Page 2 of Unwrapping Deviance
Sometimes, he’ll turn over and wrap those strong arms around my middle and buries his face into my belly and I get to hold him and it’s the most intimate feeling two people who can’t be together can get.
I expected him to up and leave once Mom was buried. He honestly had no reason to stay. He’d done all he possibly could and more. Despite being Mom’s best friend for multiple years, he didn’t sign on to become an actual stepdad when he wasn’t even an actual husband.
During one of our girl chats in the hospital late through the night, Mom told me why she married him. She told me everything and the tiny crush I’d developed for her husband over the few weeks since arriving exploded into something I didn’t have time for. It became a rooted obsession with the man who was at the hospital as often as I was. Who stayed by Mom’s side, doted on her every comfort, made her laugh and cared for her when no one else would.
Nothing ever happened between them. Not even a kiss. Even when I asked why not; Daniel is a walking fantasy. Mom had wrinkled her nose like the thought was disgusting.
“He’s my best friend. It would be like kissing my brother.”
She will never know how glad I was to hear that. Getting hot and bothered every time Daniel walked into the room was one thing, but if he and Mom were actually in love and done certain deeds, I really don’t think I could ever touch him the way I’m dying to.
“Mira?”
I realize I still haven’t answered him and quickly refocus my derailed Daniel Train. Damn thing hasaccidentsat least twenty times a day with this man.
Gingerly, I peel the glasses off my face. My thumb finds the latch on my belt, and I untether myself long enough to reach over the console and slide the glasses over his eyes.
“Yeah?” I murmur, settling back in my seat and strapping in.
He turns his face to me for a heartbeat of a second. “You okay?”
No, but saying as much puts a shadow of helplessness over his handsome features that I hate seeing on him. I know he’s thinking of ways to make it better, to fix my pain, but he can’t.
“Absolutely,” I lie, even offer him a tiny grin I know he’s not buying because he’s not stupid.
“Want me to pull over?”
That drags a laugh out of me. My head turns to the windshield and the vast landscape of wilderness stretching in every direction, a wall of trees and bush caging us in from all sides.
“Where?”
The corner of his firm, full lips curve upwards. “Here?”
I snort and shake my head. “I’ve seen enough horror movies to firmly and confidently say, no, thank you.”
Daniel hums quietly in deliberation. “Maybe you’re right. Can’t have you getting eaten by cannibals.”
I deliberate his words with careful consideration before reevaluating my decision.
“I mean ... what do they look like?”
It takes Daniel all of a second to realize my joke and snap his head in my direction. His jaw is slack and I’m sure his eyes are huge behind the dark lenses, but it’s the horrified,“Mira!”that sends me over.
My hysterical howls are met with slow, disappointed rocks of his head. His jaw muscles work extra hard to conceal his amusement even as his shoulders shake under the long-sleeved top.
“No more dirty books for you, you little deviant.”
I gasp and snatch my paperback off my lap to clutch at my chest. “How dare you threaten my babies, and they’re not dirty. They’re educational.”
“I fucking bet!” He laughs, the sound deep and rich rolling through the cabin and down my spine.
It tangles with the flurry of moths working overtime at the base of my stomach and sends tiny currents of electricity across my nipples.
I caught Daniel skimming one of mymildlyspicy — in my opinion — books a few months back. His eyebrows had vanished up into his hairline and I could swear he was blushing. He definitely had a rock-hard erection tenting the front of his sexy as fuck gray sweats.
No self-respecting man just waltzes around willy nilly in gray sweats if they don’t want to get jumped. It’s a proven fact, especially when theblessingsin his pants had my vagina excited to get destroyed. All I could think was,shit, if that flabbered-his-gasted, wait till he sees the really dirty stuff.The truly devious part of me kind of wants to start leaving them all over the apartment just to maybe help coax him along to finally fuck me.
But baby steps.