CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Lincoln
Her voice was really pretty. It wasn't what I'd expected. When I'd overheard her talking on the street in front of my apartment, it had been muffled, distorted. In all the times I'd imagined her talking since then, her voice had always sounded low in my head. I don't know why, maybe because Pris's voice was low and a bit throaty?
But Dani's? It was lyrical.
I could listen to her talk all day.
I was probably getting pneumonia from being out in the rain —the only explanation why I was staring at her mouth like I wanted to actually taste the words as she spoke them across my lips.
All the wrong parts of me twitched with excitement.
One in general that was making things… hard, not difficult, hard…
Shit.
"I've never stayed overnight in Depot Bay," she offered, glancing out the window as she tied her hair back into a low bun. Her vintage shirt rose just above her hips, giving me a glimpse of her tan skin. I barely held in my whimper as I tried to adjust the way I was sitting without her catching on.
"Me either." That was all I had to offer her. Two words and the distinct impression that, while she was turning into quite the conversationalist, I was suddenly without the ability to string full sentences together that didn't include words like lick, bite, nip.
"Linc?"
I jumped. When had she started calling me Linc? I loved it.
Hell, every physical part of me responded to my name coming from her lips as if I'd never heard a woman say my name before.
"What's up?" My hoarse voice was a dead giveaway. I prayed she was innocent enough to think nothing of it and just assume I was catching some sort of disease that would render my voice useless. Damn, where was a good head cold when I needed it? At least I'd have to stay away from her — away from temptation.
"Are you okay?" Her little bow-shaped lips pressed together, giving me the distinct impression she was trying not to say more. Damn, I would sell my soul to lick those lips.
Mute was safe.
Mute meant I didn't really know her personality or at least only knew what she felt like showing me through text and body language.
Now that she had words? A whole different line of communication opened, and with that, the freaking floodgates burst open and now I was screwed. So. Very. Screwed.
The limo pulled to a stop in front of the condo that I'd been forced to rent last minute. It overlooked the tiny town of Depot Bay. Add in the view of the Pacific Ocean as it crashed against the rock bridge in downtown, and it was idyllic, romantic, probably not the best choice I could have made, but it was private, and after today, being recognized in public was the last thing I needed or wanted.
"I'm great," I answered about five minutes later, as if I was a slow learner and had just comprehended the words she'd spoken. Things were going downhill fast, and I had to spend the night with her.
Crap. Bad, bad word choice. My body tingled all over with anticipation. Down, boy.
And no matter how many times I looked at her and thought about her age, it's like it didn't register on any level.
All I saw were her lips.
And that damn mouth as it moved, forming words, captivating every part of me and making me yearn to hear more.
Why wasn't she making a bigger deal of this? Hell, why wasn't I calling Jay and telling him that whatever had been her issue, she was basically healed?
"Sir." Our driver opened our door and helped Dani out and then me. "The key was left under the mat, and the entire kitchen has been stocked to your specifications. I'll pick you up at seven a.m. and take you directly to set."
"Great." I shook his hand. "Thank you."
He gave a brief nod and turned away.
Dani stared wide-eyed at the two-story building; her cheeks flushed as a gust of wind and rain hit her small body. "You have an ice cream parlor downstairs."
"Don't forget the store of knickknacks." I pointed to the left where a small store sat nestled between an ice cream/coffee shop.
"I love it." Eyes bright, she placed her hands on her hips. "It seems so secluded."
I snorted. "That's because it is." I nodded toward the stairway leading up to the condo. "Now let's get inside before you freeze to death, and Jay charges me with murder."
"He's not that dramatic."
"Right, he yelled at me for eating sushi in front of his pregnant wife because that's normal. Did I forget to mention he slapped my plate out of my hand?"
Dani reached for the railing and laughed. "Yeah well, he tends to get a bit carried away sometimes."
I followed the sway of her hips, the ones I shouldn't have even been looking at, as she made her way up the stairs.
"I'm just thankful he didn't know me in high school. He would have probably tried murdering my first boyfriend."
"Elliot," I spat. Bastard needed to get in line. "Whatever. He's a kid."
"I'm a kid…" Dani turned around and glared. "… or at least that's what you keep referring to me as. It's either kid or assistant or — and this is my favorite—" She lowered her voice and drew her eyebrows together. "Seventeen."
I actually felt my face redden.
When had I ever been embarrassed?
And by a teen?
"Well," I sputtered, "you're…" My hands did a weird flailing thing in front of my body. "… young." I choked out the last part as my eyes zeroed in on her perky breasts. Great, just give me a van and let me park it outside the local high school. I pinched the bridge of my nose and let out a pitiful groan.
"It's fine." Dani smiled warmly. "I'm over it. Promise." Her grin was tight. I highly doubted she was over me insulting her, but I didn't want to push things, because, in my current state, I'd probably blurt out that I was attracted to her and end up in prison.
I was being dramatic.
Then again, I was an actor… so…
I quickly snatched the key from under the mat and jammed it into the lock, pushing the door open once it clicked.
The condo had floor-to-ceiling windows facing the ocean and a gourmet kitchen with white granite and white wooded cabinets. The floor was a dark oak stain, and every piece of furniture was a nautical theme, right down to the blue cloth couch decorated with coral pillows.
"Hungry?" I tossed the key onto the counter and shook the rain out of my hair. "I can whip something up."
"Can you?" Dani laughed. "It cooks?"
"Ha." I nodded. "Nice. Am I the it?"
She made a face and pointed at my mass of hair. "Well, you look a bit haggard. Maybe shower, and I'll start cooking."
"Ah, so she cooks?" I grinned. "See what I did there? She because you're a girl?"
"Seventeen." She winked. "Don't forget that very important part of the scenario, not that I think you're in danger of it, considering you repeat it to yourself when you think I'm not listening."
"Question." I braced my hands against the granite and leaned forward. The smell of rain floated through the room. "Have you always been this snarky?"
"Always." Her blonde head bobbed.
I fought to keep my grin small, so as to not scare her into thinking I was going to attack her or turn into the Joker, because, I couldn't stop smiling in her presence. She just seemed so… alive. And in days previous, it was as if death was a better description of the way she carried herself. "Is it getting easier?" I asked softly while she chewed on her thumbnail, like a teenager. At least she was reminding me of one, the way she was focused in on gnawing the thing off and ignoring me.
"What?" She dropped her hand and stared me down, her blue eyes penetrating mine with such clarity I averted my gaze.
"The talking." I licked my lips and stole a glance at her mouth.
"Only when you stare at my mouth like I have something on it."
Damn, I wish she did have something on it — me. "Sorry."
"It's okay," she said in a quieter voice. "So cleanup and then crabs?"
"Is this your way of getting me to
change the subject?"
She pushed away from the counter and breezed past me, making her way toward the fridge. "Yeah." She poked her head inside. "I figure if I talk about it, then I may freak myself out or jinx myself. I know it's a huge deal, really. Jay and Pris would freak, not to mention Demetri. I imagine he'd dedicate a song to me or something, at least pet a bird."
It was hard to keep up. "Pet a bird? What?"
She pulled her head back from the fridge and grinned. "It's true he really is that terrified, I wasn't exaggerating."
"Noted." I crossed my arms, staring at her because it seemed so natural. Talking, being in the kitchen, making dinner.
I could get used to that. God knew I needed normal in my life after having such a demented childhood and not being able to stay in one place for any length of time.
I wanted to take her out.
But not in my truck.
I made a mental note to have my car brought up from Malibu.
"It is a big deal, Dani," I whispered.
Her hand gripped the front of the fridge, tight enough for her fingers to turn white. Hanging her head, she slowly closed the door and leaned against it, letting out a soft, "I know."
"And being scared…" I took a cautious step toward her. "… it's normal, you know? I mean, this is the first time you've spoken in a while and I can't imagine what's going through your head right now."
She let out a painful laugh. "A lot."
I reached out to her, meaning to touch her arm; I tugged her against my body and kissed her instead. "Ignore the fear. Embrace the triumph."
Her body relaxed against mine. "How do I do that?"
"Easy." I ran my hands slowly up and down her arms. "You choose to look at the mountains rather than trying to concentrate on the valleys. It's easier to glance behind you and see the peaks, but it takes actual effort to look down into the darkness of where you've been."
"Sage advice." Dani pulled away, tilting her head up toward mine. "Thanks, old man."
I knew she was teasing, but I had the sudden feeling that she was twisting the knife into me while I reached for my walker and reading glasses. Holy shit, was this how she felt when I called her young?
The thought stung, and I pulled back. "Okay, so I'll stop making a big deal out of your age if you never call me old again." I popped my knuckles.
"Careful," she teased, her eyes glinting with mischief, "you may get arthritis."
I choked out a "Ha" and shook my head. "And, for the record, I'm not old. I'm only a few years older than you."
"I know." She rolled her eyes. "My point exactly. Stop treating me like I'm still in diapers. I own a thong for crying out loud, and I'm pretty sure I can kiss the crap out of you so…" She nodded. "… no more talk about talking tonight. Let's just… hang."
Hang? How about strip? That sounded like a much better option.
Thong. Diaper. Kiss. Hell, my brain didn't know what to focus on anymore.
"I'll just… go get cleaned up." I turned on my heel, nearly running into a wood beam I could have sworn had appeared out of nowhere. Sidestepping it, I ducked through the bathroom door and slammed it behind me. Thank God, it was the actual bathroom and not the closet.
"Focus." I stared at my reflection in the mirror. "Seventeen." Yeah, that number no longer had any effect on me. Well, damn.