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There was more laughter in the car, but Danny didn’t like the stinging glare he got from DJ. He locked eyes with the keyboardist for a split second before he decided getting mad wasn’t worth the trouble. Instead, he slid his arms tightly around Lauren’s middle and pulled her down towards him. He kissed her again, moving his hands up the sides of her waist. As far as he was concerned, this was much better than talking, and he’d wanted Lauren in his arms all night long. He was just drunk enough not to care that the others could see exactly what they were doing.
“Oh, for Chrissakes. Drop them off first, would you?” DJ said.
That was exactly what happened. When they reached her place and got out, Ox put the window down and shouted, “Behave yourselves, kids!”
Once they were in the elevator, Danny crowded Lauren and backed her up against the wall, hooking his thumbs into the waist of her jeans. She laughed as she worked at his shirt, a single button at a time, knowing it was making him crazy. She kissed along his collarbone. His skin felt warm under her fingers, and she dragged them down his chest. Tangled in each other’s arms, they nearly fell out of the elevator when the doors opened.
After Lauren closed the apartment door behind them, she turned, and the way Danny was looking at her made her breath catch. That was how she always wanted to be looked at. Someone who saw the real her—the woman behind the rock star. She took hold of the hem of her silver shirt and inched it up over her head. With a careless toss, she dropped it onto the floor. It got the reaction she was hoping for. Danny ran his hands through his hair as he stared at Lauren in her jeans, boots, and a lacy little black bra.
“Jesus Christ, you are so sexy,” he said, his voice hushed.
“Then take me to bed. All I’ve thought about tonight is being with you.” She curved her fingers in the front of Danny’s pants and unbuttoned them in one smooth motion. She didn’t need to offer any more encouragement.
Later, Lauren ran her fingers across Danny’s chest as they lay in her bed. Half the pillows were strewn about the floor and the sheets were askew. He caught her hand and brought it to his lips to kiss.
“I was thinking the other day,” she said. “Remembering.”
“Remembering what?”
“The very first time we had sex.”
“Oh, God.” Danny put a hand over his eyes as he laughed. “We were sixteen, right? I almost died of shock when you said you were ready. And then I had to go buy rubbers! I went halfway across the city to make sure no one saw me.”
Lauren let her mind wander. It had been a warm, spring night. They’d gone with friends to the Memorial Day parade. After, they made themselves scarce and drove to Pelham Bay Park. After a leisurely afternoon of walking the beach and making out whenever the chance arose, they got a couple of cheeseburgers for dinner and watched the sun go down. In the twilight, they searched for—and found—a secluded little area where they could still see the water.
“You were worried about getting naked,” Lauren said.
“I was worried what would happen if the cops found us naked.”
Lauren remembered how she’d pulled her shirt up, and Danny’s dumbstruck expression when she’d let it, and her bra, drop to the ground. Danny must have been lost in the same memory because he said, “Well, when I saw you toss your shirt, I almost finished before we got started!”
Their awkwardness that far away spring day was soon overcome by flat-out enthusiasm as they threw the second blanket over themselves. The first time was fast and a bit slapdash as they fumbled their way, giggling, through the process. The second time, they didn’t rush—and they’d started to understand what all the fuss was about.
“I almost gave you a black eye when we got tangled in the blanket.” Lauren’s voice was mirthful, and she pressed her fingers to her lips as she smiled. She let out a soft sigh. “I’m glad you were my first.”
They kept talking, pressed up against each other in bed, and it was nearly dawn by the time they fell asleep. When they woke, Lauren called down to the hotel’s kitchen and ordered an extravagant breakfast. As they lounged over brunch in bed, they rehashed the previous night’s festivities.
Danny and Lauren weren’t the only ones talking about Bruno’s bash that morning. His posh event was big news in the Arts & Entertainment sections of the Sunday papers, with several photos clustered on one of the pages. Cole had been riveted to both the paper version that her mother insisted on getting as well as the paper’s website. In the middle of the printed edition’s page was a picture of Lauren and Danny leaving the party. Danny had an arm around her shoulder and Lauren’s arm caught his waist. On Lauren’s other side was Augie, and just behind Danny, with his hand on Danny’s shoulder like an old friend, was Big Mac Daddy’s front man, Dario D’Scala.
Cole was beside herself when she saw the photo. She knew Heather and her cousins wouldn’t be at dinner, and she wasn’t really surprised when her uncle wasn’t there either. But when no one acknowledged either the photo or Danny’s absence, her frustration mounted. By the time dessert rolled around, she was tired of the small talk.
“I’m sorry,” she said to everyone around the table. “I know it’s complicated, but the photo in the paper is so glamorous. I mean, Uncle Danny? Hanging out with all the stars like Dario? It’s kinda awesome.”
“I’m sure your Aunt Heather doesn’t think it is quite so… awesome.” Her grandmother’s voice was tight.
Cole’s chest constricted. She loved her aunt, and it hurt knowing Heather and Danny were having problems. But Cole couldn’t resist the star-crossed lovers’ story either. What if her uncle was meant to be with Lauren all along?
“I didn’t mean it that way…”
“Cut Cole some slack, Ma. That’s Lauren’s world, and if they’re going to be together, then I guess it will be Danny’s world, too,” Joey said.
“No.” Deb’s voice was firm. “There’s nothing complicated about it, and they don’t get a free pass, or get to be ‘awesome.’ Danny’s married. End of story. And she’s nothing more than the other woman. An interloper who’sruinedDanny’s marriage.”
“Ma,” Maggie said. “Danny and Heather were having trouble. It didn’t start when—”
“—He’s amarriedman! Donotmake excuses for him.” Deb slammed a hand on the table as she jumped up and stormed into the kitchen.
The rest of dessert was eaten in virtual silence.
