One Night of Scandal (14 page)

That he truly did have more to offer her.

“Yeah, I guess I’m not so bad,” he said lightly.

Her expression softened as she reached for his hand. She laced her fingers through his. “No, I guess you’re not.”

Reed dipped his head and gave her a soft, fleeting kiss. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s go back to your place. Your afternoon schedule seems to have cleared up, which means it’s officially become my job to make you forget everything that just happened.”

Darcy smiled through her tears. “I’m holding you to that.”

Chapter Fourteen

That Friday, Darcy didn’t leave the school until two hours after the final bell. To her annoyance, the monthly staff meeting had run late, thanks to an argument between two teachers about whether Wikipedia was considered a legitimate citation source. Personally, she didn’t give a shit as long as her students only used Wiki pages with multiple sources, but Marge, the history teacher had refused to let up, effectively putting a damper on everyone’s TGIF.

“Holy cow, how much did you want to punch Marge in the face?” Shannon demanded as they crossed the empty parking lot.

“So frickin’ bad,” Darcy replied with a sigh.

“See, now if
I
said that?” Shannon’s husband Tom piped up. “I’d probably get thrown in jail for even
talking
about hitting a woman.” His brown eyes flickered with amusement. “But goddamn, someone needs to tell that broad that screaming like a banshee isn’t the way to get what you want.”

Darcy wholeheartedly agreed—her ears were still ringing from Marge’s high-pitched shouts.

The trio reached Shannon and Tom’s SUV, stopping so Darcy could exchange quick hugs with both her friends. “Are we still on for girls’ night next week?” she asked Shannon.

“Absolutely.” Shannon poked her husband in the arm. “It’s the only time I get some peace and quiet.”

Tom raised his eyebrows. “Says the woman who takes hour-long bubble baths every night. Where’s
my
bath time, missy?”

“If you’re nice, I’ll let you join me in the tub tonight,” his wife answered.

“Define nice.”

“Hmmm. Well, cooking me dinner would qualify. And then doing the dishes. And then taking out the garbage. And then—”

“Forget it. I’ll just catch a quick shower,” Tom interrupted. “See you Monday, Darce.”

He hopped into the driver’s seat so fast Darcy couldn’t help but giggle. “That man seriously hates chores, huh?”

“Tell me about it. But the threat of chores is the only way to get him to back off about the bath thing. It really is my favorite me-time activity.” Shannon winked. “Did I tell you about that new waterproof vibrator I bought?”

Darcy rolled her eyes. “Yes. Many, many times. And no, I’m not interested in procuring my own. Big green Bob is all I need.”

“Oh really? Are you sure you don’t mean big not-green
Reed
?” Shannon wiggled her eyebrows. “Because your fling doesn’t seem to be ending, hon.”

Nope, it certainly, mind-bogglingly
wasn’t
. Darcy still had no idea how it happened, but somehow the fling had reached the one-month mark. She’d expected it to fizzle out by now, and yet…it hadn’t.

“So when are you going to admit you’re in a relationship with the guy?” Shannon teased.

Alarm skittered up her spine. “I’m not. I mean, we’re not. We’re still just—”

A loud honk interrupted her incoherent stammering.

Darcy turned her head in time to see an unfamiliar white sedan speed into the lot. She peered at the windshield, then relaxed when she recognized the driver.

“That’s Devon’s mom. I should go over and say hello.”

“Uh-huh. Wonderful diversion tactic,” Shannon said with a smirk. “But don’t think you’re off the hook, hon. I plan on going over this topic in depth next Wednesday at girls’ night.”

Laughing, Darcy’s co-worker hopped into the SUV, and then Shannon and Tom were gone, leaving her to stride over to Monique Pearson’s car alone.

“Ms. Grant, it’s so good to see you.” The pretty African-American woman greeted her with a smile as she got out of the car. “I’ve been meaning to call you for weeks now, but work and Devon keep me so busy I keep forgetting.”

She offered a warm smile in return. “I understand. Devon’s waiting for you inside.” She paused. “By the way, I wanted to ask you—do you have another son? I heard Devon talking with some of the other kids the other day about his older brother, and I was surprised because I didn’t think he had one.”

Monique chuckled. “Oh, he was referring to Reed.”

Confusion washed over her. “Reed?”

“Yes. That’s actually what I wanted to speak to you about. I wanted to thank you for setting up that self-defense workshop. Devon learned a lot, and he got a big brother out of it, too. I got in touch with Reed after Devon wouldn’t stop gushing about how ‘awesomesauce’ he was.” The woman used air quotes, her mouth twitching with humor. “When I mentioned to Reed that Devon was in the Big Brother program, he agreed to join up.”

Darcy’s bewilderment only grew. “He did?”

Monique nodded. “He takes Devon out every Sunday.”

“He does?”

“The arrangement seems to be working well so far, and I really wanted to thank you for introducing them. My son absolutely adores Reed.” The woman glanced at her watch. “Anyway, I need to grab Devon. Thanks again, Ms. Grant.”

Darcy watched the other woman walk away, stunned by what she’d heard. Four Sundays had passed since the workshop, but Reed hadn’t said a word to her about signing up to be Devon’s big brother.

Why the omission, though? She’d quickly discovered this past month that Reed didn’t shy away from any topic, and the two of them had had plenty of conversations about her students, so why hadn’t he mentioned his arrangement with Devon?

The fact that he’d kept it from her was totally mystifying.

Frowning, Darcy headed to her car and unlocked the doors. She would definitely have to ask Reed about it tonight. He was coming over after he finished work, which meant she’d have to take a very long nap when she got home so she wouldn’t be a zombie when he showed up at three in the morning. But she honestly wasn’t complaining, since Reed always made sure to reward her for her staying-awake efforts.

It was actually kind of scary how the sex only seemed to get better, and she knew that had contributed to her complete lack of motivation to end the fling. She’d gone into it craving passion—well, the passion kept coming. And coming. And coming.

Maybe if the sex was bad, she could find the willpower to call things off, but each time Reed kissed her, or touched her, or fucked her to yet another mind-blowing orgasm, she seemed to forget that their arrangement was supposed to be temporary.

Sighing, Darcy drove out of the lot, her mind drifting back to the revelation that Reed was spending his Sundays with his “little brother.” At least now it made sense why he always seemed to be busy when she suggested they do something on Sunday afternoons.

God, she had no idea how she felt about him anymore. Every time she tried to slap that bad boy label on him, he turned around and proved that he was anything but. Comforting her the day she’d been crushed by her father’s disgusting display of selfishness. Pulling out her chair when they went out for dinner. Letting her squeeze his hand to the point of bone-breaking when they’d gone to see a horror movie last week.

Spending his free time with a little boy who needed a father figure.

Darcy bit down hard on her bottom lip as she stopped at a red light.

Crap. It was becoming glaringly obvious that she needed to reevaluate this fling of theirs. She was really starting to care about Reed, her initial doubts floating away like dandelions in the wind.

But at the same time, a part of her still feared this was just a lark on Reed’s part. He’d said so himself—he’d never lasted more than a month when it came to relationships. Darcy was afraid his impulsive nature would suddenly rear its head, he’d get bored with her, and then he’d move on to the next exciting affair and leave her heartbroken.

And was that a risk she really wanted to take?

…

Reed was dead-ass tired when he got to Darcy’s apartment that night. Or morning. Time lost all meaning when you worked at a nightclub.

The second he saw her beautiful face, though, he snapped into a state of wide awake. As bad as he felt showing up so late, this was his favorite time to see her. When she was sleepy, hair tousled, wearing her pajamas.

Her body was warm and pliant as she sank into his embrace and greeted him with a happy sigh. “You got here just in time. The coffee’s wearing off.”

He chuckled.

“Seriously, I’m going to turn back into a pumpkin in about ten minutes. Kiss me now before it’s too late.”

Like he could ever turn down
that
offer.

Reed kissed her, hard and deep, until she was gasping against his mouth. When her tongue darted out to swirl over his, he groaned as the sweet flavor of her suffused his taste buds. He could never get his fill of this woman. Never.

“Wait.” She broke off the kiss with a breathy exhale, her blue eyes hazy. “I have to ask you something before my brain totally turns to jelly.”

Reed cocked a brow. “Ask away.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you signed up for the Big Brother program?”

The question caught him off guard, bringing a pang of discomfort to his chest. Darcy didn’t look angry, but he knew from her perplexed face that she was bothered by it.

“I…ah…I don’t know,” he said gruffly. “I just didn’t.”

The half-ass response didn’t satisfy her, just as he’d known it wouldn’t. “You just didn’t?” she echoed, sounding even more confused.

Reed edged toward the living room couch, where he sat and raked a hand through his hair. A moment later, Darcy flopped down beside him and settled in a cross-legged position.

“Stop being mysterious,” she said. “I want to know why you kept it a secret.”

“It wasn’t a secret. I just didn’t mention it.”

She snorted. “That’s still a secret in my book.”

Reed released a sigh. “I guess at first it was because you made it clear you didn’t want to talk about important stuff.” He didn’t miss the guilt that flashed in her eyes. “And then…I dunno…I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want you to think it was something I was doing for
you
. You know, to impress you, or try to make you like me more.”

Her forehead creased. “Okay…”

He paused, trying to vocalize his messed up rationale. “It was something I was doing for
me
. I mean, I signed up because Monique Pearson pretty much twisted my arm into it, but after the first day with Devon, I realized I wanted to keep seeing him. I felt like I was doing something important, you know? Something meaningful.”

Darcy nodded. “It is important.”

“I never cared about stuff like this before.” Shame trickled down his spine, steadily, like drops of water from a leaky tap. “I was a selfish bastard when I started fighting pro. Once I started winning, I only cared about myself and doing things that benefited
me
. And yeah, I’ve grown up a lot since then, but like you said, it’s not like I’m Mr. Community Outreach or anything.” He shrugged. “But I had fun working with your kids, and I love being there for Devon. His dad’s in jail, did you know that?”

“Yeah, I did.”

He suddenly felt uncomfortable again. “I know what it’s like not to have a dad—it sucks. I mean, my uncle did his best, but he wasn’t a very good father figure. He drank like a fish, and he was more interested in chasing tail than playing catch with me, or doing any of that other father-son stuff.” Reed swallowed, shifting his gaze downcast. “Boys need that, though. Devon needs it. So I figured…yeah…maybe I could be the one to give it to him.”

When he glanced over at Darcy, he was startled by the approval shining in her eyes.

“What?” he mumbled.

“Nothing,” she said softly.

Reed knew damn well that whatever was on her mind, it was the farthest thing from
nothing
, but she didn’t give him the chance to question it. Instead, she slid closer and kissed him, her slender arms looping around his shoulders to hold him tight.

His heart melted as she peppered his face with kisses. That sweet mouth skimmed his cheeks, his jaw, his earlobe. Reed’s cock strained against his zipper, thickening and pulsing when Darcy climbed into his lap and slipped her hot, wet tongue inside his mouth.

As usual, they went from zero to sex. Clothes gone, bodies naked, his dick inside her before he even knew what was happening. Jeez, normally they at least managed to squeeze in
some
foreplay, but tonight Darcy only spared enough time to cover him with a condom before she sank onto his cock and clutched it with the tight vise of her body.

Reed groaned, his head falling back against the cushion as she began to ride him. “Jesus, baby, give a man some warning before you decide to kill him.”

The emotion swimming in her gaze sucked the breath right out of his lungs. “I’m seducing you, Reedford. Shut up and enjoy it.”

Enjoy it he did. Impossible not to when the most beautiful woman in the world was grinding on him in a slow, sexy rhythm designed to blow his mind.

But there was something different tonight. Something sweet and tender and…loving. She was peering down at him as if she…loved him.

And Lord, the purity of her expression broke the dam inside him, the one he’d put up to stop himself from thinking too hard about his own feelings.

He wasn’t just falling for her anymore—he’d fallen.

He’d fallen so frickin’ hard, and now he lay flat on his back as the woman he loved—the woman he
adored
—sent him soaring to a plane of ecstasy where nothing but Darcy and happiness existed.

The orgasm rippled through his body and hummed in his blood, summoning a husky moan from his lips. Darcy’s eyes only burned brighter as she watched him come apart beneath her.

“You…are
so
sexy…when you come,” she squeezed out. Then those mesmerizing eyes took on a thick sheen of pleasure and she shuddered on top of him, her fingers digging into his abs as she cried out in release.

Afterward, she collapsed on his chest, her soft sigh and even softer hair tickling his pecs. Reed rubbed her back, his throat so tight he could barely draw a breath.

I love you
.

The words hovered on the tip of his tongue, desperately trying to escape, but he couldn’t seem to voice them. Christ, this was the Apple Shulman fiasco all over again. The terror of exposing himself and getting rejected was so powerful it had seized his vocal cords.