Kelly was practicing her backstroke when a large splash interrupted her musings. Probably some kid doing a cannonball, she thought and continued her backstroke until she reached the edge of the pool. When she stood up and flicked her hair back off her face, there was Damian standing right next to her with a bemused smile on his face.
“Showing off your swimming skills, I see,” he teased.
But she was in no mood for teasing. “It’s about time,” she huffed. “I was beginning to think I’d be spending our last night in Florida alone.”
“Well, you wouldn’t be alone for long. Not with all these men ogling you.” With that, he pulled her into his chest and covered her protests with his lips.
She thought about resisting but melted into him instead. She had missed him, the big lug! Once they broke apart, she said, “You did that on purpose.”
“Damn right I did. Can’t have these dudes thinking that you’re a single lady.”
This could be the opening that I need. “But, technically, I am single,” she ventured.
Damian scowled at her and muttered something under his breath.
Ok, maybe this wasn’t the best time to bring it up. “So, what took you so long with my dad?”
“Well, first we went to Gary’s house and talked cars for a long time. Then we went to lunch at a nearby deli, and after we dropped Gary back off, I asked your dad if we he wanted to go for a coffee.”
“But you don’t even drink coffee!”
“I know, but I thought it was a nice thing to do. Don’t tell me you’re mad at me for spending time with your dad.”
He was right, damn it! “No. It’s just that this is our last day here, and I wanted us to spend it together.”
Damian wrapped his arms around her again, oblivious to the attention that they were attracting. “We’re together now, and we’ll be together all night long,” he said, his voice becoming deeper, huskier.
“That’s true,” Kelly admitted, softening against his rock-hard chest.
“There’s something that I want to do tonight.”
“Me too,” she said, giving him that look.
“Besides that, I mean.”
“Oh. What else?”
“I want us to be on the beach at sunset.”
Kelly had a hard time hiding her surprise. Damian wasn’t one for overly romantic gestures, preferring to show his love for her in simple ways. “Ok…”
“Frank mentioned that the sunsets on the beach are spectacular, and I’d like to see one before we leave.”
Wow, Damian and my dad must have really bonded! “I’d love to watch the sunset with you tonight,” she said.
“Good. Let’s go get something to eat so we’re back in time,” he suggested.
The men around the pool got one last glimpse of the long-haired beauty with the sensuous curves as she was escorted into the hotel by the equally attractive Greek man. Or maybe he was Italian, who knew?!
Kelly was mostly unaware of the attention, although she thought she heard someone mutter, “Lucky bastard,” as they walked by.
They decided to eat dinner at the hotel restaurant so as not to miss the sunset. Kelly almost ordered a salad, since she had downed a hamburger earlier, but changed her mind when she saw a plate of fried shrimp being delivered to a nearby table.
“Oh, what the hell! I’m on vacation,” she said aloud.
While she and Damian tucked into their meals, they talked about various “safe” topics, such as the auto shop, the bookstore, and their families. Ever since Kelly had sent Emma a picture of sunny downtown Naples earlier, she had been barraged with photos of the snow scenes awaiting them in Michigan. Apparently, Zack had been doing the same thing to Damian, and they shared a good laugh over it.
Talk turned to Emma and Zack’s wedding, which was just two weeks away. Since they were on the topic of weddings, Kelly considered making some joke about her and Damian getting married someday, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. They were having such a wonderful time, and it was their last night there, and…
“Something on your mind, Kell?” Damian asked after the waiter had cleared their plates.
“No, not really. Just enjoying our last night together.”
Damian reached his hands across the table and entwined their fingers together. “You keep saying that as if we’re not going to have any other nights together except this one.”
“Sorry. I didn’t realize that I was doing that.”
“C’mon. Let’s get out of here. I want to find a nice, private spot on the beach.”
What is his fascination with the sunset tonight?
When they got down to the beach, Kelly slipped off her sandals and tucked them into her tote bag. Damian took her hand, and as they walked, he glanced over at her every few minutes and smiled.
It was a beautiful evening. The ocean breeze tossed Kelly’s hair around, and the sound of the waves lapping at the shore soothed her. They passed several other couples, who, like them, were scoping out a private patch of sand on which to watch the sun go down. Of course, there were plenty of families too, their children playing hide and seek with the sea as the cool water tickled their toes before receding.
They walked for a long time while the sun set itself up for its final bow of the evening. Finally, they left the packed sand along the water’s edge and trudged into the soft, white, powdery sand that sunbathers had been laying out on earlier that day.
“Here looks good,” Damian said, and then he helped Kelly spread out their oversized beach towel that was big enough for two.
Damian sat down first and then patted the space between his legs for Kelly to sit between. He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and tucked her in close. People were still walking by, but they were far enough away to afford Kelly and Damian some privacy.
Kelly was so enraptured by the colors of the setting sun—the reds, oranges, and yellows—as it descended over the vast expanse of ocean that the sound of Damian’s voice almost startled her.
“So, I told your dad about the house,” Damian began.
“Oh yeah? What did he have to say?”
“He said he’d like to help me work on it in the spring if your mom lets him.”
Kelly laughed. “Ever since Dad had that health scare last fall, she’s been worried about him. What else did you two talk about?”
“You. Us.”
Kelly twisted her head around to study his expression and asked, “What about us?”
Damian pointed at the sun and said, “Turn back around, or you’ll miss it.”
She reluctantly did as he directed, and they both watched as the sun slipped into the ocean, leaving them in the purplish dusk. She then turned back around to face him. “Why did you talk to my dad about us?”
Damian inhaled deeply and gazed at her intently, and Kelly sensed that he was on the cusp of revealing something big. “What is it, Damian? Tell me.”
“I asked your dad for permission to marry you.”
Kelly’s hands flew to her mouth. Did he just say what I think he said? “Could you repeat that please?”
Damian threw his head back and chuckled. “I told your dad that I loved you and that I wanted to ask you to marry me, but I wanted his permission first.”
Kelly’s head felt like it was going to explode. Shock, joy, elation, and a thousand other emotions flooded her body, and for a moment, she was tongue-tied.
“The thing is…I don’t have a ring. I didn’t even know until we got here that I was going to propose. I was going to wait until after Zack’s wedding.”
Kelly was still trying to find her voice, but Damian, for once, was doing all the talking.
“And then I figured that you might want a say in what your ring looks like. You’ll have to wear it for the rest of your life after all.” He reached out and pried her hands away from her mouth to hold them firmly in his.
“I’m doing this all wrong. I didn’t have it all planned out, but Kelly, will you do
me the honor of becoming my wife?”
The tears came then, and she shook her head back and forth because she still couldn’t believe it.
Unfortunately, Damian misread the gesture and said, “No? Is it too soon? Should I have had the ring first?”
Kelly shook her head even harder, and then she finally spat out the words. “No, it’s not too soon! It’s perfect timing!”
“So, no really meant yes?”
Kelly flung her arms around him then and tackled him to the ground. “Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!”
And then he kissed her.
Later that night, after they had made love, Kelly and Damian made a plan.
“I don’t want to upstage Zack’s wedding,” Damian said. “I’ll never hear the end of it.”
“I agree. We’ll tell everybody at Christmastime.”
Damian pulled her close and ran his fingers down her naked back. “We can set the wedding date for whenever you want, but I have one request.”
“Anything,” she said, idly tracing his tattoo.
“Remember when I agreed to wear the Batman costume and you said you’d owe me a big favor?”
Kelly halted her movements and swallowed nervously. “Yes…”
“Well, I’m going to call in my favor. For our honeymoon, I want to go somewhere where we can go hiking.”
“Like Alaska?”
“No. We’ll work up to that. I was thinking about renting a cabin in the Smoky Mountains.”
“Hmm…I like the sound of that. You and me, alone in the mountains. I can handle that.”
“So, it’s a plan, then?”
“It’s the best plan ever,” Kelly said.
Epilogue
Emma and Zack’s wedding took place on a sunny yet cold December Saturday at the church that the Kostas family had attended for years. The bride and groom looked gorgeous and content as they said their vows in front of their closest family and friends. Kelly and Damian were the only two members of the wedding party, other than Gracie, who served as the very proud flower girl.
As Emma and Zack recited their vows, Kelly kept sneaking peeks at the best man, who cut quite an impressive figure in his well-fitted black and white tuxedo. Damian looked less than comfortable though as he periodically tugged on the tight collar. She smiled softly with the knowledge that he would much rather be wearing his faded jeans and a t-shirt, along with his rugged work boots. Still, every time she glanced at him, he took her breath away.
The reception took place at Buhl Estate, a historic manor home set in a nearby county park. Zack teasingly referred to the venue as the “scene of the crime.” He and Emma had attended a wedding there when they were first dating, and Emma had ended up quite drunk. They had both loved the setting so much though that they had decided to have their own reception there. The estate was decorated for Christmas, and the sparkling white lights, Christmas wreaths, and poinsettias added to the festive ambiance.
Kelly and Damian were in a celebratory mood along with the rest of the guests, and the secret that they shared only heightened that mood. When they sat next to each other at dinner, Kelly relished the press of his thigh next to hers and the possessive way he rested his hand on her leg beneath the table.
She couldn’t wait until the music started up so they could dance together; however, Damian didn’t share her enthusiasm. “I’m not a good dancer,” he had warned her ahead of time. “I don’t have the moves.”
“Oh, yes you do,” Kelly had argued.
Damian had given her that sexy grin and said, “Ok, I’ve got moves, but none that are appropriate in public.”
When the bride and groom took to the dance floor, Kelly thought that she had never seen Emma look so radiant. That’s what love does to you, she mused as she watched Zack spin his bride around the floor. When the DJ called Kelly and Damian to the floor, she eagerly jumped up and took Damian’s hand. His expression told of his reluctance, and the few people who were sitting nearby laughed, including his parents.
“C’mon,” Kelly whispered. “It’ll be good practice.”
The minute that she was in his arms, the rest of the world melted away. It was only her and him, their bodies pressed tightly together like two pieces of a puzzle that fit perfectly. When Damian gazed into her eyes, she saw all the tenderness, affection, and desire that she needed to know that she was well and truly loved.
Zack and Emma sidled up next to them on the dance floor, and Zack said, “So, when do Emma and I get to stand up for you two?”
“We’ll let you know,” Damian replied with a wink, and then he purposely danced Kelly into the crowd that now occupied the dance floor.
Kelly glanced over his shoulder and saw that Zack and Emma were still watching them with a mixture of curiosity and joy on their faces.
Kelly just smiled, her focus on the best man, who had pulled her in even closer and had leaned down to nuzzle her neck. “I can’t wait to make you mine,” he whispered.
His words were like an aphrodisiac, and she shivered against him. “I already am yours, Damian. I’ve been yours since the moment we met, even though it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster ride to get here.”
“I’m sorry about that.”
“Don’t be. I’ve decided that I like rollercoasters.”
Damian chuckled. “I love you, princess.”
“And I love you.”
THE END
Twice as Tempting Page 24