“That space is for you,” he said, indicating the empty space beside it.
Elizabeth nodded and took inventory of the other cars there. A healthy mixture of Mercedes, BMWs, and Saabs greeted her, along with Darcy’s limo resting along one wall. She tried to picture her beat-up truck here and frowned. The warm feeling of easy comfort that had filled her in the car ebbed away, and instead she felt intimidated and out of place.
“What?” he asked, looking at her with concern.
Elizabeth laughed in embarrassment. “I’m not sure my truck is ready for this kind of company.”
Darcy stopped and looked at her. Her troubles had become his, as he saw at once the enormous change he was asking her to make. He took her hand and asked, “Would it help if I bought you a new truck?”
Elizabeth laughed with genuine affection and she stepped into his arms. “No, I can buy my own truck now. This success takes a little while to get used to.”
“Take your time,” Darcy told her. “There is no rush. I’ll give you whatever you need.”
Elizabeth knew he was speaking of support and patience, not material goods, and she kissed him slowly, her lips lingering on his. “Thank you.”
Together they passed through the door and into the lobby. The doorman greeted them, recognizing Elizabeth, and commented that she had found Mr. Darcy.
Elizabeth acknowledged that she had, and with a happy smile they entered the elevator, Darcy holding Elizabeth’s bags while Elizabeth carried her guitars.
Entering the loft again, Elizabeth expected to feel pain or regret over the way she had left or a fluttering of her pulse, remembering their first time together, but strangely, she felt peaceful and at ease.
Darcy led her into the bedroom and placed her bags by the closet. Neither one of them was ready to discuss her moving in. It was a certainty, but at the same time, it was too soon. They had each privately made the decision not to deal with it until after the tour.
Elizabeth stood as if uncertain with her guitars in the middle of the room. Darcy looked at her and with a quiet “oh,” he took her to the library at the far end of the large living room, where his own instruments were stored.
Once her babies were safe and away, Elizabeth eased herself into Darcy’s arms. She rubbed his back with her hand, trying to reassure herself with his body, his scent. She felt Darcy doing the same, and that knowledge, that she was not alone in her uneasiness, helped her tension to fall away. Darcy drew his hands up and cupped her face, kissing her lovingly.
She saw in his eyes the quiet power that was inside of him, telling her with complete certainty that it would be all right, and she put her trust in him.
***
The sound of the elevator roused them from their silent repose on the couch. Elizabeth stood with Darcy, seeing the increased tension on his features. She moved forward, determined to try to ease his way.
She met Jane in the gallery and hugged her tightly. It was difficult to believe it had only been a week since she had seen her last. Jane looked tan, her hair even whiter, but more than that, she looked happy. Elizabeth hoped her own happiness was as evident.
As if by plan, Elizabeth moved to hug Charles, and Jane embraced Darcy. The women both remarked how good it was to see them and how much they had missed them. Then they moved aside, allowing Darcy and Charles to meet.
The two men acknowledged each other warily. “Would you like to sit?” Darcy asked, opening up the conversation.
“Yeah,” Charles nodded.
The party moved down the long hall to the dining area, the sisters having a hushed conversation about the loft while the men kept silent. Darcy served his guests drinks and once everyone was seated, he began his apology.
“Charles, I’m very sorry for what happened. I should have never interfered with your relationship with Jane, and I can’t tell you how much I regret that stunt we played at the VMAs. I have no excuse, and I hope you can forgive me.”
Charles looked at Jane for a moment before turning a regretful face to Darcy. “Will, it’s okay. I was screwing up with Jane at the VMAs and I knew it, and I just took my anger out on you instead of placing it on myself where it belonged. I’m sorry for that.”
Darcy’s expression lifted. “I’m really happy that you have worked things out. Lizzy told me you went home?”
Charles and Jane flashed matching grins and joined hands. “Yeah, I introduced her to Dad.”
“Lizzy, you should see the house; it’s so beautiful, right on the ocean,” Jane added.
Elizabeth smiled brightly.
“It’s clear that you two have come to an understanding as well,” Charles observed. “Jane said you met up at Tanglewood?”
Darcy found himself holding Elizabeth’s hand as he nodded. “We were lucky,” he said, looking at Elizabeth.
“But I think we would have gotten together even if we had to wait another week,” Elizabeth added, her eyes on her lover.
The two couples spent the rest of the day talking and relaxing in the comfortable loft. Despite the easy atmosphere of the setting, it was clear that all of them had tomorrow’s separation on their minds, as the lovers never moved more than a few yards from each other.
They were just discussing getting dinner when the phone rang, breaking the cozy mood. Darcy answered it, his expression hardening as he listened to the voice on the other end of the line.
“Yes, she’s here. Hold on.” He handed the phone to Elizabeth, who took it with a questioning look.
“Hello.”
“Lizzy, it’s me. I couldn’t reach you on your cell.”
“Oh, hi, Alex.” Elizabeth was relieved that it was someone familiar, but she hadn’t fully forgiven him for the incident yesterday. “What’s up?”
“I’ve been trying to reach you all over. George Wickham wants you to call about tomorrow.”
Elizabeth felt her stomach drop. “Can’t it wait till we get there?” she asked unhappily.
“No, he wants to talk to you today, so he can get things set up for tomorrow. Just call him, Lizzy.”
“All right,” she answered softly. Elizabeth dutifully took down the number and read it back to him. Promising to see him tomorrow, Elizabeth hung up.
She looked up at Darcy, not needing to say anything. Darcy appeared to be made of stone, his face expressionless. Finally Elizabeth said, “I have to call.”
Darcy nodded tightly. “I’ll be back.” He kissed her hair and walked to the elevator, a puzzled-looking Charles running after him to catch up.
When the elevator door shut, Elizabeth found herself alone with her sister. Her finger trembling, she called George Wickham. She tried to keep her voice as calm and as normal as possible as she talked with him, discussing the plans for the video shoot and details that involved her, such as costume. When George was through discussing the shoot, his voice changed and he asked her if she missed him. Elizabeth rushed to get off the phone, claiming that her mother was calling her for dinner.
When she hung up, Jane was looking at her expectantly. Elizabeth sighed tiredly and dropped down onto the couch and let her sister put her arms around her. When Elizabeth had sufficiently regained control of herself, she started talking and told Jane everything. She worried about betraying Darcy’s confidence, but she trusted Jane like no one else, and Elizabeth had to tell someone or she would burst.
Jane watched her sister, listening with growing horror as Elizabeth told the story. “Oh my God,” she said finally. “Lizzy, I had no idea!”
Elizabeth shook her head. “No one had any idea. He’s a con man, and he’s very good at it.”
“You must have been so upset.”
Elizabeth nodded, her eyes closed against that memory. “Oh, yeah,” she sighed. “That was not one of my best moments.”
“And Will?”
Elizabeth found herself tearing up. “Will understood. He understood everything and he forgave me. Hell, he even blamed himself.” She looked at her sister as she tried to hold ba
ck her feelings. “Jane, he’s so good. I was so wrong about him. And I love him so much.”
Jane smiled and hugged her tight. “Does he know you love him?”
“Yes.”
“Then I think everything will be okay, Lizzy. I’m pleased for you. I never could have been completely happy with Charles if you weren’t okay with Will.”
Elizabeth smiled. “You look very happy.”
Jane nodded. “I am.”
The sisters smiled as they heard the elevator arriving. But instead of their lovers, Richard Fitzwilliam walked out.
Elizabeth smiled in welcome. “Hi, Richard.”
“Hey,” Richard looked puzzled as he surveyed the Bennets in the otherwise empty loft.
“Charles and Will ran out. They’ll be back soon.”
“Oh, good,” he nodded. “How are you both doing?”
Elizabeth grinned at his obvious confusion. “We’re doing great, Richard. How are you?”
“I’m good. Um, Charlotte wouldn’t happen to be down with you, would she?”
Jane refrained from laughing. “No, she’s still up in Meryton. She’ll come down tomorrow, and we’re meeting her at the airport.”
Richard’s expression darkened. “Right, the video shoot. I hope you are both very careful down there.”
Elizabeth shared a look with Jane. “Richard, we know about what happened with George. Don’t worry, we just want to get this over and be done with him.”
Richard set his jaw. “That’s probably for the best. But be careful anyway.”
The elevator hummed into life again, and Charles and Darcy returned to the loft. Darcy took a long look at his cousin, remembering the last time the three of them were in the building together. He walked over to Elizabeth and kissed her passionately.
When he released the slightly breathless woman, Darcy looked at Richard dead on with an arched eyebrow.
“I get it,” Richard said, holding up his hands. He grinned good-naturedly. “Enjoy the irony, Will.”
“Oh, I do,” he said smugly and leaned down to kiss a laughing Elizabeth again.
Chapter 18
Elizabeth didn’t notice him when she came out of the shower, as she dried herself off and studied her reflection in the mirror, the high-powered ventilation system keeping the mirror from being fogged. Darcy watched mesmerized as she studied her reflection: her face, her breasts, both head-on and in profile, then her waist, and with a dreamy smile, she even twisted to look at her rear in the mirror.
“Very nice.”
She started and smiled at him, even as she blushed. “You aren’t supposed to be up yet. Did I wake you?”
He shook his head, all traces of sleep gone. “I heard the shower.” He walked up behind her, his eyes meeting hers in the mirror. “Besides,” he told her, planting soft kisses on her bare neck, “I’m not going to let you go without a proper good-bye.”
Elizabeth purred low in her throat as his hands brushed her sides. Encouraged by her response, he moved his hands upward, cupping her breasts and massaging the softness he found there.
Elizabeth instinctively rubbed her ass against his erection and found him delightfully hard. She didn’t know if he always slept naked, but he had every time they had been together and she found it particularly pleasing. His hands were making her crazy, stimulating a response that surprised her with its strength. She was shocked at the low moans that were coming out of her mouth, yet she couldn’t seem to hold them back. He felt so good.
“Turn around,” he told her in that low voice that made her burn.
She complied, kissing him hungrily as his hands traveled down to her hips. He lifted her up so she sat on the edge of the vanity, where Elizabeth spread her legs eagerly.
He seemed to share her eagerness, as he entered her immediately, sliding into her hot depths as he lifted her legs so that her feet rested on either side of him on the counter. Grasping her knees, he began thrusting into her as she leaned back, her arms propping her up, to enjoy the sensation and the amazing sight before her.
He watched as her excitement built, the tension in her body matching his own. Her nipples grew hard and pointed and he felt his excitement soar. He needed her urgently to be closer to him.
With a growl he snatched her body up in his arms, pulling her chest against his. Elizabeth’s arms slid under his, her hands on his back, pulling him even closer.
She cried out as his hips worked like a piston, pushing harder and faster into her with every second. The violence of their joining became frantic as they lost themselves to the sensations that were flooding them. Darcy heard her howl even as her fingernails dug into his skin. The tightening of her body in its orgasm was the push he needed, and he felt the pressure in him shoot into her with his ejaculation.
He held her close, kissing her damp hair lightly as they recovered their breath. When she finally looked at him, her face red and sweaty, her smile blissfully happy, her eyes glowing with satisfaction, it was an image that imprinted upon his heart, filling him with an intensity of love he never knew was possible. He hugged her tight, kissing her, before releasing her and helping her off the counter.
Elizabeth giggled, feeling light-headed from her orgasm. She held on to Darcy’s hand, as she took stock of her situation. Then she heard a light knock on the bedroom door.
“Darcy, Lizzy, we’re here,” Rebecca’s voice called to them.
Elizabeth looked at him in shock, instantly clearheaded. “Shit!” She looked at the clock and swore again. “Damn! I don’t have time to shower again. I’m going to smell like sex all day.” She hurried to her clothes but not without seeing the guilty expression on her lover’s face. She was halfway dressed before the meaning of the expression dawned on her. “Did you do that on purpose?” she asked, turning toward him.
Darcy had been pulling on a T-shirt and shorts as Elizabeth rushed. “No.” A look from Elizabeth forced him to continue. “I didn’t plan it, but I will admit that a part of me is glad it happened.”
Elizabeth stopped what she was doing and went into his arms, squeezing him tight. “You know I love you, don’t you?”
He hugged her back, rubbing his forehead against hers. “I know. And I do trust you. It’s just a part of me is pleased he’s going to know you came from my bed.” He looked at her, expecting a backlash.
Elizabeth closed her eyes and kissed him thoroughly. “I’m coming from your bed and tomorrow I will be returning to your bed,” she smiled painfully. “I don’t like leaving like this either. But trust me, nothing Wickham can say will change my feelings about you.”
Darcy smiled and looked away. “I actually meant Alex,” he admitted with embarrassed humor.
Elizabeth laughed. “Well, that’s just being petty.” She stopped to kiss him, softening her words. “We are going to have to do something about this possessive streak of yours.”
He looked at her with dry amusement. “I have a few ideas about that.”
“Oh?”
He kissed her slowly. “I’ll tell you when you come back.”
“Bastard,” she swore, before kissing him again and releasing him to finish dressing. She was going to the bedroom when she heard the elevator stop and Jane’s voice reached her. “Fuck!” she muttered as she rushed into the bathroom.
Darcy smiled as the blow-dryer started and he left his room to greet his guests. “Good morning. Lizzy is running a little late. She’ll be ready in a moment.”
“Umm hmm,” Rebecca said knowingly. “Tommy has the limo ready out front.”
Darcy suspected that it was only her respect for him as her employer that kept Rebecca from telling Jane and Charles why Elizabeth was running late. He walked to the kitchen and started making coffee and tea.
A moment later Charles joined him. Darcy could see the concern on his face. “Will,” he paused, uncertain how to continue.
“Did Jane tell you?” Darcy asked flatly, solving his friend’s dilemma.
Charles nodded. “She didn’
t want to, but she was so upset, I made her.” He looked uncomfortable.
“I’m glad she did.” Darcy’s eyes left his friends, and he focused instead on the cups before him. “I’m sorry I never told you, Charles. It was just too hard to talk about.”
Darcy stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Charles’s face looking at him with understanding and support. “Thanks,” he said sincerely. “I’d hug you but, you know, rock gods don’t hug.”
Charles laughed softly, understanding his friend’s need to release the tension between them. “So, now that I know, I’m worried about sending Jane and Lizzy to him.”
Darcy sighed. “If you are asking me if we can trust Wickham, the answer is no, not at all. But I do trust Lizzy, and I know you trust Jane,” he shrugged. “That’s going to have to do.”
Darcy finished with the drinks and checked Lizzy’s cell phone, which had been charging on the countertop. He dialed a number on it, and the landline to the loft rang, then he used the landline to call the cell. “I offered to buy Lizzy out of this, but she feels she needs to do it, and I respect that.”
“I offered to do the same for Jane,” Charles admitted. “I just hate this. They’re our lovers, and we are sending them to this—”
“Don’t go there,” Darcy interrupted. “Thinking like that will only make you insane.” He frowned, trying to cope with his own worries. “Besides, what’s the worst he could do? Wickham is not aggressive. He’s lazy. He’s an opportunist. He’s not going to attack or rape them; it would put him at too much risk. The worst he can do is try to seduce them, which won’t work, or fuck up their video, which will ruin his reputation.”
Charles exhaled sharply. “Damn straight it would.”
“And I don’t think he’d bother Jane anyway,” Darcy continued. “It’s me he wants to hurt, and hopefully he doesn’t know about Lizzy and me.”
Charles studied the bitter expression on Darcy’s face. “You hate this, don’t you?”
Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star Page 42