The Bad Girl and the Baby (Cutting Loose)

by Nina Croft

  “He’s awfully quiet. Do you think he hit his head?” the blonde asked.

  Regan took a step closer and crouched down beside him. She held up two fingers. “What am I trying to say?”

  “Fuck off?” he suggested, and pushed himself to his feet.

  “Correct. No, I reckon his head is fine. Well, as fine as it was before Darcy knocked him on his ass. Which isn’t saying much.”

  Okay, maybe he deserved that. But that didn’t mean he had to stick around and take any more abuse. “Where’s she gone?”

  “Upstairs. But I’d give her a few minutes, if I were you. She looked pretty pissed. Anyway, Summer wants to talk to you.” She turned to the blonde. “Unless you’ve changed your mind now that you’ve met him.”

  What could she possibly want to talk to him about?

  She came toward him, a smile on her face, and he looked at her properly for the first time. She looked…sweet. Long silky blond hair, blue eyes, and she was small, probably a foot shorter than him, and slender in jeans and a white T-shirt. She held a hand out to him. “I’m Summer,” she said.

  The name suited her. He took her hand in his and shook it briefly.

  He recognized the name. Darcy’s other flatmate. They’d all shared a cell together in Holloway, but unlike Darcy, Summer didn’t look like an ex-con. He glanced from her to Regan, who was leaning against the wall, the man next to her.

  “And this is Regan, who I think you’ve already met.”

  She grinned. “When I rescued Darcy from his clutches once before.”

  “Yeah, thanks for that,” he muttered.

  “And this is Nate. Regan’s fiancé.” The man stepped forward and shook hands, the amused grin still on his face. Maybe he should offer commiserations. He remembered now—Darcy had said Regan’s fiancé had put together the report on Steven. “The detective?” he said.

  “Ex-detective.”

  “There was a little conflict of interest when he decided he wanted to marry me,” Regan added. “It was the force or me.”

  Introductions over, Matt turned back to Summer. He needed to get after Darcy. “You wanted to talk to me?”

  “Yes. I asked Donna—on reception—to let me know when you arrived.”

  That’s how his audience had turned up. But he still had no clue what they had to talk about.

  “I met Lulu the other day,” Summer continued.

  “And…?”

  “I sort of asked her to my wedding.”

  “You’re getting married?” Though he remembered now, Darcy had said something about shopping for bridesmaids’ dresses.

  “Next week. Darcy’s my best friend, and Lulu is her only family. I thought it would be nice. But Darcy’s also one of my bridesmaids, and Lulu is…”

  “A bit of a handful?” Regan offered.

  “She has a lot of energy,” Summer said. Yes, she was definitely nice. “So I wondered if you were free, if you’d like to come as well. Darcy said you’re brilliant with Lulu.”

  She did? Why did that make him feel all warm and fuzzy?

  “You could look after her while Darcy does her bridesmaid stuff.”

  “Do I get to see Darcy in a bridesmaid dress?”

  “Of course. And we ordered one for Lulu to match. They’re going to look so cute.”

  “You’re talking about Darcy here?”

  Suddenly she looked fierce. “Darcy can be cute if she wants to be.” She stepped closer and prodded him in the chest. “Darcy is the best person ever. You made her feel bad today, and I’m willing to overlook it this once because you don’t know her that well yet. But do it again and you’ll have to deal with me.”

  “And me,” Regan said. She nudged the man at her side.

  “Yeah, me too,” Nate said. “Though I’m not sure I want to take on the SAS.”

  “Ex-SAS.” Matt blew out his breath. “I’m glad she’s got friends like you. But I think Darcy can look after herself.”

  “Maybe. But she’s lost so much, and she tries to hide it because she thinks she has to be tough.”

  Did she? He’d believed the toughness went all the way through. Did he have the power to hurt her? That twisted something inside him. He’d thought her invulnerable. He’d liked that about her.

  “I’d love to come to your wedding,” he said. “Now I’d better go convince Darcy that she actually wants me there.”

  “She’s in the apartment. Along the corridor, up the stairs. The blue door.”

  “Thank you.” He could feel their gazes on him as he walked away

  He took the stairs two at a time, then hesitated at the top. He wasn’t used to apologizing. Hell, it took Darcy to make him act in a way that needed apologizing for. He tapped on the door but decided not to wait for her to open it—in case she didn’t. The door opened into a lounge area with a big window overlooking the street, but Darcy wasn’t anywhere in sight. He looked around. The room was large, with five doors leading off it. Darcy owned the gym and this place. Together, they must be worth millions. He remembered her offering to help out with Lulu—he’d thought she was just being polite, but she was a wealthy woman.

  He could hear her voice intermingled with Lulu’s, and he followed the sound. He found them both in the big kitchen. Lulu glanced up as he appeared in the doorway and squealed. She ran to him, and he scooped her up and gave her a hug.

  At least Lulu wasn’t mad at him—she had a short memory.

  Darcy, he wasn’t so sure of. She’d changed into jeans and a red shirt that made her skin look white. A wary expression crossed her face.

  “I’m sorry,” he said over Lulu’s shoulder.

  She raised an eyebrow. She wasn’t going to make this easy for him.

  “I overreacted,” he continued. Still nothing. He could do this. “I got home and you weren’t there. And I was…disappointed.”

  That got a reaction. Shock flashed in her eyes. “You were?”

  “I was deep in this fantasy, where Lulu was tired and actually went to sleep in the middle of the day. And you and I could finish what we started this morning.”

  “Lulu not tired,” she murmured against his neck, then gave a huge yawn.

  “I know, sweetheart. It was a daydream.” He rubbed her back. “Only you weren’t there. I panicked, and then I found your note and…as I said, I was disappointed. And I didn’t like that, so I got angry.”

  “Why didn’t you like it?”

  Jesus, she wanted her pound of flesh. But maybe he deserved this. He shrugged. “Give me a second.” He carried Lulu back into the lounge and laid her down on the sofa. “Don’t go to sleep,” he ordered.

  “I won’t.” She shoved a fist in her mouth and her eyes closed. “Woof.”

  Darcy hadn’t moved when he got back, and he took the seat opposite her, tracing a pattern on the table while he contemplated how much of himself he wanted to reveal. But maybe it was best to stick to the truth.

  “I wanted you from the moment I met you. When I had no clue who you were. Then I found out. That didn’t go down well.”

  “Hey, I get that. I was a mentally unstable, violent woman.” She got up and went to the refrigerator, then pulled out two bottles of beer, flipped the tops off, and handed him one. He hoped that was a sign that she was going to forgive him.

  “Yes. Then you weren’t, but I still knew it would be a mistake. I don’t do relationships.”

  She sipped her beer and gave him a not-very-friendly look over the top of the bottle. “I never asked you for one.”

  “I know that. And even if you were looking, I’d probably be the last person on your list. We didn’t get off to a good start, and no doubt I’ll always remind you of Steven.”

  “Maybe in the beginning. Not anymore.”

  “And everyone was telling me I needed a good woman in my life. That I should stop being selfish. Get married for Lulu’s sake.”

  “And even if I wasn’t unstable, no one would ever take me for a good woman.”

  He
remembered what Summer had said. And suddenly he hated that Darcy thought she wasn’t good. “You’re different,” he said. “Unique. Anyway, it only took one date for me to realize the ‘good woman’ thing wasn’t going to work for me.”

  “Poor Diana.” But she sounded far from sympathetic. “Just let her down easy and hopefully she won’t resign.”

  Christ, he hadn’t even thought of that. He’d lost a couple of former nannies because they’d decided they wanted more than a professional relationship from him. But he reckoned Diana was far too sensible to take offense. Wasn’t she? He was coming to realize that he knew nothing about women. He pushed the worry aside—he’d address the problem if it arose. He had enough real ones without anticipating issues.

  “After the dance Saturday night, I dropped her off. She invited me to stay.”

  “Aw, it must be hard, being so much in demand.”

  “Will you stop being so pissy and let me finish?”

  She bared her teeth in a smile and gave a little nod. “Go ahead.”

  “I just wanted to get home, even if I wasn’t ready to admit why. And there you were, asleep on my couch. Fucking hottest thing I have ever seen.”

  “You know it’s creepy to watch people sleep.”

  Christ, she had a smart mouth. He knew only one way to stop that. He put down his beer, leaned across the space between them, fisted the material of her shirt, and dragged her to him. Then he pressed his lips against hers. For a second, she pulled against him, and then she was kissing him back. He kissed her until the tension oozed from her taut figure, then he kissed her some more, loving the taste of her, the feel of her warm, velvet tongue stroking along the length of his. He kissed her until his dick was hard and his balls ached.

  Finally, he released his hold on her and sat back.

  She stared into his eyes, raised one brow. “You were saying?”

  “Hottest fucking thing ever.” He picked up his beer and swallowed the rest in one go. He studied her for a moment. She might make out she was hard as nails, but that wasn’t who she was. And she was at least listening to him. “The thing is, Lulu forms a bond between us. That means we can’t afford to fall out or even just walk away if things get tough, or we piss each other off, or you get bored of me and want to move on to someone else.”

  “Hey, you’re the one who went out on a date with another woman last night.”

  “And you went on the pickup the night before.”

  “I didn’t pick anyone up, though.”

  “No, and that means something, because I’m sure you had plenty of offers.”

  “Maybe.”

  “But you wanted me.”

  “Maybe.”

  “And you can have me. We can have each other. I’ve been around enough to know that this sort of…connection isn’t normal. It’s hot as hell and it’s special. Why deny ourselves? We both know it won’t last, and we’re not going to get all freaked out when it’s over. Afterward, we can continue as friends, with Lulu between us.”

  “Sounds easy.”

  He had a funny idea that nothing with this woman would ever be easy. That he was maybe deluding himself because he wanted her so badly, needed to convince her that this could work.

  She scrubbed a hand through her hair, so it stood on end, then rubbed her finger across her lower lip, something she did when she was thinking. “Okay,” she said. “Apology accepted.”

  He’d actually forgotten what he was apologizing for. Oh, yeah, being a dick. “Good.”

  “But I think you should take Lulu and go now. I need a little…space.”

  What did that mean? That she hadn’t forgiven him? “Can I see you?”

  “When?”

  “My parents arrive tomorrow, so I’ll have to spend some time with them—get them settled. Tuesday night? After Lulu has gone to sleep. We could meet somewhere.”

  “You can come here if you like.”

  He looked around the place. “Will your flatmates be here? I don’t think they like me.”

  She grinned. “No. They spend most nights with their men. It will be just us.”

  He heaved a sigh. “Sounds wonderful.” He rose to his feet, crossed to her, and leaned down, kissing her forehead. “This will work. We’ll make it work.” He stepped back. “And you can tell Summer I’ll be happy to come to the wedding next week.” He paused. “Who’s she marrying?” Was it going to be some criminal? Summer looked sweet, but she must have been in prison for something.

  “A guy called Nik Masterton. He’s a billionaire.”

  “Really? Good catch.”

  “On his part, maybe. He’s lucky to have her.”

  …

  Darcy sat at the table for a long time after the front door slammed closed behind him.

  The day had been a rollercoaster. It was only early afternoon and she was exhausted. Too much raw emotion.

  He’d pissed her off good and proper when he’d stormed into her class earlier. But she was honest enough to admit that maybe she’d been primed and looking for an excuse to be pissed off.

  She was scared.

  She was coming to love Lulu, to feel a bond she hadn’t suspected could exist. They were so alike, it was scary at times. And she didn’t want to risk anything getting in the way of the budding relationship with her niece. Part of her suspected that this thing with Matt was exceedingly risky. He’d done a great job of talking away the downside. He’d made it sound so easy. They’d have sex until they didn’t want to have sex, and then they’d be best buddies and everything would be lovely. It all sounded very civilized and sensible. Which was all well and good except…

  She wasn’t a particularly sensible person.

  And while on the surface, Matt appeared organized, she guessed there were a lot of emotions simmering underneath. From what he had said about his childhood, she was guessing he’d locked his emotions away when he was very young. That didn’t mean they would stay there.

  They were two totally different people. What if Matt decided he was no longer interested in sex with her, while she was still desperate to jump his bones? It would hardly make for a comfortable relationship. And while she’d never considered herself the jealous type, last night she’d had an almost overwhelming urge to rend the perfect Diana limb from limb. Or at least mess up her perfect hair and makeup.

  Matt clearly didn’t see their relationship lasting long term. Neither did she. Really, she didn’t. I do not do long term. So presumably, at some point, she was going to have to come face to face with another woman. Whatever he’d said about the last two years, he didn’t come across as the celibate type. So no doubt there would be others in the future. Hell, by that time, he’d probably be thinking of her as his good mate Darcy, and she’d still be thinking about him naked. He’d probably ask her to babysit, and she’d have to, and she’d probably explode.

  If she were sensible, she’d step back now. Before she got in deeper. Because she reckoned Matt’s dick might just be addictive.

  But—had she mentioned that she wasn’t a sensible person?

  Besides, her life had been such a pile of crap lately that she deserved something nice. Though Matt and nice didn’t seem to be a match. The sex last night went way beyond nice.

  Best ever.

  So maybe she would give herself a while, just to enjoy this thing between them. But she’d be on her guard, and she would keep her emotions detached. Just keep reminding herself of what an anal dickhead he was. With a temper. And the cleverest mouth and fingers and…

  Shut up.

  She glanced up as Regan and Summer came into the room.

  “You shagged him,” Regan said, plonking herself down on the seat opposite. It wasn’t a question. But how the hell did Regan know? Yeah, she might not have come home last night, but neither had Regan or Summer, so that wouldn’t have given her away.

  “Did we not warn you about sleeping with him? He’s Steven’s brother, remember?”

  “He’s not like Steven.”
r />   “And now you’re defending him. This is serious.”

  “It’s not serious,” she said through gritted teeth.

  “But you’re not denying the shagging bit?”

  They were both studying her, and she resisted the urge to squirm. She told herself that they were just looking out for her. That was part of the pact they’d made before they’d been released. They had each other’s backs. “No.”

  Regan gave a sly grin. “How was it?”

  “None of your business.”

  “Leave her alone,” Summer said. She got up and went to the fridge, pulled out a bottle of white wine then three glasses from the cabinet. She opened the bottle, poured wine into each glass, and handed them around. Then she took her seat again and grinned. “So how was it?”

  Darcy downed the wine, held out her glass for more—there was just the one class on Sunday, so the rest of the day was her own. She’d drink wine and lie on the sofa, maybe watch a movie. Summer filled her glass.

  She realized the other two were waiting for an answer. She wasn’t going to discuss sex with Matt, but just to keep them off her back, she offered… “The best.” She drank some more wine. “But we’ve both agreed that it’s no big deal. Neither of us is looking for anything long term. We’ll just have…some fun.”

  “Sounds like a plan. Except Mr. Serious Soldier Boy doesn’t look like the fun type.”

  “He’s not the long-term relationship type, either.”

  Regan cast her a sharp glance. “And are you? You planning to marry Soldier Boy?”

  She gave Regan her best withering look. “Hardly.” She shrugged. “I don’t plan to marry anyone. And I’ll be careful. I won’t risk messing things up with Matt because of Lulu.”

  The other two cast each other a meaningful glance. Trouble was, Darcy had no clue what it meant. “What?” she snapped.

  “Well, honey, we’ve been there. We’ve done the whole ‘we’re not getting involved, it’s only sex’ thing. And it didn’t work.”

  “Yes, but it was different for you two. You were both in love, and now you’re both getting married. That’s never going to happen with me and Matt.”

  “Why?”