Fighting for her (Novak series #1) {Completed}

18. Cold shoulders and sizzling moments

Hope’s POV

Darby takes me to an exclusive and beautiful restaurant that immediately makes me feel uncomfortable. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the place he has chosen, nor the idea behind it, which I’m guessing is that he wants to pamper me. What makes me uncomfortable is that this is an environment I’m absolutely not used to.

It’s so painfully evident that I don’t belong here, and it becomes even more apparent when the other guests look at me as if I’ve gotten the wrong place. I feel like a worn-out street dog at a pretentious purebred dog show. We all know this is a place where I don’t belong, and unfortunately, no matter how hard Darby tries, my mind stays the same.

My appetite even disappears, but this is partly also because the prices here are obscene. The small plate of appetizers that I order costs twenty-five dollars. Given the expensive costs, I think it’s more critical that Darby can order a proper meal, given that he promptly wants to pay.

He works as a mechanic, and they don’t earn well enough to have this kind of money to throw around like all the other guests. Although none of us really fit into this environment, no one looks at Darby strangely, but everyone’s gaze is on me. His last name exudes power, and that’s probably why no one thinks it’s strange that he’s here.

But I’m not Darby, and I don’t have a fancy last name. I’m just simple Hope, a person who had to grow up too early and has to be ashamed of how her father behaves among people. Who knows, maybe that’s how someone here might know Farris and that I’m his daughter? It wouldn’t surprise me the least, considering how many people he has fought with over the years.

I feel mean because I don’t participate in the conversation as I usually do, but I’m simply not capable of relaxing. It doesn’t feel any better when Darby looks sad, either. Why do I have to be influenced by the environment I’m in? He questions my meal choice, and I declare that I’m satisfied.

I’ve tried the food he has ordered before, and although it’s considered a delicacy, it’s not for everyone as it has a particular taste. Apparently, Darby is one of those people whom the dish doesn’t suit when he practically coughs out of nausea from the bite. However, I feel a little pity and give him water to help him swallow.

When I feed him the oily bread, I don’t think. It feels as if the temperature in the room moves up several degrees. His eyes burn with desire when we stare at each other as if no one else is around. The judgmental glances of the other guests remind me that we’re in a public place, which also makes me quickly pull my hand away.

Darby and I agree to head down to the harbor to get a good burger instead, which brings us both in a better mood. You can’t believe how surprised I get when I see and hear Freddie. We haven’t spoken to each other since I broke up with him, and when his surprise disappears, I get annoyed when he sneers at me.

“This isn’t exactly your scene, Hope,” he says, looking at Darby. “On the other hand, I can understand why you pretend it is.”

“And what exactly do you mean by that,” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Are you truly this desperate that you lie to your date the same way you did to me?” he asks instead of answering, and I immediately notice that Darby reacts to Freddie’s words. “Are you playing poor and feeling sorry for yourself again to make someone else take pity and throw lots of money your way, gold digger?”

His words make me angry, and I walk up to him until only a few inches remain between us. Since he’s taller than me, I have to turn my head to be able to look into the eyes that I once admired. He still has a grin on his lips but is obviously insecure when I don’t bow to his words.

“I’ve never been interested in your money, fancy car, or anything you own, Freddie. You’re as aware of that as I am,” I answer with a wave of anger in my voice and heat in my eyes. “We both know why it happened. You couldn’t accept that I wasn’t happy being your second choice, and instead of standing for what you did, you spread rumors that ruined my whole life.”

“What life, Hope?” he laughs and raises his voice for the other restaurant visitors to hear what we’re talking about. “You’re the daughter of the drunk of the city. There’s not even a shred of opportunity for you to create anything for yourself because you have weak and contaminated blood running in your veins from Farris.”

“At least I stand up for who my father is and where I come from,” I answer with a strength of voice even though my eyes are full of tears that I refuse to let go, and for some reason, my ex suddenly looks sad. “It’s possible that I’ll never have the same opportunities as you or the same amount of money as everyone else in here. What I am sure of, however, is that I have a better chance of getting others to like me because I’m not a rotten person. I’ve never wanted to hurt you, Freddie, and even now that you’re insulting me in public, I don’t want to do it. The only thing I’ve always wanted is for you to release my hand, let me go, and stop lying to others about what person I am when it’s so obvious that even you don’t know who that person is anymore.”

I don’t know if my words make any difference in how he’ll behave in the future. However, I notice that the others in the room are silent, and I turn around to take Darby’s hand and walk out the doors. I don’t even realize that I’m pulling him behind me and walking fast until we reach a park, where he stops me.

Darby turns me around until our glances meet, and my tears roll down my cheeks to remind me of how painful Freddie’s betrayal still is. I guess that’s the downside of relationships, that it hurts so damn much when they let you down the way Freddie let me down. Even though I’m not in love with him anymore, I still loved him once.

Instead of taking care of that love, he chose to break my heart in the most brutal way and then put the blame on me through the rumors that weren’t true. Darby doesn’t question anything but hugs me with one hand caressing my back and the other in my hair as if he’s afraid I’ll disappear.

I raise my head, and he tilts his face until our lips meet. Both of his hands hold my head sensually and lovingly, creating a feeling I can’t describe if you haven’t experienced it before. Eventually, we let go of each other, and he leads me to the harbor to buy the hamburger he promised me.

When we get the food, we continue walking a little bit before sitting down at the dock. Darby stretches out my burger, which I happily accept as I prepare to receive questions about Freddie. Oddly enough, he doesn’t ask anything but eats off his hamburger at the same pace as me in silence. Whatever the reason, I appreciate the opportunity to breathe a little before the difficulty comes.

“That was Freddie. I take it for granted that you’ve heard about him through Jessie,” I say, watching him nod in the corner of my eye. “It’s been a long time since we broke up, but since we haven’t seen each other since then, this meeting was more emotional than I had time to prepare for. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t love him anymore. Even so, it still hurts that someone I valued so highly could hurt me in that way without feeling any shame.”

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me. Believe me; I’m the last one who has the right to judge someone else’s relationship,” Darby laughs bitterly. “Considering what a selfish and mean person I created a child with whom I didn’t know existed, I can even understand the feeling of betrayal.”

“Still,” I answer quietly. “I’m sorry for ruining the evening.”

He puts his hamburger in the carton, wipes his hands, and swallows the food in his mouth before turning his body in my direction. I do the same and wait for what will happen. Darby raises his hand to my cheek and caresses it with his thumb. He kisses my lips softly and then puts his forehead against mine.

“Don’t apologize for this night, Hope,” he whispers. “Especially not since it was the best date I’ve ever been on.”

“But I–.”

“But nothing. Yes, we ran into your ex, and yes, it got emotional. It doesn’t matter. I’d rather see you being emotional on a date with me than you being completely cold. You’ve done nothing wrong but rather gave me more insight and explanation as to why you’re vigilant when it comes to relationships. That information is important to me because we then know about the other person’s history and thus can also build something together despite the fear there,” he explains, and I smile while a lonely tear slides down my cheek.

I don’t know who leans forward first, but in the end, our lips meet again, and he holds my face with his hands in that way I love. Yeah, I don’t really know when that happened, but some things that Darby does, I’ve come to love over time. The way he looks at me, when he instantly knows when I need a hug, that I have milk in my coffee and what I feel every time he smiles.

All thoughts of the burgers disappear, and the only thing that remains in my head is his silky lips that gently but firmly move over mine. His rough tongue sweeps over my mouth, and I open it to reciprocate the violent dance of his tongue. Somehow I end up on my back with Darby above me with his big hand under the shirt, gently massaging the left side of my chest.

Suddenly, he quickly pulls his hand away and sits upright again. He has puffy, shiny lips, ruffled hair, and big eyes full of horror. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong, nor why he stops when it’s obvious I’m enjoying the closeness he’s contributing.

“I’m sorry, Hope. You deserve better than this,” he replies, looking sad.

“But I liked it, I promise, and if you didn’t, I can–,” I begin to protest, but he stops me by putting a finger over my mouth.

“I don’t mean you’ve done anything wrong,” he explains, smiling. “Believe me, I liked it too, and that’s the problem. If we don’t stop now, I’ll lose my self-control and take you right here, right now.”

“You can, I–,” I try, but again he interrupts me by shaking his head with a smile on his lips.

“No, our first time shouldn’t be in a littered port with possible witnesses. If we’re ever going to do this together, it should be in a soft bed I can use to make you experience pleasure in hundreds of different ways and a bathroom close at hand where I can treat you like the queen you are. You won’t have to do anything,” he replies, and I smile big at his concern until he gets a devilish, mischievous smile. “However, you should prepare yourself by drinking plenty of fluids and rest as much as possible. Because when and if it happens, I’ll make you come many more times than you’ve ever done before.”

Just like that, he has ruined my panties with his promise of an evening I’ll never forget, and the only thing I can think is: “bring it on!”

A/N:

Hello everyone!

I finally got my thumb out of my ass and finished writing this chapter that, for some reason, I had a hard time finishing. It‘s usually not a big problem to write coherently, especially when the structure is as simple as it is in this chapter. Nevertheless, problems arose that I thankfully managed to deal with and thus ended. Now hopefully, the rest of my planning with the book will go flawlessly to write!

~ What did you think of the conversation between Hope and Freddie? Is her response coherent?

~ Why do you think he mistreats her after such a long time?

~ What do you think of the date as a whole? Before they left the restaurant and after?

~ Will Darby make good on his promise, and if so, do you want a detailed chapter when two become one?

Some comments would make me happy, beloved readers.

Hugs and kisses!<3