Wild Embrace (Wilder Irish #11) - Mari Carr Page 0,37

cared about Darcy too. That he had for years. Of course, rather than make this discussion easy, it made it more difficult.

Because they weren’t just talking about sex. If they were, this conversation wouldn’t even be necessary. They’d fall into bed together until this spell—or curse—was broken, then part as friends at the end. No muss, no fuss.

But that wasn’t what she wanted. Darcy wanted to date him, and she definitely fell into that category of women looking for a relationship that would lead to marriage.

That thought alone should have him saying forget it and sending her back to her desk.

Instead, he reached out and ran the backs of his fingers down her cheek gently. She was so fucking beautiful, she took his breath away.

“I care about you too, Buttercup. But…well…there’s a lot at stake, and I’m not so sure we’d be smart to cross a line we couldn’t cross back over if—”

“So we lower the stakes.”

He shook his head. “I don’t think that’s possible.”

“You keep dismissing this out of hand. What about a trial run?” she asked. “We go out a few times and give each other a taste of what it would be like if we were together.”

“Isn’t that basically what all dating is? A trial run?” he asked.

“All I’m saying is we give this a try. This doesn’t have to be life altering or scary. We just…go out, have fun, see if we fit. If we don’t, we shift right back to being friends again.”

No commitment, just a trial. It would give him a chance to get Darcy out of his system. He knew that wasn’t her intention, but to Ryder, it felt like the answer to a prayer because it would accomplish two things.

One, it would return him to solid ground, give him a chance to screw his head back on, because he knew—deep down—he was meant to live an unencumbered life. The problem was it had been too long since he’d been with a woman and it was messing with his head, making him think he wanted something he didn’t.

And two, it would show Darcy he wasn’t the man she thought he was. Romance wasn’t his forte, and that would become obvious pretty quickly. They could chalk it up as a failed experiment and move on without regrets or the shadow of “what if” constantly lurking over their heads.

“Okay. I like that idea.”

She grinned. “Ah, but that’s only because you haven’t heard what my plan for the first date is.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Does it require that I rent a limo?”

“Shit, I forgot about that. Not this first one, but I’m not ruling that out for another date.”

“What’s the plan, Darcy?”

“Are you busy tomorrow?”

Ryder shook his head.

“Good. Because now you are. Friendsgiving at my place.”

Ryder grimaced. “I’d rather rent the damn limo.”

“Nope. My family is a big part of who I am, and you’ve never really given them a chance. Besides, I think we need to work on that not-a-people-person problem of yours. You spend too much time on your own, and you need to do something fun with other people.”

Ryder wanted to argue that what she considered an attempt to make him like people was the very definition of a trial by fire, but instead, he found himself nodding. It was as if he was completely incapable of denying her anything. “Fine. I’ll come to Friendsgiving, but I plan the next date. And there won’t be a limo.”

“Deal.”

She’d suggested dates that revealed what their lives were like. She already knew what his life was life, but she’d only been on the outer fringes, present when he was absent. He wanted her to see that he wasn’t lying about the two most important things in his life—his job and his boys.

Then he realized there was another condition they needed to agree on.

“I don’t think we should tell anyone we’re dating. Since it’s just a trial.”

She tilted her head. “Okay. Can I ask why not?”

“Clint.”

“Clint?” she asked.

“Darcy, the kid is crazy about you. I don’t ever want to jeopardize your relationship with my son. He lost his mom when he was just seven years old. Since then, you and Yvonne have been there for him, giving him something Leo and I can’t. Those tummy rubs and cuddles and the fussing over him. He needs that. He sees us as friends right now, and I think it’s best if we keep it that way.”

She nodded. “You’re right. I get that. We should keep it just between us.