Danny's War (Rolling Thunder Series Book 3) Page 3

  Giving himself a moment to curb his arousal, Danny set his photo album on the table and grabbed the crutches leaning against the wall by his chair. Taking a deep breath and glancing down to make sure his cock was behaving, he pulled himself up and made his way to the front door.

  Opening the door and stepping out onto the porch that surrounded most of his house he asked, “Can I help you?”

  ***

  Molly and Tammy spun around to see the handsome man looking at them from the front entrance supported by crutches, one leg missing below the knee. Molly stood and hung the camera around her neck. She glanced at Tammy as she brushed leaves and grass from her blouse and with a slight jerk of her head they slowly approached him.

  “Hi, I’m Molly, not sure if you remember me from the Veteran’s Ride. This is my friend, Tammy. I’m the photographer hired to take pictures of the build tomorrow. I wanted to snap some before pictures and thought I’d do it today in case I didn’t get here before the crowd converges on your property and messes things up. I’m sorry if we bothered you.”

  Tammy watched his beautiful, but wary chocolate-brown eyes. He looked from Molly to Tammy. He stared at Tammy much longer than necessary, causing her to fidget and slide a wayward strand of hair behind her ear.

  “You think they’re going to trample on my flowers?”

  With a shaky voice, Molly said, “No. Sorry, I wandered through your flowers, but I don’t think I’ve damaged anything. They’re so beautiful with the sun setting…I couldn’t help myself.” Lowering her voice, Molly said. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have.”

  Danny’s shoulders relaxed a little. He let out a slow breath. “May I see?”

  Tammy smiled at Danny. She’d been nervous when he walked out. It occurred to her then that it probably wasn’t a good idea to trespass on a soldier’s property, especially an injured one. For all she knew, he had guns in his house. She didn’t think ahead sometimes.

  Danny swung his gaze over to Tammy and then back to Molly. Molly pulled her camera up and turned it on. She hit a few buttons and brought up the pictures she’d taken. She smiled at Danny and turned the camera around so he could see them.

  “You can scroll through the pictures by pushing this button,” she indicated by showing him on the camera where to push.

  Danny leaned into his crutches and scrolled through the pictures. He smiled a few times and looked up at the girls.

  “You have a good eye for this. I guess I haven’t taken the time to enjoy those flowers at all. My mom planted them to make my house feel ‘cheery’ or something,” he said as he made air quotes with his fingers. Handing the camera back to Molly, he said, “Thank you for pointing out the beauty here.”

  Danny grew quiet. Both women were looking at him and wondering what to do next. He cleared his throat.

  “Name’s Danny. Would you like to come in and take before pictures of the inside?”

  Molly raised her eyebrows in excitement and smiled. She looked back at Tammy, who was grinning at Danny.

  “We don’t want to put you out, but it would be nice to get some before pictures of the house on the inside. Thank you,” Molly said.

  Danny turned and walked into the house leaving them to follow. Molly looked over at Tammy and shrugged. They walked in behind him and closed the door. He pointed to a wall on the west side of the house.

  “They’re going to knock that wall out and put the addition there.”

  Molly walked over and started taking pictures of the wall and the room in general. It would look different in a few days.

  “I do remember you. I thought you looked familiar, but I couldn’t place where I’d seen you,” Danny said.

  Tammy watched Danny as he started to relax. The house was clean and he was…well, he was lean and ripped…and hot. His hair was short, military style, and sandy-brown in color. He wore a day’s worth of growth on his jaw, giving him a rugged and sexy look. His t-shirt stretched across his chest and gave her a hint of the fine mass of muscle that lay just beneath. Tammy’s fingers twitched as she thought about running her fingers along his chest. I wonder if he has sandy-brown hair on his chest.

  As if he could feel her gaze, Danny turned his head and looked at Tammy. They stared for a few beats. Tammy blushed and looked down. Danny chuckled.

  “How does this happen, Danny? Will you have to go and stay somewhere else for a while or can you stay here?” Molly asked.

  “I can stay here,” Danny said as he turned back toward Molly. “They’ll frame the addition up first. They’ll put the windows in and insulate and then they’ll knock the wall out to allow the access. I have the plans on the table in the dining room. Do you want to see them?”

  Both women nodded and Danny turned to walk into the dining room. Tammy followed last, noticing the bunching of muscle in his thighs as he moved. His powerful arms flexed with each move of his crutches. The sinew of muscle across his back tightened and relaxed as he moved. Gawd, he was simply…perfect.

  As they looked at the plans, he pointed out where they were standing and where the additional bedroom and bathroom would be. Molly immediately started snapping pictures of the plans. Some up close, some from farther away.

  Tammy stepped in and stood next to Danny. She loved the look of his thick fingers as he pointed to various points on the plans. The smell of his cologne swirled around her, making her weak in the knees. He smelled fabulous. Strong, clean, masculine. Spicy; Gawd, it was her kryptonite.

  Molly walked around and snapped pictures of the living room. The constant click of her camera was all that was heard for a while. Tammy wanted to ask questions but was suddenly shy.

  “Does she always click non-stop like that?” Danny said in a lowered voice to Tammy.

  Tammy’s eyes caught his, but she was tongue-tied. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest and was afraid he could hear it. Licking her lips, she said, “Yeah. It’s her thing. You’ll get used to her. She does have a good eye and she just loves this stuff.”

  Molly heard them talking about her and blushed a little. “I’ll make sure you get the digitals. You can do what you like with them, but it’ll be cool to see the before and after. Sometimes after a while, you forget what things looked like before. I’ve painted and worked on my house, not to this degree, but, months and years later when I come across the pictures, I’m still amazed at what it used to look like. That’s what hooked me on photography in the first place. It’s a beautiful way to memorialize the past.”

  Danny nodded. “Yeah, I was just looking at pictures of myself graduating from boot camp. Back when I had two legs. It’s bittersweet.”

  Tammy, not being able to take her eyes off his, said, “Sometimes it can be. Some changes are so much bigger than others, but it’s how we approach them daily that shapes our lives. We can’t always control it. By the way, thank you for your service. It’s appreciated more than you’ll ever know.” She smiled.

  Danny nodded.

  “Hey, we’re going to head out and grab a bite to eat. Would you like to join us?” Molly asked.

  ***

  Danny looked into Tammy’s eyes. She had beautiful brown eyes and long, sandy-brown hair. She was petite, with a sweet little ass and breasts that his hands itched to mold themselves around. He had to grip his crutches with all his might to keep from reaching up and touching her face. Her lips, Jesus, perfect pink lips that made his dick hard. Glad to know it still worked. He didn’t think any woman would want to have anything to do with him, having only one leg. Tammy seemed interested. She looked into his eyes and didn’t look away.

  He swallowed. “Naw. Thanks, but I think this’ll be a very full weekend. I have a few things to do around here before tomorrow. I appreciate the offer.”

  “If you change your mind, we’re going to Nicki’s in De Pere. Please feel free to stop in. I’ll buy you a beer.” Tammy flashed her brightest smile. Danny swallowed again and cocked his head at her. She was flirting with him. She probably just wanted to pity-fuck h
im.

  Danny watched Tammy and Molly walk down the driveway and climb into Molly’s car. Tammy’s ponytail swished as she walked. He couldn’t help but stare at her tight little ass as it swished back and forth in time with her ponytail. Once she was in the car, he let out a low whistle. He turned from the window and made his way into the kitchen.

  Pulling a casserole out of the refrigerator, he smirked. “That girl just flirted with me. What the hell do you know?”

  ***

  “So? What did you think?” Tammy was looking at Molly with a huge grin on her face.

  “Think about what?” Molly asked as she reached back and pulled the seat belt over her shoulder and latched it into place.

  “Danny. What did you think about Danny?” Tammy pulled the visor down and looked at her face in the mirror. Gently swiping under her eye and correcting her makeup, she glanced over at Molly.

  “Oh my gosh! Are you interested in Danny?” Molly slid the key into the ignition as she watched Tammy’s face brighten.

  “You are! You so have to come back with me tomorrow and help me with my equipment. You can make some drawings and you’ll get to see Danny again.”

  “Okay. Yes, I want to do that. Do you think he was interested in me? Does he have a girlfriend? His house didn’t look like a female lived there. It was neat and clean, but not in a feminine way. Do you think he’s nice? What do you know about him?”

  “Whoa, hold on with the questions, girl. One at a time.” Molly laughed as she pulled away from the curb and started toward the restaurant.

  “Well, does he have a girlfriend?”

  “I don’t know. He didn’t have anyone with him at the Veteran’s Ride.” Molly tapped the turn signal as she slowed the car.

  “Do you think he might be interested in me?” Tammy smirked at Molly.

  “I don’t know, Tammy. But I caught him staring at you a couple of times. Who isn’t interested in you? Men always think you’re hot.”

  “Not always. Only since that damn video. But, what do you…” Gasping, Tammy said, “Oh no, if he finds out about that friggin’ video, he won’t be interested in me anyway. Not for anything more than sex.” Tammy’s head hit the headrest in frustration.

  “You don’t know that,” Molly countered.

  Tammy’s gaze slid sideways to leer at Molly. “You know what I’ve been through with that fucking video. My life is over. Well, my love life is over.”

  Molly put her car in park and twisted in her seat to look at her best friend. “Your life, your love life is not over. Just be up-front with him. Scott lied to you. He videoed you without your permission. He was probably uploading it to YouTube before you were even finished. He’s a dick. If you avoid relationships because of that video, you let him win.”

  CHAPTER 6

  “THIS IS TOO FRIGGIN’ early. AND, you shouldn’t have let me drink so much last night. My aspirin still hasn’t taken effect.”

  Molly laughed as she started pulling her camera equipment out of her trunk. “It’ll kick in. I think Joci has coffee on supply here, let’s go get some before we start snapping pictures.”

  “So, you still have a hot date tonight?” Tammy smirked.

  “Well, I’m going out with Ryder, who is smoking hot, so I guess that qualifies as a hot date.”

  Tammy shook her head. “I don’t know Mol, he didn’t call you all week. That’s not right.”

  “He’s shy. He opened up to me more last Sunday. And he told me he’d be busy this week. Don’t be judgy.”

  They walked up the street toward Danny’s house. There was so much activity already. As they approached the yard, they could see the siding had been removed on the side the builders were working on. There were tables and stations set up everywhere for measuring, sawing, cutting, etc. The girls spotted Joci standing by a table with food and big coffee pots on it. Molly waved and walked over to Joci.

  “Hi, Joci, how are you feeling?” Molly leaned forward as they hugged.

  “I’m feeling great. Jeremiah won’t let me do anything, so I’m manning the beverage and food table. What would you like, coffee or hot chocolate?” Joci said.

  “Coffee, please,” they said in unison.

  “I can get it, Joci,” Tammy said. As she was pouring their coffees Molly pulled her camera out.

  “We came by yesterday and I got before pictures. Take a look.”

  Tammy stopped paying attention. Without even realizing it, she was looking for Danny. There were so many people here, but she was sure he’d be walking around or helping out in some way.

  There he was; he was walking toward them and he was fine, mighty fine. His broad shoulders filled out his long sleeve t-shirt and his jeans fit him perfectly, showing off his strong thighs. Yum.

  “Good morning. How are you two doing this morning?” Danny said looking at Molly quickly, then losing himself in Tammy’s big brown eyes. What was it about this woman that drew him so?

  “Morning. Glad we came yesterday. With all of this stuff lying around, I wouldn’t have been able to get any good before pictures.” Molly said.

  Danny nodded and looked around.

  “Yeah. I guess it’s true that it needs to get worse before it gets better.”

  They all nodded. Molly looked over and saw Ryder looking their way. She waved at him but he just scowled and looked away. Molly furrowed her brows and looked at Tammy. Tammy shrugged.

  “He seemed a little pissed when I told him you were here taking pictures yesterday.”

  Molly looked at Danny with her brows still furrowed. “He’s mad? Because I took pictures?”

  Molly looked at Joci, who slowly shook her head. “I’m not aware of anyone being upset this morning. But you can bet I’ll find out.”

  Molly shook her head. “Well, I didn’t do anything wrong, so, whatever. I’m going to snap a few pictures of the progress then we’ll come and help you here for a little while. Is that okay?”

  “Sounds good. Don’t worry hon, I’m sure it’s nothing,” Joci said.

  “How was dinner last night?” Danny asked, turning toward Tammy.

  Tammy tucked a hair behind her ear and without even thinking about it flashed him her brightest smile. “Good. Did you get everything done that you needed to do?”

  There it was again; she could smell him. Her heart was racing and her hands were shaking. He’d shaved this morning and damn he looked good. She liked the rugged look he sported last night, but clean shaven Danny was handsome too.

  “Yeah, I guess, anything else that needs to get done will have to wait.” He swallowed, “You look beautiful today.”

  Beautiful, he thought she was beautiful? When he smiled at her butterflies lurched in her stomach and flew straight to her core. She could feel her panties dampen and her heart beat out a staccato that threatened to knock her over.

  Realizing she hadn’t said anything, she licked her lips and said, “Thank you. You look handsome yourself.”

  ***

  Handsome? She thought he was handsome? Dammit, there went his cock again. Getting lost in those dark eyes of hers made him forget everything. She literally took his breath away. He smirked and thought he heard her sigh.

  Before he lost his nerve he blurted out, “Do you want to have dinner next week?”

  Her eyes grew large as he waited for what? Ten minutes? No, more like seconds, but he hadn’t asked anyone out since he lost his leg. This was big for him. He kicked himself all night last night for not joining her and Molly. He lay awake all night mad that he’d been enjoying a pity party and she gave him every indication she was interested and he didn’t follow through. Time to get over himself.

  “Yes.”

  Just one simple word and he felt like the weight of the world was lifted off his shoulders. “Yeah? Really?”

  “Yeah. Really.” Tammy laughed and his cock grew so hard he could’ve used it to hammer nails into his house. Then, just when he was trying to think of what to say next she giggled.

  �
�Hello. I haven’t met you. My name’s Janice, I’m Danny’s mom.” Janice held out her hand to Tammy. She smiled when she saw Tammy blush.

  “Hi. I’m Tammy.” Tammy shook Janice’s hand. She glanced up at Danny and lost her breath when she saw the look on his face. He looked…happy.

  ***

  At first I was pissed that we were interrupted. I asked Tammy out and she accepted. Damn. Then my mom walked over. My mom. Talk about a boner kill. But I looked at the smile on Tammy’s face as she shook my mom’s hand, and God, Bam! Sucker punched.

  “Nice to meet you, Tammy. Thank you for coming today and helping out. It’s a beautiful day.”

  “It is. I’m actually here to help Molly with pictures, but I may just grab a hammer and help out.”

  “Well, there’s plenty to do. I have a few things to do in the flower garden. It was nice meeting you, Tammy.”

  Janice smiled at Tammy and with a smirk at Danny she walked toward the flower garden.

  CHAPTER 7

  MOLLY TOOK PICTURES of Danny as Joci asked him questions. They stood on his front porch with a video camera because Joci wanted to add the interview to the end of the DVD she was producing for the Rolling Thunder Veterans Ride. Tammy helped with the video camera while Molly snapped pictures and Joci asked Danny questions.

  “Tell me about your time in the service, Danny. Where did you do your Basic Training?”

  “I did my Basic at Fort Benning. After Basic I went to Fort Stewart until I was deployed.”

  “When did you buy this house?”

  “I bought it about 2 years before I went into the Army. I didn’t go in straight out of high school; I waited. My dad was sick and I didn’t want to leave. After he passed away, my mom told me she’d be fine if I still wanted to go. I did, of course, but was concerned about leaving her. Then, I had this house. Mom and my brother, Paul, took care of it for me while I was gone.”

  Danny’s eyes kept flicking to Tammy’s. He was both nervous about giving away so much of himself, and excited that she was watching him, her perfectly plump lips curved up in a sweet smile.