by Maggie Way
When he called to cancel, Maddie insisted on helping clean out the stalls and enlisted her dad.
“Thanks for helping with the stalls,” Darren said. He wasn’t looking forward to doing it all on his own. “Your dad is a maniac.”
“He’s not afraid of hard work. Plus, you were probably doing him a favor. Retirement isn’t his thing.”
Darren laughed. “He must be desperate. Not many people like mucking out stalls.”
“Us Carson’s are a little odd. We find it strangely therapeutic.”
“This isn’t what I had in mind for a second date.” With his employees sick, he’d had to change his schedule, skipping the gym in the mornings to cover the early shift. That meant he and Maddie only talked on the phone, getting to know each other while they made plans for another Friday night date.
Maddie put her hand on her heart. “Be still my heart. Darren Brown, you really know how to woo a girl. Shoveling shit is the best date ever.”
Darren leaned his pitchfork against the wall and closed the distance between them. “Eau de manure smells great on you.”
She smelled really good despite all the stalls they’d cleaned, like a spring rain. He couldn’t imagine how bad he smelled, but she didn’t try to run as he pinned her against the wall. “If you tell me the smell of manure is a turn on, I might not give you another date.”
“You smell great,” he said.
“I smell like horse and hay and I don’t even want to give words to whatever else. I need a shower, and frankly,” she gave him a little sniff, “so do you.”
“Great, let’s hit the shower together. You know, conserve water and all that.”
She smiled and thwacked his nose. “I don’t think so.”
Ducking under his arm, she managed to get away before he could steal a kiss.
“You like celestial events?” he asked, following her out of the barn.
Maddie looked over her shoulder, raising one brow at him. “Is this another approach to asking me to sleep with you?”
“You’re the one who’s always talking about sex,” he countered. “Maybe we should do something about that.”
“Okay,” she laughed, “Back to the celestial event — with no innuendo. Yes, I like to stargaze.”
“There’s a meteor shower tonight. We could pack a midnight snack and head up Frontier Mountain to watch it.”
“Wow, you do know how to woo a girl,” she chuckled. “I’d love to, but I’m going home to shower first.”
“Well, if you’re not going to let me join you for that, how about I pick you up at ten?”
She glanced at her watch. “That’s more than enough time. Want me to pack some snacks?”
“I’ve got it. Just dress warm. The nights are still pretty cold.” Though if she got cold, he’d just have to hold her to keep her warm. Darren wouldn’t mind that at all.
After Maddie left with a bounce in her step, Darren spent the next couple hours showering and putting together a basket of midnight snacks she’d appreciate. He cut up strawberries and made a low fat fruit dip. He tossed a handful of dark chocolate truffles in the thermal bag, along with a bottle of Moscato and two glasses.
He already packed a water resistant blanket, a couple sleeping bags, and a couple pillows in anticipation of taking Maddie to see the meteor shower. Dessert hadn’t been part of the plan since it was supposed to be after dinner, but he’d always been good at improvising.
It was a new moon and a cloudless sky, perfect for the annual meteor shower. When he reached Maddie’s apartment building, she was sitting on the front step. She hopped in the truck before he could even get out and open the door for her.
“You make it real hard for me to be the perfect gentleman,” he said as she buckled in.
“Alas, chivalry isn’t dead,” she laughed.
“Not by a long shot. Next time let me get the door for you.”
“Yes, sir,” she chided, giving him a salute.
It was a long and bumpy drive up Frontier Mountain, but Darren loved every minute of it with Maddie pressed up against his side and her hand on his thigh. She smelled like spring after a cold rain and though her hands were cold even through his jeans, the rest of her was warm.
When they reached the top of the mountain, he followed the road to the clearing, praying to the heavens no one else was up here.
His prayers were answered as he brought the truck to a stop.
After he got out, Maddie scooted out his side of the truck. Even though she didn’t need it, he helped her down, taking a moment to enjoy the press of her lush body against his. She smiled and kissed him, her arms moving around his back in an embrace so passionate Darren regretted not being prepared.
Despite all the flirting, he didn’t want to rush her and he didn’t want to be presumptuous. She backed off from the kiss, the beautiful if not somewhat smug smile on her face making Darren smile too. He tugged open the back door, ready to snuggle up and watch the meteor shower with her.
“What’s all this?” she asked as he pulled out the sleeping bags.
“Comfort and warmth,” he said, handing her the water resistant blanket. “Spread this on the ground, we’ll put the sleeping bags on top of it.”
“So bossy,” she laughed.
“Please,” he added.
“It’s okay, I don’t mind bossy.”
It was like being swept up in a fairy tale where the handsome prince was perfect, the evil queen was defeated, and there was only happily ever after.
While Maddie had always allowed herself to get sucked into that fantasy with every relationship she’d had, only to be disappointed when it didn’t play out the way she had imagined the story, she could feel herself falling into the fantasy again.
And falling for Darren.
It was no surprise. Falling in love is what she did, fast and with reckless abandon. She’d never been afraid to utter the words first, and she’d stopped being surprised when they sent the object of her affection running for the hills.
As a therapist, she recognized it as self-sabotage because as much as Maddie had always claimed to want love and the happily ever after, deep inside, it scared the shit out of her.
So that had to be what she was doing now — falling for Darren as a way to sabotage the relationship.
Except, she was trying to break those old habits. She’d refused to date until she had that under control and yet here she was, on her third date with the man she couldn’t resist.
She still had seven pounds to go to get back to her ideal weight. Only then would she allow herself to fall in love.
Not before, no matter how perfect and romantic Darren seemed.
Of course, if Maddie was going to go all psychotherapist on herself, she’d challenge the idea of allowing herself to fall in love. She knew good and well it wasn’t something you could control.
The therapist was off duty though, and Maddie didn’t want to analyze every impulse or decision. Darren had told her to be herself and her intuition — something she was trying to trust again — told her he was sincere. He wasn’t like all the other men she’d dated who wanted to fix her. Both her dad and Clarissa said she needed to stop being so uptight and Darren seemed to set her spirit free. On a night like this, when the universe was unleashing its free spirit, Maddie needed to embrace that side and give the therapist a rest.
Finding a nice spot on a slight hill facing south, she spread the blanket. Darren’s hands were full, two sleeping bags, two pillows. “Can you please spread these out? I’ll go back for the snacks.”
She laughed at his manners. “I told you I don’t mind bossy,” she teased.
“I’m going to remember that,” he said over his shoulder as he stepped back to the truck.
Maddie placed the pillows at the top of the blanket and unzipped the two sleeping bags before zipping them together as a single unit. She spread it out on the blanket, then slipped out of her shoes and slid into the big sleeping bag.
“A
double?” Darren sounded surprised when he returned.
“Why not? If it’s going to get cold, we might need to share body heat.”
He smiled but didn’t come back with a retort. She wondered if she’d gone too far by zipping the sleeping bags together.
“Good idea,” he said.
Maddie didn’t want to regret acting on the impulse or second guess her action, but Darren’s hesitation and silence ignited her doubts and insecurities. She shifted to separate the zippers. “We can take them apart if you’d rather—”
Darren crouched, putting his hand over hers. “No, not at all. I like this, having them together.”
“You just got quiet there for a second.”
“You surprised me, that’s all.” The slow caress of his fingers across her hand dissolved the doubt and fired up the spark that always surged when they touched.
He chuckled, bringing her hand to his mouth. “Do you feel that?”
“The energy pulsing between us?” she asked, smiling at the knowledge he felt it too.
“It’s more than a pulse. I feel it every time I touch you.”
“Me too,” she admitted, stunned and equally pleased by his openness.
He kissed her hand before releasing it and pulling containers out of the bag. “I’ve got a couple bowls of salad and I have strawberries with a low fat dip.”
She was so not in the mood for salad, but strawberries sounded fantastic. “Let’s start with the strawberries,” she suggested.
Darren removed his shoes and slid into the sleeping bag, his leg brushing Maddie’s and turning the cozy space into an inferno. They were fully clothed and hadn’t even kissed but the anticipation was running like a wildfire through her veins.
“Dessert first, I like that.”
“Yeah, well if dessert was triple chocolate brownie sundaes drizzling with hot fudge and splattered with chocolate chips…”
Darren laughed. “Would you settle for chocolate truffles?” he asked, pulling a handful out of the thermal bag.
She didn’t know whether to love him or hate him.
“I can’t. The strawberries are great.”
“You don’t have to give up chocolate completely, Maddie. This is even dark chocolate, it’s lower in fat and calories.” He unwrapped a truffle and took a bite, offering her the other half.
Maddie shook her head. He sounded just like Clarissa, except Clarissa had been talking about dating and sex. Now here she was, wrapped up in a sleeping bag, under a moonless sky being seduced with chocolate by a man she couldn’t resist.
“I don’t have very good self-control when it comes to chocolate. Eating one would be like putting a crack in the dam.”
He leaned over, his breath warm on her cheek. It was too dark to see the desire in his eyes, but she could feel it rolling off him. “Where else are you lacking self-control?”
Before she could answer, his mouth was on hers and her arms were around him, pulling him closer. She definitely had no self-control when it came to this man, but he obviously already knew that and the kiss was too good for her to pull away to try and prove him wrong.
His tongue brushed across her lips and she parted them, desperate for more. When the taste of chocolate crossed her tongue, Maddie withdrew and leaned back.
“That wasn’t very nice,” she said. “I think you’re the one lacking self-control and you’re trying to project that on me.”
He laughed. “You’re right. When it comes to you, I have none.”
God, this man slayed her. “And chocolate?” she asked through a smile.
“It seems we have a lot in common.”
It seemed so. “I’d love some strawberries now,” she said, not wanting to dive deeper into the implications of all they had in common.
Darren moved back. “Right, strawberries.” He dove into the bag and pulled out a plastic container, popping the lid and placing it between them. He repeated the exercise for the dip.
“Dig in,” he said, waving his hand across the items.
She didn’t have to be told twice. Strawberries were on her list of favorite foods. While she preferred them dipped in chocolate, she’d settle for a low fat dip.
“Oh, God, this is so good,” she said as the strawberry practically melted in her mouth. “What is in this dip?”
“It’s a super secret recipe. I’d be breaking a family oath if I told you. Oh, look, a meteor.”
By the time she turned it was gone, but a few seconds later came another. Maddie closed her eyes and made a wish.
“What did you wish for?” Darren asked.
“If I tell you, it won’t come true,” she chuckled and more than anything, she wanted her wish — and Darren.
They feasted on the strawberries and watched the sky. When the fruit was gone, Maddie resisted the urge to lick the dip out of the bowl. Instead, she fluffed the pillow and laid back. Darren put the plastic containers away and joined her, his hand reaching out and holding hers.
“You warm enough?” he asked.
She was, but she didn’t want to deter him from getting close. “I wouldn’t mind sharing some body heat,” she said.
“Ask and you shall receive,” he quipped, moving closer.
Maddie rolled toward him, hooking her leg over his. “Want to make out like horny teenagers?” she asked.
“You know it.”
Maddie met him halfway, her mouth fusing with his. He tasted like strawberries and cream and man. He was a little slice of heaven wrapped up in a perfect body with the most delicious lips.
With his hands tangling in her hair, she scooted up his body, seeking more contact and heat from him. Every muscle was solid and she let her free hand roam over his ripped abs to his firm chest. She’d never been with a man so cut and as his tongue swept across her lips and back into her mouth, seeking and tasting, she wanted nothing more than to be with him now.
It wasn’t just his body and it wasn’t that she’d been celibate longer than she cared to admit. Darren made her feel, something that had lacked in her relationships for a long time.
Then there was the way he looked at her…and touched her…and kissed her.
She wasn’t sure if it was her own will or if he helped, but she eased her body so she was on top of him. His hands were on her, first moving up and down her back, and then on her butt, pulling her against the hard length of him.
She’d been joking about making out like horny teenagers, but wrapped up in the sleeping bags, fully clothed, in a lip lock and grinding against him, that’s exactly what she felt like. Just like when she’d been that horny teenage girl, she couldn’t get enough.
Every nerve ending in her body sizzled and sparked like a live wire. When his hand moved under her shirt, Maddie melted under the heat of his touch. While his strength didn’t surprise Maddie, the quick roll where she ended up pressed beneath him did.
He kissed her chin and neck, before tugging her lobe between his teeth, all the while pushing his hips against hers.
“If we keep this up, it will be like a teenage make-out session.”
“We wouldn’t want that,” she said, hoping he planned to keep moving things full speed ahead.
Not one to wait, Maddie slid her finger under the waist of his jeans and traced his skin until she reached the button at the front.
“I’m not prepared,” he said.
“You must have been a lousy boy scout,” she joked, glad she’d packed for the occasion.
“I was trying to take things slow,” he chuckled. “I figured if I didn’t load my wallet with condoms, I’d have no choice but to keep it in my pants.”
Her hand eased inside his pants, brushing over his hot, velvety skin and eliciting a pleasured groan that made her hot with power. “What if I don’t want you to keep it in your pants?”
“Are we reverting back to teenage fantasies? Because, God, Maddie, your hand feels so good.”
Maddie laughed. Since Darren had admitted to not being prepared in his truck af
ter they got caught in the rain, she’d opted to be the responsible adult and buy a pack of condoms.
“There’s a box of condoms in my purse,” she said.
“A box?” he chortled.
“Just a three pack.”
“Yeah?” he asked, the question loaded with more than just a confirmation.
“I want you,” she admitted. “Right here, right now. It’s what I wished for on that first shooting star.”
“I thought wishes didn’t come true if you said them out loud?” he laughed.
She stroked up and down his skin. “I think I’ve got this one under control.”
“I didn’t bring any because I didn’t want to rush you.”
“Am I rushing you?” she asked. The men she dated wanted to jump into bed right away. Darren wasn’t like anyone she’d ever met and Maddie liked that.
“No, not at all. I want you, Maddie. I’m just trying to be a gentleman.”
“How about you give the gentleman a rest for a while and show me the man who believes in being thorough?”
His mouth claimed hers again as he moved to her side, his hand pushing under her shirt and brushing over her breast. With a deftness that surprised her, he released the front clasp of her bra, his calloused hand a welcome scrape against her needy nipple.
With an urgency she didn’t want to control, Maddie extracted her hand from that enticing part of him to tug his shirt over his head. After she tossed it aside, he did the same for her, pushing her bra off her shoulder so they were skin to skin for the first time.
It felt so good, stars fell from the sky.
“I didn’t think to bring candles,” he said.
“We have the stars,” she reminded him.
“There’s not enough light for me to see how beautiful you are.”
She’d only lost two pounds since the week she’d lost eleven. With those seven pounds still left to lose, she didn’t want there to be enough light. “I like the mystery of the dark,” she said even though she wanted to see Darren and all of his perfect muscles.
He kissed her neck, moving down until his mouth locked around her nipple. She moaned at the erotic feel, her hands weaving into his short hair and holding him there.
She was ready to explode with wanting him when he moved to the other and lavished the same attention, making her hotter and needier and nearly desperate.
