by Selena Kitt
Darcy might not be willing to talk to him—but her father would. He'd even given Daniel his card and told him to stop by if he was looking for a job. And unlike Darcy, Vaughn Haverford might listen to reason.
* * *
It was the top floor of one of the tallest glass towers in San Francisco. Ordinarily, one would need an appointment to see someone as powerful as Vaughn Haverford, but when Daniel presented himself unannounced to the general secretary, she instantly ushered him in to the private secretary of Haverford himself.
She took one look at him and knew who she was. Smiling, she got up from her desk, telling him, "One moment please, Mr. Colvin."
Thirty seconds later she was back, and Vaughn Haverford met him personally at his office door, hand outstretched.
"Mr. Haverford…"
"Vaughn," he insisted, waving Daniel into his office. "The man who saved my daughter's life will always be on a first name basis with me."
"Right." Daniel took the seat offered to him as the big man went around the other side of his desk. Daniel cleared his throat and just jumped into it. "Vaughn, I feel a little strange, talking to you about this but… well, the fact is, I'm in love with your daughter… and I want to marry her."
Vaughn nodded, as if this information did not surprise him, so Daniel went on.
"The thing is—I know she loves me. She's not returning my calls and she refuses to see me, but there's a reason for that…"
"The baby."
Daniel froze. He'd thought for sure Darcy wouldn't tell her father about the pregnancy. Especially once she'd seen a doctor and knew the truth.
"Yes." Daniel swallowed. "The baby. We didn't intend—"
"Most people don't, son." Vaughn sat back in his chair, fingers tented. "But when something like that happens, you have to take responsibility."
"I tried," he told him. "I'm trying. That's why I'm here."
"So—you're ready to marry my daughter and be a father to her child?"
"More than ready," he agreed. "But the baby… you see, I have bad genes. Well, at least one of them is, anyway. I lost a child… my girlfriend did, a few years ago. We lost a baby to it. Babies who have this… they don't survive. And the mothers—even they're in danger, just carrying them."
"Hm." Vaughn sat forward, his elbows on the big mahogany desk. "Odd. Darcy just called me last night and said the amnio results came back. Apparently, your son is perfectly healthy."
"My…" Daniel stared at him with wide eyes, his breath gone. "Son…"
"I don't know how this syndrome works—but I think you may need to talk to a genetic counselor," Vaughn said. "Most of the time they give you percentages—you know, twenty-five percent chance of passing it on, or fifty, or whatever. Do you remember what they told you?"
Daniel shook his head, too stunned to speak. He'd gone to the counselor with Lindsay, but he couldn't remember much of what she had said, aside from the fact that he was a carrier of this horrible, deadly gene. And he remembered Lindsay sobbing in his arms, telling him they could never have any more babies, that he'd made her pregnant with a monster…
He didn't like to remember that time, to be honest. And recalling it now made him feel slightly nauseous. But now that Vaughn had said that, he did remember the genetic counselor spewing percentages. But they'd meant nothing to him at the time, not over the sound of Lindsay's grief.
"So she's fine?" Daniel stared at Vaughn in disbelief. "She's really okay? And the baby's okay?"
"That's what the doctors tell us."
"I have to see her. I have to talk to her." Daniel half-stood, his heart thudding hard in his chest, so excited he could barely talk, and then he remembered. "She won't return my calls. She won't talk to me. Sir—Vaughn—you have to get her to see me."
"I'm not sure I want you marrying my daughter."
Daniel opened his mouth to protest but Vaughn put up a hand.
"It's not you, son. Trust me, I had you checked out first thing." He opened his desk drawer and took a folder out, dropping it on the desk in front of Daniel. "Retired Navy Seal—with a very impressive record. You're not the beach bum my daughter believes you to be. Daniel Colvin—of Colvin Cruise Lines? You're the heir to quite a fortune."
"So many father tells me, every time I see him." Daniel raised his eyebrows at the man. "Which isn't very often anymore. I wouldn't be surprised if he eventually cut me out of the will."
"No." Vaughn shook his head. "You'll understand soon enough what it feels like to be a parent—we want the best for our children. We'd do anything for them. Even the hard things, if we think it's in their best interest."
"Like marrying them off to men twice their age?"
"I thought it would be a good match." Vaughn's face fell. "I just wanted her to be surrounded by family and children and be happy."
"She didn't even speak the language."
"Yes." Vaughn chuckled. "I considered that a positive. Darcy's mouth can get her into trouble."
Daniel couldn't help grinning at that.
"I was willing to marry my daughter off to Hugo Ramirez for my own reasons." The older man sighed. "And yes, they were partly selfish ones. But I truly thought it might soften her. She needed someone to… tame her…"
"No." Daniel smiled, thinking of his Darcy. "You can't tame a storm. You can sail through it and come out the other side. You can stand your ground and feel it rage all around you. But you can't tame it. You wouldn't want to, really—would you?"
"I suppose not." Vaughn gave him a brief smile. "Daniel, I said I didn't know if I wanted you to marry my daughter, because I know my daughter. She's sassy, she's spoiled, she can be very immature, she's—"
"Darcy," Daniel finished for him, holding up a hand. "I know. I love every part of her. Every single sarcastic little bit of her."
Vaughn's face broke into a wide smile. "Well, then Darcy is very lucky it was you who came out to rescue her that day."
"I'm the lucky one." Daniel stood, holding his hand out to the man. "I'm going to ask your daughter to marry me as soon as possible."
"You have my blessing." The older man stood and shook Daniel's hand. "I hope she stops storming long enough to accept you."
"Me too." Daniel turned and strode toward the door, feeling lighter on his feet than he had in ages.
"Tell me something—why didn't you inform her that you weren't just some ex-military beach bum?" Vaughn asked.
"At first, it didn't matter. It didn't come up." He shrugged. "Then… she put so much stock into being rich and made a point of rubbing her daddy's money in my face every chance she got. It was amusing to me that she believed I was doing it all for the reward."
"Clearly, money didn't mean anything to you."
"No." He smiled. "Only Darcy."
"Then go." Vaughn waved him out of the office. "If the man who wants to claim my daughter as his wife is any kind of man at all, he won't let anyone stand in his way. Not even her."
* * *
Everything Daniel was about to do was both dangerous and illegal.
Will was an old Navy buddy—also retired—who had his own helicopter he flew for the tourists. Will would take a bullet for him—had, in fact—and was more than willing to take this risk for him as well.
Daniel got all his gear together for a HALO—high altitude, low opening—dive, and Will took him up to fifteen-thousand feet over the city.
The Golden Tower casino was lit up below them.
That was his target.
The air went whistling past his ears—there was no fear on this jump. Only the excitement of seeing her again. He saw his target—right beside the swimming pool. He had to time the opening of the chute just right.
And he did.
The winds were very slight. He had no difficulty steering his descent and landing on the roof right next to the swimming pool. Piece of cake. He wondered if security had seen him—a dark figure from a dark sky landing with the soft thump and slight squeak of heavy boots on mosaic pool tile. The
fluttering chute descended upon him, but in a moment he had disengaged it and bundled it into a large pile beside the wall.
He didn't have to wonder long—a guard came running, pulling a pistol from his jacket. In a single, smooth motion, Daniel seized his arm and twisted it—just enough to make him drop the weapon. He didn't want to hurt him.
In no time at all, the guard was bound and gagged and tied to a patio chair. Just like the old days—without the bullets.
"Don't worry," Daniel told the man, slapping him on the shoulder. "I haven't come to hurt her—I only want marry her."
The sliding door was open and he slipped quietly inside. Darcy was pacing the room barefoot, rubbing her bare upper arms like she was cold—clearly she'd heard the helicopter and knew security had gone outside to check things out—wearing a t-shirt and a pair of jeans she'd secured with a rubber band through the buttonhole, connected to the button. Her little belly showed in the V made by the zipper and he smiled at that.
"Daniel?" She stopped and stared at him, taking in his outfit with a puzzled shake of her head. "What the hell? How—"
He pointed at the ceiling. "I parachuted in."
"You did what?" Her mouth dropped open. "Onto my roof?"
"Yep." He grinned. "Actually, it was easier than steering the RHIB with your sundress as a sail."
Just the mention of their time together brought them both a little closer. The distance between them was shrinking with every word. But before he could get within arm's reach, Darcy's expression changed.
"Why are you here?" Her spine straightened. "You need to leave, or I'm going to call security—"
"Oh, he's already tied up outside," Daniel admitted with a rueful smile. "But he's fine. I didn't knock him out or anything."
"How kind of you."
"You wouldn't see me. You wouldn't take my calls. I had to do something."
"So dropping out of the sky onto my roof was your next option?"
"Well, no." His smile widened. "First, I went to see your father."
"You… did what?"
"I wanted to ask him if it was all right if I married his daughter."
Darcy's jaw dropped. She blinked at him, her mouth opening and closing like the fish they'd speared for dinner on the beach, but no words came out.
Daniel took the opportunity to unzip a pocket in his gear and pull out a little blue Tiffany's box. She gaped at that too, but when he dropped to one knee and opened it, she gasped.
"Daniel!" Her hand went to cover her mouth in shock. "How in the world did you afford that rock?"
"Darcy, will you marry me?" He searched her eyes, hoping to reach the woman he'd fallen so deeply in love with, the one who had blossomed open with him on the island like a flower, the most delicate, fragrant bloom he'd ever known. "I love you—I think I've been in love with you since you fell into my arms off that sinking yacht, and even if you say no—I will love you until the day I die."
"Daniel…" Her eyes were filling with big, beautiful tears. It made him want to sweep her into his arms and kiss them away, but he held his position, knowing he had to wait for her signal.
"I want you to say 'yes', Darcy. I want you to say yes to me, to us, to our family, to a life together. I want you to put on this ring and agree to be Mrs. Colvin for the rest of your life."
"Colvin." Her beautifully-shaped auburn eyebrows went up and she looked from the ring to him and back again. "Daniel… Colvin? You aren't… you couldn't be…"
"Yeah." He gave her a sheepish smile. "Actually, I am. Daniel Colvin Jr.—my father's the shipping magnate."
"I've taken cruises on the Colvin Lines," she said, looking incredulous. "The Alaskan Cruise was divine."
"I'll tell my father you liked it." He laughed.
"You never told me." Her green eyes went hard, like glittering emeralds.
"There was a lot I didn't tell you." He grimaced. "But to be fair—you never asked. And when I tried to tell you—"
Darcy put her hands over her ears and shook her head, but he wasn't having it.
Daniel stood, scooping her up and carrying her over to the couch. Darcy squealed and thrashed, but he sat, pulling her tightly into his lap.
"Goddamnit, let me go!" she insisted, but he put the ring box, still open, on the arm of the sofa and grabbed her wrists in his hands.
"You're going to listen to me," he told her gruffly. "No more childish games."
Darcy pouted but she stilled when he rubbed his thumbs on the insides of her wrists.
"First of all—the baby." Daniel swallowed. He was still a little in shock over Vaughn's revelation. It had been his own fault, for not paying closer attention during the genetic counseling session, he supposed. But he'd really convinced himself that any child of his would be like Matthew—that's what Lindsay had named their son—and wouldn't ever draw a breath.
"I'm not getting rid of it." Her spine straightened. "No matter what you say."
"I don't want you to. I never did."
"What?" Her brows drew together in confusion. "You said—"
"I had a son." Just saying that made his heart hurt. "Several years ago—and he… he wasn't right. The doctors said I passed on some sort of… anomaly. Some fucked up genetic code. There's a name for it, but it doesn't matter. I made him wrong somehow… and so… he died."
"Oh Daniel." Darcy's eyes filled with tears.
"The thing is—I thought, somehow, that any child of mine would have this thing… and I guess, at least according to what your father told me about our baby…" Daniel let go of one of her wrists and slid a hand over her belly. It had grown since the last time he'd seen her, and filled his palm.
"He's fine," she breathed, her eyes shining. "Perfectly healthy little boy."
Daniel nodded. He wanted to tell her how incredulous and grateful and happy he was, but there was something caught in his throat. She touched his cheek, stroking it gently.
"I like you without a beard." Her fingertips sent hot jolts of electricity down his spine. Then her eyes hardened again. "What does your little island girl think? Does she like it?"
"Darcy." Daniel rolled his eyes, pressing her hand against his cheek when she went to move away. "There's been no one but you since I first set eyes on you. My island girl was… convenient. We had a mutually beneficial arrangement for a little while. But I never felt anything for her, not like… God, woman, I've never felt anything like I feel for you in my entire life."
Her eyes softened again at his words and she put both arms around his neck.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded. "Jesus, Daniel, if you'd told me—"
Daniel put his hands over his ears with another roll of his eyes and said, "Lalalalala…"
Darcy giggled, pulling his hands away from his ears.
"Okay, okay." She put her forehead against his. "Maybe I made it a little difficult for you…"
"A little?"
"Don't push it frog-boy."
"Frogman." He laughed.
"Should we name him Kermit?" she mused, rubbing a hand over her little belly.
Daniel was fascinated by that little expanse of exposed skin. She obviously hadn't gone shopping for maternity clothing yet.
"Is that a yes?" He tilted his head at her and Darcy swallowed, looking down.
She was afraid. He could see it on her face. He remembered that look—he'd seen it on her face when she was clinging to the yacht and he was telling her to let go, to fall into his arms…
"I don't know," she whispered, shaking her head.
"Darcy, do you love me?"
Her gaze lifted to meet his and she nodded, tears brimming.
"Do you trust me?"
She nodded again, giving a little sniff, her lower lip quivering. He wanted to kiss it.
"Come on." He took the Tiffany's box, closing it with a snap and zipping it back up in his pocket. He put Darcy on her feet and told her to get a jacket.
"Where are we going?" she asked as she zipped her leather jacket up.
"Trust me." He smiled, holding out his hand.
He led her outside to where the pool was. She assured the security guard that everything was okay, then Daniel untied him. At Darcy's request, the guard left.
They were right by the waist high wall—beyond which was a forty-story drop. Daniel busied himself with the straps and buckles on his suit.
"Now what?" Darcy watched, arms crossed, shivering. It was actually a warm night, but up here, even the slight wind made it chilly.
He grabbed her and pulled her towards him. The look in her eyes made him want to claim her sweet little mouth, to kiss every glorious inch of her, especially that beautiful, slightly rounded belly.
Instead, he attached her firmly to him with the straps. She let him do this, just like she'd like him tie her up with their homemade rope on the island. Just the act of strapping her in made him hard. She melted against him, her back to his front.
"You ready?" He kissed the top of her head and she looked back up at him with a little smile playing on her lips. The fear in her eyes was gone.
He pulled them both on to the top of the wall.
"I got you to jump before, remember?" He squeezed her to him and she nodded. "Then, you had to jump alone. I was there to catch you—but you had to jump alone."
Darcy looked back at him, her eyes wide, but there was no fear in them like he'd seen that day. She trusted him, completely.
He leaned down to kiss her, taking a moment to savor her mouth, the delicious taste of her. He'd missed her so much that having her again was like breathing after being underwater for ages. His body was flooded with relief and gratitude, and he reveled in it.
"Daniel." She whispered his name when they parted, her lashes fluttering open. She looked at him like she thought he might be a dream. He knew the feeling.
"No more jumping alone," he told her. "Now we jump together."
He leaped.
Darcy cried out, but it wasn't in fear—it was close to the sound she made when she climaxed, and it filled him with desire for her.
They plummeted down and down. The guidance chute popped out, pulling a long thread behind it, and then the main chute flew out and billowed open.
They braked sharply, and Daniel seized a control line in each hand. As he steered them towards the ground, he heard Darcy laughing—a bright, beautiful sound.