Dylan caught it against his chest and smiled. And suddenly, Darius saw exactly what Kate had been talking about. That smile was like looking in a mirror. Or maybe a time machine, before he started growing so much five o’clock shadow.
“I can make huevos rancheros like you wouldn’t believe,” he said. “Mom taught me.”
“All right then. Look forward to that.” He hovered in the hallway that led to his bedroom. What was he supposed to say now? Where was Kate with all her words when he needed her?
He cleared his throat. Logistics. Those were always a good topic. “There’s an extra key under the mat. But this is Lost Harbor and there’s not much to worry about.”
“Except fires,” said Dylan. His tone of voice was so extra dry that it took Darius a moment to see he was joking.
“Yeah. I guess so. And for the record?” He paused to get his tone just right. “I don’t joke about fires. Ever.”
Dylan’s smile disappeared. “Sorry, Mr. —” He stopped dead. “I mean, Fire Chief. Sir. I mean...what should I call you?”
Wow. Good question. Nothing in the realm of “dad” or “father.” That would just be weird. What would Kate suggest?
He could picture her laughing answer. Big Guy is taken, that’s what I call you. How about just your name? Why is this complicated?
“You can just call me Darius.”
The kid nodded and unrolled the sleeping bag onto the couch. Darius escaped into his bedroom and closed the door behind him, with a feeling of shutting out the entire big scary world Kate had mentioned.
His phone dinged. Text from Kate.
You guys doing okay?
Fuck if I know, he answered.
You got this. Get some sleep.
But what do I do with him? He fired off a string of texts. I missed the playing with Legos phase. The playing catch phase. I missed all the phases.
Just be yourself.
That sounded like a bad idea. His grumpy ass had no business taking on a troubled, grieving kid. But what else could he do?
Good luck. Don’t worry. Conking out now. Been a long day.
No shit. Not just long, but with some unbelievable ups and downs. His world had completely changed since their time together in her bed. And now that he had a boy on his hands, when was the next time he’d find his way up to her place?
Not long at all, if you counted dreams.
He fell asleep almost instantly, and his brief hours of sleep were filled with Kate. Naked Kate, laughing Kate, arguing Kate, kind Kate. Smart Kate, with her good advice. Lusty Kate. The more Kate, the merrier.
He woke up…happy. Not scared, just happy.
He had a son.
That truth sank through him like a blast of sunshine after a long winter. He had a son. Something he’d basically given up on—a family—had magically appeared in his life.
The answer to last night’s worries was simple, after all. He’d do anything his son needed. End of story.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Kate’s offer of help was accepted the very next day. Darius had a training he couldn’t miss.
“Can you go with Dylan to his meeting with Maya? The news is already all over town and I just got a call from her. She wants to see him immediately. He could use your legal…presence. I’d really appreciate it.”
How could she say “no” to that deep voice on the phone?
“After all the times you helped me? Of course.”
“I’ll make it up to you.” She shivered at the promise in his voice.
Around noon, she led Dylan into Maya’s office at the fire and police building. Two folding chairs awaited them, along with an extremely stern police chief.
“So.” Maya planted her elbows on the desk and fixed Dylan with her classic Officer Badger stare. “You’re the one responsible for Lost Harbor’s first arson spree.”
He gulped. “I’m real sorry, ma’am.” When he was nervous, his Texas drawl became even more obvious. “I wasn’t trying to hurt anybody. It was just old stuff I didn’t think would matter.”
“You never know what’s going to matter to someone.”
He hung his head and stared at the floor. He must be having flashbacks to all the lectures he’d gotten last night.
Kate came to his rescue.
“Chief Badger, Dylan O’Connor is a minor and extremely remorseful over his actions. While they were of course reprehensible, he is willing and ready to make recompense for them in any way you deem acceptable.”
Maya blinked at her. “Hello, lawyer.”
“Hello, Chief.” Kate bit back a smile. Maya had never seen her in full legal mode. Lawyer versus police chief—definitely a shift from the days of hanging out on the boardwalk in their swimsuits.
“Are you representing this boy?”
“Not officially. I’m here on behalf of Darius. He’s unable to be here so I volunteered to speak for him.”
“So it’s true what I hear, that Dylan is…?” Maya drew out the question for Kate to answer.
“Dylan is Darius’ newly discovered son. He claims full responsibility for Dylan. If you decide to charge him with something, Darius will support it. But he’s hoping we can work out something short of charging him with a crime.”
A twinge of irritation crossed Maya’s smooth brown face. “You know what would be great? If people who didn’t want to be charged with crimes didn’t commit crimes.”
“Yes. That would obviously be preferable.”
“Are you going to send me back, ma’am?” Dylan burst out.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do with you yet.”
“Then let us handle it.” Kate leaned forward eagerly. “I was going to suggest some form of community service related to fire mitigation. Dylan has already offered free labor to Emma. If he does the same to everyone whose property he damaged, that seems much more productive than sending him to court. He is truly remorseful. His actions were born out of anger and grief over the loss of his mother. It’s not something that’s going to continue. He poses no danger to this community.”
“And you can guarantee that? Or Darius can?”
“I guarantee it,” Dylan said eagerly. “A hundred percent.”
“And Darius will back that up,” Kate added. “Financially, legally, in whatever way you can think of.”
“Pretty unusual for a fire chief to vouch for a firebug,” Maya said dryly. “I’m not sure how well that’s going to go over around here.”
“Everything about this situation is unusual. But they say that strange things happen around Lost Souls Wilderness, so…”
“Not what that saying means. Not even close.” Maya shut that approach down pretty quick. Just as if she were in court, Kate switched gears.
It was fun to use her legal muscles again, she had to admit.
“Dylan understands that if there’s any more trouble, he won’t be able to stay here. Right, Dylan?”
“Yes, ma’am. Ma’ams.”
His “ma’am” didn’t seem to soften Maya much. She leaned back in her chair and steepled her fingers together. “I’m still trying to understand why you did something so boneheaded, Dylan. Were you trying to get Darius’ attention?”
He twisted his mouth to one side. “I guess. Maybe. Why does it matter? I’m not going to do it anymore.”
“See, that’s the thing. How do I know that? If you were trying to get his attention, well, now you have it. Mission accomplished. On the other hand, if you were trying to be the opposite of everything Darius is, how do I know you won’t keep on being the opposite?”
Dylan stared at her blankly. “Huh?”
“It’s a rebellion thing. He puts out fires, you were setting fires. Look at Kate, here. Her father is…okay, I’ll skip the details, but Kate rebelled by becoming a lawyer. So if you’re on a rebellion trip, I look at Darius and I see an upstanding guy, someone I know will do the right thing, someone strong, both physically and mentally, highly respected and kind. Kate, anything to ad
d to that description?”
She could think of many things, but none of them were appropriate at the moment. “I agree with all of the above. You could include stubborn, though maybe patient would be better.”
“Patient. Good enough.” Maya turned back to Dylan. “My point is, that’s who Darius is. That’s someone you can be proud to call your father. But if you’re set on going the opposite direction—”
“I’m not,” Dylan said quickly. “I was just really messed up.”
“Will you agree to see a therapist?”
Dylan made a face, but Kate dropped her hand onto his shoulder and spoke in his stead. “You bet. I’ll make sure of it.”
Maya looked from one to the other of them. She clicked off items on her fingers. “Therapist. Darius takes responsibility. Zero leeway for errors. Are we all understood?”
“Yes.” Dylan and Kate both nodded, then he added a quick, “Thank you, Officer.”
“It’s police chief, actually.” But Maya’s expression finally softened into a wink. “You should get your terminology right. You’re lucky you have such good advocates speaking up for you. Don’t mess this up, kid.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
Kate nudged him to his feet, figuring they should leave while they were ahead.
“And don’t expect everyone to be this forgiving,” Maya warned him. “Kate, got an extra second?”
Kate nodded. “Wait outside for a sec, Dylan.” She closed the door and faced her old friend. “You have more questions?”
“Yeah. I do.” An unfamiliar expression of hurt came over Maya’s face. “I’m used to you being in the middle of trouble. I’m not used to being the last to hear about it.”
“We just found out last—” She stopped as she realized what Maya was referring to. Not Dylan’s mess…her own. She squeezed her eyes shut. Time for her to face her friend. “Did Emma fill you in?”
“While you were gone. She was worried.”
Kate tilted her head back with a groan. “I should have told you everything. I was just…embarrassed.”
“Embarrassed?”
“My father’s always been a grifter, but not some hardcore criminal. And I defended him. Well, I represented him. You’re a police officer, you protect and serve, and you’re great at it. And meanwhile I’m…” She shuddered to demonstrate her own disgust at herself. “Repping a lifelong scam artist.”
“He’s your father.”
“I don’t need reminding.” Kate still couldn’t manage to meet Maya’s eyes.
“I’d probably do anything for my dad too.”
“That’s different. Harris is a prince among parents. He’s a gem.”
Maya got to her feet and came around her desk. “Kate, you’re not your father. Would your father quit his job to protect you?”
Kate screwed up her face, trying to imagine such a scenario. “He wouldn’t even stay in the same town so I could finish out a school year.”
“Exactly. You’re one of the best, most loyal people I know. You always act like you’re some bad seed. I was there for Naughty Kate. You were never bad. You sure as jeebus aren’t bad now. Ever think maybe you should stop seeing yourself that way?”
Finally Kate allowed herself to look her friend in the eye. The easy acceptance she saw there made her want to cry. Of all the people she’d ever known, Maya was one of those she respected the most. They used to have so much fun together, laughing until they cried. Her biggest teenage regrets were the times she’d gotten Maya into trouble with her father.
“Would I be best friends with a bad seed?” Maya demanded.
“Very unlikely,” Kate agreed with a smile. “If you were, you’d straighten her out before she got out of high school.”
“Oh no, that wasn’t me.” Maya shook her head firmly. “You did that, Kate. Stop beating yourself up. And start confiding in your goddamn friends. Trust us.”
Kate tapped a finger on her chin. “Funny, Darius said almost exactly the same thing. Except he wasn’t dressed when—”
“Okay, you don’t have to confide that much.”
As they walked through the corridor after she’d left Maya’s office, Dylan let out a breath of relief. “Whoa. She’s such a badass.”
“That she is. But she has a fun side too. She’s one of my best friends. Do you want to see where Darius works? The fire department is in the other wing of this building.”
He made an uneasy face. “I don’t think so. The other firemen…”
They reached the exit and pushed out into the sunshine. A yellow fire engine filled one side of the lot, drying in the open air. It gleamed in the bright midday light.
“That’s the one that came to the farm last night,” Dylan said.
“Is it?” The fire engines all looked the same to her.
He bit his lower lip, looking even younger than fifteen. “It was terrible, what I did. S.G. thinks I should do something to say I’m sorry. She offered me her knife to carve something but I don’t know how.”
“That doesn’t sound like a good idea,” Kate said quickly. The last thing she wanted was Dylan in possession of a weapon when he was already on thin ice. “What else could you make? Or do?”
“I’m pretty good at cooking. I used to work at my stepdad’s restaurant.”
“Well, one thing I know for sure is that firefighters love to eat. What else?”
“I play guitar.”
“Really? Did you know that Darius is a fantastic bass player?”
“He is?” His pale face lit up until he looked almost like a regular excited kid.
“Oh yeah. And let me tell you, there’s nothing quite as attractive to the girls as a guy playing music. Just something to think about.”
“I don’t want a girlfriend. My life is very complicated right now.”
His serious tone nearly made her burst out laughing. That line could have come straight from the mouth of a twice-divorced fire chief.
Maybe it was another thing that ran in the family.
But she knew Darius better now, and she understood that his wariness came from being a romantic at heart. A wounded romantic.
She was the jaded one who’d never really allowed herself to get close to someone.
But now she was getting drawn in, bit by bit, day by day. Body part by body part. First all her naughty bits had fallen under Darius’ spell. Now her brain was tied up with Darius and his new son.
What if her heart came next? Would that really be so bad?
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Darius quickly fell into a routine with Dylan. The boy would sleep in and make his own breakfast. Then he’d walk to the firehouse and put in some time doing community service with the crew. When that was completed, Darius would drive him to Petal to the Metal, where he did whatever Emma required.
Often he would spot Kate at the peony farm, and they’d have a quick conversation along the lines of:
“Can I come up tonight?”
“l’ll leave the deadbolt off. Key’s under the mat.”
In the evenings, Darius would make dinner with Dylan—they both liked to cook. Sometimes Kate would come downstairs to eat with them. Later, after Dylan had fallen asleep on the couch, Darius would slip out the door and tiptoe up the stairs to Kate’s. And they’d spend the next few hours devouring each other and talking late into the night.
They talked about everything—his fears about suddenly being a father; her bad-girl teenager years; his love for the blues and especially Muddy Waters; the frustration and entertainment of being the daughter of Frank Robinson; why he’d become a fireman—with no family in the works, he’d channeled his protective nature into firefighting; what she missed about LA—mostly it seemed to come down to brunch, for some reason.
He hadn’t felt this close to anyone for a very long time. It helped to share his worries about Dylan—how to take care of him, how to get the town to accept him after what he’d done, how to connect with him.
As for Kate, she f
inally seemed to completely trust him. She no longer talked about leaving, and he liked that. A lot.
Tonight, sleepy-eyed, she opened the door for him wearing the sexiest little sleep tank and shorts he’d ever seen.
He slipped inside and slid his hand onto her ass. Those shorts were just too tempting. Her skin warmed through the thin fabric.
All day long, as he and his crew sat through a session on preparing for biohazard emergencies, he’d looked forward to this moment.
Her smooth curves settled under his hands as if some cosmic sculptor had created her ass and his hands as one perfect work of art. “God, I missed you.”
Against his chest, her body vibrated with laughter. “You saw me at lunchtime.”
“That was hours ago. Let me feel that skin. I need my hands on you. I need to feel you.” His voice was low and urgent. Sometimes his need for Kate shocked him, but he blocked out the alarm bells.
He didn’t care if this was risky, or if he was sliding down a slippery slope into a different kind of relationship. Right now he wanted her and he needed her and she wasn’t objecting. Not at all.
She hooked one leg around the back of his thigh. He felt the radiant heat of her pussy press against him. With a chest-deep groan, he gripped her ass cheek and rotated her against him.
Her nipples hardened under that skimpy little top. He looked down and saw the dark peaks push against the nearly see-through cotton. Her top clung so erotically to the full mounds of her breasts that the saliva dried up in his mouth.
He cupped them in his hands, with the feeling that he was filling himself up with everything he needed. Touch, release, glory, hope. And sexy, sensual woman.
She moaned as he skimmed his thumbs across her nipples. The material of the shirt offered extra friction that made her shudder, so he left it right where it was, at least for now. With thumbs and forefingers, he pinched those plump points of flesh into hot hard peaks. She arched her back so her top rode up and exposed a pale flash of skin. Her head fell back, offering him absolute and total access to her body.
Ah God, what a sight. Under his own sleepwear, his cock was already rock hard and pushing against her belly. She twisted her body back and forth against his, caressing him with the bare skin of her stomach.
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