Jacquie ’Alessandro - Sinfully Sweet

“Where are you going? You can’t just leave me with this.”

Darcy circled the counter and threw her arms around her father’s neck. They never really hugged-her father wasn’t a very demonstrative man-but Darcy couldn’t contain herself. She felt as if she could fly. “Daddy, I want a seat on the board. And I want you to promise you’ll make me a vice president within the next five years. And if you don’t agree, I’m going to quit.”

He opened his mouth to reply, but Darcy shook her head. “You know I’m good at this, Daddy, and you’d be a fool to let me go. And I know you’re not a fool. You’re not going to find anyone more loyal or devoted than I am. So I’d suggest you just nod your head and agree to give me what I want.”

“You wouldn’t quit,” Sam said.

Darcy smiled. “Try me.” She patted her father’s cheek. “You think about it for a day or two. I have to go pack now.”

“Where are you going?” Sam asked.

“San Francisco.”

“When will you be back?”

“I don’t know,” Darcy said as she hurried to the elevator. “Tomorrow? Next week?” She pressed the button, and when the elevator doors didn’t open, she pressed it again. Glancing at her watch, she calculated the time it would take to get into the city. Thank goodness, she’d have a ninety-minute ride to figure out what she was going to say to Kel.

This was crazy. She’d always thought love ought to be rational and deliberate and well-considered. That once she found it, it would follow a very precise calendar. But it wasn’t that way at all. It completely messed up all her plans-and she really didn’t care.

“Darcy?”

At first she thought she’d imagined his voice, that her excitement had gotten the better of her. But then, he spoke again. She froze, fighting back a whirl of emotion.

“Darcy, please look at me.”

She slowly turned to find Kel standing a few feet away, his bags at his feet. Her heart skipped and her knees felt weak. He’d only been gone for fifteen minutes, but she’d already missed him so much.

“You came back,” she murmured.

Kel nodded. “I couldn’t leave. I got into town and I turned around. We’re not finished yet, Darcy. I’m not sure what comes next, but there has to be something.”

“There is,” she agreed. “I know that now.”

“Really?”

She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out the tiny pieces of paper, then handed them to him.

“What’re these?” he asked as he unfolded them.

“They’re from the inside of our chocolate heart halves from Sinfully Sweet. Remember, she gave you a heart, too. They’re a match.”

He frowned. “So? What does that mean? We win a prize?”

“Don’t you see?” Darcy cried. “This explains it all. We’re supposed to be together. The fates are conspiring against us. Or in our favor. That’s why I couldn’t forget you after that night in San Francisco and why we ran into each other at the candy store. Do you realize all the different twists of fate it took for those events to happen? And now, look at this. We had matching messages. It’s a sign.”

“And now you believe we might have a future, because of some silly message inside a chocolate wrapper?”

“Yes,” Darcy said. “It’s fate.” Why couldn’t he understand? This made all the difference in the world. It was as if she suddenly had permission to feel the way she did. She couldn’t control this, she just had to embrace it, and that freed her in a way that felt so good.

“You believe in fate, but you don’t believe in me?” Kel cursed softly. “God, I feel like I’m going crazy here. Darcy, I came back here because I want to be with you. I’m in love with you. And it doesn’t have anything to do with chocolate.”

The sound of the words, the simple admission of his feelings, brought a fresh round of tears. He loved her. “I do believe in you. In us,” Darcy finally said. “I was coming to tell you that. I was going to drive to San Francisco. And I’ve fallen in love with you too, Kel.”

A slow grin softened his tense expression and his gaze filled with affection. “You’ve fallen in love with me?”

“Yes,” Darcy said, slipping her arms around his waist.

He chuckled softly, then pulled her into a long, deep kiss. Warmth rushed through her bloodstream and her heart pounded. Darcy concentrated on the taste of him, trying to commit it to memory. It was only after he drew away, that she realized she’d never have to search for memories of him again. She’d only have to look into his eyes or touch his hand or listen to his voice. He would always be with her.

“I was hoping things might work out like this,” Kel murmured, his breath tickling her ear.

“And why is that?” she asked as he kissed her neck.

“I bought a house out on Crystal Lake.”

Darcy drew back, stunned by his admission. “When did you do this?”

“They accepted my offer yesterday. You’ll love it. It’s right on the water and it’s this huge, rambling place with a boathouse and a Victorian gazebo and a terrace that overlooks the water. You’ll love it.”

Darcy stared at him. “West Blueberry Lane?” she asked.

“How did you know?”

It was another sign, not that she needed one more. “I will love it,” she said. “But how are you going to live there if you have to move to Atlanta?”

“I’m not moving to Atlanta, Darcy. I’m ready to start the rest of my life and I’m going to do that here, with you. And I don’t care what it takes-we’ll prove to your father that you can run his hotels and love me at the same time.”

“I gave him an ultimatum,” Darcy said. “Either I’m going to have a seat on the board by tomorrow morning or I’m going to be out of a job.” She toyed with a strand of his hair. “Maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing. I could take some time off and spend every spare moment pleasing you.”

Kel chuckled. “I know you, Darcy. You’re not the type to spend your days looking after my needs. So maybe I ought to look after you. I can be in charge of the pleasing,” he said. He glanced around the lobby. “So do you think my room is still available?”

Darcy looked over her shoulder to find Amanda, Olivia and her father watching them from the reception desk. “The maid is cleaning it now. But I have nice soft bed in my room with expensive French sheets that feel really good on naked skin.”

Kel grabbed her hand and dragged her across the lobby. Darcy laughed as they began to run, as desperate as he was to have a moment alone with him. She’d never really considered herself a romantic. “Who would have thought that chocolate could have changed my mind about romance?” she said.

As Kel pulled her into his arms again and kissed her, Darcy made a mental note to order another box of chocolates from Sinfully Sweet.

“I think we should place a standing order for chocolate just to make sure this feeling never ends.”

“This feeling will definitely never end,” Darcy said softly, staring up into his gaze. “It lasted five years without us seeing each other. If we’re together, it’s bound to last a lifetime.”

BROWN PAPER COVERED the plate-glass windows of Sinfully Sweet, softening the midday sunlight that usually streamed into the shop. Inside, the glass cases, usually filled with delectable chocolate treats, were empty.

Ellie Fairbanks stood behind the counter, packing a box of cash register tapes. She paused and took a long look around the shop. Boxes were stacked up against one wall and everything that could be packed was now tucked inside crumpled newspaper and foam peanuts. In an hour or two, the movers would arrive and haul everything out to their truck.

“I really loved this store,” she murmured. “There are times that I think we should settle in one place and stay awhile.”

Her husband came up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist, drawing her back against his body. Resting his chin on her shoulder, Marcus placed a soft kiss on her cheek. “You always get a bit sentimental when we close up shop. But you know that as soon as we find another location, you’re going to get excited again.”

Ellie turned around in his arms and stared up at Marcus’s handsome face. As long as he was with her, it didn’t matter where they lived or what they did. He was her home, her touchstone, her reason for living. “Maybe so.”

“Until we settle on another location, I’ll just have to keep you excited in other ways,” Marcus murmured, his fingers furrowing through her hair. His lips covered hers in a deep and thorough kiss, and warm desire flooded Ellie’s body, distracting her from her melancholy. There was still work to do to get ready for the movers, but right now all she could think about was her husband’s touch.

“We did well here, didn’t we?” she asked when he nuzzled his face into the curve of her neck. “It was worth all the hard work.” She turned to the windows. The new owner had already scraped the gilt paint from the glass. It now displayed the new name of Sinfully Sweet. “Austell Confectionary.” Ellie winced. “You think they could have come up with something…sexier.”

“Well, as we both know, nothing could stop chocolate from being sexy.”

“We went a long way toward proving our theories, didn’t we?” Ellie said, picking up yesterday’s edition of the Austell Bugle. “Daniel Montgomery and Carlie Pratt are engaged.” She held the paper up to Marcus, folded to show an engagement portrait. “Don’t they look happy?”

“Blissful,” Marcus said. “But I’m not sure we should count them as a success story. I have a feeling you had something to do with them getting matching messages.”

Ellie smiled winsomely. “Me?” she asked in mock innocence. “Perhaps. But anyone could see they were perfect for each other. And both so fond of chocolate. I just couldn’t help myself.”

“I saw them yesterday walking their puppies in the park. Cute dogs, but Daniel and Carlie had their hands full keeping them from tearing up the landscape. You should have seen the area around those trees by the fountain. Those puppies have dug so many holes they’re giving the gophers a run for their money.”

“Well, you can’t discount my research methods when it comes to Rebecca Moore and Connor Bassett,” Ellie said. “Not only did we prove that chocolate is a powerful aphrodisiac, but we also established that, in their case, opposites do attract.”

Marcus chuckled. “And who would have guessed that chocolate-covered strawberries could have such a potent effect on a woman’s sensuality?”

“Oh, I think Rebecca always had a sensual side,” Ellie explained. “It just took the right man, and a bit of chocolate, to bring it out.”

“Hmm,” Marcus said. “As I recall we had our own little adventure with chocolate shortly after we met. Remember the hot fudge? I was still tasting chocolate on your body days later.”

Even after twenty-seven years, the memory of that night still made Ellie blush. It was the first time she’d felt completely and passionately uninhibited. It was also the moment that she knew Marcus was the only man for her.

“And then there’s Darcy Scott and Kel Martin,” Ellie continued.

“Kel Martin? I remember when he stopped by the shop a few months ago. I didn’t realize you’d given him a chocolate heart half.”

“I couldn’t resist,” Ellie said. “But I certainly didn’t expect it to work. When Darcy came in last week to place an order for The Delaford’s signature chocolates, she informed me they were engaged. I couldn’t believe it.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Marcus asked.

“I’m not sure we can count this one. It turns out they’d shared a one-night stand years ago, so they may have been preconditioned to sexual attraction.”

“Did they eat our chocolate?” Marcus asked.

Ellie nodded. “They did indeed.”

“Then I say we add them to our inventory of success stories.”

Ellie slipped out of his embrace and picked up a basket from beneath the counter, the basket that had held the heart halves. “It was a good promotion. We should consider doing it again.”

Marcus took the basket from her hand, ready to pack it in an open box, then stopped. “Look at this. There are two heart halves left.”

Frowning, Ellie peered into the basket. She could have sworn the basket was empty when she’d tucked it beneath the counter. With a devilish smile, she withdrew the heart half wrapped in blue foil and held it out in the palm of her hand. “Would you care to see if we’re a match, Mr. Fairbanks?”

Marcus took the heart and dropped it back in the basket. “I think I already know the answer to that,” he said. “I knew it from the moment I first saw you.”

Ellie slipped her arms around his waist again and drew him close, losing herself in the quiet strength of his embrace. “There will never be another Sinfully Sweet. But as long as you’re with me, I think I’d be happy selling chocolate on the moon.”