“I’m sorry for the misunderstanding, sir. If your wife wants to try on the dress, then by all means, we will take it off the mannequin.”
Kelly’s eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to correct the woman when Damian interrupted again.
“I’m sure my wife will be very grateful,” he said and shot Kelly a searing grin.
When the two saleswomen left to “strip” the mannequin, Kelly turned to Damian and hissed, “Thanks a lot! That was soooo embarrassing!”
Damian chuckled. “You want to try on the dress, don’t you?”
“Yes, but…”
“Then stop complaining and be a grateful wife!”
Kelly didn’t have a chance to retort, because the woman with the glasses was heading toward them with the dress draped over her arm. “Let me show you to a fitting room,” she said pleasantly. “Sir, if you’d like to come too, there’s a chair right outside the fitting room so your wife can model the dress for you.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Kelly said, purposely avoiding eye contact with her husband.
Damian peered at the woman’s name tag and said, “Thanks, Donna. We appreciate your help.”
When Donna had left and Kelly was safely behind the fitting room door, she hurriedly changed into the dress. The sooner this debacle was over with, the better.
“How’s it going in there, dear?” Damian teased.
“Oh, shut up,” she replied. Good thing he couldn’t see her trying to stifle a giggle.
“Shit,” she said a minute later.
“What?”
“Damn it!”
“Anyone ever tell you that you swear a lot?”
“Yes! Emma tells me all the time. I’m trying to cut back, but right now, I can’t reach this damn…zipper!”
“Open the door,” Damian demanded.
“No. I’ll get it.”
“Open the damn door,” he said, his voice louder that time.
Since they had already created enough of a scene, Kelly quickly yanked open the door. The look on Damian’s face froze her to the spot. He raked his eyes over her like she was a vintage Corvette and he couldn’t wait to pop the hood!
Kelly had to admit that she looked good in the dress even without it zipped up! The royal blue color complimented her skin, which was now flushed from Damian’s gaze. She had flipped her long, wavy hair over one shoulder while she had tried to work the zipper, and her lower lip was swollen from where she had bitten it in frustration. She was holding the dress tightly across her breasts because it was strapless, and she had removed her bra. The only thing she had on underneath was the tiny thong that she had worn under her sundress.
Apparently, Damian lost his voice, because he motioned with his hand for her to turn around. Once she had her back to him, she let out a breath, relieved to get out from under his intense scrutiny. But then she felt him step in behind her, and his thumb grazed her lower back as he reached for the zipper. She heard his sharp intake of breath when he realized what she was wearing underneath—a whole lot of nothing!
Kelly felt like she was in a tanning booth, her back seared from the heat rolling off him, and she resisted the urge to lean against him. She shook herself, and then she realized that he hadn’t moved and the dress was still unzipped.
“Uh, Damian?”
“Yeah?”
The word came out on a whisper that blew against her bare skin and made her weak. “The zipper,” she said, hardly recognizing her own breathy voice.
“How’s it going back here?” Donna’s curt inquiry broke the spell, and Damian quickly yanked up the zipper.
“Good. Really good,” he said as he stepped back to let Donna see.
Kelly turned back around and smiled brightly. “I love it,” she said.
“It looks gorgeous on you, and I’m sure your husband would agree.”
“Gorgeous,” he repeated, but his eyes weren’t on the dress. They were locked on hers, and they exchanged a silent acknowledgement of what he really meant.
“Who does that?” Kelly exclaimed when they were back in Damian’s truck, the dress bag lying on the seat between them. “Why would that woman assume that we were married?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s my outfit,” Damian teased.
Kelly had to laugh. “Cargo shorts don’t yell married, Damian.”
“Well, what about the polo shirt? If I would have been wearing my Rolling Stones t-shirt, she might have thought that we were a couple of young hipsters who were dating.”
Kelly shook her head. “I don’t think your clothes have anything to do with it. I think it’s because we’re at that age where people assume we’d be married by now.”
Damian raised his eyebrows but kept his eyes on the road.
“Not as in you and me specifically, but well, you know what I mean.”
“Relax, Kell. I get your point. Actually, I’m a little surprised that you’re still single. Seems like you would have been swept off your feet by now.”
“Maybe I haven’t wanted to be,” she replied indignantly.
He glanced over at her and shrugged. “Whatever.”
“Well, what about you? We’re the same age, so why haven’t you tied the knot yet?” The look on Damian’s face told the story, and Kelly instantly regretted asking the question. It was obvious that Damian was still affected by his broken engagement whether he wanted to admit or not.
“Marriage and kids aren’t really on my radar,” he replied, his eyes fixed on the road.
“But you’re so good with your nieces. You’re like a baby whisperer. Any time you come within five feet of Ava, she stops crying, and Gracie worships the ground you walk on.”
Damian’s mouth twitched at her description. “I love those girls, but it’s not the same as having your own kids. Honestly, it scares the hell out of me.”
Kelly raised her eyebrows in surprise. She never would have connected the word “scared” with Damian. The man had confidence in spades, so his admission came as a bit of a shock. “Why’s that?”
“It’s like this; if I mess something up when I work on a car, I can always fix it. But if you mess up raising your kid—well, there’s no fixing that.”
“Why would you assume that you’d mess up?”
“I don’t know, Kell. In life, there are certain things that you just know that you’re good at, and I tend to stick to those.”
He took his eyes off the road to shoot her a sly glance, and she understood exactly what he was referring to. “You’re terrible,” she said while a giggle bubbled up.
“But I’m damn good at it!” he replied.
By the time they reached their apartment complex, it was dark.
“Let me walk you to the door,” Damian offered once he had helped her out of the truck.
“It’s right there,” Kelly pointed. “You can wait here until I get in if you want to.”
“Let me walk you up,” he repeated, and he grabbed the dress bag out of her hands.
“Ok, fine.”
They walked up the three flights of stairs to her apartment, with Kelly leading the way. “Are you looking at my butt?” she called over her shoulder.
“No. Not at all,” he said, followed by his gruff laughter.
“Liar.”
When they reached her door, she put out her hand to take the dress from him, but he used it to pull her up against his hard-as-a-brick-wall chest. “I’m going to kiss you goodnight now,” he warned, right before his lips came crashing down on hers.
Kelly was trapped between her door and his unyielding body, and she melted into his kiss. She felt an intoxicating combination of familiarity and newness because it had been so long—too long—since they’d been this close. She opened her mouth and moaned as his tongue met hers, and her body responded to him with the usual passion. Oh, how she wanted to grab his shirt and pull him into her apartment, but a few seconds later, he abruptly pulled back, and she instantly felt the night chill surround her.
&
nbsp; “Goodnight, Kell,” he said and handed her the dress bag.
Wait! I’m not done! “Goodnight, Damian,” she said before he turned and headed down the stairs.
Chapter 13
She fisted her hand in his shirt and pulled him inside the dark apartment. The dress bag clattered to the floor, but she didn’t care. She backed them up until she bumped into the couch, and then tumbled backward, taking him down with her.
His mouth was everywhere—on her lips, on her neck, insistent, demanding. Her body arched into his, and her dress crept up, exposing her bare thighs.
Then his warm, thick hands cupped her face, and he gazed at her with desire burning in his eyes. “Are we doing this?”
And then…
“Rise and shine, metro Detroiters. It’s another beautiful day in the Motor City.” The radio DJ’s voice broke through, and Kelly reached over to shut off the alarm.
The dream came as no surprise this time, especially after the kiss they had shared the night before! Kelly was proud of herself for not inviting Damian in after that, but boy, how she had wanted to. Damian had kept himself in check too, and she smiled when she thought about how seriously he was taking her rules.
She hummed a tune from the Backstreet Boys during her shower and while she got dressed, and then she headed out to the kitchen in search of breakfast. On her way past the front door, she noticed a piece of paper that had been wedged in the crack. Flyers were often shoved in the apartment doors, so she almost passed it by, but it looked like a plain piece of paper rather than a colorful ad, so she decided to investigate. She yanked the sheet of paper out, opened it up, and read: Your breakfast is served. Open your door. D.
He brought me breakfast? Kelly hurriedly pulled open the door, and there, sitting on her doormat, was a bag from the Clarkston bakery. Her mouth watered just looking at the bag, and she brought it up to her nose and inhaled deeply. “Perfection,” she said aloud and then glanced around to see if any neighbors were about. Nobody, thank goodness!
Kelly carried her treasure into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee, which she had programmed to brew the night before. When she bit into the Bavarian custard donut, she sighed. What a great way to start the day! When she was finished, she unplugged her phone from where it had been charging on the kitchen counter and fired it up. She tapped her fingernails on the kitchen table while she thought about what to write, and then she typed: Thanks for breakfast. What a nice surprise! K.
She didn’t expect Damian to answer right away, because his head was probably under the hood of a car, but a couple minutes later, her phone pinged. Wish I would have been there to see you eat it.
Oh boy. She knew what that meant. When she and Damian had been together the first time around, he had often commented on how he liked to watch her eat. Especially when it was something that she loved, like donuts or ice cream. If she recalled correctly, he had said that watching her eat turned him on! She thought for a few minutes and then replied: Flirting? This early in the morning?
Seconds later: There’s no wrong time to flirt!
Kelly glanced at the kitchen clock and realized that she had to go. She hurriedly typed: Have a good day and then shoved the phone in her purse.
When she pulled up in front of A New Chapter, there was Mrs. Simmons waiting at the front door, leaning on her cane.
“Hello, Mrs. Simmons,” Kelly called as she crossed the parking lot, and then she unlocked the door.
Mrs. Simmons skipped the pleasantries. “I’m on my way to the senior center, and I want to give the ladies a date for our book club meeting. You’ve had plenty of time, missy, so what’s it going to be?”
Kelly knew that she couldn’t put it off any longer, and she had given the book selection a lot of thought. She pulled the book out from behind the counter and held it up. “What would your friends think about a tale of forbidden love?”
“Keep talking,” Mrs. Simmons replied, looking intrigued.
“This is a story about an executive who falls in love with his assistant, although he’s determined not to act on it.”
“But eventually they do act on it, right?”
Kelly giggled. “Yes.”
“Is there a happily-ever-after ending?”
“Of course.”
“It’s perfect. The ladies will love it!”
Kelly was encouraged by Mrs. Simmons’s enthusiasm. “How long do you think they’ll need to read the book? It has three hundred and fifty pages.”
“Ha! That’s nothing for us retired folks, but of course, some of us don’t see very well, so it might take longer…”
“How about three weeks from now? I’ll order the copies today, and they should be here by tomorrow afternoon. That will give everyone enough time to read, don’t you think?”
“Yes, dear. Now, I know some of the ladies love to bake. Is it alright if we bring snacks?”
“We usually provide the snacks, but if you’d rather ask your friends, that’s fine by me.”
“Oh, if I know Irene, she will definitely volunteer, along with a few others. These women are fierce about their baking!”
Kelly laughed again as Mrs. Simmons turned and shuffled toward the door. “Goodbye. Let me know how it goes,” Kelly said.
“Oh, I will,” said Mrs. Simmons.
Kelly spent the rest of the day handling her usual duties and waiting on customers who drifted in and out of the store. They weren’t as busy during the warm-weather months, but fall would be here soon, and business would pick up. Toward the end of her shift, Kelly realized that she hadn’t told Emma about her maid of honor dress, so she picked up the store phone and dialed the bride-to-be.
“Hi, Kell,” Emma answered, sounding out of breath.
“Hey. What’s going on over there? You sound like you just ran a marathon.”
“I feel like I have. For some reason, Ava’s really fussy today, and I’ve been pacing the floors trying to soothe her.”
Not having much experience with such things, Kelly asked, “Is she sick?”
“I don’t think so. She doesn’t have a fever or anything. She just can’t seem to get settled.”
“Sounds like a job for the baby whisperer.”
“Huh?”
Kelly giggled. “I nicknamed Damian the baby whisperer, because it seems like, whenever he’s around Ava, she quiets down.”
As if on cue, Ava whimpered in the background. “He does have a way with kids, but he’s at work, so that’s not going to help me.”
“How about if I stop by and give you a break. Besides, I have something to show you.”
“Sure. I could use the distraction.”
Kelly swung by the apartment after work to collect her dress, and then she rushed off to Emma’s house. She noticed that Damian wasn’t home yet and wondered if he was working late or if he had stopped by the Tap for a beer. They hadn’t discussed when they would see each other again, outside of passing each other by in the parking lot, and Kelly smiled as she envisioned their next encounter. Maybe there would be another goodnight kiss…
When Emma answered the door, she looked fatigued, but the house was quiet.
“Where’s the little troublemaker?” Kelly asked, peering around.
“Shh. I finally got her to sleep in her swing. Let’s go into Zack’s office so we don’t wake her up.” Emma immediately slumped down in Zack’s leather office chair, and Kelly took the seat across from her.
“Ava’s wearing you out, huh?”
“She did today, but some days are smooth as silk. Being a mother is exhausting, but I love it,” Emma said with a smile.
Kelly briefly wondered what she would be like as a mother, but then Emma pointed to the dress bag inquisitively, bringing her back to the present. “Oh, yeah. I wanted to show you my maid of honor dress!”
“You found one?”
“Yep. Last night.” Kelly pulled the dress out of the bag and held it up for Emma to see.
“Wow, Kell. It’s gorgeous
.”
“That’s what Damian said too.”
Emma’s eyes widened. “Damian already saw it?”
“Yeah. He was with me when I tried it on. Wait until I tell you what he did.” Kelly proceeded to regale Emma with the story about the mannequin and the persnickety saleswoman.
Emma giggled at Kelly’s dramatization, and then she said, “I love it, Kelly. I’m sure you looked gorgeous in it, just as Damian said. Speaking of Damian, he and Zack need to go for a tuxedo fitting soon. Do you want to come with us when we go? You know, to provide another opinion,” she added.
Kelly smirked at her friend. “I know what you’re up to, Em. You and Zack are trying to push Damian and me together, but you can stop. I think we’re doing just fine all on our own.”
Emma raised her eyebrows. “Does that mean what I think it means? Are you back to being…intimate again?”
“You still can’t say it, can you?”
“Say what?”
“Sex,” Kelly said, giggling. “S…E…X, sex!”
“Did somebody say sex?” Zack had pushed the door open without them hearing, and he poked his head into the room. He wiggled his eyebrows up and down and got a laugh from both of them—the charmer!
Emma grinned at her soon-to-be husband and waved him inside. “Kelly was just talking about Damian,” she said and fanned her face with a magazine from Zack’s desk.
“Ah, I see. My brother the stud.” He looked pointedly at Kelly.
“You know what? I’m outta here! I’m going to go back to my apartment and leave you two lovebirds alone.”
“Say hi to Damian for us,” Zack teased as she turned and fled.
Chapter 14
When Kelly pulled into her apartment complex, she was humming the Backstreet Boys song that was still stuck in her head from earlier, and she was feeling optimistic about her life. She had a job that she loved, great friends, and she was dating her hot neighbor. Life was good. Until a few minutes later when her heart sank like a stone.
Twice as Tempting Page 8