Chapter Twelve.

Luke I'd been staring at the menu for two full minutes but had absolutely no clue what it said. I couldn't concentrate on anything but the fact that Dani was here, sitting across from me. I'd never been so infatuated by a woman before. She was smart, beautiful and tenacious. Everything I wanted in a woman and nothing like I had imagined she would be when I first started following her to Summerville. Most of my past relationships with women were more like a, "drive by." Usually, I just wanted them, got them, and didn't want them anymore. It wasn't like that with Dani; she was different, better than the others in every way, and in the short time we'd been apart, I hadn't been able to stop thinking about her.

"Are you hungry?" I finally asked, breaking the silence when I saw the waiter approaching.

Dani shook her head. She was being unusually quiet, almost like she was nervous. I didn't blame her. She was practically in the lion's den when she'd walked into the gym. She had to be more than nervous. She must have been terrified, but that was Dani, willing to take a risk when needed.

"What can I get you?" The waiter gave us both the same professional, polite smile.

"Two coffees," I said.

I watched the waiter walk away. I wanted to say something to make Dani feel safe; to let her know I wasn't about to let Bruno, or any of his thugs, hurt her, but the words just wouldn't come. I just didn't know how to proceed right this moment. It's not like I didn't have a plan, because I did. I was going to do the fight, then get custody of my daughter. Simple enough in theory.

I knew it wasn't going to be a cakewalk, but I'd faced tougher challenges before, and even though Bruno talked some big talk, underneath it all he really was just a coward and a pussy.

Now that Dani was back, things had changed. I hadn't wanted her here because she wasn't safe. Even if Bruno didn't figure out who she was, he'd see her with me and know she was a weakness. I knew I should send her away again. Back to Summerville or somewhere far enough away from the city that Bruno couldn't find her. But with her beautiful face right in front of me, I couldn't tell her to go. I wanted her here more than I'd realized. At least, with her here, I could protect her instead of worrying that Bruno had found her out or that something else had happened to her in Summerville. After all, we hadn't exactly been safe down there, either, though with Brian in jail, it was safer for her there than here.

The waiter returned with two coffees and creamer for Dani. As he placed them on the tabletop in front of us, I realized that Dani had been watching me. The expression on her face was carefully blank. I would've thought she was worried about Bruno but she kept a good poker face. She was strong like that. Apparently, I was a bit slow because it took me until I took my first swallow of coffee and she didn't do more than run her finger around the rim of the mug to realize that she wasn't thinking about how much danger she was in. She thought I didn't want her here.

I set down my mug and leaned across the table, putting my hand over hers. "I'm glad you came. I missed you."

She smiled, and it was like the sun breaking through a cloud. "You are? You don't know how glad I am to hear you say that." She tucked her chin to her chest, placing a stray wisp of hair behind her ear.

She had been worried after all. I was such an idiot. Did she think I was using this as an excuse to get rid of her? I curled my fingers around her hand. I didn't know how to tell her that I been thinking about her all the time, dreaming about her. Dreams that had made me need an extra-long shower before I could head to the gym. I couldn't just come out and say those things.

"So what are you going to do about Bruno?"

Dani's question was a cold dose of reality.

"He's going to kill you."

I shrugged, pulling my hand back to pick up my cup. Now it was my turn to have a poker face. I wasn't born yesterday. I knew that's what Bruno wanted, but knowing it and hearing it were two different things. "Don't worry about Bruno," I said. "I always knew he wouldn't let me get away with double-crossing him twice but I can handle him. He thinks his new fighter can beat me, but I'm not going to let that happen."

"When's the match?" She didn't look convinced.

"In three weeks." I put down the cup. "I'm going to have to spend every single day preparing, but I'll win."

She looked down, her face that neutral mask again. When she spoke, her voice was flat, betraying nothing. "Do you want me to leave so I won't be in your way?"

I didn't even hesitate. "No."

Her head came up, a cautiously hopeful light in her eyes.

"I wouldn't be able to focus without you..." A slow, salacious smile curled up the corners of my mouth. "Now that I've seen you again."

She returned my smile and I could feel the electricity that had connected us in Summerville suddenly ignite between us again. She shifted in her seat and I knew she felt it, too.

"Where are you staying?" The question seemed much more important now than it had when I'd first thought of asking it a few minutes ago.

She shrugged, then relaxed back into her seat, throwing her hands out to her sides. "I don't know. I came straight from the airport."

"Is that...?" I gestured to the backpack sitting in the chair between us.

She nodded, and glanced at the bulging bag. "It's all there."

That was a small backpack. There was no way she'd been able to get much else in there. "Where are your clothes?"

She gave me a small smile. "I have the essentials for a couple days. I'll go buy some more. It's not like money's an issue."

She had a point.

"I suppose it's good to have cash for a hotel." She frowned. "Not that any of the ones that take cash are very nice but I can't exactly use a credit card."

"A hotel?" My stomach tightened. I didn't want her staying at some seedy hotel. Hell, I didn't want her staying at the Hilton. I wanted her with me.

"Well, yeah," she said, clearly confused. "It's not like I can go back to my place, even if it hasn't been rented out again. The cops might still be watching it."

"Why don't you come stay at my place?"

Her eyes lit up and I was pleased. This was a sign that she really did want to be with me, she was just too shy and polite to ask. I liked that about her.

"Your place?" There was nervousness in her question.

Oh, shit. I didn't want her to think I was trying to move too fast. Sure, I wanted her in my bed, but I didn't want her to think I was expecting it. "You can use Lacey's room. It's not fancy, but..."

Her eyes widened. "Lacey. I'm so sorry. What's happened with her and her mom?"

Familiar anger began to bubble up inside me. With the flick of the back of my hand, I shoved my empty coffee mug aside. "Bruno didn't kidnap Lacey. He was trying to fuck with me. He's dating Cindy. Can you believe that? He's putting her up in one of the apartments he uses for his mistresses. That's how he had access to my daughter when he put her on the phone. He's evil, Dani. Manipulative and evil."

"Oh, Luke, I'm so sorry." Dani took my hand. "I'm glad Lacey wasn't kidnapped, but that's still awful. Is she okay?"

I nodded. "It took a little persuasion, but Bruno realized I wasn't going to just bend over and take it in the ass. If he wants me to play ball, he's going to have to let me see my daughter so I can make sure she's okay. It's only a couple times a week, but at least I can keep an eye on her." I scowled and picked at a nick in in the surface of the wooden tabletop. "Of course, his goons were there the whole time, to make sure I didn't run with her or something." Not that the thought hadn't crossed my mind.

"If there's anything I can do to help, please..." Dani's thumb was making small circles on the back of my hand.

"Just you being here is a help," I told her honestly.

I'd thought having her here and being worried about her would've made me more tense, but the tension I was feeling had nothing to do with stress and everything to do with the heat radiating from where Dani was touching me. I wanted to just grab her and kiss her right there in the cafe, and not some gentle 'glad to see you' kiss, or even a more thorough 'it's been too long' kiss. No, I wanted to kiss her in a way that let her, and everyone else watching, know exactly what I wanted to do to her body.

I glanced at her coffee cup. It was mostly empty. "Are you done?"

She didn't need to respond. I could see by the look in her eyes that she was ready to get out of here, out of the public view and into a place where all this simmering tension could be released.

I reached into my pocket, pulled out a bill that was large enough to cover the coffee and a generous tip, and tossed it on the table. I stood, threading my fingers through hers. "Come on," I said. "I'll take you to my place."

We walked back to the gym hand-in-hand. It might not have been smart, the public display of affection, but I didn't care. I wanted to touch her. We didn't talk much on the way to get my bike, but that was okay. It was enough to be near her, to feel her hand in mine. When we reached the gym, a couple of fighters heading inside gave me a surprised look, but I ignored them. The news would be out by tomorrow that I had a girl; these guys were worse than gossiping women, but I'd deal with that then. Now, all I cared about was taking Dani back to my place.

Chapter Thirteen.

Dani As we approached the gym, he didn't let go of my hand and the last of my doubt faded away. He handed me a helmet and waited for me to climb on behind him. I wrapped my arms around his waist, unable to stop the giddy smile on my face. Sitting there, on the back of his Harley, my body pressed up against Luke's, I felt like nothing bad could ever happen to me. He was solid and warm, making me feel safe and protected, as much as I did when his arms were around me.

The bike rumbled to life at the twist of the throttle and I felt the vibration of the powerful engine beneath me as we began to move, creating a soothing balm for my rattled nerves. After everything I'd been through in the last several hours, this moment seemed almost too good to be true. I wasn't glad that Brian had gotten bail or that Luke's life was in danger. I certainly wasn't happy about Lacey being caught in the middle of all of this or about how worried Luke obviously was for his daughter. I definitely wasn't anywhere near glad about being back in New York, knowing that I had two different groups after me. But, all of that had led me here, and I couldn't deny the joy I felt at being with Luke again.

As we rounded the last corner to his apartment complex, I was surprised that the neighborhood wasn't much better than the one where I'd been living. Surely Luke had to make more money as an MMA fighter, even an underground one, than I'd made with my shitty job as a night clerk at the Greymore Hotel. It didn't seem right to ask about it. Besides the fact that it would've been rude, it didn't matter. Even if I hadn't had enough money to make sure he and Lacey had a better place once this was all over, I wouldn't have cared. Money. No money. That didn't matter to me. It never had. All I wanted was him.

My desire was burning inside me as I followed him up the stairs. I should've been exhausted, ready to sleep after the emotionally draining days I'd had, but my entire body was humming. I didn't want to sleep. I just wanted to fall into his arms.

"I know this isn't anything like the place I had in Summerville," he said, almost apologetically. "Not the best neighborhood."

I squeezed his hand. "You should see the place I was renting."

He smiled down at me as he unlocked the door and moved to the side so I could step inside. His place was neat and clean. Sparsely furnished and no real decor, but that wasn't surprising for a single man who spent most of his time at the gym.

I glanced at the couch and wondered what it would be like to sit there with him, watching television or a movie, eating popcorn, like a normal couple. My image of watching a movie with him morphed into us stretched out on the couch, hands all over each other, sliding under clothes as we kissed. I swallowed hard as other images quickly followed. Clothes on the floor as he slid into me. Him bending me over the arm of the couch and taking me from behind. Riding him until we were both...

"Dani? Is everything okay?"

I jumped, my face flushing red. My little daydream had caused me to stop in the middle of his living room slash dining room slash kitchen. "I'm fine," I mumbled.

"Lacey's room's the first door on the right."

He sounded amused. I guess he could read me like a book. The electricity that I'd felt between us at the cafe was stronger than ever and I knew he could feel it, too. I really hoped he made a move soon because I was going to explode if he didn't.

"The door on the left is the bathroom and the second door on the right is my room." He led the way down the short hallway. "Only one bathroom. So feel free to walk in on me." He teased.

I nodded, trying not to think about Luke in the shower. Naked. With water running down his muscular chest, pouring over the tattoo on his back, all of it heading down to...

Dammit.

"Here it is." He pushed open the door, appearing not to have noticed my little drift.

If the rest of the house was drab, Lacey's room was the exact opposite. It was clear that Luke had spared no expense in letting his daughter decorate her room. Her bed was small, but cute, with a butterfly bedspread and matching pillows. Butterflies seemed to be the theme as they also dotted the pale blue walls. I couldn't tell if they were stickers or painted on, but they were beautiful, delicate rather than gaudy. She had a butterfly rug and lamp, butterfly curtains and even a couple ceramic butterflies sitting on her dresser. The entire effect could have been too much, but they all matched so perfectly that I felt like I'd just stepped into a field of the winged creatures.

"I have a friend who paints," Luke said, gesturing at the walls.

"It's beautiful." I tried not to wonder if the friend was a woman or if she'd been here for another reason when she'd painted the butterflies.

Luke's voice was low in my ear. "His name's Royce."

I smiled and rolled my eyes.

"Make yourself at home," Luke said. He'd moved back from me so that he was standing in the hall instead of just inside the room. "Lacey's a generous girl. She won't mind."

I turned to thank him, but as soon as our eyes met, a bolt of desire went through me, hot and crackling, like lightning and strong enough to take away anything I'd been planning on saying. His eyes had darkened so much that I could barely tell they were blue and not black.

Fuck waiting for him to make the first move.

I dropped my backpack onto the floor and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him towards me even as I pushed myself up on my tiptoes. Our mouths crashed together, mashing my lips against my teeth with bruising force. I didn't care. There was nothing gentle about our kiss and I didn't want it to be. My need for him was a hunger, the worst kind of pain deep down in my gut and the kiss fed it.

I wanted more, and if what I was feeling against my stomach was any indication, so did he.

Chapter Fourteen.

Luke From the moment I'd suggested she stay at my place, I knew I wasn't going to be able to keep my hands off of her. I'd offered her Lacey's room, but I'd really wanted her in mine. My room. My bed. I'd never wanted anyone to stay in my bed before, but I wanted her.

It had taken all of my self-control not to rip off her clothes the moment the door closed behind us, take her right there, up against the wall. Every piece of furniture we passed was another opportunity I resisted, the images of her naked body dancing in my mind until I was painfully hard in the confines of my jeans.

When I'd moved closer to assure her that my artist friend was a man, I could smell her sweet scent, and only the fact that we were in my daughter's room had stopped me from burying my hand in Dani's hair and yanking her head back to devour her mouth.

Then she turned to look at me and I saw my own desire blazing back at me from her face. I froze in place, captured by the light in her eyes. She came at me, grabbing my shirt and then her lips were on mine, hard and demanding, and a rush shot through my veins so fast it left my head spinning. I wrapped my arms around her, lifting her off of her feet as I forced my tongue between her lips. She whimpered a response and wrapped her legs around my waist.

Fuck, her kisses tasted good.

I slammed her back against the wall, using my hands to cushion the impact. Her hands were in my hair now, her fingers curling, tugging. I ground my hips against her, our jeans rubbing against us both with almost painful friction. I moved my mouth from hers, kissing the soft skin of her throat. She moaned, and tilted her head as much as the wall would let her. I reached her collarbone and worked at the skin with my teeth.

I put one arm around her waist, moving my other hand down to cup her ass, and started to walk us back to my bedroom. Her firm, round ass fit my hands well and made my cock even harder. Her breath was hot on my ear as she sucked on my earlobe. I tossed her onto my bed and yanked off my shirt. The shoes and pants quickly followed and I saw Dani tugging off her jeans as well.

I pushed her back on my bed, covering her body with mine as I took her mouth again. I ran my hand up her leg and over her ribs, my thumbs brushing against the underside of her still-covered breasts. I growled in frustration and rolled us over so that she was on top of me.

She broke our kiss, sucking in air as she pushed herself up so that she was on her knees, straddling my waist. The only thing between us was the thin cotton of my underwear. Cotton that was rapidly getting wet as she ground down against me. She ran her hands over my chest, her nails lightly scratching my nipples. I hissed as another sensual wave shot down me and my cock jerked with excitement. It had been too long without her. I wanted to take her hard and I needed to feel myself inside of her, fast.

My hands slid up her hips and under her shirt, pushing her bra up so I could touch her breasts. She moaned, arching her back. I wanted those breasts where I could see them and I wanted them in my mouth. I withdrew my hands, earning a dirty look, then grabbed the front of her shirt and pulled.

The cheap cotton gave way with a tearing sound and I shoved the material aside as I sat up, my mouth finding one delicious mound of flesh while my hand went to the other. I felt her hands above me, then her bra sprung open and I was rewarded. Her fingers raked across the base of my neck as I swirled my tongue around her nipple. She cried out when I began to suck on it and that just made me suck harder. I spread my hands across her back, holding her in place as I focused on the hardening flesh in my mouth.

She shifted, but I didn't realize what she was doing until I felt her hand around my cock.

"Fuck." The word came out in one long, drawn out syllable and my entire body tensed as she ran her hand up and down my throbbing erection. I squeezed my eyes shut. Damn, her hand felt good on me. If she kept that up, I wasn't going to last long. I'd been missing her too badly, needed her too much.

"Open your eyes." Her voice was low and throaty.