Big Yellow Taxi

Not all dads are like yours

When both of them were out of steam, Daniel rolled off and collapsed onto his back.  Rowan turned, tucking herself into his side and resting her head on his chest.  She remembered what Ayla said about Daniel's brother wanting to get away from her immediately after they got done making love.  For a moment Rowan felt her body go tense as she wondered if what she was doing was alright or if she ought to back off and give the man next to her some space.  She had already begun to inch back when she felt Daniel's arm wrap around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"Where do ya think yer goin'?," he teased.  Rowan hummed her contentment and relaxed against the hard planes of his body.  He really was a spectacular hunk of a man, hard and bulging in all the right places.  She hadn't even known until she met him that she would find a man of his build and stature so appealing.  Just thinking about how strong his arms felt wrapped around her was almost enough to get the blood between her legs pumping again.  

Rowan nuzzled into the rough stubble of his jaw line, pressing a gentle kiss on the sensitive skin under his ear.  He turned his head and captured her mouth with his.  The kiss felt different than it had before they made love.  All the heat was still there between them, but the frantic urgency was gone.  He kissed her gently, his tongue slipping past her lips to leisurely explore her mouth as he stroked up and down the length of her spine with the tip of his finger.  The kiss ended with a few lingering pecks on her cheek and the side of her mouth.  

"Happy?," he asked.  Rowan hummed and nodded her head.  Happy couldn't even begin to describe how she was feeling.  If she could summon the energy in her spent body to drag herself into a standing position she felt like she could spread her arms and fly.  

"Don't know what I'm going to do with the rest of my day now...," she teased.  "I was planning to take you out to my father's hunting cabin and seduce you."  

Daniel didn't make any noise but Rowan could feel his body shaking with silent laughter.  He lifted a lock of her long hair and tickled her with the end of it until she was laughing with him.  Without warning he flipped her onto her back and pounced on her.  

"I'll be doin' the seducin' round here," he teased as he leaned in and nibbled at her neck and shoulders.  Rowan squirmed and shrieked in delight.  She had expected Daniel to be sexy but she hadn't expected that she would have so much fun with him.  He had been so shy and reserved the day before.  She liked this new side of him.  It made her feel like she could be silly with him and not have to worry about what he thought of her.  

Rowan's shrieks brought Tank galloping to her side.  The large dog inched closer to the entwined limbs of the couple as a low warning growl issued from his throat.  Daniel turned and grinned at the large dog, intent on having a little fun with the animal.  He grabbed for Rowan's wrists and pinned them down on either side of her head.  Then he leaned down and started kissing and nibbling at all the most ticklish spots on her body.  She giggled and hollered at him to let her go.  Tank didn't know what to make of the situation so he started barking and howling.  Lily rushed over and jumped on them both in her eagerness to get in on the fun they were having.  She scratched Daniel across the back with her puppy claws.  

"Get back Lily," Rowan hollered at the naughty dog.  She leaped up and helped Daniel to his feet, darting around him to make sure Lily hadn't broken the skin when she jumped on him.  That was when Rowan saw it.  She knew it was the reason Daniel had been hesitant to take off his shirt.  His back was covered in scars.  Some were old and so faded they were barely visible while others were still red and raised up from the rest of his skin.  Along his lower back was a roadmap of tiny circles that looked like burn marks from cigarettes.  Rowan fought the urge to suck in her breath at the sight of the horrible scars.  She knew in that moment if she reacted badly she was going to lose Daniel's trust.  And that was something she never wanted to happen.  Not ever.

"Don't worry," Rowan announced.  She knew her voice was a little more cheerful than necessary but she was having a hard time coping with what she was seeing.  "Lily just scratched you a little, she didn't break the skin."  Daniel spun around.  He saw the forced smile on Rowan's face.  She had seen his scars and was doing her best not to react.  While most people looked morbidly curious when they saw his back, Rowan looked terrified.  He found himself eager to comfort her.  And oddly eager to tell her the truth about the marks on his body.  A subject which he never spoke about aloud to anyone.  Not even Marv.  To speak of their father was to raise the man's evil spirit from his grave.  It was bad enough that a part of that man still lived on inside them both.

"Hey," Daniel said, placing his arm around her and pulling Rowan's body close to his, "It's alright.  I'm alright."  He debated a moment on how much more to say.  Rowan came from a peaceful place.  From her reaction to the marks on his body he guessed she had never seen someone being beaten or struck in anger in all her life.  He didn't want to give her nightmares about his childhood.  He already had enough of them himself.  

"Not all dads are like yours," Daniel explained gently, "mine liked his booze.  And when he drank he got mean."  Rowan wrapped her arms around Daniel and hugged him like she thought if she held on tight enough that she could erase all the evil that had ever been done to him.

"Where is he now?," Rowan asked, suddenly feeling terrified of a man that she had never even met.

"Dead," Daniel replied without a trace of emotion in his voice.

"Good."  The word was out of Rowan's mouth before she could stop herself.  She looked up at Daniel, in shock as the nasty thing she had said to him about his father.  She even clamped her hand down over her own mouth like she was afraid she might say something worse.  Peeling her hand away she started to immediately apologize for her rude comment.  That's when she realized Daniel was laughing.  He grabbed her again and hugged her, laughing into her hair.  Telling Rowan the truth had felt so much better than he expected.  It was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.  But it was the shocked look on her face when she had blurted out that she was glad his father was dead that really set him off.  The way she acted it was like she had never said an unkind word about anyone in all of her life.  She was too sweet for words.

Daniel got control over his fit of laughter.  He was dying to change the subject.  Daniel didn't regret letting her under his skin a little.  But his childhood wasn't something he wanted to discuss at any great length.

"So since we already f****d," he teased, "does that mean I don't get to see yer dad's cabin now?"  Rowan giggled.  She had never heard anyone use such a foul word to describe something so beautiful in all her life.  But she had to admit the idea of f*****g instead of making love sounded wonderfully naughty.  She liked Daniel's rough way of speaking.  And if that was his idea of f*****g then she would take it over poetry and roses any day of the week.

"Do you want to go?," she asked, the excitement obvious in her voice.  Daniel nodded.  He actually did want to go.  He wanted to go anywhere Rowan wanted to take him.  But checking out a hunting cabin actually sounded like something he would enjoy even if she wasn’t with him.  He only had one hesitation.  He didn't have any of his hunting gear with him.  Not even his bow.  If he was going to a hunting cabin he thought he might like to do a little hunting.  

Ever since she had seen Daryl showing off the bike he built to the man that bought her dog the wheels in Rowan's head had started turning. Twin Oaks needed a new mechanic.  The community tended to attract artistic types.  Not people that were skilled in hard manual labor.  She wasn't ready to cross that bridge yet but she was hoping Daryl might be the one to fufill that position.  Everything happened for a reason.  There was no such thing as coincidence.