Dance Beneath the Moon
Copyright 2001 Michelle Harris
Aka Lady M. Harris
Part 10
"So, is it mine or Terrence's?" Darien's eyes narrowed dangerously on her. He jingled the paper package of prenatal pills in front of her wide eyes as if he were dangling a toy.
Without thinking or even aware of what she was doing, Serena's hand whipped out and connected to the side of his cheek. The force of her slap left a red wilt on the side of his face.
They stood staring at one another, as if the world did not exist around them, only their breathing could be heard above furious beats of the their hearts. The chatter around them died to a silence within the small grocery store while onlookers waited with bated breath for the next act to commence between the striking couple. The grocery clerk who had attended Serena stood beside them, barely able to concentrate on chewing her gum.
"I guess I deserved that," Darien sneered contemptuously, the curl of his lips matching his stance as he slowly reached up to rub his red cheek.
Serena became aware of her surroundings and blushed profusely, the anger tinting her cheeks as she continued to glare at Darien. This was not how she pictured telling him that he was about to become a father. Certainly, she at least didn't expect the accusations of Terrence being the father roll off of Darien's tongue. She wondered briefly where that had come from, what could have prompted him to think of such a thing. If anything, she should be wondering if he was still seeing Beryl considering how he had never explained that one to her. Although, she still believed what Wesly had told her about the deception, but it would have sat better on her mind to hear it directly from Darien.
"Yes you did. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll be leaving now," she bit out, and turned abruptly away from him and the crowd of spectators. Why did they have to draw a crowd, her mind bitterly speculated as she hastily paid for her groceries. She grabbed her plastic packages as Darien watched her with a curiously angry tilt to his façade. Serena paused, her breathing slightly elevated as her eyes strayed to back to Darien's hand where he held her prescription. She couldn't very well leave without it.
"I suppose you want this?" He drawled sardonically, noticing where her gaze had settled.
Not trusting her voice, she nodded curtly, her hand trembling as she held it out. Oh God, as the angry tears began to well up in her eyes like precarious raindrops, I'm not going to cry! Not in front of him!
Darien ignored her hand, his gaze returning to her flushed face. His face grew hard as he noticed her eyes watering with tears, her soft lips trembling with the effort to hold back her tears. God damnit, his mind blasted, not wanting to deal with the hurt written all over her features. He could handle her anger, but not—the hurt expression in her eyes, like an animal caught in a prey's trap. He thought of Terrence then and how they must have looked together, intimately standing close to one another before those double doors and that they were about to kiss right before his very eyes.
And the baby! A child that could possibly be his, if she wasn't lying about that fact. The pain tore at his insides and for a moment he grimaced in a low, threatening growl, barely audible except to Serena's ears. And then his eyes withered like a winter's tale as a wall of impenetrable ice seemed to cover his features.
Serena stepped back in bewildered hurt and confusion at the sound emitting from Darien's throat.
He turned back to the clerk and asked if everything was paid for, and at the clerk's confirmed nod, he turned to see Serena's retreating back, already heading out the doors even as she struggled with her packages.
Serena gasped with anger as Darien nearly ripped the heavy packages from her hands. She whipped about to face him. Even though she realized too late that she had bought way too much groceries to take with her on the bus.
"You're going back to the flat with me," Darien stated, his voice curt.
"How dare you try to order me about?" She quipped, her blue eyes blazing with fire.
"I dare anything, when my child is at stake," he flared back, heading towards his shiny, red sports car in the overcrowded parking lot. She stomped after him, her thoughts blazing with angry retorts.
"Oh now it's your child? And where were you these last couple of months? Carousing around Tokyo with Beryl?" She accused, her eyes narrowing with sudden fury. Oh God, she had read the last couple articles on him, had seen him stepping out of a limousine with Beryl on his arms as they attended a black and white ball. How handsome he had looked in the picture, his face had seemed harsher, thinner, but it made the lines of his face even more striking, his blue eyes more brilliant than ever. After reading the last article, Serena had promptly went to bed after seeing to her mother's needs and then cried herself to sleep. Even after reading the article and seeing the picture of him with Beryl, Serena scanned the newspapers every evening looking for anything that might mention him.
"What does she have to do with this?" Darin snorted in irritation as he opened the trunk of his car and set the groceries in. He walked over to her side of the door and opened it, clearly ignoring her question. Beryl was the last person on his mind today. "And you know, I could say the same about you. I have no clue what you've been doing these last couple of months. For all I knew, you could've been busy making the Guinness World Record doing whatever!"
Serena bit her lip, the anger suddenly draining out of her. She was so tired, having been on her feet all day and then now having to deal with this confrontation. And this is not how she wanted to end her day. My God, how could he accuse her of sleeping with Terrence, when all she could do was think about him, her mind raced.
"We have a lot to talk about, Serena, and I don't honestly believe that this is the right place to do it," He answered her instead.
Within several moments, the car reached the freeway, racing past the slower moving vehicles and clearly bypassing her apartment building. "Take me home," She blurted out, sitting up straighter in her seat. As if that would make him turn around and take her home.
"I don't think so and this talk is long overdue," he answered her after a moment, his mouth in grim lines even in the darkness of his car. To think that she had deceived him all these weeks, he thought angrily. If it hadn't been for Dr. Hamilton asking for her weekly patient charts and the new assistant accidentally delivering them to his desk, he would have never known about Serena's state. To say that he had been jolted with shock was an understatement, especially when he had opened the first chart in the stack. Suddenly he realized that was reading about Serena and that she was now nearly three months pregnant and that his name was listed as the father. Course, that remained to be seen until the blood tests were done on the baby to confirm him as the father. Dr. Hamilton may believe Serena, but he himself had his own doubts about her trust.
God, and to think that he had nearly declared himself in love with her! Darien shoved the agonizing thoughts away from his mind, not wanting to deal them at that moment. They would come to that part when they reached his flat. But just in case the child was his…
Serena sat back against her seat, the fight finally out of her. It was no use arguing with him, she rationalized tiredly. She wasn't going to win, no matter what she told him. Of course, she had to wonder why he believed her having an affair with Terrence. She laughed bitterly inwardly, the last she had heard of Terrence, had actually been from Mina. She had received a postcard from the Bahamas and read how wonderful her and Terrence's honeymoon had been. That was nearly two months ago. She glanced over at Darien, her lashes lowering over her large, blue eyes, skimming slowly over his features. Flashes of colored light bounced off the interior walls of the darkened car, casting a bluish-green tint to everything it touched. Even with the colors playing tricks on her mind, it didn't distract from the raw, lean lines of Darien's face. It in fact, drew the eyes toward his classical, straight nose, the firmness and fullness of his mouth, which always seemed to be twisted in an ironic curl. Despite the little voice telling her to look away, she couldn't help her gaze from sweeping lovingly over the rest of his face, stopping to admire the way his lightweight, sports blazer hugged his broad shoulders as he drove the car with infinite ease.
He glanced back over at her, catching her in her reverie and making her all too aware of their last time together. Just for an instance she thought she saw the flash of pure, blue fire in those enigmatic eyes of his before they became unreadable again as he forced his gaze away from her. She didn't miss the tightness around his mouth and she fought the old hurt that seemed to clench around her heart, penetrating at her wary soul.
Within moments they were at his flat with Serena barely able to keep her eyes open. This last month of pregnancy was bringing another new aspect of becoming a mother. Once the daily queasiness had alleviated somewhat, Serena found herself quite sleepy in the early evenings. Amy had told her that it was just another step in becoming a mother.
Darien had turned toward her as soon as they entered his flat and caught himself, his shoulders stiffening inconspicuously as he interpreted her drooping shoulders, the telltale yawn that she tried to hide from him. How many times had a new patient visiting him, perhaps the second or third time, telling him of her early evening weariness during the first trimester of patient's pregnancy. Suddenly he felt like two-folds of a heel. Serena may have deceived him into falling in love with her, but she was also with child, his child, if he dared to hope was truly his.
"Tired?" He asked her suddenly, softly. He tried to hide the concern, not wanting her believe it was for her, but only for the baby. Right.
Serena nearly jumped at the sound of his deep, drawling voice, her lowered lidded eyes widening as they flew toward his face. He was watching her intensely, almost as if she were one of his patients. There was the feeling of a tenet truce hovering in the air between them. So instead of wanting to fight with him, argue her side that she didn't think would persuade him at the moment anyway, she nodded. "It's been a grueling day," she added, looking away from his piercing gaze.
"I think," he paused slightly as he began putting away her groceries into his refrigerator, "that perhaps, we can finish this discussion in the morning," noting the lateness of the hour on his kitchen clock.
She nodded again when he stared back at her. She watched him silently, still standing in the center of his living room, not knowing what do as he finished putting away her groceries and then walked toward the back of his bedroom disappearing for a couple of minutes. Serena felt like a complete fool standing where she was. She was just on the verge of sitting down in one of his comfortable chairs when he returned with a pile of clothes, blankets and a pillow.
"I'll sleep on the couch tonight, you can take the bed for now," he stated. She took heed of the words he empathized, on 'couch' and 'tonight' before he handed her the clothes. The clothes looked like a well-worn plaid shirt, large sweat pants and thick white socks. "I'll have your clothes brought around tomorrow," he added, turning away from her as he set the blankets and pillow on the couch.
She opened her mouth to argue and then closed it shut again. He was right, no matter how upset she was, it was late and the argument could wait until the morning. "We'll see about that," she stated otherwise, taking offense at his last statement. There he goes again, ordering her about as if she were one of his nurses. She wasn't moving in with him! He had another thing coming to him if he thought she was going to get cozy with him, especially since there had been no tender words between them as she had dreamed of ever since she had allowed herself to think that she was in love with him.
He turned toward her, as a dark brow quirked upward in amusement at her heated statement, as if he were mocking her.
Serena gulped, hypnotized by the efficient play of Darien's fingers as he began unbuttoning his dress shirt in front of her. The dark brow inched a fraction upward and Serena felt herself flushing with warmth, turning away just as he pulled the shirt apart. However, that bronzed, muscled chest with the dark hint of trailing hairline below his belly button was burned across her mind like a fire scorching dry plains.
"If you want some company tonight sweetheart, I'd be more than accommodating," he smirked, the contempt underlying the seductive words. His gaze had narrowed scornfully, his body as taut as a bow pulled tight, ready to spring. God, but she was damned beautiful, standing there like some innocent and yet sensual, golden creature. His mind rationalized that she was a devious, teasing manipulator of the worst sort but his body had an all-together different idea in mind. He waited breathlessly for her reply and wasn't disappointed when she answered him with all the disdain she could muster.
"I'd rather sleep with a snake, thank you," she glared back over her shoulders as she stalked toward his room in a huff. She knew the way. Her back tingled despite her resentment at his high-handiness as she heard his answering chuckle follow her to his darken room.
"Rise and shine, sleepyhead."
Serena opened one bleary eye and then shut it back just as fast as she had opened it. She shifted away from the presence sagging into the bed next her. Clearly indicating that she did not want to be disturbed, despite her uncomfortable night. The situation did not seem any better in the early morning to her. This was especially true since the object of her thoughts for most of the night sat next to her with a surly smile on those sexy lips of his, clean shaven and dressed for work in an impeccable, dark black and gray Armani suit and tie. He looked powerful and dangerous all at once, an intoxicating combination of an animalistic presence, and yet relaxed enough, which did not bode well with Serena at the moment. His subtle cologne flowed over her senses as if she hadn't breathed the fragrance on the pillows beneath her all night, making her attempts to sleep in forgetfulness a fruitless affair.
"I've called into work and told them I won't be back for the week or so," Darien started, staring at the wall as he spoke. Might as well get this over with, he knew that Serena was going to get upset with his decision, she had already balked at his plans to have her move in with him. He didn't know what else he could do at the moment, however all they needed to do was to wait it out with the child. And while he was doing that, he had to make sure that Serena was where he could be near, within safe distance of him. Even if it meant having her near him, tempting him, teasing him with her seemly innocent candor for life.
Somehow, he wondered at himself, that even despite his resolve to push Serena away from him once he knew whom the child belonged to, he wondered if there wasn't just some chance with her. A chance that he might make Serena forget about Terrence, he pushed the thoughts back again. He wasn't like that, taking another man's leavings. Then he wondered about the reality of those thoughts.
That got her attention. Serena flipped back over onto her back and opened her sleepy eyes. "What you mean?" She asked, hesitantly. She watched as his gaze was instantly drawn to her full breasts that were clad by her thin, silk chemise and exposed by the thin sheet that covered her up to her waist. Her rosy nipples puckered underneath the scant material not only to the cool air in his room but also to the sudden, flaring interest in those lapis, blue eyes of his.
"It means, that I've got to produce a marriage license today," he stated preoccupied, almost unable to drag to his gaze away from her tantalizing breasts, to gaze back into her inquisitive gaze.
"But I don't understand, why do you want to marry me when it's obvious that all you care about is the baby?" Serena's cheeks flushed and she wanted to cross her arms almost feeling naked under his perusal, but feared she might look like a fool.
"It'll be a marriage of convenience, if you like," the words popped out his mouth before he could take them back. Thoughts of convincing Serena to stay with him, now out of the window, permanently. And that's where they should be, his rational mind argued.
"I guess what I like won't really matter, will yet?" She answered, her mind still rapidly thinking.
"Well," he paused, his large hand coming out to trail at the underside of one full breast, the cloth bunching against his long fingers, sending hot, electrical currents of desire coursing through her. "We could have a mutual satisfying relationship that could benefit the both of us…seeing how we are attracted to another," he countered, his voice dipping huskily.
Serena's breath caught, her heartbeat drumming a new song along the path of destructive heat and fire. "I don't think so. I'm not a plaything." In an instant she came to a new decision, but it had nothing to do with what Darien was proposing. "You'll have your marriage of convenience," her hand splaying against his, meaning to push away the hand that continued to burn through her chemise.
"Are you sure?" He boldly cupped the full breast in act of possession, her nipple now hard and aroused, tingling against the palm of his hand. Serena bit back a cry of familiar desires, her hand gripping his wrist, not sure if she wanted to push it away or tug it harder against her. The hand slipped against the material, exposing her turgid nipple to his hungry gaze and that cherry-topped pebble that seemed to beg for a kiss-fascinated Darien, as his lids suddenly grew languorously heavy. "Ah now, what do we have here?" He drawled, hoarsely, erotically.
All of her thinking halted the moment his dark, silky head lowered to her breast. Never mind how the scenery looked in her mind. The intimate kiss washed over her in leisurely torment, his tongue wicked and gentle all at once over her quivering flesh, making her forget her reasons for her decision. With the pillow pressed against her head, cushioned against the soft mattress of the bed, his heady scent surrounding her, Serena forgot about everything else except for the presence at her breasts and the hands that slowly peeled the rest of her silky top down.
Serena arched against the mouth that now continued its magic to the other neglected breast. His hands followed where his mouth had been, sending spiraling trails of smoky fire along her skin. His hard body eased closer to hers, the cool cloth of his starched, white shirt sending exciting friction against her bare breasts. With a sigh of sweet longing and satisfaction, Serena's arms were clasping him close to her, her body arching against his in an effort to feel his flesh against her own aching body.
Such succulent, dangerous desire…the need so urgent, so compelling between them that reasons and rational were swept away with just a simple, searing touch. In the next, swift moment, before she could catch her breath, he was already sliding deeply into her, his hand lifting her creamy thigh to accommodate both their positions. As he plunged into her, Serena's senses whirled in a kaleidoscope of careening, brilliant colors flashing before her eyes as her world tilted and then exploded with exquisite release.
Finally, Darien went still, his body taut with conflicting desire as he pushed her deeper into the mattress, his body straining against hers.
"Jesus, Serena," he muttered and cursed all at once, "you make me loose my mind when I'm with you."
"Not any more than I, when I'm around you," She laughed and purred all at once, already satiated, even as he began thrusting into her once more. He groaned low into her hair, his voice sounding like the deep rumble of thunder, not even aware of how gentle he was with the softly, tumbling mass around her face.
Oh God, she prayed to herself as her arms winded around his shoulders to pull him closer to her heart and her silky limbs fastened themselves around his slim hips, let my plan work. She knew a small victory with Darien succumbing to her physically, but the battle of the heart was just the beginning. Her upward climb was anything but treacherous and littered with traps, but what she wanted was far more precious than anything physical from Darien and that was his heart…
They were married that evening in a small church that sat close to the Tenth Street Park. Serena wondered if she was making the mistake of lifetime when she said, "I do" and felt Darien's cool lips kiss her once they were declared man and wife. He slid the matching single platinum band onto her ring finger, next to her glittering, engagement ring. A matching wedding band, broader in thickness, graced his right hand as well. The only witness to the blessed event had been the preacher's wife, who at the time, had been quite in her cups, much to the preacher's embarrassment of his wife's conduct.
Afterwards, there was a flurry of activity at the flat as Darien and her packed for their departure to San Francisco, California in the US. Much to Serena's consternation, she didn't understand why they couldn't inform her parents, her job or her friends of their marriage. And why the sudden rush to fly to the United States.
"Every year, I participate in the Polo US Open event at the Blackhawk Country Club in Danville. The event takes place this weekend. This is usually a month long vacation that I take," Darien explained as he continued packing. Serena's clothing was already packed in her simple, but efficient two-piece luggage with Darien having already ordered her clothes to be delivered to his flat while they were at the church. He had wondered briefly how Serena was going to manage living with such limited amount of clothing, then mentally checked himself that he would provide any additional clothing she needed. She certainly wasn't anything like Beryl or Melissa, who packed luggage after luggage of too many things that they were never going to wear.
"This year, I've decided to take a three month leave from work," his gaze going meaningfully toward her stomach. "It will allow me to reestablish solid connections and establish new contacts with the companies that do business with Shields overseas operations in the US, that my grandfather manages at the moment."
"I still don't understand why I can't tell my parents—"
"I don't want any interruptions between us," Darien answered, his mouth thinning, his eyes narrowing to sheer slits.
"Interruption? This is what I call an interruption," she wanted to wail. She didn't want this, didn't want to be away from everything that was familiar to her. Where she could, at a moment's time run home to her mother and spill her guts out. Or even to one of her many friends who were close to her. If she was in a strange place, the only ear she had to lend her troubles to was Darien. And right now he was the last person who listen to her.
"Serena, I'm going to San Francisco and you're coming with me as my wife," he closed the luggage and locked it efficiently. "Your parents will know of our marriage in a couple of days," he added for her benefit. He glanced at his watch and swore silently. They were already running late to the airport. He was supposed to have had his clothes packed this morning, but then where Serena was concerned, things hadn't quite worked out that way. Especially since when they had arrived at the church that late afternoon, her lips had looked so ripe-red raw from his kissing. He had even had the grace to flush slightly when the preacher's keen gaze had taken one good look at Serena's dazed, satiated expression and knew exactly what this couple had been doing right before their wedding.
"And what am supposed to do while you go tromping off on your polo horse and company parties?" Serena quipped angrily as they left the comfort of the flat to ride down the elevator. She clutched at her coat and tried not clenching her teeth. Who does he think he is anyway?
"I expect you to be at the US Open with me and to encourage your husband to help his team win the game. And I expect you to be beside me as the devoted wife when we are invited to company business functions and I expect you to be the passionate creature in bed like you were this morning when I took you," he stated tightly over her stifled gasp.
"If you think that what happened this morning is going to happen again," Serena started, her face blushing red, her body trembling with rage.
"Oh no," he caught her arm and pulled her along with him as they headed toward the open door of the limousine. He caught the interested gazes of Stephen and Ken, his servants, and his mouth tightened inconspicuously. "A marriage of convenience is not going to work between us, especially in light of what happened this morning." He shoved Serena into the back seat of the limousine with more force than he intended and regretted his harsh actions the instant he heard her small gasp of pain.
"Christ, Serena, I'm sorry," he pulled her into his arms as Serena glared back at him, rubbing the side of her forehead.
"It's just my pride hurt, more than my head," she muttered, closing her eyes. She leaned for a moment against his embrace, glad that he couldn't read her eyes in the dimness of the limousine. It felt so right to be next to him like this. "Okay, maybe you're right about the convenience thing. Maybe," she paused and sighed at the same time, leaning further into the solid of his chest, "maybe though, we need to take the whole thing into consideration," she turned around in his arms, her gaze meeting his. His eyes glittered back at her like gleaming black opals, so dark were their surroundings that she wondered just what it was he was thinking.
"Alright, perhaps we should take it, one step at a time," Darien perused slowly, his arms holding her steadfast. He wondered if he would be able to withstand not bedding her now that she was back in his life. She was beautiful beyond belief and a sensually, vivacious woman, full of surprises and a temptation to a man like him. He wondered again why he was taking such baby steps with her, wanting something more than just a bed partner. The answer became clearer with each breath he took. He was married to her now, offering his name and protection to her and to the baby, even if the child proved to be not his. Was he willing to offer more than that, he asked himself? He couldn't answer those questions yet.
Stay tuned to Part 11! Lady M. Harris