Deborah Mello - Always Means Forever

They watched as Ella rushed off in the other direction. Darwin pressed a palm against Bridget’s elbow. “Let’s go to my office,” he said, leading her back toward the maze of offices.

As they entered his personal space, he closed the door behind them, gesturing for her to take a seat on a plush leather sofa that lined one of the walls. Darwin pulled up a chair directly in front of her, leaning forward with his elbows against his thighs, his hands clasped together in front of him. For a brief moment he sat staring at her, oblivious to the time that ticked too quickly away.

He’d noticed her the moment she’d walked into the studio. His heart had skipped one beat, and then a second, and he had barely been able to pull his baked dish from the oven without dropping it. It felt like puppy love and he was enjoying every minute of it. He hadn’t felt anything like this since high school and the homecoming queen, Cassandra Tripp, who’d been his date to the senior prom.

Bridget wore a sharkskin denim blazer with a chic white blouse beneath it and dark slacks. Her hair was pulled back into a slick ponytail that hung just below her shoulders. As always, he was taken aback by her bright eyes, the slight dimple in her full cheeks and the most intoxicating mouth he imagined any woman ever possessing. As he sat staring he could see the flush that suddenly flamed her face.

Bridget eyed him curiously. “Are you okay? You’re staring.”

Darwin could feel himself blush. “Sorry. I…” he stammered, searching for the words to ease the moment.

Bridget shook her head. “There’s nothing caught in my teeth, is there?”

Darwin laughed. “No. Your teeth are perfect. Absolutely beautiful, in fact. The prettiest smile I’ve ever seen.”

Bridget rolled her eyes, smirking.

“Don’t pay me any attention. I get stupid around beautiful women.” He chuckled.

“Then I’m scared,” she responded coyly. “From what I hear you’ve made being around beautiful women a personal mission.”

“Has my brother been talking out of turn again?”

She shrugged and then they both burst out laughing. Bridget shifted the conversation. “Do you want to talk about your contracts?”

Darwin shook his head. “Not really. Were there any problems?”

“Just a few items I think need to be clarified.”

“I’ll tell you what. Call the attorney here, do that lawyer thing you guys do, and when it’s fixed where you like it, I’ll sign.”

“Don’t you want to know what the issues are?”

“No. I trust your judgment. I know you’ll take care of me.”

“What makes you so sure?”

Darwin leaned in closer, his hand falling against her knee. “Well, we’re almost family, aren’t we? Sort of like kissing cousins or something.”

She eyed him warily. “Kissing cousins? I don’t think so.”

A smug smirk crossed his face. “Okay, we’ll leave out the cousins part, but the kissing…”

“Like you kissed my best friend?”

Darwin was only slightly taken aback by the comment. He cleared his throat before responding. “For the record, your friend kissed me. I did not kiss her.”

“That’s not what it looked like. In fact, it looked like the two of you were getting quite cozy with one another.”

Darwin shook his head, his smile still full and wide. “Am I in trouble? Because I don’t think I should be. Your friend was flirting with me. It was absolutely shameless!” he said, his tone teasing. “And it happened how many years ago? Don’t I get a reprieve for good behavior or something?”

She studied him carefully, noting the gleam of mischief that flickered in his eyes. “That depends.”

“On what?”

“On whether or not you plan to go around kissing my best friend again.”

His head moved from side to side. “Never. But I do hope I get to kiss you. I really would like to kiss you. Someday. Someday soon, maybe?”

Bridget eyed him with amusement. “Darwin Tolliver, are you flirting with me?” she asked playfully.

A wide grin filled his face again. “I’m trying. I hope you don’t mind.”

Bridget placed her hand over his and gently moved it from her leg back to his own lap. His touch had been burning, sending a shiver up and down the length of her spine.

“You don’t need to tease me, Darwin Tolliver. Like you said, we’re almost family, so you can trust that I’ll represent your interests. Besides, I thought we considered each other friends.”

“But I can’t flirt?”

“That depends.”

“On?”

“On whether or not you’re planning to cook dinner for me again.”

“Is that all?”

“That’s a lot for some men.”

“Maybe, but it’s not a big deal for me at all.”

“Then we have a deal?”

Darwin nodded. “Tonight. At my place. Dinner’s at seven.”

Bridget rose to her feet. “I’ll be there,” she said, moving swiftly toward the door. She smiled. “Thank you,” she said softly.

Confusion swept over his expression. “For what?”

“I was afraid that you might still be uncomfortable around me. We had a few awkward moments last night. It had me worried.”

Darwin chuckled, his head bobbing up and down. “I thought it was just me. Glad to know I wasn’t alone.”

“Let’s not let it happen again, either.”

“No problem. And by the way…” Darwin paused for just a brief second. “I really wasn’t interested in kissing your friend. I just didn’t want to hurt her feelings.”

“I know. That heifer can be shameless sometimes,” Bridget said with a sly wink. “See you later.”

As she moved to make her exit, Darwin called out her name.

“Yes?”

“Don’t you want to know where I live?”

Seconds after Bridget was out the door with directions to his home tucked into her purse, Darwin was kicking himself. What in the world was I thinking? he thought, dropping his head into his hands and his rear end into a chair. This can’t possibly go anywhere.

But he hadn’t been able to stop himself. The woman had been irresistible and all he’d been able to think about was spending more time with her. Reaching for the telephone, he pushed the seven digits to his brother’s cell phone and waited anxiously for the man to pick up on the other end.

Bridget sat motionless in her car, her forehead pressed against the steering wheel. She wasn’t quite sure what had just happened between her and Darwin, and although she was excited on one hand, she was scared to death on the other. Leaning back against the leather seat, she took a deep breath, wishing for the influx of oxygen to slow her rapid heartbeat.

There had been more comfort between them than discomfort. It had felt strangely familiar in one second and very odd in the next. She was curious to know more about Darwin, to share more of herself with him, and the prospect of doing so actually had her terrified. Taking another deep breath, Bridget started the ignition and headed in the direction of home.

Mecan was laughing into the receiver. “What’s wrong, playa? I’ve never known you to let a woman run you scared. You losing your touch?”

“Don’t joke. This isn’t funny.”

Mecan continued to chuckle. “You need to relax. Bridget is an incredible woman. You two have had a crush on each other since you first met. Enjoy it. This may be just what you need.”

“Maybe, but I hope it’s not a mistake. I’d hate to ruin a good friendship.”

Mecan shook his head. “You two need to get to know each other before you can truly be friends. You haven’t allowed yourself to do that yet. But just let it happen. I know it’ll work out for you.”

Darwin nodded as if his brother could see him. His gaze floated to the view outside. “How did you know with Jeneva, Mac? How did you know she was the one and only woman you could see yourself being with?”