Page 98 of Love You
“Go ahead. No one’s stopping you.” He opened the passenger side and hoisted her into the cab as if she weighed nothing, his hands drifting down her backside. The man was all hands. There was no sense fighting him so she decided to hear him out.
While he took the main road out of town she called the hospital. Nana answered and sounded better than she had in days but a nurse came in and she had to go.
“Mom and Dad are still there, right?”
“Yes, dear, and they’re driving me nuts.” But Darcy got the impression it was a good nuts. Hilde was happy to be surrounded by family . . . and to be alive.
“I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow, Nana. Anything you want me to bring?”
“Bring Mr. December. I could use a little eye candy.”
“I heard that, Mrs. Wallace,” Win shouted into the phone. “I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
She chuckled and hung up.
“Now there’s a woman with taste, unlike her granddaughter.” He pulled into Reggie Brown’s driveway.
“What are we doing here?”
“Looking. Reggie’s out of town for two days. He’s giving a tomato talk at UC Davis.”
Darcy didn’t ask how he knew that, figuring they’d been in touch over the cabin. “Are you getting it?”
“Not unless the deal with FlashTag goes through, which isn’t looking too good.”
She let out a breath. “I’m sorry, Win. You should’ve stuck with Madison.” She turned in her seat to face him. “But what you did for me . . . I think you saved Nana’s life. If it wasn’t for you pushing me to transport her I think she would’ve . . . Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me, be with me.” His blue eyes held hers like he was staring into her soul. “All that shit you said at Old Glory isn’t who I am, Darcy. Maybe it once was but it isn’t anymore. And all that stuff you said about yourself, it’s crap. You’re the one who’s bigger than life. Anyone who doesn’t see it is blind. I’ve never felt the things I feel for you with any other woman.” He turned away and gazed out over the property. “I was hoping you’d be a part of this with me, even move in at some point.”
“You’re asking me to live with you?” Except for saying theLword, he was pulling out all the stops, she’d give him that. But how soon until he found someone or something else to entertain him?
“Yeah. If it’s not this house I’ll find another. Just say yes, that you’ll give us a chance.”
She was quiet for a long time. “You’ll get bored and where will that leave me?”
“That’s the thing Darcy, I won’t. Every day with you is a crazy adventure, whether you’re sneaking into my bed or making me follow one of your strict schedules, or popping off with your smart mouth. God, you make me laugh. And the sex is epic. You light me up, baby.”
She stared across the cab at him, stunned. Could he really mean it? A dozen thoughts filtered through her head and when she added them all up it came down to one thing. Fear. She was scared out of her mind. Divorcing Lewis had been painful and had made her feel like a fool and a failure. But she’d survived. She wasn’t sure she could with Win. He had the power to destroy her.
His hand slid across the console and clasped hers. “Take a risk on me. You won’t be sorry.”
“I can’t move in with you,” she blurted. “Nana needs me now more than ever.”
He nodded. “Okay. We can work that out in the future.” Future? As long as she’d known Win he’d never looked past tomorrow. “But be with me, be my girlfriend. The rest of it is just details to be figured out later. You’re good at that kind of stuff. Come on, Darce, just say yes.”
She wanted to, she really did. But it felt like she was back at the zip line, staring 250 feet below.
“What would this girlfriend thing entail?” She was stalling.
He smirked like he knew he was about to seal the deal. “Lots of sex for one. Your Nana’s pie and us being a team.”
“I don’t like sports.” That was the other thing. He better not expect her to suddenly become a hiker or a biker. There was zero chance of her skiing anytime soon and she was allergic to kayaks.
“I don’t mean that kind of team. Leave the adventure sports to me. I’m talking about an emotional partnership.”
“You’re laying it on a little thick, don’t you think?”
He pulled her over the center of the Jeep into his lap and kissed her silly. “This is a better use of that smart mouth of yours. This settles it. We’re together now.”
