“On whether or not you’d show. High school doesn’t exactly have good memories for you.”
He’d played the star role in those bad memories. For years she’d carried a crush for him, had dreamed of him noticing her, and when he had his attention had merely been to get back at Mandy.
“High school was a long time ago.” Just look how much smarter she was these days. Then again, considering who her heart pitter-pattered for these days, maybe she wasn’t nearly as smart as she’d like to think. “Besides—” she forced a smile to her face “—the reunion was an excuse to bring Blake home to meet my parents.”
His eyes momentarily darkening, Trey’s grin kicked up a notch. “You could invite me to visit with your folks sometime. It’s been a while since I’ve seen them. Your Mom still the best cook in town?”
“Yes, she is—and perhaps you’ve forgotten, but the last time I invited you it didn’t go so well.”
“I was young.” He laughed, as if his explanation made everything okay. He reached out, cupped her jaw, and stared down at her. “If I’d been half as smart as you were, I’d have held on to you.”
“Obviously you weren’t that smart—but I am.” Blake took Darby’s hand. Unmindful of how close Trey stood, he pulled her to him, knocking the other man’s arm away with the force of his tug.
Darby blinked at the menacing way Blake glared at Trey, at the possessiveness in his dark eyes when they shifted to her.
It took her a moment to recall he was just playing a role, that he was fulfilling his “crazy about her” part. That he wasn’t really jealous.
With that, Blake’s head lowered, his mouth brushing over hers in what could only be called a staking-his-claim kiss.
His kiss wasn’t gentle, wasn’t a caress.
His kiss was a branding of his mouth against hers—a kiss meant to say she belonged to him and none other.
Darby’s heart pitter-pattered.
&nbs
p; No, that wasn’t a pitter-patter. That wild beat was a thunderstorm, a horrendous onslaught on her senses, complete with lightning and thunder and raindrops that pierced her soul.
She let her fingers thread into his hair, tangle in the silky locks, pulling him closer, loving the solid strength of his body against hers. Her mouth opened and his tongue thrust inside, imprinting her with his kiss, stamping her as belonging to him.
Dear sweet heaven, she’d never been kissed so thoroughly and completely and all-consumingly. Blake kissed her as if she really was his, as if he really was ticked that another man had been making moves on her. As if he’d fight to keep her at his side. He was kissing her as if he wanted her, loved her.
The way she’d dreamed of being kissed by him.
Only he was faking.
She knew it, and so did he.
That knowledge gave her the power to pull away, the power to smile at Trey and give Blake an annoyed look.
“Blake, please, we’re at a family picnic.” Unsteady, she placed her palm against his chest, surprised to find his heart doing a rapid pitter-patter of its own. Still, she pushed against him, trying to establish space between their bodies.
His gaze narrowed, his thumb raked across his lips, removing the last trace of her lipstick. His eyes never left hers, never lost their steely possessiveness, never lost the dark swirls of desire that looked so real they took her breath away.
“Let’s ditch the picnic and go back to the hotel, Darby.”
“Just for the record,” Trey drawled, leaning against the tree and watching them, “I’m a lot smarter these days.”
Darby’s gaze cut to him. She hadn’t even remembered he was there. She blinked, sure she must still be asleep and having some weird dream.
Maybe when she woke up she wouldn’t want to take up Blake’s pretend offer to head back to the hotel. Because at this moment she wanted to. For real.
If she believed he was sincere, they’d be out of there.
Having followed Blake, Mandy stepped up beside them. “Good for you, Darby. I’m glad you’ve met such a great guy and won’t die a virgin, after all.”
Heat burning her cheeks, Darby rolled her eyes, sure Mandy meant the words as some type of dig, knowing Mandy had meant her to be embarrassed in front of Blake.