Good with His Hands(32)

She waved them through the apartment to a narrow backdoor that led to a  cobblestone patio. Meg was standing at the grill, her cheeks rosy with  heat. Dani stood off to the side, looking sexy as hell in a casual black  halter dress. She was chatting with a guy in khakis who drank from a  bottle of the same beer Bryce favored.

When Dani spotted Sean, her face lit up. But then she inexplicably  scowled. Shaking off both expressions, she walked toward him. "Sean,  Bryce, glad you two could join us! This is Meg's sister and  brother-in-law, Marissa and Ned Talbot."

Bryce snapped his fingers. "Ned Talbot? From Humphrey Hall? I thought  you looked familiar. Bryce Grayson. I lived in the dorm for a semester  until I moved to the frat house."

"Right." Ned shook his hand, and the two men fell into discussing their  mutual alma mater. It turned out Marissa had attended the same college,  where she'd met her husband, but she'd lived clear on the other side of  campus.

Standing at the grill, Meg chuckled. "Yeah, our parents trusted her to  go to school out of state. Me, not so much. Which was probably a wise  call," she added sheepishly.                       
       
           



       

Dani indicated the cooler of iced drinks sitting in the shade of a  dilapidated picnic table. "You guys help yourself to whatever you want."

What Sean really wanted was a moment alone with her to greet her  properly. From the way she wasn't quite meeting his eyes or stopping in  his orbit for long, he guessed she wouldn't welcome a public display of  affection. Well, they hadn't been dating long. Maybe being with him in  front of her friends was an adjustment.

When she excused herself to go back inside for plates and condiments,  he seized the opportunity for a moment alone and volunteered to assist.  No sooner had they set foot in the apartment than he pulled her into his  arms. After the barest hesitation, she melted against him, kissing him  with the same welcome he'd glimpsed in her eyes when he first arrived.  He hadn't consciously realized his shoulders were bunching with tension  until they relaxed again.

"That was nice." She smiled up at him. "But we should probably get back out there."

"Okay. Later, though, I want you all to myself. Come home with me after  the movie?" His words were a lot more patient than what he was  thinking. Come home with me now.

She nodded eagerly. "I'd like that."

The genuine enthusiasm in her gaze as she smiled up at him was  reassuring. Her earlier withdrawal must have been his imagination. Quit  overreacting. The problem with being so happy was that, at times, it  seemed too good to be true. Yet, when he touched her, it was obvious she  wanted him as much as he did her-which made him a very lucky man.

She'd forgiven his lie, they'd met each other's families and she would  be spending the night in his bed. What more could he ask for?





      13

AFTER AN HOUR and a half of listening to the people around him share  college stories-a topic Sean was ill-equipped to participate in-he was  anxious to leave. He told the Talbots that it had been nice to meet  them, a tactful fib he figured even Dani would pardon, then went inside  to see if she was ready. Meg had excused herself to the kitchen to bring  out dessert. Sean and Dani had declined, claiming that they were saving  room for overpriced theater junk food.

Dani had been vehement. "An action movie without popcorn is like a football game with no goal posts."

Letting himself in through the backdoor, Sean heard Dani's voice from  the kitchen. "You really don't have to keep thanking me," she said  wryly.

"But I do! I'm grateful for today. And for letting me stay with you.  For giving me your approval to see Bryce. It's funny that I like him so  much, isn't it? He seems more your type. I guess your good taste in men  is finally rubbing off on me."

Sean's jaw clenched, but he told himself to get over it. He'd known  since day one that Dani had found Bryce attractive. That had been  superficial, a few passing glances that were nothing compared to the  hours she'd spent with Sean. He was the one who'd shot pool with her,  danced with her at the country club, made love to her until they were  both too spent to move. Ridiculous to be jealous over  what-might-have-beens.

He cleared his throat more loudly than necessary, making his presence known.

Dani poked her head around the corner. "Just let me grab my purse." She  disappeared into the bedroom and returned with a giant handbag.

He couldn't help laughing at its size. "Are you planning to smuggle in your own popcorn and soda?"

"No." She smirked. "It has some essential overnight gear, though. Like pajamas."

He raised an eyebrow. "Didn't I tell you? Dress code at my place is sleeping in the nude."

Her voice dropped to a husky whisper. "You might like these  pajamas-they're from Meg's shop." She paused, tapping her index finger  against her lips. "Although, strictly speaking, it's probably inaccurate  to call a few scraps of black lace pajamas."

The visual images damn near shorted out his brain. So much for  concentrating on the movie. "What about clothes for tomorrow?" he asked  once he found his voice. "Are those crammed into your purse, too?" Which  would be either really impressive or really scandalous. How small did a  dress have to be to fit into a purse?

She laughed. "No, I'll come home to shower and change. I have a house  showing scheduled in the morning before I head to the office, so I've  got a little extra time."

He almost asked if she was sure she didn't want to get ready at his  place. It seemed more convenient. But at the thought of Dani in his  shower, he suspected they'd both end up late for work.                       
       
           



       

* * *

THEY LEFT THE movie theater with differing opinions. "So you didn't  like it?" Sean asked as he unlocked his SUV. He'd had a great time,  although that could have been the company more than the film.

"I didn't exactly dislike it. I mean, I loved the first half. But when  the villain took his girl Friday hostage and the hero realized he loved  her? It got a little sappy for me."

"You have a problem with happy endings?" Sean teased.

"I... Maybe I question how happy they actually are. Or how the characters know they're with the right person."

"You just know." The words came out of nowhere, sounding incongruously  serious for a conversation that had started with commentary on the  hero's tights. He aimed for a more flippant tone. "I guess we'll have to  wait for the sequel to see if they're still together."

Would he and Dani still be together by the time a sequel was released?

The thought was wildly unexpected. A follow-up movie was at least a  year away. He'd never had a romantic relationship that had lasted that  long. It wasn't even something he often considered. Yet he could easily  imagine wanting Dani every bit as much one year from now as he did  tonight. It was a foreign but not unpleasant feeling.

Dani didn't seem to mind his quiet introspection. As he drove, she  turned up the radio, bopping along to some classic rock. It only took a  few minutes to reach his town house.

He was renting from a man who'd invested heavily in real estate and had  given Sean a good deal. In exchange for some minor repairs and  carpentry to the townhomes the man owned on this block, Sean paid only  about half the usual rent. It allowed him to live in a nicer place than  he otherwise could have afforded. The floors weren't real hardwood, but  they were a reasonable facsimile. Large windows helped create the  illusion of space. The two-story townhome was nowhere near as luxurious  as Bryce's loft, but it was sufficient for him. And preferable to Dani's  small apartment.

"This is great," Dani said, dropping her purse on an end table and looking around. "I'm jealous."

He had the sudden mad impulse to give her a key and tell her she was  welcome to visit any time. Or would that fall under her definition of  too sappy?

"Hey." She poked him in the arm when he failed to respond, a teasing  lilt in her voice. "You're not still thinking about the superhero's  choice of crime-fighting ensemble, are you? Because if you're pondering  his clothes instead of how to get me out of mine, I'm going to be deeply  offended." She reached for his hand and led him to his favorite  recliner, shoving playfully at his chest until he sat down.

"I wasn't thinking about superheroes. I was thinking about us," he admitted. "I've been doing that a lot."

Her smile faltered. "Oh?"

"All good things," he assured her. Scary good. Like, for the first time  in his life he could understand how a couple could be married as long  as his parents had been without getting tired of each other.