Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the o.c's and plot.
AN: Better late than never, I say!
Chapter Nine
"Detective Taylor, I don't quite understand why you're here," Detective Branco asked, her dark brown eyes were flashing with irritation.
Not taking his hands out of his pockets or belying his casual stance, Mac coolly stated, "I am simply here looking out for a valued employee of mine. Given that you are from the SVU and knowing the crimes your unit specifically investigates implies some things about the questions you wish to ask Mr. Ross here. I am not here to interfere with your investigation, Detective, or to pressure Mr. Ross in any way. He has willingly agreed to answer your questions and if he wishes it, I'll leave." To his credit, Mac's voice never rose, but remained remarkably steady and calm, just like the man himself.
Stella smiled. She stood directly outside Mac's office, not hearing what they were saying, but judging from Branco's annoyance at Mac's unruffled stance, it had to be good.
Mac had graciously offered up the use of his office for privacy when Branco had asked to question Adam on a matter, but made no point to leave when the group moved to the office. Stella, although wanting to offer her support, realized that her presence would only make things worse. Adam's knee jumped nervously as he sat in one of Mac's chairs, but whether that was because it looked like he was going to be on the wrong side of an investigation or because of the invisible sparks shooting to and fro between Mac and Branco was unknown. It was probably both.
The other detective, Carrick, had yet to speak, joining Adam in watching the clash between Mac and Branco, but he at least looked friendly. He had smiled at Stella when the group entered the office. Stella, did not smile back.
"I-It's fine," Adam spoke up and almost recoiled from the death stare Branco shot him.
"Fine," she replied shortly. She flipped open a notebook. "Mr. Ross, as I said, we're here to ask you some questions about Penelope Williams. You are acquainted with her, yes?"
"Penny?" Adam asked. "Yeah, sure. I baby-sit her sometimes when her parents have to go out for stuff. We play video games and stuff. The non-violent video games," he hastened to add.
"The last time you baby-sat Penelope was nearly two weeks ago, correct?"
Adam thought for a moment. "Yeah, I think so. Her parents were going to this function for the night and couldn't find anybody else. Mrs. Williams told me to be at their apartment by 6:30 because the thing started at seven."
"And what happened when you got there?" The question came from Carrick.
"I showed up on time with my PS2 and Kingdom Hearts game. The last time I baby-sat Penny, we managed to get pretty far and so we saved it. I figure we could play it again. She liked playing Goofy. Mrs. Williams had ordered pizza and they told us goodbye and left. I said hi to Penny, she said hi back, I showed her the game, and we pretty much played until her parents got home at 10."
"That's all you did?" Branco stared at him.
"Yeah," Adam drew the word out, wondering why this woman was jumping down his throat.
"Are you absolutely sure? Did Penelope seem different to you?"
"She seemed a bit quiet, but I remember her mom saying that she'd been withdrawn lately. Mrs. Williams was hoping I could cheer her up and that it was just a phase. She was trying to cook all of Penny's favorite foods."
Branco moved closer to Adam. "I don't suppose you know why Penelope has been so withdrawn, do you?" Without waiting for an answer, Branco suddenly went off on a now-frightened Adam. "Tell the truth, Ross, that night, when you went over there, did Penny want to do something else? Or not want to do something else? Is that it, Ross? Did you want Penelope to play another 'game' with you? And when she said no, did you smack her?" Branco slammed a picture of the large colored bruise the detective took of Penelope's back. "Take a look at that! It's consistent with being thrown against a wall, hard. Violently. Tell me, Ross, did you do that to her?"
Mac's jaw clenched but he made no move, letting Adam stammer out an answer, "N-no! Absolutely not! I never touched Penny! I would never hurt her! She's just a kid! I had nothing to do with that!"
Branco got up in his face. "Give it up, Ross! Penelope's parents gave us a list of people their daughter had been in contact with and you are the only person on that list that had the time and strength to do this. What's up with that, Ross? You like hitting little girls? Do you like doing other stuff to little girls too?"
This time, Mac did intervene. Controlling his anger, he strode over and placed a strong calming hand on Adam's shoulder and said forcefully, "I think that's enough of that, Detective. Kindly remember that Mr. Ross willingly consented to your questions, the rational ones anyway, and he gave you his answers. You have no right to suddenly accuse him of anything, especially when you have no proof...of anything. Certainly no right to suddenly start flinging baseless accusations at him." He stared the woman down. "Now, if that's all, I suggest you leave and any other questions you have for Mr. Ross can be asked in the presence of a lawyer, if necessary."
Branco's eyes flared at Mac's seeming high-handedness, but nodded sharply at her colleague. "I'll be back, Taylor. Don't think otherwise."
The two walked out, Branco's heels clicking sharply on the floor. Stella made a move to join Mac when Carrick stopped her. "Detective Bonasera, right?" He handed her his card. "I'm sure you feel the same way as I do in getting a suspected child abuser off the streets, so if you remember or hear anything, feel free to give me a call, anytime. My cell number is on the back." He flashed her another smile.
She looked at him with distaste. "I would feel that way, yes, if I knew a child abuser...but I don't." She didn't take the card.
Carrick remained unaffected. He tucked his card into his pocket. "I'll be in touch." He strolled to join his superior in leaving.
Stella burst into Mac's office just as Adam said shakily, "Mac. Mac, I had nothing to do with this. You gotta' believe me."
Mac smiled at Adam while Stella gave the younger man a reassuring squeeze on the arm. "We believe you Adam," Stella said strongly. "You don't have to tell us."
The new week should have brought new life and optimistic hope that this week would be better than last, but that Monday, issues still bogged the team down. Coming into work that morning, Danny, Lindsay, and Hawkes were treated to the latest gossip around the 'water-cooler' and it was mind-boggling. Adam, quiet, rambling Adam Ross, a suspect in a crime? Being investigated by the sex crimes unit? There were other outrageous rumors flying around and Lindsay was hard-pressed not to tell off gossiping techs and secretaries to mind their own business. Adam himself, was off-shift. She shook her head as she went off to meet Danny for an early lunch with Flack. That poor boy was going to be walking into a disaster when he finally arrived and Lindsay resolved to let him know straight away that she was on his side. Like the whole lab should be, Lindsay thought, her eyes cutting to a pair of whispering techs. Honestly, weren't they all adults here?
Even when she met up with Danny and Flack and the three were seated in a diner close by did the topic persist. Being close to Mac and Stella, they were able to get most of the facts and not gossip.
Danny inhaled his fries, much to the others' amusement. "That Branco woman is going to be trouble. Only a day in the lab and she was already trying to mix things up. I remember a couple of techs complaining about how she told them off for being too slow at their jobs. You can't exactly put a rush order on every single case; that would just be too much."
"I've never met the woman," Lindsay said, picking at her burger. "But from hearing Stella mutter unflattering things about her and even seeing Mac's face, I'm not in all that much of a hurry to meet her." She dipped a fry into her ketchup.
Flack bit into his burger. "You and me both." Though his stance was a relaxed one, his eyes scrutinized anyone who ventured near the trio, always alert. He did not want a repeat of the scorpion incident.
Taking a sip of his drink, Danny shook his head. "I'm more concerned about what this is going to do to Adam. When he's found innocent in all this, his reputation at the lab is still going to be tainted." He sighed, remembering the Tanglewood case. "I know something about how that feels."
"The entire lab is full of gossips." Lindsay frowned, offering the rest of her fries to Danny, who had already finished his meal. "Adam's off-shift, so he can't even defend himself. I thought people knew him better than this. It makes me so angry." Her hands unconsciously tore a napkin to shreds.
Danny and Flack shared an amused look. It wasn't often that Lindsay got angry; the team was already full of hot-heads and volcanic tempers, so to see her with an angry frown was slightly funny. Being only 5'3 and a petite frame, it was easy to think of her as an angry kitten, but the rest of the team knew better. Lindsay, after all, had become infamous for her flying tackles and large hunting knife. Danny thought she looked cute when she pursed her lips like she was doing now, creating a little pout.
"Adam knows we got his back," he said.
Finishing their early lunch in silence, the three began walking back to the lab.
"Stella didn't like the other detective that came with Branco either, Carrick, I think. Said he seemed too slick and not in a flattering way." Lindsay huddled in her winter coat and she instinctively moved closer to Danny for warmth. Getting off the troubling subject, the three talked about the cases they were working on until they reached the lab.
"Hey!"
The shout attracted their attention and they saw some commotion in front of them. Moving forward to see if they were needed, the crowd suddenly parted in front of them and Lindsay gave a startled yelp before Danny grabbed her and yanked her to the side, slightly shielding her body with his as a loose hot-dog stand came barreling directly at them. Flack scrambled to the other side, narrowing the metal contraption and dropping his fries. Clinking and clanking, the stand wobbled precariously from side-to-side on its small wheels over the snow and salt pebbles on the wide sidewalk before finally tipping over, wrecking the orange-and-yellow striped umbrella, jarring loose condiments free and scattering food all over the sidewalk.
Danny looked down at Lindsay, arms still protecting her. "You okay honey?"
Taming her pounding heart, Lindsay nodded. "Yeah. You?"
He nodded and turned. "Flack," he called. "You good?"
"What the hell was that?" came his friend's answer.
An older man with gray hair wearing a green parka came jogging toward them through the crowd. He started flailing his arms and swearing loudly in Italian when he saw his upended cart. Danny caught the words 'crazy woman' amongst other familiar curse words and after checking that no one on the sidewalk was hurt, he grabbed Lindsay's hand and motioned Flack to follow him.
"Excuse me sir, can you tell me what happened here?" He flashed his badge, as did Flack.
The man's nostrils were flaring with anger and he continued gesticulating furiously. "Some stupid woman comes out of nowhere and grabs my cart, pushing it down the sidewalk. I was handing a customer his meal and my back was turned. I look back and the bitch was running away with my cart. I yelled and started chasing her, when she let go and took off running in another direction. I make my business with that cart, so I started chasing it and not her." All this was said with wild gestures, foot stomping, and much foreign cursing interspersed.
Danny held up a hand to cut through the man's mutterings. "Can you give us a description of what this woman looked like?"
"How should I know? It's winter, everyone is wearing big jackets. All I saw was her back and some brown hair. What am I going to do now?"
Flack stepped in to deal with the irate man while Lindsay and Danny questioned the bystanders. When it was all said and done, the three sped up their pace to the lab, leaving the angry vendor cleaning up his ruined cart.
As the three stepped into the warm lobby, they stopped to discuss this latest event. "Danny...this could be another attack on you," Lindsay said, concerned. "We should tell Mac."
Rocking back and forth on his heels, Danny sighed. "What pisses me off more is that this attack could have hurt either of you too. This wacko is striking out at everyone now." Montana could have been hurt, he thought angrily, eyes flicking to his girlfriend. Realistically, Danny knew that they could take of themselves, but it didn't stop the protective instinct from rearing up.
"And we're still waiting for this quack to slip up," Flack replied.
It wasn't said, but thought all the same by the three. How many more attacks would it take before that happened?
Later that night, it was Danny opening his door, letting Lindsay in after she adamantly stated that she was coming home with him, despite his arguments that he would feel just at home at her place. The journey up to his apartment had been a silent one, strangely filled with slight tension first from Lindsay in the hallway and then from Danny as they entered the apartment.
Danny stowed the left-overs from their dinner out in his fridge as Lindsay tended to the sudden ringing of her phone and he fleetingly hoped that the two had been called back to the lab.
Unconsciously his eyes were drawn to his darkened bedroom before snapping in the opposite direction and a frowning Lindsay. For a moment, his heart stopped. Had she suddenly caught on to his train of thought? She seemed oblivious earlier in the week, but...
Shuffling towards the direction of his couch, Danny eyed his girlfriend talking, hoping to gain some insight into what was disturbing her. He watched as she paced a bit. "Nothing?" Her shoulders slumped. "Okay...thanks for returning my call, Bill. Just - just call me if anything new pops up, alright?"
Danny eyed her frown and small sigh as she pocketed the phone. "No good?" he pried lightly.
"Dakin's still out there," was Lindsay's explanation, to his relief. "I called a few days ago and my friend on the force told me that Dakin had shot a young girl and stole her car a few miles away from the mountain. They're still searching, but..."
Danny inwardly slumped in relief. She still seemed oblivious. "You can't get obsessed over this Linds." He walked over to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "This is just like that Vackner case, remember? It drove you crazy. And you still don't know why. Even when they catch this guy Linds, there's no guarantee that you'll get the answer you want."
"This is different. This is..."
"This is different, I agree. It's more personal and that's what make it so dangerous to get fixated on this. There isn't an easy solution to this; you just gotta' make do with what you have. And I know that it doesn't seem like much, but it's all you've got. Getting obsessed is only going to cause trouble."
She sighed noisily and broke free of his hold.
"Linds," Danny started.
"I heard," she replied shortly, moving away and sitting on his couch. She leaned forward, placing her elbows on her knees. "It's just...I have nightmares." Danny moved toward her, concern in his blue eyes. "Not every night. Not when I'm with you," Lindsay smiled tumultuously at him. "My parents are standing in front of me and their eyes...blood dripping from...my mom," her voice trembled, "I can see the gunshot wound..." Danny knelt in front of her and took her hands in his, wanting her to stop, but knew that she couldn't. "They keep asking me why, you know. Why. Why this happened. Why them. Why didn't I do anything." His heart ached at the sight of her pained face. "And I can't tell them! I can't explain to them the why about anything. Because I don't know. The only one who does is Dakin. And he's in the wind and no one knows if he'll ever show up. And I'm stuck with these nightmares asking questions that I can't answer. I just want to know."
He cupped her cheek. "Why didn't you tell me sooner, Linds?"
She sniffled and rubbed her cheek against his rough palm for comfort. "I didn't want to bother you; making such a big issue about it." She coaxed him onto the couch. "Besides, there really wasn't anything you could do. Except be here for me and you are." Lindsay gave a small, but unfaltering smile.
Danny returned her smile and rubbed her thigh soothingly. "Damn right Montana."
The two sat in silence as Danny half-heartedly channel surfed.
"Come on, let's catch some early sleep. I don't know about you, but I'm tired." Lindsay stood and held out a hand.
His lingering smile immediately faltered and while he grabbed her hand, it was with a slight force to cajole her back to his side. He wasn't ready yet. Judging from the roiling apprehension in his stomach, he wasn't ready to lead her into his bedroom, onto his bed where...
Quelling his inner turbulence, Danny adopted a gentle imploring look, hoping to dissuade her. "It's still early and I think they're going to re-cap the New York/Chicago game. Why don't you stay here and when you fall asleep, I'll carry you to bed."
Lindsay eyed him. "That's all right. You can stay here and I'm going to sleep."
He squeezed her hand, hiding his uneasiness. "Are you sure you don't want to stay here with me?"
She saw right through him. "Danny...what's going on with you? Now you're acting weird, weirder than normal," she added teasingly. "You didn't seem to mind going to bed with me last night and now, you don't want to?" Light confusion flashed in her eyes.
Sighing, Danny raked a hand through his hair. "Linds, it's not that. It's not." He tried to explain, but words failed him. He didn't want to bring up a sore topic. "You know what? Why don't we head over to your place? It's closer to work and I like your bed better."
Frowning deeply, Lindsay resolutely took a seat on the couch. "Why don't we talk about what's bugging you instead?"
Launching himself to his feet, startling her, Danny strode over to his kitchen, grabbing a beer and popping it open. "There's nothing to talk about. Just forget about it." Lindsay merely sat on the couch and silently looked at him. "What? It's nothing. Stop looking at me like that, Montana." The New Yorker accent in his voice thickened as he got worked up.
Reminding herself that Danny was the one with a temper in the relationship and not her, Lindsay kept her voice calm and quiet. "It wouldn't be nothing if it's getting you all worked up."
"I'm not getting worked up," he snapped, all but slamming the beer down on his counter. In the next instant, Danny's shoulders slumped when he saw Lindsay jump slightly from the noise. Wariness filtered into her eyes as she watched him and seeing that in her, knowing he was responsible, made him feel like an ass.
"Do you remember that talk we had, that night, in my apartment when I got back from Montana?" She deliberately kept her voice soft. "We promised each other that we wouldn't shut each other out. I said that we wouldn't do that any more and you agreed." Lindsay looked imploringly at him. "I meant what I said. Did you?"
Danny's breath froze. He knew, without anything else being said, that this was another turning point in their relationship. His chance to show her that he meant what said that time in her apartment the day she came back.
A part of Lindsay cracked. It was only moments ago that she'd let her worries out, confessing about her nightmares and the pain they caused her, and now here Danny was, unable to reciprocate. Her heart despaired. All their heartfelt conversations; their promises that this time around things would be different, that they had to be different if anything between them was going to work, was it all for naught? Empty words, hollow promises?
She stared at him, body stilled at his counter, a distant look in his eye.
Time ticked by as Lindsay watched Danny battle against his inner conflict. Unconsciously holding her breath, trusting him to confide in her, just as she had done. He blinked, and the noise of the television that they had been ignoring in those few suspended moments rushed back to them and Danny focused on Lindsay.
The fixed set of his jaw told Lindsay all she wanted to know. An invisible wall shuttered across his face.
He wasn't going to tell her.
And she could almost feel the bubble of hope, and trust, pop within. Could she have ever thought that this would work? Letting out a silent sigh and fighting the temptation to throw her hands up in surrender, Lindsay got up abruptly and started moving for her coat. She couldn't stay here, not like this. Not...with these things between them. His silence damned her trust in him, and their relationship.
Lindsay's sudden movement snapped Danny into action, hit him with repentant force, recognizing what she was doing, and with quick strides, she was in the tight grip of his arms, preventing her from leaving. He couldn't let her go; he'd suffered through her absence once before. Mentally hitting himself, Danny knew that he hadn't handled this well and he berated himself.
Danny's rough stubble rasped against smooth skin as he buried his face in the crook of her neck, whispering a soft apology. Puffs of hot air caressed her skin as he spoke softly, but firmly, "I meant it. I did." His low voice reverberated against her body. "Then and now, I swear, Montana. I meant everything. I'm sorry, it's just..." Danny sighed, rubbing his face against her, reveling in the feeling of contentedness in his whiff of her scent.
Relaxing slightly, Lindsay could scarcely move in Danny's tight grip, but did her best to wrap her arms around him, knowing that opening up was something neither of them had an easy time with. A soft butterfly kiss to his hair, Lindsay waited patiently, hopefully.
"I don't...I don't want you..."
"I sincerely hope that there's more to that sentence," Lindsay tried to joke quietly, tracing comforting circles on his back. She bit her lip. "Danny? ...What's wrong?"
Pulling back and cupping his face in her hands, she rubbed a thumb over his cheek. "You don't want me..." she prompted, searching his eyes asking him to complete his sentence. In the back of her mind, Lindsay struggled to put the pieces together. Danny had freaked when she suggested going to sleep and that he didn't want her to...to what? He had suggested going to her place and she knew he didn't have a problem sharing a bed as last night she almost had to fight for the blankets at her place. His continued silence frustrated her. "Danny." She shook her head. "I can't help if you don't tell me. Please."
He shrugged himself out of her hold and turned away, yanking his glasses off and scrubbing roughly at his face. His posture screamed, I don't want to talk about this! Lindsay knew she had to step lightly; Danny's control on his temper was paper-thin, but there was nothing left in the situation but to know. He wouldn't let her leave; she wouldn't give in without knowing.
Her mind worked. "You don't want me to what? Sleep? Stay here? What? You don't want me to leave, Danny, but you're not helping either of us here. Why won't you tell me?" Confusion etched itself across her face.
"Because!" Danny shouted, causing her to jump slightly. He threw his hands up and spun to face her, frowning despairingly. "I don't...I don't..." He huffed almost frustratingly and ground his words out, though his voice remained quiet. "Because I don't want you anywhere near the same bed that I..." he exhaled heavily. His defeated face riveted on her. "That I betrayed you with. It...It's not right." His blue eyes looked anguished. "I don't want you sleeping there. I don't...I don't want to make love to you there. It just doesn't feel right." I'm ashamed. Though unsaid, the feeling was stark in his eyes.
Lindsay blinked and then blinked again. How had she missed this? It seemed as though the both of them had been feeling some conflict over Rikki Sandoval, but while for her, it had been a fleeting worry, for Danny, it seemed to cause a flood of torment. He looked so agonized. Focusing on him staring back at her with a myriad of emotions on his face had her softening her stance. It occurred to her that she had never really said she'd forgiven him and that he had carried this around with him, bearing down on his shoulders. Tucking her hair behind her ear, Lindsay knew that she had to dispel his guilt. She had forgiven him. And actions spoke louder than words.
"So, what?" She kept her voice light, but not flippant. "We're just going to spend all of our time at my place? That's not exactly fair to you Danny. And well, I really don't see how we're going to avoid this." She caught his hand and gently pulled him back onto his couch. "Besides, as I recall, we made quite a few good memories ourselves here right? I would like to believe that those memories far-outweigh that one bad one, right?" Lindsay looked hesitant. She reached out, took his chin, and made him look at her. Guilt and remorse looked back at her. Smiling softly, hoping to reassure him, Lindsay leaned forward and brushed her lips against his. "If you need me to say it, I've already forgiven you. A while back. Like you said, it was a mistake. It hurt me a lot, but that's why it's called a mistake, one I hope you won't make again." She kissed him again as he silently shook his head. "We all make mistakes Danny. Let's not dwell on them because they're over, done with, behind us. We've worked through most of it and tonight, we can put the rest of it in the past. I would much rather move forward with you than argue." She softly traced his lips with a single finger; his blue eyes lucid and unblinking on her face. "We good?"
A small kiss on the pad of her finger as it swept over his lips and a sigh of hot breath when he murmured, "We good."
Actions spoke louder than words. In one swift move, Lindsay straddled him, arms looping around his neck and caressing the back of his neck. Now was a perfect time to start on making more good memories and erase the doubt from Danny's mind. Automatically, Danny's arms encircled her small waist with one hand slipping underneath her shirt to finger her soft skin. She gazed at him for a moment before bringing her face close to his, their lips almost touching when Lindsay whispered, "Kiss me."
Leaning forward, obliging in an activity that he wished he'd get the chance to do everyday for the rest of his life, Danny proceeded to lose himself in the heat rising up between them. It rose as he let out a groan when Lindsay teasingly grounded herself into his lap. "Linds..." he whispered as she drew away and it did crazy things to his body when her brown eyes, usually so warm and fun, darkened with desire and passion.
Held captive by her eyes, Danny's breathing quickened as her hands slid over his shoulders and down his chest, fingers nimbly popping the blue buttons of his dress shirt. "Danny..." Lindsay murmured, pushing his shirt open, but looking into his blue, blue eyes. "I want you," a finger tantalizingly teased him through his thin undershirt, "to take me to your bed," she gestured with her head, "and make love to me."
Demonstrating his strength, it was with ease that Danny firmly swept off the couch, arms strong vices around her while her legs wrapped his torso. It wasn't a romantic atmosphere; the lights in the living room were bright, no suave amorous music playing in the background, the harsh winter wind rattled the windows, television on, but in that moment, that singular moment, him holding her in his arms as he walked determinedly toward a place that he felt ashamed of earlier...it was perfect. And as he sat her down on the edge of his bed, it was with adoration and love, yes, love was definitely the feeling threatening to burst his heart, that he knelt before her on the hardwood floor.
With the intense emotions swelling in his heart, Danny tenderly began to undress her. Tonight wasn't about tearing each other's clothes off, heavy groping, taking each other over and over in a frantic frenzy of fucking. Her jeans landed in a corner behind him. It was about finally re-connecting with each other after so much pain, unhappiness, of separation. Her shirt followed. Sweet love-making filled with tender touches, sensations flush with pleasure, to be drawn out and heightened throughout the night. Her skimpy blue lace bra and panty set, that had Danny raising his eyebrows and causing momentary distraction, joined its companions. It was what they both needed.
"Danny," Lindsay sighed, cupping his face and drawing his head to hers. His mouth opened over hers, his tongue stroking her teasing, teasing, tasting her. Smoothing her hands over his shoulders, down his biceps, his arms, Lindsay fingers grasped his white undershirt and pulled it over his head, almost catching his glasses.
Immediately, Danny's lips re-sought their connection with hers, groaning softly as Lindsay's hands fluttered lightly over his bare chest, tracing every contour and muscle before being stopped by the waistband of his jeans. Impatiently, she tugged at them, flicking the button open and sliding down the zipper.
Heeding her unspoken request and wanting to feel her naked skin against his own, Danny pulled away and stood, not taking his eyes off of the woman perched in front of him. He shed the rest of his clothes as Lindsay scooted back onto his bed, causing his eyes to darken even more at the beautiful sight of her pale-skinned naked body stretched out against his dark blankets.
Sliding onto the bed and tossing his glasses onto the side table, Danny gathered her up in his arms, eyes closing momentarily as his skin touched hers. Full-on body contact and the feeling was heady. Lowering his lips to her hot flesh, he kissed her shoulders and collarbone tenderly, coasting along her chest, before taking a nipple into his mouth. Lindsay moaned and ran her hands into his hair, mussing it up. He lovingly worshiped one breast becoming rewarded by her hiss of pleasure before transferring his attentions to the other. "You are so beautiful," he whispered against her skin, looking up at her, eyes murky with desire. His hands swept all over her body, leaving sensitized skin in their wake.
Her heart skipped at the tenderness in his voice.
A single finger traced his rough jawline, trailed down his neck causing him to shiver, kneading his shoulders before tugging gently at his hair. Wanting just as badly as he to feast on his body, Lindsay shuffled lower to push him on his back, planting hot moist open-mouthed kisses on his chest.
A rumble reverberated from his throat as Danny closed his eyes at the sensations her lips, her hands, the tips of her silky soft hair, created as she patiently explored his chest and stomach with eager hunger. Her hands skimmed over his muscles, feeling them contract, wandering lower and Danny's hardness throbbed as she touched him. "Lindsay," he said thickly.
Wanting this time to be for the both of them, he drew her up, capturing her lips with his. One hand blindly groped for the drawer in his side table, seeking a condom. Taking it from his hand, Danny's eyes slammed shut as Lindsay rolled it onto him, but not without paying close attention to the hard muscle as she put it on, inch by torturous inch. Gently rolling them over, Danny rose above her and lovingly, willingly, happily, he pressed into her, causing them both to moan. Contentedness and completion washed over them.
Slowly, languorously, Danny began thrusting into her; lazy, long unhurried strokes, drawing out the pleasure, enjoying the sight of her beneath him, mouth parted, letting out whimpers at the feel of him in her.
This is the only place he wanted to be. With her. To be the only man to draw those sighs out of her beautiful mouth. His pace was languid, prolonging the moment, not wanting it to end, though he knew that they'd be making love more than once that night.
Lindsay wrapped her legs around him, craving, desperately longing for more, she tugged at him. "Danny, please, no more teasing," she begged softly. She was teetering on the edge as it was and brown eyes filled with need pleaded with him.
His breathing was ragged and his muscles strained; the feeling building up inside him felt so damn good that Danny couldn't help but speed up his pace. Hearing Lindsay beg merely brought him higher on a euphoric level and that much closer to the brink. Danny pounded into her with earnest now, her cries louder now along with his pants, their blood pumping and hearts racing.
It finally became too much for the both of them and the passion and energy building up exploded, blood rushing in their ears, almost drowning their loud cries in the quiet apartment.
Coming down from the high and wrapping themselves in the aftermath, Danny collapsed onto Lindsay, his hands still gripping her tightly. She ran her hands through his sweat-soaked hair and down his damp back; both of them lost in the blissful cloud wrapped around them.
Danny raised his head from the scented pillow of her breasts and stared at her. "I love you Lindsay." The sincerity in his voice and the intense emotions plainly at the fore in his blue eyes told Lindsay that he wasn't just saying those three words because he was caught up in the moment and her eyes filled with happy tears.
She shifted to kiss him fervently. The look in her eyes was no less sincere as Lindsay whispered back in a soft voice, "I love you too."
