“Yes. I’ll go with you,” he said with a serious expression on his face.
Kelly didn’t think first; she simply launched herself off her end of the couch and into his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck, gave him a loud smacker on the lips, and then leaned back and said, “Thank you!”
Damian didn’t speak, but the look in his gold-flecked eyes said it all. She was still in his lap, and his arms were around her waist, and everything felt so wonderful that Kelly leaned in for another kiss.
This one was different though. This one had substance, and they melted into each other’s arms like they had never been apart. While their tongues tangled, Damian scooted them down so they were lying on the couch with Kelly on top of him. His hands began to roam, and they were warm and slightly rough, but she welcomed his touch, basked in it. His body felt so hard and strong beneath her, and she held on to it, used it as an anchor to keep herself from floating away.
He smelled like pizza and beer, and the intoxicating scent of Damian. When his hands moved up the back of her skirt and cupped her bare bottom, he groaned. When Kelly had put the thong on earlier, it had been to avoid panty lines, but now it served another purpose, and she was glad she had chosen it.
Suddenly Damian pulled his lips away and gazed up at her with fire blazing in his eyes. “What are we doing, Kell? What do you want?”
“I want you, Damian,” she admitted. “So, so much…but…”
He rolled them onto their sides so that she was trapped between the couch and his body. “But you still want to wait,” he finished.
Kelly laid her hands on his chest and felt the rapid beat of his heart. “Are you mad?”
Damian shook his head. “Not mad, but maybe a little frustrated,” he said, glancing down at the straining bulge in his jeans.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be a tease.”
“It’s ok. I’m handling it, if you get my meaning.” He broke out with a huge grin.
Kelly giggled, but then an image of Damian pleasuring himself flashed through her brain and made her squirm.
“What about you? Are you handling it too?” he asked.
Kelly’s hands were moving back and forth across his pecs, seemingly of their own volition. “Let’s just say that I have a very active dream life these days.”
“Well, then let me give you some more material.” He bent his head down and kissed her again, with more restraint this time. The urgency had tapered off, but in its place was tenderness. He cupped her face in his hands and placed a series of soft kisses on her lips, nose, and forehead. Just because he had downshifted, it didn’t mean that Kelly was any less turned on. She felt the dampness between her legs and squeezed them tightly together as if to stop her juices from flowing.
“Is this ok?” he whispered.
“Um-hmm.”
Damian trailed his lips under her chin and then into the crook of her neck, where he knew that she was the most sensitive.
Kelly whimpered. She couldn’t help it.
“Still doing ok?”
“Um-hmm.”
Damian dipped his head down further and placed a smattering of gentle kisses on the exposed part of her chest, which wasn’t much because she had chosen one of her more conservative tank tops. His left hand reached up and squeezed her breast, which shot another surge of adrenaline straight to her core.
“Continue?” he asked, his breath warm against her skin.
“Um-hmm.”
Damian tugged down the front of her tank top to expose her bra. He glanced up at Kelly, who was staring down at him through hooded eyes. She nodded her head slightly, and then he pulled down the bra cup to expose her nipple. When he drew it into his mouth, she whimpered again, with a little more volume that time. He rolled his tongue around her nipple in lazy circles until she felt like she would burst, and then he carefully tucked her breast away and crawled back up her body until they were face to face.
“Ok. I think I’ve given you plenty of dream material for tonight. It’s time for me to go.”
Damian heaved himself off the couch, and Kelly sat up in a stupor. “Do you really have to go right now? It’s still early,” she complained.
“Yes. I need to leave,” Damian said, and he pointed down at his jeans.
It was obvious that she wasn’t the only one who was completely aroused! Resigned, she said, “Ok. I’ll walk you to the door.”
“The barbecue is at noon tomorrow. Drive with me?”
“Of course.”
Damian had turned away, and his hand was on the doorknob when Kelly said, “How about a kiss goodbye?”
He turned back around and smirked at her. “Haven’t you had enough kisses for one night?”
“No,” she replied, and then she pushed up on her tiptoes and entwined her arms around his neck.
He kissed her briefly and then set her firmly back on her feet. “Noon tomorrow,” he repeated and then hurried out the door.
When Kelly crawled into bed that night, she anticipated a dream with a different ending than what had happened on the couch with Damian. She read a couple of chapters in her romance novel for added fuel (even though she didn’t really need it!), turned off the light, and waited for the dream to begin…
“What do you want, Kell?” he asked, his voice husky in the darkened room.
“I want you. All of you,” she replied, her own voice breathy with need.
They had been making out like teenagers, lying on her couch, side by side, still fully clothed. But now Damian slid his hand up the front of her skirt and made contact with her damp center. He ran his index finger back and forth over her panties, and she eagerly thrust her hips forward.
Damian’s head was buried in her neck, where he sucked and nibbled, sending shivers down her spine. When he finally pulled aside the material of her panties and dipped a finger inside, she moaned. She was so taut with need at that point that it didn’t take long at all for her to tip over the edge. Her body pulsated beneath his nimble fingers, and she clung to him, her own fingers digging into his shoulders, while she rode out wave after wave of intense pleasure.
When her body stopped quivering, she opened her eyes and met Damian’s self-satisfied smile.
“Better?” he asked.
“Not quite,” she said. “Now it’s your turn.”
Chapter 17
When Kelly peeked out her window and saw Damian walk out of his apartment the next day just before noon, she went out to meet him.
“Hey,” she called.
“Hey,” Damian said, and he gave her an appreciative once-over. “What’s in the container?”
“Homemade chocolate-chip cookies,” she said proudly. “I didn’t want to show up empty handed.” While Kelly didn’t like to cook, she did enjoy baking and had often made treats for the two of them.
As they drove away, Damian asked, “Did you bring your bathing suit?”
“No. You never said anything about swimming.”
“I mentioned the boat, remember?”
“Oh, that’s right. Well, the thing is, I don’t own a bathing suit that would be appropriate for a family gathering.”
Damian chuckled and shook his head. “This isn’t the 1800s, Kell. The bathing suit you wore yesterday would have been fine.”
Kelly scowled. “If we go out on the boat, I’ll just have to stay dry, that’s all.”
A few minutes later, they pulled down the long driveway that led to Damian’s childhood home and parked next to Zack’s Range Rover. Kelly heard Gracie’s squeal of delight as she raced toward them from the side of the house.
“Uncle Damian! Aunt Kelly! You’re here!” she yelled.
Damian held out his arms to her, and Gracie leapt into them. She flung her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek repeatedly.
Watching them gave Kelly a flicker of longing that surprised her and made her feel off-kilter. While she loved Emma’s children, she hadn’t really given much thought to having her own. She had been to
o busy playing the field and enjoying the single life to concern herself with marriage and children. But seeing how natural Damian was with his nieces tugged at her, and then… Gracie lunged at Kelly’s legs, almost toppling her to the ground.
Kelly giggled at Gracie’s exuberance and hugged her tight. “Where is everyone?” she asked once Gracie let go.
“In the backyard. C’mon.”
Damian shot Kelly a smile, and they followed Gracie around to the back of the house. Kelly took in the idyllic scene and was instantly glad she came. Zack and Emma sat close together on white Adirondack chairs, cooing at Ava, who wore a floral sundress and matching sunhat. The baby was only one month old, but she already had an extensive wardrobe, thanks in part to Aunt Kelly!
Joe Kostas was manning a large stainless-steel grill that had smoke rising from it and that emitted the mouth-watering scents of hamburgers and hot dogs. A long knotty pine picnic table set with a red and white checked tablecloth was covered with side dishes that Alex had probably been preparing for hours.
Just then, the hostess made an appearance, bustling out of the patio door carrying red-white-and-blue themed paper plates, cups, and napkins.
“Here, Mom. Let me help you with that,” Damian said, and he rushed to her aid.
“Suck-up,” Zack teased.
Alex frowned. “Language,” she scolded. And then she turned to Kelly. “Hello, dear. You’re looking lovely as always.” Alex kissed her on both cheeks with her usual flair.
“Thanks. I brought cookies,” Kelly said and handed Alex the container.
“Good thing, Kelly, because we might not have enough food,” Joe said, and he winked at her.
The Kostas family loved to rib each other, and they especially liked to tease Alex about the mountains of food that she always prepared.
“Oh, shush,” Alex said to Joe on her way back into the house.
Kelly and Damian made their way over to Emma and Zack and took the two matching chairs across from them. What a perfect day, Kelly reflected as she glanced out at the lake. The temperature was near eighty degrees, and there was a mix of sun and clouds with a slight breeze—typical Labor Day weather for Michigan. She pulled up on the hem of her tank dress to get some sun on her legs and caught Damian’s sideways glance.
Apparently, Zack noticed too, and he didn’t pass up the opportunity to needle his younger brother. “Dude, you’re so obvious.”
“Whatever,” Damian muttered.
Emma smiled and handed Ava off to Zack. “So, how’s everything going with you two?” she asked, feigning innocence. Everyone knew that Emma and Kelly told each other just about everything, except…
“Damian’s coming with me to Florida for Thanksgiving,” Kelly blurted. There was a brief moment of silence, and Damian shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
“Wow, bro. That’s a big step for you,” Zack said, grinning broadly.
Damian shrugged. “She asked, and I said yes.”
Kelly instantly regretted her outburst, but luckily, Emma jumped in to save her. “I have some news too,” she said.
“You changed your mind about marrying my doofus brother?” Damian goaded.
“Absolutely not. I’m going back to work, starting next week.”
“Really?” Kelly said. “Are you sure you’re ready?”
Emma nodded. “Alex and my mom are going to take turns watching Ava, but I’m only going to work a few days a week. I don’t think I could stand to be away from her for much longer than that.”
Zack gave his soon-to-be wife’s hand a squeeze and gazed at her adoringly. Kelly loved the way that the two of them interacted. It was obvious how much they loved each other, but they also truly liked each other, which she found to be a rare combination. Kelly snuck a glance at Damian, and their eyes met briefly before he looked away.
“So,” Emma continued. “I thought that this would be good news for you, Kell, since you won’t have to work as many hours. Plus, that will free you up to help Damian with the marketing for his shop.”
When Kelly had quit her job with a marketing company and had gone to work for Emma at the bookstore, she had taken a significant pay cut. To supplement her income, Kelly had taken side jobs as a marketing consultant, with Emma’s full support. So far, it had worked out wonderfully, and Kelly was grateful to her friend for always looking out for her.
“That sounds great,” Kelly said, but when she turned toward Damian, he was already halfway across the lawn. “I wonder what’s up with him? I thought he’d be happy,” Kelly said.
“Do you want my opinion?” Zack asked, and when Kelly nodded, he leaned forward conspiratorially. “My brother’s in love, and it scares the shit out of him.”
Kelly stared at him with disbelief. “No. I don’t think so.”
“I think Zack’s right, Kell, and I’m not just saying that because he’s almost my husband.”
Kelly looked away from her smiling friends to where Damian stood next to his dad at the grill. “Well, if he’s in love, he sure has a sh…crappy way of showing it!”
Zack chuckled. “Give him time, Kell. He’ll come around.”
Kelly was about to ask Zack about Damian’s broken engagement when Alex swooped out of the house and announced, “Lunch is served!”
They all gathered around the picnic table, and Gracie proclaimed, “I get to say grace.”
The adults exchanged nervous glances, and then Zack said, “Ok, Gracie. Go ahead.”
“Dear God. Thank you that I didn’t have to go to school today. And thank you that Uncle Damian lives in Michigan now. Also, I want a baby cousin. Amen.”
There was an awkward pause while everyone’s eyes zeroed in on Damian and Kelly. They had all been holding hands, but Damian dropped Kelly’s hand like it had burned him. Damian opened his mouth to speak, but Zack beat him to it.
“Gracie, you just got a baby sister. I think you should be happy with that for right now.”
“Yeah, but Robby has four cousins, and he gets to play with them all of the time.”
“I’m sure you’ll have cousins someday too, Gracie,” Alex stated. “Now, let’s eat, everyone, before it gets cold.”
After that, they busied themselves with passing the plates of food, and the conversation turned to something else. Kelly purposely ignored Damian and tuned into Alex’s and Emma’s discussion about the wedding. The men started talking football, and the awkward moment was all but forgotten, except that Kelly couldn’t forget the way that Damian’s body had tensed up at the mention of a baby cousin or how earlier he had stalked off like he was disturbed about her helping him with his marketing plan.
Kelly tried to focus on Emma’s description of the wedding cake that they had ordered, but her thoughts kept returning to the stoic man sitting beside her. Why was it that when they were alone, he was caring and easy with his affection, but when they were around his family, he became closed off and distant? Maybe it wasn’t just his family. Maybe he would act the same way around her family too. She knew that he valued his privacy, but that was no excuse for acting the way he did. She hadn’t pushed him to do anything. In fact, she was the one who had advocated for them to take it slow. The more she thought about it, the madder she became, but she had no outlet for her anger. They were at a family picnic, and they were supposed to be having fun, damn it!
When they had finished eating, Emma offered to help Alex clean up, and Kelly jumped up too. She wasn’t going to spend another tense moment sitting next to him when she could be enjoying time with the ladies. As the women gathered up the dirty dishes, Kelly felt Damian’s eyes boring into her, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of a glance. Instead, she followed Alex and Emma into the house and breathed a sigh of relief as soon as he was out of sight.
After their kitchen duties were done, Alex, Emma, and Kelly sat around the kitchen table, sipping iced tea.
“That Gracie, huh?” Alex said and smiled across the table at Kelly.
Kelly smiled in return,
but she wondered where Alex was going with this. It was no secret that she was all for Damian and Kelly being together, and Kelly recognized that light in her eyes. “Yes, she’s adorable,” Kelly admitted.
“As for Damian. Well, you know that I love my son very much, but…”
“Mrs. Kostas…”
“No, dear. Let me finish. But sometimes Damian can be stubborn.”
“I won’t argue with that,” Kelly said, and she looked over at Emma, who was trying to suppress a laugh.
“But that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t feel things,” Alex continued. “When he loves, he loves deeply. Whatever he does, he puts his whole heart into it. He may be a man of few words, but still waters…”
“Run deep,” Kelly finished.
“I’m not trying to make excuses for him. I’m just trying to give you some insight into who he is.”
Kelly found it endearing that Alex was advocating for her son, but that didn’t stop her from being irritated with him. And then, speak of the devil…
“Hey,” Damian said, and he glanced around the table warily. “Kell, do you want to go out on the boat now?
He sounded apologetic and hopeful, and Kelly felt some of her anger slip away. “Ok,” she said and stood up from the table.
“Have fun you two,” Alex called as Kelly followed Damian out of the room.
When they were back outside, Kelly looked out at the dock, where Joe and Zack stood by the boat. Kelly stopped in her tracks and put her hand on Damian’s arm to get his attention. “Um, is that the boat you were talking about?”
He gave her an amused grin. “Yep. Is there a problem?”
Kelly peered around him at the dinky aluminum rowboat and said, “Well, when you mentioned a boat, I was picturing something a bit…”
“Bigger?”
“Or at least sturdier. That thing looks like a dented tin can!”
“It’s seen better days, but don’t worry. You’ll be in good hands.”
Twice as Tempting Page 11