Page 57 of More than a Memory
“It was a pleasure to meet you, I wish you all the best,” she said in parting.
“The honor was all mine. You are one fireball, Ms. Morgan,” he said with admiration.
“Back atcha!” she said over her shoulder, briskly walking away to board her plane.
26
When Darcy arrived home, the first thing she did after settling in was to call Mitch to set up a time to meet and go over things. She had called from Josiah’s the night before, just to let them know that Liam was alive and well, and that she would fill them in when she returned.
They agreed to meet in a neighboring town in the mall food court the following day at noon. Darcy felt like the danger to them was probably over. It was her guess that Mitch was only threatened so that he would back off his search for Liam. They wanted to be the ones to find him first. There probably never had been a threat against Gina in the first place.
She also suggested that it might be prudent for Gina to call Conrad to feel things out. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, as the old saying went. She could still keep her distance, but she needed to pull out all of her acting skills and see what she could glean from having a conversation with him.
* * *
That night, Darcy was cooking dinner at her place for Sam, and she had a romantic scene all played out in her head. The anticipation was killing her. As she perused the vegetable aisle, her phone rang and it was him. Her heart skipped a beat or two as she heard his voice on the other end.
“Hey, Shamrock.”
“Hey back,” she responded, voice husky with emotion.
“You have no idea how much I’m looking forward to holding you in my arms again. I may never let you go,” he threatened.
“I wouldn’t complain,” she retorted.
“Is there anything I can bring?”
“Nope, I’m shopping as we speak. Any requests?”
“None that you will find on a grocery store shelf,” he said, voice low and sexy.
“We’re doing it again, the phone sex thing.” She laughed out loud, feeling joy in her heart.
“Yes, and it’s a very poor substitute for the real thing,” he complained.
“I’ll make it up to you tonight,” she promised.
“I’m counting on that. I feel like I haven’t laid eyes on you for months,” he said softly.
“Same here, I’ll see you around six o’clock then?”
“Yes ma’am, see ya then,” he said, signing off.
* * *
Darcy had wine chilling and candles flickering, along with relaxing jazz streaming through her Bluetooth speakers when Sam arrived. Her three watchdogs had heard Sam’s car pull up long before the knock at her door. He entered to the commotion of their exuberant welcome and made sure to greet each one before turning to grab Darcy and pull her to his chest.
“Oh my God, I have missed the smell of you. Next time you leave, I’m going to take your pillowcase and sleep with it,” he joked as he inhaled the scent of her.
“Shut up and kiss me,” she demanded.
Leaning down, he pressed his lips against hers, gently at first, but when she groaned against him, he lost all control and began to ravish her mouth. Tongue thrusting against tongue, mouths wide open as they sensuously explored each other, both were left panting and wanting as they broke of the kiss.
“Dinner is just about ready, and I don’t want it to burn,” she said breathlessly. “I actually made eggplant parmesan, from scratch, using a recipe from my Bon Appétit magazine,” she said proudly.
“Smells as delicious, as you do,” he said, giving her one last peck on the lips as he released her.
“Why don’t you just have a seat at the counter while I put the finishing touches on our meal,” she said, “but only after you open this bottle of chardonnay.”