Page 44 of Third Time is the Charm (Passion and Perseverance #3)

Beth woke to the sound of an alarm going off.

Her eyes darted open, recognizing that it wasn’t her alarm.

That’s when the memories of last night came back to her, along with the feeling of Darcy shifting in bed next to her.

She turned to lie on her back, looking over at the hot, naked man who was sprawled in her tiny bed with her.

“I think you’re being summoned,” she said softly, warmth spreading through her as she watched him slowly move into awareness, reaching over to snooze the alarm. She smiled to herself, enjoying how peaceful and innocent he looked while he slept.

That was until he turned back over and opened his eyes. Beth inhaled sharply at the deep, dark desire that awakened in his gaze. She only had a moment to take it in before he pushed himself up onto his elbow, his other hand cupping her chin, tilting it up just as his mouth descended on hers.

He kissed her hard and fast, barely giving her a chance to kiss him back before his mouth was gone, his head diving beneath the covers in search of her treasure that was underneath them.

Beth gasped as his tongue dove between her folds, circling her clit mercilessly, wetness seeping from her core as his mouth demanded her pleasure.

“Darcy…” she half-whispered his name, her fingers flexing into his hair. And then his tongue was gone, his entire body shifting between her thighs as the hard length of him entered her.

His mouth found her nipple as his cock pumped into her, bringing them both swiftly to release.

His mouth claimed hers again for a brief kiss. “Good morning, gorgeous,” he rasped, a sly smile breaking over his face.

She moaned, her mind still trying to catch up to how awake her body now felt. “Good morning.” He chuckled, kissing her again.

“I’m going to hop in the shower,” he said, climbing out of the bed. “I have to leave in an hour for my flight.”

“Mmm,” she moaned in acquiescence; that meant she had a few more minutes to relax in bed and enjoy the delicious feeling that spread throughout her after morning sex.

The next thing she knew, she felt Darcy’s lips on hers again. “Time to get up,” he whispered. She opened her eyes to see him buttoning up his shirt.

“Fine,” she grumbled, pushing herself up to sit, not caring that the sheet had fallen leaving her bare to his gaze.

She smirked at Darcy and his darkening stare, standing and leisurely walking into the bathroom where he’d left the water running for her, although it was the heat from his gaze and not the steam from the shower that caused her body to warm.

“I’m going to make us coffee,” he said from behind her. “What do you have for breakfast?”

Beth grimaced. “Not much. Maybe some yogurt.” His silence was a loud enough response – a reminder that he didn’t like how she starved herself in the morning.

Oh well. She stepped into the shower, quickly washing herself, eager to spend the last few minutes of the morning with him before he went back to New York. Only until Friday.

Shit. Friday.

She groaned into the cleansing spray; she’d agreed to go to dinner with Col on Friday – that is what her brain couldn’t remember last night.

She had to tell Darcy. Like now. This was her life and if he wanted to be a part of it, he had to know that Col was a part of it too – not like he suspected and not like Col wanted, but still a part of it.

Shutting off the water, she took one last breath of the steamy air before sliding the door open exposing her to the chill of the room. She walked back into the bedroom; Darcy was nowhere to be seen.

For a second, her heart stopped thinking that he had left again. Had Col texted her? Had he shown up? Now that she remembered about the dinner, she was paranoid that Darcy knew before she had the chance to tell him and that he’d bolted in response.

“ Shit . ” Beth heard the word uttered from the kitchen and her whole body was released from its paralysis.

He was still here.

Tucking the end of the towel in securely around her, she walked out into the kitchen to find Darcy trying to figure out how to make coffee using her pour-over stand. His head jerked up when she entered the room. Her apartment was in an older building and the floors seemed to creak with every step.

“Sorry, I was trying to make coffee for us,” he apologized as he grabbed paper towels to wipe up the small mess he’d made on the countertop.

“It’s ok,” Beth replied, walking over to help him. “What happened? Do you not know how to work a pour-over?” A smile spread over her face as she teased him.

His eyes narrowed on her, not appreciating being made fun of. “I do, in fact, know how. I just wasn’t paying attention when I started pouring the water in and it overflowed and I tried to grab a paper towel to stop it which ended in me burning my hand.”

Her smile quickly faded when she heard that he had burned himself. A quick glance at his hand confirmed the event; it was bright red.

“Well, let me help you,” she insisted, trying to take the towel from his hand.

“I’m fine,” he said quickly, holding the towel out of her reach. “Thank you.” Their eyes locked in a stare-down, hers wondering if he was really ok, and his wondering if she was going to let him clean up his mess.

Beth broke the silence first. “Are you –” Her question cut off as his lips dropped to hers, stealing the syllables before they could make their sound. He released her when he was convinced she wasn’t going to ask him again.

Darcy turned to throw away the soaking paper towels filled with water and coffee grounds when she blurted out, “I can’t go to dinner with you on Friday.”

“Ok…” he said, turning to face her, pain and perplexity written on his face. “You can’t go to dinner with me at all or just on Friday?”

That wasn’t the question she was expecting.

She expected him to demand ‘why not’ or something along those lines.

“No, just on Friday,” she clarified. She paused, thinking for a second that she would wait for him to now ask why before she realized that was the cowardly thing to do, hide from the truth.

“I’m sorry,” she continued. “I forgot that I have a work dinner with Col that night. The Contest is next weekend and we have to do a test run of the menu that is going to be offered for the after-party. I’m sorry, he just asked me about it yesterday which is why it slipped my mind.

” Her explanation came out slightly rushed, trying to inform him calmly and as reassuringly as she could that it really was a work thing.

Beth could see that the thought of her going to dinner with Col was upsetting to him.

Even though it was technically for work, Darcy knew just as well as she did that Colin wasn’t looking at it that way.

She held her breath waiting for the hammer to fall – for Darcy to tell her that she couldn’t go or that Col was capable of tasting it on his own.

“Ok. Saturday, then?”

Beth blinked twice, staring blankly at Darcy. She heard the words, she saw his mouth move, and yet she was struggling to believe that those two things had happened in sync.

“I… umm… yes,” she stuttered. “Saturday works.”

She watched intently as he just nodded his head, his mouth thinning as he returned to the task in front of him. His calm acceptance of her plans ironically only magnified her guilt about having them and her need to reassure him that she only had feelings for him.

Her bare feet padded softly over to him as he watched the coffee drain into her mug.

“It’s not like that between Colin and I, I want you to know,” she whispered.

“Maybe for you, but are you sure it isn’t for him?” he asked, his tone reflecting nothing but sadness and insecurity.

She bit her lip, unable to deny that it wasn’t like that for Col, because it was and it was partially her fault.

“There was a time in the recent past when I thought there could be something between us. Honestly, I wanted there to be something between him and I so that I could forget about you,” she admitted.

His gaze turned to lock with hers. “What he thinks and feels is partially my fault and that’s exactly what I’m going to explain to him on Friday when I tell him that I know that there can be nothing between him and I. ”

Darcy’s stare bored into her; she knew the question that was burning in his mind.

“We’ve kissed,” she confessed bluntly, meeting that stare and refusing to cower from him. “I’d hoped it meant that I was, in fact, able to move on from you. The only thing it proved though, is that there will never be anyone but you. I am yours,” she finished, echoing his sentiment from last night.

She stared at him, waiting for him to make the next move, still waiting for the anger to explode. She saw his irritation brewing underneath the surface – his jaw clenching, his hand fisting on the countertop.

“Mine?” he said.

Beth wasn’t sure if it was a question or a statement, but her lips responded anyway. “ Yours.”

A harsh breath pushed its way out from between his lips, a storm brewing in his eyes. Still, she didn’t let go of his gaze.

“I need you,” he said hoarsely, his voice cracking with the emotions raging through him; the possessiveness he felt making his entire body tremble.

Beth bit her lip, her eyes blinking back the tears of relief that gathered. What she’d been expecting of this conversation, well… it wasn’t that.

“I am yours to take,” she answered, her heart bursting with the need to reassure him of that in whatever way he needed.

His hands on her waist, he spun her towards the counter, her hands instinctively reaching out to grab the edge in order to steady herself from the sudden movement. A swift flick of his wrist had her towel pooled around her feet so that she stood completely naked bent over the countertop.

One hand reached around her, pinching her nipple, which she heard the other undoing his belt buckle. His finger moved from her breast down to spread her folds, circling over her clit, trying to prepare her for his imminent invasion.