Linda stopped beside him, her heart expanding with a sudden, deep wave of tenderness as she processed his words. Had Dariusjust admitted to her he was scared of the sea. That’s what he must mean by respect and not going past the water line. Plus she’d seen a small flicker of that fear when he’d glanced out at the sea while he was talking to her about it.
The confession didn't diminish him in her eyes; it pulled away the polished corporate veneer and let her see the real, grounded man beneath the armor. It endeared him to her more than any grand romantic gesture ever could.
"I understand completely," Linda told him, offering a soft, reassuring smile as she caught the brief flicker of relief in his eyes. She reached out, her fingers resting gently against his forearm to anchor the moment. "I have a similar secret.” Her voice dropped. “Nature is magnificent and I love it. But it carries a real danger if you don't respect its boundaries. I love this coast, but I have my own structural limits."
"Oh?" Darius asked, his eyes locking onto her face with immediate interest. "What limits are those?"
Linda cleared her throat, a slight flush touching her cheeks as she looked down at the sand.
"I have a terrible fear of dense forests and long, untamed grass," Linda admitted shyly, forcing herself to maintain her honesty. "My brother calls it dendrophobia and agrostophobia. Even if I'm walking up a steep ridge or get too high up a hill where the trees canopy over the path, I get this horrible sensation that the ground is slipping out from under my feet. I feel like I'm going to fall backward and get completely swallowed up by the undergrowth."
Linda let out a short, self-deprecating snort, shaking her head. "When I was younger, I couldn't even sit down for a picnic undera tree without experiencing a full panic attack. My ex-husband used to think it was a ridiculous exaggeration. He would deliberately set our blankets right beneath the thickest tree lines during our university holidays, almost as if he was trying to taunt me into working through it."
Darius’s jaw tightened instantly, a dangerous, dark light flaring in his eyes that made Linda’s breath catch in her throat.
"That's an incredibly cruel way to handle someone's trust," Darius said, his voice dropping an octave into a hard, protective register. “You can’t push someone to overcome a fear. It just makes it worse.” He gave her a soft smile that made her breath catch. “It must be awful being afraid of trees and grass. I can at least go inland to get away from the sea. But there are trees and grass everywhere.”
"I'm significantly better now," Linda assured him quickly, her heart fluttering at the fierce, defensive warmth in his tone. "I can walk past trees without any trouble, and I don't mind being near the tree line on the beach. But I still can't sit beneath an overgrown canopy for more than a few minutes without feeling that tightness in my throat."
"I'm going to remember that," Darius promised her, his expression softening into a look of tender consideration. "When the time comes for our first proper picnic, I will personally ensure the blankets are laid out in the center of an open park, far away from any hanging branches, on a neatly mowed lawn."
Linda swallowed hard, the simple, protective promise melting the last of her defenses. She looked at his handsome face, realizing with a sudden, terrifying certainty that she had fallen completely head over heels in love with him., Darius
"That's very sweet of you," Linda whispered, her voice trembling slightly. "But having grandchildren forces you to fight through your limitations. Over the last few years, I've had to pull Sophia out of branches and rush right through the long marsh grass to grab Jake when he's chasing a ball. I don't let them see the fear. But I have to admit, every single time they're safe, I have to go lock myself in the nearest bathroom for five minutes to let the panic work its way through my system."
Darius stopped completely, turning his body to face her directly. His dark eyes had turned deep and heavy with an intense emotion she couldn't define. Before she could utter another word, he reached out, his large arms pulling her firmly against his chest as he bent down and crushed his lips against hers.
Darius
The absolute honesty of her words shattered the last of Darius’s stringent restraint. He listened to her outline the quiet, invisible battles she fought for her family, contrasting her immense courage against the casual cruelty of her ex-husband, and the protective instinct in his chest flared into an unyielding flame. She was the most remarkable, authentic woman he had ever encountered in his sixty years of life.
The moment his lips met hers, the absolute certainty of his feelings locked into place. Darius had told Isabel and Penny at the café that he was falling for Linda, but holding her here in the golden morning light made the reality undeniable. He loved her enough to risk everything to protect her family’s estate. Darius knew that by continuing to play the part of theaggressive corporate predator to draw the Carolina Group out into the open, he was likely going to break his own heart and lose her trust. He just prayed that when the dust settled and Clyde exposed the internal leaks, Linda would find it in her heart to grant him a second chance.
Darius pulled back slowly, his hands remaining steady on her waist as he rested his forehead against hers. Her lips were soft and slightly swollen from the intensity of the kiss, her eyes shining up at him with a beautiful, undisguised vulnerability.
The persistent, nagging voice at the back of his mind flared up again, but for the first time all week, he didn't command it to shut up as it whispered inside his head:There is a real solution to this problem,the voice whispered.You don't have to carry the weight alone. Just tell Linda about the Carolina Group and let her in on the strategy.He carefully logged the thought into his mental notebook as the idea took hold.
But before he could think more on it, Linda broke the silence, her fingers resting against the front of his pullover.
"Darius, our family is hosting a small celebration dinner in the hotel’s private function room tonight. We’re celebrating the preliminary state validation of the Calusa findings and welcoming all the town volunteers who’ve joined the effort. I know you aren't part of the active project, but Isabel, Penny, and Emma are going to be there. It feels only right to ask you to join us."
“I wouldn’t be an outsider?” Darius looked at her questioningly. “Especially not being part of the dig.”
"You could easily join the volunteer rotation if your schedule permits," Linda offered, her eyes bright with hope as shetightened her arms around him. "Dr. Caldwell loves training anyone who displays real enthusiasm for history, and we desperately require as many extra pairs of hands we can get to manage the grid clearing. If you aren't too busy with your home renovations, you could join the crew."
The unexpected invitation made his pulse quicken against his ribs. He looked down at her beautiful face, and before his executive caution could intervene, the words left his mouth. "I would love to attend the dinner tonight.” He couldn’t stop the huge smile spreading across his lips. “And I may just be interested in looking into the volunteer schedule for the dig site."
As they stood wrapped together on the open shoreline, the morning sun fully breaking through the clouds to turn the bay into a sheet of brilliant gold, Darius realized his decision was already finalized. He was going to confess everything to Linda. Today. He couldn't walk into that hotel function room carrying this lie. He had to lay out the full scope of his identity and what was going on with the Sweet Blossom Bay project before the dinner began.
"But I have one strict condition," Darius told her, his voice turning serious.
"Alright," Linda said, a curious smile touching her lips. "What's the condition?"
"Have lunch with me at the beach house today," Darius invited, his eyes locking onto hers. "Just the two of us. The construction contractors are sending their quotes through this morning, so the crews won't be on the property. It will be completely quiet."
"It's a deal," Linda laughed, gently sliding out of his embrace as she checked her wristwatch. "Oh, good grief, look at the time. Ihave to run." He could see the hesitance. The reluctance to break the moment which matched his own. "I have a high-priority tracking meeting with Anna and Owen in twenty minutes, and then I need to get straight over to the regional medical center to visit my uncle."
"How is your uncle doing?" Darius asked, his tone genuinely concerned.
