Finding Dandi, page 11
“You heard what?” she laughed.
“Shhh,” he tried to make her be quiet. “I think I heard a deer blow.”
The whole thing struck Dandi funny and she began to giggle in earnest.
“If I were trying to hunt, Young Lady, you’d be in big trouble.” He made a face at her, which didn’t scare Dandi at all.
As Lucas searched through the trees, keeping his eye open for a grunting, blowing whitetail deer - Dandi dropped back. Reaching down, she gathered a handful of snow and quickly formed it into a ball, “Hey, Handsome!” she called out.
Lucas turned. Splat!
His face was covered with white powder.
“Why, you little. . .” He made a grab for her, but Dandi took off, ran a few yards and gathered up more snow. Lucas was not to be outdone; he armed himself with snowballs and began to pelt, making sure not to hit her in the face. She wasn’t so caring, but returned fire with surprising accuracy. Rapturous giggles filled the air. Dandi was having so much fun and Lucas’s heart swelled to bursting. Suddenly it hit him – slammed into him like a freight train – he was very close to falling in love with Dandi Alexander.
“Are you ready to go back to the house?” Their eyes were locked and Dandi was breathing hard. She wanted more of Lucas, preferably in a bed. It was time that she learned how to be a woman. His woman. It was time to give him a sign.
“Yes, but first, I want to show you a surprise.” Lucas needed a moment, anything to give him time to process his emotions. This was turning into much more than he had bargained for. He desired Dandi, he ached for Dandi. He had been prepared to like her and enjoy her, but he had not intended to fall for her.
“Okay.” She had waited this long, she could wait a few minutes more. He took her by the hand and led her a little deeper in the forest. They were walking uphill, and at times, he had to tug her to help her make the steep climb. Soon they could hear rushing water.
“Is that a waterfall?”
Lucas had gone so quiet. Was something wrong?
“Yea, wait till you see it, when I would come home from school. This was my special place.” He picked up the pace, seemingly anxious to get there.
“Not so fast, I can’t keep up,” she laughed breathlessly, following him through the deep snow as best she could.
“You don’t need to.” He swept her up, cradling her in his arms. “Better?” It sure as hell felt better to him. He needed to talk to her, but first he had to decide what he was going to say.
“Much,” the snow was still falling, a gentle drifting of flakes. Dandi entranced him by trying to catch a few of the flakes on her tongue. She didn’t have any luck, but she did earn a hug from him for her trouble. He couldn’t help it; there was no way he could keep his hands off of her. It amazed Lucas to learn how much had been missing from his life until she came into it – tenderness, laughter, and an incredible desire to be close to one small, adorable woman.
As they drew closer, the roar grew louder and when he finally sat her down on the top of a high bluff, Dandi gasped with awe. “It’s breathtaking!” A thirty foot wall of water poured down over moss covered boulders which were now decorated with snow.
“There’s a cave behind the fall. That’s where I found some of the arrowheads. I’ll take you there . . .” Someday. He didn’t say it out loud, because he couldn’t make any promises – not yet. God, what was he thinking? He tried to hold on to his dreams. He tried to picture the face of his perfect woman, that elusive paragon of virtue. She was gone. Now, he could see no one but Dandi.
“Someday.” She said it for him. Laying her head on his shoulder, she asked. “Can I tell you something?”
“Anything.”
“I’m so happy,” Dandi confessed, turning in his arms to face him. She cupped his cheek with her hand. “Thank you for giving me this time with you. I don’t know how to make you understand how wonderful you are. I’ll never forget how good you’ve been to me. If you hadn’t shown up at the club, I might not have gotten away. Romero had plans for me, plans to make me do things I would have never survived.”
Her poignant little speech made a knot form in Lucas’s throat. Whatever she had been through or what she had escaped, none of it mattered – only she mattered. “I’m the one who should be thanking you. I wouldn’t have traded this time together with you for anything.”
CHAPTER SIX
“Angel Baby is still missing. We don’t know what happened to her,” a stammering young college student chimed in. He was a regular customer at Club Tonga and was enjoying being questioned. “It’s all over the news. Everyone is talking about her.”
Detective Grimes made notes. He had meticulously gone over the scene of the crime several times. Forensics had turned up a few clues, but not enough to build a case. What he needed was a witness. He’d have to question the strippers one by one. One of them was hiding something.
Dismissing the group of regulars, he gathered the employees as a group before he split them off from one another. “So, no one has seen Miss Alexander since the night of the murder?”
“No,” one of the strippers popped up. “We think she might have been murdered too. We saw this really big guy hanging around her.”
“He didn’t murder Dandi,” Jane piped up.
Grimes knew who they were talking about, Lucas Wagner. He was the man who had initially reported the crime. “I’ll give him a call.” He had already looked into Wagner’s background, but another conversation might be in order. The older stripper looked pensive, perhaps she was the key.
Romero stank to high heaven. The detective had no real doubt that the club owner was as guilty as sin, he just needed to prove it.
*****
When they returned to the house, Dandi warmed up their breakfast. “I think it’s still good.”
“It’s perfect.” Lucas ate with relish, consuming four biscuits and a slew of gravy. “This is so good. Thank you.” Dandi was quiet – chewing slowly, looking at him with a strange expression. “What are you thinking?” he asked, wondering if he had said something wrong. Was she as confused as he was?
Taking a big bite of orange, her choice of breakfast, she enjoyed the burst of flavor in her mouth. When she could answer, she did – “I’m thinking that I need some paper and a pen.”
He reached behind him and took out a tablet and something to write with from a drawer and laid them in front of her. She bent over it and started drawing.
Dandi was nervous; she was doing what he asked in a teasing, flirtatious way. Laying the pen down, she picked the tablet up and turned it around toward him. “Here’s your sign. I would have put it on the front page of The Times Picayune, if I could have.”
Lucas stared – and stared. Dandi had written in big, bold letters. I WANT YOU.
“Damn, Baby,” Lucas put his cup down, pushed his chair back and took the sign from her hand. “Are you sure?” It didn’t matter if the words were written on paper, stone, or a billboard, it was, undoubtedly, the very best news he had ever read.
He didn’t look entirely comfortable; perhaps she’d better try to explain a little better. “Yes, I know we’re not talking about forever, but I would love to belong to you for a little while.” He was a man of substance, with a bright future – while she was – just Dandi. “You haven’t changed your mind, have you? You do want me, don’t you?”
She had said what he had not been able to. She had given him an out. She had given him an incredible gift with no strings and no expectations. How he felt about that, he was afraid to analyze. But the answer to her question, that he knew. “Angel, there’s not a man alive who wouldn’t want you.”
Their chairs were side by side, but he had turned in his, facing her. She stood up, needing his touch, but she had to make certain she was welcome, so she asked – flatly. “Would you like to kiss me?” It was strange to think they had shared an orgasm, but not a real kiss. Dandi hadn’t had many opportunities to kiss anyone, and she felt the need to make up for lost time.
Lucas looked her straight in the eye, never moving a muscle. “More than anything, I’m more attracted to you than you could possibly know.”
She didn’t need to hear anything else. He wanted her. Without warning – Dandi pounced. She launched herself into his arms and he caught her easily.
“Gotcha!” he laughed with joy. He was holding her! Heaven – absolute heaven. He arranged her sitting astraddle of his lap, much like she had during the lap dance.
For a few seconds, Dandi just rested in his embrace, enjoying his arms around her. Being held by Lucas was like being branded by pure temptation. Her mouth went completely dry, and every place where their bodies touched tingled and throbbed. His heartbeat pounded against her breasts, and there was a ridge of hardness pressing against her bottom. “Kiss me, Lucas. Please? Don’t make me wait any longer.”
“You don’t have to beg, Baby.” Being careful to avoid the sore places on her lower back, Lucas wrapped one muscular arm around her middle and tugged her up tighter against him.
Dandi became aware of her body in ways she had never paid notice of before; the shape and weight of her breasts as they molded against his chest, the sensitivity of her nipples as they swelled and grew hard from the drag of her lace bra as it scraped over the stiff little peaks. Both of these sensations were sending darts of hunger deep into her vagina. A soft, wetness grew between her thighs. It was as if her body was reshaping itself to meet his needs.
“You feel so good,” she groaned, running her palms over the muscles of his arms and shoulders. This is what she had dreamed of. She wrapped both arms around his neck, rubbing her breasts against his chest. Heat suffused her skin with erotic sensitivity.
Lucas was ablaze with need. God, she was sweet and so responsive. He sucked at that lower lip, just as he had promised himself he would. He nibbled at the top one, licked at the corners and rubbed his tongue along hers, seeking to memorize her taste. With a primal instinct, he wanted to mark her, make her forget every other man who had ever touched her.
Liquid lightning danced over her skin; everywhere he touched she came to life. Dandi could imagine being Lucas’ woman; she could imagine him doing wild and wonderful things to her, teaching her how to please him, to be exactly the kind of woman he wanted.
When he would have pulled back, she stopped him, twisting her fingers in his hair, seeking more of the pleasure he could give. “Please don’t stop. I need you so much. I didn’t know kissing could be so good.”
Good – he wanted his kisses to be special. The unwanted thought whirled through his mind – strippers and hookers wouldn’t kiss . . . . Stop, he ordered himself, don’t even go there. “I’ll give you what you need.” Lucas’s cock swelled. Never had he wanted a woman more. Just kissing Dandi was more sinfully decadent and lushly erotic than any other experience he could remember. Cradling her head, he kissed her hard and deep, cupping her ass with the other hand and pulled her forward so his cock was cradled against her mons.
“I love this.”
“I don’t want to be like the other men.” Lucas muttered against her face.
“What other men?” Dandi was too lost in pleasure to care or comprehend exactly what he was saying. She was in Lucas’ arms and there was nowhere else she would rather be.
“It doesn’t matter to me what you’ve done in the past. I want to make you forget everyone else.” Merciful heavens, he wanted to make love to her.
Dandi was overwhelmed. Things were moving very fast. Pushing back a bit, she took a few deep breaths. “There has been no one else, Lucas.”
“I understand,” he said. She wanted to forget her past. That was okay, he’d help her forget. “I’ve wanted to kiss you from the moment I first saw you.” Lucas rubbed his face against her hair, kissing the silken strands. “I want to make love to you, but remember - this time the choice is yours, not someone else’s.”
“I choose you.” She kissed his chin, relishing the feel of his whiskers against her skin. “Make love to me, Lucas. Please?”
“God, yes,” he groaned. “Are you on the pill?”
“Yes,” she was a bit embarrassed to say so, but considering the dangerous place she had worked, it had just seemed wise. “I got them at the same time I filled the insulin prescription.”
“Let’s go to my bed.” He swung her up in his arms like a bride. She squealed and laughed throwing her head back. He bent and kissed her throat, rubbing his face in the opening of her shirt. God Have Mercy - he knew he was going to love her tits. He had fantasized about those luscious mounds for days.
“I’m nervous,” she admitted.
“No, need to be,” he assured her. “I’m going to enjoy you so much,” His lips formed the words, as silky as a caress.
“I hope so.” She wanted to please him. When he looked at her with those smoldering sky blue eyes, Dandi felt weak and wanton. She laid her head on his shoulder, knowing this was a momentous event – a step that she could never take back, nor repeat.
Her first time.
“I’m glad it’s you.” Lucas was her hero, he’d make it special. He would make her first time something she would always remember.
He carried her up the stairs, down the hall and into a large, masculine bedroom. Reverently, it seemed, he placed her on the bed. In Dandi’s adolescent dreams, she had thought to save herself for marriage. Today she wore no wedding band, but it didn’t matter. She had waited for true love. It had been quick, but her heart told her that Lucas was the one she wanted to give the gift of her virginity.
“Are you in pain? Can you lie on your back?”
How considerate he was, “It’s not hurting,” she assured him.
“Good,” he put one knee on the bed, coming closer. She reached out to touch him, cupping one cheek, then sliding her palm down his throat, to cup behind his neck. Dandi felt lightning arc between their bodies with a brilliant flare of heat. “Give me your lips,” he instructed as he captured her mouth in a whisper of a kiss. A whimper of sweet surrender escaped her throat as his head tilted to one side and he began to devour her lips, licking and nibbling, his tongue teasing hers to come out and play.
Pure pleasure washed over her body. “What are you doing to me?” she moaned. Her heart rate had gone wild, and it wasn’t just because of how he was making her feel – it was him. He was so dominant; his lips were hot, determined – making demands of her that she was entirely willing to meet.
“Can I love on you? We can take it as slow as you want.” He curled long, strong fingers around her neck and his breath caressed her cheek.
“Only if I get equal time, I want to love on you too.” She pressed her face against his chest. He was so contradictory – such power mixed with such gentleness. Not being able to resist, she pressed a kiss over his heart and to her surprise and wonder, she found it was racing as hard and fast as her own. “Would you take off your shirt? I’d love to run my hands over your chest. I’ve fantasized about that.”
Lord, she was potent. The little vixen knew exactly what she was doing. “You take it off of me.” He wanted the full benefit of her sensual expertise.
“Okay,” Dandi sat up and went to work, unbuttoning the material – one button at a time.
The look of concentration on her face made Lucas bend down and steal kisses while she worked.
“You’re making this very hard.”
Lucas chuckled, “You’re making something else very hard.” Even though the light wasn’t the brightest in the world, he could see her cheeks turn rosy. Dandi was endlessly fascinating - seemingly so innocent, yet so seductive.
“Now,” she opened the edges of a shirt as if she were unveiling a masterpiece. “Oh, yeah,” she breathed and set about to drive Lucas stark raving mad as she peppered his chest with kisses.
“My turn,” he growled. “I want to see you.” He tugged at the bottom of her shirt. “Lift your arms.”
Dandi held her hands over her head, the position making her feel deliciously vulnerable. She wanted him so much; she had to bite her lip to keep from mewling in need. A hungry, emptiness pounded between her legs, her sex actually ached needing to be touched. Lucas lifted the shirt, letting it capture her arms for a few long moments. “Please, Lucas,” she begged. Dandi wanted to rub against him, feel his skin slide against hers.
“My God, you’re beautiful.” She could feel his eyes caress her breasts, making them swell, her nipples growing puffy. One of the things she had fantasized about most was a man sucking her nipples. Dandi wanted it all – she had abstained from life and happiness long enough. “Touch me, Lucas,” she took one of his hands and brought it to her chest.
Reverently, he cupped her breasts. “Exquisite. You are absolutely perfect.”
“It feels good.”
“God, I want you,” he ground out. “I’m literally shaking with need.”
But when he began to palm her eager flesh, plumping the mounds, teasing the nipples – it was Dandi who shook. “Do something,” she urged. When his thumbs raked across her nipples, she closed her eyes and sighed – and when he pulled on them, her whole body trembled. “I can’t wait.”
“You don’t have to, Baby.” Lucas picked her up in his arms and placed her back down on the soft mattress. Quickly shedding his clothes, he reveled in the way she stared up at him, her hunger as obvious as his own. When she lifted a hand, beckoning him to come to her – he sank to his knees, grateful for the turn of events that had brought them together. What if he hadn’t gone to the bachelor party? What if she had chosen some other car to hide away in, instead of his? Unthinkable.
Together they removed her clothes, and he ran his hands over her beautiful legs, kissing her ankles, her knees – tracing a pattern over her shapely thighs with his tongue. “You are absolutely luscious, Dandi.”
Covering her body with his own; Lucas encased her in safety and warmth. She rose up and met his kiss, drawing him down. Between them, his hand went to her breast again – rubbing, shaping, milking the nipples. “I want to kiss you.”
