Stepping out, she went in search of the puppies, finding them by the pool again with Manuel down on the patio playing with them.
“Hi,” she said, bending down as well.
“Good, I need to help get dinner ready.” He stood up and started to walk away, but stopped. “Are you okay?” he asked, knowing he was breaching several house rules but he considered this slender, sweet woman a friend now.
Darcy glanced up, not realizing that she had tears in her eyes. “Oh, yes, I’m fine. Just tired,” she said, sighing slightly as she pulled the momma dog closer, scratching her ears.
Manuel hesitated, but in the end, he nodded and walked away.
Darcy was throwing a ball for the momma dog, impressed when she retrieved it each time and happily brought it back to her no matter where it ended up, eagerly wagging her tail for another adventure each time she retrieved the ball.
As Darcy reached back for another toss, she saw Sergei coming out of the house. And he didn’t look happy. In fact, his face seemed to be furious for some reason.
“Who the hell is Fred and why would he be lonely without you?” Sergei demanded when he reached her, his hands on his hips as he glared down at her.
He reached forward, about to point at her, “Darcy, whoever this guy is…” he started to say but he stopped.
Darcy reacted out of habit, her stomach clenching as she put her hands up as if he were going to hit her, she cringed and Sergei cursed under his breath. “Has one of your boyfriends hit you?” he asked with fury coming through his eyes. “Is that what happened? Were you afraid I was getting too violent?”
She pulled her arms out of his grasp and stepped back. “No. None of my boyfriends ever hit me,” she countered but couldn’t look at him. No man other than her father had ever slapped her or touched her in a violent way but that didn’t mean she could wipe out the memory of his tirades from her mind. “I really need to leave,” she said and ran off the patio, her fingers shaking as she opened the door to the house.
She didn’t stop until she was back in her room, trembling as she sagged to the floor with her back against the door. She hated the tears that fell from her eyes and she curled up on her bed, trying hard to stop the shaking and tears, put the past few moments into perspective.
Sergei would never hit her. She’d over-reacted this time and she’d given him yet another clue to her past. A clue that might give him too much information, might get him closer to finding her father and confronting him. That would be catastrophic, and she couldn’t allow that to happen. She’d have to pull back and not give him any additional clues.
She had to keep him safe.
Chapter 12
Sergei watched the woman run away and his body ached to catch her. But something about her terror gave him pause. Something that didn’t make sense.
A bark at his feet caused him to look down and he cursed again. Flipping his phone open, he called his secretary. “Alice, can you make sure some dog food is put on the afternoon boat?” A whine at his feet had him glancing down once more. “And puppy food, I suppose,” he sighed with exasperation as he flipped the phone closed again.
With a disgusted sigh, he turned and headed for the house. But as soon as he took the first step, the mangy dog as well as her four puppies stepped right along with him. Looking down, he rolled his eyes. “Stay,” he commanded and took another step. The dog stayed. The puppies tripped over themselves in their effort to follow him happily.
Sergei knew he could out walk the little guys since their legs were only about two inches long. But as he walked along, a whimper came across the stone patio and he stopped, looking back. There sat the saddest dog Sergei had ever seen, watching as her little puppies followed him while she sat, obediently staying exactly where he’d told her to stay.
With a deep sigh, he whistled to the dog, who immediately bounded up, wagging her tail happily as she raced over to him and her brood. As soon as she reached them, she bent down and sniffed each one, then looked up at him with utter bliss, panting with her delight. “Come on,” he replied, refusing to pander to the dog.
He walked into the house and flipped his phone open once more. When his secretary answered, he said, “Add flea powder and dog shampoo to the list.”
He led the pack down the hallway and knocked on Darcy’s door. When there was no answer, he opened the door slightly but something was blocking the entry way. Poking his head around, he looked down at the floor and saw her, fast asleep with her head on her arms.
He stepped into the room, disturbing her as little as possible but even the door pushing her inward didn’t rouse her. He bent down, considering his options. He could leave her here on the floor, but something inside of him rebelled at that idea. She might look comfortable now, but she’d be a pack of aches once she woke up.
So instead, he did the gentlemanly thing for the first time in his life. Lifting her up, he carried her over to her bed and laid her down. He even pulled the soft, cotton blanket from the end of the bed over her legs, staring as she curled up with the new comfort. As she sighed happily in her sleep, his eyes noticed the streaks where tears had raced down her cheeks and something tightened inside of him. Why would she be crying? He hadn’t hit her, nor had he even come close.
That mystery reared its ugly head once more and he gritted his teeth against the curiosity that was starting to take over where this little woman was concerned.
Turning his back on her, he walked quickly out of the room, leaving the dogs to sniff around and find their amusements with their newest mistress.
Darcy stretched and yawned, feeling significantly better. Looking around, her mind re-oriented with her surroundings and she flopped back against the pillows. She was still here, it hadn’t been a nightmare, and she had really gone and ravenously made love to a man she barely knew, not to mention the very same man who thought she was having an affair with his sister’s fiancé and therefore needed to be kept out of the picture, besides the fact that she was madly in love with him.
What a mess!
There was nothing to it but put a brave face on things. Pretend it didn’t happen, she told herself. Sitting up, she was immediately attacked by a pack of wiggly little bodies and Darcy spent the next fifteen minutes happily playing with the little guys who had somehow managed to climb up on her bed. The momma sat next to her as well, gently staring at the activities but not participating.