Reed stroked her cheek with his thumb, then smiled. “When do we have to go?”
“Now,” she said glumly.
His index finger teased her bottom lip. “Aw, quit being a brat. I’m sure it won’t be as bad as you think.”
“Yeah, maybe you’re right.”
But Reed was wrong.
It ended up being even worse.
The moment they strode into the coffee shop, he felt like a tornado had swept through the room. Stuart Grant’s presence was that ferocious.
“Darcy! Honey!” A tall, burly man with dirty-blond hair and sparkling blue eyes flew out of his chair at a table in the back and dashed across the room to pull Darcy into a huge bear hug.
“Hey, Dad.” She laughed as he lifted her off her feet, then leaned in to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. Her father had the leathery skin of a man who spent a lot of time in the sun, though Reed wasn’t sure how that was possible considering Stuart sat in the cab of a truck ten hours a day.
“This is my friend Reed,” she introduced.
Friend?
Oh hell no.
Before Reed could correct her, Stuart distracted him with a dazzling smile that could have lit up Times Square. The laugh lines around the older man’s mouth told Reed that smiles were readily available when it came to Darcy’s dad, but Reed couldn’t help but feel there was something very superficial about that gleaming, white-toothed grin.
“So nice to meet you!” Stuart heartily pumped Reed’s hand before clapping him on the shoulder.
He was taken aback by the overwhelming enthusiasm. “Uh, nice to meet you too.”
Darcy gestured to the counter. “Why don’t we order some coffees and then—”
“Oh, I can’t stay,” her father interrupted.
She blinked. “What?”
“I need to get back on the road. I thought I’d have more time, but the shipment’s delivery date was pushed up. I just wanted to see my best girl and give her a hug before I took off.”
Reed swallowed his disbelief. Was this a fucking joke? What kind of father couldn’t spare even five minutes for his only kid?
What kind of father couldn’t sit down and have one measly coffee with the daughter he hadn’t seen in six months?
“Are you doing okay for money?” Stuart asked cheerfully, oblivious to the fact that Darcy was gawking at him as if he’d grown horns.
She blinked again, rapidly, as if trying to make sense of the nonsensical situation. “I, ah, I’m fine. I—“
“Here, take this just in case.” In a blur of motion, her father whipped out his wallet and extracted several hundred-dollar bills, then tucked them in Darcy’s limp hand.
She kept shaking her head, mumbled something incoherent, but her smiling, ignorant father just wrapped his arms around her in another big hug.
“I promise I’ll have more time to spend with you on my next visit.” Stuart grasped her chin, then smacked a loud kiss on her cheek. “You look beautiful. Teaching must agree with you.”
“I…” Darcy blinked at least twenty more times.
“Okay, honey, time to head out.” He aimed a brilliant smile at her, clapped Reed’s shoulder again, and then he was gone, dashing out of the coffee house in another tornado of energy.
Reed stared at the door, unable to fathom what had just happened. He was tempted to run after him and beat him senseless for his sheer insensitivity, his utter obliviousness, but the soft noise that tore out of Darcy’s throat rendered that course of action impossible.
When he shifted his head and saw her expression, his heart cracked in two. Tears clung to her thick eyelashes, her face was paler than the white wall behind her, and her hand had curled into a fist, crumpling the bills her father had shoved into it.
Since they were standing in the middle of Starbucks, nearly all the patrons were watching them curiously, and Reed’s protective instincts swiftly kicked in. Not wanting a bunch of strangers to witness Darcy’s tears, he wasted no time taking her hand and leading her out of the coffee shop.
The moment they stepped onto the sidewalk, Darcy’s face collapsed and the tears streamed out.
“Oh, baby, c’mere.” He pulled her into his arms and held her tight, stroking her hair as she shook against him.
Several pedestrians shot them curious looks, but Reed was too focused on Darcy to care. He ran his fingers through her hair in a soothing motion, wishing like hell that Stuart Grant were there so he could kick that bastard’s ass.
“I don’t know why I’m even surprised,” she mumbled between sobs. “I don’t know why I’m upset.”
“Because he’s your father, and he let you down,” Reed said roughly.
She wrenched out of his embrace, anger burning in her eyes. “Ten fucking minutes. He couldn’t spare ten fucking minutes for me?” Her incensed gaze dropped to the money she was still holding. “What kind of man does this?”
Pain and sympathy squeezed Reed’s chest. “I’m so sorry, Darce. You deserve so much better than that.”
“I do!” she burst out. “I do deserve better!” She furiously swiped at her cheeks with the sleeve of her thin cardigan. “I am not going to cry over that jerk. He doesn’t deserve my tears.”
When her arm came down and he saw her face, Reed’s lips twitched.
“What?” she demanded. “Why are you smiling?”
He swallowed a chuckle. “Because…” The laugh slipped out. “You must’ve brushed up against some grease or something when we were walking over, because your face is covered with it.”
Her cheeks turned bright red. “It is?”
He nodded.
“Is it bad?”
He nodded again.
“Crap.”
Fighting to keep from laughing again, Reed licked the pads of two fingers and brought them to the black marks streaking across her face. As he quickly wiped them away, he noticed Darcy staring at him in awe.
“What?” he said thickly.
“You’re a really good guy, Reed.” Her voice wobbled. “Like, a really good guy.”
He couldn’t fight the rush of pleasure that flooded his chest. He’d been waiting for weeks to see that shift of emotion in her eyes, for her to realize that he was more than a good lay.
That he truly did have more to offer her.
“Yeah, I guess I’m not so bad,” he said lightly.
Her expression softened as she reached for his hand. She laced her fingers through his. “No, I guess you’re not.”
Reed dipped his head and gave her a soft, fleeting kiss. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s go back to your place. Your afternoon schedule seems to have cleared up, which means it’s officially become my job to make you forget everything that just happened.”
Darcy smiled through her tears. “I’m holding you to that.”
Chapter Fourteen
That Friday, Darcy didn’t leave the school until two hours after the final bell. To her annoyance, the monthly staff meeting had run late, thanks to an argument between two teachers about whether Wikipedia was considered a legitimate citation source. Personally, she didn’t give a shit as long as her students only used Wiki pages with multiple sources, but Marge, the history teacher had refused to let up, effectively putting a damper on everyone’s TGIF.
“Holy cow, how much did you want to punch Marge in the face?” Shannon demanded as they crossed the empty parking lot.
“So frickin’ bad,” Darcy replied with a sigh.
“See, now if I said that?” Shannon’s husband Tom piped up. “I’d probably get thrown in jail for even talking about hitting a woman.” His brown eyes flickered with amusement. “But goddamn, someone needs to tell that broad that screaming like a banshee isn’t the way to get what you want.”
Darcy wholeheartedly agreed—her ears were still ringing from Marge’s high-pitched shouts.
The trio reached Shannon and Tom’s SUV, stopping so Darcy could exchange quick hugs with both her friends. “Are we still on for girls’
night next week?” she asked Shannon.
“Absolutely.” Shannon poked her husband in the arm. “It’s the only time I get some peace and quiet.”
Tom raised his eyebrows. “Says the woman who takes hour-long bubble baths every night. Where’s my bath time, missy?”
“If you’re nice, I’ll let you join me in the tub tonight,” his wife answered.
“Define nice.”
“Hmmm. Well, cooking me dinner would qualify. And then doing the dishes. And then taking out the garbage. And then—”
“Forget it. I’ll just catch a quick shower,” Tom interrupted. “See you Monday, Darce.”
He hopped into the driver’s seat so fast Darcy couldn’t help but giggle. “That man seriously hates chores, huh?”
“Tell me about it. But the threat of chores is the only way to get him to back off about the bath thing. It really is my favorite me-time activity.” Shannon winked. “Did I tell you about that new waterproof vibrator I bought?”
Darcy rolled her eyes. “Yes. Many, many times. And no, I’m not interested in procuring my own. Big green Bob is all I need.”
“Oh really? Are you sure you don’t mean big not-green Reed?” Shannon wiggled her eyebrows. “Because your fling doesn’t seem to be ending, hon.”
Nope, it certainly, mind-bogglingly wasn’t. Darcy still had no idea how it happened, but somehow the fling had reached the one-month mark. She’d expected it to fizzle out by now, and yet…it hadn’t.
“So when are you going to admit you’re in a relationship with the guy?” Shannon teased.
Alarm skittered up her spine. “I’m not. I mean, we’re not. We’re still just—”
A loud honk interrupted her incoherent stammering.
Darcy turned her head in time to see an unfamiliar white sedan speed into the lot. She peered at the windshield, then relaxed when she recognized the driver.
“That’s Devon’s mom. I should go over and say hello.”
“Uh-huh. Wonderful diversion tactic,” Shannon said with a smirk. “But don’t think you’re off the hook, hon. I plan on going over this topic in depth next Wednesday at girls’ night.”
Laughing, Darcy’s co-worker hopped into the SUV, and then Shannon and Tom were gone, leaving her to stride over to Monique Pearson’s car alone.
“Ms. Grant, it’s so good to see you.” The pretty African-American woman greeted her with a smile as she got out of the car. “I’ve been meaning to call you for weeks now, but work and Devon keep me so busy I keep forgetting.”
She offered a warm smile in return. “I understand. Devon’s waiting for you inside.” She paused. “By the way, I wanted to ask you—do you have another son? I heard Devon talking with some of the other kids the other day about his older brother, and I was surprised because I didn’t think he had one.”
Monique chuckled. “Oh, he was referring to Reed.”
Confusion washed over her. “Reed?”
“Yes. That’s actually what I wanted to speak to you about. I wanted to thank you for setting up that self-defense workshop. Devon learned a lot, and he got a big brother out of it, too. I got in touch with Reed after Devon wouldn’t stop gushing about how ‘awesomesauce’ he was.” The woman used air quotes, her mouth twitching with humor. “When I mentioned to Reed that Devon was in the Big Brother program, he agreed to join up.”
Darcy’s bewilderment only grew. “He did?”
Monique nodded. “He takes Devon out every Sunday.”
“He does?”
“The arrangement seems to be working well so far, and I really wanted to thank you for introducing them. My son absolutely adores Reed.” The woman glanced at her watch. “Anyway, I need to grab Devon. Thanks again, Ms. Grant.”
Darcy watched the other woman walk away, stunned by what she’d heard. Four Sundays had passed since the workshop, but Reed hadn’t said a word to her about signing up to be Devon’s big brother.
Why the omission, though? She’d quickly discovered this past month that Reed didn’t shy away from any topic, and the two of them had had plenty of conversations about her students, so why hadn’t he mentioned his arrangement with Devon?
The fact that he’d kept it from her was totally mystifying.
Frowning, Darcy headed to her car and unlocked the doors. She would definitely have to ask Reed about it tonight. He was coming over after he finished work, which meant she’d have to take a very long nap when she got home so she wouldn’t be a zombie when he showed up at three in the morning. But she honestly wasn’t complaining, since Reed always made sure to reward her for her staying-awake efforts.
It was actually kind of scary how the sex only seemed to get better, and she knew that had contributed to her complete lack of motivation to end the fling. She’d gone into it craving passion—well, the passion kept coming. And coming. And coming.
Maybe if the sex was bad, she could find the willpower to call things off, but each time Reed kissed her, or touched her, or fucked her to yet another mind-blowing orgasm, she seemed to forget that their arrangement was supposed to be temporary.
Sighing, Darcy drove out of the lot, her mind drifting back to the revelation that Reed was spending his Sundays with his “little brother.” At least now it made sense why he always seemed to be busy when she suggested they do something on Sunday afternoons.
God, she had no idea how she felt about him anymore. Every time she tried to slap that bad boy label on him, he turned around and proved that he was anything but. Comforting her the day she’d been crushed by her father’s disgusting display of selfishness. Pulling out her chair when they went out for dinner. Letting her squeeze his hand to the point of bone-breaking when they’d gone to see a horror movie last week.
Spending his free time with a little boy who needed a father figure.
Darcy bit down hard on her bottom lip as she stopped at a red light.
Crap. It was becoming glaringly obvious that she needed to reevaluate this fling of theirs. She was really starting to care about Reed, her initial doubts floating away like dandelions in the wind.
But at the same time, a part of her still feared this was just a lark on Reed’s part. He’d said so himself—he’d never lasted more than a month when it came to relationships. Darcy was afraid his impulsive nature would suddenly rear its head, he’d get bored with her, and then he’d move on to the next exciting affair and leave her heartbroken.
And was that a risk she really wanted to take?
…
Reed was dead-ass tired when he got to Darcy’s apartment that night. Or morning. Time lost all meaning when you worked at a nightclub.
The second he saw her beautiful face, though, he snapped into a state of wide awake. As bad as he felt showing up so late, this was his favorite time to see her. When she was sleepy, hair tousled, wearing her pajamas.
Her body was warm and pliant as she sank into his embrace and greeted him with a happy sigh. “You got here just in time. The coffee’s wearing off.”
He chuckled.
“Seriously, I’m going to turn back into a pumpkin in about ten minutes. Kiss me now before it’s too late.”
Like he could ever turn down that offer.
Reed kissed her, hard and deep, until she was gasping against his mouth. When her tongue darted out to swirl over his, he groaned as the sweet flavor of her suffused his taste buds. He could never get his fill of this woman. Never.
“Wait.” She broke off the kiss with a breathy exhale, her blue eyes hazy. “I have to ask you something before my brain totally turns to jelly.”
Reed cocked a brow. “Ask away.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you signed up for the Big Brother program?”
The question caught him off guard, bringing a pang of discomfort to his chest. Darcy didn’t look angry, but he knew from her perplexed face that she was bothered by it.
“I…ah…I don’t know,” he said gruffly. “I just didn’t.”
The half-ass response didn’t sati
sfy her, just as he’d known it wouldn’t. “You just didn’t?” she echoed, sounding even more confused.
Reed edged toward the living room couch, where he sat and raked a hand through his hair. A moment later, Darcy flopped down beside him and settled in a cross-legged position.
“Stop being mysterious,” she said. “I want to know why you kept it a secret.”
“It wasn’t a secret. I just didn’t mention it.”
She snorted. “That’s still a secret in my book.”
Reed released a sigh. “I guess at first it was because you made it clear you didn’t want to talk about important stuff.” He didn’t miss the guilt that flashed in her eyes. “And then…I dunno…I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want you to think it was something I was doing for you. You know, to impress you, or try to make you like me more.”
Her forehead creased. “Okay…”
He paused, trying to vocalize his messed up rationale. “It was something I was doing for me. I mean, I signed up because Monique Pearson pretty much twisted my arm into it, but after the first day with Devon, I realized I wanted to keep seeing him. I felt like I was doing something important, you know? Something meaningful.”
Darcy nodded. “It is important.”
“I never cared about stuff like this before.” Shame trickled down his spine, steadily, like drops of water from a leaky tap. “I was a selfish bastard when I started fighting pro. Once I started winning, I only cared about myself and doing things that benefited me. And yeah, I’ve grown up a lot since then, but like you said, it’s not like I’m Mr. Community Outreach or anything.” He shrugged. “But I had fun working with your kids, and I love being there for Devon. His dad’s in jail, did you know that?”
“Yeah, I did.”
He suddenly felt uncomfortable again. “I know what it’s like not to have a dad—it sucks. I mean, my uncle did his best, but he wasn’t a very good father figure. He drank like a fish, and he was more interested in chasing tail than playing catch with me, or doing any of that other father-son stuff.” Reed swallowed, shifting his gaze downcast. “Boys need that, though. Devon needs it. So I figured…yeah…maybe I could be the one to give it to him.”