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~ Tales of Romance ~
Whispered Promises
Chapter 16
A single candle burned in the small bedroom and quick glance at his watch had Matt groaning in frustration as he noted yet another hour had slipped by. For nearly three hours, he had remained lying on the bed in the room next to Dani's, staring at the ceiling, unable to find sleep's welcoming arms. His mind swirled with all the day had brought, but particularly with Dani's unbelievable revelation. 'Yup, you're looking at an official Rocmanov virgin!' Of all the things in the world he could have anticipated slipping from her gorgeous mouth, that was the last one! She was a ravishing creature filled with sensuality and fire who obviously loved to touch as much as she was touched herself; unafraid to express her wants and needs, perfectly content to be the one to physically initiate things. Now, to suddenly find out she was the dreaded 'v' word left him both scared to death realizing how close they had come to changing that situation and yet astonished that she was seemingly willing to grant him the most precious gift she could give a man; that of herself.
He didn't know whether to laugh, cry or run away screaming!
He did know the very thought of her was enough to send his blood racing heatedly through his veins with want and need, and yet left him feeling strangely calm, as if things were as they were meant to be. He shook his head at his wild thought and quietly chastised himself for his foolish thinking.
A gentle knocking on his door had him sitting up in bed, and answering the quiet summons with a low "Come in."
The door opened just enough for Dani to peek into the small bedroom. "Did I wake you?" she asked softly, noting he was still dressed in his jeans, and undershirt, a blanket lay crumpled across his legs; his white sock-covered feet stuck out from beneath the blanket. A quick glance showed her his turtleneck shirt was folded neatly and rested on the top of a small dresser.
Matt shook his head back and forth in answer to her question, and waved her into the room. "My mind hasn't slowed down enough to let me go to sleep yet," he answered quietly, noting she too was still wearing the same clothes they had arrived in, and that she too was in her stocking feet.
"I know the feeling," Dani mumbled in agreement, an understanding look in her eyes, a shy smile on her lips.
Matt watched her in the soft glow of candlelight and was once again struck by her ethereal beauty. Her skin glowed with a warm, pale gold luminescence; her eyes were the color of a forest at midnight and flashed with uncertainty and barely held emotion, her lips, full and, now a deep pink from being worried by her straight white teeth, were parted slightly as she breathed shallowly. Hints of burnished copper, tawny and gold flashed in her auburn hair, and she nervously pushed the wispy curls that teased her cheeks off her face. He had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life.
Dani shifted nervously beneath his perusal, her breath held as she watched his lips turn up into a smile that was entirely too sexy and wolfish to be simply called a smile. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay in here. I know it's been a rather weird day and with everything that's going on. I was worried about you," she murmured shyly, her lower lip again finding itself tugged between her teeth.
Matt's gaze was riveted to her mouth, and he wished he that was the one nibbling on her lip. "You shouldn't do that, Darlin'" Matt suggested huskily, swinging his feet off the bed and coming to stand before her. Without her shoes the top of her head barely reached his chin.
"I shouldn't do what?" she asked breathlessly, having to look up to meet his gaze, her neck arching gracefully.
Matt's right palm slid a soft path across her exposed neck, his fingers curling warmly under her hair and his thumb ran a soothing line across her lower lip. A warm current of energy seeped through Dani's body and her eyes grew languid. "You shouldn't chew on that gorgeous lip of yours; it gives me ideas that I'm sure your father wouldn't approve of even a little!"
"Oh." It was the only thing her dazed mind could manage to mutter.
Matt smiled down into her upturned face and felt himself sway toward her, his body seeking hers even as his mind screamed for him to step away. She was a tempting dessert, and he had a distinct weakness for all things sweet. But then, even if she'd been a stick of dynamite, he would have willingly been her flaring match. Some attractions you could fight. Some weren't worth the battle. The attraction Matt felt for Dani was an all-consuming, overwhelming power that could be temporarily stayed, but never ignored for long. Their souls silently called to each other, drawing them together, reminding them some things were simply meant to be. You might fight and struggle against fate's fickle path, but in the end, what was meant to be, would be. Fate was as plain, simple, and true as time slowly moving forward. It simply was.
"Was there something you needed, Darlin'?" Matt finally asked, his fingers grazing a tender path down her neck as he stepped away from her.
Dani blinked her dazed eyes, coming back to the present, as her nerve endings shivered in remembrance of Matt's gentle touch. "Oh yeah," she began, running one hand through her hair and laughing at her lapse of memory in Matt's presence. She couldn't remember anyone ever shaking her up to the point she forgot the simplest things when she was with them. "I had something to show you," she murmured softly, her eyes glowing brightly with joy. Taking his hand, she drew him across the small room to the window and pulled aside the curtain. The light of the moon's gentle glow shone into the room, and cast its silvery light on Dani, illuminating her joy-filled face. "Look, it's snowing," she whispered reverently into the quiet night, a serene smile curving her lips.
Huge flakes danced a slow waltz through the moonlight as they sifted through the tall pines and drifted silently to the ground. A light wind stirred, and the flakes glittered in the shifting moonlight, adding magic to the night. Matt smiled as he heard Dani's wistful sigh. "The first snow of the season; the most magical of all snows," he stated quietly, his smile widening as Dani turned at looked at him with amazement in her eyes.
"How did you know that? You're from the South."
Matt chuckled deeply. "I said my mother was Southern born and bred. I fell in love with the ice when I was five and being the light of my mother's eye, we headed North so I could skate year-round. Besides, like almost every other little kid on the planet, I saw Frosty, the Snowman on TV often enough to know that the first snow is the most magical!"
"So you're really a Yankee?" Dani asked in astonishment.
Matt choked out a laugh. "Sorry to disappoint you, Darlin', but if you're born in the South, you're a Southerner till the day you die! And in fair warning, I wouldn't recommend you even suggesting the possibility of a little Yankee blood wiping off on me in my mother's presence. She has the ability to make one of Scarlett O'Hara's snits look like a good time!"
Dani's eyes widened in apprehension. "Then maybe it's a good thing we haven't met."
"You can't avoid her forever," Matt stated nonchalantly.
"Sure I can. What are the chances of our paths ever crossinng?" she murmured, her gaze returning to watch the flakes swirling in the moonlight outside the window.
"You're wrong!" he stated huskily, his tone causing Dani's deep green gaze to abruptly swing to his own calm gray eyes. "I'd very much like the two most important women in my life to become friends," he answered softly, his fingertips tracing a gentle path down her cheek.
In the midst of her dazed expression, Dani's eyes sparkled with unshed silvery tears. "We barely know each other." Dani sighed.
"We've known each other for eternity," Matt countered softly, knowing deep in his heart he spoke the truth, and once he'd actually spoken the words aloud, he felt a calm wash over him that left him understanding where fate had been leading him all along; to her.
"Matt, this is all so confusing for me," Dani whispered, her eyes running over his face, as if memorizing every line, every curve, the few pale freckles that scattered across his cheekbones, his beautiful mouth, that even now, she could barely resist.
"If it makes you feel any better, Darlin', I'm more than a little surprised myself," he stated sardonically, running one hand through his hair.
"Surprised, but not confused?" Dani asked.
Matt's broad shoulders lifted in a small shrug. "I don't know exactly how to explain it, but somewhere along the line, I quite being confused about us and became simply surprised."
"I didn't know there was an 'us'," Dani whispered.
"Darlin', even the newspaper said we're an 'us'. And considering all we've been through in the past few days, I think it's safe to say, we look very much like an 'us'!" Matt's deep voice was firm yet filled with gentleness and a touch of humor.
"The newspaper was wrong," Dani reminded him, her tone filled with sadness. One lone tear traced a silvery path down her cheek.
"Only at the time of the initial article. Things can change; things have changed," Matt countered calmly, gently erasing the tear from Dani's silken skin.
"Have they really?"
"What do you think?"
"I think you're avoiding answering my question," Dani suggested with a sad little smile.
"And I think you're avoiding seeing what's right in front of your classical nose!" Matt countered.
"I'm fully aware of what's in front of me. I also know what's behind me and I know that everything that's happened in my life has led me to this point. The question is, am I brave enough to see things through to the end or do I walk away and give it all up?" Dani asked tearfully.
"Are we talking about our relationship or your skating?" Matt asked, concern deepening his voice, a tiny flicker of fear making his heart pound.
"Aren't the two connected?"
"Not even a little," he growled. "My feelings for you are not based on your skating abilities. The fact we both love the ice is convenient but hardly the basis of our relationship."
"You weren't drawn to me because I was a skater?" Dani asked in disbelief. All her life people had wanted to know her because of what she did and who she was: America's Golden Skating Princess.
Matt's mouth dropped open, and he shook his head back and forth in disbelief. "Darlin', if you'll recall, our first meeting entailed me watching you beat up a vending machine. It wasn't until later one of my teammates told me who you were, and even then, the fact you were a skater wasn't what drew me toward you, anymore than the fact I played hockey made you crazy about me!"
Dani's left eyebrow lifted in a perfect imitation of her father's infamous expression. "I hate hockey slugs," she murmured in feigned disgust.
"No you don't; you don't hate anyone, and you especially don't hate me! You might hate the fact hockey skaters tear up your precious ice, but you don't hate the sport, or you wouldn't have so readily played on my team, nor would you have skated with me so willingly," Matt stated knowingly, ignoring her fierce glare of protest.
"Emily asked me to skate with you," Dani countered with a pout, her eyes growing sad.
"You could have said no."
Dani's head shook back and forth. "Not really. It would have disappointed Emily and I couldn't do that to her. It was such a simple request and it made her so happy. I couldn't have said no to her," Dani explained, closing her eyes as another wave of sadness washed over her.
"Did you want to say no?" Matt's voice was low and husky.
Dani's eyes slowly drifted open and the raging emotions that flared in her deep green eyes took Matt's breath away. "Matt, the things you make me feel scare me to death, but what scares me even more is the thought of not feeling them at all," Dani answered quietly.
"Did you want to say no?" Matt repeated his question.
Her steady gaze studied his face in the moonlight; memorized each curve, texture and plane. "The thought never even crossed my mind," Dani finally answered with a tender smile, her fingertips erasing the worried line that had appeared between Matt's shadowed eyes as he awaited her answer.
Matt's breath left his chest in a rush and he pulled Dani into his arms, holding her so tightly she wondered if he ever meant to let her go again. Without even pondering the wisdom of it, Dani wrapped her arms around Matt and snuggled even closer to his warmth.
For several moments, the two stood together, wrapped tightly in each other's arms, watching the snowflakes drift through the moonlit night to fall silently in gathering drifts, their hearts beating together, their breaths synchronizing as the magic of the night enfolded the two in its welcoming arms.
A small smile curved Dani's lips as she felt Matt's gentle kiss on the top of her head and she lifted her eyes to meet his searching gaze.
"Stay with me tonight, Dani. I just want to hold you in my arms and watch the snow fall," he asked quietly.
Dani nodded silently in agreement, her eyes alight with joy and wonder, as she allowed him to lead her to the small bed, watching as he stacked pillows into the corner of the bed. Pulling off the thick blanket with a dramatic swirl, he wrapped it around his shoulders, and climbed onto the bed, wriggling into a comfortable position in the corner before he held his arms out to her in welcome.
With a shy smile, she climbed onto the bed, and settled herself between his spread legs. Her back rested against his muscular chest, his arms and the thick blanket coming around to encircle her, enfolding her in warmth brought a serene smile to her lips and she sighed in pleasure.
Matt's breath caught as Dani wiggled against his body, seeking to press as close to him as she possibly could. "Darlin', you get any closer to me you're going to be in my clothes," he whispered huskily into her ear. "Not that I'd mind," he added wickedly.
"Me either," Dani countered, her palms gliding along the outside of his thighs, beneath the blanket, her light touch causing his blood to race.
Matt's hands stayed Dani's hands, his fingers lacing with her own as he lifted her hands from his thighs. "I made a promise to your father and as tempting as it would be to pretend I hadn't, I would really rather make love to you without having your father on the other side of the wall," he stated.
"We could be very quiet," Dani suggested, her hips pressing temptingly against his groin.
"Darlin', the first time I make love to you, I can guarantee you, you won't be quiet!" he stated smugly.
Dani pulled slightly away and twisted around to look at him, her eyes sparkled with wickedness. "Think you're that good do you?" she asked huskily.
Matt's eyes, nearly black in the moonlight, gleamed brightly with humor, heat and a hint of danger. In a flash of movement, his large hand was holding her chin firmly, yet gently, and his mouth hovered warmly over her own. "There's no 'think' about it Darlin'," he murmured in a voice filled with barely controlled emotion, before his mouth claimed her own in a soul-searing, control shattering kiss. His tongue delved deeply into her mouth, demanding a response that she openly returned. Her gasp of surprise and pleasure had him deepening the kiss, shattering their tenuous grasp on sanity as lightning streaked through them and left them both breathless and energized, straining against the constraints of promises made and the need to let their desires run rampant.
Dani's soft whimpers of desire set Matt on fire and he felt his control drifting away as surely as the snowflakes outside the window danced through the dark night. His hands itched to feel the silken smoothness of her skin and her gasp of delight as his hands slipped beneath her sweater and grazed over her back stole his breath away, as much as the realization she was naked beneath her sweater. It was all he could do to not fill his hands with her full, warm breasts.
Matt's chest rumbled with a low moan as Dani's sharp nails scored his skin in her rush to push his t-shirt up his torso, leaving his wide chest and narrow waist bare to her heated touch. He sighed in dismay when her lips left his, only to find himself wondering if death was imminent when she leaned over and he felt her heated mouth against his chest. Sharp little love bites, followed by soothing strokes of her warm tongue left him perched on the edge of a cliff he was more than willing to jump from.
"Sweet heaven. You're killing me," Matt murmured, shaking his head as he struggled to clear his swirling mind and regain control of what little common sense he had left. "Enough," he growled, and reached for Dani's shoulders, pushing her gently away from him.
Dani's eyes lifted to meet Matt's, glazed and filled with desire and need, a wicked smile curved her swollen lips and her fingers wrapped warmly around his forearms. "Not nearly enough, Darlin'," she murmured softly in a Southern accent that had his eyes widening in surprise and pleasure.
Her kisses were as sweet and seductive as a Georgia peach. Now, to hear a Southern accent slip so readily from her tempting mouth, challenging him to stop touching her when it was the last thing he wanted to do; daring him to back away from her, had his blood boiling in his veins and his passions raging anew. His eyes grew dark, his look challenging and one eyebrow lifted sexily. "You could tempt the very devil, you know that?" he murmured huskily, he gaze taking in her flushed beauty.
"I've never been afraid of a little fire," she countered just as huskily, her dark green eyes never leaving his. Her fingernails ran seductive trails over his bare forearms; her touch set his muscles twitching with want and need.
"Darlin', what you've set off in me can in no way be defined as little!"
Dani's eyes darted to his lap, and her eyes widened in astonishment at his obvious display of masculine arousal encased in the tight jeans. "Oh my," she whispered, her cheeks flushing rosily. "Did I do that?" she asked in astonishment.
"I don't see anyone else in this room," Matt stated huskily, his eyes dancing with humor.
Dani shook her head back and forth, unable to believe that she could have caused such a response in him. "Oh my," she again whispered, feeling both shy and powerful at once.
Matt watched as her lower lip again slipped between her teeth to be gently worried, and a low growl of desire rumbled deep in his throat.
His low sound had her looking at him in concern. "Are you okay? Can I do anything to help you?" she asked worriedly, her hands dropping to his thighs, her fingers tenderly fluttering against his jean-encased legs.
Matt hissed a sigh of torment. "Darlin', I don't think I can survive anymore of your help, you've done more than enough already," he offered with a wickedly sexy smile, moving gingerly to ease the pressure in his pants.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that," she stated softly, suddenly unsure of everything, looking up at him shyly and pushing her tussled hair out of her face.
"No you're not," he countered with an easy smile. "You take great pleasure in tormenting me every chance you get."
Dani's eyes widened in surprise. "I do not!"
Matt's one eyebrow simply lifted in a silent challenge.
"I do not!" she enunciated slowly.
"Then where's your bra?" he asked simply.
Dani started in surprise. "What?"
"You heard me."
"Yeah, but I'm not sure I heard you correctly," she argued.
Matt's smile was decidedly filled with sexy wickedness. "You heard correctly, Darlin'. You lost your bra before you came in here knowing I'd realize you weren't wearing one. If that's not a deliberate attempt to torment me, I don't know what is."
"You think an awful lot of yourself if you believe I took off my bra to torment you. I've got news for you pal, it was a man who invented the damn things and he did his best to make them as uncomfortable as possible. Combine the discomfort with the fact I was getting ready to go to sleep and don't wear one to bed, as much as you'll probably hate hearing this, tormenting you was the last thing I had on my mind!" Dani fired back hotly, her eyes flashing with fire. With a defiant toss of her head, she slipped off the bed and walked to stand before the window, watching the snowflakes drift through the silvered light.
Matt watched her for a long moment, then silently slipped off the bed and retraced her path the short distance across the room, coming to stand behind her, near enough to feel her warmth but not to touch her. "Liar." The single word slipped from Matt's mouth like a silken caress and teased the fine auburn hairs behind her ear.
Dani's body tingled at Matt's nearness, and she could see his faint reflection in the glass, but she refused to look at him and continued to watch the snowflakes dance.
"You torment me every moment of every day, Danielle. You haunt my dreams and when I wake up, I long for you. Not just physically, although I spend a fair amount of time dreaming about making love to you," he murmured thickly as his left hand slipped beneath her sweater and drifted over the silken bare skin of her stomach. His forearm brushed the sensitive undersides of her full breasts and sent jolts of electricity to the center of her womanhood. His other arm encircled her waist, and pulled her hips back to press against his swollen manhood. His hips moved forward of their own accord, his body reacting heatedly to her own. "But I can't stop thinking of simply being with you; seeing you smile, hearing you laugh, watching each emotion you feel shine in your eyes. You make me feel things, and think about things, like no one, and nothing else, ever has before, Dani. The very fact the idea of it doesn't scare me makes me wonder if I'm going crazy, which I probably am. I'm twenty-two years old and you're making me think about what I want my future to look like, what I want it to hold; something, I'm certain, would make my mother list you as a saint!"
Dani met Matt's gaze in the window's reflection with astonishment.
"If someone had asked me, a few weeks ago, what I wanted out of life, I honestly couldn't have answered their question. I can now. I want you, Dani. I want you forever!"
For several seconds, a thunderous silence filled the small room.
"Why?" her voice was a bare whisper in the candlelit room.
Matt gently turned her to face him, his hands slipped into her hair, his palms rested warmly against her cheeks, and his deep gray eyes captured her forest green gaze. "You make me whole. You fill me up with so many different feelings I don't know if I'm coming or going but I feel so complete when you're with me I could scream," he answered softly.
"I make you want to scream?" she asked a bit baffled.
"Yes! With joy, with frustration, with ecstasy; you make me feel so much I could explode." His eyes glowed with emotion.
"You're crazy!" she stated firmly.
"About you!" he countered.
"We barely know each other."
"We know the important parts. We can learn the rest later," Matt suggested with a small shrug.
Dani's eyes drifted closed and reopened slowly. "What makes you so certain fate will grant us a 'later'?" she asked softly, tears glazing her eyes.
"Because fate is kind to those who have loved each other forever; the way we've loved each other," he answered simply, his voice calm and low.
Dani's gaze delved into Matt's steady gray gaze, searching for answers to unasked questions, wondering if what he said could possibly be true. "Matt&ldots;" she whispered, only to be interrupted by his deep voice.
"Danielle Rocmanov, I love you," Matt whispered emotionally.
She had always wondered how it would feel to have the man who loved you say it out loud. She'd dreamed about it, had practiced how she would react when it happened. She never would have guessed it would have made her heart race so fast and rendered her unable to think or breathe or move the way it did. But here she stood, with a dazed - probably foolish - expression on her face, her mind blank and her legs threatening to dissolve beneath her.
"You can't," she finally murmured, her mind still swirling crazily.
Matt kissed her softly. "Not only can I, I do!" He stated firmly, kissing her softly on the tip of her nose.
"No you don't; you can't. You don't know me well enough to say you&ldots; well, to say what you said," she stammered in confusion then stepped away from him and started to pace back and forth in the small room.
Matt watched her for a moment, then resettled himself on the bed, propped up in the corner against the pillows, and simply watched her, a bemused expression on his face.
For several moments, Dani stormed a path back and forth across the small room, and Matt sat silently watching her, every now and then receiving a heated scowl from her, unable to understand anything of her mumbled conversation to herself as she tried to figure things out.
"Darlin', you're wearing the finish off the wood floor. It's late; come lay down and watch the snow with me," Matt suggested huskily.
Dani stopped her pacing and sent him a dark look. He was too damn good looking for his own good and her body screamed to do as he asked, despite her mind raging against his words. "Promise me you won't say what you said again," she demanded in frustration.
"Sorry, Darlin'. That's one promise I can't make you." He scooted down on the bed, lying on his side, and patted the bed beside him. "Besides, the more you hear me saying it, the sooner you'll get used to the idea," he offered with a sexy lopsided smile.
Dani hissed in exasperation, and despite her brain telling her to run the other way, she slowly made her way to the bed, and laid down beside him, sighing in pleasure when he curled up behind her and covered her with their shared blanket. Matt brushed the silken strands of her hair that snagged against the stubble on his chin and kissed her softly on the neck, inhaling deeply of the scent that was her own and sent his senses swirling madly. "Dani, I&ldots;"
"Don't say a word, Matt, not a single word!" she threatened, cutting him off mid-sentence.
Matt's deep chuckle caused a low growl to sound deep in her throat.
Time ceased to be as the two watched the snow continue to fall outside the window. Matt felt Dani slowly relax against his body as exhaustion took over and coerced her closer to the peace she'd find in sleep.
"Dani, I love you," Matt whispered a few moments later, and hugged her closer to his body.
"I love you too," she whispered sleepily in return, exhaustion having rendered her mind useless, allowing her heart to speak freely.
Matt's gentle smile was filled with serenity. "Promise?"
Dani's head moved in a small nod.
"Say it," he whispered encouragingly.
"I promise," she murmured on a whisper.
Matt's smile grew wider, and his deep voice whispered, "You're mine forever, Danielle Rocmanov."
"Forever," she agreed.
Five minutes later, the two were sound asleep, wrapped warmly and securely in each other's arms, their whispered pledges to each other locked safely away in their hearts.
And the snowflakes continued to dance in the moonlight.*
Copyright © 2001-2002 C.E. Moynihan
*All Rights Reserved