besides, it’s Saturday night and I’ve no interest in fighting for drinks at some other bar when I can just snap my fingers here (metaphorically of course, I treat my staff very well). I’ve set up a V.I.P. area and put on some food. A few friends are coming and we have a friend’s band playing. Max’s ideal night.

“You look beautiful,” Danny says from his vantage point at the table. He’s been working while I got ready. He closes down his computers and comes over. “Ready?” he asks, offering his arm. I hook my arm under his and grin.

“Ready.”

As we go past the kitchen, I check on everything and see the cake that they’ve made for Max. Everything is perfect and we walk out into the bar, just as they arrive. Danny greets them warmly and while Charlie talks shop with Danny, I catch Max.

“Thank you,” I whisper in his ear.

“Hey it was all him, I just got him in.”

“Yeah but you gave up your birthday appointment.”

“Anything for you. How’s he finding it?”

“Sore I think, but I love it,” I reply, watching Danny chat with Charlie. “I wish I’d been there.”

“Hot is the only word for it,” jokes Max. I feign shock and slap him, but I know he’s right. I pout, envious that Max got to see it. “Hey, you can have the next one.” He winks.

Danny and Charlie join us and, as the food comes out, some other friends arrive. Before long the band is playing and everyone is having a great time. I can’t remember being this happy, ever. I’ve watched as my friends interact with Danny. He fits here perfectly and I’ll do anything to make sure he stays. Max and I have been having a good old dance and I need some air. I head out to the garden and find Danny, sitting on his own looking at his phone.

“Everything okay?”

“That was Jen. Just checking my flight details, she’s picking me up Friday.” He holds his arms out and I perch on his knee, careful not to lean on his tattooed arm. “She can’t wait to meet you.”

“I can’t wait either. But I hate not going with you. I haven’t let you out of my sight since you came back into my life; it’s going to be really weird here without you.”

He pulls his arm tight around me, and nuzzles into my neck. “It’s only for a short time, then you’ll be with me. I need to do this, wrap things up. Then I’m all yours.” I smile inwardly. I love how that sounds.

“Is it too early to bail on Max?” I murmur in his ear, biting his earlobe.

He laughs. “Yes! It’s his birthday, where’s your loyalty?”

“Oh, he won’t mind.” I run my index finger up his free thigh. Danny snatches my hand and pulls it away.

“You’re so horny! Now get back in there, before your friend misses you. We have plenty of time for what you have in mind.” He commands, pushing me off his lap and standing to follow me. I hang my head in disappointment and he tuts and shakes his head. Then we both laugh and head back inside.

When I finally do get Danny up the stairs, he’s had so much to drink that there’s no hope. He makes a drunken attempt at foreplay, but it’s simply comical. I flop him into bed in his boxers and get ready for bed myself. Before I climb in with him, I lovingly rub ointment into his tattoo. It really is beautiful. I study it in detail while he’s out cold, following the lines with my greasy fingers. When I am satisfied that it’s sufficiently moisturised, I slip into bed next to him, hugging him close.

“I love you,” I whisper.

“Hey sleepy head.” I bounce on the bed to stir him.

“Mmm,” he stirs.

“Time to get up.” I bounce again, a little too enthusiastically. “You’re leaving today and I want to see you before you go.” I can’t believe how fast Friday came around and now he’s leaving me.

“Ugh, get off!” Danny mumbles in a sleepy daze. “Why are you doing this to me?”

“Come on,” I order, pulling back the covers.

Suddenly he’s wide awake.

“Oh it’s on now!” he growls with a wicked smile. He grabs me and pulls me down. I struggle, but he wraps himself around me and grabs the covers again, pulling them completely over us. I scream as he begins to tickle me and we wrestle around until he has me pinned beneath him.

He hovers over me in the half-light under the covers.

“I have you right where I want you.”

“Come on then tough guy, what are you going to do with me,” I challenge.

He flicks his eyebrows up and wrinkles his nose.

“Get up and catch a flight,” he says, whipping back the covers and leaping up.

“Hey, no fair!” I pout. “You can’t get me all excited then leave me hanging.”

“You got yours last night,” he reminds me, with smile.

I drop my head back onto his pillow and recall last night.

“Mmmm…I did. Fancy a repeat performance?”

“No can do. Gotta fly!” he quips, tossing his t-shirt over his shoulder and heading into the bathroom.

I huff, but reluctantly get up. I’d already been and got us coffee and pancakes from downstairs; at least they won’t get cold now.

I set us places at one end of the table, which is significantly clearer now that Danny has packed. His laptop, the hard drive and all the wires have gone. All that remains is the desktop Mac he bought a couple of weeks ago. He’s obviously leaving that here. He’ll need it until he ships his stuff over.

Danny comes out of the bathroom and sits at the table.

“Thanks, I’ll need this, it’ll save me from airplane food.”

We eat in silence. I’m dreading dropping him off and I guess he’s dreading leaving. I know it’s only for a few days, maybe a week, but I don’t want him to go. Danny’s phone lights up and he glances at it, then clears the screen. He looks up at me.

“Just Mom wishing me a safe flight,” he says and puts it in his pocket.

Once Danny has finished, I clear our plates. I don’t have much of an appetite, so I scrape most of mine into the bin. I stack up the plates to go back downstairs and finish my coffee. Danny is pottering around getting his last bits ready.

“Ready when you are,” he says as he appears in the kitchen doorway.

“Never then,” I smile, watching him as he moves towards me.

“It’s going to go so fast you know. And I’ll call you every day.”

“I know.”

“I’ll miss you, so much.”

“I’ll miss you too.”

“Come on. We can do this at the airport.”

“Okay,” I reluctantly agree.

We park at the short stay and walk across to the terminal, hand in hand. I wait with him while he queues to check in and then we head for Passport Control.

“I love you,” he says with a smile. “And I’m never going to let you go.”

I go weak at his words.

“I love you too,” I whisper, fighting tears. This is so stupid I reason; in a few days I’ll be here catching a flight to join him. I have a stern word with myself and manage not to sob when we kiss deeply and lingeringly. Hurried passengers move around us, while we are oblivious. The airport is one of the few places where such PDAs are acceptable.

“See you, beautiful,” Danny murmurs in my ear as we hug one last time and then he turns and heads through Passport Control, waving briefly before he disappears.

I drag my feet back to the car and drive home in silence. Pulling up to the back of the diner, I feel so depressed knowing he won’t be there when I get in. I turn off the engine and reach for my phone to text him.

‘I love you x”

Then I text my sister.

‘Hurry up and have this baby, I just dropped Danny at the airport and I need a reason to follow him ASAP! ;-) X’

Straight from the car, I head into the kitchen and find myself something to do. This is going to suck!

Seventeen.

Danny.

Just friends ;-)

I zip up my case and sit back on the bed. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone, but I really don’t want to leave. I think I have everything organised, I wanted to finish it before Liv gets in, so we can be together with no interruptions until I have to leave in the morning. It's already after nine, but there was no one to cover, so she had to work. Hopefully she will be finished soon. Just one last thing to do, text my flight number to Jen. I was pretty drunk when she called the other night, so I promised to text the exact details when I sobered up. I reach for the email I printed off this morning and send the text.

‘LAX, Tom Bradley International Terminal, 15:05, Flight BA0283. Xxx”

Liv gets in as I finish typing and I watch her through the doorway, she drops her things on the table and begins to take off her shirt as she crosses the living room, pulling her hair tie out so that her hair falls loose around her shoulders. She gives me that ‘you’re gonna get it’ look as she reaches the door. Without a word, she climbs straight on top of me, straddling my legs and grinds herself against me. I take a sharp breath and kiss her while she pulls at my shirt.

Wow! I knew we'd do it tonight, but I wasn't expecting her to be so charged, right out of the gate. I take a moment to process what’s happening. Once she’s lifted my shirt over my head, I wrap her in my arms and we kiss like this for a while. Of course we both want more, but tomorrow we will be apart for the first time in a month and we'll miss every part of being together. I want to savour everything we do tonight and not rush. Despite the fact that she came in and got right down to it, I know she feels the same way.

I run my tongue around her mouth for a second more, before withdrawing from the kiss and exploring her face with my lips. She sighs as I trail light kisses around her temple and down to her ear. I continue down her neck and pause for a second, breathing heavily against her skin, while I free her from her bra. She leans back to encourage me and I happily suck on one of her nipples, lightly pinching the other. I’ve found that she loves it when I am rough with them, but I'm taking it slow tonight.

Liv moans as I suck harder and begins to move against me again. I’m rock hard and a little uncomfortable in my jeans, so I slide my hand between us, yanking at the buttons, but Liv tries to get up. I stop her, pulling her back, my mouth still working on her breast. I refuse to break contact, so I stand quickly, lifting her with me. Holding her up with one arm, I push down my jeans with the other and sit again before we lose contact. I switch breasts, causing Liv to moan again, and pay as much attention to this side, while I kick off my jeans and boxers beneath us. Now it's only her underwear between us.

She sways her hips and teases me through the thin cotton of her panties, I want to rip them off, but I let her have her fun. I need a condom anyway, but to get one from the drawer means stopping, so I put it off a while, surrendering to her seduction. She kisses my neck and then moves down my shoulder to the top of my new tattoo. She can't keep away from it, especially now that it's healing. I didn't do it just for her, I've always thought about it, but I couldn't have hoped for a better reaction. It's still a little uncomfortable, but she knows that better than anyone and is very careful around it. Stopping herself, she returns to my lips, but I know she can't wait until she can kiss it, touch it and lick it, like I do to hers.

I start to push myself against her, she groans at the pressure, but soon I'll need to stop and grab a rubber. Liv lifts slightly and before I realise what's happening, she’s pulled her panties to one side and positioned herself so that I am just inside her. I look at her in panic; she just smiles as she very slowly starts to sink down onto me.

"Wait," I tell her.