by Evie Nichole
“All right.” Could she have done anything but agree?
She was staring up into his face. The chiseled planes of his features were becoming more and more familiar as she realized that her mind was absolutely focused on him almost every single second. He was smiling. She could not resist the urge to touch his lips.
Reaching up, she placed her fingers on his full lower lip and traced it from side to side before moving to the top one. They were soft. She had not really expected them to be so soft. She touched his cheeks and felt the roughness of his beard stubble. The contrast was delightful. She was still marveling over that when she realized he was lowering his mouth to hers.
Sucking in a quick breath of surprise, she managed to hold herself together as he took her lips in a long kiss that once again made her toes curl inside her shoes. She lifted her hands to his hair and felt that silky stuff sifting through her fingers. It was getting familiar and yet no less exciting. In fact, she could feel her body getting more and more excited with each passing second. She wanted him. She wanted to be with him. She wanted this moment and this experience.
The low noise slipped out of her throat without her volition, and she knew she was pressing herself intimately against his body. Somehow, it didn’t matter. It didn’t embarrass her like it might have in any other situation. This was Darren. And with Darren, Maggie knew that she was safe. This was where she belonged.
Chapter Sixteen
“Um, Darren. I hate to break it to you, but this is not a place that offers dancing.” Maggie leaned forward in the passenger seat of his truck to look up at the facade of the building where he’d parked.
“Right.”
Darren looked sheepish. It was cute. It shouldn’t have been cute. It should have been obnoxious or annoying or something negative. But it wasn’t. For some reason, they were now parked in front of a strip mall underneath a sign that read ORTHOPEDICS.
“I have a doctor’s appointment.” Darren scratched his forehead and pointed to the office. “I had sort of forgotten. Sorry. I’m not used to all of this scheduling around stuff. I thought we could stop here before I take you out.”
Maggie knew that there would be a ton of women who would have gotten angry about that sort of thing. She was trying hard to put the anger aside in order to figure out what was really going on here. The idea to go dancing had been last minute. Darren had asked her in a spur of the moment sort of way. She had driven home. She had changed clothes, and he had picked her up there.
“You could have come to your appointment before you picked me up,” she pointed out casually. Unbuckling her seatbelt, she started to get out of the truck.
Darren also got out of the vehicle. “I suppose I could have done that,” he admitted. “It would have made more sense. But I told you that I was going to pick you up by five.”
Maggie gestured to the office. “Who has a doctor’s appointment at five thirty anyway?”
“Working people?” he quipped.
“Oh, so, now you’re working people?” Maggie loved his sense of humor. It was as goofy as it was dry and a little irreverent. “I suppose I can’t deny the need for you to see your doctor at a time when it won’t interfere with your work schedule, then. Hmm?”
They were now standing in front of his truck. Darren was shifting on his feet. Maggie did not have to use her counseling skills to see that there was something he wanted to say but couldn’t.
“Darren,” Maggie began softly. “Just tell me what the problem is.”
“I don’t want to go alone.” The words were barely audible. He gestured to the office. “I know what they’re going to say. It doesn’t make it any easier for me to hear it.”
Maggie pressed her lips tightly together. There was something about this man that touched her deeply. He was a wounded soul. Sometimes he hid it so well that she was sure everyone thought he was the flippant football star who was so confident that nothing bothered him, but that wasn’t true.
“Next time, just ask.” She took his hands and held them in hers. “I would be honored to go to your appointment with you. I’m flattered you would want me with you.”
“Come on, Maggie,” he told her with a chuckle. “You have to realize how absolutely incredible you are to be around. It’s like you have some kind of pheromone that just makes people—makes me—feel better.”
She impulsively touched his cheek. “That’s a really nice thing to say. Now. Let’s go inside and get this done so that we can do something fun.”
“Dancing.” He practically purred the word.
Maggie couldn’t even pretend that the way he said that didn’t affect the way she thought of the activity. It certainly wasn’t her favorite thing to do, but she might change her mind if he just kept on talking about it like that.
Darren took her hand. He was leading her toward the office, but Maggie had the feeling that the contact between them was more for his comfort and security than anything else. It was an odd sort of dichotomy, and it made her feel very deeply for this man who had been such a physical person and had probably ruined his body in service to his sport.
The door swung open, and Darren ushered her through like the perfect gentleman. He signed in at the desk, and then the two of them sat down. He didn’t let go of her hand. It was sort of surprising, but considering the major wave of tension she was getting from him, she probably shouldn’t have been surprised. The two of them sat on the hard plastic chairs and thankfully only had a few minutes to wait for Darren’s appointment.
“Mr. Hernandez?” A nurse with a clipboard called his name.
Darren jumped to his feet. He was holding so tight to Maggie’s hand that she had no choice but to jump up with him. “Maggie’s coming back with me,” Darren told the nurse.
She raised her eyebrows but only smiled. “That’s not a problem. It’s your choice, Mr. Hernandez.”
Darren didn’t respond. Maggie let him lead as they went back to an exam room. Nobody took his vitals. Nobody came in and asked him what medications he was taking. It was all very different from a typical doctor’s appointment that Maggie had imagined. It was literally as though they were sitting and waiting for a doctor to deliver a prognosis.
“Darren?” Maggie murmured gently. “You’re crushing my hand.”
She pressed on his fingers and he let go, looking mortified. “I’m so sorry!”
“What’s going on?” Maggie kept her tone soothing. She tried to exude whatever crazy pheromones he claimed she used to calm him, but it wasn’t like she had control over that stuff. “You’re acting as though you expect them to diagnose you with cancer.”
“It’s not like that.” He sighed. Rubbing both hands down his face, he sighed and pressed his lips into a tight line. “I had some x-rays done right after I left my last team and came home. I just don’t think they’re going to be good. That’s all.” He looked embarrassed. “I don’t mean to act like this is a big deal. I realize perfectly well that people get diagnosed with cancer and plenty of other illnesses and terminal diseases every single day. My situation isn’t really that bad. I just…” He trailed off.
Maggie’s heart went out to him. “There’s no reason to minimize your situation, Darren. You’re a very physical person. I get that. I think anyone would if they spent more than five minutes with you. Being told that you can never play football or that you can’t play any sport or do the things that you’re used to doing is serious business. You can’t compare your situation to someone else’s. They don’t live in your shoes. It’s not a fair comparison. All right?”
“Thanks.”
It might have been the situation. It might have been the very real sense of artificial closeness brought on by the intensity of the circumstances, but Maggie felt as though her life was riding on this moment too. She wound her forearm around his and laced their fingers together. Then she gently rested her cheek against his shoulder. The firmness of his muscle gave her a little thrill. The guy might be injured past fixing, but he was a
n incredible specimen of physical fitness all the same. There was no way that this situation or his health status made him less manly or less masculine. He was more of a man than any guy that Maggie had ever known.
She sighed and gently rubbed her cheek against the softness of his T-shirt. He was so warm. And he smelled amazing. Suddenly, she felt him turn his head. He exhaled, and she felt his breath whisper past her ear. It tickled and gave her a little thrill all at the same time.
“What are you doing?” he whispered.
Maggie giggled. She now felt ridiculous. She cleared her throat. Any excuse she came up with was going to sound silly. “I was just offering comfort.”
“Well, I feel very comforted,” he told her solemnly. “If you want to keep comforting me, you could try touching my bare shoulder. That should make me feel lots better.”
Maggie drew back and started laughing. She gently nudged the shoulder in question with her own shoulder just as the doctor walked into the exam room. The man raised his eyebrows as though he were very surprised to see his patient looking so upbeat.
“Sorry,” Darren told the man with the nametag that read DR. ERNESTO. “We were just joking around a bit to make it a little less awful.”
Dr. Ernesto nodded and his expression turned grim. “I think you’re going to need a few more jokes.”
“So, it’s as bad as we discussed?” This came from Darren.
Maggie tried not to feel left out of the conversation. This wasn’t about her anyway. She focused instead on Dr. Ernesto. The man looked very authentic. He was also very worried and extremely disappointed about something. His body language was extremely blunt and to the point even though his words were rather muted.
“I’m very sorry, Darren.” Dr. Ernesto ran his fingers through his dark, wiry hair. “Your knee is consumed with arthritis. I think the chance of you ever playing football again or being able to trust that knee in a competitive sports arena is absolutely nil. I think, at this point, you need to keep up the exercises and hope that your regular life does not become more and more impossible.”
Darren was absolutely silent after this announcement. His face was blank. His eyes were vacant. Maggie felt like there were a few more things to be said, but Darren wasn’t in any condition to really say them. So, Maggie cleared her throat. “Doctor, Darren has been working as a gym teacher in a very small private elementary school. Is there any restrictions he should be taking with his knee?”
“Not anything that isn’t common sense.” Dr. Ernesto looked oddly pleased. He glanced at Darren and actually smiled. “This is a really great development, Darren. Why didn’t you say something?”
“Huh?” Darren did not look capable of saying anything, much less explaining his job situation.
Dr. Ernesto reached out and touched Darren’s shoulder. “This isn’t sitting behind a desk at your family’s corporate offices. This is a much better choice. Do you understand that? As a teacher, especially in a gym, you’re moving around and keeping your body in shape without overtaxing your knee with hard use. No sitting in one position for too long, because that is murder on this sort of injury.” Dr. Ernesto clapped his hands and stood up. “This is the best news I’ve heard for you yet, Darren! Make a follow-up appointment in a few more months, and we’ll see how things are doing then.”
The doctor exited the exam room, and suddenly Maggie was left with a very subdued Darren in a sterile white room that smelled horribly of antiseptic.
“Hey,” she said softly. “Are you okay?”
He didn’t say anything for several long moments. “I think I’ll be all right.”
“Was it different than you expected?” Maggie figured this was a somewhat obvious question, and yet she needed some clarification just in case. “I know that probably seems like I’m asking you to state the obvious, but I have no way of knowing how you feel unless you tell me.”
“Thank you.” The words were sudden and fervent. “I’m so sick and tired of people telling me how to feel about this. They say stuff like oh you’ve had a good run. Or they tell me that I haven’t made it to the big leagues yet so it’s time to find some other career track anyway. I’m tired of people telling me how I should react to this.”
“That’s one of the things that people do,” Maggie said gently. “As stupid as that sounds, it’s totally normal. And believe me, I know you don’t want to hear that.”
“No.” He took her hand and lifted it to his lips. “I want to hear it from you.”
His lips were so soft. She sucked in a quick breath of surprise. Being this close to him was startling. His eyes were just so blue. The harsh overhead lighting seemed to intensify their color until it was almost impossible to believe that an eye color could be that bright. Or perhaps it was the deep swarthiness of his skin that made it seem that way. It looked to Maggie like the whole Hernandez clan had been descended from a bunch of pirates. Not that they probably would have minded that distinction if it made them more intimidating in their business and personal lives.
“Dancing,” Darren murmured. “I was going to take you dancing. Remember?”
“Yes.” She nodded, but she didn’t get up off the hard plastic chair. “I remember.”
“Are you ready to go?”
Maggie raised an eyebrow at him. “I don’t think my readiness was the question.”
“Oh my gosh, did you just make a joke with me?” A slow smile curved his soft lips into the sexiest bow she had ever seen. Good Lord, this man was hot! “I think you did. It was cute too.”
“It wasn’t a joke.” She felt silly. Had she been making a joke? It was difficult to say. She now felt silly. “It was an honest question. You were the one with the appointment. Remember?”
“Right.” He leaned forward so close that Maggie felt her breath catch in her throat. “Now my appointment is over, Maggie Brown. And I’m going to take you dancing. Are you ready for that?”
What a question. She didn’t readily have an answer. So, she stood up instead and walked toward the exam room door. “I guess you’ll just have to find out,” she told him. “And don’t say that I didn’t warn you. Dancing is not my thing. It is entirely possible that you will wind up back in this doctor’s office needing a whole new set of x-rays in order to diagnose your severe joint trauma after trying to deal with my subpar dancing skills.”
Darren threw his head back and laughed. “Baby, you don’t have to have dancing skills with me. You just have to let me put my arms around you and sweep you off your feet.”
Maggie resisted the urge to fan herself. That would have been inappropriate. Or ridiculous. She wasn’t sure. Her brain was totally fogging over right now. Just the notion of being in his arms and letting him lead her around the floor was enough to induce a fainting spell.
Suddenly, Darren was right behind her. His lips whispered across the back of her neck. “Trust me, Maggie Brown. You’re going to have a good time tonight. I promise.”
Chapter Seventeen
Dancing was not Maggie’s thing. She was so incredibly nervous. In fact, by the time Darren pulled up in front of the big square metal building of a local bar and grill that boasted dancing, Maggie was thinking that this was the worst idea ever. She especially regretted her decision to let Darren drive. There was no way out. She was here until he was ready to go. What if he was one of those men who walked into a club and scoped out every beautiful woman in the room? What if he danced with everyone and she wound up having to call a cab?
Feeling almost panicky, Maggie checked the pocket of her skirt where she had tucked her phone and a credit card. She at least had a way to call for a ride and get out of here when things went south. She wasn’t trapped. She was an independent woman who could take care of herself.
Ugh! I spent all afternoon with the man. He’s not going to turn psycho on me now! Why am I so worried?
Darren suddenly looked over from the driver’s seat of his truck. The big vehicle had the Hernandez Land & Cattle brand stamped on the doors. I
t was obviously a company vehicle, and perhaps it lent just a little credence to Laredo’s earlier complaints about Darren. Was Darren truly a lazy man who avoided real work at all costs? Or was she right about him? Could she be right?
“It’s going to be all right,” he told her softly.
She wasn’t sure she heard correctly at first. There was nothing but the low greenish glow of the dash lights allowing her to see his face. His blue eyes looked luminous. They were huge and very serious at the moment. There was something about his chiseled profile that inspired confidence. She didn’t know what it was, but she was so glad to be with him right now. It made her nervousness about what was going to happen inside seem harmless.
“How about we get a table and get some dinner first?” Darren suggested. “If you decide you’d rather not dance, then we’ll just watch.”
And to think she’d always assumed that chivalry was dead. Maggie could not hold back her grin. “That sounds wonderful. Thank you.”
“Just wait there for a sec.” Darren picked up her hand and kissed the back of it right behind her knuckles.
Then he got out of the truck, shut his door, and ran around to the passenger side of the vehicle. He opened her door and very carefully reached up to help her down from the monster-sized vehicle.
Touching him was still electric. She felt a tingle from the tips of her fingers to her toes. It flew through her body and made her shiver. She scooted off the seat and her feet touched the pavement. She stumbled a bit, but he caught her. Automatically reaching out, she pressed her palms to his chest. The warmth of his skin beneath his T-shirt was incredible.
Feeling almost shy, she looked up and realized that he was staring down at her as well. She was protected there between his truck’s door and his body. The parking lot was crowded with cars, but the people seemed to be inside. The daylight was almost gone, and the lights from the inside of the bar and grill seemed to overpower the dim streetlights outside. There was a bit of a breeze blowing down off the front range and into the city. It ruffled the hem of her skirt, but she was warm in spite of it because having Darren so close made her feel as though she were on fire.
