Sisters in White (Love in Bloom: Snow Sisters #3) Contemporary Romance (3 page)

She let go.

She let go of my hand.

I’m alone.

Danica looked at her father, then back at Kaylie. She was alone on a tightrope, with the world far below. When had Kaylie become
her
safety net? When had she started needing her so much?
Take a deep breath
. Danica inhaled deeply and blew it out slowly.
You can do this
.

“Babe? You okay?”

Blake’s comforting voice broke the panicked spell. She managed to smile. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She touched Kaylie’s shoulder, more for her own comfort than Kaylie’s. Then Danica went to Madeline’s chair and extended her hand in a formal, awkward fashion. “I’m Danica. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

A shy smile pulled at Madeline’s pale pink lips. She covered Danica’s hand with her own, then whispered, “Thank you.”

Without any conscious thought, Danica scrutinized her, taking in her light flowing jacket, smart skirt and top to match. She wanted to draw comparisons between her mother and Madeline, to pull the pieces of Madeline apart, if only to protect the mother who raised her, but she stifled the urge. She’d spent enough years as a therapist to know the millions of ways marriages deteriorated and how little it took for a lonely person, or a person who felt as if they were being taken for granted—or even for a person who was simply too bored with their own life to function—to fall into the arms of another. Whatever happened between their parents happened between them, and she knew that no matter how hard it might prove to be, she and Kaylie had no business judging either of them. They hadn’t been in their bedroom when things went wrong. They weren’t privy to the trials and tribulations of their marriage as it crumbled and deteriorated until there was nothing left. Even if this quiet woman had coerced their father into her bedroom, it was his choice to return, and in the end, his choice to leave his family and remain with her. She might have been holding the apple, but he was the one who took the bite and swallowed, letting his other family—their family—fall away.

With that acknowledgment circling her neck like a noose, Danica went to her father’s side, trying to keep that noose from strangling her efforts. The man who had taught her right from wrong and how to be a strong, secure person, the man who brought her a giant lollipop when she got her first period—as if that was even the slightest bit appropriate—this was the man she had once adored. Why, then, when she looked at him now did bile rise in her throat?

She bit back the desire to tell him how awful he’d been by leaving their mother—and her and Kaylie. She squelched the words that vied to spew forth:
bastard, cheater, liar, thief
. She reluctantly eased out of the protective armor that she’d carefully formed around her and Kaylie like a cocoon and gave in to her tears.

“Dad. I’ve missed you.” She couldn’t breathe, could barely think as she returned to her seat beside Blake. He took her hand and held it tight, and finally, after what felt like a lifetime had passed in the previous three minutes, Danica was right back where she belonged. She let out a loud breath and felt the armor slowly slipping back into place.

Danica had been lying awake since the wee hours of the morning, worrying about Kaylie. She’d been silent during dinner, tossing a feigned smile here and there and answering their father’s questions in clipped, terse snippets. She hardly looked at Lacy, who’d been sweet and kind to everyone and so very protective of their father and Madeline.
Want some butter, Dad? Mom, is your dinner okay?
What must it have been like for Lacy growing up? Danica knew from their emails that Lacy had grown up knowing she had two sisters whom she’d one day meet, but what would that feel like? Danica wondered. And at twenty-six years old, how did it feel to know you were the product of an affair? How brave do you have to be to face the family that you’ve been dying to meet, knowing they weren’t really yours to claim?

She was just about to jump out of bed and head to the shower when she felt Blake’s body sidle up behind hers. His arms wrapped around her; his hips pressed into her backside, firm and warm.

He kissed the back of her neck, then kissed the peak of her shoulder, sending a shiver down her back.

“Couldn’t sleep?” he whispered.

She shook her head, closing her eyes and reveling in his touch as he caressed her breast. She turned onto her back, and he slid his hand down her belly, splaying it across her abdomen as he moved closer to her. She felt the heat of him as his naked body slithered alongside of her, the hair on his thighs tickling her. He brought his right hand under her hair and grasped the base of her skull, using his other hand to turn her body toward him as he settled his mouth onto hers, gently kissing her at first, then harder, his tongue pushing the worry right out of her mind. She moaned as her body gave in to his touch, arching toward him, wanting him to love the memory of Kaylie trembling at the table right out of her mind.

Heal me
.

Blake pulled back, leaving her hungry for more, the taste of him lingering on her lips. He arched over her, trailing his fingers along her side, then grasping her waist and holding tight. He looked into her eyes with a sultry, yet sorrowful gaze, his dark eyes hurting right along with her heart.

How was he able to reflect her pain so perfectly? she wondered, and sucked in a sharp breath as he gripped her tighter.

“Tell me what you want,” he said huskily.

The strength of him elicited fire in her veins, and she leaned up toward his lips. He closed his eyes and drew away.

“Tell me,” he whispered.

“Love me,” she said, wishing he’d take her in every way possible and make her forget the look in Kaylie’s eyes when she’d seen Lacy across the room.

“Tell me how,” Blake urged. He’d been trying to get her to be more verbal when they made love, to let go of her fear and trust him completely. Although Danica knew exactly what she wanted, she still held back. She’d never let go with anyone. Not the boyfriends who talked dirty to her, or the guys who tried to coax her into doing the same. She couldn’t trust that much, because, thanks to her father, she knew what lay ahead.

“How?” he pushed.

She closed her eyes, unable to make herself say the words. She grabbed the back of his head and drew it to her breast.

He licked the tip of her nipple—one quick swipe of his tongue, just enough to send her pulse soaring, then again, a long, slow lap around her areola.

“Tell me,” he said.

Danica’s chest rose and fell to the beat of each heavy breath. She arched toward the warmth of his mouth, ready for him, wanting him inside of her. She thrust her hips toward him, trying again to guide his mouth to her breast.

“Tell me,” he coaxed, running his index finger along her lower lip.

She bit her lip as he rose above her, settling his warm palm on her cheek. “Baby, it’s just me. Let me love you. Tell me what you need.”

Oh, how she wanted to scream it from the rooftops! Everything about Blake proved his love for her, from his gentle touch to his constant consideration, and yet the fear remained.
What if one day...?
She’d come a long way, sexually. She’d become playful and had learned how to tease and taunt. Her sex drive was ten times what it had ever been before, but saying what she wanted—what she craved? Out loud? Asking him? No, begging him? She didn’t know if she could do it. No, she couldn’t cross that line. She wouldn’t cross that line.

He ran his tongue between her breasts, then lapped at the curve of her collarbone. Looking at her with those incredible eyes that seared sex into her mind, he took her lower lip between his teeth, then licked at the tender spot, ever so lightly, until Danica’s body trembled beneath him.

She closed her eyes tightly, wanting to please him, wanting to trust him, and wanting, more than anything, more of him. She gathered her courage and tried. “Lick me,” she said.

He licked her lips again.

“My breast.” Was that her breathy voice? That sexy, wanting, throaty voice? “Lick my breast.” It wasn’t as difficult as she thought it might be, and as he followed her command and lowered his mouth to her breast, nipping at her nipples with his teeth until they stood erect, she ached even more for the wetness of his mouth. He circled her nipples with his tongue.

Yes! Oh God. Yes!
“More. Harder.” She clutched his hair in her hands and pulled him down. His tongue pushed hard as he suckled her breast until she was moaning in ecstasy, on the verge of peaking.

Then he drew away slowly, and she reached for him. “No, don’t stop. Touch me. Touch me,” she pleaded, her shyness lost amid the desire that pulsed and swelled within her. She took his hand and drew it down between her legs.

“Uh-uh,” he said, and held her hand there.

Danica felt a rush of titillation. She’d never touched herself in front of anyone before, and she could barely believe she was doing it now—but,
oh my
—this felt so naughty, so forbidden. A rush of excitement set her hand in motion.

His tongue moved back to her mouth and he thrust it in, exploring in a way that sent shivers right through her. She found the spot she knew would carry her over the edge and moved quick and hard against it. She felt his hand move away and she opened her eyes. He was quick to plant a kiss on each lid, forcing them closed.

“No,” he whispered when she drew her hand away. “Keep going.”

She felt his eyes on her as she moved swiftly and skillfully along the moist folds of her sensitive skin. Every muscle in her legs tightening, heat rose within her to a fever pitch—one final stroke and she knew she’d be there. Blake’s fingers found hers, and he worked her into a frenzy until her body bucked and rocked against him. Her flesh throbbed and pulsated against his fingers as sensations tightened every nerve in her body, then slowly dissipated, leaving her body limp, her mind foggy, and her heart full.

“That’s my girl,” Blake said, kissing her cheeks and her neck and pushing her hair from her forehead.

Every touch was so tender and loving that she melted into the safe and sated feeling. Their bodies were slick with sweat as he pulled away. Then his massive thighs were pushing hers apart. She gasped, not sure she could take any more. He leaned on his elbows, holding her head between his hands.

“Look at me,” he said, staring into her eyes as he slid into her, until she could feel every blessed inch of him. Then he drew himself out slowly.

No. Don’t stop!

Danica felt her eyes fluttering open, closed, then open again as she fell into his rhythm, her body responding again and again, in ways she didn’t think possible. He moved faster, harder, and she grabbed at his back, and when he hit just the right spot that stole her breath, grabbing wasn’t enough. She clawed at his back, forgetting whatever had held her back when they first began and pleading for more.

“Faster.” To her dismay, he slowed his movements. “Fast, faster,” she pleaded.

He pulled out from between her legs and slid down her body until she felt the heat of his tongue upon her, lapping, sucking, making every nerve in her body tingle and burn. His hands slid up her body and he took her nipples between his index fingers and thumbs.

She couldn’t take it. Her loins were on fire, aching for more of him. She clutched his hair as her body finally found its release. She clawed at the sheets as aftershocks rocked her insides, like bolts of lightning searing her again and again, until she had no more energy to give. Her body fell limp, shuddering against him. And his sweet voice found her ears again.

“Tell me.”

She shook her head, unable to think, much less speak. She couldn’t take any more. There must be a sin in experiencing that much pleasure in such quick succession.

“Tell me,” he urged again, drawing his tongue up the center of her belly, to the undersides of her breasts, until she was pulling him into her, ravenous for his love.

“More. Now, more.”

“More what?” he teased.

Her eyes flew open. “Really?” Her voice was throaty and raw.

“Really,” he said, and began to pull away from her.

She grabbed him and pulled him back toward her. “Aren’t you? Don’t you need to...?”

“I will. Tell me what you want, babe.”

“Take me. All of me. Love me. Fuck me.” She couldn’t believe she’d said the words.

Blake’s eyes darkened and he took her hard and fast, his hands gripping her shoulders, his hips fueled by as much love as need. “Oh, Danica. I love you so much.”

She wanted to say it back. God knew she felt it down to her very core, but she couldn’t stop gritting her teeth, willing her body to ride out their heated wave. His motions took her right up to the peak again, and she rode out the unexpected crescendo along with him as he arched into her, moaning his pleasure, gritting his teeth, and pumping slower, slower, until they both collapsed, side by side, their fingers intertwined, their breathing filling the space between them.

Later that morning, Danica felt Blake’s eyes on her from the moment she came out of the shower. How could she have said those things? What had she been thinking? Now she was too embarrassed to look at her fiancé. She dressed in a pair of capris and a peach sleeveless shirt, keeping her back to him as he sat on the edge of the bed.

She dried her hair while he showered, then put on a pair of amber earrings and slipped into a pair of peach sandals while Blake zipped up his shorts and pulled a T-shirt over his head. She couldn’t ignore his stare any longer.

“What are you staring at me like that for?”
Oh God, he thinks I’m a fool. I made a fool of myself. I did it all wrong.

“I can’t stop loving you. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, the most sensual woman I’ve ever met. I just—” He shook his head, like words couldn’t express what he was feeling.

Danica’s cheeks warmed. “I’m so embarrassed. I’ve never done anything like that before.”

“Yes, you have,” Blake said with a laugh. “We make love all the time.”

She spun around. “Not that. You know what I mean.” She watched him for signs of mocking, but there were none. And when he took her in his arms and kissed her so passionately that her body instantly responded, she knew he was not mocking her.

“I want you to trust me. We’re going to be husband and wife. You don’t ever have to be embarrassed in front of me.” He sat down on the bed and put on his shoes. “Danica, anything we do in the bedroom, it stays between us, and anything you don’t want to do, we won’t do. Ever.”

She nodded, unable to speak. How could she tell him that she loved what they’d done? How could she tell him that she actually liked touching herself when he watched her? That it was probably one of the most erotic things she’d ever done. She couldn’t tell him those things, and she wouldn’t, because the memory of the evening before settled in, reminding her that even when you think you’re safe, life can slip you a mickey and turn your safe and happy life upside down.