Page 34 of Protected
He laughed and pulled her to him. “I said I was taking you home. Not that you’re coming home with me.”
He looked at Samuel. “You’ll make sure everyone else gets home safe?”
Samuel gave him a thumbs up. Darci leaned down and kissed his cheek. “Thanks for the dance. It was nice meeting you.”
Samuel smiled and squeezed her hand. “The pleasure was mine, Miss Darci. I hope we meet again soon.”
Outside, Bradley spoke to the man at the door and a few minutes later a black town car appeared and the driver hopped out and opened the back door.
Darci slid in and waited for Bradley to get in next to her.
She was tipsy and hoping for another kiss, but was still determined not to let him take her home. Boundaries were important to her even when she’d been drinking.
“Are you ready to set this silly notion that we can’t be together aside?” he asked in the darkened cab of the car as the driver pulled away.
She gave him a little shrug and smiled. “Maybe. But that doesn’t mean I’m willing to make it easy for you, either.”
Street lights gave her glimpses of his face and she could see his brows knit together. “What does that mean?”
“I want you to pursue me.”
“So you want to date like vanilla people?”
She laughed. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
Bradley’s fingers danced on her neck and shoulder as he looked down at her. “I don’t know. Like I said on the dance floor, baby. I’ve been inside you. I’ve had you on your knees for me. It’s kind of hard to imagine having you any other way.”
“Well, this is what I’m offering. I want to be wooed. I still have misgivings about dating you because of your job, and not just because I don’t like your boss. Despite that, I would hate to be a detriment to your career, and I could see that happening.” He opened his mouth, but she put a finger against his lips. “But I’m willing to put those aside and give you a chance if you think you can sweep me off my feet.”
He shook his head. “You’re drunk, so I’m not taking your word just yet, but I’ll do my best. Where do I start?”
She smacked his arm. “I’m not that drunk. And you start by sticking to your word that you’re not trying to sleep with me tonight. You drop me off at home and I’ll call you after work tomorrow about dinner.”
He cupped her face, caressing her jaw. “I can do that. But I’m definitely kissing you before I drop you off.”
Her pulse sped up as his hand moved from her jaw to the back of her neck and into her hair. “I was hoping you would say that,” she whispered.
His mouth closed over hers and she let everything else fall away, focusing only on the way his lips felt on hers.
13
DARCI smiled to herself as she made her way to the elevator. Between the alcohol and the mind-blowing kiss, she wasn’t sure how she was still standing upright. But she made it into the elevator without so much as a stumble. She was proud of herself for sticking to her boundaries even though she really wanted him to come upstairs. Pressing the button for the fifth floor, she leaned against the elevator wall. The memory of his hands on her face and in her hair as he explored her mouth with his tongue and nipped at her bottom lip with his teeth made her sigh. She shook off the moment as the elevator doors slid open on her floor.
At her apartment, she pulled out her keys and unlocked the door. As she pushed it open, light filtered out of her home office into the living room.Odd,she was a stickler about shutting off the lights. Flipping the switch in the entry, she stepped farther into the apartment. She froze mid-step and her keys and purse crashed to the floor. Someone had ransacked the living room. Suddenly, she wasn’t feeling so intoxicated.
Glass from broken picture frames was everywhere. They tore apart the couch, and a bookshelf lay on its side. Fear paralyzed her for a moment as she surveyed the damage. Was the intruder still here? The thought jerked her into motion. She picked up her keys and purse and backed out of the apartment. Not wanting to wait for the elevator she bolted toward the stairs. She pulled out her phone as she reached the stairwell door and dialed a number.
“I thought you said you wouldn’t call me until after work tomorrow.” Bradley’s voice was full of humor.
“Someone has been in my apartment,” Darci blurted into the phone.
“What? Are you still inside? Darci, get out of there!” he shouted. There was no humor in his voice now. She heard him tell the driver to turn around.
“Bradley, no. You don’t have to come back. I'm heading downstairs now.”
“Call the police.” His voice was clipped.
“I will. I don't know why I dialed you first without thinking.”
