by Mari Carr
Ryder returned with a washcloth, and heat suffused her face when he ran it gently between her legs, wiping away the remnants of her arousal and his come.
“You’re a shitty sub,” he said, his voice deadpan, no heat behind the words.
She laughed, and this time, her response provoked a grin from him.
“We’ll get there,” she said softly.
He sighed, then tossed the washcloth aside, grasping her hand and helping her stand.
The two of them resumed their previous spots on the couch.
“Darcy—” he started.
“This isn’t over.”
He sighed and she held her breath, waited for him to dig out some other stupid reason for stopping.
“Okay,” he said at last.
Darcy was surprised by his easy capitulation. “Okay?”
“If I continued to say no, would you stop nagging?”
She crossed her arms. “I don’t nag.”
He grinned. “That’s another word for tenacious, so yes, you do. But for the sake of argument, I’ll reword. Would you stop insisting?”
“Never,” she replied. “You haven’t given this a fair shot.”
“So my answer remains the same. Okay. We’ll go out on another date. And then this is over. Sunday after next. Ravens game. You, me, and the boys.”
Darcy was surprised by his choice but by no means disappointed. Like her, he was taking this trial run seriously. His feelings about her family had mattered deeply to her, and it was clear he was running a similar test. “Okay. Sounds fun.”
“I know how you are with the boys, Darcy. They love you. I just…you’ve never really seen me with them for extended periods of time.”
“Ryder. I’ve seen you with them enough to know you’re an amazing dad.”
“Yeah, well, the game felt like a good trial. The boys mean everything to me.”
“I can’t wait.”
“Today wasn’t… We didn’t accomplish… You still don’t know—”
She placed her fingers against his lips. “I’m not scared. And I want more. Want it all. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
“You’re wrong. It’s a sprint. I’m going to show you exactly what kind of man I am. There won’t be any holding back.”
“Good,” she said.
He scowled at her response. “And then this will be over.”
She shook her head. “Nope.”
“Yes. You’ll see.” He released her, his tone dismissive, self-assured.
If Darcy had one failing, it was that in arguments, she always had to get the last word. She could tell Ryder wasn’t telling her the truth about why he was pushing her away. She wasn’t sure how she knew, but there was something deep inside telling her that everything he’d said about her being too inexperienced, too young to handle what he wanted was a lie.
Of course, regardless of whether he believed that or not, she couldn’t wait to prove him wrong.
She kissed him softly. “No, Ryder. It’s your eyes that are going to be opened.”
Chapter Eleven
Ryder stepped out of the kitchen and tossed the dishtowel over his shoulder when he heard a knock at the door. He’d been washing the few dishes left in the sink over the course of the day and then he was heating up some soup for Clint’s dinner.
The two of them had actually accepted Yvonne’s invitation to Thanksgiving dinner this year. Ryder had left the decision up to Clint, who hadn’t taken more than three seconds to excitedly accept when Yvonne asked last night if they wanted to come.
Ryder tried to tell himself he was simply doing it because he knew Clint loved the Collins clan and the family gatherings. And it wasn’t unusual for Yvonne and Leo to take Clint along with them to birthday parties and other celebrations. But he and Clint always did the bigger holidays—Thanksgiving and Christmas—alone.
Of course, he’d woken up this morning and was instantly sorry he’d let Clint make the call. Not because Ryder didn’t want to go, but because his son had woken up with the flu, his fever reaching a hundred and two by early this afternoon. Clint had initially been devastated when Ryder told him they couldn’t go to dinner, but that disappointment passed quickly enough to let Ryder know that the kid really did feel like shit.
He walked to the door, surprised to see Darcy there. “What are you doing here?”
“Happy Thanksgiving to you too.” She lifted two plastic-wrapped plates. “I come bearing a feast.”
“Yvonne promised to bring us some leftovers when they came home,” he said, even as he stepped aside and she walked into the house, straight to the kitchen.
Ryder followed and watched as she put the plates on the counter. “Yeah…well…Leo, Lochlan, and Paddy looked pretty settled in with cigars and bourbon, and I figured it would be midnight before you saw any dinner. I snuck out before dessert, so I’m afraid there’s no pie.”
He was touched by her actions, but he also felt a bit guilty. “Darc, you didn’t have to leave your family dinner. You live for those parties.”
She gave him a look that screamed seriously? “Ryder, it’s the social season. I’m going to party with all of them three more times before New Year’s Day. Missing the last few hours of Thanksgiving isn’t a big deal. Besides, I was determined to come over here to make sure you hadn’t faked Clint’s illness just to get out of having to say what you were thankful for.”
He winked at her. “Dodged that bullet, didn’t I? How long did it take to get through everyone?”
“Thirty-two minutes. I timed it.”
“Jesus,” he said, teasingly. “Aren’t they going to wonder where you are?”
She hesitated for a moment. “Sunnie knows where I am.”
“You told your sister you were coming here?” Ryder asked.
Darcy raised her hands. “I know we said we were going to keep our dating a secret, but I’d kind of already told my sister about that kiss in the elevator on Halloween, so when I said I was going to bring you guys some dinner…” She paused. “I have a very astute family. They notice everything.”
Leo had warned him there was no such thing as a secret when with a Collins. And he didn’t really mind if her sister knew. He’d really only suggested the secrecy to protect Clint. “It’s okay, Buttercup. Is Sunnie the only one who knows?”
She shrugged. “Well, Pop Pop knows. And my mom and dad, which means Bubbles definitely knows too. And I think Paddy might suspect, and he’ll probably tell Colm, who will say something to Kelli. Oh wait—Ollie winked at me as I was leaving the pub just now, so I have to assume that means he knows something too. But that’s probably it. For now.”
Ryder walked over and kissed her on the forehead, grinning. “Leo knows too.”
“I didn’t tell Leo, I swear.”
He chuckled. “I did.”
Her eyes widened. “You told Leo?”
“Why do you look so surprised?”
She considered his question for a second. “I didn’t think you wanted anyone to know. I figured you’d be embar—”
Ryder narrowed his eyes, perfectly aware of where she was headed, and she stopped mid-word. “Were you going to say embarrassed? You thought I’d be embarrassed about us?” The words came out a little more hotly than he’d intended, but he didn’t like that she’d thought that.
The way she didn’t reply, didn’t even move, told him that was exactly what she’d thought. “I know you think I’m too young. And…well…I am the babysitter. And you are my boss. And—”
“Darcy, I asked that we keep it a secret for Clint. That’s it. If not for him, I wouldn’t give a shit if the whole world knew you and I were dating.”
Ryder wanted to suck the words back in the second they fell out…because Darcy’s eyes lit up.
“Dating, huh?” she said, teasingly.
“Trial dating,” he hastened to add, the damage already done.
She laughed and rolled her eyes but let his stupidly-justified semantics stand. “What abo
ut the people at work?”
He frowned. “You’ve told people there too?”
She shook her head quickly. “Oh my God. No. I didn’t even tell my family. Sunnie was the one who connected all the dots when I was dipping out the plates for you and Clint.” Then Darcy narrowed her eyes. “You know, it’s sort of your fault too. You weren’t exactly playing it cool at Friendsgiving. You were by my side the whole time, and then you said you were thankful for me and it was super sweet.”
Ryder couldn’t argue with her on that. He’d been unable to keep his hands to himself that night, sneaking his arm around the back of her chair at the dinner table, brushing his hand along her back when he thought no one was looking. Even now, it was taking all the strength he had not to pull her in his arms and kiss her senseless.
“You’re right. I wasn’t playing it cool.”
“I wouldn’t tell anyone at work, Ryder. I swear. I know you’re worried about that, and I would never jeopardize your career.”
“All that shit I said about being your boss was bullshit. Workplace romances aren’t against company policy. That was established when the president married his personal assistant a decade ago. Since then, two of the VPs have married other people within the organization.” They were likely to catch some sideways glances if their relationship was revealed, but it wouldn’t lead to either of them being fired. Past employment history had proven that.
“Oh. Well…good. And I explained to Sunnie about Clint, and she totally got it. No one in my family would ever—”
“I know they wouldn’t, Darcy. It’s okay. Honest.”
“How is Clint?” she asked, her gaze landing on the can of chicken noodle soup he’d taken out to microwave for the kid.
“Fever broke a couple hours ago. Hasn’t left bed all day, been complaining of a headache. He’s actually slept more than he’s been awake.”
“That’s what he needs, so that’s good.”
Ryder nodded. “He was really disappointed to miss Thanksgiving with your family.”
“Yvonne told me. It’s okay. It just means the two of you have to come to Christmas dinner now.”
He rubbed his forehead and sighed, though the reaction was more feigned than genuine. “What do you think my chances are of getting out of that?”
She giggled. “Slim to none.”
He nodded and rolled his eyes. “Yeah. I figured.”
“Bright side? You don’t have to say what you’re thankful for. And while yes, we do draw names, I can buy the gifts for whoever you and Clint get.”
“I don’t mind buying gifts.”
“Really?”
“Really. And I’ll let you tell Clint. It’ll make him feel better about missing today. I was actually just going to make him soup. Not sure he’s up to your leftovers feast tonight.” He placed the second plate in the fridge as she grabbed the soup.
“I’ll do that.” Darcy turned and opened the can, pouring the contents into a bowl before adding the water and placing it in the microwave. Once the soup was heated, she took it out of the microwave, then put his plate of leftovers in. “You heat that up and eat and I’ll take this back to the kiddo.”
She reached into her large purse and pulled out a bottle of ginger ale. “Brought him this too in case his stomach was upset.” She grabbed a glass, added ice, and poured.
Ryder tried not to focus on how much he loved watching her move around his kitchen like she lived there. “Thanks, Darc, but if you want to go back to the party—”
“Take a break and eat. Let Nurse Darcy take a shift.” She picked up the bowl and glass and put them on a tray Yvonne had dubbed “the special tray,” using it only to deliver breakfast in bed on birthdays. She left him alone in the kitchen with a huge plateful of some of the most delicious-looking food he’d ever seen. It beat the hell out of last year’s Chinese food.
Once his meal was warm, he sat down in the kitchen and dug in gratefully. He’d planned to split the can of soup with Clint prior to Darcy’s arrival, and he hadn’t been looking forward to it. He rinsed his plate after he finished, then ventured down the hall to check on Darcy and Clint. He hovered just out of sight, outside the door, and listened to them talking.
“You sure you’ve had enough?” he heard Darcy ask. “I can make another can.”
“No,” Clint replied. “That was good. I was getting hungry.”
Darcy laughed softly. “Then you’re clearly getting better. Even so, what a shame to get sick on Thanksgiving. Couldn’t even use the fever to get out of going to school for a day.”
“I know. Right?” Clint clearly enjoyed her joke. “Think I can pretend I’m still sick long enough to miss on Monday?”
Ryder peered around the door, wanting to see them as well as hear. Neither of them noticed his presence. Clint was propped up on several pillows, Darcy sitting on the edge of his mattress.
“You? Stay in bed for three more days?” she asked. “I have my doubts.”
Clint nodded earnestly. “Didn’t think about that. Yeah. I need to get better by Saturday because me and Vince and a bunch of other guys are going to play touch football at Paulie’s house.”
“Sounds like fun.” Darcy lifted the ginger ale from the tray and placed it on his nightstand. “I’ll leave that here for you. Do you need anything else? Want to watch TV? Play a video game?”
Eating appeared to have wiped out what little energy Clint had managed to muster. He shook his head. “No. I think I’m going to go back to sleep.”
“Okay.” Darcy placed her hand on his forehead, checking to see if his fever had returned. “Still cool as a cucumber.”
Clint grinned at the familiar phrase. Ryder had heard Yvonne say it to both boys whenever they tried to feign an illness.
Then she helped him move a few pillows away and lie down again, pulling the covers over him.
“I’ll check on you before I leave.”
“I’ll be asleep,” he said.
Darcy shrugged. “That’s okay. I’ll just stand at the bedroom door and stare at you like a creepy stalker.”
Clint laughed. “That’s not what a stalker does.”
She tilted her head as if he was off his rocker. “You sure?”
Clint nodded. “That’s what moms do.”
Ryder sucked in a deep breath, his chest suddenly tight as he watched Darcy bend forward to kiss his son on the forehead.
“Love you, kiddo,” she whispered. “Feel better.”
“Love you too, Darcy.” Clint closed his eyes as Darcy quietly placed the empty soup bowl and spoon back on the tray.
Ryder slipped back into the hallway, leaning against the wall, fighting against an onslaught of emotions he couldn’t put names to.
When Darcy stepped out of the room, he straightened up and took the tray from her to place it on the floor.
“Hey,” she said softly, “I thought—”
He shook his head as he pressed his fingers against her lips for just a second. Then he grasped her hand and led her to the end of the hallway to his bedroom. Dragging her inside, he closed and locked the door before pulling her body tightly against his and kissing her.
If Darcy was surprised by his impromptu actions, the feeling passed quickly as her hands circled his shoulders, touching the nape of his neck, holding him to her.
He’d done nothing but push her away since they’d started, so he understood her need to cling to him, to keep him close. Why should she expect that this time would be different? That he wouldn’t keep shoving her away?
Together, they began to move backwards toward his bed. With each step, they continued to kiss, to shed clothing. He pulled his shirt off before hers, dropping them both to the floor. Darcy’s hands were at his jeans, unbuttoning them, unzipping. She didn’t even bother to push the denim over his hips, too impatient to touch what was beneath. Her hand wrapped around his cock at the same time he slid his fingers down the front of her pants and found her clit.
They hissed in unison.
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“Clint,” she whispered.
“We’re going to be very quiet,” he murmured. “But I… Jesus, I fucking need you, Darcy. Want you. Right now.”
She smiled as she shoved her pants down, stepping out of them and her panties. Her bra went next. Ryder matched her movements until both of them were naked. He wasted no time pulling her back to him, skin to skin, to kiss her once more.
They climbed onto the bed together. One of these goddamn times, he was going to take his time, draw it out, make it last all night.
This was not that time.
He bent his head lower, sucking her nipple into his mouth for just a moment before drifting lower to run his tongue along her slit. She was ready for him…always. It was a heady thing. To know that he could arouse this beautiful, intelligent, amazing woman with just his kisses.
“Can’t wait anymore,” she whispered.
Ryder crawled back up her body and placed his cock at her opening.
“I took my pill,” she said softly.
He hadn’t even thought, hadn’t…
Ryder pressed inside her slowly, desperate to feel every single inch as he penetrated, filled. Claimed.
Darcy lifted her legs, wrapping them around his hips, drawing him in that last tiny bit. And then they moved together, slowly. Through it all, he kissed her, drinking in her lips and her quiet moans, certain he’d never tasted, never heard anything more wonderful.
It didn’t take him long to reach the pinnacle. It never did with her. He reached down, stroking her clit, dragging her to the edge of the cliff as well. And when they dove in, it was together. His lips never left hers as they fell.
The entire encounter hadn’t lasted more than ten minutes, but as Ryder shifted to the side and pulled her to him, spooning her, he felt irrevocably changed.
Maybe he’d have regrets tomorrow, but tonight, he just felt thankful.
Chapter Twelve
“Told you we were in trouble.” Ryder grinned as they pulled into his driveway. Yvonne, with Reba in her arms, and Leo were there, waiting on the porch for him, Darcy, and the boys.