Beautifully Forgotten (27 page)

She was smiling up at him, and just like that he wanted her again.

Darcy stayed in bed, claiming she had lost the use of her legs. It was possible. Lucien had had her four times already today and he was itching to get back to her and make it five.

Her words to him—that he wasn’t forgotten—had fucking gotten to him, especially since he knew she spoke the truth. He felt anger claw at him at the idea that someone had deliberately pulled them apart. Josh hadn’t made any headway into the man who had come to see Darcy, but he had called to tell Lucien he had some information on her past. He seemed rather reluctant to discuss it over the phone. Curiosity, as well as guilt, washed over him that he had gone behind Darcy’s back, but what was done was done.

Now wasn’t the time to ponder the unpleasant. He suspected he knew why Trace and Ember were having a party.

Twenty minutes later he stood in the middle of a store that looked like a fairy tale gone horribly wrong. What the hell had possessed him? It wasn’t so much the mini-kitchens and the gigantic cribs, but the mommies pushing around those Hummers for toddlers. If one more stroller nailed him in the back of the leg, he was very likely going to burn the place down.

His happy afterglow was fading quickly and then a rocking horse in the far corner of the store caught his attention. The wood looked to be oak and was the color of honey and real horsehair had been used to create the mane. Ember would love it.

A voice behind him shifted his attention from the chaos all around him. It took a moment for it to register that the leggy blond was a sales associate in the baby section, because she looked more like the star from the Van Halen’s “Hot for Teacher” video: too short a skirt, fuck-me heels, and an oxford unbuttoned in an entirely unteacherly fashion. Who the hell was she trying to impress? And then he noticed a few dads across the room—tired, stressed, and clearly sex-deprived by the way their eyes were fixated on the sales associate’s ass. Who knew that a baby department could be so carnal?

“Can I help you?” Honest to God, she purred at him, the question just laced with a double meaning.

“I’d like this horse.”

“Sure thing. You see anything else that you like?”

The saleswoman was definitely a master of the double entendre, and there was a time that Lucien would have taken the sexy woman up on her offer. He’d have done her up against the wall in the family bathroom, but now he had Darcy. And the thought of her naked and in bed had him in a hurry to get back to her.

“No, just the horse.”

“It’ll only be a moment,” she hissed.

Darcy lay next to Lucien, running her fingers over the muscles of his abs. She had missed this almost more than the sex—the moments after when they just talked about anything and everything. It had always been like that for them, so easy and comfortable.

She’d been thinking more and more about the conversation she’d had with that man that day. He had told her that he’d look out for Lucien, but based on some of the stories she had heard, it didn’t appear he had kept his word. But still, Lucien was a very wealthy man now, so maybe he had. She lifted up on her elbows.

“How did you get so rich?”

“You’re only after my money, I see.” He gave her a wink.

She pushed at him and laughed. “I fell in love with you when you didn’t have a penny to your name.”

Tenderness washed over his face and he leaned in and kissed her. “True.” He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. “Why are you asking?”

“The man who came to me that day promised he’d help you as long as I stayed out of your life. I thought that was just another lie, but you can’t argue with your success. Do you know if maybe he did keep his word? He could have been helping you along the way.”

She saw his anger and couldn’t fault him for it, but maybe the one they were looking for was right under their noses.

“I took any job I could find and saved most of what I made. When I had saved enough, I started investing in not very reputable businesses and before long I owned those businesses. Eventually I started investing in legitimate businesses. It wasn’t easy. I put in my dues and did shit I’m not proud of.” He touched her hair before running his finger along her jaw. “Hindsight being what it is, I’m glad you weren’t there for that. That you weren’t exposed to all that I was.”

She saw the ah-ha moment right before he said, “But . . . yeah, there were a few times I didn’t understand how I got some of the jobs I did. Why someone would trust a kid like me. Someone important behind the scenes could have pulled some strings. That would make sense. Even my juvenile record . . .”

Darcy sat up. “You have a criminal record?”

“Would that surprise you?”

She didn’t even hesitate to answer, which made his heart pound a bit faster in his chest. “Yes, because the boy I knew was no criminal.”

He kissed her cheek. “Well, rest easy, I don’t have a
criminal
record and the few times I was incarcerated, it was only an overnight stay. I was never booked. What about you? Do you have any skeletons in your closet?”

He was joking, but she looked as if she were guilty. What was she hiding from him? He was tempted to pry a confession from her, but he didn’t have the heart. She’d tell him when she was ready.

She met his eyes and pursed her lips thoughtfully. “So who’s the man behind the curtain and what’s his interest in you?”

He’d expected she’d change the subject. Time for something different. He rolled, pinning Darcy under him. “Good question, but I’m so not interested at the moment.”

Her legs came around his waist and she rubbed herself against him. “Me neither.”

A
re you sure you’re up for this?” Trace studied Ember from the doorway of their bedroom while she pulled her hair up into some kind of sexy knot thing. They’d decided to have a dinner party to announce the baby. Knowing she was pregnant, especially after the emotional roller coaster he’d put her through, he didn’t want her pushing it.

Patience dominated the look she gave him. “I’m pregnant, not an invalid.”

“A few weeks ago I put you through hell.”

“Yes, and we’ve moved on.”

“If you get tired, just say something and I will kick everyone out of the apartment.”

She moved to him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and pressed her lips to his. “I’m fine, but I will tell you when I grow tired.”

“Good.” His hands moved down her body to her hips so he could press her closer, then his mouth settled firmly over hers. It was some time before he released her. Her eyes were still closed when she said, “Definitely finishing this conversation later.”

His grin was cocky when she finally opened her eyes. The kiss was hard and quick. “See you out there,” he said.

“’Kay.”

An hour later, Trace asked for everyone’s attention. “We’re pregnant.”

Ember’s father lifted her right up off the floor and spun her around, causing her laughter to fill every corner of the apartment.

“I’m going to be an aunt,” Chelsea yelled as she threw herself into Trace. “Auntie Chelsea.”

“And a fine one you’ll make too, little sister.”

“Thanks for coming with me. When the crowd clears, I’ll take you over and introduce you again to Trace. Ember mentioned that you and she already met,” Lucien said to Darcy.

An odd look crossed over Darcy’s face at his comment, and Lucien raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “I was jealous when I saw her.”

“Of Ember—why?”

“She wasn’t your usual type and the thought that you could be serious about her made me jealous.”

“Ember has only ever had eyes for Trace. But I like knowing that you were jealous.”

The eye roll was classic Darcy. “You’re a clown.”

Trace approached Lucien later while Ember talked with Darcy.

“Thanks for coming, and for the rocking horse. Ember actually cried when she saw it. Of course she cries at the drop of a hat these days. Just yesterday she broke down while watching a coffee commercial.”

Lucien laughed. “Congratulations. You must be excited and terrified all at once.”

“I am thrilled, but I don’t know if I’m cut out for fatherhood.” The tone of Trace’s voice revealed more than his actual words.

Lucien put his hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“I’ve known you a long time, and I can say without question that you are going to make an excellent father. Look at how you care for Chelsea and Seth. You are not your father, Trace.”

“That’s what Ember keeps saying.”

“Listen to her. She knows what she’s talking about.”

Trace’s gaze moved to Ember just as Lucien’s moved to Darcy. “Darcy’s your Caterpillar, isn’t she?”

Even though the three of them had been at St. Agnes together, Trace and Darcy had never really gotten to know each other. It was years after St. Agnes that Lucien had gotten so drunk he started babbling on about Darcy. He hadn’t been drunk enough, unfortunately, because he remembered his lovesick stupor and so did Trace. “You remember that?”

“Yeah. So what happened?”

“She applied for a job at Allegro and one thing led to another. Now is not the time, but later I’d like to talk with you about Heidi.”

“Why the hell do you want to talk about her?”

“She played a part in what happened between Darcy and me. She knows more than she’s saying.”

Something dark moved across Trace’s face. “Heidi is a scheming bitch, so I can believe just about anything when it comes to her. If she saw an opportunity, she absolutely would take it. I’m guessing since Darcy is here with you that you’ve worked it out.”

“We’re working on it.”

Trace slapped his friend on the back. “I’m happy for you. I always had the sense that she meant to you what Ember has come to mean to me.”

Lucien didn’t even hesitate in his reply. “She does.”

Later Josh approached Lucien. “Can we talk?”

“Sure.”

They stepped into the office, which was empty, before Josh turned to Lucien. “The timing sucks, but you’re here and this assignment is not sitting right with me.” He looked down for a minute. “I looked into Darcy like you asked, but you’re with her now so I think it would be best if you just talked with her.”

Lucien was about to agree, but there was something in Josh’s tone that made him pause.