Chapter 5 #2
“All I have there is my clothes and personal items,” Darcy replied, finally glaring at Doug. “I never moved in. Guess that was a good thing.”
“You sure you don’t want to press charges? You’re going to have a nasty bruise there, maybe even a black eye,” Officer Benedictine pointed out.
“I didn’t hit her,” Doug protested. “I would never intentionally hurt Darcy. I love her.”
Darcy eyed Doug for a few seconds, then shook her head.
“No, he’s right, he didn’t intend to hurt me.
He’s never hit me or been violent towards me, and we’ve been dating for several months.
I won’t hold a grudge against him for this.
” She briefly touched her forehead, her trembling fingers coming away with blood on them.
“He still shouldn’t have forced his way in here,” Benedictine insisted. “You are well within your rights to have him thrown in jail. Maybe it will cool him off.”
Darcy appealed to Doug. “Will you leave me alone now, Doug? I told you we are over, and I know you didn’t intend to hurt me. However, I am bleeding because of you. Can you let it go at that and leave me alone?”
All the bluster seemed to hiss out of Doug like a pricked balloon.
Disappointment hung on him like a death cloak.
“Are you sure, Darcy? I’m sorry, I didn’t intend to hurt you, and I didn’t mean what I said about stealing.
And I’m also sorry I didn’t come to pick you up last night.
” He stepped forward and held his palms up in a pleading manner.
Can we try again? I promise to do better next time,” he begged.
“I do want to marry you; I thought we had an understanding.”
Logan held his breath. This was where women usually gave in and went back to their abusive partners. He caught Benedictine’s eye over Darcy’s head. He could see that same knowledge in his eyes as well.
Darcy stood her ground and firmly shook her head.
“No, Doug. I should have broken it off a long time ago. I knew we weren’t suited for the long haul, not with the way you felt about my job.
But that’s on me. I’ve been unhappy with our situation for a long time, and I’ve just put off the final break-up.
I’m sure there’s someone out there for you, it just isn’t me,” she finished quietly. “All I want is to get my stuff.”
Benedictine coughed slightly, clearly surprised. “Well...if you want your things, can we escort you both to his apartment after the medic checks you, and get this over with?”
Darcy frowned. “You called an ambulance? I’m not going to the hospital in an ambulance.”
“You don’t have to go in the ambulance, I’ll take you if the medic says you need to go,” Logan said. “But you do need to be checked out; that’s a nasty lump on your head. How are you feeling? Any dizziness or pain?”
“It’s sore and throbbing, but I don’t feel dizzy.”
He nodded. “It looks like your eyes are dilating properly, but there is always a risk of concussion. Better to be cleared by the medic, then you can go get your stuff.”
Darcy looked up at him. “You’ll come with me?”
Logan’s heart swelled. “Of course I’ll come with you.” He’d been planning on it anyway, but she’d surprised him with her request.
“Okay, I can do that.”
Officer Benedictine turned to Doug with a stern demeanor.
“I need to remind you that charges can be pressed against you for assault, even without Darcy’s permission, if we choose to do so.
Officer Ralston here will take pictures of Darcy’s forehead to go in the files along with this call.
Any further actions against her today or in the future will result in your imprisonment. Is that clear?”
Doug’s face went pale. “Yes...yes...I understand.”
“You’re lucky, you know,” he went on. “Your ex-girlfriend here is a class act. Most people are not above being vengeful, and with all this evidence, she could have made your life miserable. I highly suggest you follow her lead and let her go without recriminations in the future.”
Doug’s face flushed red, and then he sighed. “Okay, I understand.”
Logan didn’t know if Doug would be able to let Darcy go that easily, but the officer was correct; Darcy was a class act. She was kind and sensitive towards others' needs, but hadn’t received the same consideration back—no wonder she’d become so untrusting and prickly.
Despite her take-no-prisoners attitude, he was sure Darcy had a submissive nature.
She’d just been trusting her heart with the wrong men.
Hopefully, she would learn to trust him, but given his occupation, it might take a little longer for the relationship to develop.
However, he was determined to win her trust, no matter how long it took.
***
DARCY TOOK ONE BITE of the chicken cacciatore that Logan had set in front of her and knew she had met her match.
The heavenly smells in Holly’s kitchen had her stomach rumbling long before dinner was ready.
The smell of garlic and buttery toasted French bread, combined with the flavorful herbs and veggies that surrounded the tender chicken breasts, was to die for.
Her mother was going to love him. She hadn’t liked Conrad, or any of her other shorter relationships, including Doug, she reflected.
“Oh...this is so good,” she moaned. “Do you have Italian blood?”
Logan grinned at her over his own plate. “I don’t think so, but then I don’t really know for sure. I just know what I like.”
“This is almost as good as my mom's,” she declared. Who knew Mr. Alpha himself could produce such a fantastic dish?
“Does that mean you give up already?” His satisfied tones purred across the table.
“A DeAngelo never gives up when it comes to food.” Darcy took a huge bite of her garlic toast loaded with melted mozzarella and closed her eyes in ecstasy. This was the way garlic toast should be made. “Mumm...so good.”
“Would you like more Merlot?”
“I’d like some,” Holly volunteered, raising her hand eagerly.
Logan eyed her affectionately. “Not a chance, brat. You know what your dad said.”
Holly pouted. “If he were here, he’d give me a little, though.”
“He’s not here,” Logan told her firmly. He turned back to Darcy. “What are you going to prepare next week? It will be at your place...I presume?”
Darcy swallowed the bite she was currently chewing, then eyed him. “Do you like spaghetti and meatballs?”
“Love them.”
“Then I’ll make my own special recipe.” She smiled sweetly at him. “And I have an Italian mother, so prepare to lose.”
Holly raised her hand again. “I think I should be invited. After all, you need an unbiased judge.”
Darcy’s eyebrow slid up. “Are you sure you’re unbiased?”
Logan snorted. “If she’s biased, it would be on your behalf, not mine. No, this is between me and you—unless you can’t be honest in your judgement?”
“Of course I can be honest—can you?” Darcy challenged as her cell phone dinged.
“Without a doubt.”
His appreciative eye caressed her mouth as her tongue lapped up a string of cheese that had pulled away from her mouth.
It sent a shiver up her spine. When more dings chimed insistently in her jeans pocket, she finally pulled her phone out and frowned when she saw the text messages from the wife of Mr. Beefy of the infamous Rocking Chair Motel.
These pictures are crap!
Can’t you take a picture that isn’t blurry?
I’m not paying for these.
Get me something I can work with, not far away; otherwise, the deal is off.
And I need them...like...yesterday!
Darcy groaned and texted back. Got interrupted; will get more pics asap.
“Someone must be desperate,” Logan commented, his gaze narrowing. “Everything okay?”
Darcy shot him an irritated scowl. “I need to go to work soon. My employer for the job you so rudely interrupted last night wants better pics. The ones I would have gotten had you not dragged me into that alleyway. And with my car out of commission, I’m going to have to rely on Ubers to get around,” she growled in disgust.
Logan slid a plate filled with chicken cacciatore in front of her, accompanied by an unrepentant grin. “Eat up, and then I’ll take you where you need to go. It’s the least I can do.”
Darcy stared suspiciously. “This may take a while to get the shots I need—stakeouts aren’t fun and games.
And I’m not going to lie and say you won just because you’re trying to be nice,” she finished before taking a big bite of her offering.
She couldn’t help the moan that escaped her lips.
Her eyes flew open at his deep, male chuckle.
He leaned back in his chair, studying her with a lazy grin that did nothing to soften the steel in his gaze.
“Good thing I’m not in this to win by default.
I’ll win fair and square.” His voice dropped, velvety command over steel.
“And don’t kid yourself that I’m just playing nice.
I don’t intend to let you run around that neighborhood alone, hopping in and out of unreliable Ubers without backup.
You’ve got me now, sweetheart—and trust me, it will never be boring with me in the car. ”
Darcy stiffened, her pulse spiking. The smug graduate of The Alpha Academy was back in all his bossy glory.
Half of her wanted to melt—to give in to that arrogant certainty and let him wrap her in the safety he promised.
The other half wanted to tip him backward and watch him land on his oh-so-fine backside.
She opened her mouth, intending to rain down the fires of hell in no uncertain terms as to what he could do with his intentions, when she caught Holly’s wide-eyed stare.
Clamping her lips tight, she sweetened her tone to a saccharine drawl.
“Barking orders like a drill sergeant isn’t going to get you any brownie points, you know.” She shifted her gaze back to his maddeningly confident face, heat sparking while irritation wrestled with desire. “But don’t worry—you’ll get part two later.”
Logan’s lips twitched, his eyes dark with amusement as they flicked between her and Holly. “Guilty as charged—and no apologies for it. I’m protective of those I care about; you might as well get used to it, sweetheart.”
Her stomach fluttered in rebellion and fascination at the same time.
God help her, the man was infuriating—and ridiculously sexy when he laid down the law.
Dropping her head to her plate, she tried to focus on her food instead of the man across from her.
She’d wipe the floor with him later. Still, the comparisons between Conrad and Logan invaded her mind—it was impossible not to line them up side by side.
Both men undeniably wanted to be in charge—yet that was where the similarities ended. Conrad’s rules had been suffocating, designed to serve his own needs and strip her of her independence until she’d nearly lost herself.
Logan’s rules came with choices—and the consequences of sometimes sitting on a sore bottom. And while that was not exactly painless, it was nothing like the psychological chokehold she’d experienced.
Conrad had crushed her spirit, leaving her gasping for air and doubting her sanity.
Logan had left her sitting gingerly last night, but at least she’d been free to gripe, sass, and curse about it every step of the way.
Conrad was consumed with his own ego.
With Logan, it wasn’t about his ego; it was about protection, about her. The difference alone was liberating—and tempting enough to make further research worth considering.
As Holly complained while Logan laid out instructions on what to do while he chauffeured her around, she could feel his concern for his niece.
Granted, the girl hardly needed a babysitter, but it touched her that he was willing to spend his weekend with a teenager.
They weren’t the easiest people on the planet to deal with. God knows she hadn’t been.
Finishing the last drop of Merlot after consuming every bite on her plate, she leaned back with a satisfied sigh. “I got to admit—that was amazing, Logan. But the best is yet to come.”
“Would you like more?” he asked politely, that wicked grin never far from his lips.
She held up her hands and shook her head. “I can’t eat another bite, honest.”
“It was good, Uncle Logan,” Holly admitted, albeit grudgingly. “It would have tasted better without all the instructions. I’ve been taking care of myself while Mom and Dad have been away for a long time now. I’m not a baby, you know.”
Logan raised an eyebrow. “I know that, but they’ve never left you for an entire weekend before. I don’t blame your father for being worried. A pretty girl like you should never be completely alone,” he teased.
Holly snorted, but looked pleased with the compliment. “Ha! Neither of you trusts me, admit it.”
“It’s not you we don’t trust, Holly,” he replied as he stood and gathered their empty plates. “It’s the hormone-driven teenage boys we used to resemble that we don’t trust. Having already lived through those years, we know exactly what they are thinking when they think about girls.”
“That’s because their thinking doesn’t change just because they get a few years on them,” Darcy said, winking at Holly. Then she laughed at the chagrinned look that crossed Logan’s face.
“I will neither confirm nor deny that,” he replied with a shake of his head.
Darcy watched his firm backside as he headed for the kitchen sink, then winked at Holly.
Holly giggled and rolled her eyes. Finally, Darcy stood up and helped clear the table and load the dishwasher, then glanced at her watch.
“Time to get going,” she announced. “I don’t want to miss my opportunity tonight. ”
“I’ll finish up, Uncle Logan,” Holly volunteered. “Thanks for fixing dinner, it was delicious. I think it might be the best chicken cacciatore you’ve ever made.”
“Thanks, brat.” Logan gave her a quick hug. “Be good while I’m gone. And lock the door behind us.”
Holly rolled her eyes again, and it was Darcy’s turn to snicker.
She ignored the warning glance Logan shot her as she strolled towards the front door.
Just the same, Logan waited outside the door until he heard the lock click into place before he placed his hand on Darcy’s back and guided her towards his silver Camaro.
He’s ridiculously protective, she thought, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. Imagine that energy focused on me. Her mind wandered. Would he hover over me the same way? Insist that I lock the door behind him? Or would he let me push a little—see if I could get under that alpha skin of his?
A shiver ran down her spine at the thought. She could practically feel the tension in the air between them, dark and charged, like a storm waiting to break.
Her lips curved into a faint, wicked smile. Research was definitely in order.