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unconditional acceptance from a male. It was a
warm feeling to know that Dale wanted nothing
from her but to protect her and help her. Danni felt
some of the ice that had surrounded her heart for
so long begin to melt away. She sobbed into his
shoulder as he held her and let her cry her feelings
out.
As the last few hiccupping sobs died away,
Danni stepped back and smiled shyly up at him.
"You have mascara all over your shirt," she joked
feebly.
"It will wash," he replied his brown eyes
reflecting his smile and his concern as he brushed
the last few tears from her cheeks. "You might want
to repair that, seeing as how a certain impatient
man will be knocking on this door in about an hour."
"Oh no," gasped Danni as her hands flew to her
cheeks. "I don t want to see Sanders."
"Danni& " began Dale, grabbing her arm as she
turned towards the bathroom& "you need to give
Sanders the benefit of the doubt. Just because he
has dealings with your father, doesn t mean he is
buying into your father s schemes concerning you.
He seems a decent man, but I will have him
checked out for you if it will make you feel better.
It s your choice, but most men like to know that the
women they are interested in trust them."
"I don t have any reason to trust him,"
responded Danni bitterly.
"And you don t have any reason not to either,"
reminded Dale calmly.
"Please, Dale, I can t take anymore tonight. I m
really tired and I don t want to see Sanders right
now." Danni felt intensely drained at that moment
and the thought of facing Sanders for an inquisition
was exhausting.
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"All right, Danni, when he comes, I will explain
to him that you ll see him tomorrow, okay?"
"Thanks, Dale," responded Danni wearily. She
dropped tiredly into the overstuffed chair and
yawned.
Eva turned the television on, and she and Danni
chatted for a few minutes, but Eva could tell the
strain of her friend s emotional upheaval had taken
a toll on her. Her eyes were drifting shut, and her
head fell back against the cushion of the overstuffed
chair and rolled gently to the side.
She was finishing the show she was watching
when a soft knock sounded on the door.
She got up to answer it and found Sanders on
the other side.
"Is Danni here?" he asked, his low voice slightly
husky as he looked past her. His eyes lit up when
he saw Danni asleep in the chair.
Eva smiled softly at him and replied, "Yes, but
she s asleep."
"May I come in and see her?" asked Sanders
politely.
"Well, Sanders, Danni has had quite an
emotional upheaval and I m afraid it s worn her out.
I ll have to wake her soon enough so she can get to
her own bed."
"She said she would meet with you tomorrow,
Sanders," said Dale evenly, coming up behind his
wife.
"Did you find out what was wrong?" asked
Sanders, appraising Dale s sincerity. "Why won t she
see me tonight?"
"We had quite a talk tonight," responded Dale.
"It s been difficult for Danni to open up about her
father and her past. Maybe now that she has finally
told me some of her fears and concerns, it will be
easier to tell you."
"Well, at least let me carry her to her room.
That way she won t have to wake up completely if
she s that exhausted," said Sanders softly.
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Eva glanced at Dale to see if he approved of the
request. After a brief hesitation, he nodded.
"I ll get Danni s door for you," responded Eva.
Sanders stepped past Dale into the apartment
and swiftly crossed to the chair where Danni was
curled up asleep. A surge of protectiveness swept
through him as he saw the circles under her eyes
and the tear trails still on her cheeks along with the
ruined makeup. She was heartbreakingly beautiful,
even in her sorrow. He didn t know for sure what
was bothering her about her father, but he had a
pretty good idea after meeting with the man several
times.
Bending down, he couldn t resist placing a
gentle kiss on her rosy lips as his arms slid under
her to lift her out of the chair.
Suddenly, Danni began screaming and kicking
and beating at him with her fists. "Noooo& no
don t& leave me alone& nooooooooo!"
Danni was smothering. She was in her bed
again, his weight pressing her down as his mouth
ravaged hers. His cruel hands were pushing her
pajama t-shirt up and then his fingers roamed her
breast freely, kneading and pinching. She screamed
into his mouth and her scream was lost. He pressed
himself between her thighs, his hardness digging
into her feminine softness. Then he was tearing at
her panties, ripping them& "nooooo!" she moaned.
"Danni!" A voice called her urgently& ."Danni!
Wake up sweetheart& . It s me, Sanders& wake up
Danni!"
Suddenly, Danni surfaced from the horrible
nightmare opening her eyes. Sanders face swam
before her as she gasped for air and tried to focus.
She was shaking badly, and her eyes were huge in
her pale face. She saw Dale and Eva staring at her,
their faces full of concern. She glanced at Sanders
again and saw the grim shocked look on his face.
She closed her eyes again and dropped her head
in her hands. It was the second time in a week she
100
had had that dream. She thought she had buried it
deep enough not to bother her again.
Suddenly, she was airborne as Sanders picked
her up and sat down in the chair, holding her on his
lap. His warm arms went around her and she felt his
warmth penetrating the chill that had seemed to
envelope her body.
Sanders glanced up at Dale and Eva, the
expression on his face full of foreboding. Eva s face
was pale and her blue eyes troubled as she watched
Danni. Dale too, was puzzled and worried& realizing
that perhaps Danni had not told him everything, or
Eva either he thought, glancing at his wife.
Sanders rubbed his hand up and down Danni s
arm, trying to warm her up and help her to stop
trembling& . waiting for her to speak.
Finally, she lifted her head and heaved a big
sigh. She had begun to feel better as Sanders
warmth permeated the coldness in her body and
she began to feel slightly embarrassed. What must
he think of her she thought? Sneaking a sideways
glance at him, she saw only concern for her in those
piercing blue eyes and a warm encouraging smile.
"Feeling better?" he asked softly, his smile
gleaming in the soft light.
She nodded and smiled shyly up at him and
then at Dale and Eva.
"I m sorry to be so much trouble," she
attempted to laugh lightly. "Just an old dream, I
thought was long gone by now. But I m fine, really,
it s nothing important." She shivered slightly as she
pushed the last remnants of the nightmare safely
back into its little corner in her mind.
She got up from Sanders lap and turned to face
him. "If you don t mind, I think I ll go to bed early
tonight. I m pretty tired, Sanders."
Sanders stood up and took her hands. "Of
course, honey. I ll call you in the morning, okay?"
He leaned over and placed a tender kiss on her rosy [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]