He caressed her hip and she turned to look at him, her arms raised above her head as she fixed her hair.
“Stay like that. God, you look incredible,” he whispered then leaned forward and kissed her breasts then lower to her belly.
“Danny, I really need to get dressed.”
She lowered her arms and placed them on his shoulders. He hugged her to him and felt her run her fingers through his hair then tilt his head back. She held his gaze.
“I want you to know that I feel it, too. That I would love to not go to work and to stay here and make love to you and your brothers all day long. Just to feel you hold me in your arms makes me smile and makes my life that much better. I want you to know that you, Jack, and Mike mean so much to me. I trust you. I want to be with you. But I have to work and make money to support myself.”
He smiled then kissed her lips.
“That makes me very happy. I’m glad you trust us.” He gave her ass a tap and then turned her around and gave her a gentle push toward the door.
“Hurry up and get dressed, or I’ll forget what you just said, tear those panties from that body, and have my way with you.”
She looked at him and he raised one of his eyebrows up at her. She quickly hurried from the room. She knew he was serious.
He waited a moment and took a deep breath. Danny had never felt like this about anyone. Ever. He adored her. Hell, he loved her. He needed to talk with Mike and Jack. They could move her into their place. They could have her quit working or maybe work less hours at the diner so they could have more time together. They needed to make plans for their future.
As he exited the bathroom and then walked into her room, he saw that she was dressed in her uniform. Tight black skirt. The short one. White blouse and comfortable white sneakers. She looked incredible.
She was buttoning up the blouse when he approached. He moved her hands and finished buttoning it for her.
“Marlena, can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” she said and then walked to the dresser, pulled out lip gloss, and applied it to her lips. She wore hardly any makeup and she didn’t need to. She was youthful, sexy, and naturally stunning. Too perfect for the likes of him and his brothers. He was shocked at the thought. Now suddenly his age was getting in the way.
“At night, when we’re sleeping, you moan and cry. It’s like you’re having a bad dream but you don’t wake up from it.”
She stopped what she was doing and stared at him.
She took an unsteady breath and he wondered if she would lie, or minimize what he knew was a problem, a struggle for her.
“I’ve been dealing with it for months. Since the fire. It’s no big deal,” she said and grabbed her small backpack and her car keys.
He took hold of her wrist and reached up and cupped her cheek.
“It is a big deal if you’re scared. I’m here for you. So are Mike and Jack.”
She hesitated a moment. “I know you are. That’s why I’ve let you stay with me at night. I need you holding me. It makes them less scary.” She leaned up and kissed him then headed out of the room.
He was shocked at her response. Relieved and kind of proud. But he still worried. She didn’t need to live with that kind of fear and concern. He wanted to take those dreams away forever. He just needed to figure out how.
* * * *
Marlena was in a great mood. She’d never felt so happy and almost at peace. She thought about the conversation she had with Danny this morning. Her nightmares weren’t so terrible or violent with him, Mike, and Jack holding her in their arms at night. In fact, she didn’t even wake up screaming and crying from them.
As she placed the order down in front of one of the locals, she heard the bell chime and looked up. Her heart caught in her chest. Her mouth gaped open and she felt almost faint. Detective Morgan. What is he doing here?
He read her face and gave a nod then took a seat at the corner table in the back clearly away from any eavesdroppers. She reached for the cup of coffee to bring over to another gentleman and it shook in her hand. She set it down.
“You feeling okay, Marlena? You look a little pale, honey,” Mr. Walker, who had a truck delivery business, asked.
“I’m fine. A little too much coffee this morning,” she said.
He smiled. “Maybe I shouldn’t have this second cup,” he teased but took the cup and immediately brought it to his lips and smiled.
She smiled, too, then wiped her hands on her apron and headed over to the detective’s table. But not before noticing Roy looking at her and the man in the corner. Detective Morgan stood out like a sore thumb.