Chapter 60 Chapter Sixty

Chapter 60 Chapter Sixty
Danny POV

"Would you consider coming with me to my family for Christmas?"

The question hung in the air, and for a moment, I couldn't process what Vanessa had just asked me. My brain seemed to short-circuit, stuck on those words like a scratched record.

"You want me to meet your family?" I asked quietly.

"I mean, you don't have to," she said quickly, suddenly sounding nervous.

"I know it's a big ask, and it's still weeks away, and you probably have plans with your own family—”

Christmas. Her family. She wanted me to meet her family.

"Danny?" Vanessa said, and I could hear the nervousness creeping into her voice. 

"You don't have to—"

"Yes," I said, the word bursting out of me before she could finish her sentence.

Vanessa blinked. 

"Really?" she asked. 

"Because I should warn you, my little brothers are obsessed with hockey, and they're probably going to fanboy all over you. And my mom is going to ask you a million questions. And it's in Boston, which is a long drive—"

"Vanessa,"I said, calling out her my name softly and full of affection. 

"Yes?"

"I would love to meet your family."

"I want to meet your family. I want to meet your brothers and your mom and see where you grew up. I want all of it.” I said unable to help myself.

I could feel this ridiculous grin spreading across my face and I couldn't stop it. The pure joy flooding through me was too much to contain. I picked Vanessa up and spun her around the kitchen, her surprised shriek turning into laughter that filled every corner of the small space.

She wanted me to meet her family. Vanessa Williams—the girl who'd spent three years running from anything hockey-related, who'd built walls so high I'd almost given up trying to climb them—wanted to bring me home for Christmas.

"You're really coming?" she asked when I finally set her down, both of us breathless and grinning like idiots.

"I'm really coming," I confirmed.

And then I kissed her.

I meant for it to be sweet, celebratory, a kiss that said "thank you for trusting me with this." 

But the second my lips touched hers, something shifted between us and it became a lot heavier than I planned. Her hands came up to grip my shoulders, and she pressed closer to me, and suddenly the kiss deepened into something more urgent, more desperate.

I tangled my hands in her hair, angled her head so I could kiss her deeper and she made a small sound in the back of her throat that drove me absolutely crazy, and her fingers digging into my shoulders like she was trying to anchor herself.

God, she tasted like coffee and something sweet, and I wanted to memorize every detail of this moment– the way she felt pressed against me, the little gasps she made between kisses, the warmth of her body seeping through my clothes.

My hands slid down from her hair to her waist, then lower, pulling her hips flush against mine. She responded immediately, arching into me, and I groaned against her mouth.

This was dangerous. I was moving into territory I'd been trying to avoid because I wanted to do this right, wanted to take my time and to prove to both of us– to her that this wasn't just physical attraction.

But damn if my body wasn't making a very compelling argument for throwing all that careful planning out the window.

Vanessa's hands moved from my shoulders to my chest, and I could feel her fingers playing with the hem of my shirt. 

The thought of her hands on my bare skin made my heart race, made the heat pool low in my stomach, made me want things we definitely weren't ready for yet.

I pulled back slightly, trying to catch my breath, but Vanessa followed me, capturing my lips again. 

Her kiss was hungry, almost desperate, like she wanted to swallow me whole and I felt my resolve starting to crack.

My hands were wandering now, sliding under the edge of her sleep shirt, finding the warm skin of her lower back. She shivered at my touch, pressing closer, and I could feel myself losing the battle with my self-control.

This was Vanessa,the girl I loved. The girl I'd waited three years to have another chance with. She was kissing me like she couldn't get enough of me, like she wanted this just as much as I did.

But somewhere in the back of my mind, a voice was reminding me of all the reasons I needed to slow down.

We'd rushed things the first time we dated—jumped into the physical stuff before we'd built a solid foundation—and it had made the breakup that much more devastating.

I didn't want to make that mistake again.

I wanted to do this right, build something that would last us irrespective of campus drama. And that meant taking my time, even when every cell in my body was screaming at me to do the opposite.

With what felt like superhuman effort, I pulled away from the kiss. Vanessa made a small sound of protest, her eyes still closed, her lips slightly swollen from kissing.

"I should go," I said, and my voice came out rough, strained