Stealing His Heart: A Sweet Contemporary Romance (Finding Love Book 2)

by Delaney Cameron

  “Would you?” she asked with a grin.

  “You’re playing with fire, Miss Withers.”

  “I can handle it; I was a girl scout.”

  Without waiting for his reaction, Darcy took Jace over to meet Stella. After making sure both kids had their hands firmly on the bar, she gave the roundabout a push. Matt stood watching from a few feet away.

  “I might not be able to make rehearsal tomorrow. My father is coming into town. He was supposed to be here today, but his plans changed at the last minute.”

  The few things he’d said about his father hadn’t been positive. “How long is he staying?”

  “Hard to say. He doesn’t like to give out too much information.”

  “Will you be able to come on Thursday?”

  “I’m planning on it. What are you doing for the rest of today?”

  The butterflies in her stomach started to sing. “Nothing after I leave here.”

  “Would you like company while you do nothing?”

  Did he even need to ask? “Yes, I would.”

  * * * * *

  Matt watched Darcy work her magic on Jace. It was more or less a repeat of what she’d done to him. Most people were good listeners or at least they tried to be. Darcy took that a step further. She had the rare gift of giving someone her complete attention. He wasn’t sure how it affected everyone else, but it made him feel as if he was the most important person in the world.

  He heard a shout of laughter and turned to see Stella running toward him. “Mr. Matt, do you want to play hide and seek?”

  “Sure. Can I be ‘it’ first?”

  “You want to be ‘it’?”

  His eyes strayed to Darcy. “I’m good at finding things.”

  Darcy rolled her eyes. “We’ll see how good you are. The roundabout is home base. You count to twenty, and we’ll go hide.”

  As she passed by him, he bent down and whispered in her ear, “If I find you, what do I get?” He laughed as the color swept into her face. “It’s nice to know we think alike.”

  She smiled at this before turning to Stella and Jace. “Time for us to find a place to hide.”

  Matt sat down on the roundabout and covered his eyes with his hands. “One…two…” As he continued to count, he could hear Darcy whispering and then giggles followed by the sound of retreating footsteps.

  Once he reached twenty, he opened his eyes and did a quick scan of the area. No sign of his three targets. Coming to his feet, he walked over to check inside the wide tunnels connecting the different sections of the playground set. Nothing. The tree trunks were too thin to hide behind. How far had they been able to go in so short a time?

  The only areas beyond the playground that gave any sort of cover were the dugouts and the concession stand. There was a lot of open area between where he was and where they were probably hiding. If they saw him coming, they’d run for home base, and he’d never catch them. This operation would require stealth and diversion. Moving to his left, he followed the sidewalk past the first dugout and around the long side of the concession stand. Once he disappeared behind it, he doubled back toward the dugout, hoping Darcy was still waiting for him to appear on the other side.

  Bending down, he walked swiftly along the fence to the gate. Pushing the gate open just enough to get through, he crept to the side of the dugout and flattened himself against the concrete. The scuffling of feet brought a grin to his face. Edging closer, he slowly peered around the corner. Mission accomplished.

  Jace was hiding under the bench, blissfully unaware that he could be seen; Stella was crouched in the corner, facing away from him; and Darcy was standing on the bench looking through one of the small square holes in the wall.

  His thoughts took a quick detour as he allowed his eyes to travel from her orange flip flops to her ponytail. Talk about a view he could look at for hours. If they were alone, he wouldn’t mind...well, best not to think of that. They definitely weren’t alone.

  Stepping further into the dugout to block their escape, he asked, “What’s going on in here?”

  Three faces turned to him in varying degrees of surprise. Darcy hurriedly stepped down from the bench, much to his amusement. “How did you get here? I saw you walking in the other direction.”

  He put his hands on his hips. “I was in the military. Just because I drove a tank doesn’t mean I don’t know how to sneak up on the enemy.”

  Darcy laughed as she dusted off Jace’s shirt and shorts. “I can see I’ll have to be more creative in the future.”

  “Who’s going to be ‘it’ this time, Aunt Darcy?”

  “Well, since Mr. Matt found us at the same time, we all have to be ‘it’.”

  When they returned to the roundabout, Jace’s brother and sister came running up to them. “Mom’s on her way,” the boy said, a cell phone in his hand. “We’re supposed to wait in the parking lot.”

  Jace jutted out his bottom lip. “I don’t wanna go.”

  “We’re going to McDonald’s,” added his sister.

  “For a Happy Meal?” Jace asked expectantly.

  His brother nodded. “Yeah, but only if we’re in the parking lot. If Mom has to come looking for us, no Happy Meal.”

  This was too much temptation for Jace.

  Matt watched them go with a grin. “How easy kids are to manage at that age! Offer them a few chicken nuggets and a cheap toy, and you can get them to do anything.”

  Darcy sent him a sideways glance. “It isn’t just kids. I’ve been around adults like that.”

  He looked at Stella. “Do you think she’s talking about me?”

  Stella laughed and grabbed his hand. “Let’s swing. We couldn’t earlier because you were talking to that woman.”

  So Darcy had seen him and chosen not to come over. Did that mean she was jealous or just being polite? He really wanted it to be the first one. Matt slowly lifted his eyes to her face. She was looking everywhere but at him. “I see. Well, the swings are empty now, so let’s go before someone else shows up.”

  After getting Stella situated, he looked at Darcy and patted the seat of the swing in front of him. “What are you waiting for?”

  She tilted her head to the side, her smile quizzical. “Are you going to push me, too?”

  “Only if you ask nicely and say ‘pretty please’.”

  * * * * *

  Darcy sat down on the swing and reached up to clasp the chains. She didn’t realize that Matt was still standing behind her. When he put his hands over hers, she turned her head and looked at him in surprise.

  “Beautiful,” he murmured before bending down to kiss her.

  “Kiss her again, Mr. Matt.”

  He sent Darcy an apologetic glance. “I don’t want to wear out my welcome.”

  “You’re funny, Mr. Matt.”

  “You’re not the first to notice.”

  “Are you going to marry Aunt Darcy?”

  Darcy almost fell out of the swing. What was going to come out of Stella next?

  “Asking someone to marry me is kind of a big deal. I have to be very sure before I do something like that.”

  “Well, Aunt Darcy is pretty, and she makes good cookies.”

  “I certainly couldn’t ask for more in a wife, but do you think she’d be willing to marry me? I’m not pretty, and I don’t make good cookies.”

  “That’s okay. You make her smile.”

  Darcy felt the sting of tears in her eyes. Leave it to a child to cut through all the trivial stuff to what really mattered.

  “Thank you, Stella,” Matt said quietly, his face wiped clean of amusement. “I hope I keep making her smile.”

  “You will,” she stated with the assurance so common in children. “I’m hungry.”

  The rapid switch from serious to normal was typical. Matt and Darcy both started laughing.

  “It was all that talk of cookies and Happy Meals,” he said with a grin. “I’m in the mood for a chili cheese dog from Mustard’s Last Stand. Anyone
else want to come with me?”

  Stella’s eyes got big. “Can we, Aunt Darcy?”

  Darcy stood up and reached for her phone. “It’s all right with me, but we need to ask your mom.”

  Not long after, they were sitting at a wooden picnic table under a brightly covered umbrella. Stella was working on her second hot dog.

  Matt wiped a blob of ketchup off her chin. “She reminds me of another little girl with a healthy appetite.”

  A French fry hit him in the chest. “Can’t you forget about that?” Darcy asked.

  “Nope. Every time I look at you, I see a pigtailed girl with marshmallow stuck to her cheeks and mouth.”

  “This isn’t helping your cause.”

  He managed to look innocent and wicked at the same time. “But I like marshmallows. And I like your…”

  Unsure of what he might say next and very conscious of the little girl with them, she delivered a kick to his shin. The problem was she wasn’t wearing shoes, and she aimed for the wrong leg. When her toes hit the hard plastic of the prosthesis, she yelped in pain.

  Matt laughed hard enough that he had to be slapped on the back by Stella. The glare Darcy sent him silenced any further comment he might have been tempted to make.

  * * * * *

  Matt waited in the truck while Darcy walked Stella to the door. The moment he’d been looking forward to all day had arrived. He and Darcy were finally alone. All in all, he’d done a decent job of keeping his hands to himself. His only slip had been the kiss on the swing, and no man would have been able to refuse that invitation.

  The door of the truck opened, and she stepped inside. He blinked like someone waking from a dream.

  “I hope you’re satisfied,” she said, reaching for the seatbelt.

  He put the truck in gear and backed out of the driveway. “If you think that one kiss is going to last me for the rest of the day, you overestimate my self-control and underestimate my attraction to you.”

  She colored slightly, but didn’t look away. “I wasn’t talking about that. I think I broke a few of my toes.”

  Matt shrugged. “If you’re going to play footsie with a guy wearing a prosthetic leg, you need to have better aim.”

  “I wasn’t playing footsie,” she said slowly, accentuating each word. “I was attempting to stop you from talking. We had a child with us.”

  “Your method was a good one; you just didn’t execute it properly.”

  “The point is I shouldn’t have to resort to such methods at all.”

  “You’re right. I should be able to resist teasing you.” He paused, a cheeky grin parting his lips. “But I wasn’t the only one throwing out provocative comments.”

  Darcy laughed. “Just making sure you’re paying attention.”

  “You’ve had my attention for some time now.” He pulled up to the entrance gate and punched in the code. ”You don’t mind coming to my place again, do you? All that activity today wore me out.”

  Her smile faded. “Is your leg hurting you? I hope I didn’t do anything when I kicked it.”

  He reached over and clasped her hand. “This has nothing to do with you. It’s just something that happens from time to time.”

  She looked down at their hands. “You should have taken me home. You need to rest.”

  He squeezed her hand gently. “I need to see you more.”

  “That’s sweet, but it isn’t very practical. When we get inside the house, you’re going to get off your feet and relax. You can even go to sleep if you want to.”

  Falling asleep in her arms. He couldn’t imagine a nicer ending to the day. He smiled as he drew up to the garage and shut off the engine. “I might do that.”

  * * * * *

  Matt’s comment about being tired aroused Darcy’s protective instincts. As she followed him into the living room, she tried to see if he was favoring his bad leg. She knew he wouldn’t tell her if he was in pain. He’d just grin and bear it. If he was alone, he could take off the prosthesis. Should she tell him she didn’t mind or would that put him on the spot?

  “Can I get you something to drink?” he asked as he tossed his keys and phone on the coffee table.

  “No, thanks.”

  When she walked toward the recliner, he reached for her hand.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I’m giving you room to stretch out.”

  Laughing, he pulled her into his arms. “I can’t do this,” he pressed a gentle kiss on one side of her mouth, “or this,” he moved slowly across her lips and kissed the other side, “if you’re over there.”

  Even that brief contact made her pulse race. “I see what you mean,” she said slowly.

  “Do you?”

  His head dipped lower, his lips skimming across her face to the sensitive spot below her ear. An involuntary shiver coursed through her as her heart joined her pulse in a mad dash to some imaginary finish line.

  Matt drew away slowly, smiling boyishly. “I’m sorry. I got a little carried away.”

  Darcy wanted to sink into the ground. She was behaving like a teenager. “It’s me who should be apologizing. I don’t have a lot of experience in this area.”

  “You make it sound like a bad thing. Inexperience is underrated these days. Personally, I find it very attractive.”

  “You may find it boring after a while.”

  “Nothing about you is boring. As for the other stuff, I want you to know in here,” he touched his chest where his heart would be, “that I will always treat you with respect. If I ever do anything that makes you uncomfortable, tell me.” He sat down on the couch and pulled her down beside him. “Expressing affection should be a mutual thing, not one person getting pleasure at the expense of the other.”

  Darcy smiled ruefully. “You’re dealing with a newbie here. My seizures more or less scared off anyone that might have been interested in me. It probably saved me a lot of trouble. There were times when I didn’t like being alone, but at least I didn’t end up with a broken heart or worse. Some of my friends found out the hard way that ‘I love you’ is a way for a guy to get what he wants. Alison was the exception, but then again, Rob is older than her. He’s not some college kid looking for his next score.”

  “That’s not what I’m looking for either. I want more from a relationship than someone to sleep with. I want true love, the kind that binds two people so tightly together that you don’t know where one person ends and the other begins.”

  “You’ve just described my parents. In personality and temperament, they aren’t alike, but they complement each other perfectly. They each know when to lead and when to follow.” A shy smile touched her mouth. “They still exchange love notes. I’ve seen my mom put them in my dad’s lunch or in his briefcase. He puts hers in his sock drawer or taped to the mirror in the bathroom. That’s what I’d like to have with someone someday.”

  Matt put his arm across the back of the couch, lightly touching her shoulder. “You’re lucky to have such a great example of what marriage should be. I grew up with a father who preferred to be anywhere but at home. He used his job as an excuse, but as I got older, I started hearing the rumors of his affairs. I used to tell myself that the only reason my mother stayed with him was because of me and Eric, but I was wrong. When she got sick, he came home to see her. I’ll never forget the look in her eyes when he walked into the room. I knew then why she stayed. It was because she couldn’t leave. For all his faults, she loved him.”

  Darcy’s eyes glistened with tears. When Matt saw them, his brows puckered.

  “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

  She smiled shakily. “I don’t think anyone could hear that and not be moved.”

  Matt drew her into his arms. “This just confirms what I already know about you. You’re tenderhearted and compassionate.”

  And he knew how to touch a woman’s soul, making her aware not only of him, but also of how much better she was for knowing him. “I’m not the only one.”

 
; His fingers moved to her hair, running slowly through the wavy strands. “In the sunlight, your hair shines like gold. In here, it reminds me of amber.”

  Darcy tilted her head so she could look at him. “And you’re a study in browns. You have the longest, thickest eyelashes I’ve ever seen on a man. They’re the only remotely feminine thing about you.” His chuckle brought a grin to her face. She loved to hear him laugh.

  “Well, I certainly hope so.”

  She traced the indentation made by the thin chain under his shirt. “I’m going to miss you tomorrow.”

  Matt caught her hand and brought it to his lips. “Not as much as I’ll miss you.”

  * * * * *

  Darcy blinked several times, trying to focus her thoughts. Had she fallen asleep on the couch? No, that couldn’t be right. She wasn’t at home. Turning her head slightly, she looked into Matt’s face.

  “Hi,” he said quietly.

  She was lying in his arms, and she couldn’t remember how she got there. That could only mean one thing. “Oh, no, not that,” she said in a tortured whisper. She squeezed her eyes shut in an agony of humiliation. “I’m sorry, so sorry.”

  “Look at me, Darcy.”

  She slowly opened her eyes. He didn’t look upset or freaked out. He looked, well, normal.

  “Don’t apologize, okay. You didn’t do anything wrong. You were going to have a seizure in front of me sooner or later. I needed to see it so I would know what it’s like, and you needed for me to see it so you’d know I can handle it.”

  “What…what was I doing? Were we watching television?”

  “No, we were just talking. You stopped in the middle of a sentence, and I knew.” He gently pushed back the hair from her face. “How do you feel? Can I get you anything?”

  Where to start? She was mortified that this had happened in front of him, angry that she had this problem, and scared that he’d never want to see her again. “I’ve got a headache, but that’s normal. I can sit up.”

  “You don’t have to on my account. I never complain about having a girl on my lap.”

  She smiled wanly. “You’re being so nice about it. I know you must be horrified.”

  “Concerned, yes. Horrified, no.” He reached over and caught a tear that had slipped out of her eye.