Page 59 of Call Out
The combination of anger and rejection ripples right through me. Of course he can’t leave a damsel in distress. That’s who he is. He’s a sinner turned saint.
She can’t have him. I rush over, stretch up and throw my arms around his neck. He sucks in sharply and dips his chin. Musk and leather. The scent of danger. That stomach flipping aroma of Danny Rocco. Hitching up, I kiss him. Hard and fast. Hungry and urgent. Our lips bruise and crush while his tongue instantly slips into my mouth. He grunts, crushing me with powerful arms. Emergency sirens grow louder. I forget why I’m here, why the ambulance is whining in the distance and why Danny told me to leave. In this second of insanity, we’re together, and the past can’t reach us. It’s only when the emergency services arrive and a crowd gathers that reality returns. Our lips separate, and his arms release me.
“I’ll see you back at my apartment, okay?” His gaze lingers with apprehension. “I’m yours.” He pinches my chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Got it?”
I nod slowly. “And I’m yours.”
As he turns away, I look in Zoe’s direction, finding her hunkered down on her hands and knees, glaring at us like the devil has taken over her soul.
Dappled clouds burst with intense coral, vanquishing the last of the navy sky. I half expect Viv not to be snuggled up in my bed when I unlock the door to my apartment.
Nonetheless, I tread carefully, believing she hasn’t given up on us. There’s no sign of a jacket or flimsy pumps, not even a trace of feminine perfume. I stretch my arms with exhaustion, leveling out the frustration, ready to rest.
Zoe's blood tests were normal, with a minimal level of prescription drugs in her system. No lethal dose. Not enough to have life-threatening consequences. She acted out the entire evening, playing on my worst fears. I won’t miss her mind games, not one bit.
As soon as Viv left McClintocks, Zoe fought with the attending medics, begging them to let her out of the ambulance under my care. They refused given her heart rate had dropped and with the suspected combination of drugs and alcohol, it warranted a trip to the ER to monitor her stats.
The curtains are drawn and a heap of duvet fires up my last reserve of adrenaline. I cover the bedroom floor with light steps, simultaneously stripping off my clothes. Nothing compares to sinking into the mattress, absorbing the heat of my girlfriend's soft body.
She didn’t leave me.
“Danny,” she murmurs.
I glide my hand over her bare hips. Tonight, she’s wearing one of my t-shirts and nothing else. “Please forgive me. I’m sorry you had to witness that. How did Zoe get your phone? Was she in your house again?”
“Not this time. She came to Blossom Grove toapologize,” she sighs out the last word. “I guess she used my phone before I got to the office.”
“When I got to McClintocks she was already waiting. I really thought she had taken too many pills. I couldn’t let her die on my watch. Not someone else. I’m cursed, Viv, and shit scared of losing you.” My fingers curl around the fabric covering her curves. She inhales hard, reversing into my groin.
I run my nails over her thigh, closing my eyes when a flurry of goosebumps scatters her flesh. I don't deserve her. There’s nothing to salvage from a life filled with regret and a soul twisted with unworthiness
She places her palm over my hand, holding my touch to her skin. “It nearly broke me to see you with her. How do I know you really love me?” Her voice is timid, laced with hope.
My heart breaks for the vulnerability in that question. “I mean every word. Fuck, Viv, I love you so much it scares me.” Nuzzling into her neck, I breath in the wholesome scent of home.
That statement is said without reservation, without guard and without regret. A broken man revealing his shielded heart. My skin warms where her body nestles. It's not just a sexual spark or the mania to fix what I’ve potentially ruined, it's an explosion of fire that burns my fears to a mound of ashes. “You’re the first person I’ve opened up to. You’ve effortlessly nurtured the pain and replaced it with love. I promise there won’t be any more bullshit.”
I want this woman to be mine forever. I’ll spend the rest of my life worshipping her, so she understands how my second chance in this life was her gift to me.
“No more secrets, Danny. If you make me that solemn promise, then nothing else will come between us.”
Despite the crime I committed and the wrong I’m eternally bound to; all she asks for is honesty. Circling her waist, I unite our two bodies completely, holding her so close that I can feel her heart thumping. My hard-on digs into her ass.
“I love you, Danny.” Her admission strips me bare, echoing in the four walls around us. She loves me as the man I am now, not the monster I believe myself to be.
She's the lightning that strikes in my darkness.
The first blush of sun welcoming dawn.
Vivian Swann is my new beginning.
“Do you think cream is too wishy-washy? I’ll try the mocha one.” I secure the phone with my shoulder and streak dated floral wallpaper with a layer of muddy paint. If I spilled a latte into GG’s food bowl, that’s the exact horrendous shade. “On second thought––forget it. I’ll wait until you’re here tomorrow. I can't decide.” I bought several cans of paint on various points of the color spectrum.
“There’s no rush. I’m used to staying in a walled flower garden. It’s our little piece of petal paradise.” Danny chuckles.
A paradise that wouldn’t be worthwhile if he wasn't here. He’s slept here every night, all but one. Basically, we’re cohabiting. Living together before wedlock. Two lost souls seeking solace in each other. There’s not enough room at his place for my large tea collection or assortment of leaf straining pots. And I haven't introduced him to my bursting closet of lingerie yet––that would take a movers truck and a few days to shift. He has his routine, and I have mine. We work well together. I drive my car, and he rides his motorcycle.
Last week he changed the locks, front and back, and organized a new security system. Not that I expect another late-night visitor with an addiction to Little Red Riding Hood quotes. It was Danny’s idea; he’s become safety obsessive.
