Beauty And Her Beast

9 - Late Night Conversation

"Oh my gosh stop lying!"

"I'm not," Ray chuckled softly, pushing the piece of chocolate he was chewing to the side of his mouth.

It was nearly one in the morning and even though Ray had been there for over two hours already, the conversation between the two hadn't died at all. Around eleven they were nearly caught when Danny's parents came to say goodnight but when they didn't actually come in the room, Danny and Ray continued their secret date in comfort on the floor with blankets, pillows, chocolate truffles, and music playing softly in the background.

"There is no way you snuck into a backstreet boys concert when you were twelve," Danny laughed. She was sitting on the floor leaning against the bed just like Ray was but, unlike him, she was curled up in a cocoon of blankets and wore her favorite Mickey Mouse slippers.

Ray simply shrugged his shoulders and though his face remained blank overall, Danny could see the amusement in his eyes.

"There is a way, and I did. It's not my fault though. My sister was obsessed even though they were pretty much out of style already and it was her birthday so I had to get her something. My plan was to get an autograph, not arrested."

"Wait they actually arrested you?! You were only twelve!"

"Well it didn't go on my record or anything but it was my first ride in the back of a police car."

"You say that like you've ridden in the back of a police car more than once," Danny mumbled, testing the ground to see how deep she could go with him. Ray probably knew all there was to know about her now but the more they talked and the more she got to know him the more she realized she hardly knew anything about him. She could ask questions but Ray had this smooth way of distracting a person from what the point was and guiding them to another topic. By the time that person realized he hadn't actually answered, it was too late.

Ray, who was picking at the m&m's in his hand, was silent. God he'd been in a police car more than he could count. Hell, when he was seventeen he was charged as an adult in a battery case and stayed in jail for nearly a whole year. The law and police-as well as their vehicles-were not new to him.

And he wasn't ashamed or embarrassed to admit that.

Until it came to Danny.

"Have you ever been in the back of a police car?" He asked and to his surprise Danny didn't hesitate to answer.

"Once. When I was seven a friend of my dad's let me play with the handcuffs in the back. Now stop avoiding the question. You've got a record don't you?"

Ray smirked in the dim lighting of the room and Danny narrowed her eyes at him. She was pushing, crossing boundaries he didn't think she was ready to cross, but he liked that spunky spirit in her. She was shy at times but clearly she wasn't a pushover.

Setting the chocolate candy to the side, Ray looked down at Danny and let his eyes wander. She wore no makeup, was in something as simple as sweats and a t-shirt, and her hair was pulled into a messy bun.

She was the complete opposite of Joy or what he was used to yet Ray still found her completely unpredictable.

He leaned closer and Danny swallowed but forced her self to stay where she was and not pull away despite how short of breath he made her.

"I might," Ray said, stopping when he was only a few inches from Danny's face. Danny licked her lips and swallowed. After talking so long she'd almost forgotten how attractive and dominating he was but, now that he was so close in her face, it was impossible to ignore.