Darius (Starkis Family #5)

by Cheryl Douglas

  “We’re still figuring this out,” I said, wiping my damp palms on my cotton maxi skirt. “I’m not sure how Darius feels.”

  “How do you feel about him?” Catia asked.

  Wow, Darius was right. His sister was fearless. “I’ve loved every moment I’ve spent with him. He’s made me feel things I haven’t felt in a very long time, but I’m still not sure we’re right for each other. That’s the part I’m trying to figure out.” That was as honest as I could be.

  “Darius hasn’t told me a lot about your past, and frankly, I don’t need to know. It’s none of my business. But I get the sense you’ve been through a lot, and that’s part of the reason my brother has fallen so hard for you. You’re a fighter, and he admires that.”

  She would never know how much it meant to me to hear that someone like Darius admired and respected me. He’d made the same claim, but hearing it from his sister made me believe it. She had no reason to lie to make this work.

  “I care about him a great deal,” I said, clasping my hands under my chin. “The last thing I want to do is hurt him.”

  “There’s only one way you could do that.”

  “What?”

  “By not giving him a chance.” She reached for her purse. “If you tried and it didn’t work, he’d be upset, but at least he wouldn’t have to wonder what might have been. Trust me, Chelsea, there’s nothing worse than that.”

  I got the feeling she was speaking from personal experience. Chase, maybe?

  “I should get going. I have a plane to catch.” She stood, reaching for my hand. “I really like you, and I think you’d be good for my brother.”

  I smiled, squeezing her hand in return. “Thank you.”

  “Would it be weird if I gave you my number and asked you to keep in touch?”

  I would never have expected to bond with a woman like Catia Starkis, but no matter what happened with Darius, I could see her becoming a friend. “No, I’d like that.”

  She reached into her handbag for a business card. “I know you and Darius have a long road ahead of you, and it might help to talk to someone who knows him well, who can help you put things in perspective.”

  She was right. Bending her ear from time to time would help, so I took the card with a smile. “I’ll try not to bore you with my problems.”

  She bit her lip, looking more uncertain than she had since she walked in. “I kind of have a favor to ask of you too.”

  “Sure, what is it?”

  “I noticed you and Chase are pretty friendly.”

  “Yeah, he’s a great guy.”

  “He is.” She gripped her purse strap tighter. “Kara and Darius are obviously good friends with him, but I don’t want to drag them into my drama.”

  “So what can I do to help?” Given how great she’d been about my relationship with her brother, helping her with Chase was the least I could do.

  “Maybe you could just keep me posted on what he’s up to?” She blushed. “He barely acknowledged me at the party, and when I tried talking to him, he shut me down right away.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said, curling my hand around her forearm. “That must have hurt.”

  “It did, but I have only myself to blame.” She sighed. “I think I’d like another chance with him, but I have to be one hundred percent sure before I walk back into his life and ask for one. I’d have to leave behind everything I love in Chicago for a chance with him: my work, my friends, my parents. So it’s a pretty big deal.”

  “Sounds like it.”

  “I was just wondering if you could give me a heads-up if you think he’s seeing anyone special. I’d hate like hell to miss out on a chance with him because I was too late.”

  “Sure, I’ll let you know if I hear anything.”

  She gave me a quick hug before rushing to the door. “Thanks so much, Chelsea. You’re awesome. I really hope you and my brother work things out. I’m counting on seeing you at the next family gathering.”

  “Thanks.” I waved as she stepped onto the elevator, and I had the sense I’d just made a new friend. A girl could never have too many of those.

  ***

  I was surprised when Darius walked into Exodus later that night, half an hour before last call.

  “Hey,” he said, leaning over the bar. “I was hoping we could talk. Can I wait around until your shift is over, drive you home?”

  I couldn’t think of anything I’d have liked more. I’d missed him like crazy, even though it had only been a couple of days since I’d seen him. “Sure, I have another hour or so before I can head out. Can I get you a drink in the meantime?”

  “Sure. I see a friend over there, so I’m going to go over and say hello.” He pointed toward a beautiful blonde sitting alone in a booth. “It looks like she’s drinking white wine, so I’ll grab one of those for her and a Corona for me.”

  “Okay.” I clenched my teeth, hoping he could tell by my jerky movements that I was pissed. He was going to bide his time waiting for me with some cover girl wannabe? That couldn’t bode well for the conversation we were about to have.

  “She’s married to a friend of mine,” he explained. “At least, she was last I heard.”

  “Oh.” That made me feel slightly better, but when I glanced over his shoulder and saw the way her eyes zeroed in on Darius’s butt, I frowned. She didn’t look happily married to me. “Here you go.” I slid the drinks across the bar. “Shall I start a tab for you?”

  He grinned. His cousin was part owner of the club, which meant a tab wouldn’t be necessary. He slid a hundred-dollar bill across the bar before reaching for the drinks. “Keep the change.”

  “Darius,” I said, trying to hand it back to him, “that’s way too much. I can’t—”

  “There’s my favorite little bartender.”

  I cringed inwardly when I heard that voice. He was a regular and hit on me every time he came in, despite the fact I shot him down every time. “What can I get you, Steve?”

  “You. In my bed.”

  Darius set his drinks aside and grabbed Steve’s arm. “Watch your mouth, punk.”

  “Hey,” he said, shaking off Darius. “Get your hands off me, buddy.” He adjusted the cuff of his button-down shirt. “Or I’ll have Rico over there show you the door.” Steve obviously thought since he was a regular his word carried more weight with the doormen than Darius’s.

  “I can handle this,” I said to Darius. “We’ll talk when my shift is over.”

  “I’m not leaving until he does,” Darius said, glaring at Steve.

  “Then you’ll be waiting a while,” Steve said. “I want to hear what my girl’s been up to.”

  “Your girl?” Darius asked, clenching his fist. “If you’re talking about Chelsea, you’re stupider than you look.”

  “Who the hell do you think you are talking to me like that?” Steve asked, standing toe-to-toe with Darius.

  “Hey, cuz,” Damon said, wrapping his arm around Darius’s neck from behind.

  Thank God. Now that Damon was here to diffuse the situation, I could breathe again.

  “You here to see your girlfriend?” Damon asked Darius as he looked from me to Steve.

  Steve scowled at me. “Since when do you have a boyfriend? You told me you don’t date.”

  “I don’t,” I said, wiping the bar with a damp rag as I tried to ignore Darius’s accusatory look. He’d obviously expected me to set Steve straight, but if I was rude to my regulars, I could kiss my tips and my half of the rent money good-bye. “Usually. I, uh, just started seeing Darius.”

  “When?” Steve demanded, leaning over the bar to get a glimpse of my cleavage when I bent to replace my rag with a clean one.

  “None of your goddamn business,” Darius said, grabbing Steve’s shoulder. “Now I suggest you get the hell out of here before I knock you out.”

  “Uh, speaking of getting out of here,” Damon said, “I was just about to tell you that you can head out, Chels. Jeremy and Brit can take it from here
. I’ll cash you out and leave your envelope in the safe.”

  I could have used the extra hour, but I knew Damon didn’t want to see blood spilled any more than I did. I glanced at the drinks Darius had abandoned. “Don’t you want to take the drink over to your friend?”

  Damon looked over his shoulder at the blonde still sitting alone in the booth. “I can take care of that. You guys get out of here.”

  Darius shook his cousin’s hand. “Thanks, man. I’ll talk to you later.”

  We remained silent until we were in Darius’s truck, then I couldn’t hold my tongue any longer. “You can’t react that way every time a guy hits on me.”

  “Don’t start,” he warned, curling his hand around the gearshift. “The last thing I want to do is argue with you tonight.”

  After my talk with Catia that morning, I’d really been looking forward to seeing Darius, but if this relationship was going to work, he had to understand I could take care of myself. “I don’t want that either, but I can handle guys like Steve. I’ve been doing it for years.”

  “But that’s just it,” he said, reaching for my hand as he pulled out of the parking lot. “You don’t have to do that anymore. I get that you’re a gorgeous woman and men are going to hit on you. I know there’s nothing I can do about that, but at least at the comedy club, you don’t have to dress like that.” He gestured to my black skinny jeans, high heels, and low-cut white top. “You’ll be able to cover up more so guys won’t get the wrong idea.”

  I withdrew my hand from his, shifting slightly so I was facing him. “You have a problem with the way I dress?”

  He pinched the bridge of his nose, resting his elbow on his door, when we pulled up to the light. “You look sexy as hell no matter what you wear, but seeing you looking like that, hearing guys say shit about wanting to get you into bed, it bothers me, okay? I can’t pretend it doesn’t.”

  I tried to put myself in his position. It would have bothered me if I knew he had to fend off women’s advances every day. Though for all I knew, he probably did. I reached for his free hand while he curled the other around the steering wheel and accelerated. “I need this job, Darius. At least until the reno at the club is finished.”

  “I know you think you do, but why won’t you let me help you out until then? I don’t want your rent money, baby. But if you need spending money, let me get you a temporary waitressing gig at my father’s restaurant until the club is ready to reopen.”

  As tempting as the offer was, I couldn’t accept his help. Relying on him too much would compromise my independence, and this relationship was too new for me to consider that. “I got the job at Exodus on my own because I’m a good bartender.”

  “Fine, I’ll get you a bartending job at the restaurant bar. It’s an upscale crowd. You wouldn’t have to worry about guys coming on to you like that.”

  “Don’t you mean you wouldn’t have to worry about it?” I asked, tongue in cheek. “It doesn’t bother me nearly as much as it bothers you.”

  He growled before dropping kisses on the back of my wrist. “Fine, it would make me feel better. Consider it a personal favor to me.”

  “I’ll think about it,” I promised, sliding across the seat to kiss his neck. “I couldn’t help but notice we’re not heading back to the apartment. Where are you taking me?”

  “Back to my hotel room. You got a problem with that?”

  “No, no problem.” I ran my fingers through his hair while grazing his earlobe with my teeth. I smiled as I watched him shift in his seat, presumably to relieve the growing pressure between his legs. “Your sister came to see me today.”

  He grabbed my hand, which was wandering down his chest, when we came to a stoplight. “Way to kill a mood, babe. Cat?”

  I grinned, gliding my hand back down his chest when he accelerated again. “Yeah. She wanted to explain that she was the one who gave you bad advice and I should basically ignore everything you said last night.”

  “Wish I could blame it all on her,” he said, exhaling loudly when I reached for his belt buckle. “But I can’t. It was my stupid mistake. I said what I thought you wanted to hear, not what was really on my mind.”

  “What did you really want to say?” I breathed against his neck, running my palm over the bulge behind his zipper.

  “I wanted to tell you that you make me crazy—that’s why I say and do stupid things sometimes. But I don’t want to back off. In fact, that’s the last thing I want. I want to push even harder, to break through your fears and convince you it’s safe to trust me.”

  “Mmm…” I ran my lips over his bristled jaw. “I am learning to trust you, Darius. A little more every day. I just need you to be patient with me.”

  “I can do that.” He sank his teeth into his bottom lip, closing his eyes briefly when he hit another red light.

  “I don’t know how long it’ll take for me to get where you need me to be,” I said, counting down the minutes until I could get him out of his clothes. Now that I’d had a taste of him, I couldn’t wait for more.

  “I can wait.”

  As he pulled the truck into a reserved spot in the hotel parking lot, I waited for him to cut the engine before I turned his face toward mine. “But how long are you willing to wait for me?”

  He grinned, making my heart race. “Just try to get rid of me, Chels.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Darius

  Having this time alone with Chelsea in my hotel room, with hours stretching ahead of us before either of us had to be anywhere, was a gift. I explored her body slowly, my hands tracing her soft skin as my lips followed their path. I wanted to touch and taste every inch of her beautiful body, to get to know her more intimately than I’d ever known anyone.

  She sucked in a sharp breath as my tongue circled her nipple before drawing the taut peak into my mouth. She tasted like strawberries, the body wash I now knew she favored. Day by day, I was learning all the little things about her, things I’d never cared to know about another woman. Like her favorite music or flavor of ice cream, the way she liked to be touched or the spots that made her whisper my name.

  I was taking my time with her, going slowly and treasuring every minute as if it would be our last. Though if I had my way, our time together would never end. I was falling in love with this woman, and I wanted more nights like this. I wanted every night to be like this, with her under me, in my bed, falling asleep in my arms after we made love.

  Crawling slowly up her body, I nipped her lush bottom lip before dipping my tongue inside her mouth. Her little moan, coupled with the way her grip on my shoulders tightened, reminded me how erotic kissing like this could be. Not as foreplay but as a main event all its own. Kissing her felt sensual and sexy, as though I could do it for hours without needing more.

  “Darius,” she whispered, scraping her teeth against my shoulder. “Make love to me. Now.”

  I slid my hands into her hair, holding her head captive. “Just like this?” I hadn’t put a condom on yet, and I didn’t want to, but it was a big step, one I wasn’t sure she would be willing to take.

  “I’m on the pill,” she said, brushing her lips over mine.

  “I know. You told me. Do you trust me to keep you safe, Chels?” My friends would have said I was being stupid and reckless. Dozens of women had told me they were on the pill and wanted to have sex without a condom, but I’d never even considered it. I hadn’t been willing to take the risk. With Chelsea, it wasn’t a risk. I knew she would never lie to me about something like that.

  “Yes.”

  “It’s your call, baby. You tell me what you want.”

  Instead of responding, she reached between us. Her eyes locked with mine as she guided my shaft into her slick heat. I closed my eyes, savoring the foreign connection. I’d never loved a woman like this, never even wanted to, but it felt so right with Chelsea. I remained still for a second, knowing it wouldn’t take much to push me over the edge.

  I was so deep inside her, try
ing to adjust to her body’s vise-like grip. That was another thing that was different with her. My other lovers had all been experienced, so they had never felt like this. Every time with Chelsea reminded me that sex meant something to her, that sharing her body with me was akin to giving me a secret part of herself.

  “I love the way this feels,” she whispered, sighing in my ear. “Having you inside me like this… I love it.”

  I love you. The words were right there, clamoring to come out, but I held back, fearing it was too soon. “Me too, sweetheart.”

  I moved slowly, savoring every second, never wanting it to end. I felt so in tune with her body. I sensed her impending release in the way her breathing changed, the tightening of her legs around my waist, and the feel of her nails digging into my back. I loved knowing that I’d taken her there, that my body fused so perfectly with hers it took only a few strokes to get her off.

  “Oh God, Darius…”

  Those breathless words sounded like a sonata to my ears. I wanted more. I thrust in and out slowly, gently, taking my time, allowing her to take hers. I wanted the build to be gradual for her, long and drawn out, so she could enjoy every millisecond of her body’s reaction to mine.

  “Feel it, Chels. Feel what I do to you, what you do to me.” Her moan had me swelling inside her as I savored her intense throbbing. “Feel how good it is.”

  “Amazing,” she whispered, gasping. She arched her neck, pressing the back of her head into the pillow.

  I licked the slender, fragrant column of her neck, making her gasp and whimper as I made love to her, picking up the pace as my own urges became too strong to ignore.

  I didn’t want to lose this feeling, but ultimately I lost the fight, exploding inside her. That sensation alone made this the most intimate experience of my life. Looking at her, brushing her hair off her damp forehead, I returned her smile and finally admitted to myself what my heart had known the second I laid eyes on her: she was the one for me. The only one.

  ***

  “Let’s stay in bed all day,” I suggested, holding the fork containing a bite of French toast just out of her reach.