by Tanya Kelly
“Oh my God,” Lacey huffed. “You are the worst.”
Kim laughed, getting a kick out of shocking her friend, which was becoming much more difficult to do since she’d met Reilly. She was pretty sure shy, conservative Lacey was now involved in some sexual activity that might even astound her.
Yeah, right. That was unlikely. Nothing she wouldn’t at least try…sexually.
Kim had led a pretty adventurous life since leaving the shackles of her hometown, refusing to let her parents dictate her life anymore. Yes, she’d been very tame when first leaving the nest and then gone to the wild side. But she was always upfront about her expectations and no one got hurt. She dated lots of men, but never anything serious. Words like relationship, commitment, and forever gave her hives.
That hadn’t always been the case. She remembered a time when she’d been young and she’d stupidly let her naive heart get trampled. Thankfully she wasn’t one to repeat past mistakes.
“Come on, let’s go check this out.” Lacey said, taking hold of her arm. “We haven’t been out together in so long.”
“That’s not my fault,” Kim replied, walking next to Lacey. “You’re so busy with your man, you never have time for me.”
“I know and I’m sorry. I promise, I’ll be a better friend.”
“I liked it better when you were my wife,” Kim muttered and Lacey burst out laughing again. It had always been a joke between them when they were both single that Kim would call her wife because they knew one another so well, they sometimes acted like an old married couple.
They walked into the front door and followed the signs to the ballroom for the charity dinner, dance, and silent auction. Kim had somehow gotten the tickets from a friend of a friend. She wasn’t actually entirely sure how she ended up with them but it looked like it would be fun and they’d get to dress up. Plus it was all for charity. Normally, she wouldn’t have attended because of the extremely high cost of the tickets but since they were given to her, why not check it out. See how the rich lived these days.
These were the type of events Kim once frequented but she’d given up that lifestyle and the expectations that came with it. They walked into the ballroom and Lacey came to an abrupt halt, her mouth open in awe. They had been in this banquet room before but never seen it like this. It was transformed into a luxurious, opulent room with stark white linens, chair covers, and amazing floral arrangements. The chandeliers sparkled and bathed the room in a soft glow.
“Wow, it’s beautiful,” Lacey whispered. Her gaze travelled over the people in the room. “I’m not sure I fit in with this crowd.”
“Nonsense,” Kim replied and lifted her chin before ushering Lacey further into the room. “These people are no different than us. Just thicker wallets. Besides, you’re the most beautiful woman in the room. Now come on, let’s get a drink.”
“You’re a good liar but I love you for it.” Lacey smiled and they walked toward the bar. They both ordered a glass of wine before quickly running into some regular customers. Kim and Lacey were partners in a small lingerie and swimwear boutique downtown. They had only opened six months ago but their business was already thriving.
As they conversed with the ladies, a tall, dark figure caught Kim’s eye, causing her heartbeat to accelerate. The man who’d captured her gaze had turned away from her so all she saw was his back. Jet black hair curled slightly over his collar. Wide shoulders filled the charcoal suit which narrowed at the waist. Even from across the room, he seemed to radiate power. He stood talking to a group of people and from the looks of respect and nervousness on their faces, he was somebody important.
Kim shook her head. From the quick glimpse she’d gotten before he turned away, she swore she knew him. But that was unlikely. She’d met just about everyone in Beechfield and she didn’t think she’d forget a man who filled out a suit so well. But she stared at his back, unable to shake the familiar feeling. She willed him to turn around so she could see his face and her breath hitched in her throat as she realized it was Damon this man reminded her of.
Ridiculous! Damon in an expensive, tailored suit at a charity auction in which tickets were the price of a used car? The scenario almost made her laugh.
Kim looked away and tried to focus on the conversation around her but her mind wandered again. She was nineteen when she’d met Damon Black. He’d pulled into town on his motorcycle with long black hair and his I-don’t-give-a-shit attitude.
He was two years older than her and came to work for his uncle who owned a renovation company. Kim was smitten right away. Tall, broad, and gorgeous with an aura of danger around him that she couldn’t resist. He oozed sexiness but was exactly the type of boy your parents didn’t want to see you date.
“Earth to Kim.” Lacey’s voice finally penetrated her walk down memory lane. Kim’s gaze immediately went to the man she’d glimpsed, but he was gone.
“Sorry, what was that?”
“Shall we find our table?” Lacey asked, concern etched in her face.
“Sure.”
As they walked to their table, Lacey leaned over and whispered, “Are you okay?”
“Fine. Just thinking and kinda zoned out. Sorry.”
“You’ll have to fill me in on what you were thinking about. You looked a million miles away.”
Kim smiled as they reached their table, feeling off and not her usual cool, put-together self. It had been years since she’d thought of Damon. While she had no control over the fact that he still entered her dreams at night, she had hoped to at least erase him from her mind while conscious.
The tables had been pre-assigned and Kim and Lacey took their seats. Most of the chairs were already occupied and they introduced themselves. There were two couples that Kim knew. One was a lawyer she thankfully never had to deal with, because she didn’t care for his shifty eyes or the way he spoke to her boobs. She said a polite, but cool hello to him and his wife and introduced Lacey. Kim’s smile was genuine as she turned her gaze to the other couple.
“Lace, this is Tyler and his wife, Mary. Tyler is the golf pro at Beechside and he is amazing. He really improved my game and you know how frustrated I get golfing.”
They all laughed as Lacey shook hands with the couple.
“Do you golf?” Tyler asked.
“Not really. Kim keeps trying to get me out but it’s hard to find the time,” Lacey replied.
“You should come out. I could give you a few pointers that might help. Or we can get out sometime all four of us.” Tyler smiled lovingly at his wife.
“I think he purposefully holds back all his advice because the man is still unbeatable. It pisses me off,” Kim said with a smile.
“I’ve beaten him, once, but I think he let me win,” a deep, rich voice said from just behind her. The hair rose on the back of her neck and Kim reluctantly turned around.
Holding on to the chair for support, she stared into the steel gray eyes that invaded her dreams at night. Her stomach twisted sickeningly. He regarded her back, his expression unreadable.
Damon Black. She swallowed past the lump in her throat, dying to wipe away the thin layer of perspiration on her upper lip.
While he looked the same, there was something significantly different about him. When she’d last seen him, his hair was long, past his shoulders with a scruffy beard. It was the badass biker image that had caught her attention in the first place. Standoffish and brooding. But as she’d gotten closer over the summer, she realized it was all a facade meant to keep people at bay. Once she thought she’d broken through, but was sadly mistaken.
The man in front of her had shorter hair, although still a tad longer than most men wore it and his face was clean shaven, which only made him ten times better-looking now that she could see the angular lines of his jaw and full lips.
But the big difference was his demeanor. He radiated power and danger and it didn’t appear to be a facade anymore. Damon looked like a man accustomed to getting what he wanted and God help any
one who stood in his way.
“Mr. Black. I had no idea you would be joining us tonight. What a pleasure. Please let me introduce my wife.” Tyler’s voice registered in her brain and Kim breathed out a sign of relief as Damon finally moved his intense gaze from her to Mary.
She watched as Tyler introduced his wife. The normally smooth, flirty golf pro was a bundle of nerves.
“Please, Tyler, I told you. Call me Damon.”
“Yes, Mr. Bla—I mean, sorry, D–Damon,” Tyler stammered.
Damon proceeded to introduce himself to the sleazy lawyer and his wife. The lawyer’s eyes gleamed as he shook Damon’s hands and Kim stood in a daze. What the hell was Damon Black doing here in Beechfield and why did everyone seem to idolize him? Tyler referred to him as Mr. Black and the lawyer looked like he’d just landed a huge settlement. The women, Lacey included, all stared at him with barely leashed hunger.
Then his gaze returned to her and she held her breath, still unable to find her voice. Damon’s lips quirked into a cocky smile, as if enjoying her discomfort.
“Hello, Kim. It’s been a while. Are you going to introduce me to your friend?”
She felt all eyes on them, burning with curiosity now that Damon had revealed he knew her. She lifted her chin and met his burning stare with a haughtiness she didn’t quite feel, but was doing her best to portray. She wasn’t a silly girl anymore.
“Hello, Damon. Nice to see you. This is Lacey Fulton, my friend and business partner.”
Lacey shook hands with Damon, her smile polite, but Kim saw the puzzlement in her eyes. While they were best friends and talked about everything, Kim had never discussed Damon with her…or anyone.
“It’s nice to meet you, Lacey,” Damon said and Kim saw her friend’s face redden as she smiled. Kim sympathized. It was hard not to be reduced to a schoolgirl when Damon spoke in his deep, gravelly voice and turned his piercing gaze on you.
“You as well,” Lacey murmured and withdrew her hand.
Silence fell awkwardly over the table as everyone stared expectantly at Kim and Damon whose eyes were locked on each other. The waiter arrived to offer wine and she was saved from Damon’s scrutiny as they took their seats. Lacey bumped her elbow and raised her eyebrows. Kim gave her a tight smile and a small nod.
“Damon, there you are.” A beautiful dark-haired woman with a French accent came over and Damon stood. She hugged him and kissed him on each cheek. “Terribly sorry, I was delayed by a customer.”
Kim’s back stiffened as the woman’s hand lingered on Damon’s arm and he regarded her with a warm expression. She looked familiar but Kim couldn’t place her. Damon placed his hand on the woman’s lower back, bringing her forward.
“May I introduce Chantal Lamontagne. She is the General Manager of this lovely resort.” Kim realized she must have seen her around town which is why she looked familiar. Hard to forget a woman who looked like that. Damon made the introductions and when he reached Kim, she quickly wiped the sour expression from her face and pasted on a polite smile.
Except from the way Damon smirked at her, it hadn’t been soon enough.
“Lacey, nice to see you again,” Chantal said before Damon introduced them. “I’ve met Lacey from her store,” she explained to Damon. “She has a beautiful lingerie boutique here in town. I must come do some more shopping soon,” she finished with a wink at Lacey.
Kim noticed all the men openly staring at Chantal, obviously picturing her scantily clad in lingerie.
“Thank you for the compliment, Chantal. This is Kim Morrison, my business partner,” Lacey replied.
“Nice to meet you,” Kim said, shaking the woman’s hand. She sensed Damon’s eyes on her which made her jittery and nervous.
After all the introductions had been made, everyone resumed their seats. Damon pulled out the chair next to the lawyer for Chantal and then sat down, right next to Kim. Way too close for comfort. Her entire body was on high alert at their proximity. She sat stiff in her chair, arms close to her side and legs crossed together so as not to touch him. Damon turned toward her, his gaze taking in her posture, his lips pressed into a thin line.
Kim was never one to back down from a challenge or let fear rule her. She straightened her spine and lifted her head higher under his scrutiny before giving him a cool glance back.
“How have you been, Kim? It’s been a long time.”
As she looked into his eyes, flecked with blue and gray, she was transported into the past. His voice, when he said her name, brought back so many memories. Her gaze involuntarily travelled to his lips as she recalled the feel of them covering hers. Her pulse raced and she struggled to keep her cool.
“I’m great. And you?”
“I read about your engagement in the paper shortly after I left town. Hubby at home tonight?”
Kim’s eyes widened in shock. Wow, he was going there, was he?
“Yes, actually he is,” she lied. It was none of his damn business and she was reluctant to admit she’d never married Robert or anyone for that matter. She had her pride. Damon had left, breaking her heart and betraying her, just like her parents warned her.
“Liar,” Damon whispered and smiled knowingly and Kim’s hand itched to wipe that smug smile from his face. “You never married.”
“If you know this, why are you asking?”
“Thought maybe you’d be truthful for once, but I guess it’s not in your nature.”
Kim stared back in shock and was about to blow a gasket when Chantal turned toward them, intent on joining in the conversation.
“A trait you’re familiar with, I’m sure,” she replied with a forced smile. “But at least I’m not a thief,” she retaliated softly so that only he heard.
Damon’s eyes narrowed but before he could add anything, she fixed her gaze on Chantal. “So, managing this place must keep you busy?”
Chantal laughed. “That’s an understatement.” Kim did her best to pay attention as Chantal went on about how much was involved in managing such a large and busy resort. She tried pretending Damon wasn’t sitting next to her and that he was just a stranger, but it was useless. Every nerve and cell in her body was aware of him. His gaze never left her face as the two women talked and the tension mounted within her creating a stress headache.
“Have you been in Beechfield long?” she asked when Chantal took a breath. The woman was certainly a talker. But she’d prefer to keep conversing with her than Damon.
“Only a few months actually. Damon moves me around a lot to different resorts so I never really get settled in one town.”
Kim’s eyes strayed to Damon in confusion, wondering why he would be moving Chantal around. Was he her boss? She knew the resort was owned by some large corporation and it surprised her that Damon got a corporate job. She had a hard time picturing the man she’d known in suits doing the daily corporate grind. He’d been incredibly sexy in jeans with faded T-shirts and his leather coat riding his motorcycle. But there was no denying his sex appeal in a suit either. Perhaps even more so because while he’d always had an air of defiance and cockiness, it was now replaced with a sense of power and dominance.
Damon regarded her with an amused expression and before she could ask anything more, the lawyer spoke up, his eyes gleaming.
“Are you staying in Beechfield long, Damon?”
Damon ignored him for a couple seconds, his attention still on Kim. His gaze seared her body as it travelled from her face down the line of her throat to her breasts. Her skin turned pink all over from the heated look in his eyes. Much to her relief, he finally switched his attentions to the lawyer.
“I’m not sure exactly how long. Depends on how my business here goes.” He glanced back at Kim as if she was the business he needed to deal with.
“Perhaps we can get out on the golf course. I have some business I’d love to discuss with you.”
“I’m sorry, but my schedule is jam packed,” Damon responded coolly and the lawyer’s smile faltered.
Kim picked at her food as she sat in a muddled state. Conversation swarmed around her but she barely registered the sounds. Just about everyone at the table seemed to be competing for Damon’s attention, hanging on to his every word.
“Is there something wrong with the food?” Damon’s voice broke through her thoughts. She glanced up at him as she unconsciously pushed food around her plate.
Everyone seemed to stop eating, focusing on her as Damon frowned.
“The food is fine. I’m just not very hungry.”
She put her fork down. There was no use trying to keep the appearance of eating since Damon had centered everyone’s attention to her.
“I can have the kitchen bring you a new plate,” Chantal said, backing up her chair and looking concerned. She glanced from Kim’s barely touched food to Damon’s scowling face.
“No, that’s really not necessary. The food is delicious. Unfortunately I fear I have a migraine coming on.” She smiled at Chantal, ignoring Damon’s scowl. “Please, everyone, enjoy your meal and just excuse me a minute.”
Kim stood on shaky legs and made her way to the washrooms in the hallway. Once safely inside, she leaned on the counter and took a couple deep breaths. She heard the door open behind her and saw Lacey enter, her eyes round and her lips pinched with worry.
“Honey, are you okay? What can I get you?”
“I’m fine, Lace. I don’t want to ruin your night. It’s just a stupid headache. No reason you shouldn’t enjoy the evening. I think I’ll grab a cab home, if you don’t mind.”
Lacey took a step closer and placed a hand on her shoulder. “You’re not ruining anything. I’ll come with you, make sure you get home okay.”
