Steve had never been so nervous in his life as when he met Grace Williams. What if she didn't like him? If Grace hated him outright, any chance Steve had with Danny would go up in smoke. If she didn't warm to him right away, there was still hope, but he'd be fighting an uphill battle. If it was love at first sight, Steve was in like Flynn.
Reality was somewhere in the middle. Grace didn't throw herself at him, hug the stuffing out of him, call him "Uncle Steve", and act like they'd known each other forever, but she didn't hate him either. Grace was polite, but her smile was genuine when Danny introduced them. Steve couldn't help seeing her father in that smile, not that he'd seen Danny smile nearly enough. Steve planned on changing that. If he had his way, he'd see Danny's smile every day for the rest of his life.
They checked in and had dinner in the hotel restaurant. Danny was impressed. He let out a low whistle. "You really go all out, don't you?"
Steve tried to sound nonchalant. "Least I can do for getting you shot."
"I'd say this is above and beyond," Danny said. "But it doesn't get you off the hook. Acceptance is still pending."
"How'd you get Danno shot?" Grace asked, wide-eyed.
Steve started to launch into a detailed explanation but was silenced by a Look from Danny. "Never you mind," Danny said. "Just know that he did. On the day we met, no less."
"Second day," Steve supplied helpfully.
"Meeting over guns in your father's garage doesn't count!" Danny practically shouted. "Not that being dragged off against my will and being shot counts either. I should have known being your partner would be hazardous to my health."
Grace looked enthralled. "You didn't tell me how you met, Danno."
Danny had apparently forgotten she was there. "With good reason! I don't want my daughter to know I'm meeting people at gunpoint!" He realized he was about to go off on an inappropriate topic for an eight-year-old again, and changed the subject. "How's school going, Monkey?"
Grace prattled on about school. That got Steve to open up and share stories about growing up in Hawaii. Grace looked impressed when he talked about breaking records as the quarterback on the football team. So did Danny. "I wish I could have seen you play, babe."
Steve felt his heart warm at being called babe, even though he'd been told not to take it personally—it was just a Jersey thing. Still, Danny didn't call Chin or Kono "babe". "I'll take you to the next football game," he promised. "Both of you."
Grace's eyes lit up. "I'd love that! I want to be a cheerleader," she confided. And she was off about all the things cheerleaders did she was looking forward to.
Steve watched Danny smile at her fondly, and found himself smiling fondly at Danny in turn.
Dinner passed pleasantly, and they went back to their room (actually, a two-bedroom suite—Steve had gone all-out) to watch a movie. Steve was completely out of touch with the latest in Disney movies, and listened attentively while Grace explained the plot in great detail.
After the movie, Danny sent Grace off to bed. After she left, there was an uncomfortable silence, neither man knowing what to say or do. Steve knew what he wanted to do—he wanted to reach over, pull Danny tight against him, and never let go, but he didn't think that would be appropriate.
Danny broke the silence at last. "Want to watch a game? We've got every sports channel known to man."
"Sure," Steve agreed. The atmosphere was companionable after that as they cheered on their teams and bickered over their favorites. It seemed like most of their conversations consisted of Steve saying something and Danny vehemently disagreeing, but Steve was realizing Danny didn't mean anything by it; it was just the way he was. In fact, Steve was starting to enjoy it.
The only problem was, the conversation wasn't very deep. Steve wanted to really get to know Danny, know his likes and dislikes, know what made him tick (besides, apparently, everything). He knew about Rachel, and Grace, and his problems with HPD, but he felt like he was just scraping the surface. Still, there'd be time enough for that—a whole lifetime if Steve had his way.
Finally, Danny started yawning. "Okay, babe, time to turn in," he said. "We've got a long day ahead of us."
Steve was puzzled. "What do you mean? We're here to relax. Grace is going to swim with the dolphins, we're going to sit by the pool, take it easy."
Danny laughed. "Clearly, you've never tried to keep up with an eight-year-old. We'll see if you still think this is so relaxing this time tomorrow."
"Whatever." Steve followed Danny into the second bedroom, bumping into the shorter man when he stopped dead in the doorway. "What?"
"We've got a problem. There's only one bed."
Steve peered over Danny's shoulder. Sure enough, there was just one bed—a king-sized with big, fluffy pillows and a soft down comforter. Wasn't a problem as far as Steve was concerned—he'd happily share—the bed was plenty big enough for both of them, and he said so. Steve didn't mention that, in an ideal world, they wouldn't be taking up the whole thing—they'd be curled tightly around each other in the middle. Steve had to firmly tamp his libido down at the thought.
"Nah, it's okay. I'll share with Grace," Danny said. "Her room has two beds."
Steve panicked. This was his big chance, and he was about to blow it. "Don't be silly. You said yourself—we're going to spend all day tomorrow keeping up with her. You deserve your own space."
"It won't be my own space," Danny pointed out. "I'll be sharing with you."
Steve shrugged, trying to appear as if he weren't bitterly disappointed Danny didn't want to share. "Suit yourself. Don't say I didn't offer."
Danny hesitated for a minute. "Okay, fine. Just don't snore."
Steve feigned indignation. "I don't snore. You better not hog the covers."
Danny snorted. "Don't worry, babe. It's too hot for covers."
That brought an image to Steve's mind of Danny sprawled across the bed on top of the covers, naked, moonlight highlighting his compact, muscled body and glinting off the golden hair Steve was sure covered his chest. Okay, Steve really needed to get a hold on his libido. Even if Danny did sleep naked, he sure wasn't going to do it with Steve and Grace here.
They got undressed and got into bed, each man sticking carefully to his own side. Danny dropped off almost immediately, but Steve laid awake, acutely aware of the beautiful man sleeping next to him, torn between bliss at having him there and agony at not being able to touch him. Finally, Steve could resist no longer. He reached over and tentatively brushed a few strands of blond hair off Danny's face. The product that kept it so carefully controlled during the day had worn off, and it was soft to the touch. Steve couldn't resist running his hand through it.
Danny stirred, and Steve jerked his hand back. "Mmm, don't stop," Danny said sleepily. "Feels good." Steve hesitantly started stroking Danny's hair again. He figured Danny was still asleep and didn't know who was doing the stroking, but Steve really didn't care. Getting to touch Danny like this was heaven, and he wasn't going to ruin the moment with the harsh reality that was sure to set in when Danny realized just who was playing with his hair.
Unfortunately, that moment came all too soon. Danny rolled over and nudged Steve's hand, eyes blinking open and fastening onto Steve's. Danny's eyes widened and his mouth opened. Steve braced himself for the tirade he was sure was going to come pouring out of the blond. Instead, Danny's face softened, and he smiled. "I like it when you do that," he said softly.
"I'm glad." Steve reached out with his other hand and drew Danny against him. Danny resisted briefly, then melted against Steve, nestling into the SEAL's chest. Steve sighed in contentment. He could get used to this.
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A/N: I'm not sure if this is complete or not. My muse stopped here, but it seems kind of open-ended.
A/N: This was supposed to have a lot more spice, but this is where my muse went. Oh, well, I'm a lot better at sweet anyway. :) Maybe the spice is the missing chapter. :)
