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Chapter Fourteen

A sense of anticipation tingled in his belly as he pushed open the doorfrom the street into the gym. It was Thursday and the third night he’d come to see her.

Each night, after he came home from work, he’d put Lulu to bed—usually his mom would have given her dinner by then. He’d given Diana some paid leave while his family was here—his mom wanted to spend time with Lulu. Besides, he’d felt a little awkward around Diana after their date. And maybe a little guilty. She was clearly expecting something more from him, and what the hell was he supposed to say? So this, at least, put off an awkward situation.

Then he’d stick around the house until he was sure Lulu was settled for the night. Tonight, it had taken an age—he suspected Lulu could sense his eagerness to get away. Anyway, it had been eight thirty by the time she was asleep, and it was nearly nine by the time he’d gotten to Darcy’s place.

He’d thought the excitement of that first night would fade. He’d had no doubt that the sex would continue to be good. Just notthatgood. But he’d been wrong. It got better. Darcy was wild and inventive and liked to experiment. Just the thought of that caused his dick to jerk in his pants and his blood to pulse in his brain.

He paused in the action of pushing open the door and took a deep breath.

Get a grip.

He was bordering on being out of control, and that scared him. He needed to get a handle on things. Right now, he reckoned Darcy had all the control in this relationship. He needed to change that.

Donna, the girl on reception, looked up with a smile as the door closed behind him.

“Hi, Matt. You here to see Darcy?”

“Yeah. Is she down here?”

“She just finished a class. She’s in room four.”

“Thanks.”

Maybe he needed to prove to himself that he didn’t need sex. Yeah, he wanted it, but it wouldn’t control him. He’d control it.

He found Darcy packing away equipment. She was wearing her usual workout gear of black leggings and a black tank top that bared her midriff. Black sneakers. She turned around as he entered the room, a smile lighting her face, her gaze wandering over him in a way that made his mind turn instantly to sex. Well, turn back to sex. It was never far from his thoughts where Darcy was concerned. She stalked toward him, coming to a halt only inches away, so close he breathed in the scent of hot woman, fresh sweat, and something sweet.

Christ, she turned him on like nothing he could remember.

She looped a hand around his neck, her fingers curling into his hair, sending tingles running through him. She shifted even closer, coming up on tiptoe and pressing her lips to his as she thrust her body into him. His lips parted under her onslaught, and her tongue pushed inside as she took control of the kiss. Fire streaked through his blood, and he fought the urge to shove her up against the wall, to take her right then and there. Her mouth slid from his, biting across his jawline, nipping and licking, sucking his earlobe into her mouth.

“Hi, soldier,” she murmured. “No hiding what you’re after.” As she whispered the words, she pushed her hips against his, rubbing against his dick, which was already hard.

Suddenly, he felt the need to exert himself. To prove he was stronger than this. He swallowed then stepped back. She raised an eyebrow, and he cleared his throat. “I thought we might go out for a drink.”

A little wrinkle formed between her eyes. “A drink?”

“Maybe to the wine bar down the road.”

“I have wine upstairs.”

“Don’t you want to go out with me? Are you ashamed of me, Darcy?”

The frown deepened, but she considered her answer carefully. “Not ashamed.” She gave him a bright smile. “Any girl would be proud to be seen with you. But letmeletyouin on a little secret. I’m a sure thing. You don’t need to impress me or buy me drinks or…” She reached out and trailed a hand down over his stomach, lower, her fingers grazing the bulge in his pants. His eyes closed, and he groaned.

Jesus, what had he been thinking?

He was stronger than this. He had to prove, if only to himself, that he wasn’t completely at her mercy.

“I just thought we could…talk.”

She studied him, her head cocked to one side. “What do we have to talk about? Has something happened? Are things going okay with your parents?”

Things were actually going great. They all loved Lulu, especially Hannah, who was taking her role as aunt very seriously. And Lulu was loving the attention. He’d have to fit in a trip to Australia next year. Maybe Darcy would like to come. “They’re fine. I think my mom and dad might have finally grown up.” They were as infatuated with each other as ever, but they didn’t seem to strike so many sparks off each other and hadn’t fought once since they’d arrived. “I think they feel bad about Steven. It’s made them think. And Hannah is a sensible child—she keeps them in line.”

“She sounds like you.”