Darius (Starkis Family #5)

by Cheryl Douglas

  “I think you’re just about the strongest chick I know,” she said, tossing the cushion at me.

  I caught it and hugged it close. That was a huge compliment coming from her because she was a pretty strong chick herself. She was my soul sister. Not the kind I’d been born with but the kind I knew I’d die with. “I wouldn’t be this strong without you, you know. Knowing that you’ve always got my back makes it easier.”

  My cell phone rang, and Daphne smiled when she saw Darius’s name flash across the screen. “Tell that sexy man of yours I said hi while I make use of that amazing soaker tub of his.”

  “I will.” I tried to tamp down my excitement when I said hello. I didn’t want him to know I’d been waiting on his call. “Hey. How was your night out with the boys?”

  He grunted. “Would have rather spent it with you.”

  “You’re just saying that.” Though I hoped he wasn’t. I wanted to believe he was missing me just as much as I was missing him.

  “No, I’m not.”

  Since Darius’s family had spent their summers in the Hamptons while he was growing up, he’d made plenty of friends and apparently kept in touch with most of them. He said he often got together with those who still called the Hamptons home. I knew he had a huge social circle, most of whom I hadn’t met yet, and I couldn’t help but wonder what they would think of me. I didn’t usually dwell on what others thought of me, but the glaring disparity between our socio-economic classes made it tough for me not to wonder whether they would question my intentions.

  “Meet any pretty girls tonight?” I was just teasing him, and I hoped he knew that. I didn’t want him to think I was the jealous, insecure type who would demand to know about every move he made.

  “I only had one pretty girl on my mind tonight, and I’m talking to her.”

  That made me smile. “Good answer.”

  “How ‘bout you, gorgeous? What did you do tonight?”

  “I covered a shift for a friend.”

  “At Exodus?”

  I laughed. “Of course at Exodus. That is my sole source of income, remember?” And whether Darius approved or not, Daphne and I had agreed to pay him our regular rent on the first of the month, which only gave a few days to come up with the couple hundred we were short.

  “About that…” He cleared his throat, sounding hesitant. “Why don’t we start your management job at the club now so you can give your notice at Exodus?”

  I knew what he was doing, and it wasn’t going to work. “There’s no comedy club to manage yet. Until there is, I’ll be keeping my job at Exodus and picking up as many shifts as I can to make up the difference.”

  Billy’s entire staff had agreed to look for temporary work, promising to return to the comedy club when the renovations were complete. After I’d sold Darius to my friends and coworkers, they had complete faith in his vision and business acumen, and they were all thrilled I would be their new boss. I just hoped I was up to the task. I’d never managed anyone before, and I didn’t want to let Darius down.

  “I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but I hate that you’re working there.”

  “Yeah, you made that pretty clear the other night.” I didn’t need or want a jealous man trying to control me, but I thought Darius’s concern was cute. As long as he didn’t cross any lines and start barking orders, expecting me to obey, I was okay with his disapproval.

  “I saw the way those guys treated you, Chels. I hated it.”

  I wasn’t so crazy about it myself, but being nice to the customers, flirting a little and flashing a big smile when they pulled out their wallets, helped pay the bills. Every attractive service person knew that. But Damon and his partner ran a pretty tight ship. Security was top notch, and if any of the drunk patrons made the employees feel uncomfortable, they were shown the door.

  “It’s not so bad. There are a lot of dive bars in the city that are a thousand times worse. Trust me, I’ve worked at more than a few,” I said.

  “That’s supposed to make me feel better?”

  “Darius, I appreciate your concern, but we need to get something straight. I can take care of myself.”

  “I know that, but—”

  “Please, just listen. After what I shared with you today, I know you understand how hard it is for me to trust people. Shaun was the first person I ever allowed to get that close. I depended on him. Once we got engaged, I just assumed we’d be together forever.”

  “I’m sorry, babe. I shouldn’t be bringing this up now.”

  “No, it’s okay. We need to talk about this.” I sighed. I was tired, probably too tired to have this conversation, but I wouldn’t be able to sleep until I’d made my point. “I can’t afford to lean on someone like that again.”

  He was hesitant for a minute before he said, “That’s not fair. Just because he let you down doesn’t mean I will.”

  He had a valid point, but so did I. “I know that right now, you want to be with me, just like I want to be with you. But this relationship is so new. We’re still figuring things out. Neither of us knows how we’ll feel a few months from now.”

  “I know how I’ll feel. I’ll still want to be with you as much as I do now.”

  My insides turned to mush when he made promises like that, but blind faith had proven to be my enemy. “I hope that’s true, but only time will tell for sure.”

  “Let me ask you something.”

  “Okay.”

  He chuckled. “I never imagined asking you something like this over the phone, but what the hell… can you ever see yourself getting married again?”

  Wow, he didn’t pull any punches. “A few months ago, I would have said no way. Now? I honestly don’t know. Maybe if I was seriously in love with someone and we were happier together than apart, I could see it happening.”

  “Would you lean on him? Would you trust him enough to let him help you, or would you still be so damn intent on doing everything by yourself just to prove you could?”

  I knew he wasn’t trying to start a fight, but his frustration was evident. “I am who I am. Any man who wants to spend his life with me has to accept that, faults and all, just like I’d have to accept his shortcomings.”

  “And if he didn’t have any shortcomings? Let’s just say, hypothetically speaking, this guy was perfect?”

  I was relieved to hear amusement in his voice. I rolled my tongue around in my cheek, trying not to give in to the laughter bubbling up inside me. “Perfect, huh? You mean he picks up his dirty clothes off the floor, cooks, buys me flowers for no reason, wants to go for a walk in the park with me instead of watching football… that kind of perfect?”

  “Uh…”

  I laughed. “That’s what I thought. No one’s perfect, Darius. I’m not, and I don’t expect you to be.”

  “Tell me what kind of guy would make you happy.”

  I didn’t even hesitate. “You. You make me happy.” I didn’t know all there was to know about him yet, but I liked what I’d seen so far. He was compassionate, down-to-earth, loved his family, was a good listener, and was sexy as hell. For now, that was all I needed to know. “You just have to be you. That’s enough for me.”

  “I don’t think a woman’s ever said that to me before.”

  “Then you’ve been dating the wrong women.”

  “Clearly.”

  “I can’t wait to spend the weekend with you, Chels, and introduce you to my family. They’re going to love you. I know it.”

  I wasn’t so sure his family would be as impressed with me as he thought they would, but I was anxious to spend more time with him and see him in his element, surrounded by the people he loved the most. “I can’t wait either.”

  “So, uh, I guess I’ll set up the guest room for you, right?”

  “Don’t bother.”

  “Babe, I don’t want you to think that just because I invited you to spend the weekend with me, I expect—”

  “I know you don’t expect anything. But I do.�
�� I grinned, imagining the look of shock on his face. “So you better not disappoint me.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Darius

  Ever since Chelsea had shared her expectations for the weekend, I couldn’t think about anything else.

  Kara snapped her fingers in front of my face. “Hello! Are you listening to a word I’ve said?”

  We were discussing the changes we needed to make to some decorative pillars between our current project’s kitchen and great room in order to accommodate her design plan, and my mind had clearly been wandering. Again.

  “Sorry, sis.” I tipped my chair forward, scraping my hands down my face. “What were you saying?”

  “Where were you just now?”

  I glanced at my watch. Two more hours until Chelsea arrived. No doubt it would seem like ten since I was down to counting the minutes. “Just thinking about some of the things I need to take care of before Chels gets here for the weekend. My housekeeper stocked the fridge and went through the place, but I’d like to pick up some flowers and…” I felt a little self-conscious when Kara shook her head. “What?”

  “You’re completely gone over this girl, aren’t you?”

  “Pretty much.” I grinned, knowing there was no point trying to hide it.

  “With the highs come the lows,” she said, pointing at me. “Just remember that.”

  “Things okay with you and Dustin?” I asked, frowning. “Cat’s usually the pessimist in the family, not you.”

  She smiled. “No, Dustin and I are great. But I saw the way you were after your argument with Chelsea the other day. Seems to me you’re already in pretty deep, and I just want to remind you it won’t always be easy. Some days will be hard.”

  “Yeah, I know.” I had a feeling no one knew more about hard days than Chelsea, and she was still brave enough to take a chance on me. “But I feel really good about her, about us.”

  “Have you thought about what you’re going to tell Mom and Dad? You know they’ll be all over you when they meet her, demanding to know how long you’ve been seeing each other, whether it’s serious, all the usual crap.”

  I was pretty close with my parents. I talked to them a few times a month and saw them whenever they were in the Hamptons, which was at least once a month these days, and their questions always circled back to my love life. Was I seeing anyone special? Had I met any nice girls lately? Meeting Chelsea would be a big deal for them, even if I tried to downplay our relationship for her sake.

  “I’m going to tell them she’s a friend.”

  “You think you’ll be able to sell that?” Kara asked, looking amused. “I’ve met her, remember? She’s hot. You really think you’ll be able to keep your hands off her in front of the folks?”

  Probably not, but I’d try. “She doesn’t need anyone pressuring her about our relationship right now, and that goes for you and Cat too.” I’d called Cat and given her a heads-up. She’d promised to be on her best behavior with Chelsea, but Cat was a little firecracker, liable to go off at any time, especially lately. “It’s still too new. Let us get on solid ground before you start asking her how she feels about me.” Though I wouldn’t have minded knowing the answer to that question myself.

  Kara raised her hands. “I promise to follow your lead on this. I can tell you like her. I don’t want to do anything to screw things up for you.”

  “Thanks, sis. I appreciate it.”

  “She’s driving in from the city?” Kara asked.

  “Chase offered to drive her since you guys invited him too.”

  “They seem to be getting pretty friendly,” Kara said, wiggling her eyebrows. “Are you worried?”

  “No. I trust Chelsea, and Chase has become one of my best friends. Speaking of Chase, have you told our sister he’s going to be here?” As far as I knew, they hadn’t seen each other since Kara and Dustin’s wedding.

  “No.” She bit her lip, averting her eyes to the drawings laid out on my desk. “I thought I’d wait ‘til she gets here to spring that on her.”

  “When is she—?”

  “Shit,” Kara whispered, looking out the window. “There she is, getting out of her rental car. She’s early. I thought I’d have more time to figure out how to tell her about Chase being here.”

  I shrugged. “Chase is a friend. It’s your party. You have the right to invite anyone you want. Cat will just have to deal with it.” As far as I was concerned, they were both making a huge mistake in trying to deny what they felt for each other. Maybe this weekend would help them see that.

  “This weekend is really important to us,” Kara said, leaning forward. “We just wanted everyone we loved to be here to share this with us.”

  I’d seen their house several times; so had my parents and Dustin’s. It seemed my sister was looking forward to sharing more than her new digs with the fam. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

  Before she could respond, we heard Catia greet the receptionist before making her way down the hall toward our offices.

  “Hey, guys,” she said, opening her arms to Kara then me. “How did I know I’d find you here?”

  “Maybe because it’s four o’clock on a Friday?” I suggested. “Where else would we be?”

  Once we were all seated, Cat said, “So what were we talking about?”

  “Work,” I said, hoping Kara would let it go at that. I didn’t need both of my sisters grilling me about Chelsea right now. More than anything, I wanted to get the hell out of this office so I could finish preparing for her visit.

  “Did Darius tell you he has a girlfriend?” Kara asked, gripping Catia’s forearm.

  “Ohhh, is that what we’re calling her now?” Cat said, grinning at me.

  “It doesn’t matter what we label it. I just want you two to remember the promise you made me. Best behavior this weekend. I don’t want either of you saying or doing anything to make Chelsea uncomfortable.” My girl could handle herself, but I felt the need to run interference for her. My family could be a bit much at times, and I didn’t want her to feel overwhelmed.

  “We won’t,” they said in unison.

  “So who’s going to be here?” Cat asked, adjusting her long black maxi dress over her legs. “Deacon, Mia, Damon, El, the kiddies, the folks, Dustin’s brother, Chelsea, and us… am I missing anyone?”

  Kara shot me a pleading look, but I wasn’t bailing her out of this one. She’d extended the invitation to Chase. She could explain the reason to our sister.

  “Uh, just one more person,” Kara said, glaring at me.

  “Who?” Cat asked, sounding wary. When Kara didn’t respond, she said, “Please tell me you did not invite Chase.”

  “He’s practically family,” Kara said, spreading her hands. “We had to include him.”

  “I can’t believe he agreed to come,” Cat said, looking panic-stricken. “Did he know I would be here?”

  “I’m sure he assumed,” Kara said.

  I rolled my eyes as I stood. This was way too high school for me. I had more important things to tend to. “I’ll see you guys in the morning. Folks’ place for brunch, right?”

  “You got it,” Kara said. “And don’t be late. Mom’s dying to meet Chelsea.”

  Great. Just great. It was starting already.

  ***

  When Chase dropped Chelsea off, he and I shook hands, exchanged a few pleasantries, and he was off, leaving me alone with my woman. Finally.

  “Hey, you,” I said, wrapping my arms around her. “I’ve missed you like crazy.”

  She giggled as she tipped her head back for a kiss. “We just saw each other a couple of days ago.”

  “Still too long.” A couple of hours without seeing her was starting to feel too long. “Are you hungry? I was just about to throw a couple of steaks on the grill.”

  “I’m famished.” She put her arm around my waist as we walked inside.

  I carried her overnight bag, marvelling at how she could pack so light. Most of the girls I’d dat
ed carried two suitcases for a weekend trip.

  “So we’re not going to be seeing your family tonight?” she asked.

  “No. We’ll be having brunch at my parents’ place in the morning though, if that’s okay.”

  “Of course.” She smiled at me. “We are here to spend time with your family this weekend, right?”

  “Yeah, I guess. But that doesn’t mean I won’t make plenty of time for us. Just the two of us.”

  “Hmm, I like the sound of that,” she said, patting my stomach with her free hand.

  I couldn’t wait to bring her up here for the weekend when it would be just the two of us. No family obligations, no schedules. Just me, her, the sunshine, the beach, and my fishing boat. “You like to fish?”

  She laughed. “Can’t say that I’ve ever tried it. Why?”

  “I’ll teach you. Nothing better than spending a day on the water, listening to your favorite tunes, with your girl by your side.”

  “Huh,” Chelsea said, her lips twisting into a wry smile. “So you do this with all your girlfriends? And here I thought I was special.”

  “You are special, believe me.” I stopped and blocked her path into the kitchen. Framing her beautiful face with my hands, I gave her a kiss that I hoped would prove to her just how special I thought she was. It was deep and tender, not demanding, but intense and passionate.

  “I believe you,” she said, sounding a little breathless.

  “Good.” I smiled against her lips, stealing a few more kisses before I tore myself away.

  She watched me retrieve a platter with two seasoned steaks from the fridge. “What can I do to help?”

  “Just come outside and keep me company while I heat the grill. Oh, and grab the sliced zucchini and eggplant on that platter for me,” I said, gesturing to a shelf in the fridge with my chin. “We’ll grill those too.”

  “Sure.” She grabbed the platter and reached for a beer. “Do you want one of these?” I hesitated, making her laugh. “You do. I can tell. You don’t have to refrain on my account, Darius.”