Page 47 of Last First Date
I shake my head. "It doesn't matter. I don't have to date him. The important thing to me is that you're happy, whatever that means for you." I reach for her, lift her chin and make her look at me. "You are happy, aren't you?"
She shakes her head slowly. "I'm really not."
I pull my hand away from her face and my fists clench at the pain in her voice. "I'll kill that fucker right now. Just say the word and I'll go make him suffer ten times over for whatever he did to you."
But this time, she reaches for my face. "Abernathy, you big stupid man. Look at me."
I do, and God help me, but I'm dying to kiss her again. She's just it for me. I've laid my entire heart out there for her though, and if she still wants someone else, there's absolutely nothing I can do about it now.
"I can't stop the way that I feel about you." I have to close my eyes against the view of her face. "But I'm sorry for what I said, Darcy. I didn't mean to hurt you."
She jiggles my face with a small pat on the cheek. When I don't open my eyes, she hits me again, harder, much more like a slap this time. "What the heck, woman? Why are you hitting me for fuck's sake?"
"Because you're missing the best part," she says, and then she leans up and presses her mouth against mine, twining her arms around my neck.
I'm sure the sound that comes out of me is more animal than man at this point, but holy shit, we’re kissing. I was so sure I'd never have the chance to kiss her again and yet here she is, hot and taut, her soft, delicious mouth pressed against mine.
From the door behind us comes some cheering and applause that only grows when I pull her closer and kiss her with every ounce of feeling that I've been storing up since the night of the gala.
I don't stop until she's languid and breathless and the other guys in the station are giving us a full out cheering ovation.
"I'm not dating Hesse Kotner, you dumb rookie. I'm supposed to be with you, obviously." She rolls her eyes at me. "Everyone can see that, even my mother."
I can't stop the racing of my heart. Holy crap. Darcy Albrecht just kissed me and told me she thinks that I'm the right man for her. Is this really what’s happening?
"Are you telling me that you want to be with me?" I can't take my eyes from her face because I'm trying to read exactly what she’s feeling in her heart right now.
She straightens her hair and flashes me a naughty smile, like she's the one getting into trouble this time. "Duh."
Daniels comes over and claps me on the back a little too hard. "Looks like we won't be the only ones taking our clothes off for you after all, huh Abernathy."
He reaches for Darcy then and gives her a hug. "Thanks for making him suffer. He needed it."
I shake my head at him. I'm probably going to kick his ass over this, but right now I'm too happy to do anything other than celebrate. "Let's go out tonight."
She gives me a smile that goes all the way to her eyes. "Only if you promise me that we're not going to that shitty wine bar ever again."
I grin at her. "I'm definitely not taking you anywhere like that ever again in our entire lives. You're mine now and the men there don't know how to act around a woman like you."
She shrugs her pretty shoulders at me and gestures at the crowd of misfit firefighters gathered around us. "These guys don't know how to act either. But they’re a lot more fun than the bloated-up suits at Cielo."
She taps me on the chest with her index finger. "You and me at Riddles tonight. I've got a work thing to take care of later, so you might as well keep me company."
"Done." And I swear my face might just crack from the victorious smile I'm sporting right now.
Darcy
I'm stuck in a room with too many people and almost all of them are drunk. Well, I did it to myself.
It turns out K.T. is getting married to Reed even though she'd always insisted they were just friends. Well she certainly seems happy enough and when they're kissing, it looks plenty real to me.
Plus, I saw that giant rock on her finger. I'm pretty sure that Reed made that happen, and it's not the kind of ring that's just for show.
K.T. told me that she needed me to oversee a special project for her tonight, and then she handed me some sort of mayoral decree authorizing her to have a small bonfire on the town square.
I'd say I didn't know who she had to fuck to get that thing signed, but well. She's engaged to the town mayor. I'm pretty sure I know exactly how it happened.
I've got a small controlled burn going in front of her bar at K.T.'s request. I figure it's for the party guests to keep warm whenever they wander outside.
