The driver waved his hand in the air. “That’s okay. Ms. Ruby pays me well enough.”
When they got into the house, Colin took her wrap and laid it over a chair, then pulled her into his arms. “You’ve been quiet since we left the castle. Is everything all right? I had to tell Jamison just a little bit about you.”
Darby looked up at him. “No, that’s not it. I just can’t stop thinking about what it’s going to be like when you’re gone,” she said. “I’ve gotten used to having you around.”
“I’ve gotten used to being here. I kind of like it here,” he said, looking down at her.
She could feel her chest getting tight, and tears forming in her eyes, but didn’t want to ruin what time they had left with tears. “I’m sorry, Colin, I shouldn’t have brought it up,” she said, looking down and taking a few deep breaths. “Let’s just pretend I never said anything.”
Chapter Eighteen
***Colin***
Colin reached down and tipped Darby’s chin up so she was looking at him, a wave of emotion almost stealing the words he wanted to say. “Darby, don’t ever hide your feelings from me,” he said. “Destiny seems to think that we belong together, and I’m beginning to believe that myself. I’m falling in love with you, Darby, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to walk away from you.”
“But, Colin, the crown,” she said, then shook her head. “I won’t let you do what you’re thinking about. The people need you; you’ve seen that.”
“They need the man I am when I’m with you,” he said. “We’ll figure it out, Darby; it’s time Ballentine changed, and maybe that’s a good place to start.”
“It won’t work, Colin. I won’t fit in,” she protested.
“Then we’ll live here; it doesn’t matter to me,” he said. “I just want us to be together.”
“I’m scared to even hope for something like that,” Darby said, pulling away from him. “It’s too dangerous. My heart is already going to be broken when you leave.”
He watched her walk down the hallway to the bedroom, desperate to make her understand that he meant what he said. Striding down the hallway after her, he asked, “Will you answer one question for me?”
She stopped and turned around, her eyes full of tears, sighed, and nodded her head.
“Do you love me?” he asked, knowing that it was a low blow but desperate to get through to her.
The tears in her eyes spilled over, and he wanted to sweep her into his arms, but he stayed frozen in place, watching the emotions play across her face. She took a deep breath, opened her mouth, then closed it again, her bottom lip trembling, and he wished he’d never asked.
Then he saw anger blossom in her eyes, and he knew that it was okay. “Yes, I love you. How could I not? Are you happy now that I’ve said it?” she asked, her voice hard. “But now that it’s out in the open, you might as well know that when you leave, my life will never be the same. I’ll never feel complete again. A part of me will leave with you, and I know I’ll never get that part of me back.”
He couldn’t stop the huge grin that spread across his face; he’d known the answer to his question, but hearing Darby say the words made his heart soar with joy. The kind of joy he’d never experienced before in his life and his head became a little fuzzy as the reality of what they shared descended on him.
“Since I love you too, I think we’d better get a few things cleared up,” Colin said, closing the distance between them but not touching her. “I’m not leaving you: not tonight, not tomorrow, not ever. I can rule Ballentine from here just as well as I can from the castle. If the people want me, they’ll come to wherever I am. I’m going to clean up this town, and while I’m doing that, we’re going to raise pigs and chickens, and maybe a few babies.”
Darby’s face was white as a sheet; for a moment he thought she was going to faint, but then the color began to come back, and two spots of pink appeared on her cheeks. “Did you say babies?” she asked, her eyes wide.
“As many as you want,” he said. “The girls will look like you and the boys will look like me.”
Tears began to fall down Darby’s cheeks. “Okay,” she said.
“Okay, what?” he asked.
“To all of that,” she said, a huge smile spreading across her face.
Colin opened his arms to her, and she flew into them. “Then let’s get started on our lives together,” he said, looking down and wiggling his eyebrows at her. “I’ve been wondering all night what’s under that dress.”
Darby giggled, and her face turned scarlet. “I think I might have just gotten my answer, but I’d better check just to see for myself,” he said, lifting her into his arms and carrying her into the bedroom.
He set her on her feet, but before he could reach for the zipper on her dress, she stopped him. “You first,” she said, unbuttoning the top button of his shirt.
Darby worked each button slowly until his shirt fell open, then ran her hands over his muscular chest, purring softly in her throat. Desire flared to life deep inside him, stealing his breath and making his heart pound with anticipation as she slid his shirt off his shoulders and to the floor. She reached for the button on his pants and he sucked in a deep breath, then let it out slowly as she lowered his pants and nudged him to step out of them.
Standing before her naked as she let her eyes roam over him, he felt himself stiffen when her eyes filled with desire, and the little vein in her neck began to pound. He reached for her then, desperate to feel her body against his, but she stepped back and shook her head. He dropped his hands to his sides, mesmerized as she turned her back and slowly slid the zipper of her dress down, then let it fall to the floor.
The moonlight streaming in through the window illuminated the curves of her body, her shoulder, her hips, and his hunger for her grew. His body throbbing, he waited for her to turn, for the moonlight to show him the treasure that belonged only to him. She reached up and pulled the pins from her hair then let it cascade down her shoulders. He groaned deep in his throat, imagining running his hands through the silken mass.
“If you’re trying to seduce me, I’m way past that point,” he said, his voice husky with desire. “I want you so much right now it hurts.”
Darby let out a sultry laugh and turned to face him, her body illuminated in the moonlight was more than he could take. Closing the distance between them in only a few strides, he wrapped his arms around her and slammed his mouth down on hers.
***Darby***
Darby had been playing a dangerous game, and she’d known it, but she’d never dreamed that Colin would react the way he was. His kiss was rough and demanding, leaving no room to doubt how deeply he wanted her, and it made her feel powerful for the first time in her life. Heady with the feeling and Colin’s kisses, she suddenly felt brave, felt the power she held over the man she loved.
Sliding her hands down his back and between them, she took his swollen manhood in her hands and began to stoke him. Rewarded with a gasp and a deep growl from Colin, she continued to stroke him, then letting instinct take over, she sank to her knees in front of him. Then only hesitated a second before taking him into her mouth until she could feel the throbbing tip of his penis at the back of her throat.