Teacher: Act Two (A Hollywood Rock n' Romance Trilogy Book 2) (22 page)

He just kept staring, searching my eyes. After what felt like forever, he shook his head. “No, you didn’t. And I heard what you said to him.” He looked down nervously. “I guess old wounds fester,” he whispered.

I cradled his jaw in my hands and lifted his gaze to mine. “Did he and Brooke...” He nodded. I cursed under my breath, causing him to chuckle.

“Yeah. I found out after the divorce. It was actually pretty pathetic on both of their parts. He was lovesick after her and she was bored. He was actually the one to confess it to me and by then I didn’t even give a shit anymore who she’d fucked. Seamus was always trying to take my place, always sucking up to my father. Guess it’s still an issue for him.”

“Is it still an issue for you? Because I’m perfectly willing to prove to you just which Black cousin I want.”

His eyes narrowed at me. “You don’t have to prove anything to me, Jesse. I just didn’t like seeing you talking to him, that’s all.”

I nudged his thighs apart with my knee and stepped closer to him, my hands resuming their mission.

“You sure,” I murmured. “Because I’m more than willing to show you just how much I prefer this Black cousin.”

His breath was coming in shaky now. I pulled his shirt down over his shoulders and he shrugged it off. I splayed my hands over his chest, raking his skin gently with my nails, a trick I learned always gave him chills.

“Jesse, you don’t have to prove anything to me. I’m sorry if you think I doubted you.”

I smiled at him. “You had every reason to feel uneasy tonight. I cannot believe-“

He put a finger to my lips and shook his head. “It’s over. I don’t want to think about it anymore.”

His finger trailed down my chin and my throat to the top of my dress. He dragged it along the top of my bust and tugged on my strap. “I remember our conversation we had before we left this room tonight. Do you remember what I said to you?”

I raised an eyebrow and looked down at my dress. “You wondered what I was wearing under my dress?”

He nodded. He reached down and cupped himself through his pants. “It’s what got me through tonight. I knew if I could just make it through dinner without losing my shit, you just might let me see what you’ve got on under there.” I felt a little relief at the direction this conversation was going.

“Your wish. My command.” I turned around in front of him and looked over my shoulder. “Do you want to help or just watch?”

He reached out and unzipped my dress and then sat back against the dresser. “I want to watch,” he growled, unzipped his pants, and reached inside.

Watching him touch himself was too much for me. I wobbled on my heels and thought this would be much safer if they came off first. I turned to face him and let the straps slip down my shoulders. The dress slid down next, leaving me in my undergarments and slip. Danny groaned appreciatively and encouraged me to continue.

I untied the slip and let it fall to the floor, stepping out of it. I walked close to Danny and turned my back to him, bending forward with my hands on my thighs.

“I might need some help with these garters. It’s kind of hard to see.”

He whimpered and sucked in a harsh breath. I felt his fingers graze the backs of my thighs before they slipped the garters off my stockings. They lingered there for a moment and his light touch had me panting. I turned to face him and kicked my right leg up onto the dresser next to him. He had one hand on himself and his other he used to unhook my right garter. I slowly rolled my stocking down my leg and off my foot, leaving it on the dresser. He smiled at me and then we repeated with the left leg.

“Those were a nice touch,” he purred.

I put my hands on the waist of his pants, my fingers dipping just below. “Do you need some help with these?”

He nodded, licking his lips. I pulled the pants down his hips and he kicked off his shoes so I could slide them the rest of the way off. His boxers had to come off next. I had to have access to all of him. I started to work them down when there was a knock at the door.

“Jesse,” Jane called.

Danny and I giggled. He kissed my cheek. “Go see what she needs. I’ll wait for you in bed.”

I grabbed his t-shirt from earlier today and slipped it on. “Coming,” I called to her and opened the door..

“What do you need, sweetie,” I asked her as I stepped out of the bedroom. She motioned for me to come over to her bed.

“Is my dad ok,” she asked, obviously worried.

I smoothed her wet hair back from her face. “I think so. It was a tough night for him, but I think the worst is over. How about you? Are you ok?”

She bit her lip. “I can’t really sleep. It’s kind of creepy in here.” I kissed her forehead.

“Would you like me to braid your hair for you? I can sit with you for a while if you like." She smiled gratefully and turned her back to me. I put her hair in two French braids and then lay down beside her in her bed.

“Thank you, Jesse. I love you. Goodnight.”

I told her I loved her, too, and wished her sweet dreams. I lightly scratched her back over her t-shirt until her breathing leveled off. Then I gently crawled from her bed and entered our room, leaving the door opened.

“Is she ok?” Danny whispered from the bed, the soft light from the bathroom bathing him in shadows.

“I think so, but she said it was creepy out there. Let’s just leave the door open in case she wakes up, ok?”

He grinned at me. “I fucking love you, Jesse. Come here and let me hold you.”

I held up a finger and detoured into the bathroom. I took off the garter belt and my bra and left the panties and t-shirt on. I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and then returned to the bedroom.

Danny pouted when he saw me put my undergarments back in my bag. “You can have a rain check on the rest,” I chided him. He exhaled loudly. “Shhhh,” I scolded. “Don’t wake up Jane!”

He lifted up the sheet so I could slide in next to him. We curled up together and kissed each other gently for a few minutes before he wrapped me tightly in his arms and breathed in my scent.

“Thank you, for everything,” he whispered.

I kissed his chest. “Thank you for taking me to meet your parents. I absolutely love your mother, Danny. We really need to get her to come down and visit. She misses you and Jane very much.”

He rubbed his thumbs along my back. “I was just thinking the same thing. She said she really liked you. I told her that was good because I plan on marrying you.” I pulled back to look up at him in surprise.  He just smiled. “She was tickled pink, Jesse. She is very happy for us.” I settled back down next to him, snuggling against his arm. “She never liked Brooke. She told me Brooke didn’t love me and that I was making a mistake. Mothers know best, don’t they?”

“She loves you, Danny, and she’s very proud of you. I’m very proud of you.”

He kissed my hair and sighed. “I can’t wait for you to meet my grandparents,” he whispered.

We kissed once more before drifting off to sleep in each other’s arms.

Danny tossed and turned a lot during the night and in the early morning. He was up and dressed with a cup of tea before I could even open an eye.

“I’m sorry if I kept you awake,” he whispered.

I looked up at him, sitting on the bed next to me, his back against the headboard and legs crossed at the ankles. Feet bare.

“Did you sleep at all?” I stretched my arms up and tried to assess my stiffness He shrugged. He had a notebook out and had been jotting something down. I rolled over and sat up, feeling stiff and sore. “I really need to stretch.”

Danny put his notebook down and folded his hands in his lap. He smiled at me expectantly. “Feel free. Don’t mind me at all. I promise I won’t disturb you.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, glad to see him in a playful mood. I dragged myself to a standing position and moved over to a spot on his side of the bed that had more room. I moved through a series of stretches and tried not to look at him. He kept his word and didn’t distract me. I did see him squirm a few times and adjust himself. His control held until I lay on my back and pulled my ankles up over my head, one at a time. He launched himself from the bed and spread his bulk over me. He kissed my neck hard and was growling so loud, I started to crack up.

“Danny! You’re going to wake up Janey!” He moved down my body, biting my stomach and my thighs until I was squealing and trying to get away. I managed to roll over on my stomach, but he crawled back up my body. Then his playful bites turned into sucking and licking all available skin until I was boneless.

“I need you, Jesse. I promise I’ll be quick.”

I giggled. “That’s not something you usually promise me.”

He groaned and climbed off me to shut the door, checking to see that Jane was still sleeping. I heard the lock click and then he was back on his knees before me. He slid my panties off my legs and unfastened his pants, but then frowned.

“You’re sore. I don’t want to hurt you. Get up here.” He took my hand and pulled me up from the floor, and then gently set me on the bed.

“I’m sorry we didn’t get to finish properly last night. I know we don’t have a lot of time right now, but I can’t not taste you.” He stayed on his knees and kissed the insides of my thighs, running his tongue and lips along them.

When he reached my center, I fell back on the bed, my fingers tangling in his hair. It took mere moments for him to bring me to my peak, I was that ready for him. I bit down on my knuckle to keep from screaming out his name as he wrenched wave after wave of pleasure from me.

Then he was on me, his one hand working his fly and his other positioning my hips where he wanted me. But then he stopped. He took his heavy weight in his hand and just stroked himself. “Jesse you are so beautiful. I love watching you.”

I smiled up at him and then watched him move above me. “I love watching you, too.” He continued like that until his whole body was shaking, his face pulled tight. “What do you need, baby?” 

He swallowed hard and then slowed down. He bent down to kiss me deeply and I felt him slide into me slowly, insistently. He never stopped kissing me, even as his movements grew more and more desperate. Small grunts erupted from his throat. He was trembling violently, but he kept moving, kept driving into me. I pulled my legs out to the side, giving him deeper access. He moaned loudly in appreciation against my mouth.

He pushed up on his arms and completely lost control. He pounded into me so hard I could barely breathe. The pressure built and built until I came apart, this time biting his wrist to keep from crying out. He pulled my hips closer to him and held on tight, throwing his head back as he continued to thrust into me, faster and faster. Then he climbed onto the bed on his knees and pulled my hips onto his thighs. I supported myself by placing my heels on the bed next to his legs and I arched my back, giving him better access. He growled and grabbed for my waist, pulling me tight against his pelvis. With a few final thrusts he ground himself against me and his whole body shuddered violently. He gasped for air. His hands stroked my mound, my abdomen, my breasts, and then slid underneath me to massage my ass.

I collapsed on my back and he fell on top of me, breathing heavy. He pushed my shirt up and kissed my breasts, still moaning softly against me. When he finally looked up, I smiled at him, trying to catch my breath.

“Feel better, baby?”

He grinned bashfully, his face red from exertion as much from embarrassment..

“I don’t know what happened. I’m really sorry.”

I shook my head. “Don’t ever be sorry for loving me like that, Danny. You’re incredible. I love it when you get lost in me.”

He smiled and kissed me once more before rolling to the side. He looked down at himself and chuckled. “I could have at least taken my clothes off. Now I need another shower.” He looked over at my mostly naked body and said, “You probably need one, too. I think I made a mess.”

I laughed. “I like your mess. I am going to shower. Can you hold off and wait for me? I don’t want Jane to wake up alone.”

He reached up and ran his thumb over my lip. “I love it that you are so good with my daughter. It is such a huge blessing.”

“She is a blessing to me,” I said as I stood and walked to the bathroom. “Be right out.”

Jane woke up an hour later and we went down to breakfast together. She was sleepy and he was perky. A dangerous combination. She asked him if he was upset about the night before and he shook his head.

“Janey, your grandfather and I just have that kind of a relationship. I can’t change him, and he can’t change me. It’s just how it is.”

She frowned, stirring her milk in her bowl with a spoon. “Yeah, Daddy, but it’s not fair. He isn’t nice to you.”

Danny chuckled. “I know. It's not his way, baby. I’m ok, though. I just have to believe in myself and know that I’m ok. That’s something I had to learn to do. It’s something you’ll have to learn to do, too. I’ll always love and support you, baby, but that may not always be enough.”

He talked to her for a long time about confidence and while she was listening attentively, I wasn’t sure she was buying what he was selling.

After breakfast, we headed downtown and walked around for a bit before arriving at what used to be Danny’s grandfather’s pub. It appeared to be very old, worn and cozy at first glance. In the middle of the bar, a group of older men sat around a huge wooden table with pints of Guinness, laughing and talking. Danny snuck up behind a man with a shock of white hair and startled him by saying, loudly, "Can't a guy get any service around here?!"

The man turned around in his chair, irritated, until he saw it was Danny. Then his whole face lit up. He held out his hands and breathed, "Danny, my boy! What in the hell are you doing giving your GrandDa a heart attack? Come here and give me a hug, son."

Danny's grandfather exuded warmth. He laughed heartily as he stood and hugged his grandson. I immediately saw where Danny got his exuberance from. This was a man who was passionate about life. Adam Black was a few inches shorter and much slighter than Danny, and going by the amount of freckles he had, he was likely the source of the red hair in the family. He was wearing a plain black t-shirt with black cargo pants and converse sneakers. Not exactly grandpa wear!

“GrandDa, I brought Janey to see you, and this is my girlfriend, Jesse Martin.”

The old man hugged Jane and his twinkly eyes found mine over her head. “Aren’t you a pretty lass! You give him this shiner?”

I laughed, holding out my hand, which he promptly dipped down to kiss.

Danny shook his head. “Always the charmer,” he chuckled and his grandda winked at me.

"No, sir. He got it defending my honor," I said, causing Danny to smile even wider and kiss my cheek.

“That's my boy," he laughed, ruffling Danny's hair. "What are you doing here, son? Why aren’t you down there in L.A. making that racket you boys call music?” He was teasing, that was obvious. He put his arm around Danny and led us over to a table, calling to his pals that he’d be back. “Tisn’t every day my favorite grandson comes to visit me.”

We ordered lunch and were wildly entertained by the eldest Black’s thickly-accented stories of Danny as a boy. Jane laughed until she had to hold her ribs. Danny blushed through most of it and smiled at his grandfather with love and admiration.

“So you saw my good-for-nothing son last night, did ye? What a stick-up-the-arse that man is. Can’t believe he’s kin.”

This explained a lot. It seemed as though Daniel was trying to shirk off all his father had taught him, and then Danny in turn did the same. Full circle.

“Jesse, is my boy treating you well,” he asked deviously. His Irish lilt endeared him even more to me. I could listen to him talk for hours!

“As a matter of fact, he’s treating me like a queen. He spoils me way too much.”

He reached over and ruffled Danny’s hair again. “That’s my grandson. He knows he better do right by you or he’ll hear it from me.”

Danny was the color of a tomato in the face. He tried to change the subject by asking about his grandmother, who was noticeably absent.

“She’s at a church retreat for the week. If we would have known ye were coming, I would have made her stay home. Damn woman, running off all the time.”

Danny razzed him. “GrandDa she goes once a year! You’re just missing her. Tell the honest truth.”

“Ye've got me, son. I miss her to pieces. She’s a good woman, your GrandMa. Takes good care of me. You’ll have to come back and see her soon.”

Danny promised we would. We spent another hour chatting and then Adam started to wind down.

“It’s time for my afternoon nap, I’m afraid.” Danny offered for us to take him home but he waved him off. “No, no. I’m fine. That cute little waitress over there drives me home each afternoon. See? I haven’t lost me touch yet, boy.” Danny rolled his eyes and Jane just looked shocked. We all hugged and kissed him on the cheek. He took an extra-long time hugging Jane. “Ye're so beautiful, my lovely great granddaughter. Please send a picture to your great grandma. She misses ye something fierce.”

Jane smiled up at him and agreed. We said our goodbyes and walked out of the dark pub into the bright afternoon sun. Danny smiled the whole way back to the car.

We didn’t have a plan for the rest of the afternoon and evening, so Danny suggested we drive over the hill into Santa Cruz. We went to the Boardwalk and Danny took Jane on the Giant Dipper ten times in a row! I opted out. No reason to mess with my nearly pain-free existence. We had corn dogs and ice cream and walked around until all the lights were on. I challenged Jane to some arcade games. She beat me every time.

It was getting close to ten o’clock, and I was exhausted. Danny drove us to the hotel to get some rest. Jane and I both fell asleep in the car on the way back over Highway 17 and only I woke when we pulled up at the hotel. Danny carried Jane inside and I handed the keys to the valet. We got Jane tucked in and then we both sat and watched her sleep.

I thought back to our trip to the hospital when Jane fell off her horse. We discovered she had cut herself during a dark period with her mother, which sent Danny into a panic. The two of them had come a long way since then. Still, during the weeks after, while she was getting her bearings at Danny's, I had worried she would lose her child's enthusiasm for the world. She'd had to learn some painful lessons this summer, but she still had her infectious energy and her love for life. I hoped she continued to fare this well with middle school on the horizon.

I wanted to ask Danny more about his grandfather, but I was so exhausted. It was all I could do to get my clothes off, my teeth brushed, and myself into bed. Danny held me close and massaged my hands, which were swollen tonight, and hummed softly to me.

"Today is one of my best days," I whispered to him.

He kissed my hair and said, "Mine, too. Get some rest, honey. Tomorrow I get to meet your folks and I don't want to bring their daughter home to them a mess."

I snorted at him and promptly fell asleep with a retort left unsaid.