Dante's Fire(9)

"Yeah?"

"There's a point to the question, right?"

He smiled. Distracting her was the best form of medicine, and when she  calmed down, she'd be able to sleep. That's where real healing began.  "Of course. Do you remember the main theme of the movie?"

This time she snorted against his chest. "Golf?"

"No. Finding your happy place."

"You cannot be serious right now. If the whole point of this  conversation is about midgets on bikes, I may need to kick you out."

He laughed. "Close. His was midgets on bikes, sure, but who are we to  judge? As cliché as it sounds, finding a scene in your head to  concentrate on when you're panicking is a good way to calm down. Between  controlling your breath, and focusing on your happy place, the bad  things go away faster."         

     



 

"What's yours?"

He rarely shared personal information with the survivors he helped.  Being with women in such intimate settings was a fine line to walk, and  he was already emotionally involved with Selina. But tonight, for a  little while, he needed the connection just as badly as she did.

"I was ten years old, and it was the last day of school. Instead of  taking the bus home, my parents picked me up and took me out. They'd  planned the entire day around things I loved, saying I worked hard and  got good grades. You know, I hear about these big vacations like Disney  World kids go on, but nothing was better than that day. We went to the  park and ate hot dogs. Rented these paddleboats and sailed them on the  water. We stopped at the Central Park Zoo, and ate ice cream, and then  they we drove upstate and I went to my first drive-in movie."

"What movie?"

"Batman Forever. So cool. When we got home, I was exhausted, but I'd  never been so happy in my life. Everything was just...perfect."

He let her process her thoughts, her silky hair wrapping around his fingers in a caress. "I like that day," she said.

"What about you? Something you remember from your parents?" She  stiffened beneath him. What had he said wrong? Did she have issues with  her family and he'd brought up something painful? "You don't have to  share with me, Selina. It can be a private memory; I had no right to  ask."

Sometimes, in sifting for a happy memory, people shut down. The past was  a closet full of secrets, and many he'd found were not pleasant. He  craved to know everything about Selina, but he needed to keep the  distance between them or he could make a terrible mistake. The most  important goal was to heal her.

"I didn't have any real parents," she said softly. Her face pressed  against the cotton of his shirt. "I was in foster care my whole life."

Shock filled him. She was so capable and confident; he would've never  guessed she didn't have a solid family supporting her in the background.  He remained silent, waiting for more. Finally, she spoke.

"My parents died when I was little. Car crash. I lived, but they didn't.  I don't remember much about them, but I was in the hospital for a  while, and then I went into the foster care system. I didn't speak for a  long time, so I saw a lot of therapists, and I guess I was too damaged  to have anyone want me full time."

His gut clenched. He never knew she'd experienced such pain, had always  assumed her past was blessed, the complete opposite of his. Shame filled  him. Dante never realized he could be judgmental until now. He pressed  his lips against her hair.

"No one ever hurt or abused me. I bounced around a lot for a bit, until I  began speaking again. I finally settled with an older couple, who had a  bunch of kids there, and stayed. They cared for my needs but they  were...cold. I think they took in children for money. Anyway, school was  my outlet for everything. I decided early on that could be my ticket to  freedom. And it was. I got a scholarship, finished my master's, and  began working in real estate."

"You must've had the heart and soul of a lion," he said. "Not many kids are able to transition out of that type of life."

"Again, I had shelter, food, and opportunities. Some of my  foster-siblings were pretty cool too, so that helped. But acing tests  and closing big deals don't seem to rate as a great Happy Gilmore  moment."

He hated himself. Why did he have to bring up that stupid exercise? He  figured she'd tell him a great family story, but instead, he'd managed  to make things worse. "I think you're extraordinary, Selina Rogers," he  said. "I'd say your entire life is a happy memory, because you took what  you had and made it beautiful."

She sucked in her breath. The connection surged between them. Dante  closed his eyes, fighting his desire to turn her head up and kiss her,  plunder those sweet lips, gather her taste, and make sure she never was  lonely or sad again. But she didn't move, and neither did he.

"Dante?"

"Yes?"

"Would it be okay to use this moment as my happy place?"

His arms tightened around her. Damned if moisture didn't gather in his eyes. "I think it would be better than okay."

Moments later, she fell asleep in his arms.

And Dante wondered if he'd ever be the same man again.





Chapter Six



"SO, what's up with you and the mail guy?"

Selina turned to Gary, who wiggled his brow in a bad imitation of  Groucho Marx. The team gathered for their weekly meeting around the  gleaming conference table for a mass assault of power point  presentations. She glanced around to make sure no one heard him, but  everyone was involved in their own conversations. "His name is Daniel."  She kept her tone cool and even. "He's been delivering my mail for two  years. We've become friends."         

     



 

"Friends, huh? I'm assuming you don't know about the rumors."

Selina held back a sigh. The water cooler at Inferno was worse than  most, and the long line of make ups and break ups in the company made  for all day gossip. "Rumors about Dan?"

Gary shrugged. "He stops in for a so-called cup of coffee on a regular  basis. He checks with Andrea on your schedule a lot. And I guess no one  else at Inferno has long, heart to heart chats with the mailman.  Everyone thinks you're doing him."

She tried not to flinch. Usually she'd laugh it off, but lately things  were different. Images of the attack, of her closeness with Dan, and her  growing attraction to her midnight visitor tumbled her brain into a  tailspin. She ducked her head, and forced a half laugh, pretending to  concentrate on the stack of papers in front of her. "Classy, Gary, as  always."

"Since you're rarely in the spotlight, this is huge news. Doing the mail guy is epic around here."

Annoyance surged. Picking apart and discussing her love life was off  limits right now. Just the thought made her sick. She looked up. "Who  the hell cares if I'm doing him?" Selina lifted her fingers and made  matching quotation marks. "Give me a list of names and I'll personally  assure all of them to the contrary."

Gary shifted in the leather seat, suddenly uncomfortable. "Hell, Selina,  I don't care who you have fun with. But it's like the proverbial  secretary cliché - you doing the mail guy. You're up for that promotion  and I don't want crappy rumors to keep you from what you've been working  for. Close the deal with Forrester and you got it. But don't let a  distraction throw you off your game. Know what I mean?"

Yes. She did. Gary was a straight shooter. If he said there was gossip,  it must be worse than she thought. She sat back in her chair as the  lights went out, and the projector switched on. Her boss droned on about  property and statistics, and the dark lulled her into a trance.

Selina knew she'd been distracted, but it was more than Daniel. Both  Daniel and Dante invaded her waking thoughts. Along with the lingering  memory of her attack, it was pretty difficult to focus on work. Her  mugging took some heat off her for a while, but Selina was sure an  office affair sounded juicier than a random pickpocket did, as she had  described the incident.

The slides clicked. Time to get her head out of her ass. She had a few  more days before her meeting with Forrester, and her team seemed ready.  She needed to control her emotions. Lately, her encounters with Daniel  had become...intense. He never invaded her space, but his eyes told her  he saw beneath her surface and wanted more. Suddenly, she noticed the  lean muscles under his t-shirts. The molded tight form of his buttocks.  The graceful, large hands as he held his coffee cup. When he turned his  head, her fingers itched to touch the inky black strands of his hair  falling over his shoulders. The scar on his face only deepened that  rough sexuality automatically part of him.

At the same time she was attracted, she shrank at the thought of  physical intimacy. The most she was able to handle was Dante holding her  as she fell asleep. The comfort and tenderness balmed her soul. Selina  wondered if she'd ever be able to be with a man in a sexual manner again  without thinking of...them.