All of Me

by Sheryl Lister

  He’d chosen an expensive steak house, and they conversed quietly while dining on course after course of some of the best food Karen had eaten in a long time. As they finished dinner, she broached the subject that had been on her mind all afternoon. “Damian, how are we going to do this when you come back?”

  His brow lifted. “Do what?”

  “This. Us. We’re going to have to work together at the school.”

  “We’re going to do just what we’re doing now.” He covered her hand with his. “But it’s going to be hard to keep my hands to myself,” he added with a look that communicated exactly what he meant.

  She snatched her hand back. “Damian, I’m serious.”

  “And I’m not? Karen, I don’t intend to hide our relationship. I’ll make sure not to compromise you in front of the students, but I need to be able to touch you, hold your hand or kiss you. I don’t work for the school, so there’s no reason why we can’t see each other openly.”

  He was right, but she still felt a little uncomfortable and told him so.

  “Fine,” he said with a sigh. “If I’m going to be on lockdown, I need to have at least one little bitty kiss every day, Ms. Morris. So you need to figure out how to make it happen.”

  She laughed. “Damian Bradshaw, are you pouting?”

  He frowned. “Men don’t pout.”

  She shook her head. “Speaking of jobs, how long have you been doing safety training?”

  “Only about three years.”

  “I would have thought it was much longer. You’re a natural. What made you choose this line of work?”

  A shadow crossed his face. “I wanted to keep kids safe. I used to be a high school chemistry teacher and also coached the boys’ varsity basketball team.”

  “You were a teacher?” she asked with surprise. No wonder he thought teachers were dedicated.

  He smiled and nodded. “I had this student, a senior named Torian Williams. He was brilliant—wanted to become a biochemist and was a star point guard on our team. Torian had been offered both academic and athletic scholarships from at least three schools. And he had a great sense of humor.” Damian chuckled and shook his head. Then his smile faded. “I noticed him acting strange for a couple of days—not his normal upbeat self—and tried to find out if anything was wrong. I’d heard rumors about him being bullied, but I didn’t know how bad things were. I told him I’d be around if he wanted to talk about anything. He made an appointment to come see me after school but never showed.”

  Karen was almost afraid to ask. “What happened?”

  “An hour later, I got a call saying he had committed suicide—hung himself.”

  She gasped softly. “Oh, Damian. I’m so sorry.”

  “Kyle was one of the detectives on the case. They found Torian’s cell phone, and someone had sent five hundred texts over two days telling Torian that he was worthless and that nobody wanted him, not even his parents.”

  “The text bombing you talked about at the training?”

  “Yes. His mother was a drug user and, unless she needed something, couldn’t be bothered with her son. Father was never in the picture. I just wish he had come to talk to me,” he said emotionally.

  His eyes reflected pain, and she squeezed his hand. “I’m sure Torian knew you cared about him. But why leave teaching? You obviously have a passion for it.”

  “I wanted to be able to do something on a larger scale. Hopefully we’re making a difference.”

  “Well, you’re already making a difference in my life,” Karen said, changing the subject and wanting to erase the sadness in his face.

  He brought her hand to his lips. “As you have in mine, sweet lady.”

  The passion in his eyes and seriousness in his voice made her breathing go short. Oh, Lord. He’s going to make me fall in love with him. “You coached basketball? With your height, I’m surprised you didn’t pursue that as a career.”

  “I tore my ACL as a junior in college. Even though my knee healed and I played my senior year, I didn’t want to take a chance of a repeat injury. I still play for recreation and occasionally coach in a community league.”

  She was finding more and more to like about this man.

  “Do you want to get dessert?” Damian asked, holding up the menu.

  “No, thanks. But if you want something, feel free.”

  He tossed the menu on the table and signaled the waiter. “What I want for dessert isn’t on the menu. Since you’re going to be rationing out kisses when I get back, I have to stock up before I leave tomorrow.”

  Heat pooled between her legs, and she clamped them together to stem the rush of sensations. He paid the bill and escorted her out of the restaurant. On the drive back to her place, she pondered what else he might stock up on. Whatever he had in store, she was ready, and planned to do a little stocking up herself.

  * * *

  Damian barely let Karen open the door to her condo before he lifted her in his arms. He kissed her with a hunger that bordered on obsession. His feelings for this woman intensified by the minute. Without breaking the kiss, he carried her to the living room and sat on the couch with her in his lap. He fed himself with her kisses, explored the scented column of her neck and caressed her soft breasts.

  As much as he wanted to make love to her again, he couldn’t. He had an early-morning flight and would miss it for sure if they went anywhere near her bedroom. So he contented himself with just kissing her until it was time for him to leave. Pressing one last kiss to her lips, he leaned his head against hers, closed his eyes and held her against his heart.

  “I don’t want to leave you, but I have to go,” Damian said with a heavy sigh.

  Karen lifted her head. “I know.”

  He trailed a finger down her cheek. “I’m going to miss you.”

  She smiled. “I’m going to miss you, too. Thank you for making my birthday one of the best I’ve had.”

  “My pleasure. I only wish I knew about it sooner so I could have planned something more.” He stood and placed her on her feet, then took her hand and walked to the door. “I’ll call you when I get home tomorrow.”

  “Okay. Have a safe trip.”

  He dipped his head for one more kiss and slipped out the door. Driving back to the hotel, Damian took some time to dissect the riot of emotions swirling around in his gut. This was more than a physical attraction. He tried to pinpoint when it happened, but somehow, it seemed as if the feeling had always been there. Could he have started falling for her that first day on the ship when she smiled at him, or the night he held her in his arms on the dance floor? Was it after the first mind-blowing kiss or the night of explosive passion they shared? From the moment he’d seen her, he felt different. She had touched him on all levels—physically and emotionally. He parked in the hotel lot, cut the engine and leaned his head against the headrest. Now that he had acknowledged his feelings, the next week was going to be pure torture. But when he returned, his mission was clear—get her to fall with him.

  * * *

  “Man, you’ve been smiling for the past two days,” Troy said, lounging in the doorway of Damian’s office Monday morning.

  “Is something wrong with me smiling?” Damian shifted his gaze from the computer screen as he sat answering emails and, yes, smiling. He and Karen had talked for over two hours last night after he got home. A little while ago, he had sent her a text telling her how much he looked forward to seeing her again and, in explicit detail, what he planned to do when he saw her. Her response had sent a jolt directly to his groin and had him contemplating searching airlines for a flight out tonight.

  “Not at all. I’m glad things are working out with Karen. I am curious about something, though.” He entered the office, closed the door and sat in a chair across from Damian. “This thing with Karen...are you su
re it’s not some kind of rebound affair?”

  Damian leaned forward and pinned Troy with a glare. “Hell no! It’s been five years. I know Joyce isn’t coming back, and it’s not like I haven’t dated other women. Karen is not a replacement for Joyce. She never could be. They’re two very different women. Karen makes me feel like I’ve been given a new lease on life. She’s... I...I don’t know.” He leaned back and pinched the bridge of his nose.

  “Sounds like you might be falling in love with her.”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. But we’re only going to be in California another week, so it may come to nothing.” He blew out a long breath. “All I know is I have deep feelings for Karen that I’ve never experienced with any other woman.”

  “Including Joyce?”

  Damian nodded and waited for the guilt to rise. To his surprise, it didn’t happen, and he realized his heart was truly ready to love again.

  Troy shrugged. “It happens to some people like that.” He chuckled. “For others, they have to be dragged into it kicking and screaming.”

  Damian laughed. “Are you in the kicking-and-screaming category?”

  “No. I’ll have no problems settling down with the right woman. Now, Kyle, on the other hand...”

  They both laughed harder. “Definitely.” Kyle loved his bachelor status and often said he didn’t plan on settling down anytime soon.

  “So, have you told Karen how you feel?” Troy asked when he stopped laughing.

  “No. I just figured it out myself.”

  “Have you told her about Joyce?”

  “Not yet, but soon.” He was afraid Karen would have the same thoughts Troy had, that she was a substitute for another woman. Damian hoped he’d find the right words by the time he returned to California.

  He and Troy talked a few minutes longer before getting back to work. He only had today and tomorrow to get everything ready, because they were closing the office for the holiday. Thinking about the holiday made Damian remember the conversation he’d had with his mother that morning. Since their conversation a few weeks ago, she’d been sending him emails and texts suggesting the “perfect woman.” Once again, he reiterated that he wasn’t interested in any of her potential candidates and threatened to leave Thanksgiving dinner if one showed up. All of his problems would be solved if he just told her about Karen, but he decided to wait until he was sure their relationship stood on solid ground.

  He leaned back in the chair and drummed his fingers on the desk. What would his parents think of Karen? He sat up and rotated the chair toward the computer. He’d have his answer soon enough if things progressed the way he hoped.

  Damian worked steadily over the next two days, staying late both nights. As a result, he didn’t have a chance to talk to Karen. By the time Wednesday morning rolled around, he missed her more than he would ever have thought. He sat in his favorite chair on the screened-in porch sipping a glass of orange juice. He had purchased the house a year ago as a first step in moving toward the future. Painstakingly, he had boxed up all of Joyce’s things and donated them to charity, only keeping a few precious mementos. The move proved to be the right one because there were too many memories in the house they shared, keeping him stuck in a place of grief and misery that he couldn’t escape.

  His thoughts shifted back to Karen. He wanted to hear her voice. The three-hour time difference made it only seven in California, and he knew she was probably sleeping in and enjoying her vacation. He stared out the wall of windows, finally seeing the sun peeking through the clouds. The temperatures here were at least thirty degrees cooler than in California.

  He ran upstairs and grabbed a sweatshirt, then reached for the keys to the shed and left through a side door. Now that he had some free time, Damian figured it would be a good time to prune the tree in his backyard. It took him over two hours to complete the task and clean up. He put away the ladder and saw, locked the shed and went inside for a hot shower. As soon as he got dressed, he called Karen.

  “Hey, sweetheart,” he said when she answered.

  “Hey, Damian. Are you working?”

  “No. The office is closed for the rest of the week. What time are you going to your parents’?”

  “Actually, I just got here. My cousin Deborah and I are going to hang out before the rest of the family arrives tomorrow. We haven’t seen each other in a few months. What about you?”

  “Unless my mother calls with a long to-do list—which she usually does—I won’t go over until tomorrow.”

  She laughed. “What about your father?”

  “Oh, she has a whole other one for him,” he answered with a chuckle. They quieted for a moment. “I’m missing you, girl.”

  “I miss you, too, and can’t wait for you to get back on Sunday. Didn’t you promise me something?” she asked seductively.

  “Yeah, I did. And if you keep talking like that, I might just hop on a flight tonight.”

  “Promises, promises.”

  “So you like to tease. We’ll see if you can back it up.”

  “Oh, I can back it up.”

  She gave him a play-by-play of what to expect, and Damian’s body reacted with lightning speed. “I think we need to get off this phone.”

  “What?” Karen asked innocently.

  He laughed softly and shook his head. “Just wait until I get back. It’s gonna be you and me.”

  “Mmm. I can’t wait for that. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  They said their goodbyes, and Damian stretched out on the bed, trying to bring his body under control. He had been in a state of arousal since they’d exchanged those texts a couple of days ago, and he prayed that the next four would pass quickly.

  * * *

  Karen disconnected and smiled. Something about Damian brought out the naughty girl in her. With all the chemistry they had, it would take a herculean effort to remain professional and cordial around him at the school.

  “Karen Morris, who in the world are you talking to on the phone like that?”

  She jumped and whirled around. “Deborah! Girl, you almost gave me a heart attack. You can’t be sneaking up on people like that.” She engulfed Deborah in a hug. “You look good.”

  “Thanks. I feel like I’ve been gone forever. It’s good to see you, cuz.” The two cousins had grown up as close as sisters. Deborah was part of a small dance company and had been traveling for the past several months. “And you didn’t answer my question. Were you and Andre talking naughty? I figured he’d be here with you.”

  Karen frowned. “No!” Deborah flinched. “Sorry. I forgot you’ve been gone, and we haven’t talked in a while. Andre and I broke up a few months ago.”

  “Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry. What happened?”

  Karen waved her off. “It’s fine. He decided that we weren’t socially matched.” She told Deborah about what happened at his mother’s dinner party. Estella Robertson had never made it a secret that Karen didn’t measure up to her standards, but Karen never thought she would go so far as to invite another woman to dinner—one whom her son had obviously been dating, handpicked by Estella—and seat her directly across from Andre and Karen. Karen had noticed the coy smiles and intimate gestures throughout the meal and had planned to confront him about all that, but he saved her the trouble. His response: “Well, we have more in common and travel in the same circles.”

  “Girl, I know he didn’t. I would’ve put my foot up his highfalutin ass.” She cocked her head to the side. “Then who were you talking to?”

  “His name is Damian Bradshaw. I met him on the cruise when Janae got married last month.”

  Deborah raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. “Really? I’ve been gone way too long.” She hooked her arm in Karen’s. “Come on. I need details, and don’t leave anything out.”

  Laughing, they cut through
her parents’ kitchen and out to the backyard as Karen told all. Later, as she settled in for bed, thoughts of Damian filled her mind. Deborah echoed Janae’s sentiment that Damian’s feelings had to be strong for him to go to such lengths to track Karen down. Though she was beginning to have deep feelings for him as well, she still planned to proceed with caution.

  But each and every time she saw him, all her warning systems seemed to take a hike. Snuggling beneath the covers, she sighed. One day at a time.

  Chapter 13

  Karen had enjoyed spending time with her family for Thanksgiving, but she was glad to get back home. Damian had sent her a text letting her know what time his plane would arrive the following evening. Her heart raced at the thought of seeing him again. She loved the way his eyes sparkled when he laughed, loved the way he gave her his full attention when she talked, loved the passion he had for his job. And she loved that she could be herself with him.

  How had he gotten to her so quickly? It went without saying that the physical aspects of their relationship were off the charts. However, she began to doubt whether things would work out, especially with them living so far apart. Karen couldn’t go through another broken heart. Until she was reasonably sure they were on the same page and had a good chance of making it, her feelings would remain a secret.

  In anticipation of the extra time she would have to spend on the safety project, she used much of her Sunday doing lesson plans—something she typically did after school—and going over the notes she had taken at the conference. She and Melissa planned to meet tomorrow to outline the suggestions and questions to present to Damian and Kyle when they got together on Tuesday. When she finished, Karen picked up the mail that had accumulated while she was away and went through the stack.

  Her heart almost stopped when she saw an envelope from the school district office. She opened it with shaky fingers and pulled out the sheet of paper. Her heart raced as she read the words. They thanked her for applying, were impressed with her credentials and congratulated her on making the list. “Yes!” Her heart pounded with excitement. Then another thought occurred to her. If she got the job, how would she and Damian make their relationship work? Becoming principal meant staying put for at least two or three years. There was no way she’d turn down this job, and she was sure he wouldn’t want to give up his career, either. Great. One more thing to worry about.