She cringed. “Let me run that back to you to make sure I got it right.”
The man waved his hand. “No, don’t bother. If you miss anything, I’ll just send you back while we start on what we get.”
“Uh, fine.”
Heaven turned in the order, and when she got the call that her order was up, she pushed through to the kitchen to grab it. When she walked in, a wave of heat hit her in the face, bringing about beads of moisture on her forehead. Kitchen staff zipped all over the place, ducking and dodging each other. Heaven ignored them and looked toward the counter. She staggered a little. That huge platter couldn’t be hers, could it?
Someone bumped her from behind, and she glanced around to find Tiff’s glaring face. “What are you waiting for, Heaven. I had those guys last week. They’ll kick up a dust if you don’t get a move on.”
Heaven knew this bitch would love that, but she figured Tiff was right. She strode over to the tray and tried to lift it. Her arm muscles quivered. She tried sliding it to the edge and raising it that way. The whole thing tilted, but the rubber inside kept the plates from sliding.
I can’t do it. Panic started in her chest. She could feel Tiff’s eyes on her, waiting for her to fail. Trying harder wouldn’t work. Upper body strength had never been her forte, and damn it, she’d never needed it with her type of work.
The tray tilted some more, but she wouldn’t give up. If it all tumbled to the floor, there would be a lot of food to prepare all over again.
“What are you doing?”
She started, and a strong arm came around her. Damen righted the tray with one big hand. She peered up at him. “I’m so sorry. I can’t hold it. I’m not strong enough.”
“Of course not. We have servers for that.”
Her mouth fell open. “Huh?”
“Servers who are strong enough to wield these trays. I wouldn’t expect you to do it. All you need to do is to grab one of them, and he would carry the food to the table for you. Come on. I’ll take it and help you.”
They moved past Tiff, who stepped aside. Heaven deliberately touched Damen’s arm while looking at Tiff. “Thank you so much, Damen. You’re so strong.”
Tiff appeared to have burst a few capillaries. Heaven was pretty sure she read “you bitch” in the waitress’s mouthed comment. She supposed soon she would be called into the boss’s office and fired on the spot. Heaven almost laughed at the thought. Tiff was one of those people who were all talk.
The rest of the work day went along fine, and Heaven found herself having finished the day without killing herself or anybody else. She said good night to everybody and hurried out of the restaurant to head home. She reached the end of the block before Damen caught up with her.
When he fell into step beside her, she glanced over at him. “Where are you going?”
“I’m walking you home, or are you catching a bus?”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“I want to.”
She picked up the pace a little. “Do you offer this personal service to all your waitresses at Marquette’s?”
He grinned, and the setting sun glinted off his glasses. “No, just to the ones who used to be my lover.”
Heaven tripped, and Damen’s arm shot out to catch her. “W-what did you say?”
“You heard me, Heaven.”
Chapter Four
Heaven swallowed. She pulled out of Damen’s hold and started walking again, keeping her gaze on the sidewalk ahead. He couldn’t have said… No, he did say it. He’d said he gave special treatment only to the women who had been his lover. Okay, Heaven, he could be acting all confident like it’s a done deal that he’ll sleep with you. Don’t jump to conclusions that he remembers the past.
She lectured herself, but her words didn’t ring true, as if that’s what Damen had meant. At the same time, she couldn’t bring herself to make him clarify. “I was…um…I planned to stop at a small grocery near my place. You don’t have to come along. Thanks for walking me this far.”
He checked behind them, and she did too like an airhead. They had stridden maybe half a block. Heaven frowned at the man she had seen a few times at the restaurant. He was bigger than the Marquettes but not sexy like them. Rather he appeared rough and liable to take a person’s head off. Fear closed her throat, and she stumbled again.
Damen drew her close to his side. “What’s wrong, Heaven? I didn’t mean to upset you with what I said.”
“You didn’t.” She tried to pull herself together.
Damen’s hold tightened. “You’re shaking. I told you, I don’t want you to be afraid of me.”
She looked into his worried gaze, and she reached up about to touch his face but drew back. Get a grip. “It’s that man. I think he’s following us, and I saw him in the restaurant before. No, don’t look, Damen. Let’s call the police.”
He smiled.
“I’m serious!”
“I know, but don’t let Guy bother you. He’s my bodyguard.”
“Bodyguard?”
“Yeah, I’ll call him over and introduce him.”
“No!”
“Heaven, Guy won’t ever hurt you. If I tell him to, he’ll protect you, just like he does me.”
“Why would you do that?” She shook her head, looking at the man. He still scared her, but she was glad he wasn’t some crazy stalker. Rough men, mean ones, got to her, and she steered clear of them. All she wanted now was peace and safety. “I’m fine, Damen. Thanks. Please, just go back.”
She broke away from him and walked on. A part of her wanted him to keep pushing, but she breathed a sigh of relief when he didn’t. After another block, she glanced back to find Damen and the Guy nowhere in sight. A sense of loneliness came over her, but she hurried along to get home in time to shower and change before she had to pick up Gideon. For the rest of the night and the next morning while at her regular job, Heaven wondered did Damen mean what she thought he did? Did he truly recall her from so long ago?
* * * *
Twelve years ago.
“‘If you ever looked at me once with what I know is in you, I would be your slave.’ Do you know what it means?”
Heaven glanced up from the book she held into the most amazing eyes she had ever seen. She couldn’t help her gaze wandering over the man, so tall and sexy, if very nerdy with glasses too big and hair cut like he’d just stepped out of the military. When she lingered on the glasses, she bit off a laugh because he snatched them from his face. The poor white boy blushed to the roots of his hair. He’d been leaning against the stacks, trying to strike a cool pose, but it came off as awkward. Her heartbeat kicked up right away.
“Yes, I love Emily Brontë. She’s my favorite novelist and poet. You like her too, huh?”
He ran a hand over his hair and shifted from foot to foot. “No, I mean do you know what it means because my instructor is chewing my ass out on this stuff. I hate it.”
She gasped. “That’s sacrilege, buddy, and seriously the meaning of that passage is elementary.”
His face flamed, but he said with boldness, “If I don’t pass English, I can’t get to my field, and I might have to quit school. I might become a bum begging in the streets, hungry and cold.”
She put a hand on her hip. “Are you being funny or dramatic?”
“Both. Do you feel sorry for me?”
“Maybe.”
Damen held up a slip of paper, and she leaned closer to decipher the sloppy writing. Her name appeared and where she could be found—haunting the library.
“Why do you have my name?”
“Well, I was hoping it wasn’t my friend’s idea of a joke as to the woman who could help me with English Lit.”
“I’m not a tutor.”
“But you get Emily. Heaven, help me.”
She laughed, and so did he. The librarian cast them a warning glance, and Heaven grabbed Damen’s hand to lead him around several stacks. When they stopped, she faced him.
“I know
Emily, but I don’t know you.”
“Damen Marquette, and if you have any problems with any other subject, I can help you.”
She blinked at him. “Any subject?”
He shrugged. “Any one. I can memorize whatever I need to know. I can comprehend complex formulas and procedures. Historical dates stick in my head like glue. Emotional touchy feely stuff is my kryptonite. I don’t get it. I don’t want to get it. So, you help me with Emily, I help you with everything else, and I guarantee to get you an A.”
Heaven rolled her eyes. “You think you’re all that, huh?”
“I’m a genius.”
“Literally?”
“Literally.”
“Wow, okay, get me my good grades, Damen, and I’ll explain Emily, Chaucer, and any other poets all day and night.”
He tugged a lock of her hair, his eyes glazed as if he were mesmerized. “I’ll give you whatever you want, Heaven.”
Her senses went into a tailspin until he dropped to the floor, groaning and muttering “lame, lame, lame!” Heaven stared down at him and noted his nape flaming red, the color going from the roots of his hair and disappearing beneath his shirt collar. She laughed. Poor man had so little confidence in anything other than his brain, but that’s what drew her closer.
Heaven stooped so her lips were close to his ear. “Sounded pretty good to me.”
He glanced up and then flashed that one in a million smile. When he stood straight in front of her, his height dwarfed hers, and nerves made her lick dry lips. Damen followed the movement with his gaze.
“He was right,” Damen said.
“Who was?”
“My friend.”
“What do you mean?”
Damen held the scrap of paper up again but flipped to the other side. She read the words. “Most beautiful nerd, black beauty. Can’t miss her.”
Heaven frowned. “I’m not sure how I should take that.”
“A compliment.” Damen leaned in and slanted his mouth over hers. From the moment their lips touched, she was lost, but it was only an instant before he drew back. His eyes were wide behind his glasses. “Sorry. I don’t know why I did that.”
“Because I wanted you to.” She grabbed his shirtfront and stepped closer. Most of the guys at her school were intimidated by her father. If Damen didn’t know, and it looked like he didn’t—the paper didn’t include her last name—she was going to enjoy him for just a little while.
His cock was hard when she pressed against his body, and it bumped her belly. She tilted her head back, inviting his kiss, and Damen didn’t hesitate. They kissed and kissed, his tongue snaking into her mouth. Tomorrow he might run off or keep her at a distance, but today, she wrapped her arms around his neck and curved her body to his. Damen encircled her waist and crushed her to his chest. The hungry exploration of each other’s mouths didn’t stop until somebody cleared their throat, and she sprang away.
Heaven darted down another aisle, but Damen followed like a lost puppy. “Do you always kiss men like that when you first meet them?”
She glared over her shoulder at him. “No, but I won’t do it again.”
“Too bad.”
She peered at him. He was smiling not judging her. Of course he liked it. “You wanted a tutor not a lover.”
“I’ll take both.”
“Nope, too late.” She stopped before a section on the Second World War and selected a book at random. Damen’s fingers touched hers and traced over her hand to her wrist. Long fingers circled around and tugged gently. She almost dropped the book but transferred it to the other hand. He didn’t let go, but he didn’t push too much either. Their fingers laced together.
“I know I’m awkward,” he said. “But I don’t think I’m too bad to look at.”
She eyed him. “You a’ight.”
He chuckled. “So do you have any problem with my skin color?”
“No, of course not. Why would I?”
“Just checking.” He released her hand and stroked her cheek. Heaven leaned into it before she realized what she was doing. Then she spun away, putting her back to him. Way too intimate for a first meeting, but she was always like that. Not the kissing part, but the hope inside when they touched her. Damn, damn, damn!
She had seriously crossed the line with Damen, maybe because of his awkwardness and the gentle look in his eyes.
“Okay,” Damen said behind her. “Let’s keep it professional. You help me. I help you. That’s all. Sound good?”
She faced him. “Yeah, sounds good.”
He nodded and stuck his hand out. “We’ll start over. Damen Marquette, genius idiot.”
“Heaven… Nerd.”
“Beautiful nerd. Get it right.”
“Oh yeah, I forgot.”
* * * *
Heaven crossed over to Saint Louis Street and started walking. Halfway to Marquette’s, she spotted a familiar face up ahead and came to a stop. Damen leaned against a wall, hands in his pockets and whistling as if he always spent his late afternoons hanging in the street. She hesitated and scanned the area, but she didn’t spot Guy anywhere.
“What are you doing, Damen?” she demanded when she drew up alongside him.
He shrugged. “Enjoying the weather.”
“It’s hot.”
“Are you saying I look sweaty?”
Let’s be real. Even if you did, you’d look good enough to eat. She said none of this out loud to the big-headed man. “No, I’m saying, you aren’t just hanging around here for no reason. You were waiting for me.”
He smiled. “You’re pretty sure of yourself.”
“I’m not!” She grumbled. “Don’t play with me, Damen. I’m not in the mood. You didn’t come by my house, did you? I won’t be stalked.”
He grew serious. “Of course not. I wouldn’t do that unless you invited me. I also don’t know your address. Creed handles personnel files, and while I could get into them, I’m not going to violate your privacy. I know the general direction you come from, and yes, I was waiting for you.”
She kept walking, and he fell into step beside her. “Why, and where is your bodyguard? Shouldn’t he keep watching over you just in case? I know all of your faces have been in the media so many times. Everyone knows who you are.”
“Are you worried about me, beautiful?”
She rolled her eyes at him.
“He’s around. I told him to stay out of sight because he frightens you.”
“I’m not scared of him,” she lied, but it surprised her he would go to such lengths on her behalf. “I don’t want you to risk your safety for me.”
“I’m not. Don’t worry. Guy’s keeping watch from wherever he is.”
She looked around again but was kind of too scared to spot him, so she let it go. “You still haven’t told me why you’re following me around like a lost puppy.”
If she expected him to blush like he did in the past, she was doomed to wait forever. He hitched his shoulders and stuffed his hands into his pockets again. Heaven tried looking away from him, but she couldn’t make her eyes obey. Just a little longer. He must have shaved a second time that day because even with it being late afternoon, his jaw was smooth. He smelled like sandalwood.
“Heaven, I don’t think you forgot our sessions,” he said. “In New York.”
Well, that cleared that up. “The hours we spent studying.”
“The hours spent not studying,” he corrected.
She bit her lip. “I remember you, but it was a long time ago.”
He agreed.
“You didn’t remember me when I first came to Marquette’s.” She could kick herself for bringing that up. Her words sounded whiny and self-pitying.
“I remembered as soon as I saw your face. I thought I would prompt you by saying your name was familiar.” His gaze swept her body, and Heaven hoped the tightening of her nipples wasn’t noticeable through her bra and work clothes. Damen’s lingering look made her wonder.
“Oh we
ll, whatever.” She waved her hand. “What’s in the past is past. Not a big deal now. I heard you got married and…” She trailed off because she couldn’t bring herself to introduce the subject of his daughter. If she did, that left her open to discuss Gideon. Not taking the cues would mean she was truly lying to him, and she couldn’t come down to that. The problem was, if she didn’t discuss the little girl, she couldn’t gauge what kind of dad he was. Even her dad came off warm and wonderful to everyone else.
“Yes, I was married.”
Heaven started at the tone of Damen’s voice. He always sounded open and friendly, but at the mention of his ex-wife, he closed off like a vault. She had been worried the conversation would turn to the kids, but they seemed to be the farthest from his mind.
“I’m sorry if I brought up something painful.”
He rolled his shoulders, and this time she knew it was to release the tension. “No, it’s fine. I loved her.”
Heaven refused to identify the twinge in her own chest.
“Vida wasn’t right for me.”
The world dipped and bobbed around Heaven, but she sucked in a deep breath, slowing her gait. Damen fell back to match her step, and she worked hard not to let him notice how his words affected her. She wanted to change the subject because she hadn’t expected him to even share about his ex-wife with her. No other topic came to her befuddled mind.
“I’m sorry,” she said lamely.
“I thought she was like us.”
“Like us? You mean more in love with books than anything else?”
He gave a sheepish grin. “The way I used to be, yes.”
Used to be. Now he was like a social butterfly.
“I was content to live a quiet, comfortable life back then, most nights spent at home with an occasional visit to a cultural event or the museum. A movie or two wasn’t so bad.”
“Wow, when you put it like that, I guess it does sound dry.” Heaven tried to think of the last time she went out and did something crazy just to have fun. She couldn’t recall, but then her life had been controlled, except for when it came to Gideon. If Gideon wanted to watch a movie, she took him. Almost anything he wanted, she was there. Now, though, her son seemed to stretch his wings a bit more and was doing more on his own, like the self-defense classes and the sports. He’d never been interested in that. In a weird way, he was behaving like Damen without the two of them knowing each other.
Damen (The Marquette Family Book Two) Page 4