Darius (Starkis Family #5) (19 page)

“You. In my bed.”

Darius set his drinks aside and grabbed Steve’s arm. “Watch your mouth, punk.”

“Hey,” he said, shaking off Darius. “Get your hands off me, buddy.” He adjusted the cuff of his button-down shirt. “Or I’ll have Rico over there show you the door.” Steve obviously thought since he was a regular his word carried more weight with the doormen than Darius’s.

“I can handle this,” I said to Darius. “We’ll talk when my shift is over.”

“I’m not leaving until he does,” Darius said, glaring at Steve.

“Then you’ll be waiting a while,” Steve said. “I want to hear what my girl’s been up to.”

“Your girl?” Darius asked, clenching his fist. “If you’re talking about Chelsea, you’re stupider than you look.”

“Who the hell do you think you are talking to me like that?” Steve asked, standing toe-to-toe with Darius.

“Hey, cuz,” Damon said, wrapping his arm around Darius’s neck from behind.

Thank God. Now that Damon was here to diffuse the situation, I could breathe again.

“You here to see your girlfriend?” Damon asked Darius as he looked from me to Steve.

Steve scowled at me. “Since when do you have a boyfriend? You told me you don’t date.”

“I don’t,” I said, wiping the bar with a damp rag as I tried to ignore Darius’s accusatory look. He’d obviously expected me to set Steve straight, but if I was rude to my regulars, I could kiss my tips and my half of the rent money good-bye. “Usually. I, uh, just started seeing Darius.”

“When?” Steve demanded, leaning over the bar to get a glimpse of my cleavage when I bent to replace my rag with a clean one.

“None of your goddamn business,” Darius said, grabbing Steve’s shoulder. “Now I suggest you get the hell out of here before I knock you out.”

“Uh, speaking of getting out of here,” Damon said, “I was just about to tell you that you can head out, Chels. Jeremy and Brit can take it from here. I’ll cash you out and leave your envelope in the safe.”

I could have used the extra hour, but I knew Damon didn’t want to see blood spilled any more than I did. I glanced at the drinks Darius had abandoned. “Don’t you want to take the drink over to your friend?”

Damon looked over his shoulder at the blonde still sitting alone in the booth. “I can take care of that. You guys get out of here.”

Darius shook his cousin’s hand. “Thanks, man. I’ll talk to you later.”

We remained silent until we were in Darius’s truck, then I couldn’t hold my tongue any longer. “You can’t react that way every time a guy hits on me.”

“Don’t start,” he warned, curling his hand around the gearshift. “The last thing I want to do is argue with you tonight.”

After my talk with Catia that morning, I’d really been looking forward to seeing Darius, but if this relationship was going to work, he had to understand I could take care of myself. “I don’t want that either, but I can handle guys like Steve. I’ve been doing it for years.”

“But that’s just it,” he said, reaching for my hand as he pulled out of the parking lot. “You don’t have to do that anymore. I get that you’re a gorgeous woman and men are going to hit on you. I know there’s nothing I can do about that, but at least at the comedy club, you don’t have to dress like that.” He gestured to my black skinny jeans, high heels, and low-cut white top. “You’ll be able to cover up more so guys won’t get the wrong idea.”

I withdrew my hand from his, shifting slightly so I was facing him. “You have a problem with the way I dress?”

He pinched the bridge of his nose, resting his elbow on his door, when we pulled up to the light. “You look sexy as hell no matter what you wear, but seeing you looking like that, hearing guys say shit about wanting to get you into bed, it bothers me, okay? I can’t pretend it doesn’t.”

I tried to put myself in his position. It would have bothered me if I knew he had to fend off women’s advances every day. Though for all I knew, he probably did. I reached for his free hand while he curled the other around the steering wheel and accelerated. “I need this job, Darius. At least until the reno at the club is finished.”

“I know you think you do, but why won’t you let me help you out until then? I don’t want your rent money, baby. But if you need spending money, let me get you a temporary waitressing gig at my father’s restaurant until the club is ready to reopen.”

As tempting as the offer was, I couldn’t accept his help. Relying on him too much would compromise my independence, and this relationship was too new for me to consider that. “I got the job at Exodus on my own because I’m a good bartender.”

“Fine, I’ll get you a bartending job at the restaurant bar. It’s an upscale crowd. You wouldn’t have to worry about guys coming on to you like that.”

“Don’t you mean
you
wouldn’t have to worry about it?” I asked, tongue in cheek. “It doesn’t bother me nearly as much as it bothers you.”

He growled before dropping kisses on the back of my wrist. “Fine, it would make me feel better. Consider it a personal favor to me.”

“I’ll think about it,” I promised, sliding across the seat to kiss his neck. “I couldn’t help but notice we’re not heading back to the apartment. Where are you taking me?”

“Back to my hotel room. You got a problem with that?”

“No, no problem.” I ran my fingers through his hair while grazing his earlobe with my teeth. I smiled as I watched him shift in his seat, presumably to relieve the growing pressure between his legs. “Your sister came to see me today.”

He grabbed my hand, which was wandering down his chest, when we came to a stoplight. “Way to kill a mood, babe. Cat?”

I grinned, gliding my hand back down his chest when he accelerated again. “Yeah. She wanted to explain that she was the one who gave you bad advice and I should basically ignore everything you said last night.”

“Wish I could blame it all on her,” he said, exhaling loudly when I reached for his belt buckle. “But I can’t. It was my stupid mistake. I said what I thought you wanted to hear, not what was really on my mind.”

“What did you really want to say?” I breathed against his neck, running my palm over the bulge behind his zipper.

“I wanted to tell you that you make me crazy—that’s why I say and do stupid things sometimes. But I don’t want to back off. In fact, that’s the last thing I want. I want to push even harder, to break through your fears and convince you it’s safe to trust me.”

“Mmm…” I ran my lips over his bristled jaw. “I am learning to trust you, Darius. A little more every day. I just need you to be patient with me.”

“I can do that.” He sank his teeth into his bottom lip, closing his eyes briefly when he hit another red light.

“I don’t know how long it’ll take for me to get where you need me to be,” I said, counting down the minutes until I could get him out of his clothes. Now that I’d had a taste of him, I couldn’t wait for more.

“I can wait.”

As he pulled the truck into a reserved spot in the hotel parking lot, I waited for him to cut the engine before I turned his face toward mine. “But how long are you willing to wait for me?”

He grinned, making my heart race. “Just try to get rid of me, Chels.”

Darius

Having this time alone with Chelsea in my hotel room, with hours stretching ahead of us before either of us had to be anywhere, was a gift. I explored her body slowly, my hands tracing her soft skin as my lips followed their path. I wanted to touch and taste every inch of her beautiful body, to get to know her more intimately than I’d ever known anyone.

She sucked in a sharp breath as my tongue circled her nipple before drawing the taut peak into my mouth. She tasted like strawberries, the body wash I now knew she favored. Day by day, I was learning all the little things about her, things I’d never cared to know about another woman. Like her favorite music or flavor of ice cream, the way she liked to be touched or the spots that made her whisper my name.

I was taking my time with her, going slowly and treasuring every minute as if it would be our last. Though if I had my way, our time together would never end. I was falling in love with this woman, and I wanted more nights like this. I wanted every night to be like this, with her under me, in my bed, falling asleep in my arms after we made love.

Crawling slowly up her body, I nipped her lush bottom lip before dipping my tongue inside her mouth. Her little moan, coupled with the way her grip on my shoulders tightened, reminded me how erotic kissing like this could be. Not as foreplay but as a main event all its own. Kissing her felt sensual and sexy, as though I could do it for hours without needing more.

“Darius,” she whispered, scraping her teeth against my shoulder. “Make love to me. Now.”

I slid my hands into her hair, holding her head captive. “Just like this?” I hadn’t put a condom on yet, and I didn’t want to, but it was a big step, one I wasn’t sure she would be willing to take.

“I’m on the pill,” she said, brushing her lips over mine.

“I know. You told me. Do you trust me to keep you safe, Chels?” My friends would have said I was being stupid and reckless. Dozens of women had told me they were on the pill and wanted to have sex without a condom, but I’d never even considered it. I hadn’t been willing to take the risk. With Chelsea, it wasn’t a risk. I knew she would never lie to me about something like that.

“Yes.”

“It’s your call, baby. You tell me what you want.”

Instead of responding, she reached between us. Her eyes locked with mine as she guided my shaft into her slick heat. I closed my eyes, savoring the foreign connection. I’d never loved a woman like this, never even wanted to, but it felt so right with Chelsea. I remained still for a second, knowing it wouldn’t take much to push me over the edge.

I was so deep inside her, trying to adjust to her body’s vise-like grip. That was another thing that was different with her. My other lovers had all been experienced, so they had never felt like this. Every time with Chelsea reminded me that sex meant something to her, that sharing her body with me was akin to giving me a secret part of herself.

“I love the way this feels,” she whispered, sighing in my ear. “Having you inside me like this… I love it.”

I love
you.
The words were right there, clamoring to come out, but I held back, fearing it was too soon. “Me too, sweetheart.”

I moved slowly, savoring every second, never wanting it to end. I felt so in tune with her body. I sensed her impending release in the way her breathing changed, the tightening of her legs around my waist, and the feel of her nails digging into my back. I loved knowing that I’d taken her there, that my body fused so perfectly with hers it took only a few strokes to get her off.

“Oh God, Darius…”

Those breathless words sounded like a sonata to my ears. I wanted more. I thrust in and out slowly, gently, taking my time, allowing her to take hers. I wanted the build to be gradual for her, long and drawn out, so she could enjoy every millisecond of her body’s reaction to mine.

“Feel it, Chels. Feel what I do to you, what you do to me.” Her moan had me swelling inside her as I savored her intense throbbing. “Feel how good it is.”

“Amazing,” she whispered, gasping. She arched her neck, pressing the back of her head into the pillow.

I licked the slender, fragrant column of her neck, making her gasp and whimper as I made love to her, picking up the pace as my own urges became too strong to ignore.

I didn’t want to lose this feeling, but ultimately I lost the fight, exploding inside her. That sensation alone made this the most intimate experience of my life. Looking at her, brushing her hair off her damp forehead, I returned her smile and finally admitted to myself what my heart had known the second I laid eyes on her: she was the one for me. The only one.

***

“Let’s stay in bed all day,” I suggested, holding the fork containing a bite of French toast just out of her reach.

She giggled before grabbing my wrist and closing her lips over the tines. After chewing and swallowing, she said, “We can’t. You have to go to work, and so do I.”

“Hey, I own part of the company. That means I can take the day off if I want to.” I kissed her neck, hoping to convince her to play hooky with me.

“Yeah, but I don’t have that luxury,” she said, sliding a strawberry through the fresh cream she’d ordered from the room service menu. “If I don’t work, I don’t get paid, which means I don’t eat.”

I hated to hear her say shit like that. Didn’t she know I wanted nothing more than to take care of her? “You, my beauty, can eat the finest caviar whenever you want. Just say the word.”

She curled her arm around my neck, looking into my eyes. “I don’t know how to feel when you say things like that to me. Part of me wants to melt because you would even offer, but the other part of me wants to remind you that I’ll never need that stuff to be happy.”

“So tell me what you do need to be happy,” I said, coating another berry with cream before holding it up to her lips.

She looked thoughtful, taking her time to chew. “I need my friends. I need my work. And I think I need you, Darius.”

Those few words took my breath away because I knew how hard it was for her to admit she needed anything or anyone. “I need you too.” I nuzzled her neck. “Right here, in my bed. Every night, if possible.”

She curled her hand around my shoulder, pulling back to look me in the eye. “I love being with you like this, but this is so much more than physical to me.”

I hated that I’d made her think I was demeaning her or our connection. I cradled her cheek in my hand. “Baby, don’t ever doubt how much you mean to me. I love making love to you, but I love being with you even more. Talking, laughing, just hanging out, that’s the best.”

She smiled before her cell phone buzzed. “Can you grab my purse for me? It’s probably Daphne wondering where the hell I am. I forgot to text her to let her know I was spending the night with you.”

I handed her her purse and watched her frown as she read her texts. “Daphne?”