Taking Root (The Eros Tales Book 1)

by Katherine McIntyre

  “I’ll be honest, I want to spend time with you. I do. Thing is, if we’re going to hang, there’s some shit I can’t talk about, no matter how curious you get. I know my disappearance is a Pandora’s box you’ve been dying to open, but there’s a reason it needs to remain shut.” Danny stared at the fountains ahead, watching the water splash into the pool below. The moment she hopped in her car to drive them over here, she had made her decision.

  However, if Adrian compromised her location in any way, if he knew too much, she’d get yanked out of here faster than a fish on the line. No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn’t toss all her rules into the big blue ocean.

  He swung his arm back and forth, causing hers to shift too. The feeling of walking hand in hand with someone, especially him, sent her soaring sky high. “Fuck, tall orders there,” he murmured in response. “You’re worth the effort, though.”

  Danny swallowed hard. He’d always dropped statements that stripped her bare. Anyone else and she’d accuse them of laying on the compliments too thick—she wasn’t a layer cake begging to be iced. However, she’d seen Adrian around his friends and family, and he’d always just taken care of people, never hesitating to show his affection. It was natural he became a doctor.

  “Well then, I accept your friend request.” She winked, trying to ignore the way her stomach flipped. “Though what’s with the changes? I barely recognized Lex at the club. How’s the rest of your family?” Most folks took small talk for granted, but Danny couldn’t remember the last time she got to ask the question. Her past filled with faces she erased from her chalkboard every time she left one town to head somewhere new.

  “Lex and Matty are terrors, Cal’s making himself crazy trying to force everyone to get along, and little Nellie got married early. Too early, if you ask everyone else,” Adrian muttered, running a hand through his thick black strands. The exasperation in his tone was buoyed by a warmth he couldn’t hide.

  “Your mom still make you do family dinners?” she asked, remembering how tight knit the Dukas family was. She’d always possessed a fierce jealousy. She and Mom tried their best to maintain some sort of family, but her father always threw himself into work, missing everything from nightly dinners to yearly birthdays.

  They neared one of the fountains, and the first droplets kissed her cheek as she approached the edge of the pool. Even though it pained her to do so, she pulled her hand from his and took a seat on the ledge, the cool marble soaking in through the fabric of her jeans.

  “Dinner every Sunday,” Adrian said, sinking onto the ledge beside her. His long legs stretched out further, and she couldn’t help but admire how he wore the hell out of his fitted jeans. “If we don’t show up on time, she assumes we’re dead in a ditch, and I get a call from any available sibling as well as at least three of my aunts.”

  A smile rose to her lips even as jealousy burned like an open flame inside her. The only one who’d even know if she disappeared was her handler. Her own mother wouldn’t find out until later, and she’d been separated for so long from extended family and old friends that she’d barely recognize them and vice versa.

  “So, Miss Reynolds,” Adrian said with a smirk, drawing out her name like the secret they shared. “How did the whole gardener to the rich thing come about?”

  “I’ve always liked growing things,” she said, shrugging. “Plus, hopping from place to place leaves little room for climbing corporate ladders or more conventional jobs. Half the time I end up subbing in as a temporary replacement until the estate finds someone more permanent.”

  His brows furrowed. “So, you don’t even get to see the plants bloom?”

  Ouch. The truth socked her straight in the gut. This had been a terrible idea after all. Adrian couldn’t help driving straight down the freeway instead of taking the back roads, half the time unaware of the bombs he dropped.

  She shrugged, forcing the casual. “The whole point’s making sure they come to life, not lingering around to smell the azaleas.”

  “I’m being a dick, aren’t I?” he murmured. “This isn’t a life you chose, just a shitty deck you got handed to you.”

  Before she could stop herself, she rested her hand over his. Danny couldn’t respond without ripping the scab wide open, but she wanted to communicate somehow.

  “Look,” Adrian continued, his voice smooth like dark roast. “We might not be able to talk about your past, but I want you to know friendship extends both ways. Even if you need to meet up and hang because you had a shit day at work. For as long as you’re here, I’m a phone call away.”

  “God damn. You make it impossible not to be sweet on you,” Danny responded, trying to skate on superficial even as she fell deep into the cavern pool stretching in front of her.

  His eyes crinkled with his grin, revealing dimples she wanted to bite. “So, I’m not blowing the interview?”

  “A-plus, babe,” Danny responded, her heart beating at a hummingbird rate. Her gaze landed on the cord around his neck, one that wrapped her in the past all while she couldn’t be more present here with him. Even though she had to keep things casual, Adrian made her long for something more with every breath. The moment she ran into him at the Gin Mill, she was screwed, because Adrian Dukas infected her with the worst sort of hope.

  Her phone buzzed, giving her a stark reality check—a text from Eve rolled in. Meeting the handlers in an hour.

  Because she wasn’t a gardener or a normal girl. Danny Reynolds under WitSec with a serial killer father was someone who could never, ever have a regular life, no matter how much she wanted one.

  Chapter Six

  Adrian snuck a peek at his phone. Missed texts from Danny. He continued down the hall to his last patient of the day, his footsteps echoing behind him. At this point, he wanted to douse his scrubs in fire. The fluorescents glared down on him as he passed the nurses’ station.

  “What’s that smile on your face, Adrian?” one of the older nurses, Sandra, called out. She’d shown him the ropes all through his residency and didn’t hesitate to tease him about being a green attending doctor. He swung over to the counter and leaned on the bleached white surface.

  “A guy’s not allowed to grin?” The weight of the long day began to fray the edges of his nerves, but once he left this place, he would caffeinate and press the reset button. After texting every day this past week, he’d convinced Danny to go out for dinner, and it felt a hell of a lot like a win.

  “Suspicious, that’s all,” Sandra drawled. The lavender streaks she’d painted through her silver hair glistened under the bright lights. “Most of the time you trot on by with your brows furrowed and a mighty grim expression on your mug. You might as well confess now—we’ll get it out of you anyway. Have you started seeing someone?”

  Adrian ran a hand through his hair, the giddiness rising in his chest unbidden. Sure, this might be a temporary thing due to whatever had her hopping counties at the drop of a hat, but his heart hadn’t caught the memo. “I have a date tonight. Don’t get your hopes up, though. It’s not like I’m carrying her down the aisle.”

  “What’s that? Our dear doctor Dukas has a new lady in his sights?” Carmen leaned in beside Sandra, her dark eyes sparkling. Gossip traveled between the two of them faster than fluid through an IV, but when he and Betty crashed and burned, they’d been quick to offer the compassion he needed, even if it meant shit talking Betty to kingdom come to get him to grin.

  “A date,” he clarified. “Not a new anything. She’s not interested in the long term.”

  Sandra crooked her brow. “She knows you’re pretty much incapable of anything else, right?”

  He rolled his eyes, tapping his clipboard against the counter. “Enough with you guys. I’ve got patients who need attending to.” He pushed up and continued walking down the corridor toward his final patient.

  “Good luck tonight, Doctor,” Carmen called out behind him, amusement in her voice. Adrian groaned. They’d be talking about this for the nex
t week. Sandra’s words lingered, because she knew him as well as anyone did. Even though he wanted to try enjoying his time with Danny one text or encounter at a time, he couldn’t lie to himself. He was getting attached, and fast, which promised yet another heartbreak when she had to leave.

  The patient’s room stood out at the end of the hall. Time to get his head in the game.

  ***

  Adrian pulled up to the address she’d listed, Magnolia Courts apartments, and he parked his gunmetal gray Mustang. He adjusted the cuffs of his black sportscoat, feeling way overdressed from the transition out of scrubs. Even with the engine shut off, he felt like he raced along the highway. What was he even thinking? He went from “let’s be friends” to making reservations at Siren’s Call on the edge of town for one hell of a swanky date. Because he could keep things casual.

  The biggest surprise was Danny agreeing to go on essentially a date. She’d swung back and forth like a pendulum every talk they had, a push-pull that had him confused as anything. She seemed just as perplexed.

  Adrian’s phone buzzed again, but this time it was the siblings extraordinaire. Both Nellie and Lex were demanding he show up at family dinner tonight. Mom already gave him an earful of “be carefuls” when he mentioned going on a date, since the situation with Betty catapulted her into smothering territory. He loved his family. He truly did. However, sometimes, especially as of late, the amount of texts had him straining at the seams, tires burning on the asphalt as he spun in place.

  He slipped his cell into his pocket and hopped out of his car, making his way up the slate walkway to the building entrance.

  Giving patients bad news didn’t make his palms sweat like they did now. Long-term relationships and a short dating history made him shit at the whole process. He never thought he’d be back in the dating pool, least of all not with the girl who’d inspired some truly terrible poetry back in high school.

  He strode up the first-floor steps, wishing he hadn’t downed three cups of coffee when he’d gotten home. If he guessed his nerves would betray him this spectacularly, he would’ve stuck with water. At the end of the hall, apartment 4B stood out in gold lettering. He lifted his fist to knock. Sure, he could navigate his way around the hospital, wrangle his siblings, and take care of his parents, but something about Danny cut him off at the knees.

  It wasn’t too late. He could cut a quick retreat and spend the night in his sweats with a container of chicken lo mein.

  The door creaked open.

  “Thought I heard shuffling out there,” came Danny’s husky voice. Once his gaze landed on her, all reasonable notions evacuated his brain. Her copper hair gleamed like a ripe tangerine, the strands straightened, and her green eyes matched the emerald swing dress accenting her curves. He ran a hand through his hair, trying not to appear like a slack-jawed idiot.

  “You look gorgeous.” The words tumbled out before he could help himself. Compliments tended to flow around her, but he meant every single one.

  A blush lit her cheeks, accentuating the scattered freckles on her face. She shifted to make room for him to enter, and the glimpse of her porcelain calves leading into those black pumps seared into his brain. All he could see was her long legs wrapped around his waist, those heels digging into him. Down, boy. Maybe Lex was right, and he needed to get laid.

  “You’re looking mighty fine yourself. Welcome to my shitty abode,” she said, walking behind him even as she left her apartment door wide open.

  Adrian wandered inside, hoping to soak in more details about her, to devour any of the information he was hungry for. However, her walls were barren, furniture sparse, and the studio apartment resembled more of a prison cell than anything. His chest squeezed tight. He couldn’t imagine how she’d lived all these years having zero connections, unable to display the colorful personality that burst from her with every move and look.

  “So,” she said, glancing his way. “This is just a friendly game of dress-up, right? You haven’t told me where you made reservations for. I’m betting on the local diner.”

  Adrian snorted and offered an arm. “God forbid I want to do something nice. You can bemoan the lack of corn fritters from Susanna’s when we get there.”

  Danny grinned, this smile reaching her eyes. “I’m more entertained at your inability to casually do anything—whether it’s friendship, dating, or fucking.”

  He arched a brow. “Oh? Who says I can’t casually fuck?” The word caused the heat in the room to skyrocket, percolating between them with all the desires he restrained.

  Danny slipped her arm through his as they strolled for her door. “You did, in fact, Mr. Serial Monogamist.”

  Within minutes, they reached his car. Her proximity made his head spin, and her soft lavender scent had him hard as a rock. The temptation to skip the reservation and try out her bed reared in a real way.

  Danny paused at the hood of his Mustang to give her a once-over. “Nice wheels,” she murmured, skimming her fingers across the surface before she walked over to the passenger seat. “How fast does she move?”

  Adrian hopped into the driver’s seat. “Supposed to be hundred and sixty miles per hour.” He revved the engine and set off toward their destination. After a couple seconds, he merged onto the highway and let his girl loose on the asphalt. When he cast a quick glance to Danny, a smirk twisted her lips. “What’s so funny?”

  “You still drive like a grandma.” A laugh slipped from her, the sound genuine and real, the sort he held close to his chest. Even back in high school, she’d been a tough customer.

  “Sue me for not wanting a ticket,” he responded. “You sound like Lex.” He accelerated, pushing his girl faster across the highway. “That better?”

  Danny let out a snort. “You’re going seventy miles. On the highway. So, so ferocious.”

  “Thanks, Speed Racer. This is a shared highway, not NASCAR,” Adrian shot back. He enjoyed this more than he would ever let slip. Ever since their walk in the park, their constant texts had them resuming a rhythm he believed time snuffed out. But instead, the years apart added nuances to their interchange, painting the strokes of their picture deeper each time they interacted.

  Danny’s phone buzzed, and she picked it up, glancing to the screen. Last time that happened, she quick jetted out of the park without answers, part of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” he’d agreed to in spending time with her. His grip tightened on the steering wheel. This night might be over before it began.

  She scanned the text over before cramming her phone into her purse. “Don’t worry,” she reassured. “I’m not going to pull a Cinderella again.”

  “I was going to say, it’s not even midnight yet,” he responded, keeping the sigh of relief to himself. “You could at least wait to sneak out the bathroom window at the restaurant.”

  “Thanks for the tip,” she responded, rolling down the window and letting the breeze blow in. “I was planning on holding the door open for you and walking the opposite way.” She exuded this effortless casualness he fell in sync with so easily, one that had him reeled in from the moment she reappeared.

  In the distance, the chrome frame of Siren’s Call stood out amidst a beautiful terrace overlooking the ocean. The crash of the sea reverberated through the car, an undercurrent he’d be lost without. Trellises covered by climbing ivy and wisteria lined the pathway, something he figured might appeal to his gardener date. The subtle backlights along the way beckoned to glass doors preaching elegance he only waded through at weddings. Out of his element put it mildly, but he wanted to give Danny something memorable. He pulled up to a spot, bypassing the valet.

  Danny let out a low whistle. “This is a bit more than Susanna’s. Sure you don’t want to hit the pause and pick a classier girl to take to this joint?”

  Adrian cast her a look. “Let’s cut the bullshit. You know you’re the one I want to take here. If you hate it, tell me now, and we’ll dodge out of the reservation.”

  Danny chewed on her lo
wer lip as she glanced to where the Siren’s Call loomed. She straightened in the seat like she donned her own mask for this place. “Nah, I’m game. Let’s go, Romeo.”

  He shook his head as he slipped out of his car and joined her at the walkway. Her heels clicked on the paved stone, but she managed to keep pace. Danny settled into a simmering silence, but he caught the gleam in her eyes as her gaze rested on the dangling wisteria, the pale purple petals illuminated in the soft light despite the dark surrounding night. Even if the rest of dinner turned into a comedy of errors, this had been worth it.

  “So, is this how fancy doctors eat?” she asked, grabbing the door handle to tug it open for them. “Just so you know, gardener’s salaries are aggressively mediocre.”

  Adrian shrugged. “Wouldn’t know. I’m one for a home-cooked meal more than fine dining any day of the week. Hope you’re ready for a riveting game of pretend because I’m praying they won’t kick me out on the spot.”

  At that, the nervousness evaporated off Danny, and her eyes twinkled with newfound mischief. “After you.”

  He grabbed the door. “I insist,” he said, gesturing her inside. “Don’t think I forgot your primary plan to ditch me.” Danny snapped her fingers in fake annoyance right as the host strode over, dressed in a pressed white button-down and a black vest to match his slacks.

  “Dukas, party of two,” Adrian said, keeping it simple. Between the sheer number of hours he’d been awake and the way Danny’s presence distracted him, he formed a semi-functioning human being. The host didn’t even need to glance to a list or anything, just gestured them to follow. There wouldn’t be any plastic menus gracing the cream linens either. Most of his meals came from the hospital cafeteria, takeout after a long shift, or his parents’ house, so this was a brand new experience.

  Danny walked beside him with confidence they both faked. Once they stepped into the main restaurant, he could see why people paid for the view here, the walls accented by large bay windows overlooking the sea. Chandeliers sparkled like dew drops from the ceiling, and each booth held fresh blooms in translucent amber vases. Slabs of marble along the back walls gleamed, featuring striations of gold and black against beige. All around, couples spoke in low voices, and glances flickered their way as they approached their table.