Coming Home(52)

Her eyes were wide, almost panicky, as she approached him.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

She opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it without saying anything.

“Is everything okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said. “I just…I didn’t say good-bye to you in there. So I just…wanted to say good-bye.”

“Okay,” he said with the hint of a smile.

“Okay, so,” she looked down, spinning her bracelet over her wrist before glancing back up at him. “Good-bye.”

The smile he’d been fighting finally broke as he nodded once. “Good-bye.”

She stood there, staring up at him, and he knew if he didn’t leave, he was going to do something stupid. Danny turned away from her, freezing when he felt her grip his bicep.

He spun to face her just as she took a step toward him, going up on her toes as she brought her mouth to his.

He froze.

She stilled against him, and for a moment, they just stood there, both struggling to get over the shock of what had just happened. But then her lips softened against his as they parted gently, closing over his bottom one.

He still hadn’t moved.

He could feel his heart slamming in his chest, preparing his body for action, but it was as if he no longer had control of his body.

Her mouth parted again, and this time she brushed the tip of her tongue along his bottom lip before she closed hers over it.

It felt like something inside his chest snapped.

Danny grabbed her face in his hands, pulling her mouth to his as he kissed her back. She pressed her body against him, and he slid his hand to the back of her head, knotting his fingers in her hair.

Slow down. Too rough.

But he couldn’t stop. Her lips were so f*cking perfect and he needed this and she was so beautiful and he couldn’t stop.

She moaned lightly against his lips, gripping the back of his shirt and tugging him closer as her tongue entered his mouth, and his hand came to her hip, squeezing it firmly as he tried to keep himself grounded.

Fuck. She was going to make him hard right here on the sidewalk.

As if she had heard him, Leah slowed the kiss down, pulling back slightly before bringing their mouths back together, languidly running her tongue over his.

His hand in her hair went slack as it slid down to caress her neck.

She pressed her hips against him as she caught his bottom lip between her teeth, and his other hand slid around to cup her ass, holding her against his body.

And then his eyes flew open as he pushed her away, taking a quick step back.

She gasped as she stumbled backward, staring up at him with wide eyes.

His breath was coming in short bursts, the white puffs of vapor clouding the image of her standing before him.

And then he whirled around, jamming his fists in his pockets as he stormed off down the sidewalk.

Danny ripped the keys from his pocket and hit the button to unlock his door, trying to make his legs move faster. When he finally reached his car, he yanked the door open and slid inside, starting it before he had closed the door behind him.

He didn’t even check for traffic before he pulled out onto the street, hitting the gas and causing the tires to squeal slightly as he took off down the road.

Just before he rounded the corner, he made his final stupid move of the night.

He looked up at his rearview mirror.

The last thing he saw before he made the turn was Leah standing on the sidewalk, her fingertips pressed to her lips as she watched him speed away.





One week.