Chapter 3
A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who has left a review or is following this story. I'm so, so delighted you like it. And, no lie, this was my favorite chapter to write.
Darcy woke up the next morning to the sound of someone hammering away on the roof.
"Seriously?" she said out loud to her ceiling. She rolled out of bed and opened her window, stuck her head out and looked up.
"Seriously?" she shouted. The hammering stopped and Clint's head appeared over the side.
"Morning, star shine!" he called down to her.
"Dude. Seriously?" she said blaming the early hour for her adverb redundancy.
"Your grandmother made cinnamon rolls," he said grinning. "That deserves a functioning set of shingles on a roof."
"I can't tell if you're sweet or annoying," she said.
"There's a fine distinction," he said with a nod.
She rolled her eyes. "Go hammer something and there had better be some cinnamon rolls left."
He winked at her and then disappeared back onto the roof. "Dork," she muttered with a smile and feeling giddy.
After scarfing down one of the last cinnamon rolls and watching Tony Stark do something strange to the sprinkler system from a safe distance, Darcy headed into the shop.
"Morning, campers," she said to Sadie, Maria and Natasha who were all in the process of arranging a display of hanging baskets and mixed potted plants.
"Morning, sweet girl," Sadie said offering up her cheek for Darcy to kiss. "Sleep well?"
Darcy gave her a flamboyant smack of a kiss and said, "Very well, thank you. And yourself?"
"Like a baby," Sadie said. She eyed Darcy's mouth. "I see you found the cinnamon rolls?"
Darcy wiped off a stray smear of icing. "I could be in the Arctic and still find my way to your cinnamon rolls."
Sadie beamed. "That's my girl. Off to battle the big, scary numbers?"
"Yep," Darcy said. "And they're not scary. You just have to remember to keep your columns straight."
Sadie waved a hand in the air. "Don't bother explaining. Just leave me to my babies and have fun with your columns."
"That's what he said," Darcy and Maria said at the same time. They pointed at each other and shouted. "Jinx! Buy me a Coke!" They glared at each other and then snickered.
"May I ask you a question?" Natasha asked Darcy.
"Is it why does she have to buy me a Coke?" Darcy asked.
"No. She clearly has to buy you a Coke to abide by the rules of the jinx," Natasha said with a completely straight face. "I was wondering why you don't seem to do much with the flowers."
Darcy cringed while Maria snorted. "Because we were tired of hearing them scream in agony whenever she approached them."
"It was the best thing for everyone involved," Sadie added.
Natasha raised an eyebrow and looked at Darcy.
"Ever heard of someone having a black thumb?" Darcy said. "Well, I have a black thumb, hand, wrist, forearm, elbow, and shoulder. Plants and I just don't mix."
Natasha nodded. "I…see."
"It's not for lack of trying," Sadie said wrapping her arms around Darcy's shoulders.
"It's just a complete and total lack of talent," Darcy said with a sigh. "I'll never forget those poor pansies I planted when I was twelve. I still dream about their little unhappy faces."
Maria patted her head and Sadie hugged her. Natasha simply nodded and said, "I can see how that might be distressing."
"You know who's not all that bad at it?" Maria said going back to her large ceramic pot of gladioli. "Dr. Banner."
"No!" Darcy said. "Really?"
Maria nodded her head at the window. "Check out the side display bed."
Darcy went over and peered at the mess of marigolds, mums, and lamb's ear. "Is that the Golden Spiral?"
"Yep," Maria said grinning. "I heard him muttering number sequences as he planted."
"Nice. Pretty," Darcy said. "Not to mention educational."
"It could be a new thing," Sadie said. "Especially in the fall. A back to school set of displays."
Maria nodded while Darcy just stared out the window. She twisted her lips to the side and sighed.
"Sweetie?"
Darcy turned her head and met Sadie's concerned face. She smiled. "Yeah, back to school beds sound awesome. I'd better get to those numbers and beat them into submission."
"Give 'em hell, baby," Sadie said, her words light, but her tone was thoughtful.
Darcy skedaddled into the small back room before Sadie could ask her any questions and turned the office computer. She propped her chin in her hand and stared at the screen as the computer booted up.
She's not dumb, Darcy thought. Pretty soon Sadie's going to ask just what the heck is up with you.
The problem was Darcy wasn't quite sure what her problem was. Hadn't she always loved the nursery? Hadn't it been amazing getting the Not a Co-op together? So, why in hell was everything feeling just so…same-y?
Maybe that's it, she thought pulling the previous week's printouts to her and leafing through them lazily. Maybe you just need a new project. But what? You can't very well start something new while the nursery is hurting like it is.
"Maybe I need to get laid," she told the receipts. The image of Clint leaning in close with his hand on the back of her neck flashed in her mind. Her hands clenched around the white slips of paper as she imagined his lips actually making contact with hers and she had to close her eyes and breathe deeply to settle her insides that had begun to shiver and pulse.
"Sweet Jesus," she said. "Maybe that's the problem. Lack of sex."
But deep down, while she knew she'd have to do something with all the lust she was building up in regards to the man currently fixing her gutters, whatever it was that was making her all hot and bothered wasn't just limited to Clint.
"It's not like there's a shortage of drama around here," she muttered as she opened up the accounting program. "Get your head in gear, girl. Angst later."
She started to enter in the numbers and let the easy predictability of columns of numbers sweep her thoughts back into the little box labeled 'Ugh' in her mind.
After a couple of hours of adding, subtracting and totaling, she frowned.
"A definite decrease," she said comparing this month's income to last year's. "Damn it." She went over the numbers again and groaned. "Shit."
"Are we in the red?" Maria's voice came from the doorway behind her.
Darcy jumped and glared at her. "No. Not yet. Just slightly above breaking even. Which isn't bad, but compared to last year?"
"Is pretty bad," Maria said crossing her arms over her chest. "And while I have no doubt that Tony Stark can make anything out of nothing, if we don't get that irrigation system up and running, we're going to lose all our shrubs and saplings."
"Shit," Darcy said again. "Here's hoping we don't get any unexpected bills."
"Will we?"
"I don't know. That's why I qualified the statement with unexpected."
"Smartass."
"Harpy."
"Go get some air," Maria said pulling on a lock of Darcy's hair. "This room has crap ventilation and you're all flushed."
"It's called the female glow," Darcy said standing up and stretching.
"No, it's called sweat," Maria called over her shoulder. "Go breathe, cuz."
Darcy walked outside and breathed in the familiar smell of the nursery.
"'Cuz'?"
Darcy jumped at Steve's voice coming from right beside her. "Holy schniekes! You are far too big to be that stealthy."
"So, I've been told," he said giving her a sheepish smile that made her want to scratch behind his ears. She didn't because she figured that was equal parts rude and condescending. Steve went on, "How is Maria related to you? Sadie told me she only had the one son, but you call her 'cuz'."
Darcy shrugged. "Maria interviewed for the site supervisor job about five years ago and she just took to the place like a native. She's family now."
"So, not a blood relation?" Steve asked adjusting a massive bag of compost.
"Nope," Darcy said. She tilted her head to the side. "Although, my granddad did have a brother that left home when he was really young and no one ever heard from him apart from the odd postcard. Who knows what he got up to? He could have totally been related to Maria's folks somehow."
Steve thought about that. "Fair enough. Oh, um, do you know where I can find a crowbar? Clint and I are tearing down that old shed."
Darcy rolled her eyes. "I already told Clint that you guys don't have to do that."
"We know," he said holding his hands out. "But it does need to be done and we're happy to do it."
"Fine!" she said. "Far be it for me to stand in the way of men and their need to tear down buildings. Tools are this way."
She headed in the direction of the old shed that stood not too far from the house and caught sight of Clint hauling stuff out of the shed.
"How's my roof?" she called out.
"Patched up," he called back. "I found two tennis balls and a Frisbee up there, you know."
"Yeah, I wondered about that," she said. "The Frisbee got stuck first."
"And then the two tennis balls when you threw them up after the Frisbee?" he asked smirking at her and being all dirty and sweaty and delicious right there next to her shed.
"Pretty much," she said watching the flex of his arm muscles. Thank the good Lord for tanktops, she thought.
"Darcy? Darcy."
"What?" she said loudly turning her head to see Steve looking concerned.
"Um, crowbar?" he reminded her.
"Oh, right. This way." She went to a newer-looking shed and pulled out her keys. She unlocked the padlock and gestured inside. "Help yourself."
"Thank you," Steve said with a smile that automatically made her smile back.
Then she shook her head and said, "That is the most lethal thing I've seen. The bad guys just fall over when you do that, don't they?"
"Sadly no," he said. "But not for lack of trying, I promise."
Darcy laughed and patted his arm; she stepped away from the door and noticed Clint staring at her with a blank expression on his face.
"You all right there?" she asked.
"Yeah," he said distantly. He shook his head a little and then went back to the old shed.
Darcy narrowed her eyes in suspicion, but noticed that the Martinezs had just pulled up with a load of citrus.
It wasn't jealousy, she told herself. No way the dude was jealous of you touching Steve. Do not go all eighth grade, you hear me?
She heard herself. It wasn't like she had time for all that.
Actually. Scratch that. She totally had time to watch Clint as he and Steve systematically tore down the old storage shed using a crowbar and an incredible set of upper back and shoulder muscles.
Ogling the ex-secret-whatever-he-was while he helped to put her family home back together by day and kept watch over the property by night was not exactly a hardship on Darcy; nor was it that big of a deal. The dude had muscles and if he would persist in not wearing a shirt, well, things were going to be looked at.
No, what Darcy didn't have time for were the feelings. Gratitude for his help was to be expected. Appreciation of his handyman skills was par for the course.
It was the thrill and warmth that flooded her body whenever he came near her; that she didn't have time for.
Darcy turned her back on him and returned to her inventory of the Martinez's stock.
I am getting this place back together. I am making sure that Connor Dewsey doesn't pull anymore of his tricks. I am never selling this land and I am keeping an eye on Gran, Darcy thought. I am NOT going to fall for a guy that sleeps on my roof, thinks target practice is fun and was once a circus performer and is now a wanted felon. Even if I totally believe that he's innocent. I'm not falling for him. I have NO time for it.
"Hey, Darcy," Clint called over.
"Yeah?" she called back, not looking at him and hating the way her stomach all of a sudden felt all tingly.
"Can I fix this?" he asked.
Darcy steeled herself and turned around to look at him and sighed in complete and utter resignation.
Clint was holding up an old slingshot that her grandfather had made when he was a boy. The rubber was worn and had come undone, but the wooden base looked intact. It was the expression on Clint's face that made her freakin' wibble. He looked so cheerful and steady and easy and warm and god damn it!
"It's all yours, sport," Darcy said.
He grinned.
Darcy grinned back. Then she walked calmly into the house and into the kitchen where she poured herself a large glass of water and drank it all.
"Oh, hell's bells," she said to the sink. She lifted her head and looked out of the kitchen window to see Clint chatting with Phil, while reattaching a length of rubber to the slingshot. "Oh, hell's bells."
She heard Sadie come into the kitchen and come up behind her to loop her arms around Darcy's waist.
"What's going on, honey-bun?" Sadie asked.
"I think I'm in trouble," Darcy said faintly.
"Goodness, the boy's gotten you pregnant already?" Sadie asked mildly.
"Gran!" Darcy yelped and turned around to stare at Sadie.
"What? You said you were in trouble," she said her eyes wide and so not as guileless as she wanted Darcy to believe.
"I meant the general kind of trouble. You know inner angsty kind of trouble," Darcy said. "Not the knocked-up kind of trouble. God."
"It was a valid question, sweetie," Sadie said starting to grin. "He looks like a virile type."
Darcy clapped her hands over her eyes. "Oh my God. Please don't say that again."
"Darcy, sweetie," Sadie said pulling her hands off her face. "You're wonderful and I love you, but stop being such a prude. Now, you didn't actually answer my question…"
"No! No one has gotten me pregnant," Darcy said just as Steve walked in the kitchen, an empty pitcher in his hands.
"Uh, just, um returning this," he said his face red as a tomato. He put the pitcher down on the table and practically ran out the door.
Darcy and Sadie stared at the space where he'd been and then at each other. They burst into giggles.
"It should not be that easy to make a man blush," Sadie said. "Or be that much fun."
"You are a bad, bad lady," Darcy said leaning into Sadie.
"I'm sixty-seven years old," she said. "I'm due a little badness in my life. Now, what's troubling you?"
Darcy sighed. "It's nothing. I'm fine."
"No, sweetie, you're not," Sadie said. "You've had ants in your pants for a few weeks now. Even before all the trouble started. Now, talk."
"Gran, don't worry about it."
"Darcy Matilda."
"Fine! Fine," Darcy said. She made a face. "I like a boy. No, wait. He's a man. I like a man, Gran."
Sadie snickered and said, "Honey, I knew that. If it helps, the man likes you back. And he seems to be a good man, so see where it takes you."
"But," Darcy flapped her hands a little. "It's only been two days. I shouldn't be this into him this soon."
"Says who?" Sadie said. "There's not exactly a schedule you're supposed to follow when there are feelings involved. Sometimes it's instantaneous."
"Was it like that for you and Granddad?" she asked.
"Oh, no. Not at all," she said shaking her head. "It took oh, let's see…around twenty-four hours for it to hit me."
"Nice," Darcy said with a laugh. She rested her head on Sadie's shoulder. "So you don't mind that I've got the hots for a criminal?"
"I assume you're referring to his buns, because that's the only thing about him that's criminal," Sadie said.
"Oh, my God! Stop that!" Darcy said laughing.
"Honey, the day I cannot appreciate a fine backside is the day I depart from this earth," Sadie said. "And while I know that letting yourself like somebody is a tough thing, especially for a Lewis woman, there's something else going on in that clever little mind of yours."
Darcy sighed again. "I don't know what it is, Gran. It's like I've got this itch and I can't figure out how to scratch it. Like there's something I'm supposed to be doing and I don't know what it is."
"You were happy getting the program together," Sadie mused. "Are you missing that?"
"Maybe." Darcy thought for a second. "I love it here, you know."
"Oh, honey, I know that," Sadie said wrapping her arms around Darcy who hugged her back. "But the Green Thumb is not the be all, end all. If there's something, someone, or some place that you've got to get to, I will never stand in your way. You hear me?"
"I hear you," Darcy said squeezing Sadie tightly.
"And I know a surefire way to take care of that itch in the meantime," Sadie said waggling her eyebrows.
Darcy snickered and some of the weight and guilt she'd been feeling for the better part of a month just lifted straight off her shoulders. "I love you, Gran."
"Love you, too honey."
Clint glanced at the house for the tenth time in about as many minutes.
He had no idea what it was that sent Darcy striding into the house like an army was after her and that was half an hour ago and she still hadn't come out yet.
He was doubly confused when Steve had wandered into the house and then back out at a fast clip mumbling something about Darcy being 'a little upset'.
And fine. Substitute 'worried' for 'confused' and that was Clint at the moment.
He glanced back up at the house and had to grin at the picture Darcy and her grandmother made coming out of the house, arms wrapped around each other's waist and big grins on their faces. Sadie gave Darcy a big smacking kiss on her cheek and then turned her head and gave Clint a wink that made him blink and blush a little at the same time.
Sadie laughed. "Oh, I love it. Two in one day. I'm going to go find that lovely Dr. Banner and see if I can ruffle his feathers, too."
Darcy gave her a little push. "Such a bad lady. Begone with you."
Sadie strolled off giving Darcy and Clint a little wave of her hand. Clint watched Darcy twist her lips and stare down at the ground. He fought the urge to shuffle his feet.
"I like your grandmother," Clint said awkwardly.
"She's kind of amazing," Darcy said smiling at him and inducing that warm feeling in his chest. "I can only hope I'm as awesome when I'm her age."
"You're pretty awesome now," he told her.
She blinked at him and then turned her head, pink filling her cheeks and god damn he liked that he made her feel something. Something nice and good and fuck, he was so fucked.
He cleared his throat. "Are you okay?"
"Me? Oh, yeah. Peachy as well as keen," she said still not meeting his eyes.
"Steve said you were upset?" he tried again. "Is there anything I can do?"
"Believe me, you've done enough," Darcy said shaking her head.
"Sorry?" His stomach bottomed out. This was his fault?
"No." She made a face and huffed. "I just mean…" She bit her lip and finally met his eyes. "You're pretty darn awesome yourself, okay?"
She sounded so impatient and worried, it took all the restraint he had to not smile like an idiot and pull her into his arms. So, he just nodded and said, "Thanks."
Darcy studied him for a minute, looked away and then stepped in close. Her lips pressed against his cheek so quickly and lightly, if he hadn't been watching her with wide eyes, he might have missed the kiss completely.
"Gotta go," she said as she pulled away. "That inventory won't order itself."
Then she was gone, disappearing into the shop, leaving Clint standing there with what was probably the stupidest, gobsmacked look on his face.
And he couldn't care less.
"Green Thumb Nursery," Darcy said absently as she picked up the phone in the office, her mind still on the finances on her computer screen.
"I've got roses, Darcy. Too many roses. They're going to eat my house. You've got to come and get them," a throaty voice said over the phone.
"Hey, there, Miss Pearl," Darcy said smiling. "I didn't know that roses had teeth."
"These do," Miss Pearl said, humor underlying her words. "Now come out here and take them off my hands."
"Yes, ma'am," Darcy said checking the time. Four o'clock. Plenty of time. "I'll be there in a jiffy."
"Thank you, dear," Miss Pearl said. Then she hung up.
Darcy chuckled. Miss Pearl was well into her eighties, but her knowledge and way with roses was unparalleled.
After running into the house to grab the keys to the truck, she spotted Phil and Natasha walking up the drive. They looked determined.
"You two look you're on a mission," Darcy said. "Or you just got back from one."
"The latter," Phil said. "We've been to Dewsey's."
Darcy's eyes widened. "Really? During the day? Are you nuts? Not that I doubt your combined badassery, but wow."
"It was surprisingly easy," Natasha said. "He really needs to invest in a better security system."
"Did you find anything?" Darcy asked.
"Possibly," Phil said. "We need to talk to Tony." He spotted the keys in her hand. "Where are you going?"
"The hammock. Miss Pearl called. She's got roses," Darcy said.
"Take-"
"Barton," Darcy finished for him. "On my way to get him. Don't do any more plotting until we get back."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Phil said. "And be careful."
Darcy saluted him and went to find Clint.
Clint rolled the wheelbarrow to the dumpster behind the greenhouse and threw a bunch of stuff from the shed in.
"Don't forget the one for wood is on the other side," Darcy's voice said from a few feet away. He looked over and smiled.
"Already did that batch," he said. "What's up?"
"Field trip," she said holding her keys up.
"Awesome." He threw the last bit of trash away. "Let me wash off a little."
"The spigot's around the side," she said. "This way."
He followed her around the greenhouse, his eyes inevitably falling to watch the way her body moved as she walked. His palms itched to just hold her, run his hands along her sides and then thread through that riot of hair on her head.
He let out a sigh of relief when the cold water out of the spigot hit his hands and he ducked his head under the water and let it cool his skin and his thoughts. He turned the water off and lifted his head to see Darcy staring at him, her lips parted just a little and a hungry look in her eyes.
Good, he thought with satisfaction. Glad to know I'm not going to be the only one who's a slave to whatever the hell is going on here.
"So, um, roses," Darcy said shaking out of her daze a little. She turned on her heel. "Miss Pearl called and we need to go get her roses before they take over. You like roses?"
"Who doesn't?"
"Good answer."
The walk to the truck was quiet, as was the first ten minutes as they drove down the same old highway as yesterday. They approached the turn-off that had led them to Sybil and her tomatoes, but Darcy kept going. The scenery started to change, becoming thicker and greener. Clint rolled down his window and sucked in a breath at the muggy air that enveloped him.
"Jesus," he said.
"Welcome to the Florida hammock," Darcy said.
"Yeah," he said taking in the vines of kudzu and thick old cypresses that clumped together in large islands in the midst of the black, muddy swamp. He saw what he thought was a log suddenly move into the water with a small splash. "Fuck."
"That was Clyde," Darcy said grinning. "Or possibly Earl."
"You name all the alligators?" he asked.
"Only the ones that are nice to me by keeping their distance," she said. "Kinda overwhelming, isn't it?"
"Yeah," he said. "Haven't felt this kind of humidity since-"
He stopped talking. Partly due to that confidentiality clause in his contract and partly because he didn't want to taint the lush green of the hammock with a time and place that was decidedly bleak and bloodier than he wanted to recollect.
"You okay over there?" she asked softly.
"Yeah, yeah," he said. He grimaced. "Actually, no. Not really. It doesn't bother you?"
"What? Your super-secret past?" she asked. "Everyone's got things they can't talk about."
"Yeah, but most people's don't involve a body count and a criminal record," he said flatly.
"True, but you're not a criminal," she said.
"I notice you didn't refute the body count," he said wondering what the hell he was doing pushing the issue.
"No, I didn't," she said slowly.
"So, it doesn't bother you?" he asked again. "The fact that there's currently guy with a crossbow and a rifle sleeping on top of your house."
"Well, it's a little unnerving, but no," she said. "You're like, defending the keep. That's… That's awesome. Not bothersome." She paused. "You see what I did there?"
"Very nice wordplay," he said. She flashed him a smug little smile that he wanted to kiss off her mouth.
"So, who're we going to see?" he asked looking to get his head back in the game.
"Miss Pearl," she said. "Her roses are amazing and smell like you wouldn't believe."
"Don't you grow your own roses?" he asked. "I thought I saw a row out by the greenhouse."
"We do the usual varieties. But Miss Pearl does her own hybrids. The colors are beyond gorgeous."
They pulled into a small drive with coral pillars on either side. A flat pond gleamed just next to the house and Clint spotted another gator sunning itself on the far side of the pond.
"Who's that?" he asked pointing at the gator.
"Phyllis," Darcy said. "And she's probably got babies swimming in the pond, so don't go near her."
"How do you live here?" he asked his voice rising a bit.
Darcy grinned. "It's home."
The simple answer threw Clint a little. He couldn't remember ever being able to say the same about anywhere he'd lived. The circus had been a place to live, the barracks, a place to sleep. But a home? He'd always thought that was something used in stories. However, glancing over at Darcy's face with her wide eyes and easy smile, he started to wonder.
"Problem?" she asked pulling to a stop and looking at him witching her.
"Not from where I'm sitting," he said. She rolled her eyes, but blushed and he had to grin as he got out of the car.
A striking woman in a large, floppy straw hat stood on the porch.
"Afternoon, Darcy," she called out.
"Afternoon, Miss Pearl," Darcy called back.
"I see you have a fellow," she said eyeing Clint. "Good arms. Can he fish?"
"Can you fish?" Darcy asked him.
"Haven't ever tried, to be honest," Clint said.
Darcy gave a sigh and looked back at Miss Pearl who was shaking her head in disappointment. "Educate him, dear," Miss Pearl told her.
"Oh, I will," Darcy said nodding. "Which ones do you want us to take today?"
"Well, the Purple Passion is looking rather fine, as is the Yellow Sunrise," Miss Pearl said coming down her front porch. Clint followed the two ladies over to the garden where a dozen rose bushes stood, already potted up with information tags on them.
The scent of the roses made Clint take a step back. "Whoa," he said under his breath.
"They can be a bit overpowering to a novice," Miss Pearl said patting his arm. "Watch out for those thorns, dear."
"Yes ma'am." Clint picked up the closest bush and headed back to the truck. After depositing the bush in the bed, close to the back of the cab, he hopped off and headed back to the ladies. He slowed down when he caught sight of Darcy leaning forward to smell a pale pink rose. The rose matched the color of her cheeks and she smiled at something Miss Pearl was saying and Clint felt everything inside of him lurch and warm up. Her head lifted and she spotted him. The smile she gave him was a blend of humor and familiarity and Clint realized, once again, just how done for he was. Completely, totally done for over this girl.
Well. There we go, he thought with cheerful resignation. You've never been good at staying away from things that have a massive potential for backfiring. Just go with it, man.
Something had happened to Clint between getting into the truck back at the nursery and putting the rose bush in the truck and Darcy really wanted to know what it was. Because instead of being on just this side of guarded, he had relaxed and kept giving her glances that warmed her face.
She considered asking what had happened, but decided that she rather liked the half smile he was currently wearing.
After saying good-bye to Miss Pearl and giving Phyllis a nod and best wishes for her gator babies, they headed back the way they came.
Darcy rolled her window down and tilted her head to the side, the air flowing over her face and sending strands of her hair flying.
She glanced over and saw Clint with his arm propped up in the open window, his eyes on her.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothing," he said slowly.
Darcy shot him another look. "No, seriously, what?"
"Nothing! Can't a guy stare at a pretty girl?" he asked.
"Oh, my God, wow," she said laughing. "What's with you?"
"Just trying out some of my material," he said. "It's pretty rusty, I've got to warn you."
"Material? As in lines?" Darcy asked. "You're trying out some of your old moves on me. Why?"
"'Cause I'm trying to pick you up."
"What?" She looked over at him in disbelief. Who was this guy and what happened to the laconic tree-ninja dude? Not that she minded the concept of him putting the moves on her. At all.
"Look, it's going to happen. I want it to happen, so I'm not going to fight it. I mean, I could. There's a million and one reasons why this isn't a good idea," he said matter of factly.
"Thanks." Darcy gave him a look.
"Oh, nothing to do with you," he said sounding reassuring. "It's all me, I promise. The sheer amount of issues I've got could fill the back of this pick-up three times over."
"Okay," she said. "I can understand that. You've been under a lot of stress recently. What with the whole running from the law thing."
"Exactly. But, I like you and talking to you is the most fun I've had in a very, very long time," he said. "But, if you'd rather I didn't…"
"Whoa, totally didn't say that," Darcy said looking over at him. "Do your worst, Hawkeye."
He grinned and opened his mouth, but closed it and abruptly looked behind them. "Darcy, hang on."
Darcy looked at the rearview mirror to see a black SUV pull up sharply behind them and smash into the back of her truck. Rose petals flew as the bushes fell over in the bed.
"Son of a bitch!" Darcy said as they flew forward and then back into their seats, the seatbelts doing their thing.
"Speed up, baby," Clint said still looking behind them.
Darcy pressed down on the accelerator and they took off as best as the truck could manage. She did her best to maneuver along the old dirt highway, dodging the worst of the potholes, the SUV behind them not quite as lucky. But it had more horses under the hood and was soon caught up and hitting them from behind again.
"Shit! Who the fuck are they?" Darcy cried out, her jaw aching from where she bit down hard.
"Same guys who attacked your gran, I bet," Clint said. "Keep going and keep the speed up."
"Yeah, yeah," Darcy said through gritted teeth, pressing down on the accelerator again.
"You know this area?" he asked opening the glove compartment and rifling around.
"Like the back of my hand," she said her eyes darting from the rearview mirror to him and back to the road.
"Take us into the swamp," he said. "Somewhere that we can get out of easily, but where there's a bit of open space."
"O-kay," she said. "What are we going to do about them?"
"I'm gonna make them crash," he said dropping some stones and random bits of stuff he found on the floor of the truck.
"With what?" she asked her voice going shrill. "A Jedi mind trick?"
He pulled the slingshot he'd found earlier out of his back pocket. "Nope. With my kickass aim."
"Oh, holy fuck," she said. "Right. Hang on."
With a hard turn of the wheel, Darcy pulled the truck onto the old dirt road that ran along the perimeter of the swamp. "We're going to hit the lake in about a quarter of a mile. Will that work for what you want?"
"Absolutely perfect, baby," he said rolling his window down completely. "Keep it steady for a second."
"Steady, sure," she said, then sucked in a breath when he levered his upper body out of the window and aimed the slingshot at the truck. He let go and Darcy could see an impressive crack appear in the windshield on the driver's side. "Holy shit!"
He took aim again and a crack appeared on the other side. Darcy laughed out loud as the SUV swerved behind them. Then it gunned its engine and Darcy gritted her teeth as it hit her bumper hard.
"Assholes!" she shouted.
Clint took aim again and the SUV's windshield shattered into tiny pieces that fell into the cab of the SUV. It swerved hard again.
"Oh, my God!" she said. "What? How?"
"Pressure points," he said grabbing another stone. "Everything's got them."
He moved to go out the window again, but Darcy grabbed his shirt and pulled him back inside. A big leafy branch scraped the side of the truck. He looked over at her.
She shrugged. "Not much else to do around here when you're a kid but explore the roads." She noticed the branch hit the SUV behind them spraying the inside with leaves. "These guys are so not local."
He grinned at her and then went back out the window. "Where's that lake you promised me?" he called firing stone after stone into the front of the SUV.
"Thirty seconds," she said glimpsing the white reflective surface of the lake through the trees ahead. "There's a hard turn to the left."
"Tell me when," he said.
The turn appeared and Darcy counted down in her head. "Now!" she shouted as she turned.
Clint let the last stone go and it hit the SUV's driver hand on the wheel. He snatched his hand away from the wheel and SUV went straight past the turn and into the lake with a massive splash.
"Whoa," Darcy said staring in the rearview mirror at the SUV that was slowly sinking into the lake. She could see some flailing bodies as they tried to escape through the windows.
"Not bad," Clint said casually tucking the slingshot back into his pocket. "Get us out of here, sweetheart."
"Yeah, okay," she said dazedly, refocusing on the road ahead of her. Driving on some kind of autopilot, she got them away from the lake and back on to the main highway. They drove along for a while, Darcy trying to process the fact that not only had someone tried to run them off the road, Clint had managed to stop them and disable their vehicle with only a child's toy.
It was probably that last thought that had her sharply pulling the truck off the road and onto the hard shoulder.
"Whoa," Clint said looking at her. "You okay?"
Darcy stared out the windshield, her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. "No. I can't let go of the wheel."
She felt Clint staring at her. "Okay. That's okay. Let me put it in park though, all right?"
Darcy nodded and she watched his hand reach over and move the shift into park.
"Thanks," she said. "Still can't let go."
"Okay," he said scooting closer. He put one hand on the steering wheel and the other on her seat. His proximity did nothing to slow down her breath and heart rate and made her skin tingle. "Darcy. We're okay, you know. You drove like a fucking ace back there. Seriously. I'm impressed."
"Are you hoping that flattery is going to stop me from freaking out?" she asked.
"I thought I'd give it a try," he said. "Otherwise, I'll have to get physical."
She laughed a touch hysterically. "Making me think of Olivia Newton-John isn't going to help."
"Your thought processes are absolutely fascinating," he said. "Just…sit still. I'm going to try something."
She opened her mouth to tell him that if he tickled her or something, she was going to scream, but her voice got caught in her throat when he leaned in and pressed his mouth to her hand, directly on her knuckles.
A whimper escaped from her as his mouth pressed gentle, sweet, light kisses to the top of her hands. He looked up at her and winked, then his mouth opened and he licked her index finger.
She shrieked and jumped. Her hands flew off the wheel and it was a serious credit to his reflexes that he ducked just in time to miss getting smacked in the face.
"You just licked me!" she said breathlessly.
"Told you I was gonna get physical," he said shrugging.
She blinked and then laughed. He grinned at her and the adrenalin that had been coursing through her body since that goddamn SUV hit the truck surged again through her veins.
"You could totally kiss me now," she said thoughtfully. "I want you to kiss me now. Right now. Before the rush wears off and we've got to be responsible and adult. But, I really want you to kiss me. Hard. Now. Could you do that?"
"God, yes," he muttered before moving in.
His hand cupped the back of her head face and his mouth was on hers before she could draw another breath. It was hard and frantic and she gripped his wrists with her hands and instantly opened her mouth to him.
He groaned and his tongue slipped past her lips and tangled with hers. She fumbled with her seatbelt and got it undone. Then, she crawled over and straddled his lap. Clint's hands immediately went to her butt and pulled her close and time seemed to just slow down. Her hands framed his face and her mouth moved over his. He groaned again and pressed his hips up against hers, Darcy gasped and ground down. The air was thick and muggy filled with the scent of roses. Darcy just let her mouth move to the side of his throat and licked at his salty skin. He groaned and pushed his hands through her hair, pulling her mouth back to his. He trailed calloused fingers down the side of her face and she shivered.
"So fucking gorgeous, baby," he said into her mouth. "Jesus, Darcy."
"Less talking, more kissing," she said before sucking on his lower lip.
His hands squeezed her butt and then moved up her sides. She shivered as they brushed the curve of her breasts and she shifted her hips, rocking gently. They both groaned and Clint's head dropped to her shoulder where he started to mouth at her neck.
Darcy let out a sound that was part gasp, part laugh and her head fell back while she kept her hips moving on his. She jumped when her phone in her back pocket went off.
"Wait," she said. "I'm vibrating."
"Tell me about it," he said covering her mouth with his.
Darcy laughed and pulled away. "My phone, doofus."
Clint just grinned and let her get her phone out of her pocket.
"What?" Darcy said.
"You're late," Phil said on the other line. "It usually takes you an hour to get out and back from Miss Pearl. Is everything okay?"
"Everything's fine, Phil," Darcy said smiling at Clint. "Just taking a tiny break. Some assholes tried to run us off the road and I-"
Darcy stopped talking, despite Phil's voice rising and throwing a bunch of questions at her. She didn't hear them. She just saw the rose bushes in the bed of the truck all jumbled up and petals everywhere. The phone slipped in her grasp.
"Darcy," Clint's voice sounded far away.
"Oh, God. Someone tried to run us off the road," Darcy said faintly. She'd had people not like her before. She was too blunt to not have made a few people pissed off at her, but this? Someone had just tried to hurt her. To hurt Clint. To damage her. And for what? The nursery? Did Connor Dewsey hate her family that much? So much that he was willing to physically hurt her? Her heart pounded and she felt tears fill her eyes. Those poor roses. Oh, Miss Pearl would be so sad to see her babies all jumbled up.
Her eyes refocused and she realized the Phil was talking at her over the phone and Clint was staring at her, looking all concerned with his hand on the side of her face. She croaked out, "The roses! Miss Pearl's roses! Someone tried to run us off the freakin' road and they hurt the roses! What the fuck is going on?"
"I know, baby, I know," he said, his thumb smoothing over the apple of her cheek. "But you're okay, remember? You drove like a bat out of hell and we disabled them. We're safe, okay? Can you give me the phone?"
Darcy nodded, her eyes still wide and slightly unseeing. She let him take the phone out of her hand.
"Phil, we're okay," Clint said still looking at Darcy. "Black SUV, two guys in black with sunglasses. Very slick. Definitely not local. They didn't know the area at all. We managed to run them into the lake at the end of state road 44. Last I saw, they were trying to swim. But we're fine."
He leaned close to Darcy. "Do you hear me telling Phil we're okay? I'm not lying. You don't lie to Phil."
"Because it saves time instead of wasting it," she said nodding.
"Got it," he said smiling. He went back to the phone. "We're heading back now. Yeah? Yeah, send them. I'll be surprised if they leave anything though. Yeah. Yeah, I will."
He hung up the phone and slipped it back into her back pocket, caressing her butt as he did so. Despite herself, Darcy snickered.
"I'm having a crisis here and you're copping a feel," she said.
"You've got a fantastic ass," he said seriously. "I can't help myself."
"You're terrible," she said pressing her forehead to his.
"Yes, I am," he said softly lifting his chin to kiss her lips gently. She sighed against his mouth hand let him kiss her for a few moments, easing her into a soothed state and she scooted closer. He sucked in a breath when she rubbed against his half-hard erection.
"Sorry," she said starting to smile.
"Don't apologize. Feel free to do that again, actually."
"We need to get back though, don't we?"
"We do. Phil's sending Thor and Steve out to take a look at the lake," he said.
"Shouldn't we stay, then?" she asked edging her way back into the driver's seat. Clint shook his head.
"Cap can handle it. But, if these guys are as professional as I think they are, they won't have left much behind. Let's just get you back home."
She nodded. "Okay. That's okay. I want my gran. But we're coming back to the whole using lines on me and the kissing thing."
"Good," he said. "I can't wait."