"You are aware that you're inviting me to insinuate something else is up your arse, aren't you?"

I growled. "You know I'm not inviting you to say anything like that, you dirty bastard. Me arse is not the topic of discussion here."

"Awe, why not? You know I love to talk about your perfectly crafted arse, Neala."

I hated him.

"You disgust me."

Darcy winked. "Likewise, sweetheart."

A shiver ran up my spine causing prickling tingles to spread throughout my body. I forced myself to believe it was because I was disgusted by his choice of words, not because I liked it.

I gave Darcy a dirty look then turned my attention from him to the young worker, only to find him nowhere in sight. I looked up and down the aisle, but he was gone. He vanished into thin air.

I angrily snapped my head in Darcy's direction and hissed, "Look what you did!"

I turned and stomped down the aisle trying to put as much distance as possible between Darcy and myself. Darcy apparently didn't feel the same way because he quickly caught up with me until we were walking side by side.

"How is this my fault?" Darcy asked me, angrily.

"Are you thick?” I hissed. “You scared him off with all your vulgar talk about-"

"Your arse? Yeah, you have a point. Your arse would scare any red-blooded male away. The lad was apparently no exception."

Dickhead.

"Listen to me, you twat, I'll have you know no male has ever referred to me arse as scary."

Darcy gleefully laughed. "Maybe not to your face."

I was going to kill him.

"I swear to God I will-"

"You'll what?" Darcy asked as he jumped in front of me halting my movements.

"Kill you!" I growled and shoved at his chest with my hands, which he found hilarious.

"Your hands are so tiny," he cooed in a voice one would use when speaking to an infant.

I wanted to punch him in his smug face.

"They are not!" I hissed.

Okay, my hands were a bit on the small side, but I wouldn't have Darcy Hart saying they were small. It was beyond childish, I knew that, but I just didn't care. He wasn't allowed to say my hands were small, and that was that.

Darcy chortled. "You'd disagree with me no matter what I say."

"No, I wouldn't."

Darcy laughed at my proving him right while I seethed in anger.

"You hate me, don't you, sweetheart?"

"You bet your arse I do," I snarled.

Darcy joyfully inhaled and exhaled. "Good, I'm doing something right."

With that said he turned away and pranced, yes pranced, down the aisle.

"Bloody gobshite," I muttered.

I was about to turn and exit the shop to get away from the black hole of evil that was Darcy Hart when I noticed the outline of the lad worker from before walking towards Darcy with a box in his hand and a smile on his face. It got my undivided attention. Darcy's frame straightened up as he extended his arms towards the lad as he prepared to take the box from his hands.

I squinted my eyes to get a better look at the box, and when the red blazing hair of the doll I wanted came into focus, I broke out into a sudden sprint. I pushed my legs to move as fast as they could and like a machine I zoomed down the aisle. Seconds later I collided with Darcy's back and took him to the ground just before he could take the box from the worker's hands.

That was my goddamn doll, and I was not letting Darcy Hart take it away from me.

"For the love of God!" Darcy's high-pitched cry was all that sounded when we fell... Well, that and the loud thud of his body smacking against tiled floor.

He sounded like he was in pain, but I was perfectly fine, which was all that mattered, because his hard, chiselled body broke my fall.

Wait.

Chiselled?

Darcy was chiselled?

Bleh.

I pushed myself upright, ignoring the tempting muscles of Darcy's back under my palms, then jumped up to my feet and hopped onto the empty spot in front of the now terrified looking young man.

"Thanks," I beamed to the lad.

He swallowed. “It’s the last one in stock. I’m sorry.”

I paused to read the lad's nametag, "Mark. No worries, this is exactly the doll I was look-"

"Oh, no you don't."

I yelped when I was suddenly lifted up from behind and violently swung around to face the empty doll aisle I stood alone in a few minutes ago. Darcy set me down on the ground then gave me a little shove making me stumble forward.

"Thanks, Mark was it? Nice one, man."

Death.

That was what Darcy just asked for.

I turned around, and in a primal manner much like a lioness hunting a gazelle on the Serengeti, I jumped onto his back and locked my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist.

"Drop the doll!" I demanded.

Darcy wheezed as he swung around in a circle.

"Ne-" I tightened my arm around his neck cutting his speech and oxygen off.

My victory was short lived though because Darcy quickly gripped onto my life-threatening arm that was wrapped around his throat with both of his large hands and pulled. Like I said before, Darcy was all man now so he easily - it was embarrassing how easily - pulled by arm away from his neck which allowed him to breathe once more. I wasn't bothered that he did this because he did as I asked by grabbing me with both of his hands. He dropped the doll box to the floor.

I lowered my legs to the floor and pushed away from Darcy causing him to stumble. I quickly scooped up the doll box, turned and sprinted up the aisle away from a wide-eyed Mark - who was on his phone undoubtedly to security - and a fast recovering and fuming mad Darcy.

"Neala!" he shouted.

I did a stupid thing. I looked over my shoulder to see how far away Darcy was from me, and when I seen he was hot on my heels I panicked. I tripped over my feet and screamed as I fell to the floor.

Pain.

That was all I felt radiate throughout my body. Hot burning pain. My knees were on fire, my shoulder hurt and my cheek slightly stung. I was hurting, but apart from my sudden scream I didn't whimper or make any sound of pain, Darcy would have enjoyed that too much.

I heard him sigh as he stood over me. "Are you okay, clumsy arse?"

No.

"I'm grand," I rasped.

I painfully pushed myself up until I was standing upright. I was a little wobbly on my feet, but I was standing, and that was the main thing.

Sure I was in pain, but at least I was up.

"Give me the doll, Neala."

I held the now slightly damaged box to my chest. "No way, this is Charli's doll."

Darcy glared at me. "No, its Dustin's. Now give it here."

Dustin, was Darcy's six year old nephew, he was a sweet kid, but right now, he was my enemy too.

"Dustin? Dustin is a boy, Darcy."

"Thank you for pointing that out, sweetheart. We would have never known he was a lad otherwise."

Eejit.

"Cut the smartarse replies." I growled.

Darcy grinned. "I can't seem to help it around you. You bring it out in me."

I bring out the smartarse in him? Fantastic.

"Whatever, this doll is going to Charli. Go get an action figure or something for Dustin."

I took a few steps back away from Darcy, but he quickly closed the space by advancing forward.