No.
No.
No.
Rae knew it was no use. Her dress was not worth saving. Her dance with Damon was not worth saving. All that she wanted to save now was her dignity….if that was even possible. With a shake of her head, Rae turned.
Damon still clasped her hand, even though Rae tried to very discreetly pull away. It was then that Damon tugged her closer, toward him. “Will you please talk to me for a moment?” And because it looked as if Rae was going to refuse him, he added, “Please. Rae, I need to apologize to you.”
Hearing those words only caused Rae wanting to leave right then and there. She did not want to be here….standing in front of Damon Carrie in a second hand dress with whiskey dripping down the front. She did not want his sympathy.
“I just want to leave,” was Rae’s soft reply. Thinking that Damon would let go of her hand, she was surprised that when she tugged away, he was still beside her ….closer ….carefully inspecting her face for any signs of turmoil or distress.
Damon saw both emotions and swore. Because he wanted to talk to Rae in private, he gently tugged her away from the ballroom. He did not look back to see if people were watching them, because he did not care.
After opening a side door, Damon walked through the entryway with Rae behind him. She was so quiet that it nearly frightened him. Damon quickly turned the light switch on, causing the lights to flutter for a second.
Rae remained quiet as she glanced around the room. Even though this room was slightly smaller in comparison to the grand ballroom, Rae thought that it was an intimate setting and nearly five hundred people could fill it to capacity. Perhaps because she was with Damon that the space actually felt smaller. More intimate. More romantic.
“I’m sorry,” came Damon’s quiet words. In the time that he had known Rae Rally, he had never noticed her this silent as he did right now. He continued to hold onto her hand. “I’m sorry Tiffany threw a drink on you…you didn’t deserve that.”
“It’s…ah, fine.” Rae was thankful that she managed to speak. “Just…fine.” It was the embarrassment that still plagued her. It surprised her that Damon continued to hold her hand, but she did not pull away. “I just want to forget about it.” In truth, Rae wanted to forget everything about Thick Make-Up Woman. She wanted to forget the woman’s beauty, flawless skin and perfect figure.
“Will you still dance with me?”
“No.” Rae did not want to be around the variety of strangers when there was still a stain on her ruined dress. Maybe it was just her wild imagination, but Rae thought she saw a flicker of emotion encompass Damon’s deep eyes.
“I can’t apologize enough for what happened, Rae.” Damon still looked at her. His penetrating gaze showcased his sincerity. “Will you dance with me another time? Maybe at a different charity event?”
Rae knew she was unlikely to ever run into Damon at any social engagement for a very long time. They ran in different social circles and led very different lives. The idea of them crossing paths was merely a hopeful suggestion.
“Okay…” Rae hedged, knowing that they would not see each other for quite some time. “Next charity event we’re at, we can dance.”
“Will you dance with me right now?”
“Pardon me?” Rae questioned. “I thought-”
“You’re blowing me off,” Damon said. Because there was a smile on his face and his words were laced with sincerity, Rae was not the least bit offended.
Damon saw his opportunity and took a step closer to the young lady standing just in front of him. The spicy scent of her perfume tickled his nose. “You know I won’t see you at the next charity event that I have to attend.”
“Grandmother and I are only at this charity event because the Carrie Corporation paid for the entire table and because your parents were kind enough to invite us.” Rae knew there was no use denying the fact that it was because of certain factors that she was even at this gala in the first place. “I, ah….wasn’t really prepared for the dress code.”
Just hearing Rae say that out loud, irked him. “You’re a very, very beautiful person, Rae, and I don’t want you to ever think differently or unkindly about yourself.” Damon stayed quiet for a moment. “You are the kindest person I know and you are already one of the most intriguing people that I know I will ever meet in my life.”
Well…shoot. Why did he have to be so kind? “Damon, I-”
“Please dance with me in here, Rae.” Slowly Damon took another step forward. He was cautious in his approach, hoping with all his might that he was not frightening her. Damon even tried his most reassuring smile. “We don’t need music, I just want to hold you in my arms for a few moments.”
Damon….Damon…Damon….I’m not prepared for you.
I’m not prepared to be in your arms.
I’m not prepared to dance with you.
I’m not prepared to think straight right now….
Rae could not speak. Instead she watched as Damon closed the distance between them. Slowly, he pulled her into his embrace. When Damon placed his right hand on her lower back, Rae thought she was going to melt from the piercing sensation.
“Rae….my sweet Rainbow,” Damon muttered as he bent his head lower, placing his lips over hers.
The gentle touch was the sweetest encounter he had ever experienced. Nothing in Damon’s life compared to this moment. Again and again, Damon maneuvered his lips across Rae’s, as if knowing he would never get enough of her tantalizing taste.
Rae could not think…and she didn’t want to. Damon Carrie was kissing her….and she was kissing him right back. She felt his arms tightened around her and for a split second, Rae wondered if she would die from the sure happiness that was bubbling within her soul.
With a primal hunger that surprised him, Damon continued the most tantalizing kiss that he had ever cultivated.
Moments passed….
Damon’s needs grew….
He felt Rae’s arms wrap around his upper torso.
His shoulders scorched from her touch.
This was so very, very wrong…yet so incredibly right.
Finally, Rae leaned backward a few inches, creating a small space between them. Her chest rose and fell. For a moment, Rae thought she should try deep breathing exercises, in an attempt to control her overly active heartbeat.
“Damon….” Rae watched as the man ran a hand threw his dark auburn hair. “I-”
“Please tell me that you enjoyed that, Rae.” The whispered words massaged her heart. The seriousness of Damon’s tone was surprising. The man possessed a caring nature….and Rae could feel it. She was experiencing it…..and she was embracing it.
“Rae, I would never do anything to hurt you…but if you did not enjoy what we just did….well, please tell me right now because I want to kiss you again.”
Oh. My. Goodness. Rae could barely breathe and then wondered if she even needed to. So much had transpired between them, that Rae knew she would not be strong …not when it came to Damon.
He was her fantasy…and then ….before she could complete a single thought… he was kissing her again…and again. His warm lips felt so completely right, that an inner sense of combustible goofy sense of happiness shifted through her fearless body.
Again and again, Damon’s mouth devoured hers. He kissed her lips. He patiently kissed his way across her jaw. He nipped at her neck, causing a fresh sensation of havoc within her fluttery heart.
And Rae kissed him right back.
With a sense of confidence and quiet poise that she had never possessed before, Rae tightened her grip around the one man that she had ever cared for. She sweetly clung to Damon like she had always wanted; wrapping her arms around his neck and brining him closer… and closer…and closer…as sexual need burned within the tips of their connected souls.
Rae was the first to come to her senses. “Damon, I-”
The door suddenly opened. Damon noticed that Rae jumped out of his arms, as if she did n
ot want to be seen in his company and Damon did not blame her for that reaction. He was the one who had led Rae into a room and then kissed her senseless. Damon noticed the red blush deepen on Rae’s face and instantly felt responsible.
It was Ellie Carrie that poked her head into the room. After keenly surveying the situation, Ellie eyed her twin brother. “Damon, Mrs. Rally is looking for Rae because she wants to leave….I suggest you say your goodbyes before anyone else locates you.”
Now disgusted even more with himself, Damon nodded his head at his sister. He knew Ellie was right and was even thankful that it was his twin that had located him and not someone else.
After taking one last look at Rae, Ellie offered the couple a shy smile and discreetly closed the door behind her. Once the door was shut, Damon watched as Rae shifted several feet away from him. In a flurry of motion, Damon watched as Rae all but raced to reach the door handle, and for some reason that pissed him off.
“Rae, wait.” Again, Damon ran a hand through his hair. “Please wait a moment. I need to know that you’re okay!”
Rae waved a hand in the air. “I’m fine. Never better.” She was surprised she could even speak.
Damon swore under his breath. “Rae, can we please talk for a moment? I seriously want to know if you’re okay?”
“Fine. Fine.” Rae all but sprinted toward the exit. She did not look at Damon, and he could not fault her for that. “Goodbye, Damon.”
“It’s not goodbye, Rae,” Damon said. He took a few steps in her direction. “Can we please-”
“There is no we, Damon.” Rae reached the door handle. She tightened her grip on the metal bar. “I have to go before my grandmother catches me in here with…”
“With me,” Damon finished for her. He knew that was what Rae was about to say. Rae Rally did not want her grandmother to catch her in his presence and Damon did not blame Rae one bit. Because of his history with various women was not exactly stellar, Damon completely and most unfortunately understood. “You don’t want Mrs. Rally to see us together, Rae. It’s okay.” The hurt stung and Damon Carrie was not a man used to being stung. He swore under his breath in frustration. “It’s okay,” he repeated. Damon knew that nothing he could say would help Rae in this situation.
“Your dad is my grandmother’s boss, Damon,” Rae squeaked out, with a tiny edge of fear lining her voice. “That makes you completely off limits to me and we would never cross paths otherwise and-”
“This isn’t about social class shit, Rae.” Damon tried desperately to regain his bearings. “I want to know if you’re okay because I can’t stand the thought of ever hurting you…for any reason.”
Rae tugged on the door handle. “I’m fine, Damon. Please don’t give me another thought.” And then…she was gone. Rae quietly shut the ivory colored wooden door behind her. Gone. Just like that…Rae was gone.
Instantly, Damon felt the void of her presence, but he did not follow her, not like he wanted. Instead he stayed where he was, allowing Rae plenty of time to locate her grandmother. If he were to leave right then, he suspected that he and Rae would be gossiped about and for her sake, he did not want that.
Rae Rally deserved better.
She deserved better than to be pushed into another room and be kissed senseless. She deserved better than having alcohol dumped on her. And Damon Carrie knew that she deserved better than him.
It was a few minutes later when Damon opened the door and rejoined the gala.
Not much had changed.
He noticed his parents on the dance floor, swaying to the rhythm of the music. Brisa was talking to a group of friends on the other side of the room, while Cray was chatting on his cell phone and jotting down information on what appeared to be a few white bar napkins.
Damon watched as Julia strolled confidently toward the bar area. Stack McGregor sat on a stool, his gaze locked on the one woman he was sworn to protect. Damon watched as the stoic man patted the empty chair beside him, indicating for Julia to have a seat. After scanning the room again, Damon saw that his twin sister was now on the other side of the dance floor with Ethan Strat.
There was no sign of Mrs. Rally….or her granddaughter.
Ethan Strat tightened his hold. He was elated when Ellie Carrie did not seem to mind. Together they glided around the nearly occupied dance floor as experienced dancers, rather then new acquaintances. Ethan knew the evening would be ending soon and it surprised him just how much he did not want that to happen. Never before could he remember wanting to dance again and again…until the end of time.
It was because of Ellie Carrie.
Ethan Strat was certain of that. He was certain of his feelings…and he was certain of Ellie Carrie. It was as if the woman possessed the most delicate spell and cast it upon him…making him absolutely certain that it was Ellie Carrie he most desired in his life.
During the evening, it was Ellie who he kept within arm’s distance, even though he repeatedly told himself to take it easy….to go slow…to not alarm her.
Yet, everything within this evening felt so incredibly magical, that Ethan had a difficult time reminding himself that Ellie Carrie was a lady. She deserved the best….and he was damn well going to try and be the absolute best person he could be….because Ellie inspired that in people.
Even tonight, when she had been called to the front of the room to give a small speech, Ethan noticed that the dynamic woman had done it with class combined with a lovely form of ease.
Ethan turned his head to glance at the clock on the far side wall and noted the time. His focus then bounced to the man in the all black suit sitting near the bar area, drinking a glass of ice water.
Julia Sherry had introduced the quiet man as Stack McGregor, her bodyguard, and from what Ethan could tell, her very rigid protector. The man had surveyed the venue during the evening and sometimes stayed near the bar area, always drinking water. Ethan noticed that Julia had walked over to converse with the man on more than one occasion, which was quite surprising since most bodyguards often stayed to themselves.
He saw Julia speaking to the man now.
After shifting his gaze away, Ethan focused his attention on Ellie Carrie. There was a small, polite appearing smile on her face when she said, “This will have to be our last dance, Ethan.”
“Already?” Ethan asked. He had calculated at least another hour of dancing with the woman. For a moment he wondered if Ellie Carrie had other plans this evening….or had to meet someone else.
But then he immediately rejected that idea.
No.
Ellie Carrie was not the type to dance several dances with a man if she already had a boyfriend on the side. Even in the short amount of time they had spent together, Ethan had labeled Ellie as old-fashioned. In a quaint sort of way, Ethan knew that the woman cared about the entity of relationships, rather than casual hook-ups.
“Yes,” Ellie answered. “It’s time for me to leave. I want to make certain that Damon gets home safely and I have some writing to complete.”
Ethan shook his head. “Writing?”
“I’m an author,” Ellie said. Even as she formed the words, she did her best not to manifest any self-doubt. She hated the awful emotion and tried her hardest to ignore any damaging negative thoughts. “I stick to a writing schedule and…well, I have some ideas to jot down tonight before I forget them.”
“That’s right. My brother mentioned that you were an author.” Ethan nodded his head. “An author….can you tell me about that over dinner? I would like to ask you out for next Saturday evening.”
“I would be delighted.” Ellie backed away from Ethan, with a certain amount of happiness within her soul. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Ethan.”
“It was more than a pleasure for me,” came Ethan’s confession. He continued to stare at the young lady who had attracted so much of his attention. “Meeting you tonight….well, it was the highlight of my life. I thank you for that, Ellie Carrie.”
Nearly flabbergast
ed by the poetic words, Ellie felt her heart rate quicken in a lovely sense of wonderment. “Goodbye, Ethan.”
Ethan Strat hated that word. Goodbye. It felt so formal. It felt so final. It felt so lonely. He remained standing as he watched Ellie Carrie turn away. She walked in the opposite direction, toward her twin and within minutes, the pair disappeared through the front entryway.
“It was wonderful seeing you, Mr. and Mrs. Brown.” Julia Sherry took a moment to delicately place her hands on Mrs. Brown’s arms. The soothing mannerisms were a comforting gesture and Stack noticed how Mrs. Brown’s smile spread wider across her face. Mrs. Brown beamed at Julia Sherry, as if the woman had just discovered a treatment for a life-altering devastating disease.
“Oh, Julia, it was great seeing you again,” Mrs. Brown said. Her eyes never waivered from Julia and the woman added, “Now we must do lunch within the next couple of weeks.”
“I will be looking forward to it,” Julia said. “We can discuss the Briar project.”
After a few more pleasantries, Mr. and Mrs. Brown left.
Stack stood beside Julia, with her wrap clasped within his grip. He resisted the urge to glance at the clock, knowing that he just wanted to leave. Stack wanted to get Julia back to the Sherry mansion....and away from himself. He did not want to think of her standing beside him. He did not want to think of her conversing with him. He did not want to think of her wearing that figure-hugging dress.
Julia Sherry bid farewell to the last guest. She then turned toward Stack and reached for her wrap. Without any form of warning his warm fingers touched hers….and for the briefest of moments….a lively shock of adrenaline flustered through her heart.
Immediately, Julia tilted her head backwards as her eyes sought Stack. The man met her gaze. However, Julia could not tell if her bodyguard had felt any form of their gentle, fascinating touch. The inflexible man was so closed off and his emotions were always under control.
Now was no different.
With both of them clasping the wrap, their fingers continued to touch. Their gazes remained locked. Neither of them moved. Time stood still and Julia held her breath.
Humping Her Hero Page 13
