Beautifully Forgotten (6 page)

On her first day of work, Darcy took an extra hour getting ready. Silly, probably, but the last time she’d seen Lucien, aside from her disastrous display from the other day, she’d been sixteen and a bit awkward in her own skin. It was vanity, yes, but she wanted him to see her looking her best.

She showered, moisturized, plucked, tweezed, applied enough makeup to enhance, but not distract, and pulled her black hair up into a twist. She then stood for a half an hour in just her bra and panties, looking in her closet.

She settled on her formfitting but conservative black wrap dress. She slipped on her pumps before grabbing her purse and bag. The day had gotten hot by the time she stepped out of her apartment building and started walking toward the corner.

He had looked incredible. The few minutes she’d seen him, it was clear that he was even more beautiful than he had been as a kid, but there was a hardness about his features that he hadn’t had at seventeen: the slant of his brow, the line between his eyes, the down tilt of his mouth, and the coldness in those eyes that were still as beautiful. She remembered when those eyes had looked at her with passion, desire, even love. It was her own fault that they no longer did. Even with the passing of time, her regret was just as great now as it had been then.

She hailed a cab because it was just too hot and she didn’t want to deal with the subway. After the cab dropped her off, she stood at the doors of the bar for a minute, catching her breath. Allegro looked sort of sad in the daylight. It wasn’t a remarkable building: simple brick with a portico for cabs to pull up out of the elements, and glass doors with the name etched into them. Inside was just as bleak during the day, looking almost like a fighter who binds up his wounds so he can fight another day. Melancholy . . . she was feeling entirely too melancholy.

She didn’t want this meeting to go as calamitously as the last. Whatever he thought of her, he’d hired her, so maybe he wasn’t holding a grudge. Maybe he really had put what was between them in the past and it was only she who was still harboring feelings about what they shared.

She pulled her shoulders back and lifted her chin, but butterflies were going berserk in her belly. The hall to the office was dark, so she searched for the switch and turned on the lights. By the time she was halfway down the hallway, she knew that he wasn’t in yet. She was grateful for that; she could get herself settled and then be calmer when he did arrive to show her the ropes.

Twenty minutes later, she heard footsteps down the hall, and her stomach squeezed with nerves as she stood to greet Lucien. But it wasn’t him. Instead it was the woman from the other day, Tara.

“Hi. You’re Darcy, right?”

“Yes.”

“Sorry, I must have been in the back when you arrived. I’m Tara. Lucien asked me to give you the quick rundown. Your desk is that one.” She pointed to the receptionist’s desk that sat in a small alcove. “There are files on the desk that will bring you up to speed. If you have any questions, I’ll be setting up in the bar area.”

Darcy was confused as to why Lucien wasn’t here doing the introduction himself. He was the boss.

“Is Lucien coming in later, then?”

Tara had already started down the hall, and she answered from over her shoulder.

“No, he took the day off.”

That shouldn’t have hurt, but it did. Darcy walked to her desk and settled in before pulling open a file. It was Lucien’s calendar. The other file was a supply list for the office and contact numbers for the printer and computer guys. Darcy immediately buried herself in work. Three hours later, she had the office completely organized, files alphabetized, supplies that were running low re-ordered, and she’d even cleaned the place.

At five she shut down her computer, but instead of leaving, she decided on a drink. She settled at the bar and Tara slid a napkin in front of her.

“How was the first day?”

“Good. I got a lot done.”

“What can I get you?”

“Glass of pinot grigio, please.”

Darcy watched as Tara poured the wine before placing the glass in front of her.

“On the house. Welcome to the team, Darcy.”

The burning behind her eyes surprised her and she said, “Thank you, Tara.”

Later that night, Darcy returned home, dropped her keys on her table, kicked off her shoes, and went in search of another glass of wine. All in all, it could have been a worse first day. The job was interesting, even more so because she got an insight into what Lucien had accomplished since she’d last seen him.

She poured the ruby-red wine into a glass and took a long sip as she pondered Lucien’s absence. Was it intentional? Probably, but then she had been expecting some kind of retaliation from him. She had it coming. She had the sense that he was testing her, but she was made of stronger stuff than she used to be. She would stick with it if for no other reason than to remind him that she could. She had before, had been there to offer him the comfort he had needed so desperately.

Fourteen years earlier . . .

He had walked the length of the garden countless times with his head down and his shoulders slumped, and she knew he was hurting. A part of him was gone. It wasn’t even a conscious thought that made her go to him. When she reached him, she took his hand into hers. His head lifted to show his teal eyes filled with tears.

She couldn’t take the pain away, but she could show him that he wasn’t alone, that he was still loved. He didn’t argue when she led him back inside and up the stairs to the one place they were sure to have privacy. He stood silently at the door of the attic while she spread the blankets on the floor, watched her as she pulled her hair down. His eyes fixed on hers when she bridged the distance between them and pressed her mouth to his. They’d kissed countless times, but this kiss was different. He didn’t move at first, frozen as if he wasn’t sure she was real, and then his arms wrapped around her and pulled her so close. She framed his face and kissed him again, her tongue touching the corner of his mouth before running slowly along the seam of his lips. His hand cradled the back of her head and his mouth opened so his tongue could touch hers. Desire shot down to her toes. His skin was so warm as her hands moved over the muscles of his back, trailing down the deep groove of his spine and following the curve of his ass.

She took a step back from him and reached for her shirt; his eyes were hungry as he watched her lift it up over her head. His gaze moved over her possessively before his eyes returned to hers and, knowing what she was offering, he reached for the back of his shirt and pulled it forward over his head. He stepped to her, his fingers running down along her arms, across her collarbone, down between her breasts. His fingers flipped the clasp on her bra and his hands moved the silk, exposing her to his hot gaze. He touched her, his fingers brushing over her taut nipple before following the curve of her breast. He palmed her breasts and gently squeezed before he lowered his head and touched his tongue to her nipple. Moisture wet her panties as a throbbing started between her legs, and then he pulled her breast into his mouth and a sound of pure pleasure rumbled low in her throat and she moved her hands to his head to hold him there. He teased and sucked on her, taking turns with each breast, before he kissed down her belly until he was kneeling in front of her. He looked up as if he was asking for permission before he unbuttoned her jeans and moved them down her legs. A light touch on her hips made goose bumps rise on her skin as her panties followed her jeans. As soon as she stepped out of them, he looked up at her with fire in his eyes.

“Spread your legs for me.”

Nerves, lust, and love made her feel edgy, so she braced herself on his bare shoulders and did as he asked.

He was gentle; his finger moved through the curls between her legs, opening her and finding her aching pulse. He ran his finger over her, back and forth, his eyes hungry again, and then he leaned into her and touched her with his tongue. Her knees gave out, but his arms were strong as he gently lowered her to the floor in front of him, spreading her legs wide, and touched her again. He watched her face as he moved his finger over the nub, her hips moving in time to his stroking. When he lowered his head, she held her breath, and then his mouth replaced his fingers. He licked her, teasing before moving through her folds to her center. She wasn’t prepared for his tongue to push into her and she cried out while her hips lifted and her thighs tightened to hold him there.

She thought she was going to splinter apart from all the emotions that were coursing through her. And then he stopped and stood, and she was fascinated by the large bulge between his legs. Fascination turned into a touch of fear when he pulled his jeans off and she saw him thick and hard. He settled between her legs, his mouth covering hers as he kissed her almost reverently. He moved to her ear, his tongue tracing the curve of her lobe, dipping in and causing chills, before moving lower and taking her breast into his mouth again. She felt him, right where his tongue had been; he moved, rubbing himself against her until she almost begged. His head lifted and his eyes stayed on hers as he slowly pushed into her. She tensed at the intrusion, her body almost rejecting him, and then she felt a sharp pain, but he continued to move until he was fully inside her. Her legs were shaking, her heart pounding, but he held himself very still so she could adjust to him. And then his mouth found her breast and suddenly she wanted to feel him move, wanted him to push harder and deeper. She lifted her hips, and that was all he needed as he slowly moved in and out with his hips. Feeling him between her legs, moving with such care, made her ache again until she was nearly mindless with the need to reach whatever it was they were working toward. Her arms wrapped around his neck, her mouth sought his, and she kissed him hungrily. He moved faster, reached deeper, and for a moment she thought she was on some precipice as her stomach tightened and her entire body seemed to freeze—and then she shattered, the force of the orgasm ripping a scream from her throat.

He continued to move, prolonging the exquisite sensation, and then he tensed as his body spasmed his own release. He dropped down, cradled in her body, and pressed a kiss on her shoulder.

They fell asleep just like that.

Darcy sat at her desk at work the next morning, the memory from last night still haunting her. She actually didn’t mind the memory; there was comfort in remembering what had been between them, but she could do without the constant state of arousal she found herself in. Maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea reconnecting with Lucien, because being turned on by a ghost was both twisted and pathetic. Of course, she jumped into this with both feet, so unless she wanted to be a loser on top of being pathetic and bail after only one day, she was going to need to suck it up.

She heard him before she saw him, and her body ached as if on command. He was walking down the hallway, talking on his phone. Sadly, it wasn’t just her body that longed for him as her heart skipped a beat. He looked up and those eyes landed on her and she felt her heart drop into her stomach.