Layers(46)

“Oh, for f**k’s sake with the pizza,” Daniel grunts. “Now?”

I smirk. “Is this a thing you have, sending food to be f**ked? Is this one of your kinks? Something I should be worried about? You’re quite the pervert, you know?”

His face lights up with my remark, scar lifted by a wide smile, and a loud laugh rolls out of him. “No, but I can definitely think of something creative to do with you naked plus food …”

“I can get the pizza,” I reply, shaking my head, humored.

Daniel regards me with a straight face, jaw working under his skin and in a throaty, almost growling voice he says, “The odds of me letting the delivery guy see you this way are zero to none.”




Talk about fast mood changes. Weren’t you laughing a millisecond ago, Mr. Hyde? I study him, trying to read his face for some explanation.

“What’s wrong with the way I look?”

“Well, for one, these short, short pants. Then there’s this white top that I love, revealing your nipp**les so nicely. And to top it all off, you have messy hair, your face is flushed, and you’ve obviously just been wildly f**ked. This look, my sweet Hayley, which, don’t get me wrong, I could stare at forever, should be seen by me and me only. Clear?” He winks at me, bends over to kiss me then reluctantly heads to the hall to get the pizza.

“How much pizza can you even eat? Where does it go?” Daniel says, looking at me with a small side smile, fascinated.

My mouth is full of unbelievably delicious pizza. Tony does know what he’s doing. I try to swallow and gesture “give me a moment”, holding my finger to my mouth; the curve of his lips pulls higher as I do so.

I swallow the last bit and reply, “Well, I was pretty active today. I need to regain energy.”

“Indeed you were. Keep it up please, I am totally enthralled by the way you gobbled that food.”

I narrow my eyes at him. Jerk.

“So, you surf.” Daniel’s eyes are steady on me, and he’s biting his lower lip.

“I do. Well, I did. Haven’t surfed for a while now, but let’s put it this way, through most of my high school years, I was with my board.”

His eyes lighten as I speak.

“You can’t imagine how thrilling it is to surf in Chicago during the winter. You can almost surf in the actual streets. During one of the storms last year my friends back home surfed just a couple hundred yards from Michigan Avenue, the main commercial street,” I tell him enthusiastically. “When I saw the actual photos of that day I was shocked.”

Daniel looks captivated by my story.

“Do you surf?” I ask him.

“Oh, I do. It’s my thing. You know: it relaxes me, puts me in focus. Puts me in the right mood when I’m in need of a diversion.”

“I miss it; my board is back at my parents’ house.”

“In Chicago?”

“Yes, that’s my home town.” I play with some crumbs on the counter, shifting them from side to side. “What about your parents? Do they live in California?” I turn my eyes to look his way.

“My mom lives in Baja, Mexico.” he replies.

“Baja?” That comes as a surprise. Being Daniel Stark’s mother I would have imagined her living somewhere more urban and sophisticated, more New York-ish.

“Yes, she lives in Baja. She’s an artist and the most amazing human being on earth.”

New layer of Daniel revealed. D, the adoring son.

“I think she would like you,” he murmurs as though to himself, his stare wandering to some indistinct spot ahead. “I also own a house there,” he says, vaguely.

Of course you do.

“It’s my surfing hideaway.”

Hideaway? Why do you have to hide, D?

“Sounds great. I would guess Baja is the perfect place to surf. At least, that’s what it’s known for. I’ve never been there.” I yawn all of a sudden, feeling exhausted.

“Are you tired?” He smiles at me, running his fingers through my hair.

“Well, I did play and have dinner. It’s time for my nap now.” I wink playfully and start picking up our leftovers. He joins me as though it’s a habit for us and we’ve been doing it forever, cleaning together after dinner.

Putting the last dish in the dishwasher, I turn his way and ask him about his dad, since he only spoke about his mother.

“He’s not relevant.” There’s a hard edge to his voice, a tone I have learned to recognize. That will be the end of the discussion. What is it? What aren’t you telling me?

~~~

Lying in his too big for one person bed, I gape at him from a gap of the open bathroom door. He is bent, one hand propped over the sink, brushing his teeth, wearing nothing but snug black boxers. I can’t take my eyes off him and his chiseled muscles, standing there tan and sensual. Come on, D, stop with the beauty pampering and get to bed, there’s an urgent need for you here and now.

“Did you enjoy the view?”

He loves embarrassing me, the jerk. “I was just making sure you’re okay,” I say, keeping up a casual fa?ade.

“So you were.” His mouth twists at the side with a smug grin.

“What have we got here?” Daniel crawls under the covers facing me and sends a hand to caress my waist, settling on my butt, pulling me closer to him. “This is one superb Hayley ass,” he grins.