Damian smiled back. “See you later,” he said and hopped into his truck.
She suddenly remembered that she was standing outside in her robe, with her hair sticking up in every direction, so she turned and hurried back inside. She couldn’t resist one more peek out the window, and she saw that Damian was still smiling as he drove away.
Chapter 8
Kelly felt relieved when the workweek started up again. Instead of focusing on Damian’s comings and goings from their apartment complex, she turned her attention back to the bookstore. In between waiting on customers, placing orders, and shelving books, she began to plan her first romance book club meeting.
Her first order of business—selecting the book, which was not an easy task given the wide variety of romance novels to choose from. She decided to steer away from erotica, because she didn’t want to offend anyone’s sensibilities, but she wanted a story with at least a little sass!
Kelly was examining the array of possibilities laid out before her on the bookstore counter when Ken came strolling in. She quickly reassembled the books into a neat pile and shoved them aside.
“Hey, Ken,” she said and greeted him with a smile.
“How’s it going?” he asked, giving her a genuine smile in return.
She did like the guy, and it wasn’t his fault that Damian had swooped back into town just when she and Ken were getting to know each other.
“Not bad. What brings you in today?”
“Well, I could lie and say I’m here to buy a book, but I won’t.”
“Ok…”
“Look, Kelly. I really like you, but I can’t tell if you feel the same. I thought so at the beginning…but then something changed.”
“Yeah, I know, and I’m sorry about that. Something came up, and I got a little distracted, but I like you too.”
A warm smile spread across his face. “So, should I ask you out again?”
Why not? My infatuation with Damian is just that—an infatuation. Maybe, with Ken, it will be different. Maybe I haven’t given him a fair chance. “Sure. Ask me again.”
Ken cleared his throat noisily. “Kelly, will you go out with me on Saturday night?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Great. I’ll call you later in the week, and we’ll make a plan.”
Just then, the door chimed, and in walked Mrs. Simmons. “Sounds good,” Kelly replied and then nodded toward her customer.
Ken took the hint and turned to leave, passing Mrs. Simmons on the way out.
“Good-looking young man,” Mrs. Simmons said when she approached the counter. “But not as good-looking as that other fellow.”
Kelly was confused. “Which other fellow?”
“That dark-haired, broody man that has a body like Adonis.”
Kelly’s eyes widened, and she let out a loud laugh. “You mean Damian?”
“I don’t know what his name is, but I’ve seen him in here before, and he’s one fine specimen.”
“Mrs. Simmons!”
“What? I’m not dead yet!”
Kelly giggled again but decided to change the subject. “So, I’m trying to select a book for our book club meeting. Got any suggestions?”
“You’re the expert, dear. I’ll leave it up to you, but choose something spicy. It’ll keep people coming back!”
On Wednesday evening, Kelly pulled into her apartment complex at the same time that Damian was getting into his truck. He looked up and waved while she pulled into her parking spot, and then waited for her to get out.
“Good timing,” he said when she stepped out of the car.
Depending on how you look at it… “Good timing for what?”
“I was just on my way to the furniture store. Want to tag along?”
Kelly raised her eyebrows. “You want me to go furniture shopping with you?”
He shrugged. “Why not? I could use a woman’s opinion.”
“You could always ask your mom.”
“Are you kidding? She only shops for furniture that can seat a thousand people. She has no idea how to shop for an apartment.”
Kelly giggled. It was common knowledge that Alex loved to entertain. Her motto was “the more the merrier,” much to the chagrin of her boys.
“Do you have to leave right away? I just got home from work, and I usually like to change…”
Damian interrupted while giving her the once-over. “Nothing wrong with what you’re wearing,” he said with a glint in his eye.
Kelly had on a black knit dress that hugged her curves and fell to just above the knee. Her three-inch heels showed just a peek of her toes, which she had painted a bright pink. Some days, she liked to dress up, and this happened to be one of them.
“Ok…I guess.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll feed you,” Damian said while he gave her a hand into his truck.
“I didn’t say anything about food,” Kelly snipped.
“Didn’t have to. I know you, remember?”
Kelly rolled her eyes as he went around and hopped in the driver’s seat.
“This thing is mammoth,” she said, glancing around the roomy interior of the truck. “What do you need all this space for?”
“It’s good for hauling things, plus the backseat is like a couch. Big enough to make out on if you know what I mean.”
He shot her a sideways glance, and Kelly glared at him. “You would think of that.” And then, to change the subject, she asked, “So, what kind of furniture are you shopping for?”
“My first priority is a bed. I’ve been sleeping on an old pull-out couch that my parents loaned me, but that thing is killing me.”
“You poor thing,” Kelly teased.
“I’m serious. I’m walking around with a constant backache.”
“Maybe you need a massage.” Oops, walked right into that one!
“You offering?”
“No. It was just a suggestion. Anyway, what else are you looking for?”
“A kitchen table and chairs, and a leather recliner.”
“Is that it?”
“Yep, for now. What else do I need?”
Just the basics. That was Damian in a nutshell. Simple man, simple needs. She liked that about him.
When they entered the furniture store, Damian headed straight for the clearance center. Frugal with himself, yet generous with others—another admirable trait.
There were several beds set up against one wall, complete with mattresses and pillows so customers could test them out. Damian plopped down on the first bed they came to and sprawled across the mattress in a giant star shape.
“Not bad,” he said after a few minutes. “Try it out.” He scooted over to one side and patted the space beside him.
Kelly’s nerves were already sparking simply from being in his presence. There was no way she was going to lay down on the bed with him!
“C’mon, Kell. Give it a whirl.” He patted the empty space again and smirked, obviously enjoying her discomfort.
“Why should I? You’re the one who’s going to sleep on it, not me!”
“Hmm…” Damian looked like he was considering saying something else but decided not to. Instead, he rolled off the bed and sat down on the next one. He sprang up and down on it a couple of times, and then lay flat on his back.
“Now, this one’s even better,” he said.
Damian shut his eyes for a second and sighed. He looked like he was in…heaven.
“What’s so great about it?” Kelly asked, her curiosity piqued.
Damian kept his eyes shut but patted the edge of the mattress. “You’ve got to try it, Kell. At least just sit on it. It’s like a big puffy cloud.”
He looked harmless, lying there with his eyes closed, and she was curious, so she perched carefully on the edge and bounced up and down a couple times.
Damian’s arm shot out so fast she barely saw it, and now he clamped her wrist in his tight grip. He moved over and tugged her backward at the same time so that she landed f
lat on her back next to him.
Kelly’s mouth gaped open, and she was about to curse at him when a salesman approached.
“That’s a nice one, isn’t it?” he said, smiling down at them.
Damian still had a hold of her wrist, but he loosened his grip just enough to slide his hand down and intertwine their fingers together. To the salesman, they must have looked like a happy couple trying out beds together, but inside Kelly was seething.
“Yes, it’s very comfortable. Isn’t it, sweetie?” Damian looked at her pointedly.
“If you want to try out some more, we have a lot of choices in our main showroom,” the salesman offered.
“NO! I mean, no thank you, that’s not necessary,” Kelly said through gritted teeth. “I think this one’s fine, don’t you, sweetie?”
Damian chuckled and redirected his attention to the salesman. “Why don’t you check back with us in a little while?”
“Sure. Take your time. My name is Bob if you need anything else.”
After Bob walked away, Kelly untangled their hands and scrambled off the bed.
“You…you…”
“Relax, Kell. I was just having fun. Remember all of the fun we used to have?”
Yes! I remember too well. She shot him a look and said, “I think we should move on to the kitchen table and chairs.”
And they did, but Damian wasn’t done having fun yet. When they perused the various tables, he kept leaning his weight on them to see how they would hold up under it. She knew why he was doing it and chose to ignore him. Leave it to him to make something sexual out of furniture shopping!
An hour later, they left the store with a promise from Bob that Damian’s furniture would be delivered over the weekend. By the time they got back in the truck, Kelly was exhausted and hungry.
“What can I feed you?” Damian asked.
His question was innocent, but it brought to mind her dream from the other night, when he had been feeding her Chinese food. A public place. They needed to eat in a public place, she decided.
“What if we get a pizza and take it to Depot Park?”
“Really? That’s what you want? Because I can spring for a nice dinner, Kell.”
“No. I’m serious. It’s a beautiful night, and I’d like to eat at the park.”
“Ok, then.”
They ordered a pizza from Rudy’s Market in downtown Clarkston, bought some beer to go with it, and took it to the park. It was the end of August, still warm but with a hint of fall in the air. Summer was winding down, which was always a letdown to Kelly, who loved the warm weather.
They sat across from each other at a picnic table under a large oak tree and dug into the pizza and beer. Other than a few murmurs about how good the pizza was, they didn’t talk much, but it was a comfortable quiet, and Kelly enjoyed it.
“So, how’s the car shop coming along?” Kelly asked once they had finished eating.
“Not bad. Jim’s been teaching me the business side of it, so I haven’t been able to get my hands dirty yet. He’s working on a custom Corvette job right now, and I’m dying to get under the hood.”
Kelly smiled at his description and at the way his eyes lit up when he talked about cars. She might not know much about them, but she understood his enthusiasm. She felt the same way about her job.
“I should bring you there sometime—show you around.”
“Get my hands dirty?” she teased.
“Or maybe you could just hand me the tools,” he teased back.
“I could do that.”
“Wouldn’t want you to break a nail,” he said and reached across the table for her hand.
Her traitorous hand slipped into his of its own volition. Kelly watched Damian rub his thumb back and forth over the top of her hand a few times and then looked up to find him staring at her.
Uh-oh. There was that look again, and she was fairly certain that the look on her own face matched it!
“We should probably go,” Kelly said, but she didn’t pull her hand away.
Damian nodded but made no move to get up. “Kell,” he began.
“No, Damian. Don’t say anything. This has been… nice. Let’s just leave it at that.”
He nodded again, but this time, he pulled his hand away, and Kelly instantly missed his warmth.
They were silent on the short drive back to their apartments. Before Kelly could open the passenger door to get out, Damian said, “Let me help you down.”
He hurried around to her side and gave her a hand while she carefully stepped out of the truck. “I need a stepladder to get out of this thing,” she said, smiling up at him.
“Not if you’ve got me,” he replied and smiled back.
They stood close together, wedged between his Chevy and the SUV parked next to him.
“Thanks for hanging out with me,” Damian said, and in a swift movement, he bent down and kissed her cheek.
It was a far cry from the kind of kiss he’d given her in her dreams, but it thrilled her in a different way, and she appreciated the gentlemanly gesture.
“It was…fun,” she replied, borrowing his word from earlier.
Just then, the owner of the SUV approached and motioned to his vehicle. Kelly and Damian broke apart to let the man get in his car, and the moment was lost.
She gave Damian a brief wave, turned, and walked across the road to her building. She didn’t look back until she was standing outside of her door with the key in the lock. When she glanced over her shoulder, he was still there, in the middle of the road, his hands tucked in his pockets, watching her.
Chapter 9
“Where are you taking me?” she asked. He had tied a bandanna around her eyes so she couldn’t see, and now he was leading her down the hall.
“Patience,“ he replied.
The blindfold was something they hadn’t used before, and she kind of liked the idea of relinquishing control to him.
The apartment was small, so she knew that he was leading her to his bedroom, but she decided to be a good sport and played along.
He backed her up to the edge of the bed and gently pushed on her shoulders to get her to sit.
“Can I take the blindfold off now?”
“Why don’t you lay back first?”
She thought her heart might pound right out of her chest. His little game was starting to feel like something more, but she lay back and sank into the soft mattress. She didn’t have to see it to know that it was the same mattress that they had tried out in the furniture store.
Suddenly the bed dipped on her left side, and she felt Damian’s presence surround her.
“Do you like it?” he asked, his voice low and breathy.
She nodded, unable to trust her voice.
“Do you want me to take the blindfold off now?”
His voice came from above her, and he was so close that she felt his breath against her cheek.
“No,” she whispered.
“What do you want, Kell?”
“I want you to kiss me,” she said.
And the next thing she knew, his lips were on hers—warm, hard, demanding. His hands entangled in her hair, and he had lowered himself over her so their chests rubbed together enticingly. Her hips automatically arched up to meet his, and then…
The sound of her alarm clock broke through.
Kelly reached an arm out and swatted at the clock until she found the off button. “Ugh!” she yelled to the empty room. She pounded her fists against the mattress a few times to release her frustration. “This has got to STOP!”
She sat up in bed and took a few deep breaths. Thank goodness she had a full day ahead of her. First, she had to work, and then she was going out with Ken. Anything to take her mind off Damian, which was easier said than done.
The first thing she did when she left the apartment was glance at his parking spot, which was already empty. Damian had mentioned that he worked at the car shop on Saturdays, so she figured that was where he was. She tried not to
think about the gentle kiss that he had given her last night, or the way he’d held her hand at Depot Park. He had been about to tell her something, but she had cut him off. Now Kelly wondered what he had wanted to say.
When she pulled into the parking lot of A New Chapter, there was Mrs. Simmons standing outside, waiting for the store to open.
“Did you run out of books already?” Kelly teased as she unlocked the door.
“No. I came to see if you picked out a book for our romance club yet.”
Mrs. Simmons was a widow, and Kelly suspected that loneliness was often what brought her to the store. She came in at least three or four times a week, sometimes just to browse, but she bought a lot of books too. She also supported the store by telling all her senior friends about it, so Kelly and Emma did their best to please her.
“I haven’t chosen one yet, but I’m getting closer. Do you want to see which ones I’m considering?”
“Love to,” she replied.
Kelly pulled a stack of romance novels out from behind the counter and showed them to Mrs. Simmons. Since Kelly had already read them all, she gave Mrs. Simmons a synopsis of each, and then listened to her opinions. Kelly’s back was to the door, so when it chimed, she didn’t see who had entered, but Mrs. Simmons did, and her eyes grew wide.
“What?” Kelly whispered.
“I think someone’s here to see you,” she said and then turned and walked away.
Kelly turned around, and there he was in the flesh, the hunky star of her dreams!
“Hey, Kell,” he said.
“Hey,” she replied, trying not to act surprised. “I thought you’d be at work.”
“I’m on my way. Just thought I’d stop by and say hi.”
Kelly quirked her eyebrows at him. Damian wasn’t the kind of guy who “just stopped by” unless he had a specific reason.
“And I wanted to ask you something,” he added.
That was more like him. “Ask away,” she said, her curiosity piqued.
Damian glanced around the store, but Mrs. Simmons was at the very back, flipping through books at the kid’s table.
“I…um…” Damian cleared his throat and started over. “I wondered if you would go out with me tonight.”
Twice as Tempting Page 5