The Fighter's Block Page 4

  They both laughed, but after a few minutes of messing around, the popcorn got to be a little too much for Dani and she had to remove herself from it.

  After the mess got cleaned up it was after eleven, and because the two of them now smelled like popcorn, along with the bedding, it was decided that everything needed washed.

  The bedding went to the laundry, and the bodies went to the shower.

  Van considered shower sex with Dani to be on the top of his favorites list. The first time with her had been incredible. She was so sexy and confident with her body that it made the experience satisfying yet left him wanting more.

  This time seemed a little more playful, and Dani took her time exploring his body again before she knelt in front of him with a wicked smile. She licked the bead of arousal from the tip of him and traced his ridges with her tongue. Van didn’t know whether he should watch this beautiful goddess work her magic or close his eyes because of the intensity of it.

  When she took him deep, he decided upon both. He could have finished right then and there but he forced himself to hold off. She even encouraged him to, but instead he pulled her up, wrapped her legs around him, and buried himself in her. He was so thankful for that ten-second conversation about birth control the week before because being inside Dani skin to skin was beyond words.

  ***

  Van woke up when Dani did, even though she hardly moved. But she liked seeing him next to her and she scooted closer so he could hold her.

  “What time is it?” she murmured, sighing with contentment when his strong arms wrapped around her.

  He glanced behind him at the clock on the nightstand. “Uh…eight-forty-two.”

  “What!?” she exclaimed, jumping out of bed. “Oh, crap!”

  “What’s the matter?”

  “I’m supposed to watch my niece and nephew today! Like…right now!”

  She scurried around to find the rest of her clothes, so Van got up to do the same. He put on a pair of shorts over his boxers, and then handed Dani a shoe he realized she’d been looking for.

  “Thanks,” she said almost breathlessly. She gave Van a hasty kiss on the cheek and left the bedroom.

  Van followed her out and asked, “How long will you be?”

  “Uh…” She was looking around for her purse until she found it on the kitchen counter. “Until three, I think. Nine to three.” She looked at Van and said, “Oh shoot, the game! I’m so sorry, I completely forgot I agreed to this when I agreed to that, too.”

  “Nah, it’s okay. I’ll just take Q and you and I can go another time.”

  She grabbed an apple from the counter and bit into it, putting her shoe on at the same time. Then she wrapped her arms around Van and gave him a hug and a kiss. “I’m really sorry about this. I just… I guess I got too caught up with you and couldn’t even think straight,” she smiled.

  “I know the feeling,” he replied, returning the smile. “Just give me a call when you can, okay?”

  Dani hated rushing out of Van’s apartment like that because she wanted to spend more time with him, but she’d messed up big time. As it was, she already had to call her sister to tell her she’d be late. Jaime didn’t exactly sound upset, but Dani knew she wasn’t happy about it when she stated that the neighbor had just arrived to watch the kids until Dani could get there.

  The rest of the day seemed to go by slowly. Dani’s niece and nephew were pretty easy to watch, but sometimes she felt like there were a million other things she could be doing instead. She loved spending time with Jacob and Naomi, but they had unusual interests for kids that were ten and eight, and today all she could think about was Van.

  “And this goes through that,” Naomi was telling her.

  “Where?” Dani asked.

  Naomi took the yarn from Dani and just did it for her.

  Yes, they were crocheting. And if Naomi didn’t have the body and voice of an eight-year-old, Dani would have sworn she was a sixty-year-old woman. The kid also loved to bake. She certainly didn’t get those skills from her mom—because Jaime was hardly domesticated—but from grandma, Steve’s mom.

  “Grammy says you just have to do it a lot and then you’ll get better,” Naomi was saying, but at the same time, Dani’s phone was ringing.

  Again.

  She didn’t even have to glance at it to know it was Brian. She declined the call for the eighth time that week and then sat there, anticipating that another message was going to be left. Sure enough there was, and while Naomi was busy crocheting Dani’s scarf for her, she listened to the message just to torture herself.

  “Dani… You can’t avoid me forever. I just want to talk to you, okay? Just meet me somewhere. Anywhere. Let’s talk about when you’re coming back, okay? I love you. You know I do. And I don’t want you to be struggling just to make a point. I get it, all right? You’re mad. You have every right to be. I’ve been stressed at work but I promise things will be better…”

  His words at face value were just fine, but Dani knew all too well that Brian was full of lip service. Yeah, for a while things were great between them. He was there for her when she lost her job, and when she couldn’t pay the rent on her apartment anymore, Brian was more than willing to let her move in with him—even though they’d barely been dating but a few weeks. She didn’t feel like she had a choice. Jaime and Steve were going through a rough patch and she didn’t want to add any more stress to their marriage. Her friends all offered a couch for a short-term stay, but she didn’t really expect anyone to go out of their way. She was in between jobs, and she decided that Brian’s offer was the best one at the time.

  For a few weeks it was great. Brian was a really sweet guy and he always treated her like a princess. But then Dani began seeing a side to him that she really didn’t like. He started to get a little controlling, and he started making her feel guilty about going out with her other friends. He even got into a little tiff with Casey, Dani’s guy friend that she’d known for years. Casey hadn’t spoken to her since, but all of his suspicions about Brian were finally getting through to her.

  And then that night at the club… He accused her of smiling at some guy. She might have—she was so frazzled that night, she wasn’t even sure—but Brian took it way too far and made a big scene over it. That was the last straw for her and she ended it entirely.

  Now she had Van. Or did she? She couldn’t read him very well but her instincts told her he was a good guy. It seemed like they were now in a relationship, even though neither of them really chose to label it. But they’d only known each other for a week and Dani was trying to pace her feelings for him. She wasn’t about to throw herself into another relationship so fully like she’d done with Brian. There were aspects of that experience that she was still trying to sort out. She felt she was too needy with Brian. She was too dependent on him too soon because she was struggling at the time. Her circumstances made her make choices that she otherwise wouldn’t have made.

  And then when Van came into the picture… It just seemed like the same scenario. He was there to help her with something she couldn’t handle on her own and Dani didn’t want to get mixed up over it. She had a compensation complex: she always had to make sure she paid someone back. She really liked Van, and she appreciated how selfless and considerate he was, but she wished they hadn’t met under the circumstances that they had. Dani already worried that he felt sorry for her, or he was only interested in her because it had been convenient that way.

  She wasn’t quite sure what to think just yet…

  ***

  Brian threw the phone against the wall. He’d left Dani several messages and she refused to call him back. But if she wanted to make things harder for herself, then he could be patient. She’d need his help again in no time and then this little fight would be long forgotten.

  But it had been eight days and she hadn’t so much as picked up the phone to answer his call. It wasn’t like Dani to be so egotistical. He felt like she owed him big time. There was
no way that she’d just cut off all ties with him just because she was mad at him. Plus her stuff was still in his apartment. She’d never just leave it there. No, she was coming back.

  He happened to glance at the calendar: March 15. He suddenly remembered that she would be at Jaime’s house, watching the kids while Jaime and Steve went to some kind of charity event.

  He got up from the couch and grabbed his keys, glancing at his watch. He was pretty sure she’d still be there, so he headed downstairs to jump in the car. He got excited that he was finally going to see her, and as he came down Griffin Street, he felt confident that he’d say the right things to get her back.

  But the disappointment set in when he saw her car back out of Jaime’s driveway ahead, and then she turned onto the next street.

  He decided to follow her. She hadn’t stayed at Jaime’s the last two times he’d been by her house, and if Dani wasn’t staying there, he had no idea where she would be. He’d already tried Mia’s house and Jillian’s apartment; he’d even watched Casey’s house for a night and she hadn’t shown up there, either. He wasn’t sure what to think since those were the only friends Dani would consider staying with, and he knew that the rest of her family was out of the question.

  As he followed her this time, he wasn’t sure where she could be headed. She ended up parking on Willet Street, and then she entered an apartment building that Brian was unfamiliar with. He couldn’t recall any friends that lived in this particular neighborhood, but he was aware of the fact that Dani had a new job and could possibly be there for other reasons.

  He convinced himself it wasn’t where she was staying.

  Brian sat in his car for almost two hours and Dani still hadn’t come out. He even called her again but her phone went right to voicemail, which meant it was turned off. He was tempted to just go inside the building to see what he could find out. Finally he did enter the lobby to see if there was a list of names and apartment numbers he could look over, and even though there was a wall of mailboxes with last names only, nothing was familiar to him.

  A kid came off the elevator—he looked to be about fifteen or so—and Brian stopped him with a friendly smile.

  “Excuse me. I was supposed to meet my girlfriend here, but I forgot the name of the friend she’s visiting. My girlfriend’s about this tall,” he motioned with his hand to his neck, “has dark brown hair that’s long, big blue eyes… She’s beautiful, a model. Probably can’t miss her. Have you seen her here?”

  The kid thought for a second and then nodded his head. “Yeah, I think so. She was rushing out of here this morning pretty fast. It might have been her.”

  “Her name is Dani. Or Danielle. You think that was her?”

  “I don’t know her name, but I saw her another time, too. Maybe last week.”

  “Has she been staying here?”

  The kid gave him a funny look, like he’d caught onto Brian’s snooping.

  “I’ve been out of town and she doesn’t like to stay at home alone,” Brian smiled. “I just forgot which friend lives here.”

  The kid seemed to accept that answer but shrugged his shoulders. “I really don’t know. I just saw her those two times. I mean if it was her.”

  Brian smiled another friendly smile and asked, “Well, did you see her with anyone else? Maybe you can describe the person so I know which of her friends lives here.”

  He shook his head. “No, she was by herself. Sorry. You can always ask Eddie,” he pointed to somewhere behind him. “He’s probably in the office—”

  “Oh, nah, that’s okay,” Brian smiled casually. “I’ll just give her a call. Thanks, though.”

  The kid left out the front door and Brian stood there for a moment. He didn’t want to risk a run-in with Eddie, so he left a few seconds later and then sat in his car again.

  So Dani really was staying here. At least it seemed that way. Brian was uncomfortable with that, and he knew he needed to change his tactics. Maybe it was time to be a little more assertive.

  ***

  Dani was lounged across Van’s couch when she decided to check her messages. She was reluctant because she didn’t want to hear another message from her ex. But while Van was down the hall talking to Quincy, she decided to get it over with. She hated the fact that Brian called her all the time, and she seriously considered changing her phone number. But with Brian, she almost felt like it wouldn’t do any good.

  Van left Quincy’s with what he came for and re-entered his apartment. Dani was on the phone, so he set the movies by the television and returned to the couch to sit with her. But he’d already caught the look on her face before she tried to hide it, and when she hung up the phone and attempted to deter the moment right away, Van wasn’t fooled.

  “Uh, no, I don’t care what we watch first,” he answered her. “I’ll let you pick.”

  “Chick flick?”

  He smiled. “I think all Q had was chick flicks. Take your pick,” he nodded to the pile.

  He watched her peruse through the movies until she chose one, and when she paused trying to figure out his entertainment system, Van got up to help her.

  “So what was the phone call?” he asked as he stuck the movie into the DVD player.

  Dani was caught off guard, thinking she had played it off just right. “Oh uh, just listening to my messages,” she shrugged as she sat on the couch.

  Van slightly nodded and then turned to face her. “And it was something pretty serious. Anything I can help with?”

  She didn’t know what to say. She actually wanted to tell him about it, but at the same time, she wasn’t sure what kind of conflict it would cause. She was so done with Brian and she didn’t even want to mention his name.

  “Dani, whatever it is you can tell me,” Van said gently, sitting down next to her. He put his arm on the back of the couch behind her. “You looked pretty worried, and even now, when you’re trying not to seem concerned, I can tell something is bothering you. What is it? Who called?”

  She hesitated, but finally sighed and said, “Brian.”

  Van wasn’t surprised. And he’d also gotten the feeling the guy had probably called before. It explained why she was so weird with her phone sometimes. She claimed she liked to turn it off so she could have the time alone with him without any distractions, but he never knew of any girl that went to those lengths. Sure, they’d turn the ringer off, but not shut it off entirely.

  “How many times has he called you and what does he want?” Van asked her.

  She sighed again and replied, “He’s called at least a dozen times and left about six messages. I don’t answer his calls.”

  “So what do the messages say?”

  “Just…stuff about me coming back and talking things over. I have zero interest in seeing him,” she added quickly, hoping that Van didn’t actually think she did.

  “I know you don’t,” he replied. “But Dani, you’re worried about something. What is it? Is that all he says on the phone? He’s not threatening you, is he?” Van expected the worst, and he looked at her until she finally decided to tell him.

  Dani felt comfortable with Van. Brian was an expert at interrogation, and Dani was used to having to defend herself over every little thing he got upset about. But Van wasn’t that way. She could tell that he was just worried for her. But she could also tell that Van was debating whether or not he needed to kick Brian’s ass again and that made her nervous.

  Finally she answered him. “He said if I don’t come and get my stuff tomorrow, he’s going to toss it all on the street.”

  Van looked at her carefully. “Dani, I asked you twice about helping you get your things and you said it was all taken care of. You mean it’s not? What about your friends that you were going to take with you when Brian was at work?”

  She sighed. “It just…didn’t work out that way. We’re all busy at different times.”

  “Then just let me help you. Why won’t you let me help?”

  “I just…I don’t k
now. I don’t want there to be any problems.”

  “There won’t be any. I can take care of myself. And after I grab a couple guys from down the hall, we’ll get it done it no time. Don’t worry about it, okay?” he said, taking her hand. He kissed her wrist and enjoyed the soft scent of vanilla. “Just let me know when it’s a good time tomorrow, and we’ll make it happen.”

  His offer was sincere, and it made her feel grateful. “Thank you,” she told him. “Uh, it’s probably best to do it when he’s not home, though.”

  “Then that’s what we’ll do.”

  “But he doesn’t work on Sundays.”

  Van slowly nodded his head. “Gotcha. So he just wants to get you over there. Dani…”

  “I know, I know. This is why I just didn’t want to deal with it. But I can’t let him get rid of my things. I mean I don’t care about a lot of it, but there are some things that are really important to me that can’t be replaced.”

  “I understand. So…give him a call, tell him you’ll be over in the morning, and then a few of us will come and help you haul stuff out. Will everything fit in my truck?”

  She thought about it for a second and nodded her head. “Maybe. I don’t really have that much because I sold most of the big stuff before I moved in with him. I do have a couch and a recliner…a few smaller furnishings… But the rest of it can fit in boxes.”

  “And where can it all go?”

  “Uh, my sister said I can use one side of her garage for now. I’ll see what I can get to fit there first, and then decide.”

  “I don’t really have too much room here, but you’re welcome to store what you can.”

  Dani smiled but shook her head. “No, that’s okay. I think I need to just…keep it all together.”

  She meant that she wasn’t about to depend on another guy to house her things. Van understood that, and he decided not to argue.

  Chapter Four

  Brian was pretty pleased that Dani called him that night. She didn’t spend any time talking to him other than to say she was coming by in the morning to start boxing up her things, but he was glad he finally got her to call. And he was going to see her in the morning.