Page 78 of Third Time is the Charm
She knew – she was intimately familiar with that pain; as much as she wanted to try and make it better, the only thing that would help was peace and solitude to recover.
They rode in silence back to her apartment, the car stopping out front. This time, Col helped her out of the car and walked her to her door, but made no move to follow her inside.
“Be careful, Beth,” he said softly. His plea likely in reference to both Caroline and to Darcy, just in very different ways.
“I will. Thank you.” She bit her lip to stop another apology from escaping. “You, too. And let me know if there is anything else I can do.”
He just nodded sadly. Her breath caught as his head dipped towards hers and he placed a soft, platonic kiss on her cheek.
She gave him a sad smile that in no way matched the extent of his and watched him take a few steps back to the car before turning to open the door to her building.
Darcy was waiting.
She didn’t need to check at the desk to know that. She’d felt his stare as soon as she stepped out of the car, her body drawn towards him. She moved up the steps quickly, anxious for his embrace, his comfort, and his protection. As she stepped into the hall, the door to her apartment opened, Darcy standing in the frame. Their eyes locked and she walked towards him. For the first time since she’d moved, the thought ‘I’m home’came to her mind.
Because with him, she was.
Chapter 23
Darcy stood, unmoving, in the doorframe, watching her as she walked towards him, drawn to him by his trance. His sleeves were rolled up, one arm holding the door open, the other propped against the doorframe, both flexed as he pushed against those objects. His leg muscles, too, were firmly outlined in his pants, the front of which growing more taut with every step closer that she took. He’d taken his shoes off, his socked feet one in front of the other as though he were poised to break from the door as soon as the whistle blew.
He was resisting.
Everything about his body language told her that he was restraining himself; the doorway an invisible barrier in his mind separating him from her. His feet anchored to the floor while his hands, instead of ready to push off, were holding him back from going to her and wrapping her in his arms, locking her to him as a comfort to himself that she was his. His jaw flexed, the muscle twitching along the side of his cheek, trying to keep the words he wanted to say at bay – the ones that demanded to know about Col, what had happened, if he had touched her, why he had kissed her.
He was resisting, waiting for her to set him free.
Beth walked boldly up to him, confident in where she stood, in her ability to read his feelings for her, and more importantly, in her feelings for him.
“Hello,” she said softly, staring into his deep, brown eyes as she melted into their warmth.
“I missed you,” he rasped. Nothing else in his body moving except his lips to utter those words. He furrowed his brow, gathering the strength to release his arms that were blocking her entrance into her own apartment.
Just as he began to step back and let her step inside, both of her hands reached up, grabbing the sides of his face and pulling his mouth down to her.
She missed him, too.
Darcy growled, instantly responding to her kiss. His tongue plunging into her mouth as his arms changed course, wrapping themselves tightly around her. One hand reaching down to grab her ass over her skirt, picking her up and stepping them both back into the apartment, kicking the door shut behind him.
As they slowly stumbled backward into the short entryway, Beth fueled their kiss with every ounce of desire that she felt. It was a potent drug that she’d abstained from all week and now was eagerly craving her Darcy-high.
She bit down forcefully on his tongue as it entered her mouth, causing him to growl again and thrust his hips against hers, his erection digging into her. His hand on her ass began to move, bunching up her skirt as his fingers searched for what was hidden beneath.
Her mouth smiled against his kiss as his hand found her bare ass cheek, squeezing the soft flesh firmly in his grasp. Those exploring fingers made their way along the crevice, down between the backs of her thighs. His whole body froze when the tips touched the molten heat seeping from her core.
His head jerked back. “No underwear?” he asked. His voice hard and harsh with pent-up desire.
She knew what he was thinking though.
“For you.”Not for Col.
“Christ,”he swore, his lips engulfing hers again. Darcy angled his hand slightly, pushing two fingers completely inside of her with a groan that vibrated right to her core.
Then he was gone. His mouth. His fingers. Everything disappeared for a split second before she was hoisted over his shoulder.
“Darcy!” she gasped, the position causing her skirt to drop, completely baring her lower half; she knew first because she felt the cold air rush over the dampness, sending a shiver through her body.
Or maybe the shiver was because Darcy didn’t waste any time returning that hand to her folds and those fingers inside of her, massaging the muscles of her passage. His name on her lips morphed into a moan as he carried her expediently into her bedroom and released her long enough to toss her onto the bed.
