[ warning: there is a smut scene towards the end ]
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It was officially springtime. The winter had thawed, the days were getting warmer and brighter. Flowers were in pre-bloom. Birdsong drifted melodically through the dew filled air, making for a rather peaceful morning to wake up on.
Rolling onto his side, Otis took a moment to simply gaze at Dani, her eyes closed, her lips slightly parted and her hair sprawled out all over the pillow which was a little bumpy as she had one arm tucked away beneath it. It had been a month since the first time he got to wake up next to her, but her face was still the only thing he looked forward to seeing when his eyes eventually fluttered open.
Otis shuffled closer to her, pushing a few strands of hair from her face before he leaned in, placing soft kisses along her jawline, making her stir lightly in her sleep. He continued, travelling down the side of her neck, lips lingering in that one spot he knew always drove her crazy, even in her sleep as she was already humming softly at the brush of his facial hair against her skin.
The two of them had talked recently about boundaries when it came to wake up calls, as most couples should in order to have a healthy relationship. And Otis had quickly learned that he was free to kiss and touch her as much as he wanted, just so long as he didn't travel too far south.
"Mhmm." Dani grumbled sleepily, rubbing her cheek against the softness of her pillow as Otis continued to trail his lips down her body, tracing the curve of her waist until he reached her hips, where he stopped and went straight back up the way he came.
Dani's eyes soon began to flutter open, blinking fast to adjust to the early morning light as she glanced down at Otis, nothing but the top of his head in view as he worked his lips along her collar bones. She lifted her hand, threading her fingers through his hair, telling him she was awake without needing to speak. His head slowly raised, a smile growing on those soft lips she could never get tired of feeling on her.
"Good morning." Otis greeted, his voice sleepy, almost gravelly which had a fierce tingle shoot down Dani's spine, her body erupting in goosebumps, much like it did every morning.
"Mm, it is a good morning." She said softly, pulling her lips between her teeth as she leaned down, brushing them against Otis's. "A very good morning." She added, planting them firmly against his for her most favourite thing in the world. Their good morning kiss and the best part of her day.
"It's shift day." Otis whispered, his tone equally as disappointed as the look on Dani's face when she heard him.
"Don't ruin the moment." Dani kissed him again, his lips smiling against hers as he couldn't help but chuckle.
Pulling back a little, Otis simply gazed down at her, the adoration in her eyes mirroring that which were in his own as he ran his thumb down the side of them, feeling as her face lifted when she smiled. Dani always loved when he'd look deep into her eyes, allowing her a chance to see past the twinkle of his irises and to the love that lingered behind them, waiting for the perfect time to rush the barrier and spill out over his lips.
Otis had been thinking about the perfect time to tell her that he loved her since... Honestly ever since that day she came to visit him at the firehouse. He didn't care if it was too soon. Didn't care if it sounded crazy. He was so head over heels in love with her that it honestly scared him a little, and he desperately wanted her to know that. But no matter how perfect a time may be, like now and every morning since that day, he could never seem to find the courage to do so.
"What are you thinking about?" Dani asked softly, bringing her hand up to gently draw her thumb down Otis's temple, snapping him from his love induced gaze.
"Just... You." He smiled, leaning down to kiss her and ignoring the feeling in the pit of his stomach. The one calling him a coward. "Always you."
"Yeah?" Dani teased, hooking her teeth over her lip as her hand dropped down to his neck, cupping it lightly, her fingers curling around the back of it. "What about me?"
"Oh you know..." Otis breathed out, pecking her lips between each sentence. "How pretty you are... How hot you are... How lucky I am... That I get to be... The one to kiss you... First thing in the morning."
"Such a sweet talker." Dani chuckled softly, kissing him again before he had to inevitably pull back and force himself out of the warmth of the bed.
Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, Otis leaned his elbows on his knees, running his hands down his tired face. These last two shifts had been exhausting, what with the whole slipping and falling on his ass in a bowling alley and then almost burning to death in a building the very same day. He hadn't told Dani that last part as he didn't want to worry her, but let's just say it had really taken it out of him lately.
"You seem stressed." Dani's husky voice met his ears, as did her body when he soon felt her come up behind him, her hands landing on his stiff shoulders as she knelt atop the bed. "Maybe you should take the day off... Relax a little before you wear yourself down."
"I'll be okay." Otis smiled a little, straightening his back to allow her to work her magic at loosening up his shoulders, her fingers working miracles against each and every knot present beneath his skin. "Boden's back today, so all will be as it was... You know, before Chief Pridgen."
"That Chief is lucky he never bumped into me otherwise I'd have kicked his ass for the way he treated you." Dani said with nothing but seriousness, her fingers digging just a little harder into Otis's shoulders as she thought about said Chief embarrassing her man like that.
"Ow, babe, you're pressing just a little hard." Otis strained, dipping his shoulders before Dani lifted her hands, allowing a touch of relief to spread throughout his body. He should have known better than to bring up Chief Pridgen when she was massaging him as she always did tend to anger easily.
"Sorry, sorry." Dani said around a sigh, leaning forward to press a soft kiss against the birthmark that sat just below his hairline. "I just hate the way he treated you." She added, her head shifting to the side so that she could rest her chin on his shoulder, her arms slipping under his to hold him back against her, never wanting to let him go. "Making you feel bad about yourself."
"I know, but it's over now. He's gone. Boden's back and besides..." Otis turned a little, the two of them now looking at each other, barely inches apart. "Nothing he could say to me would ever make me feel anything less, not when I have you to talk me up again."
"Damn right you do." Dani said around a scoff, making Otis chuckle softly before he pressed his lips against hers. She didn't even seem to acknowledge the kiss as it just came naturally to her now given the amount of times they did it, which is why Otis wasn't surprised that she went straight back to talking once he pulled back. "Because I'll always be here to talk you up... All day. Everyday. That's why I'm the best girlfriend."
Dani shrugged a little, a slight grin on her face as she looked oh so pleased with herself. She could feel Otis's soft laugh against her lips, his hot breath mixing with the coldness of her skin before he pulled her forward, kissing her deep enough that it made it hard for her to open her eyes again when he pulled back.
"That you are." He whispered, pecking her lips one last time before she released her hold on him as his second alarm had just started to go off.
The one he needed to set as moments like this often happened after his first and therefore he needed another reminder that he had a job to do and couldn't spend all day in bed with Dani.
"Are you working today?" Otis asked as he got changed into his work uniform, which he'd brought with him as he knew he wouldn't have time to go home and get it.
"Nah, I'll probably just lounge around here all day." Dani stretched out as she snuggled further under her fluffy duvet, shuffling over to the middle of the bed so that she could sprawl out and grab a few more hours of sleep once Otis left.
"And I'm totally not jealous at all." Otis replied around a sigh, catching sight of Dani's sneaky smile before she hid it behind her stuffed bear, the one he'd gotten her at the arcade and was now one of her most valued possessions.
Now changed into his uniform, Otis rounded the bed, leaning down to kiss Dani softly, almost pulling away until he felt her hand wrap around his wrist.
"Be careful." She whispered, her eyes full of worry like they always were on shift days.
"You know I always am." Otis assured her, brushing back her hair as his hand landed atop her forehead, slipping down to cradle the side of her face. "Especially when I have this face to come back to."
Dani smiled, a hint of blush creeping up on her cheek as her gaze dropped, focusing solely on the fire department logo that sat proudly on Otis's chest, right above his heart. Her mouth must have dropped a little, forming that frown that Otis always said would look cute if it didn't break his heart, as she soon felt his knuckle slip under her chin, gently raising her head to look at him again.
"I'll be fine, baby. I promise you." He said assuringly, tilting his head and urging her to agree with him.
"Yeah. Course." Dani smiled, a forced one but still, she smiled. "I know you will. I just... I can't help but worry."
"I know, and I love that you are, but you have nothing to worry about." Otis's thumb ghosted down her lips, his words as close to 'I love you' as he could bring himself to get.
He wanted to do it. To blurt out that he loved her but he couldn't. Or rather he wouldn't. His heart wanted to, God how it wanted to, but for some reason his brain and mouth said no, stopping him from being able to. And so instead he simply kissed her forehead like he always did and left for work, feeling like such a wuss for not being able to admit his feelings to the woman he loved as part of him was afraid that she wouldn't say it back.
"Oh man, that guy is crazy." Cruz chuckled, shaking his head as Otis was pulled back to reality, having zoned out when Severide's old buddy Scott Rice had been talking about... something. He hadn't been listening and frankly he didn't care.
"Yeah." Otis replied, forcing a dull laugh as he stared down into his coffee mug, twirling the liquid within and watching it spin, the firehouse lights overheard reflecting in the darkness.
"You okay, man?" Cruz asked, concerned as he hadn't seen that bleak a look on Otis's face since before he found Dani.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Otis sighed, earning nothing but slightly widened eyes and pressed together lips from Cruz, who was clearly in disbelief over that answer. "I just..."
Otis hesitated, his lips rolling as he debated whether or not to confess his cowardliness to Cruz, who he knew would hit him with a witty retort in response. What he needed was a serious answer, some real, proper advice but he wasn't sure whether or not Cruz would be able to provide that. At least not now anyway.
"Otis?"
Blinking, Otis turned back to his friend, his mouth opening as he went to speak before he was interrupted by the bells, a soft sigh leaving his lips in response. Only as the announcement grew longer, calling all companies, reporting an apartment fire and speaking the address, Otis quickly found that his mouth snapped shut and his blood had run cold.
"That's..." Casey began, sharing a look of concern with Severide as those in the common room got to their feet. He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence, to speak aloud what they'd all hoped they'd imagined as Otis had beaten him to it.
"Dani's apartment building."
With his heart racing, Otis practically ran to the apparatus floor, changing into his gear quicker than anyone had ever seen him do before. He didn't even wait for Cruz, or Casey, to give him permission before hopping into the driver's seat, tossing Cruz's helmet in the back and starting the truck before the others had even climbed in.
Neither Casey nor Cruz said anything about him driving, both of them knowing it would be completely useless as Otis wouldn't listen to them, not now anyway. They didn't have the heart to tell him otherwise either, both of them knowing just how much Otis loved Dani, even if he hadn't told her that himself, something he was now regretting.
Otis would never forgive himself if Dani didn't make it out of this fire. If he never got to tell her he loved her before she died. He didn't want to think about it, didn't want to even picture himself without her as even the mere thought of it made his eyes water, blurring the road ahead of him and making it as equally hard to drive as it was dangerous for him to do so.
Luckily enough the building wasn't too far from the firehouse, the smoke already visible from the end of the street which didn't instil much relief in Otis's chest. If anything it made him even more worried and he almost pushed the accelerator through the floor of the truck he was pressing on it that hard.
The truck came to a sudden stop, Otis all but falling out of it as he ran through the crowds, scanning faces and looking for any sign that Dani had gotten out. He could see those he recognised from the building. The elderly woman upstairs who he often held the door open for when they approached it at the same time. The guy with the dog that he always let out to pee at exactly 3.46pm every day. Even the newlyweds from the apartment down the hall. All of them were standing around outside and yet Dani was nowhere to be seen.
"Okay listen up, we have confirmation that the fire is located in unit 4..."
"Oh God, that's Dani's apartment." Otis cut Boden off, panic riddling his voice as he was about to run straight into the building. Only before he could so much as move an inch, he felt a tight grip on his arm, holding him back and causing him to fight against the strength of whoever was stopping him from getting to her.
"No." Boden said sternly, not at all being considerate when he shoved Otis back, stepping in front of him. "You're too close to this." He held up his finger, silencing Otis who was about to argue back. About to go on about how if it was anyone else in his shoes they'd have been allowed to run in before the trucks even settled.
Boden turned to the others, cocking his head towards the building before his eyes landed back on Otis, whose face was tighter than ever before and for once he was actually glaring at his Chief. Rage boiling inside him, overriding his worry and he was about to spill it out, to give Boden a piece of his mind when the apartment complex entrance flew open.
Otis's eyes shot immediately towards the sound of coughing, that black and white hair that had stopped him from finding Dani quicker making his shoulders sink from relief. He rounded Boden, weaving as fast as he could through the civilians scattered around the place. Dani was alive. She was alive and she looked perfectly fine, minus some minor smoke inhalation that caused her ragged coughs to keep reaching Otis's ears as he got closer to her.
"Dani!" He called, still worried regardless of her safety. Her head shot up, her eyes scanning the area until they locked onto him, a relief ridden chuckle, that was really more a breath, leaving her lips as she began to move closer to him.
"Brian." Dani whispered, barrelling into his arms the second she was close enough to him, feeling the padding of his turnout coat beneath her. The one she was too shaken to compliment like she often did.
"God, baby, I was so worried." Otis exhaled, his words trembling as he pressed an equally shaky kiss to the top of her head, not at all caring about the smoke that was caked in her hair.
"I don't know what happened." Dani coughed, her whole chest moving against his, her eyes watering at the scratchiness of her throat. "One minute everything was fine and the next minute, the kitchen is on fire."
"It's okay, baby. It's okay. You're safe now." Otis shushed, pulling back a little to cup her soot covered face with both hands. Her upper lip trembled, the tears escaping from her eyes which he quickly wiped away, smudging the ash over her face. He was about to say it, about to tell her he loved her before her face suddenly dropped.
"Oh God... Chucky. He's still... He's still in there." Dani went to run, to go back inside and save her beloved cat, but just like Otis himself had been, she was held back.
"You can't go back in there." Otis said, no matter how much it pained him to do so. She fought against his hold, choked sobs escaping her lips before she gave up, allowing him to pull her back into his arms where she cried against his chest. "He'll be okay... As firefighters, we never, ever see cats in the aftermath of a fire."
"I hope you're right." Dani mumbled, sniffling as she used her sleeves to wipe at her face. She felt sick. Tired. Worried to death, not only about her cat but about her apartment. All her things. Her memories.
All the pictures she had of her family. Of her and Otis. Her childhood toys. Her dads things. Even the stuffed bear Otis had gotten her. All of that which she held so dearly could end up destroyed. Nothing but ash as her life fell apart around her, the only thing keeping her up being Otis, who never once let her go until the fire was out and overhaul was complete.
"The fire did spread a little into the living area but we got it under control quickly so it didn't reach the bedroom or the whole east side of the apartment. Unfortunately though, the kitchen was completely destroyed." The engine Lieutenant told her, relieving her just a little as most of her most treasured items were in her bedroom so luckily she hadn't lost everything.
"Did you, uh, did you see a cat while you were in there?" She asked, her voice higher than usual as she swallowed down the lump in her throat, Otis's arm comfortingly around her shoulder.
"No. We never usually do." The Lieutenant replied, Dani's head falling against Otis's chest as she laughed in relief. "Chances are he escaped and is wandering around the building somewhere."
"Thank you." Dani gave him a smile, as much as a one that she could manage given the circumstances. "Am I allowed to go in?"
The engine Lieutenant glanced at Otis, who subtly nodded his head, knowing that Dani wouldn't rest until she did. It wasn't exactly safe but as long as he was with her, it would be fine if she went in to start gathering up what was left of her stuff.
"God..." Dani breathed out, lifting the charred remains of... something off the kitchen counter, tossing it back down and wiping her hand on her shirt. "Everything's ruined."
"The living room seems mostly untouched." Otis said hesitantly, stepping up beside her. "It appears as though the fire only got the curtains before it was put out."
"What am I supposed to do now?" Dani's cracking voice said as she turned to him, her eyes once again glassy as they avoided eye contact. "My brother lives in a studio apartment... I've got... Where am I supposed to go...?"
"Hey." Otis cupped her face gently, wiping away the single tear that rolled down her face. "It's okay, Dani... You don't have to worry about that right now, okay? For the meantime, you can stay with me."
"Are you sure?" Dani choked out, wiping her other eye as she dipped her head forward, only for Otis to lift it back up.
"Of course I'm sure." He chuckled softly, making her smile just a little. "You've basically been letting me stay here this whole month so let me repay the favour... And don't worry about Cruz, he'll be more than happy to have you stay with us."
"Okay." Dani whispered, nodding her head as her smile grew. And her heart too. She knew he'd practically been living with her lately but it still felt strange to think about officially staying with him, in his shared apartment, when she didn't have anywhere else to go. "Thank you."
"It's not a problem." Otis said in an equal whisper, pulling her face forwards to kiss her softly. "Really... I want you around and I'll take any chance I can get because I... I..."
Meow.
"Chucky?" Dani pulled away, making Otis scrunch up his lips as he'd just been about to say the 'L' word. She moved from him, casting her eyes across the entirety of her semi-burnt out apartment before they landed on a bundle of orange fur that was cowering beneath her glass coffee table.
Falling to her knees in front of the table, Dani's eyes watered more and more as she coaxed the scared cat out, Chucky practically leaping into her arms the second he saw her. She buried her face into his fur, his continuing meowing filling the room as his tiny claws extracted, digging into Dani's skin. But right now she didn't care. He was alive and to her that's all that mattered.
"Hey, little guy." Otis said happily, crouching down beside Dani and giving Chucky a few soft pats to the head. She glanced over her shoulder, finding his eyes past the fur of the cat, her smile widening as everything began to feel alright again.
Sure her apartment was damaged. Probably beyond that which she'd go to lengths to get fixed. She'd probably leave all that to her landlord once he drained her insurance to cover the damages. And sure, some of her pictures and drawings her cousin's kids had given her that had been stuck on the fridge were gone, but her cat was alive. Her bedroom was untouched, meaning most, if not all, of her most treasured items were unharmed, and that was more than she could have ever asked for in a situation such as this.
Come the end of an eventful shift, one that thankfully had a happy ending, Otis made for his own apartment for once, just knowing that Dani was more than likely asleep in his very own bed made him feel all warm and tingly inside. She hadn't even been to his apartment in the time they were together, her first time seeing it being by herself after her own nearly burned to the ground.
He barreled through the front door, Cruz still five flights of stairs behind him as Otis had run up them four at a time in his eagerness to see Dani. He slowed as he approached his bedroom, not wanting to make too much noise in case he woke Dani up, she'd need her sleep after what she went through, but to his surprise when he pushed open the door she was already awake, sitting upright against his headboard with one of his t-shirts covering her body.
"Damn, that t-shirt looks better on you than it does me." Otis said with a smile, dropping his bag at his feet as Dani's head shot up, having not even heard him come in.
"I hope you don't mind." She said shyly, glancing down at said t-shirt that she'd taken from his drawer. "All of mine smelt like smoke."
"No, not at all." Otis shook his head, coming to sit on the edge of the bed, gently pulling her in for a kiss. "How are you doing?"
"I'm okay, I guess." Dani sighed, chewing at her lip as Otis brushed her hair back behind her ear, his hand settling on the side of her head. "It helped having an actual bed to sleep in instead of Aaron's couch which I'd have ended up on." She added humorously, making Otis smile warmly to himself.
"Well it's not as comfy as yours but it does the job." Otis chuckled, Dani nodding a little in agreement as he got to his feet, kicking off his shoes and climbing out of his clothes before joining her in the warmth of his bed. The one he hadn't slept in for who knows how long. "Yep. Definitely not as comfy."
"I'll soon make it comfy, don't you worry." She said playfully, taking his hand in hers and lacing their fingers together, bringing it up to kiss his knuckles. "I'll have it so comfy that you'll be dying to come back to mine again once I find a new place."
A new place. Those words cut through Otis's chest like a knife through butter. Sure he didn't expect her to think that when he told her she could stay he meant forever. Which he kind of did, but to hear her actually talk about leaving so soon, well it made his heart beat quicken beneath his chest and the hand that she held start to get a little sweatier than normal.
"What if... What if you didn't find a new place?" Otis said so quietly he half expected Dani not to have heard him, but when he glanced over at her and her head was tilted, her eyes a little wide from the shock of where this was going, it appeared as though she did. "What if you just stayed here? W-With me?"
"Are you serious?" She asked, her mouth a little gaped as her breath hitched just a touch.
"Yeah." Otis nodded, turning to look at her better, taking her other hand in his and holding them up to his chest. "I'm serious, Dani. I want you to move in with me."
"It's not too soon?" Dani questioned, as though on the odds about answering. And normally that would worry Otis, but everything about her voice told him she was going to agree.
Pulling gently at her hands, silently motioning for her to climb onto his lap, Otis's own hands soon fell to her hips, holding her close as her arms wrapped around his neck.
"Baby, I asked you to be my girlfriend five days after we met, I think at this stage I'm actually a little late in asking you to move in with me." Otis laughed, his hold on her sliding around her back, hands creeping under his own shirt that covered her body in order to feel the heat of her skin beneath his touch.
"Then okay." Dani whispered, nodding her head a little as she smiled, her fingers delving into his dark locks, twirling them around the first digit on each hand. "I'll move in with you."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." Dani smiled, her head nodding more as she leaned in, taking Otis's lips in hers for a much needed, much sought after kiss. She only meant it to be a sweet kiss, a thank you kiss, mixed with excitement at the thought of moving in, but the more their lips moved against one another's, the more they both knew it wasn't going to end at just a kiss.
Otis's hands began to roam her body, moving upwards, fingers tracing the curve of her waist, sliding round her back, trailing up the bumps of her spine which tingled beneath him. Her t-shirt bunched up the higher he got, forcing him to grip the end of it and pull apart from her so that he could pull it off her head, revealing her bare chest underneath.
The second the material hit the floor Otis's mouth was on her again, kissing her hard, his hands dropping, fingers digging into the flesh of her ass she ground herself against him, moaning into his mouth at that perfect brush of his hardening erection beneath her. She pulled back, swearing under her breath as she continued to grind her hips, soft whimpers leaving her lips as she bit down on them.
"You are so goddamn perfect." Otis groaned against the skin of her neck, his teeth sinking into that one spot that always makes her end up a soaking mess. And from what he could feel seeping through his boxers, it was clear that it was working. He suckled gently, nibbling lightly at her flesh, marking her as his own as she held him against her, almost unable to contain herself.
The second Otis moved lowered, his mouth cupping her breast, tongue flicking at her hardened nipple, Dani all but came apart on top of him. She grabbed his hand, forcing it between her legs and humming deeply as he delved beneath her panties. He always knew exactly how to touch her. Exactly what drove her crazy. What had her begging him to fuck her so it was no surprise that once his fingers met her throbbing clit she couldn't take it anymore.
Dropping her hands, Dani pushed down the waistband of Otis's boxers, freeing his already hardened cock that was all but dripping from the tip. His hips lifted, allowing her to slide them down his legs, which he kicked a little to get them all the way down. She didn't even bother taking off her own panties, instead she just pushed them aside, taking hold of him before lifting her hips, angling them forwards before slowly sinking down onto him, gasping at just how much he stretched her open.
"Fuck..." Otis groaned, placing his hands on her hips, his fingers pressing deep into her flesh as she ground against him, helping adjust to his size. "I'm not wearing protection."
"I don't care." Dani gasped as she lifted her hips until nothing but the tip remained inside her. "This time... I only want to feel you."
An unintelligible babble of Russian swear words left Otis's lips when Dani sank back down onto his length, biting hard on her lip, her eyes already rolling into the back of her head as she repeated the motion. His hand slid up her back, fingers threading through her hair as he pulled her closer to him, feeling the coldness of her breasts press against his chest, rolling over him with each bounce of her body on top of him.
"Do you have any idea how good you feel?" Otis moaned into her ear, sucking briefly on her lobe before he began to buck his hips, fucking his swelling cock up and into her.
The room began to fill with the sound of skin on skin, Dani's moans muffled into Otis's shoulder, her teeth sinking into the hardness of it when he began to thrust almost mercilessly into her, pain mixing with intense pleasure as she bounced her hips, meeting him thrust for thrust.
Ragged pants left her lips, her body sweating against his and each time he hit that sweet spot deep inside her, Dani could feel the fire in her lower abdomen growing fiercer, about to flashover inside and send her flying over the edge of her orgasm.
Otis stilled briefly inside her, just enough for her to come back down a little as he could tell she wasn't ready to come yet. He lifted her up, flipping her over and the second her back hit the bed and her legs parted further, he picked up the pace, his eyes glued to the bounce of her breasts as her head sank into the mattress beneath her, fingers gripping the sheets before her hands flew to Otis's biceps, feeling the way they strained as he held himself up.
"Fuck... Brian." Dani panted as she tilted her head, locking eyes with Otis and feeling the way she began to clench around him again, his cock pulsating inside her, every thrust hitting that one spot so perfectly she was already seeing stars. "Fuck... I'm gonna come."
"Come for me, baby." Otis groaned, lips crashing against hers, tasting the moans that crept up her throat as if on command, Dani fell apart beneath him. Her body shook, her fingernails digging so hard into his arms he thought she might draw blood.
Otis could feel his own end approaching but he held it back, wanting to give Dani every single ounce of pleasure he could as he continued to thrust his hips, picking up the pace and prolonging her orgasm as much as he possibly could.
The second Dani pulled away from his lips, in desperate need of air as she slowly fell from her high, Otis met his own end, unable to hold it back any longer. One last thrust sent his release shooting out of him, the warmth of which Dani felt inside her for the first time, exactly as she wanted when she chose not to wrap up beforehand. His eyelids fluttered, a soft moan leaving his lips and when his mouth opened, Dani half expected her name to fall from it.
But it didn't.
Instead it was something far, far better than she could have asked for.
"I love you." His own words met his ears, lifting his head and he didn't even take in the widened smile on Dani's face before he started babbling. "I didn't... That wasn't..."
"Brian." Dani pressed her thumb against his lips, silencing him and when she knew he wasn't about to keep rambling on she repositioned her hand, cupping his face and running the same thumb down his cheek. "I love you too."
The smile that grew on Otis's face was unlike any Dani had seen from him before, even the one he had the day he found her was nothing compared to right now. His dimples were extra deep, as were the creases by his eyes and the second that smile dropped his lips were on hers again, kissing her in a way that made it feel as though there were sparks between them.
Every ounce of self doubt, any lingering thought that might have plagued Otis's mind about their relationship disappeared for good in that very moment, being replaced by nothing but deep, intense love for the woman he'd searched so long for and never thought he'd ever find.
All that didn't matter now, all those near misses, thoughts about giving up, wishes about having more luck when it came to women. That was all in the past. All a different lifetime ago as right here... Right now... As he gazed into the eyes of the only woman he ever wanted to love, he knew wouldn't have had things any other way.
For once in his life, Otis found that he didn't need luck anymore. Why would he when he had everything he needed right there with him? When he had the most perfect woman in all of Chicago, maybe even the world? No, for as long as he lived, for as long as he and Dani were together, Otis knew that he would never need any form of luck ever again.
-
and there you have it... the final chapter of this little book!
i never intended to end it here as i want to do an epilogue but this seemed like such a perfect ending an i wouldn't want to ruin it with an epilogue so yeah, this story is complete and Otis and Dani will go on to live a long and happy life together just like Otis deserved in the show
thank you to everyone who has read this book and to those of you who have been with me from the beginning, you guys are great and ily and hopefully i'll see some of you on some of my other books 🩵