“But I told all the ladies you’d be there,” Kelly said, glaring at him.
Damian smoothed his index finger over her furrowed brow. “I must have agreed to that in the heat of passion,” he said. “I probably didn’t even realize what I was saying.”
“As I recall, we were fully clothed at the time. But our ‘passion’ will be put on hold unless you do this for me.”
Damian chuckled and threw up his arms. “Ok, ok. I’ll do it.”
There were no complaints after that.
On Saturday evening after work, Kelly donned her MSU sweatpants and a matching hoodie. She put her long hair up in a high ponytail and started to wipe the makeup off her face, but then she decided against it. It was movie night for her and Emma, but she planned on seeing Damian later, so she kept her “face on.” Damian had told her countless times that he thought she was beautiful au naturel, but Kelly always felt a little better with a touch of makeup.
Emma showed up promptly at seven o’clock bearing two grocery bags full of snacks and frozen daiquiri mix. When Kelly opened the door for her, she glanced across the street and spotted Zack jogging up the stairs to Damian’s apartment. Damian leaned casually against his open door, with his hands stuffed in his jeans pockets, and Kelly swore she could see him roll his eyes from across the street.
“Have fun, ladies,” Zack called before disappearing into Damian’s apartment. Kelly gave Damian a thumbs up before she ushered Emma inside and firmly closed the door.
“Zack was really looking forward to tonight,” Emma said as she unpacked the bags.
“Yeah? Damian too.” Kelly said with her fingers crossed behind her back. A little white lie never hurt, right?
“So, what all did you bring? This looks like enough food for the entire Kostas family,” Kelly teased.
Emma giggled. “I really am adopting some of their habits, aren’t I?”
“Yes, you are.”
“Well, get used to it, because you might be part of the family someday too.”
Emma had been making more and more references like that, and they always made Kelly feel slightly squeamish. Not because she didn’t want a future with Damian, but because she was afraid to be too hopeful. She was actually content with the way things were between them right now, and she tried not to look too far ahead.
“Zack mentioned something about Damian looking at a house the other day…” Emma said, but she stopped talking when she saw the shock on Kelly’s face.
“A house?”
“Yeah. You know, those rectangular things with windows,” Emma teased.
“Funny, he didn’t mention that to me,” Kelly replied.
“Uh-oh. Maybe I wasn’t supposed to say anything.”
“Apparently, Damian still likes to keep secrets,” Kelly said.
“Maybe he wants to surprise you. Don’t say anything, Kell. I mean it. Wait and let him tell you.”
Kelly shook her head to clear the thoughts that were zinging around like they were in a pinball machine. “Ok. Let’s talk about something other than our men. This is ladies’ night after all!”
“You’re right. You make the popcorn while I whip up some drinks.”
They worked side by side in the tiny kitchen, and their talk turned to other topics. Whenever either of them accidentally mentioned Zack or Damian, they quickly switched gears. They brought out their drinks, bowls of popcorn, and M&M’s (chocolate was a must for ladies’ night) to the living room and set them all on the coffee table.
“So, which movie do you want to watch, The Notebook or The Lucky One?” Kelly asked, waving both DVDs in her hands.
“Hmm…that’s a tough one. Ryan Gosling or Zac Efron? Who am I in the mood for?”
Kelly waved The Lucky One a little more vigorously to indicate her choice.
“You’re right. The Notebook will just make us cry, but The Lucky One…”
“Will make us horny!” Kelly finished.
“Zack and Damian will be glad for that,” Emma said and giggled.
Kelly popped in the DVD and settled next to Emma on the couch. “For the rest of the night, the only man we talk about is Zac Efron. Deal?”
“Deal,” Emma said and dug her hand into the popcorn bowl.
They were about halfway into the movie, and almost to the really good part with the steamy shower scene, when a knock came at the door.
“Oh no,” Kelly said. “I know that knock.”
She pressed pause on the remote and put her index finger to her lips. “Maybe if we’re really quiet, they’ll go away.”
“C’mon, Kell. Open up. We know you’re in there,” Damian called, his voice booming loud and clear through the door.
Emma put her hands over her mouth to prevent her laughter from escaping while Kelly got up and marched over to the door. “What do you want? We’re right in the middle of our movie,’ she replied without opening the door.
“I have a key, you know.”
“Ugh!” Kelly whipped the door open but blocked the entrance as best she could, considering she was one small woman standing in front of two hulking men. Damian smirked at her and held up a six pack of beer.
“We came over to join your party,” he said.
Zack peered over Kelly’s head, to where his future wife was perched on the edge of the couch. He winked at her and then said, “Look, they have snacks!”
“Hey, I had snacks too,” Damian said with mock exasperation.
“Your idea of snacks was a stale bag of pretzels. There’s real food over here.”
Damian took a step forward, but Kelly placed her palm firmly on his chest. “Where do you think you’re going?”
Damian’s eyes twinkled down at her. “Please, Kell. Let us join your party.”
Emma, ever the peacekeeper, finally piped in. “You two can come in on one condition. You have to let us finish watching the movie.”
“Which movie is it?” Damian asked.
“Dude. Who cares? They have snacks,” Zack said, and he stepped around Kelly to greet his bride-to-be.
Kelly still had her hand on Damian’s chest, but now he covered it with his own. “I promise to let you watch your movie,” he said solemnly.
“Ok, fine, you big brute. C’mon in.”
The four of them settled on the couch, with Damian on one end, Zack on the other, and the two women in the middle. Zack immediately reached for the bowl of popcorn and placed it on his lap.
Damian glared at him and repeated, “I had snacks.”
“Quiet, you two. We’re putting the movie back on,” Kelly said. Even though she was somewhat miffed at Damian for crashing their party, she couldn’t help but lean into him once the movie started. He pulled her in so close that she could feel his body heat searing through her sweats. She glanced over at Emma and saw that she was leaning into Zack too. So much for ladies’ night!
When it came to the scene where Logan (played by Zac Efron) and Beth (played by Taylor Schilling) had sex in an outdoor shower stall, Zack and Damian were particularly quiet.
After the scene was over, Zack said, “Whoa! This beats eating stale pretzels in Damian’s apartment any day!”
“See what I mean? The man never shuts up,” Damian said drily, after which the ladies burst into laughter.
After that, Zack and Damian let the ladies watch their movie, and given the hot sex scenes, they seemed to enjoy it too. When it was over, and both bowls of popcorn had been devoured, Damian let out a huge yawn.
“Boy, am I beat,” he said, stretching his arms overhead for added effect.
Kelly thumped him on the chest. “Don’t be rude. Maybe Zack and Emma want to stay for one more drink.”
But both had already stood up and were collecting their belongings. “That’s ok, Kell. It’s been a long day for us too, right, honey?” Emma said.
“I’m fine, but it’s obvious my little brother is trying to be the next lucky one, so we can leave,” Zack said.
“Classy,” Damian muttered.
Emma helped Kelly bring the dirty dishes into the kitchen, and when they were alone, she whispered, “Even though they interrupted, I still had fun, Kell. And even after I’m married, I still want to spend time with you.”
Kelly felt herself tear up, and she pulled Emma in for a tight hug. Of course, the men came around the corner right at that instant and stopped in their tracks.
“Not quite a pillow fight, but good enough,” Damian teased while Kelly glared at him over Emma’s shoulder.
The four of them walked toward the front door, where more hugs were exchanged, but not between the brothers. They chose to thump each other on the back a few times and called it good. Kelly and Damian stood in the doorway and waited until Zack and Emma were safely in their car before Kelly shut the door and turned on Damian.
“Uh-oh,” he said, well aware that he was in big trouble.
“I thought we had agreed that this was my night with Emma,” she began.
“Yes, but…”
“No buts, Damian. Even though you and I are together, I’m still going to want my girl time. A few hours. That’s all I asked for.”
Damian took a step toward her, but she scooted around him and started to walk away.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
His voice was strained with remorse or sexual tension, Kelly wasn’t sure which, but she was going to stretch out the torture just a touch longer. “To bed,” she said. “You said you were tired, remember?”
Kelly went into the bathroom and shut the door firmly behind her, and then she locked it for good measure. She took out her ponytail and brushed her hair until it shone. She heard rustling outside the door as she pulled down her sweatpants.
“Do you want me to leave?” Damian asked through the door.
“I’m still deciding,” she said before lifting her hoodie over her head and smoothing her hair back down.
“Would it help if I said I’m sorry?”
She turned on the faucet and squeezed toothpaste onto her toothbrush. “Maybe,” she said over the sound of the running water.
“I’m sorry. The next time you and Emma have girl time, I promise not to interrupt.”
Kelly finished brushing her teeth and wiped her mouth on the towel. “Ok.”
“Ok?” Damian repeated, obviously stunned that it had been that simple.
“Ok,” she said and yanked open the door.
Damian’s mouth dropped open, and Kelly heated while he drank in the sight of her. Under her sweats, she had purposely worn the red baby-doll lingerie set that Damian had picked out for her when they’d been Up North. It was the first night he had seen it on her, and as she suspected, it made quite the impression.
“Holy…”
“You like it?”
“Hell yeah.”
“But you haven’t even seen the back yet.”
Kelly watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed hard, and then she slowly turned around to show him the back. When she turned back to face him, his eyes were ablaze, and he instantly reached for her.
“I thought you were tired,” she said, her voice demure, teasing.
“Suddenly I’m wide awake,” he said, and there was no mistaking the reason for his gruff voice this time.
She didn’t fight him when he picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. Instead, she wrapped her legs tightly around his waist and nipped his earlobe with her teeth. “I should punish you,” she whispered.
“Because I’ve been a bad boy?”
“Yes.” Let the games begin!
Chapter 30
On the day before they were leaving for Florida, Damian came strolling into the bookstore around lunchtime.
“Mind if I borrow Kelly for a while, Em?” he asked, leaning casually against the front counter.
Kelly watched the transaction with curiosity, because, so far, Damian hadn’t even said hello to her!
“Sure. No problem.” Emma replied, smiling brightly.
Kelly cleared her throat loudly. “Sorry to interrupt, but nobody asked me,” she said, trying to sound irritated. But she had already discovered that it was impossible to stay mad at Damian for long, especially when he looked so scrumptious in his Carhartt jacket, Levi’s, and scuffed work boots. He wasn’t shaving as often these days, and the extra facial hair added to his rugged masculinity.
Damian bowed. “Oh, I’m sorry, princess. Would you do me the honor of accompanying me to lunch?”
Emma giggled, and Kelly shot her a look that said, Don’t encourage him!
“That depends. Where are you taking me?”
“It’s a surprise. But let’s not waste time talking. Yes or no?”
Before she could answer, Emma handed Kelly her coat and purse. “Get out of here, you two. I have work to do.”
When they drove out of the parking lot, Kelly tried to get the surprise out of him, but the man was as stubborn as a mule.
“Patience, Kell. You’ll see in a few minutes.”
When Damian turned off the main road onto a residential street, Kelly was bursting with curiosity. She was very familiar with the area, and there were definitely no restaurants on that road. Damian remained quiet, but a small smile graced his handsome face as they pulled into a gravel driveway that was lined with tall trees.
“Damian?”
The driveway was sloped, and when they climbed over the slight rise, a house came into view. It was a white-sided Cape Cod-style house, with black-shuttered windows and a wraparound porch. There was a two-car attached garage, but Kelly also spotted the roof of a large pole barn poking up from behind the house.
Damian pulled up close to the walkway and shut off the engine. There were no other cars in the driveway, and no one came out to greet them. Kelly opened her mouth to ask more questions, but Damian was already out of the truck and coming around to help her down. He took her hand and started up the brick-paved walkway, but Kelly planted her feet and refused to move.
“What are we doing here? Tell me what’s going on, Damian.”
“I will, but it’s cold out here. Let’s talk inside.”
He tugged on her hand, and this time, she followed him. When they reached the front door, Damian dug a key out of his jacket pocket and inserted it into the lock. Kelly’s heart pounded rapidly in her chest when she realized that this must be the house that Emma had mentioned on ladies’ night. But she was still confused, because there wasn’t even a for sale sign in the yard.
Once they were inside and standing in the foyer, Damian started talking. “So, I’ve been restoring an old Mustang for this guy, Ray. Anyway, we got to talking, and he mentioned that he was going to put his house up for sale in the spring.”
Kelly’s pounding heart was making her feel uncomfortably warm, and she shrugged out of her jacket as Damian continued.
“So, I asked him about it, and he showed me a few pictures on his phone. I told him that I was currently living in an apartment but that my lease was up in the spring…”
“This is Ray’s house, then?”
“Yes. And here’s the good part… Ray is willing to forego contacting a realtor and will sell it to me himself if I’m interested. We even discussed trading the work I’m doing on his Mustang for a down payment, although by the spring, I should be in a much better financial position, and that might not even be necessary.”
Damian usually didn’t talk this much unless he was really excited about something or he was in trouble, so Kelly knew that this was important to him, but she still wasn’t sure where she fit in.
He must have sensed her confusion, because he locked his hands on her forearms and stared directly into her bewildered eyes. “I brought you here because I wouldn’t want to buy a house unless you liked it too.”
Kelly swallowed nervously. “I’m not sure what to say, Damian. What exactly are you getting at?”
“Well, the way I see it, why should we keep separate apartments when we spend all our time together anyway? And you said that you did
n’t want to live in an apartment forever, and neither do I, so…”
“You want us to live together?”
“Eventually. Yes.”
Kelly was still in a state of shock, so she didn’t immediately reply.
“C’mon. Let’s take a look around and see what we think.”
Kelly set her purse and jacket on the bench in the foyer and followed Damian through the house. He rattled off some figures to her as they went from room to room, and she tried to take it all in. The house had twenty-five hundred square feet, with three bedrooms on the second floor and two and a half baths. Kelly found the floor plan on the first level particularly appealing, with the living room, dining area, and kitchen all blending together across the entire length of the house. There were also plenty of windows overlooking the wooded backyard, which Damian said was about five acres in size. Since the trees were now bare, Kelly glimpsed a house in the distance, but there was still plenty of space between them. She liked the home more and more with each room they went through.
When they stepped into the master bedroom with the vaulted ceiling and very generous his and hers walk-in closets, Kelly sighed. “Finally, a space for all my clothes!” The words slipped out without her permission, but Damian just chuckled and dragged her into the attached master bathroom.
“Here’s what I like,” he said, pointing to the large, jetted tub. “Plenty of room for two!”
The nervousness that Kelly had felt earlier was beginning to morph into excitement, but she still held back. She wanted to be clear about Damian’s plans first. After they toured the inside of the house, including the basement and the garage, Damian suggested they walk outside to the pole barn.
Kelly donned her jacket again and held Damian’s hand as he led her around to the backyard and down another brick-paved path to the barn. If he was excited before, his enthusiasm rose a few more notches when he unlocked the double doors and slid them open.
Twice as Tempting Page 21