Читать книгу Matched To Mr Right - Kat Cantrell - Страница 16
ОглавлениеDannie awoke at dawn tangled with Leo. Her husband, in every sense.
Muscles ached and begged to be stretched so beautifully again. Above all, her heart longed to hear him say “Dannie” with such raw yearning as they joined. Like he had last night, in that smoking-hot voice.
The bedroom-sharing plan deserved an award.
Leo was still asleep, but holding her tightly against him with his strong forearms, her back against his firm front. The position seemed incongruous for someone so determined to remain distanced. But in sleep, his body told her what he couldn’t say with his mouth.
He craved a relationship with her, too. The yearning bled from him in waves every moment she spent in his company. It was all over the good deeds he did behind the scenes, which she no longer believed were designed to avoid emotional investment.
He just didn’t know how to reach out. And she’d gladly taken on the job of teaching him.
As he guided her toward her full potential as his wife, she’d done the same, pushing him to keep opening up, giving him what he needed. She’d keep on doing it until he embraced everything this marriage could be. The rewards of being the woman behind the man were priceless.
She hated to disturb him, but his front was growing firmer by the moment and it pressed hot and hard against her suddenly sensitized flesh.
Heat gathered at the center of her universe and her breath caught.
Involuntarily, her back arched, pushing her sex against his erection. She rubbed back and forth experimentally. Hunger shafted through her. Oh, yes.
Then his whole body stiffened and his hands curled against her hips, forcing her to be still. Awake, and obviously not on board with a round of morning love.
Wiggling backward, she deliberately teased him without words.
“Daniella,” he murmured thickly. “Stop. I forgot to set my alarm. I have to go to work.”
“Yes, you do.” She wiggled again, harder, and he sucked in a ragged breath. “Ten minutes. I’m so turned on, I’m almost there already.”
Cool air rushed against her back as he rolled away and left the bed without another word.
Her heart crashed against her ribs as he disappeared into the bathroom. The shower hummed through the walls.
Nothing had changed between them.
Last night had meant everything to her. But she’d vastly overplayed her hand. Instead of viewing it as a precious stepping-stone toward a fulfilling marriage, Leo seemed perfectly content to sleep with her at night and ignore her the rest of the day.
Exactly what he’d warned her would happen.
She had no call to be disappointed. She’d given him what he needed and hoped it would be the beginning of their grand, sweeping love affair. It obviously wasn’t. She’d dropped her dress, pushed him into making that final move and, for her effort, got a round of admittedly earth-shattering sex. She’d even given him permission to do whatever felt right.
At what point had she asked for anything more?
Since the I dos, she’d put considerable effort into preventing screwups, convinced each successful event or household task solidified her role as Mrs. Reynolds.
It never occurred to her the real screwup would happen when she invented a fictional future where Leo became the husband of her dreams.
Flinging the covers up over her shoulder, she buried herself in the bed, dry-eyed, until Leo left the bedroom without saying goodbye.
Then she let her eyes burn for an eternity, refusing to let the tears fall.
Her stupid phone’s musical ringtone split the air. Leo.
Bolting upright, she bobbled the phone into her hands. He was calling to apologize. Tell her good morning. That it had been a great party. Something.
A bitter taste rose at the back of her throat when she saw Mom on the caller ID. She swallowed and answered.
“Hi,” she said and her voice broke in half.
“What’s wrong, baby?”
Great, now her mother was concerned. Worrying her mother was the last thing Dannie wanted.
“Nothing,” she lied brightly. “I’m still in bed. Haven’t woken up yet. How are you?”
“Fine.” A round of coughing negated that. “Do you want to have lunch today?”
Oh, that would never do. Her mother would instantly see the hurt in her heart blossoming on Dannie’s face. She had to get over the disenchantment first. “I’ve got a few things to do. Maybe tomorrow?”
“I’m leaving on the cruise tomorrow. Did you forget? I wanted to see you before I go.”
Yes, she had forgotten and it was a brutal reminder about what was important—her mother. Not Dannie’s bruised feelings.
Suck it up, honey. “I can rearrange my appointments. I’ll pick you up around eleven, okay?”
“Yes! I’ll see you then.”
Dannie hung up, heaved a deep shuddery breath and hit the shower to wash away every trace of Leo from her body. If only she could wipe him from her mind as easily, but his invisible presence stained the atmosphere of the entire house.
She fought tears for twenty excruciating minutes as the car sped toward her mother’s.
The driver paused at the curb outside her mother’s apartment and Dannie frowned. Paint peeled from the wood siding and weeds choked the grass surrounding the front walk. The shabbiness had never bothered her before. How was it fair that Dannie got to live in the lap of luxury but her mother suffered both pulmonary fibrosis and near poverty?
But what could Dannie do about it? She didn’t have any money of her own—everything was Leo’s. A nasty voice inside suggested he could pony up alternative living space for her mother in reciprocation for last night.
She hushed up that thought immediately. Leo hadn’t treated her like that. He’d told her what would happen on more than one occasion and she’d chosen to create a fairy tale in her head where love conquered all.
Her mom slid into the car and beamed at Dannie. The nurse had done wonders to improve her mother’s quality of life with daily pulmonary therapy and equally important emotional support.
“I’m so glad to see you, baby,” her mom gushed.
The driver raised the glass panel between the front seat and the back, then pulled out into the flow of traffic to ferry them to the restaurant. Dannie leaned into her mother’s cheek buss and smiled. “Glad to see you, too.”
What ills could she possibly have that Mom couldn’t make all better? The pricking at her eyelids grew worse.
Her mother’s hands on her jaw firmed. “Uh, oh. What happened?”
She should have known better—sonar had nothing on a mom’s ability to see beneath the surface. Dannie pulled her face from her mother’s grasp and looked out the window in the opposite direction. “Nothing. Leo and I had a little...misunderstanding. I’ll get over it.”
Probing silence settled on her chest and she risked a glance at her mother. She was watching her with an unreadable expression. “Nothing serious, I hope.”
Dannie half laughed. “Not in his opinion.”
With a sigh of relief, her mother settled back against the seat. “That’s good.”
“Well, I don’t think he’s planning to divorce me, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
At least not yet. By all rights, her desperate mental reorganization of their arrangement should have resulted in a firm boot to the backside long before now. Yet, he hadn’t breathed a word about divorce, so apparently he still needed her for reasons of his own.
“Of course that’s a concern.” Her mother’s warm hand found Dannie’s elbow. “Fortunately, you married a solid, respectable man who believes in commitment. A very wise choice. You’ll never end up brokenhearted and alone like I did.”
Yes. That was the purpose of this marriage. Not grand, sweeping passion and a timeless love. This was a job. Wife was her career. Hardening her heart against the tiny tendrils of feelings she’d allowed to bloom last night in Leo’s arms, Dannie nodded. “You’re right. Leo is a good man.”
The muted sound of sirens filtered through the car’s interior a moment before an ambulance whizzed by in the opposite direction. She’d ridden in an ambulance for the first time not too long ago, on the way to the hospital, with her mother strapped to a gurney and fighting to breathe. When the bill came, she’d gone to the library that same day seeking a way to pay it.
