by J. A. Coffey
Jess spun in his arms and placed the imagined kicks. A larger crowd had gathered.
"Excellent. Let's all do it again."
As the afternoon passed and the class dwindled away, Darius repacked their basket and helped Jess leash her dog. Darius knew he had promised her the answers she sought today, and he could read a small mounting level of anxiety in her expression.
Perhaps it was disquiet he saw therein.
Either way, he felt the clock ticking.
Good thing he worked well under pressure.
When they got home, they found the kitchen empty, and a patient Bigsby informed them that, "Cookie has gone to market."
"Quick," Darius scooted her into the kitchen. "Let's pretend we won't get kicked out when she returns."
She laughed and placed the basket on the counter, and Darius plopped the remaining wine back into the wine fridge while Jess placed the dishes in the sink. Soon the sound of plates being scrubbed under running water played a melodious song to his ears, one he wanted to hear for the rest of his life.
For all its weight in gold, the diamond ring seemed weightless in his pocket, to the point he had continually reached in to reassure himself of its whereabouts. No rehearsal speech had been prepared. Today, he would just speak from his heart.
"You're a really good teacher, you know that?" She dried her hands and hung the towel. "I really enjoyed watching you in action today. You know," she smiled, "in a safe environment."
"Thank you. You were right. I love teaching. I love making people feel safe and confident." He gave her a lop-sided smile. "Your suggestion changed my life."
"Meeting you changed mine." She said as she placed the dishes in the strainer to dry.
Darius gave her a one-armed hug and smooch while he rummaged behind her for the dishrag. "I'll wipe out the basket, hon."
"Thanks." She gave him a giant grin, and he thought she, too, lived completely in the moment.
The aroma of Betsy's freshly baked bread still lingered in the air, along with the scents from their packaged lunch. Idly, he wondered if she could be happy relinquishing kitchen duties to paid staff, and realized that, if she lived here, in Ollie's house, they would all have to learn to share.
He guessed it was his house, now, not Ollie's. Only, without Jess, without her here as his wife, it would never be his home.
He realized a whole lot of planning hinged on her "yes."
A small crystal chandelier glittered over the plain kitchen table, and he had an idea. Glancing across the kitchen, he noticed Jess putting away the last utensils. He pulled out the ring, cupped it in his hand, and said, "Sweetie, I think the chandelier lost a few broken crystals."
Jess raced over. "Oh, no. How many are down? I thought one of my cats swallowed one a few years back, and it was the most agonizing week of my life."
He was on all fours under the table, waiting until she stepped closer. He pretended to inspect it. "It doesn't look chewed." The gold band remained tucked between his fingers, with only the radiant cut of the diamond resting in his hand.
Jess frowned and looked between the chandelier and his hand, then examined the ring. As she reached for it, she said, "I don't think this came fr-"
She stopped, mouth ajar as she stared at the ring she held.
Darius cleared his throat, and when she looked at him, wide-eyed with shock, he claimed her other hand. "Jessalyn Swan, I have loved you since the day we met, and ten years later I am still completely in love with you. I am here now on bended knee, asking if you will make me the happiest man alive by becoming my wife."
She blinked. "Ma ba da. Dab a, da."
He crooked a smile. He'd made her speechless. "Jess? It's a yes or no question."
She squealed and leapt into his arms, barreling him backwards on to the floor. He caught her, rolling over so they didn't crash into the chairs. "Is that a yes?"
"Yes, yes!" she practically shrieked in his ear.
He rolled on top of her, cradling her head, kissing her with all the passion he felt for this woman. When he pulled away, he grabbed her left hand to slip on the ring, grateful it went past the knuckle.
She clenched her hand, and he feared it was a touch large. By way of apology he said, "Is it too big? We'll get it sized. It's an antique."
"I could tell. And it's not. It fits just fine." She turned it to and fro the way he had, admiring the gleam in its depths. "It's beautiful."
He stroked the long hair at her temples, enjoying the fact that she didn't mind her hair spread out on the floor. "I'm glad you like it. I had to discard the entire store as unworthy."
"The entire store?" She clearly didn't believe him.
"Well, it seemed like it."
He kissed her languorously, enjoying her burgeoning fervor. "Jess, I promised you an answer. The truth is I wanted to wait for the wedding. Well," he rolled his eyes, and his voice dropped, "I don't wait to wait at all, but I...you've come this far...I just don't want to ruin you before the wedding."
"Ruin me," she echoed in a flat tone, and her hand dropped from his jaw. "Is this going to be one of those two-year engagements that royalty likes to suffer?"
He reclaimed her hand to nuzzle. "I was thinking tomorrow."
She studied him. "You're serious."
"Dead." His voice lowered. "I've been dreaming of you in my bed for ten years, Jess. I don't want to wait any longer."
Anguish filled her voice when she protested, "My family won't be able to attend. My parents are in the Caribbean. And Eric travels for work. He needs time to request days off."
"Legal ceremony tomorrow, then we'll plan a smashing one. Do you like autumn?"
She grinned, took a deep breath. "I love autumn."
"Me, too."
Jess caught her breath, and her joyful expression fell. "The disbursement is tomorrow."
Darius relaxed his grip on her and balanced on his elbows. He had made his decision, and hard as it was, he voiced it now. "I realized awhile ago that I was losing everything, Jess." He watched her tip her head at that. "Frankly, I'd rather have a lifetime to make memories with you than hold onto one single memory of my childhood."
She seemed to cave in then. "You haven't lost everything yet, Darius."
He sort of sniffed out a laugh. "I'm gaining the only thing I need."
She seemed to melt further in his arms at that. "Don't stop fighting the good fight, Darius. I haven't yet made up my mind."
"Speaking of fighting," he got up and pulled her to her feet, grinning with the next surprise he couldn't wait to share. "I want to show you something."
He guided her to the nearest computer and logged into the real estate site. A few clicks later brought up the picture of the dealership. "Recognize it? The hybrid car dealer by your shop?"
"Yeah," she ducked lower to see all the photos. "Greeners. He moved a few months ago. Why?"
Pride filled Darius as he wrapped his hand around her hip and drew her onto his lap. "It will soon be Dojo Darius."
"What?" She faced him. "You mean it?"
"I bought it this morning. It'll make a perfect dojo."
He could tell she wanted to burst out with joy but probably limited herself to one ecstatic moment an hour. "Are you telling me you won't be traveling the world all the time?"
"I might still have to do some traveling, but, Jess, I'm staying put."
Now she squealed and threw herself against him. "Oh, Darius, you are making me the happiest woman alive. Do you know that?"
"It was a particular goal of mine," he grinned as he nuzzled her ear. He leaned back. "I have a friend, Fabrizi, in New York City. He's been begging me to open a dojo in America. He would make a fantastic business partner. Then, if I have to travel, he would be in charge. Otherwise, we used to train together. He's good and level-headed. He'd be an asset."
Her grin kept growing. "You've been giving this a lot of thought."
"Actually," he pinched her chin, "it's all come together in the last few days. Today, in t
he park, that just felt so right. Those people loved it, loved learning self-defense techniques. I'm sure it would be easy to get people to sign up. The chi is strong right now. I'm just riding its momentum."
"Well," she leaned close to nuzzle his ear, "thank God for good chi."
Chapter Fourty
Darius couldn't resist leading Jess into the library and closing the door. "I have a book here," he parted a wicked grin her way as he rolled the shelf ladder around the wall, "that I've been thinking of for awhile now."
She folded her hands demurely before her and waited while he climbed the ladder to the tenth shelf off the ground. He tipped out a few by their spines until he found the one he was looking for, then pulled out two more as well.
He brought them down and indicated the couch.
"As my future wife, I think you should become familiar with aspects of our relationship that are about to change." He placed them in her lap and watched her expression change to horror.
"Better Sex Guide? Tantric Sex? Sexy Dares?"
He leaned close and flipped open a book, showing her some poses. "Haven't tried this one." He inclined his head to view it from another angle, ignoring her deep blush.
"I can't...Darius...I...."
"Nonsense." He drew her into her arms and reclined back, feeling her stiffen. "Relax. I'm waiting until you're my wife, even if it kills me, which it may." He kissed her crown, laughing when she tensed up again, so he flipped to another page. "Oh, look, this is what you did to me last night." When he saw how red she had become, he tugged the book away from her. "In the interest of scientific experimentation, I thought I would grant you enlightenment."
The familiar words seemed to quell her fears. "Bound for scientific discovery?"
"Purely academic, I assure you."
She seemed to need some time to wrap her head around the concept of becoming a sexual creature, but after a few moments he felt her relax and settle into his arms again.
"Shall we continue?"
She nodded, albeit stiffly.
He opted for the Tantric sex book, where it focused on bringing each other tactile pleasure to enhance the sexual one.
"I think I'm going to start here," he pointed at a vivid picture, "to make you feel this," he flipped to another page, "and when you're feeling braver, maybe next week or so, we'll move to," he pulled open the Dares book, "elevator sex."
"I will not!"
He laughed. "Come on, bring them with you. Get you all hot and horny for the wedding night."
"Where are we going?"
He checked his watched. "Three o'clock. Still time to get our license, of course. And," with a critical eye he scanned both of their clothes, "a white dress for you, and a nice suit for me."
She grinned, slapped the books closed, and got ready for the car.
Chapter Fourty-One
The first thing any novitiate was taught in martial arts was to "be aware of your surroundings." Thus, Darius immediately noticed the dark red sedan with dark-tinted windows parked across the street from his driveway. He waited while the gates swung closed behind his convertible and saw no movement within the car, but unease still made the hairs on the back of his neck rise.
Jess noticed and asked, "What's wrong?"
"So far, nothing." He smiled to ease her mounting fears and put the top up on his car prior to pulling out. When he saw the other car start up and make a u-turn to follow, Darius said, "Lower your visor to watch this car."
"Shit." Jess did as asked, shaking her head as she looked in the visor mirror. He saw her rummage into her purse and grab a pen. "Let's go back. We don't need to-"
"Nonsense." Darius downshifted around a turn and watched the sedan follow. "If he wants me, he better keep up. Hang on while I give my Boss 302 a workout." He took the onramp and shifted the Mustang into high gear.
Three seconds later had them flying down the interstate.
He drove a little more recklessly than he would have with Jess, but self-preservation demanded he get both of them far away. He zipped around cars with ease, his Mustang enjoying the chance to stretch its legs.
Miles flew by, and he didn't see any sign of the car, so he felt his defenses drop from Code Red to Code Yellow.
He still didn't like it, though.
Jess, however, seemed to enjoy their cruising speed, even though he admitted it was rather over the legal limit. Once the immediate threat had passed, she had rolled down her window, letting the wind whip her hair into a golden frenzy.
"You okay?" He knew outside appearances could be deceiving, and Jess, he suspected, was a strong person who rarely let people see her weaknesses.
He smiled when he realized he knew all of hers.
He had made it to her inner circle.
Time to return the favor, he thought, knowing she should hear his inner demons the way she- albeit inadvertently- shared hers. "Now that my memory is back, I have to admit the thought of being rear-ended again pretty much terrifies me."
"I'll bet," Jess answered, flashing him a solemn grimace. "I'd hate to see you go through that again."
"That makes two of us."
White knuckles on the seat told him her brave words masked her otherwise hidden nerves. "No sign of the car?"
"None."
An SUV ahead of them seemed to be going a touch slow, and when Darius looked over his shoulder, another one drew alongside him. He let up on the gas, intending to slow down and go around, but a third truck crowded right up behind him.
Fresh alarm bells rang, and when the SUV on his left pushed him onto the shoulder, Darius yelled, "Hang on," and downshifted, jostling them over the rumble strip and onto the subsequent gravel.
Maybe he could pass on the shoulder....
The car that slowed him now veered right, blocking his path.
"Hang on." He gripped the wheel as his vintage car went careening off road.
He knew enough to take the slope head on, rather than try to drive sideways where the car would roll, so he veered right and went straight down, Jess gripping the dash with both hands. They bottomed-out when they hit the plain, and Darius felt his head bump the wheel. Jess grabbed her elbow and cradled it, and he stopped the car and looked over at her.
His heart raced, and his adrenaline pumped like it did the last time he was driven off the blacktop. "You okay?"
She grimaced and said, "Yeah. Think I overextended my elbow." She rubbed it and made a fist, then looked at him. "Oh my God."
"What?"
Color faded from her cheeks. "You bumped your head." She reached for his temple, and he pressed his palm to his forehead where she reached, feeling the stickiness of his own blood. Shit. He had to get his blood pressure down. "I'll be fine."
"Darius."
"Look." He faced her as he opened up the door. "I don't have time for a concussion right now. Those guys up there are trying to kill me. Us. And I refuse to let that happen." He slipped out of the car and closed the door.
"Darius!"
"Stay here," he growled as he left, and she watched four thugs work their way down the hill. She fumbled in her purse for her phone and dialed 911.
"911. What's your emergency?" the operator asked.
"I need Officer Timothy O'Leary right away. This is Jessalyn Swan, daughter of detective Anna Swan, and my boyfriend and I have just been run off the road by three cars. We were also being followed by a dark red sedan, plate number...." she rummaged in her purse for the box of gum she wrote on, "um, 655A14Q. It had black tinted windows and was parked outside our house, following us. I think it was the same person who perpetrated the hit-on-run on my boyfriend a few weeks ago. Suspect's name is Beauregard Covington, and he was unable to be apprehended."
The operator asked, "Are you safe?"
Jess coughed out a laugh. "We're in a ravine off the interstate. There're three SUVs up there pulled over, and there's at least four guys, two are armed." She didn't see any guns so far, but two of the guys had bats.
"Where's yo
ur boyfriend?"
"Fiancé," Jess realized as she watched him walk up to greet the goons. "He proposed not two hours ago."
"Is he safe?"
Darius merely stood still as they fanned out around him. "He's out there, evening the playing field."
"We're sending men right now."
"I'll be here." She reached forward and locked Darius' door, riveted to the scene.
Thugs. Hired thugs. Darius didn't know whether to be relieved or insulted that his father thought so little of his professional skill. They did look intimidating; however, he'd grant them that, with their shaved heads and tattooed skulls and black tank-tops revealing thick muscled arms.
They probably stripped cars for a living.
After pushing them uphill.
He listened for Jess and peripherally could see she was still in the car. Good. One less thing to worry about.
Bat boy number one thumped a Louisville Slugger into his palm, the noise of wood smacking flesh the only sound after the crunching of dry grass under their feet. The other two cracked their knuckles in their fists; a welcome sign, as their joints would now be more sensitive.
He sensed a gun but didn't see one.
He picked out the leader to be the one hovering back, probably the one first hired by dear ol' dad. Darius guessed that man would be the armed one.
Stakes were high. Instinctively Darius knew his father would continue to come after him until he was dead and the inheritance reverted to Beauregard. These men were little more than mercenaries and had no personal quarrel with him, yet Darius also sensed that only one team would be walking away from this field.
He had a wedding to get to, and a bride to protect.
He would not lose.
Regardless of the price.
The men moved closer, and Darius prepared for the rush, the Randori, the unequal balance of opponents. "Shall we dance?"
He felt the settling of his pulse, the electricity racing his muscles as he braced, for it was a dance, this sport. It was grace and fluidity and movements too fast and subtle to be seen with the naked eye. It was about joining one's own center of gravity with that of the opponent, about claiming their space as one's own, then separating as they fell.