Chapter Eighteen

Kane

The next day, Danny simply passed me a set of keys and said I was driving. I put down my fork after devouring the omelet Danny had made and looked at the keys as if they were going to bite.

"Drive where?" I asked, but still took them, though I didn't let go of his hand and brought his fingers to my lips, sucking on the smallest digit, watching his blue eyes turn almost molten. Despite my worry about Shae, which had never really left me, yesterday had been the best day of my life. We hadn't been able to keep our hands off each other, and while I wasn't fooling myself into believing this was in any way long term, I was taking whatever Danny was offering for as long as he was offering it.

"Asheville," he said, not trying to remove his hand.

"North Carolina? Why?" What was in North Carolina?

Danny smiled shyly, and I let his hand go. "My Mom and Dad."

I gaped. "What?"

He chuckled. "Don't worry. I know one night in no way implies it's time to meet the parents. And it's definitely nothing like that. It's just it's my dad's birthday on Saturday and I promised I'd go." He hesitated. "I missed the last three. First because I was in recovery, and second, well, I guess I chickened out. I should say they've met Sebastian, Gray's hubby, and they love him, so they don't care about that."

I still couldn't come up with anything to say.

"Full disclosure. My brother and sister will be there on Saturday, and I could really use someone to run interference for me."

I stared at Danny for what seemed a very long minute, until his smile fell, and he glanced down. "It's okay." But I could feel the disappointment.

"Do they know who I am?" Ex-cons didn't get taken to meet the family.

"They know you're a new hire of Diesel's. They know you're a friend. Anything you tell them or don't is your business, and if you run interference for me with my sister, I'll do the same."

"But what will I say if they ask what I've been doing with my life?" Because what the fuck would I say?

"We can come up with a backstory on the way. It's a four-hour drive, and any time you're uncomfortable, I promise we can leave." Danny grinned when I looked skeptical. "So, we all have a text system we use that Jay set up. We send the numbers 104 to a group text. The first one to see it texts the number 9 to say they're responding, and they call. We use it to get out of situations. Like I'll pretend it's a call from work asking for us to head back." He rolled his eyes. "Jay uses it if a girl's getting too clingy and he needs an excuse to leave."

I huffed out a laugh. Sounded a little complicated, but I knew these guys had been a unit for a long time and had a system. Something else occurred to me and I squirmed a little inside. "Won't, I mean, won't Rawlings mind?"

"You visiting my mom or us fucking?" He tried to hold back a smile and failed. And hypocritically, I didn't like that word on Danny's lips. Very hypocritical, seeing as how the f-word figured in nearly every sentence I spoke, but it seemed wrong coming from him.

"Both."

Danny shook his head. "He might be concerned if we went on jobs together, but we have different roles." He rinsed our plates, obviously waiting for a reply. Did I dare?

I walked over to him and took the plate out of his hand and put it in the dishwasher, then turned him around. "I don't need a babysitter here." I had to know why he was asking me to go with him. I didn't buy running interference as the main reason.

"Maybe I do," Danny whispered, but then shook his head. "No, I didn't mean that either." He bit his lip, and I wanted to drag it away with my thumb, but I restrained myself. He met my gaze. "I want to spend more time with you. Once this weekend is over, whether we've found Shae or not, we still have the job to complete." I was too hung up on Danny saying he wanted to spend more time with me to take in the rest of his words initially. "And I wasn't kidding about my sister. I'm a charity project to her."

Which was fucked up. Danny was no one's charity. "You're sure?" I pressed.

Danny nodded. "We have to walk around the corner to get the car. I keep it in storage." I shrugged. It sounded weird to me, storage, not a garage. But I'd never had a car, so how would I know?

"Okay," I said and cupped his cheek. He turned and brushed a kiss on my palm and fuck if my cock didn't jump in reaction. And that was another thing. If I was meeting Danny's mom, I was gonna have to clean up my language.

Forty minutes later, I stood holding Sadie's leash and both our bags and gazed in awe at the car Danny had just pulled the sheet off. "I have a guy that comes once a week to run it to keep the battery up."

"What is it?" I gasped, completely and utterly entranced.

And if I was honest, not just by the car.

"A 1965 Ford Mustang Convertible," Danny said proudly. "It was my dad's, and it sat on bricks for ten years before Dad gave it to me the day I graduated high school. If I hadn't been deployed, I would have done what work I could, but I sent money home to them to help with bills, and wouldn't you know it, Dad used it to have it restored instead."

I was speechless. It was probably one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen. I reverently trailed my index finger down the hood. It was a deep metallic blue and reminded me of Danny's eyes.

Danny grinned, then pursed his lips. "It's a stick. Actually, a four-speed manual transmission, which is rarer. Standard back then was three."

"Not a problem," I breathed out the words. Jay had made me learn to drive four different cars, and only two were automatic.

"Climb in, girl," Danny said and put Sadie in what looked like a special extended seat in the back and clipped her harness on. By the time I'd gotten my head on straight, he'd put our bags in there as well.

Getting out of Atlanta was predictably slow even after rush hour, but after checking that I was okay with adding another hour to our journey, Danny directed me to the scenic route, as he called it, past the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest. Apparently, the car would never make the route for at least half the year because of the weather, but we were good now. I'd never seen anything like this in my life. We kept the top down all the way and while Danny bundled up in a jacket as we got near the mountains, his face was alight with happiness. Danny had even brought snacks but advised me that we needed to turn up hungry because his mom was a great cook. After a while I moved Danny's hand to my lap as I held it.

I couldn't get over the perfection, and even managed to keep my nerves at bay as we finally pulled into a driveway leading to a sprawling ranch house. "They never farmed or anything," Danny said, "but Mom kept a few chickens and we had a pet donkey. Mean bastard," he grinned. There's three acres out the back that someone from the town keeps their horses on, but they're friendly if you want a walk tomorrow."

I pulled into an open garage as instructed, and Danny leaned over to give me a quick kiss before he got Sadie out. I grabbed the bags and by the time we were out of the garage, the door was open, and an older couple stood beaming at us.

Danny's mom—Elizabeth—didn't stand on ceremony, and not only threw her arms around Danny, but damn near gave me the same treatment. His dad— whose name was Roger, but because of the kids cartoon even I'd heard of, I was invited to call him Buck like his wife did—was a little more restrained and we shook hands. I managed to untie my tongue long enough to make polite but vague responses, and after washing up as we were invited to do, Danny guided me to the huge kitchen table.

I didn't think I'd seen so much food in my entire life, and my throat closed in panic. What if I couldn't eat anything? But after a while, as it seemed like everyone was just helping themselves and no one commented on the fact that I still had an empty plate, I cautiously helped myself to some pot roast and bread. It was good and my tension eased a little, and while I didn't go back for seconds, I didn't embarrass myself.

The first half of the meal seemed to involve Elizabeth updating Danny on the neighbors, his brothers Cornan and Stephen, and his sister Emily. Stephen wasn't going to be there on Saturday as he was in Europe for the summer for college. He studied art history, apparently, and I mentally sighed with relief that at least one of his siblings would be absent.

"What about you, Kane?" Elizabeth asked. "Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"No, ma'am," I said. "My mom died when I was young, and my father never remarried." We'd practiced this on the drive over, so I knew what to say.

"And does your dad live close? Is he in Atlanta?" Danny had left this one for me. All I had to do was to squeeze his leg under the table and he would switch topics. "He does, but I'm afraid we're estranged. I haven't seen him for seventeen years." Well, that was a little balder than I'd been planning to say, but I wasn't comfortable lying to these nice people, even if I had no intention of telling them where I'd spent those seventeen years.

"I'm so sorry," Danny's mom said and reached over to pat my hand, then changed the subject herself without needing prompting.

"How's Sebastian?" Elizabeth asked. Danny grinned.

"I'm surprised they're not here."

His dad chuckled. "That's because they only got back from their trip yesterday. Gray has Sebastian on enforced rest after four concerts in ten days. I doubt if Gray lets him out of the house for a month."

I thanked Elizabeth for the meal, after being told to sit down when I rose politely as she did. At least Archie had made sure I knew how to behave when I had to. It was funny. Archie always had complete faith I would have a good life out of prison. More than me, certainly.

Danny got up to help his mom clear the plates and bring in a cherry pie, which I had to admit smelled fantastic. Sadie clearly felt she was off duty and was curled up in her basket after Danny's mom gave her a bowlful of her own pot roast.

"So how are you finding working for Diesel?" Buck asked after the pie had been served and devoured as if we hadn't eaten for a week.

I swallowed the last of mine somewhat regretfully. "It's been interesting so far," I hedged. "We're between jobs, so I've been getting up to date on a few things."

"He's just wowed all the team with his defensive driving skills," Danny chimed in, and Buck laughed.

"But I bet you weren't allowed to drive Danny's baby? He doesn't let anyone."

I laughed as if in agreement, but the thought that Danny trusted me warmed me all over.

"And I'm assuming you have a service background like the rest of the team?" Buck asked. Here it was the question I'd been dreading.

"Now Buck, what a question. You know Kane wouldn't have been able to." Elizabeth chastised.

"Of course," Buck said, sending me an apologetic smile. "Damn shame, though. It's about time this country realized what an asset you guys would be." And the question was successfully avoided. I knew it wasn't going to be dodged all weekend, though, and neither Danny nor I were comfortable with an outright lie. We just didn't know what else to say.

"So, you have a choice," Elizabeth said after we'd finished seconds. "Daniel, you can take your old room and Kane can have the guest room opposite, or if you want a bit more privacy, you can both have the room over the barn. It will definitely be quieter when the kids arrive."

I didn't dare look at Danny, sure my face was scarlet. With everything we'd talked about, sleeping arrangements had never occurred to either of us.

"That's a great idea, Mom," Danny said. "I definitely want somewhere I won't have to share a bathroom." Buck smiled and told us they'd filled the small fridge with water, but if we got hungry, Elizabeth needed to empty the fridge of leftovers by tomorrow afternoon because of all the baking she was doing for Saturday. We excused ourselves after that. I grabbed the bags and Danny laughed when Sadie didn't stir. "You both know she won't budge from the fire," Elizabeth said, so we left her there after Buck had promised to let her out before they went to bed.

"Aren't service dogs supposed to stay with you all the time?" I asked. Danny nudged me playfully as we entered the barn, as they called it.

"I have you to protect me, don't I?"

"Yes," I said simply, vowing right there and then Danny wouldn't get so much as a paper cut while I was around to prevent it.

The room was amazing, and didn't look much like a barn to me, more like a guesthouse.

It even had a shower, which while it was okay for us to use separately, unfortunately, despite Danny's enthusiasm, was a little tight for me on my own, and definitely wouldn't fit both of us.

As had been the case for pretty much the last couple of days, I was hard again after watching Danny soap himself. He was definitely an exhibitionist, and I was definitely jealous. I loved the shows he put on for me. I just didn't like the idea of anyone else seeing him. I wanted to keep him. To run away and growl at anyone that threatened him.

Which was stupid and there was no way I was admitting any of that. When it was my turn for the shower, I think I took one of the fastest on record.

Well, apart from some occasions where I'd had to be quick but I shut those thoughts down fast. They had no business being in my head or our bed. The reason I was in a hurry was because Danny was openly watching me and lying on the bed naked. I glanced over again as I rinsed my hair and watched him as he stroked himself. I nearly broke the damn shower, yanking the water off. My body was briefly introduced to a towel, but it was a passing glance, the sort shy lovers had in some of Archie's books.

I threw the towel…somewhere, and felt my body heat even more, but I knew what I wanted to do. Certainly nothing I'd been tempted with inside. I mean, we all jacked off, but I'd never seen anyone who tempted me like this. I sat on the bed. "Can I try something?" Fuck, that sounded experimental and not just regular. And fuck, I'd said fuck again, even in my head.

Danny's expression morphed from teasing to curious. "What?"

I felt my face heat, and since no inmate I'd ever met managed to make me flush once I hit eighteen, that was saying something. All Danny had to do was gaze at me with those hooded eyes and my body temperature rose by a thousand degrees. Red cheeks were the least of my problems then.

"It sounds dumb."

Danny sat up and took my hand. "Kane, you found me on my kitchen floor a nervous wreck simply because I'd heard a siren followed by a car backfiring or whatever. You talked me down. You didn't laugh or gloat despite me treating you like shit from the moment you walked through the door. Please believe me when I say I will never answer any question you have with ridicule or annoyance or whatever word you wanna use." He lifted my hand and, in an echo of what I had done the day before, he sucked my little finger into his mouth. My body lit on fire.

I nearly groaned aloud at my hardening cock, not that it had been soft since the second Danny started stripping, but I managed to hold it together for another moment. "I want to suck you off."

He blinked, and I nearly launched myself off the bed to go somewhere to hide. To die. Because the heat that burned through me was shame, not lust. I was so fucking—

"Oh god, yes, a million percent please." And Danny's fingers clamped down on my arm just to make sure I didn't run, or die, I supposed.

I paused. I even dared look him in the eye to make sure he meant it. "I'veneverdoneitbefore." There, he knew my humiliation. His expression softened. His hand came up to my cheek, and it took everything I had not to lean into it.

"Baby, do you know how many gay men or straight women hate giving blow jobs?"

I shook my head even though I wasn't a hundred percent sure it wasn't a rhetorical question.

And he'd called me baby. Again.

He smiled wryly. "Okay, so I don't know the number either, but trust me when I say a lot of people—men and women—do it because they think it's expected." He pulled me closer and brushed a kiss to my lips. "I don't. I don't do expectations with sex." He shrugged. "With a lot of things maybe, but for the purpose of this convo, then no."

"I might not be any good at it." I hedged.

"No one's gonna score you," Danny said dryly. "But in this bedroom, whenever either of us wants to stop, we just do. We can try something else or just cuddle. I have enough issues to fill a truck—"

"Me too."

"Then let's agree to give each other a pass?"

I nodded.

"So, from about sixteen, I was a horny ass," Danny carried on as if nothing had happened. "I was gay and came from a reasonably small town, meaning school was a bit like an all you can eat carnivorous buffet when you're a vegan. When I enlisted, it was all about surviving, and no, I'm not a virgin. Yes, I had sex with guys that was meaningless. Yes, I even had sex with guys where I tried to make it into something more, but don't get me wrong I've never had a relationship apart from the dickhead reporter that I should be court-martialed over, but I really hope that what we're starting now turns into one." He paused while my brain was scrambling to take in everything he was spelling out.

"You're not a one-night stand kind of guy Kane, and I'm sick of them."

We were both naked. Danny had softened, but I hadn't much. I didn't speak, just pushed him backwards. I settled on my belly between his legs and watched his huge eyes widen even more.

Then I bent my head. I hoped enthusiasm counted more than technique because judging from the noises he was making and the rapidly hardening cock in my mouth, something was working.

"Oh my God," Danny whispered and moaned. "Damn me, you're a natural," but he squeaked the last word when my tongue found his slit. "Balls, my—"

I liked my ability to render him speechless and my hand cupped his sac as instructed and rolled them between my fingers. I lapped at the precum, not a hundred percent sure of what I expected, but Danny was clean and smelled nice and he tasted, well like Danny I guessed. Something I wanted more and more of. My own cock was fully onboard with the more of Danny plan, and I licked and sucked, scraping my teeth, reveling in all the sounds spilling from Danny's lips. I loved that he wasn't quiet. He swelled in my mouth as I probably took him a little too far because I gagged and eased up, but I experimented with scraping my teeth over him and then licking the underside.

"Kane?"

I dipped my tongue in the end again and felt my own cock swell. I was lying half off the bed and moved my hips experimentally for friction. Oh yes, and I hummed in the back of my throat.

"Kane!" The almost shout made me look up, but I didn't let go.

"Baby, I'm gonna come. You need to let up." I let him go.

"You don't like that?" I asked. He'd seemed to.

Danny groaned. "You're amazing, but I'm worried as this is your first—"

I bent down and took him nearly to the back of my throat. Yeah, I liked shutting him up. Danny yelled my name, but this was a reaction, not anything else, and I rubbed my aching cock underneath me. So good, and I reached down and managed to fist it. I almost let go of Danny's cock because touching my own at the same time as sucking Danny nearly had my head exploding. Then Danny thrust into my mouth and his jizz hit my tongue, which set me off. I managed to swallow even though I came even harder than the last time. I let his softening cock drop from my mouth when I was satisfied it was clean.

Oops.

He might be clean, but I'd been so into what we were doing the sheet under me definitely wasn't. Danny started laughing. "There are spare sheets in the bathroom, and I'll put the sheet in Mom's washing machine with the towels we just used. She has three boys. She always made us wash our own bedding," he smirked.

And in the middle of all my happiness I wondered for a second whether if she'd lived, my mom would have done that as well.