Don't Let These Boots Fool You

I woke to arms around my body, arms that weren’t Mikes. I looked down to see mildly tan arms with callused hands around my midsection. The events from the night before flashed in my head and I knew exactly whose arms were wrapped around me.

“Danny” I tried to move away before his arms closed around me more. “Danny” I was afraid he was in a deep sleep and I wouldn’t be able to get him out of his sleeping state. I tried one more time to wake him up, “Danny”

“Hmm” I heard close to my ear.

“I thought you said you would stay on your side of the bed?” I muttered as I turned my head to find his face close enough to kiss. I whipped my head back to where it had been moments before. “Danny, move your arms from around me.” I felt his arms tighten more and then I heard footsteps.

“Mmm” Danny and his heavy sleeping was about to drive me nuts because I knew one of his teammates had to be outside of his door and if one of them tried, I’m sure they could break down the door. I sat completely quiet as the footsteps shuffled closer to the door.

“Danny?” the voice shouted, in hopes of reaching Danny through the door. I sat completely silent. Hoping the voice would just go away. “Bro, get your ass up.” He followed this up by beating on the door in desperate hopes to wake up the man that was right behind me. I rolled over and felt uncomfortable, his face was right in my chest. The pounding on the door ended and I sent up a prayer.

I placed my hand over Danny’s mouth and smacked his arm. His eyes shot open and his mouth opened under my hand. I put my finger to my lip hoping he would realize what he was doing. I quickly pointed to the door and heard whoever was trying to get him up start pounding on the door again.

“Make him go away Danny; I don’t want any of them to know I’m here.” He nodded his head as I moved my hand away from his mouth still feeling his arms around me knowing he must still be half-asleep.

I watched him turn his head toward the door and look at it with hate, “Damn it Giroux, what the hell do you want? It’s my off day and you show up at some ungodly hour to wake me up?” I knew Danny was right when I had seen the clock said 9:00.

“You got a girl in there don’t you?” The panic started rising in my chest at his words, he saw my car shit I should have parked it around the corner.

“No Giroux, a friend couldn’t drive home so I had to drive their truck home and locked my door cause I knew you’d do this. Now leave before I beat your French ass so far into the ground Lavvy will wonder what happened to you.” I knew that Danny had made his point clear as he rolled back over and put his head back to where it was before with his eyes closed.

I looked down at his facial features since I hadn’t really been paying any attention to his face when we were talking the night before. I noticed he had chocolate brown eyes, shaggy brown hair that hung into his eyes, a nose that slightly turned up, and small ears in comparison to his head. She thought he looked like a guy you would find on the streets, he wasn’t highly attractive nor was he ugly.

“Danny?”

He opened his eyes slowly, took in the sight of my chest, and realized where his hands were “oh” he muttered as he slowly removed his hands from around my waist.

I smiled a little at his reaction, “I thought you said you would stay on your side of the bed?” I chuckled as he looked horrified for crossing the boundaries. “Don’t worry, it’s okay. That’s actually the best I’ve slept in a few weeks, I guess I really got used to sharing a bed with Mike.” I muttered as I rolled my face into the pillow. His pillows smelled like him. I jolted up, I had forgotten Joe in my hurry to get out of town. “Joe.”

Danny looked confused, even though I had told him all about my problems with Jordan and Sidney I had failed to mention the fact that I had a German Shepard waiting at home for me. “Who the hell is Joe? I thought you were trying to decide between Jordan and Sidney, not three guys.”

“It’s my dog Danny. I have had him since he was a puppy, he gets vocal when I don’t come home at night. I have to go back home and get him before I come back.” I rolled over to get up but the arms around my midsection were still holding tight. “Danny, you have to let me go. I need to go get Joe.”

His arms squeezed tighter along my midsection, pulling me back down onto his bed and into his chest. I inhaled loudly and looked at him. “We’ll go get your dog, I have a few myself, you don’t have to go through this alone Kelly. I asked you to stay here because I have the space, I’m sure your dog will be fine here until you decide what you’re going to do with your life. I’m sure your dog will be okay for another few hours. Please can we go back to sleep for like a half hour?” He seriously hadn’t realized he was snuggling with me.

I rolled my face into the pillows on his bed and prayed that he would realize how we were laying and get up within five minutes. I closed my eyes and relaxed a bit finding Danny’s grip on my body was loosening. “Do you realize how we’ve been laying?”

I watched his eye crack open and glance down at my body and back up before closing his eye again. “Your point being?”

“Why are you holding me like we just had sex last night?”

“Because it’s comfy and honestly you scooted closer last night and I just obliged you by holding you closer. I won’t try anything if I do you can gladly handle things however you want.” He nodded his head as he untangled his arms from around my body and stood. I looked him over as I was trying to see if he was trying to lure me in by sharing a bed. “Now are you showering before we get Joe or are you going to go as you are? I’d prefer to get this done quickly I need to get some stuff wrapped for Christmas before the boys get home.”

I looked down at his clothing and decided it would just be better to leave now so I could see Joe my poor dog was like my child and I had left him he had to be freaking out. I moved out the door of his room before thinking of anyone being in the house still. I stopped in the middle of the stairs to see a red head standing in the kitchen.

“Whoa, were you in Danny’s room?” the guy who Danny had referred to as Giroux questioned me.

“No I was in a different room. Anyways,” I trailed off as I looked back up the stairs to shout, “Danny let’s go, your boy stayed around!”

“What do you mean?” he was full of questions and I was finding it annoying.

Danny came jogging down the stairs to find me face to face with the guy who was obviously beating on the door earlier. “Giroux what the hell are you still doing here? I told you to get the fuck out. Now leave, don’t be here when I get back.” He grabbed the keys to my truck continued and jumped right in the passenger seat of my truck.

I got behind the steering wheel and looked over at Danny, “Thanks.” He knew that I was starting to get a little weirded out by all of these guys who wanted to know my business. I focused on the highway signs as I got closer to Pittsburgh, the drive had been so silent but I was thankful for that because it left me time to think about what was going on in my life.

“You know he thinks we are screwing around right?” I muttered at him as I pulled off for the exit by my house. The winding roads looking a tiny bit familiar to me as I had only been traveling them a few times before that time. I pulled closer seeing my small home getting closer. The smile was the first one that had fell from my lips in months.

“Kelly, I’ll set him straight. Whoa that’s your house?” He was either surprised that it was so shity or he was surprised that it was so nice for what I did.

“What about it.”

He looked back at me as I pulled into the drive and got out. He followed me around the truck to the front door. “It’s perfect. I wish I could go back to living in a place like this. It’s just big enough for what you need but a yard big enough for anything.” He smiled like he missed being normal.

I turned back around and faced the door finding something stuck to the door. I pulled it off to find a note scratched across the paper.



I kicked the flowerpot off my front porch and started crying. Why the hell did he have to be so nice to me and be perfect. All I wanted was space and here he was taking care of my dog while I was gone for a day. I pushed my cold key into the tight lock and pushed the door open to hear barking coming from the room where Joe’s kennel was.

“Baby boy, you miss mama” I shouted as I walked through the house and into the back room. I hunched down and looked at him and smiled, he was loyal to me through it all. He never left my side through anything and always loved me. “I brought a friend with me. I’m going to go get him so you can meet him.”

I turned around to find Danny standing in the door. I almost screamed when I noticed him there, “oh, come over and meet Joe so he doesn’t jump on you. I’ve got him trained for protection.” He pushed himself off the doorframe, followed my footsteps over to his kennel, and crouched down to the door of the kennel.

“Hey there, I’m Danny.” He put his hand up against the cage allowing him to sniff his hand. I saw Joe nudge his palm and said a silent prayer.

“You’re clear Danny. He likes you.” I unlatched his cage and pulled him by the collar to the backyard. “Go pee and we can leave Joe.” I smiled as I slid the back door shut and turned to find Danny standing right there. “Thanks. I’m glad he likes you otherwise I would have had to leave him here.” I sat down on the couch, curled up along the arm of the couch, and just sat silently hoping the tears wouldn’t come out.

Danny moved closer to me and looked over, “What’s wrong?” How was it I had known him for less than 24 hours and he already knew all of my secrets and knew me like the back of my hand?

“I missed being held, knowing I was protected. Danny I know nothing will happen with us but you reminded me it’s okay to trust someone. Thanks” I stood before he could say anything and grabbed Joe out of the backyard. I was confessing things to Danny that I never thought I should have confessed. I put Joe in the back seat of the truck and put the divider in between the front and back seats so he would stay in the back. “Ready Danny” I hollered toward the house.

Danny emerged slowly with a small bag and I realized he must have grabbed some clothes for me. I sure hope he didn’t go through my underwear drawer that would be embarrassing. He chucked the bag into the bed of the truck and I watched him walk over to me. His serious face caused me to freak out. “Danny,” I whispered hoping he was just going to walk right by me.

I was completely wrong when I felt Danny’s hands grab my face, “I just want to make sure that I can keep my promise of feeling nothing for you.” He pulled me closer and forced his lips down on mine in a gentle kiss. It was tenderer than I had expected. I was searching for something to hang onto when I found his shirt. He pulled away, looked down at me, and looked at the ground. He must have felt bad for what he had done. I would have too if I had kissed someone who they weren’t supposed to fall for.