by Marina Adair
“A mother who wants to protect her daughter from pain and disappointment,” Gage said softly. “Darcy’s a great mom, and she’s doing the best she can.”
When Margo didn’t look convinced, he said, “Look at it from her perspective. She’s overwhelmed being a single parent, struggling to ensure Kylie’s wellbeing. She has to work twice as hard to give Kylie a safe home. Now, throw in five Eastons and a mother-in-law once removed who had her arrested for breaking and entering.” Gage chuckled lightly. “Can you blame her for being cautious?”
“I was being cautious when I called the police,” she defended. “I thought she was going to clear out Kyle’s things without letting me go through them. What might be trash to someone else could be a treasure to a mother. And it wasn’t her home, it was Kyle’s.”
“They had lived together there for over a year.”
His mom called the cops because she blamed Darcy for Kyle’s death. Plain and simple. It was easier than blaming her son who was gone. But Gage didn’t even want to go there. Not tonight.
“The easier we make things on Darcy, the quicker you’ll get to meet Kylie. So no more sneaking around. We wait for an invitation.”
“What if the invitation never comes?”
“It will come,” he said. “You just have to be patient.”
Margo shook her head with defeat. “I was patient before, waited for Kyle to realize he was rushing into marriage, but time ran out and I lost my son. I won’t lose the chance to know my granddaughter.”
“You won’t lose Kylie,” he promised. “But pushing for the sake of pushing, isn’t going to move things any faster.”
“I’ll trust you then, because patience isn’t my strong suit.”
That’s what Gage was worried about.
❀❀❀
Exhausted and covered in yellow and green frosting, Darcy plopped down at her kitchen counter. It wasn’t even dinnertime, and she was already dreaming about bedtime. Or a sugar-rush. She’d gobbled down two cupcakes from the reject pile—with extra frosting.
It hadn’t helped.
After the disastrous confrontation with Margo, Darcy had barely managed to pull it together for the rest of Stephanie’s tasting, then another couple who wanted to tour the house for an eightieth birthday party.
“I need a vacation.”
“You need to get laid,” Jillian said, and Darcy sent her a glare. “I know the look of a woman who needs to get laid. I see her every morning when I brush my teeth. And you need to get some man action.”
Jillian was piping rose leaves on a line of mini-cupcakes for the opening of a lingerie shop in town. Crumbs clung to the ends of her hair, and black food dye stained her fingers.
“I did that, and then his mom showed up,” Darcy said, although the idea of a little more alone time with Gage sounded like the perfect way to make up for a crappy day. She remembered how creative he’d gotten with after-sex cake, how they’d both been covered in frosting by the time the sun rose. Then she remembered the knowing look in Margo’s eyes and shivered. “I have no idea how such a spiteful woman could have raised such great boys.”
“One good parent can outweigh a bad one. Trust me,” Jillian said. “Speaking of boys, did you tell Gage what happened?”
“I wasn’t sure if I should call or not.” Darcy stood and, reaching for the red edible glitter, sprinkled a thin layer over the piped roses. “I know he had meetings all day, so what would I say? ‘Hey, sorry to bother you in the middle of the million dollar deal you’re negotiating, but your mom came to my house and hurt my feelings’?”
“You aren’t bothering him. You both agreed to the terms and his mom chose to ignore them. So maybe you could call and say, “Hey, your mom stopped by today and words were exchanged. I wanted to see you so we can talk about how to handle this as a team.” Jillian set the piping bag on the counter. “That’s what people do when they think they might want to be in a relationship that extends beyond knowing the other’s O-face. Or so I’ve heard.”
Jillian’s soon-to-be-ex wasn’t the best when it came to teamwork. He was more of a scream out orders from the sidelines kind of teammate. One of the many reasons they were no longer together. Plus, like Kyle, he suffered from a slippery dick.
“You’re right, it’s just this whole trust me thing that Gage has going on is not something I’ve had a lot of positive experience with.”
Trusting someone to know how to get you to make on O-face was one thing. Trusting someone to stand by your side when the opponent was family was a whole other ball game.
“Giving someone the opportunity to disappoint you, doesn’t mean they will,” Jillian said. “You can live safe, or you can live happy.”
“What if I want both?”
“Buy a vibrator. But be warned, they aren’t much to cuddle with on cold days.” Jillian leaned in and winked. “Especially if you’ve been cuddling with arms like that.”
“What?” Darcy asked, just as Kylie came racing down the hallway. “Uncle Gage is here! Look, Sammy, that’s my Uncle Gage.”
Darcy turned and saw Gage standing on the other side of the screen door. Their gazes met and she felt herself tingle. He stood there in his leather jacket, looking big, bad, and oh so edible.
His dark hair was tousled, as though he’d driven with the windows down and the top back. Dressed in a pair of slacks, a white button up that was unbuttoned to work’s-over, and a smile that said I know what you look like underneath that dress, he left no doubt that he’d been thinking about their night too.
The part that had her going all mushy was the summer flowers in his hand. Not one bouquet, but two. One made entirely of violets. The other comprised of every pink summer flower she could think of.
“Hey, Tiny,” he said when Kylie opened the door for him. He squatted down low, and offered her the small bouquet. “These are for you.”
Kylie took the violets and baby’s breath and breathed them in, making a big deal to close her eyes. “Are they for my birthday?”
He glanced at the cookies on the counter, the frosting on Darcy’s hands, and his mouth made the perfect circle of Oh shit. “It’s her birthday?”
“No, her birthday is November seventh.” Darcy wiped her hands on a towel and walked into the entry. “I think she was wondering what the occasion was.”
“Yeah, what’s the occasion, Uncle Gage?” Kylie repeated.
“There doesn’t need to be an occasion to bring a beautiful lady some beautiful flowers,” he said, his eyes on Sammy. “Right, son?”
“Ah huh,” Sam said, but his face said he thought flowers were wussy.
“You must be Sam.” He extended his free hand to take the boy’s smaller one, shaking it. “Nice to meet you.”
“You’re really big,” Sammy said in complete awe of Gage. Compared to his own father, who was a weasely accountant, Gage must look like a superhero.
Darcy had to admit, right then she thought he looked pretty heroic too.
“You should see the rest of my brothers. They’re bigger than I am,” Gage said. “We came super-sized so we could look out for our niece.”
Sammy looked at Kylie and tilted his head. “She looks out just fine. Doesn’t even run into trees when she’s twirling.”
“Good to know.” He ruffled Sammy’s hair, then looked at Darcy. “These are for you.”
“Oh my,” Jillian whispered from behind. “Maybe I’ve been on my feet too long today, but I think I just swooned a little.”
Yup, Gage Easton was a class act—and worthy of her trust. She just hoped he was worthy of her heart, because in one move he’d completely stolen it. He was backing up his words with actions. Something completely foreign, and thrilling, for Darcy.
“I’m Gage, nice to meet you,” he said, shaking Jillian’s hand.
“I’m leaving.” Jillian wiggled a brow Darcy’s way. “I was just telling Darcy how I was going to take the kids out for ice cream. Kids, grab your coats.”
“They
haven’t even had dinner,” Darcy argued, but the kids heard ice cream and were already piling out the door chanting. “Ice cream. Ice cream.”
“Seriously, you don’t have to take them out.” Darcy knew her friend had hours of work still left for tomorrow’s delivery. She’d come over to use the professional kitchen and have Darcy help with the decorating so she could make her deadline.
“Oh, yes I do.” Jillian leaned in and whispered, “If not for you, then for all of the single ladies who will never get the chance to show a man like that their O-face.”
Gage smiled.
“It was nice to meet you.” Jillian grabbed her purse and didn’t stop until she was at the front door. “Oh, and don’t rush, I’m taking the kids to the park afterward. We’ll be gone for at least an hour. Maybe longer.” She walked out, hollering over her shoulder, “In fact, I’ll text before we head home.”
And the screen door slammed on its hinges.
Gage’s shoes echoed off the wood floor, not letting up until he was standing close enough to touch. Close enough to smell. His gaze tracked her from her eyes to her toes, eating up her tousled hair and floured apron, giving a sound of male appreciation when he got to her bare feet.
“From the looks of all that frosting in there, Pink, we’re gonna need a hell of a lot more than an hour.”
Chapter 12
Darcy’s body liquefied as she remembered how he’d eaten his way through an entire tub of frosting the other night.
“So you came for another tasting?” she asked, playing with one of the flower buds. It was a stargazer, her favorite.
He watched her fingers dance along the bouquet, and let out a frustrated groan. “No, I came here to see if you were all right. I heard my mom paid you a visit.”
She looked at the flowers and sadness swelled as the magic slowly faded. “Oh, so these are an I’m sorry my mom’s crazy, please forgive me, bribe?”
“No. These I got before I talked to my mom.” He took one of the flowers and ran it along her cheekbone, the silkiness of the petals erotic against her skin. “These are You are so fucking beautiful I can’t get you off my mind flowers.”
“Oh,” she whispered.
“Yeah, oh.” He scooted closer, their bodies brushing. “So, you want to talk about today?”
“Not really.” There was already a conversation in progress that she was more interested in continuing. “But Jillian thinks we should talk about today, and she’s usually right about those kind of things.”
“Ah, and what did Jillian say?”
“That I should open up to you. Tell you the problem so we can figure out a solution together.”
“Jillian is a smart woman.” Gage set the flowers on the counter and took her hand. Leading her to the family room, he pushed aside a pile of Kylie’s dress up clothes, and took a seat.
“It’s kind of annoying.” Darcy started to sit next to Gage. “She has this way of cutting to the, whoa, what are you doing?”
Moments before her bottom hit the sofa, Gage tugged her sideways and into his lap.
“I don’t want there to be distance when we talk. The whole way here, all I could think about was this gap that could have formed and I didn’t like how it made me feel.” He leaned back and pulled her against his chest. “I like how this feels though.”
“Me too,” she whispered, and pulled her feet up so she could curl up in his lap.
“I’m sorry about my mom,” Gage began. “I know there is no excuse for what she said, or for barging in on you after she promised to wait until Kylie was ready. But she is just sad and lonely and scared. She thinks if she can control everything, then she won’t experience loss, when all she’s doing is pushing everyone away.”
Wasn’t that what Jillian had just accused her of doing? She was too scared to open up and really trust someone, for fear of being let down. But if she never lowered her walls and let someone in, she was denying herself the joy of finding companionship.
Love.
Darcy tilted her chin up toward Gage, choosing her words carefully. “I can understand where she is coming from. She’s lost a lot in her lifetime. And I thought about just calling the whole thing off.”
Gage stopped breathing. She could actually feel his lungs cling to the oxygen, refusing to let go.
“But then I thought of you.” She touched his cheek. “How much laughter and joy you’ve brought into my life in just a few short weeks, and how if I had been too scared Kylie would have missed out on all of that too. How I would have missed out on this. I would have missed out on you, Gage, and I can’t even imagine what that would have been like.”
At her words, Gage released the breath. The stress lines bracketing his mouth softened and that terrified expression vanished. And a beautiful warmth spread through her entire body.
“I don’t trust your mom, but I trust you,” she said, realizing that it was the truth. She’d trusted Gage from the moment they’d met.
Although it had felt as if he’d broken that trust when Kyle died, now she knew that he hadn’t. He hadn’t abandoned her out of anger, or even turned his back on her. He’d done what he’d thought was best—for the both of them.
And now it was time to for her to be honest.
“What I’m saying is that I trust in what we have. More than my fear of being hurt or the need to cling to control. More than the little voice in my head that reminds me everyone I have ever trusted has let me down.” And looking into those deep blue eyes, she let go—of all of it. The history, the baggage, the fear. Leaving room for whatever magical road this relationship might take. “I am willing to trust what I love most to you, Gage. And that’s my heart and my daughter.”
The air vibrated between them, rich and real, and neither one of them shied away. They stayed in the moment, so much being said, yet no words were exchanged. But the longer they stared, the calmer Darcy felt, and the more she realized that this—this was what she’d been looking her entire life for.
He was who she had been waiting for. Which was ridiculous since he’d been in front of her the whole time. She’d just been too scared to admit it.
“I’ve got you,” he said, his voice so rough it was a nearly a growl. “I know how hard your trust is to come by, and what a beautiful gift it is, so I promise you that I will never betray that gift again. Ever. My father was a man of his word, and I want to be that kind of man. For you and for Kylie.”
Ever so slowly he took her lips, gently—no, lovingly—kissing her. It wasn’t sexual or leading, it was a promise. A beautiful vow he was making to her. She could feel his honesty, sense his devotion, and taste his love.
Love.
There it was. Darcy was in love with Gage and it wasn’t scary or uncomfortable, evoking that desperation she’d always associated with the emotion. With Gage, love felt safe and warm, like the wonderful bonds that she’d read about, but, outside of Kylie, had never experienced.
The love she’d had with Kyle had been born from a young woman looking for a family and happiness. What she felt for Gage came from a woman who was already happy, looking for someone to share that happiness with.
“Make love to me,” she whispered against his lips. “I want to feel this—” she touched her heart “—everywhere. And I want to feel it with you.”
He took her hand and rested it over his chest. She felt the strumming of his heart, pounding just like hers. “I have felt like this since the first day I met you. It grows stronger every day, even when we were apart it never seemed to stop. I couldn’t get you out of my heart, no matter how hard I tried.”
“Then stop trying.”
Darcy captured his mouth.
This kiss wasn’t slow and languid, it was driven by hunger and desire, and something else. Need. Her body pulsed with need—for him.
Darcy needed him as much as she needed her next breath, and she’d prided herself on never needing anyone.
Love didn’t leave room for pride, she realized, as he deepened the k
iss, taking her to another world—to his world.
His hands stroked her back while he spread kisses across her cheek to her ear, “What color do you have on today?”
Darcy gave him a wicked grin. “You’ll have to find out.”
“Come here,” he ordered, helping her straddle his lap.
With a groan, his eyes dropped to the buttons on the front of her sundress. There were a lot of buttons. In fact, they ran the entire length of the garment. Gage didn’t seem to be concerned, taking his time to undo each one, his eyes darkening further with each pop.
When he reached the one at her waist, he hesitated for the briefest second, then parted the material. With a grin that was as boyish as it was sexy, he said, “I guess it’s my lucky day, Pink.”
“I’ve found a new liking for the color.” She shimmied her shoulders and the dress pooled around her waist. But when she reached for her bra strap, he caught her hand and placed it against his chest.
“Give me a second. I’ve been dreaming about this day for a long time, and it was too dark the other night to pay these the respect they deserve.”
Gage reached out and gently weighed them, one then the other, finally pushing them together so her breasts fell over the top of the pink lace. “Damn, you are perfect.”
He leaned in, taking them in his mouth and Darcy let loose a needy sigh. His mouth was lethal, licking and nipping all the right places, worshiping her until she was panting.
“I think I’ve been dreaming about this for just as long,” she admitted, threading her hands in his hair and holding him to her.
Her confession urged him on and his hands slid under the skirt of her dress, greedily moving up until he found the string of her panties.
“Also pink?” the words vibrated against her nipple and her breath caught.
“Also pink.” She slid against his hardness, frustrated at all of the material between them. “And in the way.”
With a smile that was hot enough to melt the sun, Gage hooked a finger around the band and yanked. They came off with a tear and Darcy’s hands went to his belt, working to get the buckle undone.
