Don't Let These Boots Fool You

I watched Danny’s back as he walked around to the passenger side of the truck. How did I get myself into this mess? I turned the radio on to try to drown out the quiet that had started to overtake the car after he kissed me. I had somehow managed to make three guys fall for me in a matter of months, when I really just wanted my old life back even if I knew I would never get it back.

“I’m sorry Kelly.” I looked over at him to see him looking at me with puppy dog eyes. “I don’t know why I did it. Maybe I don’t want to see you with either of them because I know how they are, young and wild regardless of women tying them down they’ll do what I did. I don’t think a girl like you deserves that.”

I wasn’t sure where he was coming from. I had never known Danny until this moment and he was spilling his heart. I wanted to know what he did but I knew I couldn’t talk to him because then I would feel like I wanted him more than I should.

“She cheated because she thought I was. I tried to ask for a divorce but she wouldn’t give me one. I would hate to see that happen to you with those two, granted Sid is a great guy but I’m not sure he can handle you being as independent as you are.” He looked up and tried to continue apologizing to me.

“Stop right there bud. I don’t know when you decided that you know how I deserve better. Yes, I poured my heart out to you, I thought because of our age gap it would be safe to tell you how I felt. I never thought you’d do what you just did.” I pushed the gas petal down as far as it would go to speed the truck up to fifteen over the speed limit. I needed to get out of this car and away from him. I needed to find a place to live so I didn’t have to encounter something like that again.

I continued to ignore him hoping that he wouldn’t bring up his kiss again. I walked in through the door that I had noticed he hadn’t locked or his friend hadn’t bothered to lock. I walked up to the room and found my dress that I had borrowed from some boutique in order to have a nice dress for the gala. I grabbed the dress and made my way down the stairs when I saw Danny in the back yard with Joe.

The dress fell out of my hand and into the middle of his kitchen floor. He was playing with Joe in the back yard laughing and having fun with my dog that he just met. I sat in the floor and put my head on my knees. I needed to figure out something away from him. I moved back up to his room and not only locked his door but the bathroom door and searched for my cell phone in my clutch from the night before.

I found his number easily amongst the names in my phone as I pressed call. I waited impatiently for him to answer, I knew they didn’t have a game nor did they have a charity event that night. “Hello?”

“Why do you want me?” I knew my question was vague as Sid was silent on the other end of the line. I laid my head down on the closed toilet lid as the tears slipped out of my eyes.

“Who wouldn’t, you’re not just cute you’re amazing. You can balance eight different things and still know what everyone else is doing.” He hadn’t answered my question at all and I felt like Sid was less the candidate than I thought. Maybe I just liked that I could virtually talk to him about anything and everything.

I lifted my head from the seat and looked up praying for some guidance. “Thanks Sid. I’ll talk to you later, I’m safe I promise.” I hung up and started to dial Jordan.

I waited as it rang four times. I almost hung up chickening out on him since he had actually told me about his feelings. “Kelly? Are you okay? You left here so quick I wasn’t sure if you were okay.”

Go figure Jordan would ask me how I was, and try to figure out where I was. I couldn’t take hearing his voice it made me want to throw up. I had fucked my life up so bad in the past three months, I was broken now. “I’m fine Jordan. I just needed space; you and Sid can’t fight over me or about me. You two are team mates as well as friends and you two would never do this with any other girl and I know it.” I started to feel a tear slip down my cheek. “Why do you want to be with me?”

I heard the heavy sigh on the other end and figured he didn’t want to be with me at all. The tears started to fall down my face as I left the phone on speaker as I put my head in my hands. “I don’t want to be with you I want you to honor me by being with me. I know you don’t realize this but you are amazing. You know what my lifestyle is like, you respect the fact that I’m busy but I make time for you. I don’t mind that I have to work to get you to realize I’m a good guy.”

My tears were falling freely; I just wanted to see why Mike left, why he truly left me. “Kelly, you take your time. I know that I really like you but you have to figure that one out on your own. I have to run, team dinner. I miss you a lot Kelly.” My phone lit up as I kept my head on my knees as I tried to stop crying.

“You know someone like you shouldn’t be crying.” I turned quickly to see Danny standing in the doorway. “Come here.” He stood staring at me with open arms. I stood slowly and walked right into his arms. I wanted to be held. I wanted someone to hold me when I slept, but I was so sure that Danny wasn’t the guy for me. “Why are you crying?”

“You heard what Jordan said; Sid made it sound like I was a convenience and that I would work well for him because I won’t make him have bad press.” I sobbed into his chest as he kissed my forehead. “I thought out of the two of them Sid would like me more and be more sensible but Jordan seems to want to settle down, I’m afraid he’ll do something stupid like I know he’s known for.”

He continued to hold me quietly as I sobbed. I had been shaking so badly that I hadn’t realized he had taken me over to his bed. “You need to calm down Kelly. This isn’t good for you.” He rubbed small circles over the t-shirt I was wearing. I pulled back from his chest as I felt the tears slowly dry up and quit falling.

I looked at the chocolate brown eyes that were watching me to make sure I was okay. I was a mess, I had never cried this much in front of men before, ever. I looked over all of his features and tried to figure out what made him fall for the small town girl who was mixed up in the wrong profession. I had become so broken because of Mike that I fell for the first guys who showed attention to me. I wanted control of my life back before it spiraled further out of control.

My eyes slowly looked to his lips the lips that had kissed me a few hours ago. The lips I wanted to feel on my lips again to make sure I wasn’t in need of him. My hands had been balled up in his shirt until that moment; I put my hands in his hair and pulled his face closer to mine. “Don’t question this just,” I didn’t finish my thoughts as I connected our lips. I just pushed my lips closer trying to figure out what I was feeling. I loved the softness that his lips had against mine; I felt his tongue run along my lip as my mind racing to figure out how I felt about things.

I opened my mouth, felt his tongue dart into my mouth, and gasped. My hands tugged on the roots of his hair as his teeth squeezed my bottom lip. “Danny?” I was starting to second-guess this. I hadn’t even gotten to this position with Sid or Jordan.

“Mmm?” he wasn’t as distracted as I was. One of his hands rested on my hip and the other was tangled in my hair. I moved from sitting across his lap to straddling his lap with both my arms around his neck.

He leaned back against the bed trying to lead me onto the next step of what I assumed we both wanted. I disconnected our lips and looked down at him. His eyes were hazy with lust and his hands had moved to my hips where his thumbs were running up and down my hipbone. “Are you sure Danny?”

His eyes were staring straight into mine; his mind was trying to evaluate the situation we had gotten ourselves into. He looked at his hands on my hips and back to my lips before slowly reaching up to my face, he ran his thumb across my cheek before pulling me closer to him. He kissed me again and I felt light headed.

“I want this. The real question is do you want this? Kelly you’re perfect. I know you’ve heard that a lot but please.” He wrapped his arms around me holding me closer as he moved his face close to my ear, “If you say stop I will. I will do whatever you want.”

I nodded my head as I looked down at him, “Danny, Gi-whatever-his-name-is better not interrupt this time.” He smiled as he rolled over top of me as I crawled up near the top of the bed. He looked like he was a lion preying on his dinner. He was following my lead, crawling up the bed.

I watched him take off his shorts that I had worn the night before; he saw orange lace that I hadn’t known was his team’s colors, and smiled. “This for me?” he asked tracing the lace along my hipbone. I looked down at him and shook my head as I lifted his shirt up over his head. He looked good for being nine years older than I am.

He slowly ran his hands up under my shirt making me look down at him. He was looking straight at me with a lazy smile on his face. I grabbed his belt loop on his dark jeans that he had put on and pulled him closer, “You’re so much better looking than I gave you credit for.” I told him as I ran my hands over his exposed upper body. I couldn’t believe this man had played hockey and been a dad.

My mind started picturing Danny carrying a baby bag with a small child in his arms. I hadn’t heard myself moan until he started talking to me breaking my thoughts of him carrying a small child. “I haven’t even touched you yet, you’re eyes are glazed over what is it.”

I smiled wickedly and rolled us over so I could look down at him. “Did you every carry the baby bag with your kids?” He nodded his head, which caused me to moan and picture him doing that again with a new child. I undid his pants and ran my hands along the front of his body. He was watching my every move as if I was going to stop at any given moment.

“Is the fact that you’re picturing me as Daddy Danny turning you on?” he kissed along my jaw as he asked the question between kisses. I moaned at he took my earlobe into his mouth. I wondered what life would be like with him instead of Sidney or Jordan. At the same time I wasn’t sure I was ready to play mommy to three boys who only knew time alone with their dad. I heard Danny’s voice beside my ear drawing me back to reality.

He pulled my shirt overhead and found a black strapless bra that had orange accents. His low growl made me arch up to mean him since was so turned on by me in his colors, “Does me in your team colors turn you on?”

“It’d be better if you’re in my jersey.”

My jaw dropped at that statement he looked up and moved his hands over my midsection as I thought about the word she just said. He was the only one who had asked me to wear his jersey.