012: Love Me Tender

The rain was still pattering softly on the window panes when Angela's eyes began to flutter open. Her fist held onto the warm navy comforter that was drawn tight around her body. The pillows and the blankets smelt of some unexplainable smell that seemed to calm her on the spot.

It took her several moments to realize where she was. This was Danny's bed. She was in Danny's bed. A shiver of disbelief ran through her body and she didn't move for fear that she would wake up from the dream.

Angela could feel Danny lying next to her, and as she lay in his bed she wondered if last night had been a mistake. What if it was just a spur of the moment thing? What if Danny didn't really have feelings for her and he just wanted a night in bed? What would that mean for their friendship? And what about things at the office?

The more she thought about it, the more panicked Angela became. She certainly did not regret last night, but what if Danny did? She had no idea what he was thinking right now.

There was a slow, lazy movement next to her and it seemed as though Danny was rolling over. Angela's back was still towards him, and she didn't move in hopes that he'd still think she was asleep. What was he going to say? What was she going to say?

And then something happened. Angela felt Danny's fingers ever so lightly run down her side, dipping with the curve of her hips. He came back to the center of her side and very lightly began to trace small circles on her bare skin. All of her worries and anxieties seem to vanish as Danny's fingers gently explored the skin on her side.

Extending her legs underneath the covers, Angela slowly turned over to face Danny. He had his head propped up on his hand and looked down at her with a sleepy grin. He leaned down and kissed her gently.

"Morning," Danny said softly as his hand squeezed her waist.

"Morning," she replied and moved her body closer to his so that their legs were intertwined again.

"How'd you sleep?" He was still absentmindedly tracing circles along her arm and waist.

"Mmm… very good. You?"

"Best sleep I've gotten in a long time."

The two lay in the bed and stared at each other for a long time in comfortable silence. She played with his toes at the bottom of the bed.

"It's still raining," she said with a yawn.

"Well, I guess you'll just have to stay until it stops then."

"What a shame."

There was a low rumble of thunder, but it was accompanied by another sound that was clearly not thunder. Danny looked embarrassed but Angela just laughed quietly.

"Hungry?" she teased.

"Starving."

"Shall I prepare some breakfast?"

"I have some cinnamon rolls in the fridge," he offered as he ran his hand through his own hair which gave a whole new definition to the term "bed head."

"I'll go make some."

"No, I'll make them," Danny said, raising his torso off the mattress.

"You just sleep," Angela protested as she playfully pushed him back down. "I'll make them."

As she leaned over him, he lifted his head and kissed her. It was such a slow and simply lazy kiss that made it seem as if they had been lovers for months.

"Just don't burn them," he teased as she got up.

Angela found the sweatshirt that Danny had lent her the previous night on the ground next to his boxers and she slipped it on and found that it was large enough to sufficiently cover her.

She made her way out to his small kitchen and opened the fridge to find the cinnamon rolls as he had said. About fifteen minutes later, the whole apartment smelt of the wonderful aroma of sweet cinnamon rolls. As Angela was pouring some orange juice, she felt two strong hands take a hold of her waist.

Danny leaned his body against hers and kissed her neck tenderly. Angela tried to suppress a giggle as his morning stubble tickled her sensitive skin. She squirmed enough in his arms to make him work at kissing her, but not enough to protest.

"You have a craving for sweets this morning?" Angela asked as he wrapped his arms fully around her waist and pulled her back against him.

"Mmhmm," he answered as he kissed her again.

"Well your sweets are over there on the table."

"No, not those sweets," he grinned against her neck.

The cinnamon rolls lay forgotten on the table as Angela turned around in his arms and indulged in his craving of sweets.

The rest of the morning was much of the same as they lay around his apartment, sharing slow, deep kisses whenever they felt like it, resting on the couch as they listened to the rain, and not having another care in the world as long as they were in each other's arms.

Sometime late in the afternoon, they lay together on the couch in gorgeous silence. Angela rested her head on Danny's broad, safe chest and listened to the steady beat of his heart. His chest rose and fell rhythmically and her cheek rubbed softly against his cotton shirt.

Her fingers played gently with the folds of the material, tracing the contours of his chest through the shirt. They glided slowly over the dips and curves of his shoulder and upper arms, jumping slightly with warmth and pleasure when they came in contract with his skin.

Danny's fingers ran through the tips of Angela's dark red hair, loving the feel of it between his rough fingers. As he breathed out of his nose, some of her hair would move with the slight breeze. He entertained himself for a long time doing this until Angela squeezed his upper arm and sighed.

"How did we get here?" Her voice was soft and almost dreamy, and she spoke as if she was smiling in amusement.

"Well, we moved from the bed to the kitchen to the couch, back to the bed and then—"

"Danny," she said, turning her face into his chest as she tried to suppress her giggle. "Really."

Danny paused for awhile, letting the hair slip out of his fingers before he answered.

"I don't know," he said truthfully. He looked down at the top of her head. She looked up at him from his chest and planted a kiss on his nose. Her eyes were a calm, quiet blue though close to the pupils, there was an explosion of rich, mossy green. "One minute we're blowing up at each other and the next…"

"We're here…" Angela finished for him, turning her head to rest on his chest again. "I wonder how that happens… What changed, you know?"

"Maybe because we actually stopped fighting," Danny chuckled softly, making Angela's head vibrate against his chest.

"Maybe it's because you stopped being so arrogant," she teased, giving his side a playful squeeze.

"Me? Arrogant?" He pretended to sound mortally offended. "If it's anyone who was arrogant, it was you, my dear."

"I don't think so."

"I do. And I think it's because you realized that my good looks and charm are simply irresistible."

Angela snorted in laughter. "Oh, I'm sure that's it.

"I think so too."

"See? There you go again. You are arrogant."

"I am not."

"Yes, you are."

"If I'm arrogant, then you're stubborn. And you argue a lot."

"I do not!"

"Aha. There. You're arguing with me."

"How can I not argue about being argumentative?"

"Because it proves my point."

"What was your point?"

Danny paused. "I don't remember. But whatever it is, I proved it. I'm right. You're wrong."

"Arrogant."

"Stubborn."

"Arrogant."

"Stubborn."

Angela turned and looked at him again, her nose wrinkled in that cute little way whenever someone's not listening to her. She stared at him for several seconds before pushing herself up further onto him and kissed him.

Though slightly surprised, Danny regretted when she pulled away again.

"You'd kiss someone who's arrogant?" he teased.

"I didn't hear any complaints from kissing someone who's stubborn."

"That's because I like it when you're stubborn."

She grinned and kissed him again.

"Good," Angela said as she kissed a spot close to his ear. "Because you're pretty cute when you're arrogant. In an annoying sort of way."

"What? Now you're calling me annoying?"

"What are you gonna do about it?"

Danny looked at Angela grinning at him for several seconds before cupping her face in his hand.

"Absolutely nothing," he said softly as he pulled her up to kiss him again.

A/N: This was actually a really short chapter, but I made it longer because I dislike chapters that a too short. I hoped you guys liked it! Your reactions to the last chapter were priceless. They were mostly varieties of "THANK GOD!" and "FINALLY!" Hahaha. It made me laugh.

Anyways, review the chapter! Thanks so much for your feedback! It makes me terribly happy!

Have an amazing weekend, everyone!

-Laura