Kelly scanned the pictures with interest and then asked, “Are these vehicles that Jim has worked on?”
“Yeah,” Damian said.
“Wow. He does a good job.”
“Come into the garage, and I’ll show you our current project.” Damian led her through another door into the open garage space. There were a few windows placed high along the back wall, but Damian flicked a switch, and the entire area filled with bright light. Again, Kelly noticed how clean the space was. Tool chests and work tables lined the outer walls, but it appeared that everything had its place. Kelly had been to auto repair shops before, but her impression of them wasn’t very favorable. This was entirely different though, and she formed a new appreciation for Damian’s job.
“Check out this beauty,” he said, walking over to a baby blue Corvette with a white convertible top.
“What year is this?” Kelly asked, circling the vehicle to admire it from every angle.
“It’s a vintage 1966,” Damian said with considerable enthusiasm.
“Is there something wrong with it?”
“Just a few minor things, but the owner treats it like a baby. He won’t accept anything but the best.”
“And Jim’s the best?”
“He’s the best in this area. I learned a lot from him when I worked here after high school.”
“And then you moved to California,” she said, hoping to keep him talking.
“Yep, where I worked for my buddy Pete at his shop in San Diego.”
There was one question that she had been dying to ask, and now seemed like the appropriate time. “What made you come back, Damian?”
He leaned against the side of the Corvette, his hands clasped in front of him, his legs crossed at the ankles, watching her intently while she circled the car and then stopped directly in front of him. He seemed to be contemplating his answer, so she tried prompting him.
“Did you know that Jim was retiring?”
“No. Not until I was here over the holidays.”
“Was it for your family?”
“Partly.”
“Was there some other reason?” She knew she was leading him, but she couldn’t stop herself. Kelly had to know if she played any part in his decision to return to Michigan.
He opened his mouth to answer, but just then, the front door chimed, announcing a visitor. Damian pushed himself off the car and started moving toward the office, with Kelly two steps behind him, when Jim came into view.
Apparently, I’m not going to get my answer after all.
Chapter 11
“I moved back for you,” he said, his eyes piercing into hers.
Her breath caught, and she took a step closer to him where he leaned against the Corvette.
“Couldn’t get you out of my head. I thought time and distance would do the trick, but I never stopped wanting you, Kelly.”
And with that, she flung her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. His hands automatically encircled her waist, and he spread his legs apart so that she could step between them. Her breasts smashed against his hard chest, and her hips aligned with his so perfectly that she felt the ridge of his erection.
She melted into his kiss, his scent, his touch. His warm hands travelled up and down her back, setting each and every nerve ending on fire. Kelly thrust her fingers into his thick dark hair, and he moaned against her.
Damian pulled apart just long enough to say, “Got to have you now…”
And then…her alarm rang!
Kelly blinked her eyes rapidly until she was fully awake. This is becoming quite the habit, she thought with a smile on her face. If she couldn’t have Damian in the flesh, dreaming about him was the next best thing. Dreams would have to do, at least for next few months. She had made the rules after all, and she was determined to follow them!
When Kelly left for the bookstore a couple hours later, Damian’s truck was already gone. He had told her yesterday that he liked to “get up with the birds” and go to work early. He had also mentioned that he usually grabbed a hot chocolate and a donut from the Clarkston bakery on his way to the shop. Such simple things, but she liked that she was learning his habits, and it only made her want to know more.
On the short drive to A New Chapter, Kelly recalled their conversation about Damian’s engagement, and she realized that he had never mentioned his ex-fiancée’s name. Since Kelly had also gone to MSU and she and Damian were the same age… Wouldn’t it be strange if she knew the woman? Kelly had lived on campus and had been friends with many of the girls in her dorm, but that was eight years ago. Besides, it was a big school, and the woman could have lived anywhere. Surely, Kelly would have remembered if she had seen Damian in her building. With his dark, smoldering good looks and that hunky body, and…
“Oh my God, I’m doing it again!”
When Kelly pulled into the parking lot, she noticed that Emma’s car was already there. Even though Emma had just had her baby a short time ago, she was having a hard time staying away. Selfishly, Kelly was glad to have her there. She missed their daily chats, and with Emma getting married soon, Kelly expected that they wouldn’t be able to spend as much time together.
“Hey, bestie,” Emma called when Kelly walked in.
“Hey, yourself. Couldn’t bear to stay away, could you?”
“Well, I wasn’t planning on coming in, but Alex insisted that I needed to get out for a while, so here I am.”
“I take it Alex is babysitting?”
“You know it. Any chance to get her hands on her grandchild…”
Marriage and children—two topics that hadn’t been on Kelly’s radar, up until…
“So, how are things going with you and Damian?”
Just the sound of his name made her lips curl up. “Good. We’re getting along good,” she repeated.
Emma set down the stack of invoices she had been reviewing and looked her friend right in the eyes. “Are you back to…how things used to be?”
Kelly giggled. Emma was shy when it came to talking about sex, so she often used other terminology to describe it. “You mean sex?” Kelly said, just to rile her.
Emma turned a nice shade of pink and said, “Yeah, that.”
“Actually, no,” Kelly said with a hint of pride in her voice.
“NO?”
Kelly put her hands on her hips and glared. “I know what you think of me, but this time, it’s different.”
“Oh God. I’m sorry, Kell. It’s just that when Damian was here before…”
“I know, but I’ve decided to take it slow this time. We’re taking some time to get to know each other first.”
“And Damian agreed to this?” Emma was obviously still flabbergasted.
“Well, yeah.”
“Wow, Kell. That’s…admirable, I guess. As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters.”
They worked companionably for the next few hours, until Emma left to pick up Ava. While Kelly neatened up the bookshelves, she reflected on how Emma had gone from being divorced to becoming a part of a family of four almost overnight. Up until recently, Kelly had touted her single lifestyle over that of her married friends. So, why was she suddenly yearning for something more? Just because Emma had joined the ranks of the (almost) married with children, it didn’t mean that Kelly had to. Besides, Damian seemed to be content with his single status too.
“Ugh! Why does it always come back to Damian?” Kelly yelled to the empty bookstore. Her phone buzzed in her pocket and startled her. She fished it out and stared down at the simple text message.
Dinner tonight?
She hesitated for a moment but then typed: Ok.
Your place or mine?
She hesitated even longer this time, but before she could respond, her phone pinged again.
On second thought, maybe we should go to a restaurant!
Kelly giggled. Damian must have thought the same thing she had when she had read his invitation. It would definitely be safer for
them to meet in a public place, rather than hole up in one of their apartments together.
I agree.
I’ll need to go home and clean up after work, so, pick you up at six?
Kelly shook her head at the phone. He would hardly have to pick her up when she lived across the parking lot! She typed: Sounds good and then slipped the phone back into her pocket.
She floated through the rest of the workday with a permanent smile on her face, and when Brett came in to relieve her at five, he studied her inquisitively.
“I recognize that look,” he said when he joined her behind the counter.
“What look?”
“You have a date.”
“I have a certain look when I have a date?”
“Um-hmm. Your cheeks are a little flushed, and you have that dreamy, faraway look in your eyes.”
“Wow, Brett. I had no idea that guys could be so observant!”
He smiled at her and adjusted his stylish glasses. The young girls were nuts over this guy, and Kelly could certainly understand why.
“Oh, we’re observant all right. Is that what you’re wearing on your date?”
Kelly glanced down at her black dress pants and floral print blouse. She had always dressed conservatively at the store, and Brett had never really seen her when she went out. “Hell no,” she replied and then corrected herself, “I mean, heck no.”
Brett chuckled. “I’m twenty-one, Kelly. I can handle a swear word or two.”
“You’re twenty-one?” she teased. “Anyway, as a guy, what would you suggest I wear tonight?”
“A dress,” he answered immediately. “A simple sundress if you’ve got one. Men go crazy over a woman in a dress.”
Kelly raised her eyebrows at him. “Really?”
“Oh yeah.”
“Ok, then. I’ll take your word for it. A simple sundress it is.”
Kelly mentally went through her closet on the way home. She had an assortment of summer dresses to choose from, but based on Brett’s description, she settled on one in particular. When she arrived at the apartment complex, she noticed that Damian’s parking spot was empty. Good! That gives me plenty of time to get ready.
She plucked the dress out of her closet and held it up to herself in the bedroom mirror. The coral hue popped against her bronzed skin. Kelly had been blessed with a caramel-colored complexion thanks to the Latin American blood on her mom’s side of the family. While her dad was as pale as could be, Kelly had inherited her mom’s skin tone, along with her rich brown hair and golden brown eyes. She also attributed her curves to her Latino heritage, and while she used to curse them in her junior high school days, she came to embrace them during high school. While many of her friends had been “late bloomers,” Kelly was fully developed by the time she was thirteen. It didn’t take long for her to learn how to use her looks to her advantage, which sometimes got her into trouble. She recalled her mother’s constant reminder that beauty would fade and that it was what was inside that counted. Kelly agreed, but tonight, while she was still fairly young, she would embrace her beauty and milk it for all it was worth!
She had just slipped her sandals on when the doorbell rang. When she opened the door wide, her mouth opened to match it. A more polished version of Damian stood before her, and she perused him from head to toe just to make sure that it was really him! Kelly realized that she had never seen Damian dressed in anything other than worn jeans, t-shirts, and his favorite scuffed work boots. Even though he was still dressed casually, tonight he had on olive green cargo shorts with a collared black polo shirt. Instead of work boots, he wore what looked like hiking shoes, but they were clean and maybe even…new! His face was void of the usual scruff, and his hair was actually in place, although a few errant strands stuck out adorably. He still had the rugged good looks that she was drawn to, but he had neatened up—for her!
“Wow,” Damian said approvingly. “Love the dress.”
Kelly sent a silent thank you to Brett and then said, “Thanks. You’re looking pretty spiffy yourself.”
“Spiffy?” He quirked his eyebrows at her.
“Well, you know what I mean. You look…”
“Different. Yeah, I know.”
His cockiness was gone, and in its place there was…uncertainty? Kelly placed a hand gently on his forearm. “I like it, Damian. You look good.”
He brightened up and gave her a huge grin. “Ok, so let’s get going.”
Damian held her hand down the three flights of stairs, presumably so that she wouldn’t fall, even though she was an expert at walking in heels. Kelly enjoyed the feel of her hand clamped tightly in his, so she kept it there while they walked across the parking lot and when he helped her up into his truck. They had been out to dinner numerous times before, but somehow tonight felt like the first time.
“So, what sounds good? Mexican, Italian, burgers, seafood…?”
Greek! I feel like Greek! “How about Italian?” Greece, Italy—same part of the world, right?
“According to Zack, there’s a really good Italian restaurant in Rochester. Do you know it?”
“Bravo.”
“Well, thank you, but it wasn’t my idea.”
Kelly burst out laughing. “No. Bravo is the name of the restaurant!”
“Oh. My bad.”
Somehow his expression made her laugh even louder. Here he was, trying to impress her, when he would have easily settled for a carry-out pizza and a beer. She was touched that he was taking her dating idea so seriously, and she had to stop herself from flinging her arms around his neck and kissing him.
When they were seated at a table for two a short time later, Kelly leaned across the table and said, “Thank you for bringing me here.”
Damian’s face lit up in response, and then he turned his attention back to the menu. “What is all this frou-frou stuff anyway? Where’s the spaghetti and meatballs?”
So much for fine dining, Kelly thought. But that was Damian, a man of simple tastes, and she wouldn’t want him any other way.
Chapter 12
After their meal of pasta, salad, and bread, Kelly suggested that they walk around the Rochester Village Mall, which was where the Italian restaurant was located. It was an outdoor mall featuring upscale stores, but she wasn’t interested in shopping. One, she wanted to walk off their heavy meal, and two, she wasn’t ready to go home just yet.
Damian didn’t seem in a hurry to leave either, so they strolled side by side down the sidewalk, along with the other shoppers who were out enjoying the glorious late-summer weather.
“So, in the spirit of getting to know each other better, what are your parents’ names?” Damian asked with a smirk.
“Frank and Maria,” she replied, smirking back at him.
“Any siblings?”
“No. My mom had trouble getting pregnant, and she didn’t have me until she was forty-two. The doctor discouraged her from trying again after that.”
“Plus, how could she top you?”
Kelly darted a look at him to see if he was teasing, but he wore a serious expression.
“So, what was it like growing up as an only child?”
“It was great! I didn’t have to share my toys, and I always got my parents’ full attention. I know I’m not supposed to say that, but there it is. I never felt like anything was lacking in my life, plus I have tons of cousins, so I always had playmates.”
“When did your parents move to Florida?”
“After I graduated from college and got my first ‘real’ job. My mom wanted to move to a warmer climate, and my dad likes to make my mom happy, so there you have it. They live in Naples now.”
Kelly halted in front of a woman’s clothing store to admire a beautiful gown in the window. “Oh my gosh. I think that’s it. I think that’s the one.”
Damian looked baffled. “The one?”
“Yes, my maid of honor dress for Emma’s wedding.”
Damian leaned over her shoulder for a closer loo
k, which momentarily distracted her from the dress. He smelled fresh and clean, with a hint of raw man.
“I would have thought you’d already picked out a dress by now,” he said gruffly.
Kelly felt his breath on her neck. If she turned her head slightly, they would have bumped noses. “Emma said that I could pick one out myself as long as it wasn’t too sexy. I’ve been looking, but I haven’t found anything yet.”
“Why don’t you go in and try it on?” Damian suggested.
“Really? I could come back another day so you don’t have to wait for me.”
He had taken a step back, but he was still standing close enough that she could see the gold flecks in his eyes. “I don’t mind,” he said.
“Ok.”
The minute they walked into the store, a saleswoman approached, and Kelly pointed at the dress in the window. When she gave the woman her size, the woman looked pained. “I’m afraid the only size eight is the one on the mannequin, and we don’t typically like to undress them. Perhaps I can order one for you.”
Damian spoke up before Kelly could respond. “That’s a bunch of crap. Why can’t you put another size on the mannequin?”
Kelly watched the saleswoman’s face turn crimson, and while she wanted to feel bad for her, she couldn’t. Damian had a valid point!
“If you don’t want to undress it, I will,” he added, and he was about to take the matter into his own hands, literally, when another saleswoman approached.
“Is there a problem here?” she asked, looking down at them through the narrow glasses that were perched at the end of her nose.
Kelly was beginning to feel uncomfortable. She had simply wanted to try on the dress, not make a spectacle of themselves. “No, there’s no problem. I was interested in the dress in your display window…”
“But”—Damian glanced down at the first saleswoman’s name tag—“Elaine doesn’t want to strip the mannequin,” he finished.
All three of the women looked startled when he used the word “strip,” and then Kelly noticed that the woman with the glasses was trying to suppress a smile.
Twice as Tempting Page 7