Caitlin swore and pushed Dana back on the bed.“Now you listen to me.You are a beautiful, brave, strong woman.Your mother has problems; you don’t—do you understand?”
“What’s taking you so long?”David yelled, and they heard his footsteps approaching.
When he appeared in her bedroom doorway, Caitlin was finishing packing.“I’m telling Dana here how special she really is, but she seems to have a hard time believing that.”
She closed the suitcase and put it on the floor.“You try and convince her; I’ll help Don.”She smiled and left.
David put his hands in his pockets and slowly walked closer.“It’s true, you know,” he said quietly.“The way you’ve managed to carry on with life after what happened to your dad is amazing.Not many people would have been able to cope.”
“I always had Caitlin and her family.”She picked up a pillow and hugged it close.
David bent down and loosened her hands from around the pillow.“And now you also have me.Will you please let me help you?”He pulled her up.
She looked at him, and her heart tripped.
Letting him get closer was eventually going to cause her more heartache, but at the moment she didn’t care.
Leaning forward, she placed her hands on his upper arms, her head on his chest.He went very still before his arms folded around her.
“Was that a yes?”She heard the smile in his voice.
“Yes, that was a yes.”She smiled.“I was rude to you last night and said things I didn’t mean.I’m sorry,” she said softly, her head still against his chest.
He was quiet for a moment.“Was that an apology?”
“Yes, I know how to apologize.”She lifted her head.
David folded his hands around her face.“I can’t promise that I will not try to help you again, because I will.I need to.But I promise to talk to you about it first, okay?”
She smiled.“See?That’s not an apology!”she teased.“You should have…” she began, but his eyes darkened, and his mouth came down hard on hers.
And she forgot what she was going to say, forgot about the horrible experience of earlier, forgot she shouldn’t be kissing this man, forgot why she ever thought that.
“Hey, you two!”Don shouted down the corridor.“We want to eat!”
David lifted his head, his eyes nearly black.“You go.I need a few minutes.”
She frowned, and he pulled her against his hardness.Her eyes widened.
“Now do you understand?”He growled.
Giggling, she fled.
Chapter Fourteen
She was tryingto read when her phone rang.Sleep was very far away.Don and Caitlin had retired to their room hours ago, but she was still too hyped up from everything that had happened.
Caitlin had given her a copy of her mother’s latest romance.Dana was hoping she’d be feeling sleepy by now, but the book was a bit steamier than any of the previous ones Caitlin’s mom had written, and sleep was now even further away.
“You okay?”Dana heard David’s voice in her ear, and she relaxed.
If she were to be honest, she’d hoped to hear from him.
“Yeah.I think so.Caitlin and Don have been so kind.I feel terrible that I’ve been such a nuisance.”
David swore softly and she had to smile.
“You have such a way with words!”she teased.
