back and forth for the next several hours, waiting for Darren. I had no fucking clue
how long it would take or if I would even get to see him today.
“Miss Jaden, I don’t know when Mr. Davis will be available to see you. Perhaps,
you can find something better to do with your time besides pacing back and forth.”
“Shut up, Hank,” I said, chewing on my knuckles as I ignored him, continuing
my pacing anyway.
He scoffed and sat back in his chair, obviously more comfortable than I was.
Finally, after another hour of pacing, the door opened and in strolled Darren. My
heart skipped a beat as I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost midnight.
Darren eyed me for a moment before he addressed my guards.
“Out,” he said to them, and they immediately took their leave. Darren shut the
door behind them before turning to me. I felt oddly on display while his eyes
traveled up and down my body. I was still wearing the same dress and sandals,
makeup and hair done even though I should probably have been in bed by now.
“I understand you wanted to see me,” he said, a frown line on his face as he took
a few steps toward me.
I cleared my throat and squared my shoulders. “Yes, I did.”
He looked at me expectedly, waiting for me to go on. I blew a piece of stray hair
out of my face and continued.
“First, I wanted to thank you for Thanksgiving dinner. That was thoughtful of
you, and I’m grateful that you allowed Holly to be a part of it.”
Darren nodded, knowing full well the second reason he was here was much
better than the first. “You’re welcome,” he said, his eyes narrowing in on me.
“And I also wanted to let you know,” I began again, my heart suddenly beating
out of control. “That … I think I’m ready to leave the island.” There, I said it.
Darren’s head turned to the side a bit as he raised his brow, regarding me
carefully. The intensity of his eyes had my nerves quaking and my body heating up.
“You think?” he asked, his arms crossing over his chest.
“I am,” I said more confidently.
“Are you sure?” he asked, all too cocky. Fuck, he was so close now; I could feel
the heat radiating from his body.
“Yes,” I said, almost glaring back at him to compete with the intensity of his
gaze.
With one final step, Darren closed the distance between us and slowly brought
his hand to caress my cheek. He gently tucked my hair behind my ear before sliding
his index finger under my chin to lift my face up.
“You know what happens when we go back home.” It wasn’t necessarily a
question, though I didn’t really want him to reveal the answer. But the look in his
eyes was all the answer I needed because I immediately recognized that look
—hunger.
“I have a pretty good idea,” I breathed, my heart pounding so loud I swore he
could hear it.
With a slow torturous pace, Darren gently eased his face down to mine, his lips
barely grazing over my own while his warm minty breath tickled my skin.
“I guarantee … it pales in comparison.” And then his mouth was on mine.
The moment our lips connected, it was like gasoline on fire. I wrapped my arms
around his neck while his clung to my hips, pulling me closer to his massive body.
Darren’s tongue dove into my mouth, entangling with mine and eliciting a quiet
moan from my mouth. God, for someone so awful, he tasted so fucking good.
A few short moments later, Darren lifted me up, allowing my legs to wrap
around his hips while his hands supported my ass, squeezing and teasing. Our
mouths still interlocked in an aggressive, desperate kiss, Darren carried me over to
my bed, nearly slamming me down in a hurry. Liquid heat pooled in my core as his
hands traced down my arms, setting my skin on fire.
“I like this dress,” he said, finally breaking our kiss, his voice strained with lust.
“But I like it better on the floor.” And then he ripped the damn thing off me. For
like, the millionth time.
“Hey!” I shouted as I watched the poor garment tossed to the floor in shreds. “I
actually kind of liked that one.”
Darren just gave me his sexy shark-like grin, and his snarkiness only aggravated
me more. So I grabbed his short and forced it open, tearing it slightly and causing
the buttons to fly off.
“You’re not the only one who can rip clothing,” I sneered back.
Darren’s mouth lifted in a knowing smile. “That was a four hundred dollar
shirt,” he drawled as his lips moved closer to my mouth.
“Buy another one,” I said and grabbed his tie to yank him down to my mouth,
which he eagerly obliged.
Clutching his tie tightly in my fist, I kissed him with as much force as I could,
wanting him to know that I was there and unafraid. He kneeled over my body; both
hands on the bed on either side of me to
