Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

Grace

The obnoxious sound of my cell phone going off woke me up early the next morning.

I groaned and reached for my bedside table but all I could feel was air. I let my hand drop to the bed, but another groan coming from beside me had me opening my eyes in haste and finally taking in the room I was in.

Daniel must have brought me to his house after I passed out in his arms. It made me blush even thinking about having sex in his car. But also, Daniel’s voice kept reverberating in my head.

And you think that make you any less intriguing?

I turned carefully to find Daniel’s face at the crook of my neck and one of his hands thrown over my waist while the other was under my head. Shit! It must be limp by now! I rose cautiously from the bed, careful not to wake him up and got off the bed by lifting his arm and placing my pillow under it so he would think that he was still holding onto me.

I found myself dressed in an oversized white t-shirt that reached mid-thigh. Damien must have dressed me in his clothes after he’d brought me up to his room. I pulled back the covers over Daniel and then went in search for my bag. It wasn’t that difficult to spot since he’d placed it neatly at the foot of the bed, so I picked it up-it had already, thankfully stopped ringing-and took it with me to the living/dining area in Damien’s home above the club.

It started ringing again halfway to the kitchen island, so I hurriedly placed it on the counter and took out my cell phone and answered without looking at the screen. “Hello.”

“Oh don’t hello us you little wench! Where on Earth are you? What have you been doing behind our back?”

“Morning Ken,” I told her after looking at the wall clock in the living area that read 9.43 am.

“Answers. Now.” Was her curt reply.

“How about I meet up with you guys in forty?” I asked, calculating how long it’ll take for me to get home if I hired a cab right now. “Where should we meet?”

“Well, since we’re standing right outside your apartment door…”

Shit! “Sorry, I’ll try to get there as soon as I can.” I hung up before she could ask any more questions and started searching in my cell phone for my Uber app.

“I’ll drive you home.” I turned towards the bedroom door to find Daniel in black silk pajama pants and a light grey t-shirt. He was already putting on a dark grey sweatshirt on top of the t-shirt, his keys in hand. “Why don’t you put on one of my sweatpants so you don’t have to change.”

He came over to me and pulling me closer with his hands around my waist, placed a smacking kiss on my lips. “Go freshen up, I’ll order breakfast for takeout so your friends won’t be too mad.”

I kissed him once more on the lips before I headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth with a spare brush that he’d placed on the bathroom counter and washed my face real quick and then pulled my hair into a neat ponytail at the top of my head. I didn’t have time enough to admire the bathroom but it was made of green marble, a huge mirror placed in front of the counter and a glass wall separating the shower from the rest of the bathroom. But one thing I did notice was, his bathroom was indeed huge, just like the rest of his apartment.

Daniel had already set up a pair of grey silk pajamas and a black hoodie on the bed and I quickly changed into it having already been wearing last night’s lingerie…including the pants I’d discarded inside the car. I came out of the bedroom once I was ready and found Daniel talking to one of the bouncers at the door. He let the man go when he saw me coming and then we took the same path we’d taken the first time I was here and went to his garage.

About forty five minutes later, we pulled into a stop under my apartment building with a tray of steaming cups of coffee and cartons full of breakfast. “I wish you could come up with me.” I told him as I unlocked the seatbelt and placed my hand on his thigh so I could lean in for a kiss, take his taste into my mouth as I went upstairs to face the music.

“Mmmm,” he made a moaning sound at the back of his throat that did something to my insides. “I know, but this is something you should tell them. They’re your best friends and they deserve to hear it from you rather than a stranger.”

“Daniel, you’re not a stranger.” I told him as I placed my head on his shoulder, his scent filling my nostrils.

“To you.” He kissed the top of my head. “Now go up there before they come down here to drag you out. And as much as I’ve seen Ken, I wouldn’t put it past her.”

“Stalker,” I smiled as I slapped his shoulder lightly and opened the passenger’s side door of his Sedan. Daniel was next to me in an instant, helping me down and adjusting the tray and bags so it would be easier for me to manage. “I’ll see you tonight?”

“Sorry,” he said ruefully. “The bar’s going to be packed tonight and so will the restaurant. I need to make rounds and see that everything goes well. Some people usually get aggressive on Saturdays.”

He was right, Saturday’s were usually difficult for clubs since it would be completely packed and a fight usually broke out over lame reasons. Previously, I wouldn’t have worried about it, but now that I’m with Daniel, it’ll be difficult not to worry about him. “Stay safe, okay?”

“Promise.” He gave me a short and sweet kiss on my lips before getting into his car and driving off.

I looked up instinctively at my veranda to find two utterly shocked faces looking down at me with mouths hanging open. Oh crap! I hurried into the building and rushed up the stairs, careful not to spill the coffee on me and made it to my apartment in record time to find both Ken and Ty waiting at the front door, looking like I just barbequed their pet hens.

“Breakfast anyone?” I smiled nervously at them while blowing a few strands of my hair out of my face that had escaped the ponytail.

“Does it have eggs and bacon?” Ken asked, tapping her foot on the ground. Her wild curls were in two tight braids around her face and she wore a pink hoodie paired with sky blue jean Capri.

“And waffles?” Ty asked from the other side of the door, her auburn hair also in a ponytail and she wore a shot sundress in peach paired with a floral printed flowy kimono.

“Yes and yes.” I told them both. “Now let me through before I drop the coffee.”

They immediately made way for me and I entered my apartment and beelined for the coffee table next to my couch. Setting down all the items, I took out the cartons from the paper bags and set them on the table one by one. Daniel had ordered from his own restaurant, Paradiso-and I couldn’t help but laugh at the irony of the two names-and everything on the menu had been our favorites. “To salivate them into submission.” He’d said with a straight face which had only sent me into another laughing spree.

“Bacon, eggs, sausage and toast with a steaming cup of cappuccino for Ken,” I handed her the box that contained her food. “Chicken and waffles with a fountain of maple syrup and another cappuccino for Ty, this one’s with extra cream,” I gave her a wink to which she just melted like goo, but Ken simply glared at the both of us. “And blueberry pancakes with agave for me…with coffee, of course.”

The three of us plopped down on the couch with me in the centre, food in hand and coffee cups on the table in front of us. “Now spill!” Came from either side of me.

I cleared my throat and placed my carton on my lap. “Daniel and I…we’re dating.”

“Clearly.” Ken bit out. “Since when? Because a week ago, I remember you telling us he scared the crap out of you and you even wanted us to stop going to Hell Hole! What changed in a week that you didn’t even bother to tell us?”

“This is exactly why I didn’t tell you guys, okay?” I snapped at Kendra and she immediately shut up. “You guys are my sisters and I love you, but there are some things that I need to figure out by myself. And I had to do the same with Daniel. I went to the club Monday night to tell him that this was a mistake and it can never happen again…but instead, he managed to convince me to us a try. He said I could back out any time I want to and there’d be no hard feelings and I believed him because I thought this would be simple, friends with benefits kind of situation that won’t hurt or cause any problems when it’s over, only….” I stopped myself.

“Only what? Grace?” Ty placed a hand on my shoulder gently, waiting for me to say the rest.

But when I did say the rest, I felt like it was something I should have realized a lot earlier. “Only, this isn’t about physical attraction anymore. Only…it won’t be so easy to let him go once we’re done. I’ve been with him two days physically, texted him for the days before that and I feel like I’m already falling for him.” I covered my face with my hands, the realization reverberating through my mind.

Ken sighed next to me and placed her carton on the table before pulling me into a hug. “I’m sorry if I was too harsh, but you know we worry about you. You’ve been sheltered from so many things in your life and I keep thinking that people might take advantage of you or break your heart.”

“I know…” I murmured against her chest as I wrapped my arms around her. “But somewhere deep down, I feel like Daniel won’t break my heart. He’ll fight for me…just like I’d fight to keep him.”

“Ooooh! Fighting for our men, huh? That sounds appetizing!” Ty joined in on our group hug and I knew that my friends had accepted my relationship status, though it’ll take some time and crazy methods for them to accept Daniel.

But that wasn’t an issue; we had all the time in the world.