“I love baking,” she began. “But that’s something I do to relieve stress or because I’m bored or…hell, is there ever a wrong time to have extra cake or cookies in the house?”
He laughed softly and waited for her to continue.
“It’s not something I want to do as my job,” she went on. “I can run an office like a drill sergeant. I love doing the administrative stuff, setting up systems, and getting things organized.”
“It sounds like there would be thousands of jobs in that category.”
“Oh, there are,” Darcy agreed. “However, once things are set up, I get bored and want to move on. It’s pretty boring dealing with the day-to-day crap. I like a challenge, and in an office, once things are in place and everyone knows what they’re doing, it’s…ugh. I hate it.”
“I can understand that.”
“Although…”
She huffed softly as if she was deciding whether she was going to share this next bit of information with him, so Ben waited and swore he wouldn’t push. If she wanted to tell him, great. If not? Well, he’d have to deal with it and find a way to change the subject.
“Owen’s wife, Brooke, is an artist.”
“O-kay.”
“I was fascinated by what she does. It’s…it’s amazing. She paints, she draws, she… It’s all just incredible.”
He nodded, because he wasn’t sure what he could add to that.
“Anyway, while she and Owen were dating, I got to know her, and she would talk to me about the classes she taught at the community college and about how much she really wanted to work in a gallery and maybe someday show her work in one.”
Been there. Done that, he thought. Didn’t see what the big deal was.
“Anyway, she and Owen broke up briefly, and when they got back together and moved closer to home, she and I started spending even more time together. She loved talking about her paintings, and we would take day trips to galleries in the surrounding areas—we went as far as Virginia to the north and Georgia to the south. So we didn’t get to see any, you know, real galleries like the ones you’d find in New York City.”
Ben was sure there was a point to this story, but for the life of him, he couldn’t see where she was going.
“We would go into these places, and Brooke, she was always so passionate when we talked about her work, but when we talked to anyone at the galleries, she sort of clammed up and lacked confidence. By the third time she’d done it, I’d had enough. So I spoke up. And I always went prepared by having examples of her work on my phone.”
“So you acted as, what, her representative?”
A smile crossed Darcy’s face as she nodded. “One minute, I was kind of singing her praises, and the next…I don’t know…I just kind of turned into this person who commanded attention and talked about all the reasons why Brooke’s work should be on display.”
“And?” Ben had to admit, he was curious as hell to see if she’d made it happen.
“And Brooke’s paintings are now on display and for sale in about a dozen different places. There’s a gallery near Wilmington where she’s on display, and one in Virginia Beach, and one in Myrtle Beach. And then I got her into several boutiques and shops on the Outer Banks,” she said, clearly pleased with herself.
“That’s impressive,” he said, unable to hide his grin. “Very impressive.”
She shrugged. “I thought so.”
“So maybe that’s your thing. Maybe you should be doing that.”
Immediately, Darcy shook her head. “It was easy to do that with Brooke. She’s my sister-in-law. I didn’t have to go out searching for her—she was right there. I don’t have any idea how to find clients to take on so I could do this full-time. And besides that, I didn’t charge Brooke anything. She’s family, and I was happy to do it.”
The wheels in Ben’s mind began to turn, but he wasn’t going to get into it with her right now. “Tell me about where we’re staying. You’ve been a little vague about it other than saying it’s an apartment above your brother’s garage.”
“It’s nicer than it sounds,” she said. “One bedroom—”
“What size bed?” he asked as he began to tease lazy circles on the palm of her hand.
“King.”
“Good.” While his fingers teased her skin, he saw her cheeks begin to flush, and her breath began to quicken. “Is there anything we have to do tonight or tomorrow?”
“Um…”
“Do we need to food shop or anything like that?”
She shook her head.
“That’s good,” he said, his voice a little gruff as he leaned closer to her. “Because once we get to the apartment and get inside, I don’t want to have to do anything except strip you down and take you to bed and keep you there.”
“Oh.” It was a breathy sigh.
“Is that okay with you?” Leaning in even closer, Ben used his tongue to trace the shell of her ear.
“Keep that up, and I’m pulling the car over and we won’t make it to the apartment.”
He instantly straightened and looked at the clock. “Thirty minutes,” he said and then grinned. “But if you get us there sooner, I promise to make it worth your while.”
And with her foot pressed down a little harder on the gas, she got them there in twenty-three.
Chapter 8
It had been her plan to stop and eat dinner on their way home, but once Ben started talking in that deep, gruff voice that she loved and started caressing her hand—which he knew got her excited—Darcy couldn’t seem to get them home fast enough.
She knew she parked her SUV in her designated spot on the driveway.
She knew they got out, grabbed Ben’s suitcase, and walked calmly up the stairs to the apartment.
But once they were inside and the door was closed? It was chaos.
Ben dropped the suitcase next to the door and reached for her. Or maybe she reached for him; she couldn’t be sure. And really? It didn’t matter. All that mattered was that she was here with him and his hands were roaming over her body with an urgency that was driving her crazy.
Skin. She wanted his hands on her bare skin, and he wasn’t getting there fast enough. But no matter how hard she tried, no matter how much she squirmed and tried to grasp the bottom of her sweater, Ben stopped her. He had even gone so far as to grasp her hands and hold them firmly behind her back.
It was a turn-on.
“I know what you want,” he whispered huskily against her lips. “And I promise we’ll get to that, but for right now, I want to kiss you.”
“Can’t you kiss me in the bedroom?” she asked, gently nipping at his bottom lip.
“Sweetheart, I plan to kiss you everywhere.”
Oh. My.
“And then I’m going to touch you everywhere too,” he went on. “And when I’m done, I’m going to start all over again.”
“Ben,” she sighed.
“What is it, princess? What do you want?”
Oh God. Didn’t he know? Couldn’t he tell? “You,” she said, more than a little frustrated that they were still even talking. “I want you.”
“You have me.”
Leaning in, she kissed him softly, then with a little more urgency. Ben was instantly on board, and when he released her hands, she let them roam up his arms, over his shoulders, and down his broad back. Letting them drift lower, she squeezed his incredible ass and couldn’t help but smile against his lips as he groaned. She swiped her tongue across his bottom lip to soothe where she’d nipped at it, and then reached up and cupped his face before going deeper.
The truth was that she loved kissing Ben. Loved being kissed by him. But it wasn’t enough. Darcy wanted it all. And she wanted it all with him right now.
Then she lifted her head, grabbed his hand, and led him to the bedroom.
He was smart eno
ugh not to argue.
* * *
Darcy Shaughnessy was lethal, and she was going to be the death of him.
But what a way to go.
The room was dark, and she was curled up against his side. Ben realized that for the first time in weeks, he felt relaxed and at ease and content.
It only seemed to happen when she was with him.
You’re falling hard and fast, he thought. And it was true. He was. He had. And there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. What about Darcy called to him so strongly, he couldn’t say. All he knew was that from the moment he laid eyes on her, it was as though everything made sense. She was his.
The real problem was trying to figure out what to do about it.
They were going to have this week together—uninterrupted for the most part—so they could talk about it. Them. Where they saw this relationship going. And if he were honest, Ben would admit he wanted to get that discussion out of the way before he had to meet her family.
Her brothers.
He personally had no idea what it was like to have a sister, but he did know from all the things Darcy had shared with him that her brothers were extremely overprotective of her. So he was fairly certain that unless his intentions were clear, there were going to be a lot of awkward interactions between him and her five brothers at Thanksgiving.
“I can hear you thinking from here,” Darcy said softly beside him as she stretched. “You okay?”
Here was his opening. “I was thinking about Thanksgiving.”
She raised her head. “Seriously? I blacked out after that third time, and you have enough brain cells to think about Thanksgiving? Big fan of turkey?”
Laughing softly, Ben pulled her in close and kissed the top of her head. “I wasn’t specifically thinking about it,” he said carefully. “My thoughts just sort of ended up there.”
“And where did they start?” she asked, amusement lacing her voice.
“With you.”
Even in the dark, he knew she was smiling. Darcy shifted beside him, placed a kiss on his chest, and hugged him. “I like the sound of that.”
“I was thinking about how much better I feel when you’re with me,” he began. “And I miss you when we’re not together.”
“I miss you too.” Another kiss.
Maybe he wasn’t too clear. “Darcy, what I mean is, I know we haven’t known each other for long, but you mean a lot to me.”
She stilled beside him.
“This isn’t about sex,” he quickly added. “This is about you. And me. And I see a future for us.”
She snuggled in close, burying her face against his bare chest, and he felt her tremble.
For a moment, he held her, and then he tucked a finger under her chin and tilted her head so he could see her face. “I didn’t mean to freak you out.”
She let out a soft sigh. “I tend to jump into things without thinking. I’ve told you that already.”
Ben nodded.
“Most of the time, it gets me in trouble. Something bad happens, or in the case of relationships, I usually find out I’m the only one seeing a future that isn’t there.” She looked up at him, her dark eyes bright with unshed tears. “You’re the first man to tell me you saw a future with me. Ever.”
Well, damn. That was a kick in the gut to him, mainly because he heard the pain in her voice. What man could not want a future with her? Didn’t they realize how incredible she was? How special?
“That was their mistake,” he said softly. “Their loss is my gain. Because when I look at you, Darcy, from the very first time I looked at you, I knew.”
Her eyes went wide as she looked at him.
“When I’m with you, I feel like a better person. You make me hopeful. Like I don’t have to live my life alone, tucked away in my workshop, cut off from everything and everybody.”
“You shouldn’t be so isolated,” she said softly. “It’s not good for you.”
He shrugged.
“Now I have motivation to find balance. I’m not saying I’ve got it all figured out, but I think maybe together, we can.”
Darcy lifted her head and stared at him. “I don’t want to be the reason you have to turn your life upside down. I wouldn’t be able to handle that.”
Turning toward her, he cupped her face in his hands. “Listen to me. The only person responsible for turning my life upside down is me. I should never have let myself get to this point. You are my motivation, but I’m the reason why I need to change. Not you. Do you understand that?”
She stared at him in disbelief. “But you said you were doing this because of me.”
“You’re the reward for doing it,” he said softly. “And I’m so thankful to you—for you—that it makes me kind of excited to do this. To make the changes.” Leaning in, he kissed her softly on the lips.
Darcy smiled and said, “I’ve been thinking about a future with you, too. But I’m afraid to jump in too soon.”
He shook his head. “I’m here with you because I want to be. I’m thinking about a future with you because I want one. And I want one with you because I love you.”
She gasped, and her eyes were as big as saucers.
With a lopsided grin, he went on. “I’m in love with you, Darcy Shaughnessy. It’s fast and it’s crazy and it’s wonderful and exciting. Just like you.”
She squeezed his hand. “The first time we kissed, I just…knew. And I tried telling myself that I was being impetuous and crazy, but deep down, I knew I wasn’t. I knew this was different.”
His heart began to beat erratically.
With a steadying breath, she smiled at him. “I love you too.”
Pulling her close, he rolled onto his back until Darcy was on top of him, and she rested her forehead against his.
“This is good,” he said softly.
She nodded.
Ben’s hands traveled up her spine and to her nape as he angled his head and kissed her.
Deeply.
Thoroughly.
He poured everything he felt into that kiss, and as she melted against him, he could feel all she felt for him. It was heady and wonderful and so damn good.
* * *
Two days later, Darcy was busy making lunch while Ben was showering when her phone rang. Without looking at the screen to see who it was, she simply answered, “Hello?”
“Would you like to explain to me why I have a band of angry Shaughnessys ready to strangle my husband?”
Oh. Shit.
“Oh…hey, Savannah,” Darcy said casually. “What’s up?”
“What’s up? I don’t think our phone has been quiet for days. Days! It’s like all your brothers—and Bobby Hannigan—have set up a schedule where they take turns calling here to yell at and lecture Riley. And me!” She sighed loudly. “I kept waiting for you to call. The only reason I’m calling you is because I got tired of waiting. Dammit, Darce, why didn’t you tell me what was going on with you and Ben? This all could have been handled a lot better if Riley and I had been prepared. We both felt ambushed, and that’s not cool.”
With her own sigh, Darcy sat at the kitchen table. “At first, I thought we were fooling around and that it was sort of like a naughty weekend kind of thing. But then…”
“Then it was more.”
“Exactly.”
“I don’t get it,” Savannah went on. “How did this happen? Or do I not want to know?”
They were going to have to talk about this eventually. Looking over her shoulder toward the bathroom, Darcy silently prayed Ben was going to take his time in the shower.
“I’ll admit it—I was attracted to him the minute I saw him. That first night, he was nice, and I thought he was incredibly good-looking, and I was enjoying the whole thing. His house was gorgeous, the view was great, and…I don’t know, it wa
s all fun.”
“But…”
“But then he said some things that kind of freaked me out.”
“What did he say?”
“It wasn’t just what he said, but kind of how he was saying it.”
“Which was?”
Ugh. This was beyond awkward. “He was just…he said…it was like…”
“Use your words, Darce,” Savannah prompted.
“He was gushing over you. Like seriously gushing. And not in a respect for your work kind of way, but in an all about you kind of way.”
Silence.
“It annoyed me, and I felt like…I don’t know…like he was into you, and I was—”
“You were what? A friend was saying nice stuff about me, and you were what?”
“Jealous, okay? Looking back, I know that I was jealous.” She sighed loudly. “And I don’t even know why that was my immediate reaction, but there it is. Happy?”
“Seriously?” Savannah cried. “Are you freaking kidding me? You thought Ben had a thing for me? That is insane!”
With a huff, Darcy got up and began to pace. “I know I was wrong. I can see that now. But at the time, it just made me…it made me really not want to like him—not as a person, and certainly not as anything more. If he would be interested in a married woman—”
“Oh God.”
“Look, at the time, I was seriously pissed off,” Darcy admitted. “Then I figured I’d talk to you about it. But there was never the right time, and then the storm moved in, and that became the priority. When Ben showed up at the airport, I was livid. The last thing I wanted was to be stuck with a guy who had a thing for my sister-in-law and who was such an incredible pain in the ass to work with!”
“Darcy, for crying out loud.”
“I didn’t tell him that. At first.”
“You didn’t—”
“Eventually I did. Mainly because he confronted me on my attitude toward him. And the worst of it was, no matter how mad I was and how disgusted I was with him, I was still attracted to him. And that made me feel even worse.”
“You should have called me.”
“Ben said the same thing. But I was too embarrassed.”
Holiday Spice Page 19
