Pink Neon Dreams (26 page)

“You’re lucky,” Cecily said, her voice matter-of-fact.
“You’ve got a family history and you know it.”

“Doesn’t everyone?”

“I don’t,” she said. “Oh, I know my mama and her
parents and a little about them. My great-grandparents left Georgia and
sharecropping to come to Chicago for work.
 
That’s about all I know about them.
 
I don’t even know my father’s name, let alone where he came from or who
he was.
 
If my mama knew, she didn’t say
and I never asked.”

Daniel said nothing, unsure of what to say.
 
Family meant everything in his world and
although he might not see his mother or siblings often, he knew their ties were
unbreakable.
 
Before he could summon up
words, she asked, “Can I call Nia when we get to Lubbock? I’d like to make sure
everything’s okay.”

“Of course,” he said. “Your throwaway phone
shouldn’t be easy to trace if it can be at all.
 
I don’t mind if you keep in touch, Cecily.
 
I want you to have peace of mind.”

“Good,” she said. “I will, then.
 
For now, let’s enjoy this beautiful country.”

The hours passed faster than he could’ve imagined as
they shared the wild, untamed wonder of the region.
 
Most of the way, the highway remained
two-lane and time seemed to have come to a standstill somewhere in the late
1950s.
 
They met little traffic until
they came closer to Lubbock and by then, the sun streamed through the western
sky.
 
The city came into view far ahead
in the distance and the closer they came, the heavier the traffic.
 
Daniel skirted around the worst
concentrations and kept an eye out for a suitable motel.
 
He wanted something upscale enough to offer a
few amenities including a comfortable king size bed and an onsite restaurant
with decent food.
 

Although he wasn’t as familiar with Lubbock as he
might’ve liked, he found a Holiday Inn located on the 289 loop, situated near
the Pyramid Plaza.
 
Daniel pulled in and
they went into the lobby together.
 
After
hours on the road, his right leg ached deep in the tissue from an old injury, a
gunshot wound and he favored it enough to create a slight limp.
 
He didn’t think about it until he saw the
puzzled frown Cecily wore.
 
She said
nothing, though, as he booked a room for a single night. He paid with cash
which created a stir and required an additional deposit, but he didn’t want to
leave a trail the FBI could pick up.
 

“Go on up to the room,” he said as he handed her the
card key. “I’ll bring up our gear.”

“All right,” Cecily said.
 
He watched her gaze shift to his leg.

Ten minutes later, after moving the truck to a guest
parking slot, he knocked on the door.
 
Behind him, the luggage trolley carried their
few bags.
 
She opened it and moved back
to let him enter the large room.
  
A king
size bed rested against one wall, but Daniel noted a sofa, a work desk, a large
television, and an armchair where she sat.
 
“Looks nice enough,” he commented. “Is it all right?”

“Its fine, sugar,” Cecily said. “But are you?”

“I’m okay.”

Her quizzical expression told him she didn’t believe
him. “What’s wrong with your leg?”

“Nothing,” he said. Daniel didn’t like to think
about the injury.
 
He hadn’t worked for
the bureau long when it happened and he blamed himself for being shot.
 
He endured a long recovery and managed to
regain full use of his leg, something doctors failed to predict.
 
After eight years, he seldom had any problem,
but if he sat in one position for too long, the pain often returned along with
the limp.

“You’re limping.” She stated the obvious. “You weren’t
before.”

He sighed. “I am, a little, but it’s no big deal.”

“You’re in pain.” It wasn’t a question but an observation.

“A little,” he admitted. “I got shot a long time ago
and healed just fine.
 
Once in a while if
I’m really tired and don’t keep it stretched out, I limp.
 
It’ll be gone by tomorrow morning after I get
some rest.
 
Don’t worry.
 
I’m good.”

 
Cecily uncurled
from the chair and walked to him.
 
“I
can’t help it, Daniel. I don’t like to see you hurting.
 
Would it help if I rubbed it or anything?”

Her concern moved him and he touched her cheek with
one hand.
“Probably not,
querida.
I’ll take some ibuprofen and we’ll go downstairs, get something to eat.”

She leaned forward, wrapped her arms around him, and
cuddled up against him.
 
Daniel held her,
loving the way she fit into him embrace. “Okay,” she said. “Just hold me for a
minute, would you?”

He’d hold this woman forever and past if he could.
“Sure.” Even with his leg aching and his body exhausted, his cock stirred with
interest at her proximity.
 
If I start now, we’ll never eat and I’m
hungry.
 
Daniel put his desire on
hold.
 
Both needed some sustenance and he
sure as hell wouldn’t mind a drink or two.
 
Tequila would dull the pain quicker than ibuprofen and after the long
drive, he’d earned it.
 
After a few
minutes, he released her and starting digging through the luggage to find the
pain reliever.
 

Cecily located them and handed him the bottle.
 
“Can I give Nia a quick call before we go
eat?”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

To provide privacy he headed into the bathroom, but
he left the door ajar and eavesdropped without any shame.
 
Without any noise distraction, Daniel heard
the series of beeps as she dialed the number and listened.

“Hey,” Cecily said. “It’s me. How’s everything
going?”

Each pause indicated her cousin’s response and he
wished he could hear those too but settled for Cecily’s end of the
conversation.
 
“Uh-huh. How did it go at
Pink Neon? Well, that’s good.
 
Really?
Why? Well, what did you tell her? No, I’d rather
keep it between us.
 
Oh, yeah, we’re
tight.
 
Okay, I’ll call you tomorrow
sometime.
 
Call me if you need too, hear?
All right then. Bye.”

Daniel popped six tablets and washed them down with
water.
 
He came out of the bathroom to
find Cecily changing into a fresh blouse.
 
“How’s everything up in Branson?”

After she pulled the fire engine red blouse into
place, she replied. “So far, so good, I guess. Nia’s mom called her, asked
about me.”

Some wariness in her voice warned him it was
unusual. “And that’s strange?”

“Well, kinda,” Cecily said. “I don’t have any
quarrel with my aunties, not Nia’s mother or my other aunt, but I haven’t heard
much from either one of them after I got married.
 
Nia’s the only family who kept up with me.”

In his experience, odd things usually were
harbingers of disaster. “Did she tell her where you’re at?”

“No, just that I’d left town for a few days.”

Damn, even that might be enough to send red flags
flying.
 
He resisted the urge to curse
loud and long. And he tried to be casual in case it wasn’t anything of concern.
“And Pink Neon’s still standing?”

The mention of her store brought a smile. “Yeah, she
said business was pretty good.”

“That’s great. Let’s go eat.”

****

They dined in the Park Place Cafe downstairs, a
simple meal but nourishing.
 
Daniel
ordered a shot of tequila, served with a lime wedge and salt.
 
He downed the drink,
then
ate enough to stay balanced.
 
Afterward,
they headed upstairs and although it should be midnight by his tired level, he
noticed it was just a little before nine.
 
Between the hot meal, the liquor, and the ibuprofen, his leg eased back
to near normal.
 

Once they were in the room, Cecily put down her
purse and kicked off her shoes.
 
“What
now, sugar?” she asked.

“
Te quiero,”
he said, then repeated himself in English because he remembered she spoke
nothing but the most basic Spanish. “I want you.”

Until Cecily lifted her head to meet his gaze, he
wasn’t sure she felt the same.
 
Sixteen
plus hours on the road might leech the passion from anyone and if she’d said
‘no’, he would deal. Although at this point, he might need to seek a little
solitude to relieve the pressure in his loins.
 
But her dark eyes latched onto his and he realized her need equaled his
own.

“’Bout damn time, sugar,” she
said,
her voice breathless and smooth.

Daniel didn’t know who moved first, but in an
instant they were in each other’s arms, her hands soothing and moving over his
body.
 
He locked his mouth down onto hers
with hungry need.
 
Flavors of the meal
they’d just shared lingered on her lips and she tasted sweet to him.
 

Beneath his, her mouth yielded to him and yet gave
back, too.
 
Heat shimmered between them,
heavy with passion and as electric as the lightning streaking the sky
earlier.
 
He’d meant to go slow and
gentle, soft and patient, but the kiss ignited an erotic flame.
 
Want consumed him and he kissed harder, using
his tongue to part her lips.
 
His hands
peeled away her blouse and unfastened the silky bra underneath.
 

Cecily undid his buttons with such speed more than
one of them hit the carpet with a tiny ping sound and he wiggled out of the
shirt.
 
Before he could reach for hers,
she unzipped his jeans and started pulling them down.
 
When her hands brushed against his swelling
dick, tingling pleasure shot through him and he hardened with speed.

He undid her pants and removed them, his hands
lingering on her skin.
 
Daniel backed her
to the huge bed and without bothering to turn down the sheets he put her on her
back, lovely and nude.
 
His fingers
stroked her dusky skin, a shade not so different than his own light brown tone
although the ethnic origins differed.
 
Her breasts fit into his hands and he touched them with desire and
marveled at how pretty they were.
 
Rosebud nipples, surprisingly pink, perked up at his touch and
blossomed.
 
Daniel caressed her curves,
the slight swell of her otherwise flat belly, and her muscular thighs.
 
Cecily used her nails to scratch his back in
a tantalizing way.
 
He kissed her again,
swift and thorough before shifting his mouth to suckle her nipples one at a
time.

Heat wafted from the cleft between her legs as he
reached it.
 
He began by stroking her
outer lips with a firm yet gentle motion.
 
Cecily moaned in response, low and full-bodied, and he inserted two
fingers into her cunt.
 
He lightened his
touch but stroked and probed until he hit her g spot.
 
In response, her hands gripped hard around
his waist and held tight as he brought her pleasure.
 
Although he thought about using his tongue,
he decided he couldn’t wait.
 
His stiff
cock begged for release and so he pulled up, supported on both arms as he
entered her with one fluid motion.
 
He
slid into her with ease, her waiting pussy eager to receive and he pumped back
and forth in a rhythm older than time.
 
She locked her legs around his torso and thrust to pull him deeper.

Daniel held back as long as he could, savoring each
intense wave of pleasure as it poured through his body, as intoxicating as
alcohol but with far more physical impact.
 
Cecily whimpered under him, her mouth whispering sweet things he didn’t
half hear over the pounding of his heart and the roar of his blood.
 
“Are you ready,
querida?”
he asked.

“Oh, God, oh Jesus!
 
Yeah,
sugar.
 
Do it before I die from wanting
it.”

Her eyes reminded him of a doe’s, dark and filled
with secrets, beautiful and amazing.
 
He
locked his mouth onto hers, their gazes matched and rammed hard into her.
 
He used his hips to make it the ultimate thrust
and her already rapid breathing notched higher.
 
Blind, near deaf, and consumed with erotic need, Daniel felt the fever
tide sweep over him, turning his body into fire and ash with rippling pleasures
so powerful they rocked him.
 
In the
moment of climax he knew he’d died, gone down into the darkness, but he didn’t
care.
 
If this was death, it nurtured and
gave.
 
His body shuddered and hers
answered with a convulsing fit.
 
Their
outcries became one sound, louder than anything he’d ever heard, quieter than
his heart.