by Snow, Ava
*****
Darius knew he had seen her at the House last week. His Lia—with all that butter caramel skin encasing a bevy of lush curves. She’d let her dark brown hair grow longer in the six years since they’d parted. It now hung long and straight down her back. He had run into her friend Sheila a few days ago and wondered if she had mentioned to Lia that she had seen him. After some coaxing Sheila had told him about this night club and the fact they came here a couple times a week for drinks and dancing. He’d taken a chance and showed up tonight. Now he sat in the shadows of the club watching her and her friends. Nursing a beer at one of the small tables in the back, he’d felt her presence even before he’d seen her. The lighting was dim, but the strobe lights around the place made it easy for him to watch her. He probably would be considered a stalker as he’d never let his eyes leave her. Damn, he’d missed her.
He was sure she’d seen him when she suddenly scanned the room, as if she knew he was watching her. Lia and her friends moved from the bar to the dance floor and he swore he would come in his pants just watching her move. The way her hips moved to the sensual beat of the Latin music the DJ had switched to had him picturing her riding his cock in the same fashion. The way she put her hands in her hair, lifted it while rotating her hips and ass made him squirm in his seat. His groan was loud enough for the couple at the other table to glare at him.
Control. He needed to regain his control. Adjusting his massive hard-on in his jeans, he tried to stop the images of burying it deep within Lia once again. He had stayed away six years—six long years of hell. He’d learned much about himself and his craft in the time he’d been away. It was time to reclaim what was rightfully his and fill the gaping hole in his heart.
Chapter Three
It was late evening; the bakery was empty except for her and Kim, her perky pastry intern. She was making peach and blueberry pies for the next day when she heard that familiar voice. Looking out the open doorway of the kitchen into the seating area of her small bakery, Lia couldn’t believe he stood there. The space could only hold three small round tables with two chairs each and the display cabinet with the register at one end. His huge frame was taking up what extra space there was. It had been six years since she’d last seen him. In an instant her mind and body ran the gamut of emotions, but settled on indifference. Or at least that’s what she told herself. Sheila told her just yesterday that Darius was back in town and that she had seen him a couple days earlier. As she looked at him standing at the counter, she remembered that Darius had always been huskily tall, but now he’d developed into pure brawn. He still towered over her at six-three, yet was now a good two hundred fifty pounds of solid muscle. He took her breath away. God he was gorgeous. His sun-kissed flesh matched his gray eyes and dark hair. Hair that looked like living silk that he’d let grow to his shoulders. The button up shirt and slacks he wore fit him perfectly, like they were made for him. He looked like walking sex. The years had been nothing but good to him. She could see that Kim had already fallen under his spell from her spot behind the counter.
Turning away from the imposing sight of him and the memories he brought to the forefront of her mind, she went back to kneading the dough for her pies. Six years ago, he’d left her. She’d given him her heart and he’d broken it into pieces. In all that time, she still hadn’t put the pieces of herself back together. He’d told her he’d loved her. That he’d never hurt her. He’d lied on both accounts.
“I think your dough is ruined.”
Startled by his deep baritone voice, she jerked her hands and the dough between them. “Shit!” So lost in her thoughts, she hadn’t heard him come into the kitchen. The ball was ruined for what she needed to do. Tossing it to the side, she wiped her hands on her apron before turning to him. “Darius. I heard you were in town,” she said with a lazy shrug as if she didn’t care. But she did. Just his nearness was making her heart beat erratically.
She watched as he stood with his hands fisted tightly at his sides as if willing himself to keep them there. “I got in a few days ago.”
Her body came to life at just the sound of his voice and damn she didn’t need that. She nodded her head. “I heard about your dad. How is he doing?” She had heard through the grapevine that Davis McKade had suffered a heart attack, was resting at home.
“Lia, I didn’t come here to talk about my father.”
“Then what did you come to talk about?” Her mind started racing, it felt as though she couldn’t breathe as they stood alone. His presence after all this time was a shock to her system. She didn’t know how or what she should be feeling with him standing right in front of her.
“Precious…”
Her anger rose as he dared to call her that. “Don’t call me that! You don’t have that right any longer!” She all but spat the words at him. Sometimes she could still hear him whispering it in her ear as he made love to her. His deep sigh brought her head back up to meet those beautiful gray eyes.
“Lia, I came to see you. Talk to you.”
“About what, Darius? I’ve got pies to make, so please get to it.” Her tone was beyond bitchy, and she really didn’t care. The kitchen of her bakery was just as small as the lounge and with him standing so close plus the two ovens on, the room started to feel even smaller…all the more hotter. Even with the late summer breeze blowing through the open windows of the kitchen, she began to sweat. The t-shirt she wore under her apron began to stick to her body.
She looked like a hot mess, and he looked so calm it made her anger rise even further. How dare he be calm and collected when she was dying inside. The remembered pain and loss of the way he left almost brought her to her knees. She didn’t want to face those memories. Lia thought she had put it all behind her. Well you haven’t, she told herself. Turning away from him and grabbing another ball of dough, she began kneading as she waited for him to speak.
*****
She was more beautiful than he remembered; a vision that had never left him. He wanted to reach out and touch her, wrap her in his arms and hold tight. Those dark brown eyes that always took his breath away were filled with pain and anger. How could he tell her all the things he needed to say? She would probably hate him more.
“Precious, I…” He began to speak only to stop at the look she threw him over her shoulder. She was still his Precious whether she liked it or not. “I need to tell you some things, and this really isn’t the place to do it.” He remembered her assistant in the front of the bakery, didn’t think Lia would want her to hear all he had to say.
“What? You want to tell me how the wife and kid are doing?”
He could hear the bitterness in her voice that she didn’t even try to hide. He couldn’t blame her. “There never was a child and Tracy is dead.” The words came out with a growl when they left his mouth. His anger at the injustice of what Tracy and his father had put them both through came to the forefront.
Lia almost dropped the bowl of peach filling she had been putting into the pies, but he moved quickly and caught the bowl. Dare watched as her mouth kept opening and closing as she turned to face him. Dare knew he had shocked her. He hadn’t wanted to blurt it out like that.
She took a step away from him, but stopped as if catching herself. Dare walked closer and stood right in front of her. He had a furious need to be as close to her as he could get. He lifted a hand to touch her face only to have her turn away. Another growl rumbled from his chest before he could stop it. He watched her eyes go wide as she stared back at him. His dominance started to come to the forefront; he could see how it affected her. Her eyes glossed over as she started to bite her bottom lip. Her hands clenched and unclenched at her sides. She was getting fidgety, shifting from side to side as if trying to bank the arousal in her body. A low rumble left his mouth, and her eyes fell to the floor before she caught herself and raised them to stare into his eyes. A smirk crossed his face at her defiance while he grew hard as stone. A vision of her tied to his bed crossed his mind, a
nd he had to shake his head to clear the image. He would not let her avoid him much longer.
“Darius, w-what did you just say?” Her voice shook, taking her a moment to get the words out.
His need to comfort made Dare take a step forward, backing her into the counter behind her. Her eyes grew wider as he invaded her personal space. Bracing his hands on the counter on either side of her, he gave her no space to run from him. “Precious, you have to understand that the things I’ve done have always been to protect you and your family.”
Chapter Four
He was too close. She couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe with him so near. Why did he have to stand so damn close? She needed to think, but the heat coming off of him made that impossible. And his scent…oh God, his unmistakable scent…it drove her wild and rendered her motionless.
Lia looked up into the eyes that had always set her body on fire, immediately wishing she hadn’t. Her body began to heat as she remembered all the things he used to do to her, all the magic he’d made her feel. She also felt the dominance rolling off him, and in a strange coincidence, thought of the Dom at the House. Why the hell had she thought of him right now? Could it really have been Dare? Shaking her head clear of the thought, she focused again on what Darius had said. “What are you talking about? How in the hell were you protecting me or my family?” Her breathing turned harsh all of a sudden. Pain lashed at her chest and she couldn’t breathe. Not now. God, not now. She would not have a panic attack and give him the satisfaction of seeing what he had done to her. She was stronger now and would never let another man destroy her as he had. Pushing against his chest, she struggled to put some space between them. He stepped back, but she could tell he did so reluctantly. She saw his eyes turn a smoky gray before she side-stepped him and moved back to the center island.
“Alia, dammit! I need you to listen to me!” His voice had turned much deeper, the command she heard there had her head whipping back around to face him. Lifting her chin and pushing away the chills that raced down her spine, she gave him a steady glare.
“Alright, what Dare?” She realized what she’d said when his sinful mouth lifted on one side. Closing her eyes and blowing out a deep breath, she turned and started to fill the pies again before slipping them into the ovens. “Your time is running out. What do you want after all this time? And what did you mean by there never was a child? Tracy was pregnant when you married her. She flaunted the test results in my face with glee.”
*****
He blew out a harsh breath and ran his fingers through his hair, but Dare didn’t know where to start. Looking into the face he’d always loved and never stopped dreaming about, he finally started to spill his guts.
“Tracy lied.” He held up his hand when she went to speak. “Unfortunately, I did sleep with her. It was a mistake I wish I could take back. But, she was never pregnant. I was never going to be with her. She went to my father.”
“What does that evil old man have to do with this?”
He knew she had never liked his father, and she was going to hate Davis even more when he got finished. She would have every right to. He just hoped she wouldn’t continue to hate him as well.
“He threatened to make sure your dad lost everything he worked for if I didn’t leave you and marry Tracy.” Dare watched her face go from anger, to shock, to disbelief, and back to anger.
“You don’t have to make up a story, Darius. You can tell me daddy wanted you to get rid of the chubby black girl from the wrong side of the tracks, and you did exactly that. You followed daddy’s order as you always have.”
She was right not to believe him, since he’d always done what his father wanted and expected of him, except when it came to her. Moving quickly, he didn’t give her a chance to move before he caged her against the counter again. “Shut up, Precious.” His temper skyrocketed along with his arousal at the glare she gave him. He remembered all too well her feisty side. His command went straight to her core. He could see it, even as she tried to hide it. Her face flushed, her eyes glassed over and the slight tremor of her body were all the signs he needed. His own body tensed, he wouldn’t have thought his cock could have gotten any harder, but it did. He could feel the sweat roll down his back.
“How’s your father’s construction business, Lia?” Dare almost didn’t recognize the sound of his voice; it had deepened to a snarl. He saw the flare of her eyes at the question. “I know how good it is. How much better it got after I left. My father was going to take that away from him because of the stupid mistake I made with Tracy.”
Chapter Five
What was he talking about? Her father had worked hard for the business he built. Her mind reeled as Dare continued to talk.
“Did he tell you about the new contracts he got right before I left?” When she just nodded, he continued. “My father gave him those on the condition that I marry Tracy.”
Her eyes flew to his face, couldn’t believe what he was saying. She shook her head. “No! I don’t believe you!” She needed to get away from him, needed space. “Move, Darius!” She shoved his chest, and the heat coming through his shirt singed her hands. He grabbed her wrists and held them against him. Her breathing grew rapid, her heart pounded.
“Precious, look at me!” The rumbling, commanding tone of his voice had her doing just that. He trapped both her hands in one of his and ran the thumb of the other across her cheek. He was weaving a spell and she was falling.
“Lia? What’s going on? Are you alright?”
The sound of Jamie’s voice from behind Dare broke the spell. Dare groaned and loosened his hold enough for her to pull away. It took her a moment to gather herself before she was moving to the ovens on shaky legs, taking the pies out. She was glad they weren’t ruined as she had forgotten all about them.
So lost in each other, they hadn’t heard Jamie walk into the kitchen. That was the second time today someone had done that to her. “I’m fine, J. Darius was just leaving.” She spoke while looking at Jamie over Darius’ shoulder. Avoiding the eyes she could feel glaring at her, she side-stepped him and moved to stand at the center island. She needed the sturdiness of it to help keep her balance.
“We’re not finished here, Lia.” His deep, dark voice vibrated through her. She shivered.
She knew Jamie could see the wild look in her eyes and spoke before she could say anything. “You are for now, Darius. You’ve done enough. It’s time for you to leave.”
Lia felt him move behind her. His body heat warmed her from the inside when he pressed against her. His erection a live branding iron pressed against her ass. She stiffened as he bent and whispered in her ear. “We aren’t done, Lia. I’ll leave, but I will be back. I will claim what’s mine once again.”
When he moved away, she felt the loss of his heat as if all the blood had drained from her body. Lia didn’t move or lift her head when she heard him speak to Jamie and walk out of her bakery. Swiping at the tears that ran down her face, she looked up to face her friend. She didn’t know why she was crying, just that she couldn’t stop.
“J, what’s wrong with me? Why does he still affect me so much after all these years?” Before Jamie could answer her, Lia looked past Jamie to see her father standing in the doorway. He looked as though he’d aged years since she’d seen him last and that was just a few days ago. His handsome usually smiling chocolate face looked so sad; not to mention he looked as if he hadn’t slept in a week. She had only seen that look on him twice before. He had to have seen Darius walk out.
Charles Ward held out his hand to his daughter. She went to him as if she were a child of five instead of a woman full grown.
*****
Dare drove straight to the club, his anger at its boiling point, his cock hard as steel. He wanted to turn around and go back. By the time he got to the House, his hard-on had abated, but his anger was still full-blown. He’d bought the old mansion; got all the permits they would need and started massive renovations turning it into the House. Th
e club with its thick walls, rich colors, and leather abound had been his solace since he came back to his hometown six months ago; though he hadn’t made his presence known until a couple weeks ago.
He walked through the heavy oak doors of the House into the front room. The room used to settle his nerves whenever he walked in the door, but not today. Tiffany, the receptionist with platinum blonde hair, big tits, and tiny waist, was getting everything ready for tonight. He walked straight past her, not even speaking. She was a bratty sub that always tried to top from the bottom. He didn’t have time for her come-ons or her trying to top him. She called his name, but he didn’t bother to answer. Walking into his office, Dare slammed the door so hard the pictures on the wall rattled.
His old wood desk was covered with papers that needed his attention, but he paid them no mind. His ass had barely hit the soft leather of his chair before his friend and partner, Slade, walked in. Slade had overseen the construction and opening of the House while he had finished closing their business on the West Coast. He and Slade had become fast friends over a beer one night a few weeks after he had left this town. Over the years, he’d become more of a brother than a friend. He had been there when Dare found out his life had been turned upside down over a lie. “Not now, man.”
Slade ignored his grumble and dropped his six-foot-three-inch frame on the black leather couch against the wall. He didn’t say a word, just sat there with that knowing smirk on his face. “I guess she didn’t take the news so well?”
Dare wanted to punch him in the mouth. Instead, he shook his head, but didn’t speak.
“Man you have got to give her time. I’m guessing you told her the whole story?”
No, he hadn’t. There was much more to tell. He hadn’t gotten the chance. “No, not all of it. She knows Tracy wasn’t pregnant. She also knows about the contracts. But, she doesn’t believe me, and I can’t say I blame her.” Dare ran his hands through his hair in frustration and sighed deeply. His irritation at the situation sat heavily on his chest. “Slade, she’s more beautiful than she was six years ago. That fire in her is blazing. She still responds to my touch like no other.”
