“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” Damian whispered. “I don’t like the way the men are ogling you in that getup.”
Kelly put her arm around his waist and squeezed. “I only have eyes for Batman,” she said, which seemed to settle him down, at least for the time being.
After they had filled their plates with appetizers and grabbed some beers to drink, the four of them made their way into the sprawling living room, where most of the guests were congregated. They ate and drank in between chatting with Kelly’s and Emma’s friends and their dates, and the time passed quickly.
“See, dressing up wasn’t so bad after all, was it?” Kelly said, directing her question at Damian.
“Ok, I’ll admit it. I kind of don’t mind being Batman.”
After another round of beers, some of the men broke off to play pool and darts in the Thompsons’s finished basement. Damian and Zack joined them after some convincing from Kelly and Emma.
“We’ll be fine,” Emma said, used to Zack’s overprotective nature. “These are our friends. Go on and have fun!”
Damian made an uncharacteristic show of kissing Kelly on the lips before they departed.
“What was that about?” she asked, even though she didn’t mind in the least.
“I wanted all the dudes to see who you’re with, and now they’ll know better than to mess with Batman.”
Kelly giggled. “I’m pretty sure they know who I’m with, since you haven’t left my side all night. Go on, play pool and let me hang out with the ladies.”
After the men left, Emma turned to Kelly and said, “It looks like everything’s going well with you and Damian. I think it’s sweet how attentive he’s being with you tonight.”
“Maybe it’s because we had a little argument yesterday and he’s trying to make up to me.”
“Oh really? Want to talk about it?”
Kelly was about to share when Beth came over, dragging a woman with her who was dressed up as Daisy Duke from the old television show The Dukes of Hazzard. She wore extremely short denim shorts, a red and black checked shirt that was knotted under her breasts, and fire-engine red high heels. Her chestnut brown hair cascaded down her back in soft waves, just like the character from the show.
She makes a perfect Daisy Duke, Kelly thought as she studied the woman’s face.
“Hey, Kelly, Emma. Do you remember Amanda Jennings? She lived in our dorm, a few floors below us. We went to a few parties together, remember?”
Kelly and Emma exchanged a confused glance, because neither of them recognized Amanda.
“That’s ok. My hair was a lot shorter back then, and it may have even been a shade or two lighter,” Amanda said and laughed.
“Now that you say that, you do look kind of familiar,” Emma said.
“It was a long time ago. No worries,” Amanda said. “Anyway, I’m Amanda Russo now, but I’m flying solo tonight. My husband is out of town on business.”
Kelly kept trying to place her as they chatted, but it was to no avail. After a few more minutes of general chitchat, Amanda excused herself to join another group.
Beth stayed behind and leaned in toward Kelly and Emma conspiratorially. “Amanda lucked out in the husband department. Jake is an executive with a plastics company, and they have beaucoup bucks!”
Looking around the house, Kelly thought that Beth wasn’t doing too bad either, but she didn’t comment. Kelly was suddenly very glad that Damian wasn’t around to hear Beth prattle on about how much money people made.
Emma seemed to have tired of the conversation too, and she suggested that she and Kelly “go check on the boys.”
They grabbed a couple more beers as they passed through the kitchen, and then they carefully walked downstairs in their high-heeled boots. The basement was just as impressive as the rest of the house, boasting a game room, a workout room, and a large in-home theater system. Beth has thought of everything, Kelly mused as they walked by the giant flat screen television where The Addams Family movie was playing.
Damian and Zack were huddled around the pool table, chuckling about something with the rest of the guys, but when Kelly and Emma entered the room, all eyes shifted toward them. Kelly warmed under Damian’s intense gaze, and Emma was getting the same treatment from Zack.
“Aww…you ladies couldn’t stand to be away from us,” Zack teased.
“Just thought we’d check in on you,” Kelly said as she handed a beer to Damian.
“Glad you did,” he said. When the rest of the men went back to their game, he added, “You almost ready to get out of here?”
“No rush. Go ahead and finish your game,” she replied, even though part of her was ready to have Batman all to herself.
“I’ve had my fill of ‘girl time,’” Emma said to Zack. “I’m ready to be alone with Superman.”
“Let them finish their game,” Kelly said, and then she grabbed Emma’s arm to pull her away.
“Ugh. You and Zack are too adorable together, and you make it look so easy,” Kelly whined once the men were out of earshot.
“Kelly, things aren’t perfect for us, believe me, but at the end of the day, Zack is the one that I want to spend my life with. Even with all his little quirks, I can’t imagine being with anyone else.”
Kelly giggled. “His quirks? What about yours?”
“Well, we all have them, but the person who can see past that and loves you unconditionally, he’s the keeper.”
That’s how I feel about Damian, but does he feel the same about me?
When they reentered the kitchen, Amanda was standing there talking with Lisa, a woman that Kelly and Emma knew well, so they went over to say hello. All four of them were chatting when Kelly heard Damian’s and Zack’s voices as they clomped up the stairs.
“That sounds like our men. We’ll have to introduce you to them,” Emma said.
Zack came over and slung his arm around Emma’s shoulder immediately, but Damian hung back, and Kelly turned to see what he was up to. The look on his face instantly told her that something was wrong, but she had no idea what it could be until…
“Amanda and Lisa, meet our dates, Zack and Damian Kostas,” Emma said proudly.
Amanda’s face fell, and suddenly the light bulb kicked on for Kelly. She glanced from Amanda to Damian to Zack, who now wore a similar expression of recognition.
“Am I missing something here?” Emma asked nervously.
“Damian? Is that really you under there?” Amanda ventured, her voice somewhat shaky.
“Hello, Amanda,” he said tightly.
Kelly felt her blood pressure rise, and the catsuit suddenly felt unbearably constricting. She wasn’t sure where to look—the tension in the room was palpable.
“You two know each other?” Emma said, and Zack tugged on her arm as if to warn her of impending disaster.
“Yes. We used to…we were…” Amanda stuttered.
“Engaged,” Damian finished, his voice sounding unnaturally harsh.
At that moment, Kelly wished that they had the superpower to disappear. She had no idea what to do or say, yet she felt rooted to the spot as the scene unfolded.
“That was a long time ago,” Amanda said with a strained smile.
“Yes, it was. So, where’s your husband?” Damian asked.
“He’s on a business trip,” Amanda said. She looked just as uncomfortable as the rest of them, but it was as if they were all actors in a play, and the scene wasn’t over yet.
“Ahh…I see. So, you married some rich guy who’s at work more than he’s at home. But hey, at least he can provide you with the lifestyle that you always wanted.”
Kelly reached out and placed a hand on Damian’s arm, but he didn’t even glance her way. “Don’t,” she hissed.
Amanda’s discomfort had morphed into anger, and she placed her hands on her hips and said, “He makes good money, but that’s not why I married him.”
“Oh, so you married him for love? Yeah, right!”
/> “Damian, I think we should leave,” Zack piped up, but his suggestion fell on deaf ears.
“What do you know about love anyway? You’ve never truly loved anyone other than yourself,” Amanda accused, her voice rising with each word.
Kelly had been so focused on Amanda and Damian, that she had failed to notice the small crowd that had gathered near the entrance to the kitchen. She noticed now, and she wanted to scream at them to go away and mind their own business. Beth’s face stuck out of the crowd, and she wore an expression of consternation mixed with amusement, which made Kelly want to slap her.
“I think you have that the wrong way around, sweetheart,” Damian hissed.
“Damian, we’re leaving. NOW!” Zack said, and he moved to stand alongside his brother.
“So, this is your girlfriend? Kelly?” Amanda spat. When Damian nodded, she took a step toward Kelly and said, “Good luck with him. You’re going to need it!” And with that, she turned on her red heels and stomped out of the kitchen. The people crowded around the doorway were forced to separate as she shoved her way through.
Zack locked his hands on Damian’s shoulders and forcibly turned him toward the door. “We’ll wait for you ladies outside,” he muttered as he led Damian away.
Kelly and Emma had set their purses down in the den, which meant that they would have to traverse the crowded living room to retrieve them.
“Stay right here,” Emma demanded. “I’ll get our purses.”
Kelly didn’t think that she could move even if she had wanted to. She forced herself to take several deep breaths before she would have to face Damian, and as she was doing so, Beth came into the kitchen.
“I’m so sorry, Kelly. I had no idea that Amanda used to be engaged to your boyfriend. If I’d have known, I wouldn’t have invited her.”
For some reason, Kelly doubted Beth’s sincerity. It seemed like she was more interested in gossiping than worrying about Kelly’s feelings. Before she could respond, Emma rushed back into the room and handed Kelly her purse.
“It’s not your fault, Beth. How would you have known? Anyway, we’re the ones who are sorry. We didn’t mean to disrupt your party.”
Leave it to Emma to smooth things over, Kelly thought gratefully. A minute later, Kelly and Emma were outside, and Kelly welcomed the crisp fall air into her lungs. As they walked down the driveway toward their vehicles, Kelly noticed that Zack and Damian were sitting inside Damian’s truck, but Zack was behind the wheel. Emma held her hand tightly as they approached the driver’s side.
“I’m going to drive Damian home. Emma, you can take Kelly and meet me in the parking lot of their apartment complex,” Zack said, leaving no room for argument.
Kelly sought out Damian’s face, but he was turned the other way, and the set of his shoulders told her that he was in no mood to talk. On the drive home, Emma attempted to make Kelly feel better, but it didn’t work. The ugly scene kept replaying in her head, and the soundtrack was stuck on Amanda snarling, “Good luck with him.” As Kelly thought about it, she realized that she and Damian had what could be described as a tumultuous relationship, and she wondered if, or when, things would smooth out. She wanted to believe it was because they were two passionate people who felt strongly and loved deeply, but was that really the case? It disturbed Kelly that Amanda had accused Damian of being incapable of love. He may not have said the words yet, but Kelly felt his love in so many ways and saw it there in his eyes even when he was trying to hide it. She knew how much he loved his nieces and his family, maybe not so much by his words, but by his actions, and that was what was important to her. Still, it would be nice to hear the words someday…
“Kell, do you want to stay over at our house tonight?” Emma said, breaking through her tangled-up thoughts.
“No. I’ll be fine once I get over the shock. When Damian told me that his ex went to MSU, I thought it was a possibility that I might know her, but he never told me her name, and I didn’t ask. Even if he would have, I obviously didn’t remember her.”
“Me neither. She must not have made a big impression on us,” Emma said and reached over to squeeze Kelly’s hand.
“It was just so ugly, wasn’t it? The words they flung at each other and everyone staring. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to show my face in front of those people again.”
“It was probably a bigger deal to us than to them. I bet everyone will forget about it after tonight.”
“Maybe, but I won’t, and Damian won’t either. Do you think that he’s still in love with her?”
“Absolutely not. From what Zack said, Amanda broke up with Damian over the phone, and they never really had it out. He’s probably carried that anger with him all this time, and when he saw her tonight, he lashed out. It probably didn’t help that he had been drinking too.”
Kelly hadn’t kept track of how many beers Damian had had, but she doubted that he was drunk. Besides, she had seen him intoxicated before, and he had never acted like that. “Well, I’m going to ask him about it when he decides to talk to me.”
“Just give him some time, Kelly. I’m sure he’ll explain everything once he simmers down.”
When they pulled into the apartment complex, Zack was leaned against Damian’s truck waiting for them—alone. Emma pulled into the space next to him, and Kelly got out.
Zack immediately pulled her in for a hug and said, “I apologize on my brother’s behalf. I’m sure he’ll apologize himself once he gets his shit together.”
“Yeah, I might have heard that once or twice before,” she said and sighed.
“Do you want me to walk you up to your apartment?” Zack asked.
“No. I’m fine, but thank you,” Kelly replied, grateful for how calmly Zack had handled the situation.
Emma and Zack waited in the car until she made it safely inside her apartment, and as they drove off, she couldn’t help but feel envious. They were going home together, happily in love, while she and Damian lived across the street from each other, yet it felt like they were a million miles apart.
Chapter 25
“Let’s get you out of this thing,” Damian said in her darkened bedroom. He took hold of the zipper on the Catwoman costume and slowly eased it down to just past her navel. His fingertips were warm as they brushed the bare sliver of skin that he had revealed. “I couldn’t wait to be alone with you,” he said, his voice muted because of the pounding in her ears.
“I’m burning up in here. Hurry up and take it off,” she said.
He chuckled as he peeled the fabric away from her breasts and off her shoulders, but then he stopped and bent his head down to pull a nipple into his mouth. Kelly’s arms were still trapped in the tight costume, and she was helpless against the onslaught of his warm tongue as he swirled it around first one nipple and then the other.
Finally, he pulled back, and with his help, she wiggled out of the costume. Damian lifted her into his arms and laid her on the bed. He gazed down at her and said, “I love you, Kelly.”
“No, he doesn’t,” said a woman’s voice. “He’ll never love you. He only loves himself, himself, himself…”
The incessant buzz of the alarm clock broke through her sleep-muddled brain, and Kelly bolted upright. She was sweating, and her breath came in short pants.
“It was just a dream,” she said repeatedly until her heart rate returned to normal. And then the events of the previous evening came flooding back, and she realized that the woman’s voice in her dream was Amanda’s.
Kelly hadn’t heard a word from Damian after Emma had dropped her off, and she hadn’t really expected to. Even though she wanted to confront him, she forced herself not to, and she had even turned off her phone so she wouldn’t be tempted to call him. If he could be stubborn, then so could she! Besides, this time, none of it was her fault. As Zack had said, Damian owed her an apology, and she would make herself wait for it.
It was Sunday, and since Brett had asked for the day off, Kelly had to work. She was g
lad that she wouldn’t be sitting around her apartment stewing over Damian all day, and she decided that she might even go in early.
Kelly showered, dressed, and ate breakfast, and she purposely ignored her phone until she was ready to leave. Not surprisingly, there were no texts or missed calls from Damian. There was only one lengthy voicemail from Emma telling her not to worry—that Damian would come around.
When Kelly opened her front door to a cool, overcast fall day, she noticed that Damian’s truck was already gone. Like her, he had probably gone off to work, with the hopes of escaping his troubles for a little while.
A couple hours later, Kelly was at the bookstore, responding to emails about the next book club meeting, when Mrs. Simmons hobbled in.
“Just the lady I wanted to see,” Kelly said. “The votes are in for our next romance book.”
“First things first,” said Mrs. Simmons. “How did the Halloween party go last night? Do you have any pictures?”
Ugh. Kelly had forgotten that she had told Mrs. Simmons about the party, but the spry old woman didn’t forget a thing! “Well…” She must have hesitated for too long, and Mrs. Simmons jumped on it.
“That boy better be treating you right. I warned him the other day…”
“What? You warned him?”
“Yes. At our first book club meeting. I told him that you were special and that he better treat you right or some other man would.”
Kelly threw her head back and laughed. “And what did he say to that?”
“He promised that he would.”
“I don’t know what it is, Mrs. Simmons, but with Damian, I feel like I’m constantly on a rollercoaster ride. First, we’re up, then we’re down… sometimes I think that I would rather ride the merry-go-round.”
“Ha! Merry-go-rounds are boring. Rollercoasters are a lot more fun! Believe me.”
Suddenly Kelly realized that she didn’t know that much about Mrs. Simmons’s personal life outside of their shared interest in romance novels. “Is that what your life was like with Mr. Simmons?” she ventured.
Twice as Tempting Page 17