Love Me Or Lose Me

by Rita Sawyer

  "Maybe she needed some time for herself. Did you ever think of that?" Scarlett countered.

  “Isn’t needing time to think, or needing space, a euphemism for we’re over?” Jarrett’s question struck a chord deep inside her, because Darcy had always felt that way too.

  Not many couples she knew that took breaks from their relationships ever managed to stay together, if they even got back together to start with. Was that why she hadn’t told Thomas what she was doing? The fear of losing him completely hovered over her every second, so maybe she didn’t want to take the chance.

  “We’re just saying if she’s mad enough to leave him all of a sudden then there’s a pretty good chance it’s over,” Cale said.

  “How do you know it was all of a sudden? Maybe she had this visit planned?” Scarlett knew she hadn’t, but that she was trying to keep her brothers guessing was a loving gesture.

  “Maybe we shouldn’t let her call him until she decides if she’s going back or not.” Rhett’s tone was one she had heard many times, and she knew it meant he’d already made up his mind.

  “I don’t think it’s up to any of us.” Scarlett was right, not that her brothers would believe it.

  Darcy had enough eavesdropping. Their mother had always told them people that listened to other people’s conversation usually heard things they didn’t want to. Unfortunately, she was right again. One of these days Darcy was going to learn to listen to her advice. She stepped into the kitchen and instantly everyone stopped talking.

  “What?” She hated that she sounded so defensive, because it would only make her brothers more intent on protecting her.

  “You look like crap.” Jarrett obviously wasn’t pulling any punches.

  “Why thank you,” Darcy said with a smile. “Scarlett whatever you’re cooking smells divine.”

  “Well, it’s just about done so sit down and relax while the boys set the table.” She waved her hand and their brothers swung into motion.

  Darcy laughed as she sat down. Her short nap had done her sense of humor some good if nothing else. It seemed that in the past two years Scarlett had found a way to handle their brothers. They set the table without a word, while Scarlett fussed at the stove. Rhett joined Scarlett and pulled something out of the oven. Cale and Jarrett each grabbed a serving bowl and carried them to the table then took seats on either side of Darcy. Steam rose off the mashed potatoes and corn. Rhett walked over and set a platter with a roast on the table.

  “I figured you needed something hearty after your journey,” Scarlett said taking the seat across from her.

  “About this road trip of yours, want to tell us what the heck is going on?” Jarrett asked as he dropped a spoonful of potatoes on her plate.

  “Not really.” She looked at her brothers faces one by one and could see they weren’t going to take no for an answer.

  “Fine.” Rhett shrugged his broad shoulders and smiled. “After we eat, I’m going to call Thomas and get the details from him.”

  Darcy wanted to tell him to go right ahead, but her brain kicked in shoving her bravado aside. “It’s no big deal. Thomas has been really busy at work. I knew he wouldn’t miss me. So I figured now would be a good time for me to come visit.”

  “If that’s all, then why has he been calling looking for you?” Cale shot the first hole in her story.

  “Probably because my cell phone died, and I forgot the charger. I’ll call him later and let him know I got in okay.” Darcy planned on telling the truth to a point.

  “No you won’t!” Her three brothers said in unison.

  “Why on earth not?” Scarlett demanded to know.

  “I already told you.” Rhett glanced at Scarlett before he laid down his fork down and covered Darcy’s hand with his much bigger one. “What you’re telling us may be true, but I think there’s something else going on. If you’re not ready to tell us, that’s fine, but I think you should really make sure what you want to do next before you call him.”

  “Leading him on would be wrong. I hate women who play games.” Cale’s disgusted tone made her wonder if a woman had played with his heart recently.

  “I’m not going to leave him wondering.” Even though she figured he deserved it.

  But her brothers were right. She wasn’t ready to talk to him yet either, which is why she planned to leave him a message on his cell phone. Her brothers all focused on their plates for a few minutes, but Darcy knew they weren’t done yet. Surprisingly, it was Scarlett who spoke up.

  “Darcy, I hate to say this, but they’re right.” Darcy was about to protest when Scarlett winked at her. “I’ll call and let him know you got in okay.”

  “Good idea.” Darcy agreed quickly, knowing if one of her brothers called they’d ask Thomas all sorts of questions, and that would only lead to more problems.

  The last thing she needed was for Thomas to think that she’d run to her brothers for help. Their relationship didn’t need any outside interference. It already had enough from his job. Of course, Scarlett calling him was only going to be a short delay. She’d have to face facts and Thomas sooner or later.

  “I think one of us should make the call. You know have a man to man talk with him.” Jarrett said with a shake of his head.

  “Why?” Darcy and Scarlett asked.

  “Because if we tell him not to come here or even call you until you tell him it okay, he’s going to be more apt to listen to one of us.” Cale had a point, but who the hell did they think they were dictating rules for her boyfriend.

  Darcy realized she had two choices. She could either let her brothers have their way and use them as a buffer between her and Thomas. Or she could stop them in their tracks before they got it into their heads that they could tell her what to do. Scarlett had obviously found a way to deal with them, now it was her turn.

  “Look, it’s nice that you all want to take care of me, but I’m going to handle this myself.” She got to her feet and shoved her chair in. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a phone call to make.”

  Nobody said a word as she walked away. It was so quiet she thought she could hear her heart beat, but her imagination was probably playing with her. She forced herself to walk into the bedroom and pick up the phone. Her finger shook a bit as she dialed his number. She closed her eyes and listened to it ring.

  She was running through the message she planned to leave when she heard him say, “Hello Darcy.”

  Her brain froze and it took her minute to say, “Hi…”

  “You sound a little breathless, are you okay?” She couldn’t tell if he was really as calm as he sounded, or if he was using his well practiced courtroom demeanor. Then again. maybe he just didn’t even care that she’d left.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” she lied, glad he couldn’t see her.

  “Just surprised I answered?” He said catching her off guard.

  “Kind of.” The dig came out harsh and she didn’t regret it at all. “You’ve been so busy I figured you’d be elbow deep in work.”

  “Did you at least plan to leave me a message?” If Darcy wasn’t mistaken, she caught a hint of irritation in his voice

  “Of course I did.” She didn’t tell him she hadn’t planned on answering if he called her back.

  “What was it, honey?” His use of the endearment used to make her smile, now it made her frown.

  “What was what?” she asked, sure she must have missed something.

  “The message, what was it?” His even tone pissed her off. The least he could do was pretend he missed her.

  “Oh, well I was just going to let you know I came to visit my family for a while.” She wasn’t trying to be coy with her vagueness; she just didn’t want to get into things until she did some thinking.

  “I got that much from your note. Where are you exactly?” He asked, using the tone she’d heard him use when cross examining witnesses.

  “I’m at Scarlett’s. I’ll be staying with her for a few weeks.” She wanted to sound firm, but
she heard the waver in her voice

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Thomas knew she hated being told what to do, so he better have a damn good reason.

  “Why?” She waited for him to answer, but all she heard was noise coming from the other end. “Thomas?”

  She spun around as the door opened behind her. Darcy expected to see Scarlett or one of her brothers come in, but instead Thomas walked into the room. Her heart began to race as she took in the state he was in. The neat, professional, and sexy business man had been replaced by a dangerous looking man. His hair was tousled and he was sporting a few days worth of stubble on his chin. The slacks and dress shirt had been switched for a pair of tight jeans and a black T-shirt stretched across his chest, making it look even broader.

  “Thomas, what are you doing here?” She realized she was still holding the phone to her ear and tossed it onto the bed.

  “I had to come.” He closed the door behind him, but not before she spotted her brothers and sister standing in the hall.

  She couldn’t believe he was there. “Why?”

  ~* * *~

  Thomas knew he’d been bad for treating her the way he had, otherwise he wouldn’t have rushed there. Okay, he probably would have come after her even if she was the one who had been wrong. Not because he was whipped or anything like that, but because he believed what they had was that special something people were always whining they couldn’t find. He had found it and he was willing to do everything in his power to make sure they didn’t lose it.

  Darcy’s leaving had forced him to realize he had risked losing her love and that was enough to make him see how stupid he was being. Thomas was smart enough to know just coming after wasn’t going to make her fall into his arms and forgive him. Still seeing how surprised she was that he came after her felt like a cold wave of guilt washing over him.

  He considered himself mighty lucky that the plan he’d worked up with her brothers had gotten him this far. Now he needed to take the next step alone. If she sent him away there’d be nothing her brothers could do to help him.

  “Because I knew if I was going to beg you to come home I needed to do it in person, but if you’re really set on staying here then I’m staying with you.” He hoped she wouldn’t see through his bravado and realize he was acting on pure fear at this point.

  “But you had all that work to do?” She looked at the door then back to him.

  The tremble he heard in her voice had him ready to kick his own ass. “I do, but it’ll wait.”

  He’d already told his father and uncle that he wasn’t going to risk his life with Darcy so they could retire and leave the firm to him and his cousins. He wasn’t going to kill himself to prove to them that he was ready to take the reins. Thomas wouldn’t run the place into the ground, but he wouldn’t run himself there either. Unlike his father and uncle, hopefully he was going to have it all. A job and woman he loved and he’d make sure neither of them ever got short changed.

  “I’m not ready to go back.” The strength in her tone ensured him she was serious.

  He figured from the way she crossed her arms over her chest and the sudden straightening of her spine she didn’t like his answer. Before he could explain his plan to her, a soft knock sounded on the door. Darcy walked right past him and opened the door.

  “Hi.” Scarlett glanced at him then looked back at Darcy. “Dinner is packed up in the fridge. I’m going to Cale’s for the night so you two can talk.”

  Darcy shook her head. “Scarlett you don’t have to do that.”

  “I know I don’t have to, but I want to.” Scarlett laughed as she leaned further into the room. “And to tell the truth, Cale’s house is probably a disaster so with me there I might actually get him to clean up a little.”

  Thomas could tell Darcy was really uncomfortable being left alone with him, and though her distance was killing him, he knew what he had to do. “Scarlett, I’ll tell you what, I’ll spend the night at Cale’s. Darcy and I can get together tomorrow morning for breakfast and talk.”

  “But you just got here.” Scarlett protested while Darcy stood there staring at him with her mouth hanging open.

  “It’s okay, because I’m not leaving until I make Darcy see I’ve learned my lesson.” He headed for the door, but when he reached Darcy’s side, he stopped.

  He yanked her into his arms and covered her mouth with his. He expected her to fight him at least a little, but she threw her arms around his neck and closed the distance between their bodies. Thomas tightened his arms around her, crushing her to him. He groaned at the feel of her breasts against his chest, and he slid his thigh between hers as he lifted her onto her toes. Their tongues teased each other in a fervent game of cat and mouse. Holding her like this knowing he might not ever get the chance again was a vile form of self-imposed torture. He slowly released her and stepped back. Without a word, he turned away and moved for the door. He stopped for a second to kiss Scarlett, who had leaned back against the door, on the cheek, and then walked away. Her brothers followed him down the hall.

  As they were going out the front door, he heard Scarlett say, “Wow! That was pretty impressive.”

  He waited for a minute, but Darcy didn’t respond. And she didn’t come after him either, which really sucked. Thomas closed the door already trying to come up with what his next step should be.

  Chapter Three

  “I can’t believe he’s here,” Darcy mumbled to the ceiling.

  She rolled over and slammed her fist into the pillow a few times before stuffing it back under her head. She was too wired to sleep, and too confused to even watch the lamest TV show. The problem was she just didn’t know what to make of things. His coming after her was a big enough shock, but that kiss fried whatever thought processors her brain had left. She’d spent the past few hours talking with Scarlett about what she should do next. Obviously, she wasn’t going to be able to resist him. Hell, she’d never been able to in the past, why should that change now? A smile, or crook of his finger, and she was ready to climb onto his lap like a good naughty girl ought to. Jeez, just thinking about kissing him had her wanting to do it again. Thankfully, Scarlett had gone to bed so she didn’t have to explain this all to her.

  She wasn’t going to let his ability to turn her into a willing hoyden sway her. There was more to a relationship than sex, no matter how spine bending or mind melting that sex was. In her opinion, there was a lot more. Darcy wanted to be able to have a normal conversation about everyday things. She needed to know he wanted it too. They used to do all sorts of things together. They’d gone to movies, out to dinner, and even the occasional shopping trip if she promised to buy him something special. Those were some of the most fun and memorable, and sometimes even boring times of her life.

  She wanted to know he still wanted to do those things with her, whether he liked it or not. Darcy used to sit through baseball, hockey, and football games with him. Normally she wouldn’t have chosen to watch the games by herself. However, if he wanted to watch a NASCAR race she was always up for that, for which she could blame her mother who was a NASCAR fanatic and raised her and her siblings on it. But even though she didn’t enjoy the other sports she watched them with him and they enjoyed spending the time together. She couldn’t remember the last time he’d taken the time to watch a game. It should have comforted her that she wasn’t the only thing he’d been ignoring lately, but it didn’t.

  Thomas was right about one thing, they needed to talk. Preferably without any more kissing until she worked a few things out. She flicked through the channels not even stopping long enough to see what was on before giving up and shutting the TV off. Too restless to sleep, she got up and walked over to the window. If she had stayed home, she and Thomas would be in bed wrapped in each other’s arms, but with the morning light things would go back to him being buried in his work and her trying to get his attention. She wondered what he was doing right now. Were her brothers keeping him entertained? Had they all tur
ned in for the night?

  Impulsively, she scooped up her cell phone and dialed his cell number. It was late and he was probably asleep by now. She half hoped he would answer, but at the time she had no idea what she’d say if he did. On the third ring, she was about to hang up when he answered.

  “Hello Darcy,” he whispered.

  “Hi. Did I wake you up?” she asked, unable to think of anything else to say.

  “No. I was just lying here wondering what you were doing.” His confession sounded genuine.

  “I should be sleeping, but I took a nap when I got here.” She rambled, and she hated when people rambled.

  “I napped on the plane,” he said a little louder, but still in soft tone. “So now we’re both wide awake and you’re there and I’m here. If we were together, we could wear each other out.”

  “I don’t think that would a very good idea right now.” She hoped he finally grasped the fact that sex wasn’t going to fix what was wrong between them.

  “Okay, no hanky-panky. How about a walk? Can you sneak out?” He sounded hopeful, which pleased her immensely.

  She glanced over her shoulder at the warm fire and back out the window where the trees swayed in the wind. Darcy wasn’t sure shy she was stalling when she wanted to see him. It would be worth spending some time in the cool night air if she was with him.

  Done debating, she said, “Yeah, Scarlett’s sleeping, but it’s a little chilly out there tonight.”

  “Bundle up. I really want to see you.” There was something in is tone that pulled her in.

  “All right.” She conceded, hoping she wasn’t making another mistake, in a very long line.

  “I’ll be there in about five minutes.” He ended the call without saying goodbye.

  Darcy tiptoed into Scarlett’s room careful not to wake her. She crouched down and took a pair of baggy sweatpants and matching hooded sweatshirt from her duffle bag and tossed them onto the chair by the bathroom door. Unable to find a thick enough pair of socks in her bag, she turned and started sliding open drawers of Scarlett’s dresser intent on borrowing a pair of hers. When she opened the bottom drawer, she spotted a stack of envelopes tied together with a thin blue sparkly ribbon.