by Lacey Wolfe
“Then why bother seeing her?”
“It’s complicated.”
It wasn’t all that complicated. She was someone willing to spread her legs, Darcy got that. One of those women who were fun to play with, but Steven never had any intention of anything else with her, or so Darcy assumed. She just wondered if Terry knew that as well, or if she thought he would eventually change his mind.
She didn’t want to know any more. If Steven wanted to return to that life after their time together, that was up to him. And the more she knew, the more those pesky jealous feelings bubbled inside of her. And feeling jealous over his ex was not something she was supposed to be experiencing.
“I started the coffee. I’m going to go get a cup and have a bowl of cereal I think.” She stood up.
“Okay, I’ll be out in a few.”
Darcy nodded and then left. The aroma of coffee welcomed her as she entered the kitchen. Pouring herself a cup, she took her a sip and sighed. It tasted so good. She loved that first warm taste.
In the pantry she took out a box of cereal and then found a bowl and spoon. As she poured the cereal, she was startled by the house phone ringing behind her. It was a little after nine in the morning, not too early, but still enough to make her wonder who was calling.
“Hello,” she answered.
“Darcy!” It was her mom. “I heard the wonderful news and I could not wait to call you. Congratulations, dear. This is wonderful.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“The Bensons were there last night and they filled me in on all the details. We must start planning your engagement party.”
“Slow down, give it time to sink in.”
“Nonsense, we have to start planning this right now or we’ll never pull it off in time.”
“But we don’t have a date yet, so there is no deadline looming upon us,” Darcy argued, but soon realized there was no point.
If her mom had her way, she’d have the party this weekend and the wedding of the century next weekend. It then dawned on Darcy that even as bitter as she was with her relationship with her parents, they would never know this was fake. The money they would waste...
“Well, when you and the McDonalds come for dinner, we can start putting it all together,” Darcy said.
“That’s tonight, dear.”
Tonight? Leave it to her to not check with Steven to see if the dinner had been planned yet. “Oh, yeah, I know.”
“What company are you using for catering?”
She had no idea. It was a little late to call a caterer. Was Steven expecting her to cook? Yeah, right! She was not cooking for her parents. They’d be too critical and give her tips throughout dinner ‘if you’d done this…’
“I’ll check with Steven,” Darcy said. “He set all this up.”
“It’s wonderful that he did that, but don’t expect things like that to last. You two are still in the early stages of love. Him helping, that will fade.”
Oh, she was fully aware none of this was going to last. “I’ll see you this evening then. I need to get in the shower and begin getting things ready.”
“All right, dear, I’ll see you tonight.”
Darcy hung up the phone and returned to pouring her cereal. Once she had finished eating, she’d find Steven so they could figure out what the heck they were doing about dinner.
* * * *
Steven enjoyed the quiet of the house. It wouldn’t last much longer. Darcy had been freaking out all morning about their parents coming for dinner. Something about caterers and such. She wanted to know if he’d taken care of any of that and when he’d shrugged his shoulders, he swore she looked like she might cry.
When he suggested they order pizza, she glared at him. Then she went on and on about how she could never show her face again if they served pizza at their first dinner. He didn’t understand that. Anytime his parents came over, that’s what he served.
So now Darcy was out trying to find a last minute caterer. And once she got back, the chaos would start all over. And then the parents would arrive, and that would bring more chaos. Thankfully, they wouldn’t have to do this more than this once, he hoped.
He was thankful for the quiet though, it gave him time to wrap his head around Terry showing up there. It wasn’t like her to get so desperate. They’d been on-again, off-again for years. When he’d been alone with her last night to talk, she acted as though he was cheating on her. Which he didn’t get. She was the one who had left him the last time for another man. She’d cheated on him. It was then he’d realized that their play time was over. They were never going anywhere and it was pointless to continue trying. She was fun and that was it.
Terry was never marriage material—at least not for him. She could probably make some man happy and he would try his hardest to make her content. But women like Terry were always looking for the next best thing.
Steven thought it was cute though the way Darcy seemed jealous. His thoughts drifted to their intimate encounter. It had been amazing. And he certainly wanted to do it again, but when he came back in from talking with Terry and he’d seen Darcy passed out, he didn’t want to wake her. More than anything, he’d wanted to crawl into bed with her and sleep, but he wasn’t sure they were at that point yet.
He heard the sound of the front door close, bringing him out of his thoughts. Darcy must be home. Walking to the front of the house, he found her laying her purse and keys down.
“Hey, find anyone?” he asked.
“No. I did, however, find a deli that could put something together and deliver it.”
“A deli?”
“Yeah, they had mini sandwich trays, different salads such as potato or pasta, and they had a killer chocolate cake.”
Steven walked over and took her hand, staring at the ring on her finger. “Better than our cake last night?”
“A close second.” Darcy pulled her hand away. “I need to shower and start getting ready.”
As she began to walk away, he called out to her, “Darcy, stop.” She looked back at him. “From what I can tell, you’ve worked hard this past year not to be like your mom. Don’t be.”
He braced himself for her to yell at him, but instead he saw her body almost relax. “You’re right. What am I doing?”
Steven let out a sigh of relief. Maybe crazy Darcy was gone. “Let’s sit and enjoy our time before our parents get here.”
She smiled. “Not happening until we get through this evening.”
Steven shrugged. What else was he to do?
* * * *
So far, everything had been going really well. The deli shop arrived on time and the food looked good and tasted even better. Both sets of parents were getting along and Steven’s grandfather was on his best behavior. He didn’t seem so bad. Darcy wasn’t sure why Steven thought the man was losing his mind.
“Keeping it together?” Steven asked from behind her.
Spinning around, she smiled at him. He looked handsome. He was one of those men who could take her breath away every time she saw him. “I’m good. But do you know what we forgot?”
He shrugged.
“Wine.”
“I’ve got several two-liters of soda.”
She laughed, she couldn’t help it. This man didn’t have an entertaining bone in his body. She could only imagine the look on her parents’ faces when she served them soda. She then had the bright idea to serve the drink in wine glasses. Perfect.
“You okay?” Steven asked.
“Yes. Will you get the wine glasses that I just washed up?”
“Need me to put them away?”
“Nope, looks like we’re drinking soda from them.”
“Wish I had a video camera.”
“So do I.”
Darcy put the finishing touches on everything and knew it was time to get everyone seated. She started grabbing the platters and bringing them to the table. Gina appeared, wanting to help. After everything was on the table, Darcy called everyone to come eat.
&nb
sp; She flashed a grin at Steven. He came over to her, pulled her close, and planted a kiss on her cheek. Her face warmed. She knew she had no reason to turn red, after all, they were engaged, but with both their families watching, it felt awkward.
“This all looks so good,” Darcy’s mom said. “I don’t think we’ve ever used these caterers. Please give me their name before we leave.”
“I will.”
Steven waited until everyone was seated and then he spoke. “We have two drink choices tonight.” He looked over at Darcy, and she could see the humor in his eyes. “If you prefer a lighter drink, there’s a pitcher of water. And for those who like a little more taste, you will find soda.”
“Soda!” his grandfather exclaimed. “Well, this is my kind of dinner. I wish more people served soda. What’s so wrong with it? Why do we always have to have some sort of nasty, dry wine?”
Darcy giggled. Okay, maybe she could see where the old man was starting to lose his marbles.
Once everyone had their drink of choice—which Darcy was surprised her mom had gotten the more flavorful option—they began to fill their plates. As they ate, the conversation was mainly talk among the men. Darcy was seated next to Gina who leaned over and told her she’d done a wonderful job. It meant a lot to Darcy that Steven’s mom thought so.
Her mom broke the business talk and moved it on to the engagement. “Gina, I want to throw their engagement party at our home. Would that be okay?”
“I think it’s a wonderful idea.” Gina turned toward Darcy. “When are the two of you wanting to do it?”
“I was thinking next month,” her mom said before Darcy could say anything.
“Is that what you two want?” Gina asked.
Uh-oh, her mom was not going to like being undermined. “Uh, well, we really hadn’t talked about it yet. We just got engaged.”
Steven reached out and took Darcy’s hand. “Mrs. White—”
“Please, call me Brenda.”
“Brenda, we really appreciate the offer, but I think Darcy and I need a little time for this to sink in before we start planning a party. When we do decide to have a party, you’ll be the first to know.”
“Certainly, there is no rush,” Gina added.
Darcy looked at her mom and she could see the steam rising from her head. “I promise we’ll sit down and talk about it soon.”
Her mother nodded.
“This is really good. Did you make these little sandwiches?” Steven’s grandfather asked.
“I wish I could take credit.”
Jasper took a sip of his drink. “Damn, why haven’t I had more soda through the years? Oh, that’s right, Annie always said it was bad for me. Ha!”
As the dinner went on, the conversation stayed light. Mostly due to Jasper and the kooky things he kept saying. But when the dinner was finally over, Darcy was glad. Steven’s parents and grandfather were the first to leave. Her mom was in the kitchen, claiming to clean up, but Darcy knew better. She looked at Steven and said, “If I’m not out in thirty, send in the rescue dogs.”
“What’s wrong?” He pulled her to him in an intimate way. “Dinner went great.”
“She isn’t going to be happy we didn’t go along with her wishes on the engagement party.”
“What? Why? I’m cool doing it at their house. But, you know. It’s early on, we don’t need a party. Does she think we’re getting married within the next few months?”
“There’s no telling with her.”
“Okay, I’m going with you.” He placed a hand on her lower back.
“What do you mean?”
“In there.” He pointed. “I’m not letting her put you down or make you do anything.”
Darcy felt bliss throughout her, and her eyes grew wet. She couldn’t believe how wonderful this man was. He was on her side, no matter what. One of those things women wished for. Too bad it wasn’t real and she was just his fake fiancée.
Chapter 14
“Hi, dear.” Brenda greeted Darcy and glanced up at Steven. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she hoped he would get her drift and let her have some alone time with Darcy. Wasn’t happening on his watch.
“I can finish cleaning up so you and Dad can get home,” Darcy said.
“Nonsense. Let’s do it together. Steven, why don’t you go find my husband? I think he had something he wanted to share with you.”
“Okay, I will in a few minutes. I’d like to help clean up as well.”
“This is a woman’s job.” Brenda giggled.
“In this house, it’s equal. There is no woman’s or man’s job here.” He pulled Darcy to him and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “In fact, if I had my way, I’d hire a maid so all Darcy has to do is look pretty when she’s home.”
“Isn’t that nice,” Brenda said.
Steven released Darcy and went to the cupboards to pull out some Tupperware. He wasn’t going to be bullied by Mrs. White. He got so busy putting the food into containers, he didn’t realize it had gotten a lot quieter. No one was loading the dishwasher anymore. Crap, she’d gotten away.
He put the containers he had filled already into the fridge and went out to hunt them down. Just as he spotted them, Mr. White stepped in his way.
“This was fun. I enjoyed catching up with your grandfather. I’ve always liked him.”
“Thanks.”
“Have you seen my wife? I’m ready to go and I no longer hear her mouth yapping.”
Steven couldn’t help but chuckle. Brenda certainly did have a mouth on her, and he hoped she wasn’t currently giving Darcy an earful. “I just noticed they were on the porch.”
Derek opened the back door and called to Brenda, telling her they needed to go. Darcy’s expression read relief. The two women came back inside and Darcy hugged both her parents. Steven shook their hands before walking them to the door.
“We’ll be in touch soon about the party,” Brenda said before going out the door.
Derek didn’t say anything, just waved slightly and followed his wife outside. Steven closed the door and turned the deadbolt. Darcy giggled at his gesture. He had plans for the evening. He’d watched Darcy in her red strapless dress all evening. This one also had a zipper down the back. And he wanted to have a re-match from the night before. Slide her dress off her body. Only this time, he was going to let his tongue explore every nook of her instead of his fingers. He’d wanted to taste her the night before, but they’d been interrupted.
“How much more do we need to do in the kitchen?” she asked.
“Everything perishable has been put away.” He took her hand and pressed a kiss to it. “How about that bath you mentioned yesterday?”
“Now?”
“It’s as good a time as any. Go get it started.” As he turned toward the kitchen, he added, “Don’t get undressed. I want to do that.”
Darcy nodded, and passion filled her eyes. Once she’d left, he darted into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of wine he’d chilled. Yes, he had several bottles of wine, but he had wanted to show Darcy that a party didn’t have to be as extreme as her mother taught her it had to be. He poured two glasses and then went to find his beautiful fake fiancée.
* * * *
Darcy poured the rose scented gel into the tub. Bubbles began immediately. She wasn’t sure what was in store, but she had a feeling Steven and her were about to have some very intimate one-on-one time. And she couldn’t wait. Now that they had finally bit the bullet and gotten physical, she found herself craving more and more.
In the bathroom drawer, she found a hair band and put her hair up into a high bun. Slipping her shoes and stockings off, she wondered how long it would take Steven before he joined her.
A heavy foot hit the tile floor. Spinning around, she saw Steven with two glasses and a wine bottle in hand.
She giggled, not believing they’d had wine all this time and he’d had her serve soda at their first dinner event. He’d had his reason, whatever it was. Most likely
he was proving a point to her that she was going psycho like a party planning woman would.
“What took you so long?” she asked.
“I had a hard time deciding on which wine. Hopefully I made the right choice.” He handed Darcy a glass and set his down on the counter. He pulled the cork from the bottle and filled hers. After his was filled, he returned the cork to the bottle and set it on the counter. But he didn’t take his wine, instead he stepped closer to Darcy. “Turn around. I’m dying to get you out of the dress.”
She peeked at the tub, which was halfway full at this point. Pressing the glass to her lips, her eyes on his, she took a little sip before turning so her back was to him. His hands were warm as they first rubbed up her arms, to her shoulders, then her neck, finally resting at the top of her zipper. His fingers moved achingly slow as he pulled the zipper down. A cool draft of air entered her dress, causing her nipples to perk up.
Darcy leaned forward and set her glass down. She helped Steven remove her dress and turned back to him as she stood before him, tonight in purple lace. His eyes were almost black with passion, letting her know he liked what he saw. Feeling brave all of a sudden, she reached behind her back, unclasped her bra, and let it fall to the floor.
“Get over here,” he demanded as he pulled her to him.
His mouth smashed into hers and for a moment she worried from the force he’d busted her lips. But before long, that thought left. All she could concentrate on was him and how he made her feel. His hands were everywhere, groping, pinching, and pulling. She sighed into his mouth as waves of pleasure went up and down her spine.
When he pulled away, she started to protest, but then remembered the running bath. Steven turned it off. “Get in.”
“Won’t you join me?” she asked.
“You first.”
Darcy stepped out of her panties and into the warm water that welcomed her. She wished Steven was in there with her, but she was pretty sure in time he would be.
“You’re a little overdressed for a bath,” she said.
Steven snickered and took a drink from his glass. After he set it back on the counter, he knelt next to the tub. “I plan to wash you before I join in.”
