The kiss deepened and her mouth opened for his. Michael’s tongue instantly entered and started the mating ritual, throwing Darcy into confusion, her body arching upwards to feel more of him, wanting to touch him and let these sensations wash over her.
He heard the jeep in the distance but denied the reality the sound demanded. It wasn’t until Michael heard his friend’s chuckling that he knew he would have to stop kissing Darcy and that fact made him want to stand up and punch Jim out of pure frustration.
He finally tore his mouth away from her sweet lips and looked down at her, liking the way her eyes were still misty with the desire he knew she was feeling.
“Shut up, Jim,” Michael said as he stood up and reached down to offer a hand to Darcy.
That just made Jim laughed harder and Michael turned so Darcy couldn’t see him. “I’m sorry for embarrassing you. I promise, he is always a jerk,” he said softly.
Darcy nodded; wishing the color in her cheeks would fade. “I’m fine,” she said and smiled for his benefit. But her hands were still shaking and her knees were weak. She was sure it wasn’t because she’d just fallen fifteen thousand feet to the ground.
“You two need a ride back to the airport?” Jim asked.
Michael picked up his chute and packed it into the holding bag until it could be properly folded for the next jump. He silently handed Darcy into the back seat of the jeep, then got in beside her. “Get moving,” he finally said when they were all settled.
The jeep went through the various landing sites, picking up the other jumpers before heading back to the airport which was surprisingly close to where she and Michael had landed. The other jumpers were a little farther away, but all were within walking distance.
They changed out of their jump suits and Michael walked Darcy over to her car. They stood facing each other, wondering what to say after their afternoon experience.
“I think I should be getting home,” Darcy said, looking down at the gravel in the parking lot. The sun was beating down on them and she had to squint when she looked up at him. “Thank you for helping me today,” she said.
Michael smiled ruefully. “I wish you’d told me you were going to do this.”
“How did you find out, by the way?” she asked, suddenly curious.
“Jim McNabb stopped by my office yesterday. He mentioned it.”
“But how did you know which school I’d be jumping with?”
“I did a little research. And I also know Jim so I was able to figure it out pretty quickly,” he explained, putting his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
Darcy smiled. “Well, thank you again,” she said. She wasn’t sure what else to say. She felt awkward just standing in the parking lot, staring at him. “I guess I’d better get home.”
“You’ve already said that,” Michael replied, smiling. He took a step closer. “Darcy, I know the kiss out there was only the adrenaline. You don’t need to be embarrassed.”
Darcy sucked in her breath. He thought it was only because of the jump? The whole day had been one earth shattering experience after another and now he was excusing their mind blowing kiss as simple aftermath? She straightened away from her car, furious now that he would dismiss something so easily that had moved her dramatically.
“Yes, well. Thank you again for everything,” she said tightly.
“Darcy?” he said, stepping back as she pushed him out of her way so she could unlock her car door. “
“Goodbye, Michael,” she said and snapped the car door shut.
Michael watched her drive away and started to get angry himself. “She dismissed me!” he said, as her car disappeared in the dust from the dirt road leading to the airport. “And what the hell is she driving?” he asked to the empty parking lot as he realized she had sped away in a cute, red roadster that fit her personality perfectly. The small, zippy car was definitely Darcy, he thought as he slammed the door to his Jaguar shut and turned the key in the ignition. “Why the hell is she mad at me? I’m trying to be a gentleman!”
Michael drove down the road after her. He suspected that she would drive straight home and he was correct. He saw her car in the driveway a half hour later. He rang the doorbell, daring her to not answer the door.
Darcy opened the door with a polite small on her face. But as soon as she realized who was standing in front of her door, the smile disappeared and she tried to push the door close.
“Whose car are you driving?” he demanded as he easily pushed the door opened and walked inside. He ignored the furious expression on her face as he turned to face, her. He wasn’t leaving until she told him what he wanted to know.
She closed the door behind him, not wanting her neighbors to witness the fight that she could tell was brewing between the two of them. “Whose do you think it is?” she asked, not sure what was on his mind but not caring either. This man confused her too much.
He loomed over her before replying, “Possibly your new boyfriend’s?”
She inhaled sharply, instantly offended about what he thought of her morals. “You think I kiss one man and then drive away in another man’s car? Who the hell do you think you are? No one makes those kinds of accusations about me!” she stated, poking him in the chest with her finger.
He wasn’t backing down until she explained everything to his satisfaction. “Just answer the question,” he said, just as furious. Her comment made sense but he was beyond thinking rationally. The woman was driving him nuts.
“Mine,” she said, leaning against the open doorway and crossed her arms over her chest. “I bought it five weeks ago.”
Michael stopped and looked at the furious woman standing in front of him. He was just about to demand more information when the smell of something delicious cooking entered his consciousness. “What’s that smell?”
Darcy stood up straighter and backed up a step. She wasn’t confident enough about her cooking skills to admit that she was cooking something despite the fact that the smell throughout her house made it obvious.
When she didn’t answer him quickly enough, he stepped around her and started walking to the kitchen. “Where are you going?” she demanded as he walked through her house to the kitchen.
“To find out what smells so good,” he said.
“It is just a casserole I’m trying out. Nothing special,” she said, her heart racing in fear of what he might think of her cooking. She remembered the last time he tried her cooking and hadn’t liked it. After today, she wasn’t sure she could withstand any criticism. Especially from him. She genuinely wanted to impress him but wasn’t sure why. Darcy ran out in front of him, placing her body between him and her kitchen in an attempt to keep him from snooping into her cooking.