It wasn’t his hands she was worried about. “I swore that I heard you and Zack talk about zipping around the lake on a speed boat.”
“That was when we still lived at home. Mom and Dad didn’t use it much after we moved out, so they sold it.”
“Hey, you two, are you going out or what?” Zack called from the dock.
“What’s it going to be, Kell?”
With the three Kostas men staring at her, Kelly felt like she had no choice. “Ok, fine.”
Damian climbed in first and then reached out to help Kelly get in while Joe and Zack kept the boat in place. Kelly wobbled for a few seconds until Damian steadied her and sat her on the hard metal seat. He took the seat facing her and grabbed the oars that were attached to the sides of the boat.
Joe and Zack shoved the boat away from the dock, and they were off.
“Don’t tip,” Zack warned as Damian rowed away, his laughter drifting out across the water.
“Jerk,” Damian hissed, but only loud enough for Kelly to hear.
The further away from shore they went, the more relaxed Kelly felt. She leaned her head back and soaked up the sun’s rays while Damian rowed them into deeper water. She must have closed her eyes for a few seconds, and when she opened them, Damian was eyeing her intently. When they had first started out, he’d had on a t-shirt and swim trunks, but now he had peeled off the shirt, and she was treated to a view of his magnificent bare chest.
“What?” she asked, trying not to stare.
“Just glad to see that you’re enjoying yourself.”
“Um-hmm. It’s so peaceful out here. I love it.”
“Even in a dinky old rowboat?”
She giggled. “Yes,” she admitted and gave him a genuine smile.
He rowed them out to the opposite end of the lake from his parent’s house, into a marshy area where long grasses stuck up from the water. It was quieter here where the speedboats didn’t venture, and all Kelly heard was the sound of some birds chattering in the nearby trees.
Damian pulled the oars up so they just drifted, the water gently lapping against the sides of the boat.
“Kell…”
“Damian…”
“You first,” Damian said.
“Why do you treat me one way when we’re alone and another way when we’re with your family?” She had always believed the direct approach to be the best, and Damian had once told her that he admired that about her.
He shoved his hands in his hair and looked down at his feet. “I don’t know, Kell. I guess I just don’t like everyone up in my business.”
Kelly suspected that that was part of it, but she wasn’t completely satisfied with his answer. “And…”
“And what?”
“C’mon, Damian. There’s got to be more to it than that.”
He raised his eyes to meet hers, and she waited.
“And I guess it makes me a little…nervous. This…us…you and me. You know?”
Kelly’s heart lodged in her throat. All at once, she sensed his vulnerability, and it rocked her to the core. Big bad Damian really did have a soft spot for her, but would it be too optimistic to think that it could be love? Kelly’s romantic brain often overrode her logical one, but it couldn’t hurt to hope. She had an overwhelming urge to kiss him, and in her excitement, she started to stand up in the boat.
Damian tried to warn her, but it was too late. “Kelly. NO! DON’T!” were the last words she heard before the boat tipped and dumped them unceremoniously into the water.
She came up sputtering and coughing, her dress clinging to her body and her hair matted against her head. The water was deep enough that they couldn’t touch the bottom, and Damian quickly grabbed her around the waist and pulled her against him.
“You ok?” he asked, searching her face for any signs of injury.
The only damage that was done, was to my pride! “Yes, I’m fine,” she muttered.
“Hop on my back and hang on,” he ordered, and then she realized that the boat had drifted some distance away. She did as he asked, knowing that it would be quicker than her trying to swim in a dress and sandals, but she cursed herself for not having worn a swimsuit!
Damian’s powerful body cut through the water with ease, and they reached the rowboat too soon. Kelly had thoroughly enjoyed being given a ride, clinging to his back, with her arms looped around his neck and her breasts smashed against him. She reluctantly let go and tread water while Damian grabbed hold of the boat.
“Now for the fun part,” he said. “Getting back in.”
“And how do you propose we do that?”
“Climb up on my shoulders and step in while I hold the boat steady.”
Kelly looked at him like he was nuts, but what did she know? After all, she was the one who had caused them to capsize in the first place. “Ok,” she said skeptically and braced her hands on his broad shoulders. Somehow, she managed to boost herself up to kneel on them, but now her soggy water-laden dress covered his eyes. For some reason, the sight of Damian with her dress hanging over his face caused her to break out in hysterics, and he fought to keep her steady atop his shoulders while she laughed uncontrollably.
When her laughter started to dissipate, he asked, “You done yet?” which only set off a second giggling fit. That time, his deep laugh mixed with hers, and she felt their discord from earlier fade away. By the time they finally made it back into the boat, they were both smiling like fools.
“Well, that was fun,” Damian said as he rowed them back toward his parents’ house.
“I agree, although, look at me. I’m a wreck!”
Damian did look at her, and thoroughly, from her long brown hair that was plastered against her head to the dress that clung to her curves like a second skin, down to her red-painted toes that peeked out from her wet sandals. “I think you look beautiful,” he said.
And those were the sweetest words that she’d heard all day.
Chapter 18
When they pulled up to the dock, the backyard was deserted.
“Why don’t you go in and say our goodbyes, and I’ll wait in your truck,” Kelly suggested, tugging her dress away from her breasts.
“No way. You’re not getting into my truck soaking wet. We’ll go in and dry off, and I’ll find you some other clothes to wear.”
Kelly opened her mouth to argue, but then Alex came out through the patio door to greet them.
“Oh dear, what happened to you?” Alex said.
“We accidentally fell in. Do you have anything that Kelly can wear for the drive home?”
“Of course. I have a closet full of clothes in the spare room that I haven’t worn in years. Follow me, dear.”
When they entered the house, Kelly expected to see Emma and Zack, but it was dead quiet. “Where did everybody go?” Kelly asked.
“Ava was getting fussy, so Zack and Emma took the girls home, and Joe was getting fussy too, so he went down for a nap.” Amused at her own description, Alex laughed loudly, and Kelly couldn’t help but join in.
Damian disappeared into the bathroom to change, and Kelly followed Alex into the spare room. When Alex opened up the closet doors, Kelly’s hands flew to her mouth. She had never seen such a vivid display of color in one place before! While she had admired Alex’s unique eye for fashion, nothing in this closet even came close to Kelly’s style. Oh well, beggars can’t be choosers, she thought as she perused her options.
“What about this?” Alex suggested, holding up a purple and blue paisley printed robe.
Even with the swirls of color, the robe was one of the least loud items in the closet. “Sure, that will be fine,” Kelly said.
Alex led her to the bathroom that Damian had vacated and said, “There are fresh towels on the shelf, and I’ll get you a plastic bag to put your wet clothes in.”
“Thank you so much,” Kelly said before Alex fluttered away.
Kelly couldn’t wait to get out of her wet clothes and into the dry robe, even though
the pattern hurt her eyes to look at! She finger-combed her hair and then opened the bathroom door. Damian and Alex were nearby, talking in hushed tones, but as soon as they saw Kelly, their conversation ceased.
“Here you go, honey. Good as new,” Alex said and handed her a plastic bag.
Kelly shoved her wet clothes inside and gave them her best smile. She was embarrassed by the entire incident, but she tried not to show it.
Damian smiled at her and then held out his hand. “Ready to go?”
Hmm…why is he suddenly being so nice? “Yes,” she said and slipped her hand in his.
Alex walked them to the door, kissed them both, and said to Kelly, “Don’t worry about returning the robe. You can keep it.”
When they were pulling out of the driveway, Damian glanced at her robe and busted out laughing.
“Go ahead. Laugh all you want. It’s your mom’s robe, not mine.”
“Yeah, but now you get to keep it,” Damian said and laughed some more. Then suddenly his laughter died down, and he peered at the bag of wet clothes at her feet.
Kelly smirked as understanding dawned in his eyes.
“You don’t have anything on under there, do you?”
Kelly shook her head. “Nope. Not a thing.”
Damian swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat.
“Not so funny anymore, is it?” Kelly said smugly.
Damian was quiet for the rest of the short drive, until they pulled into the apartment complex. “Can I walk you up?” he asked once they had parked.
“No, thanks.”
“Are you sure? You have a lot of things to carry.”
Kelly stepped out of the truck and gathered her bag of clothes and the Tupperware container with the leftover chocolate-chip cookies. “I got it.”
They stood together alongside the Chevy and stared at each other for a few beats.
“You’re killing me here. You know that, right?”
“I’ve got the idea,” she said and boldly glanced down at the bulge in his shorts.
“Well, what are you going to do for the rest of the night? It’s still early.”
“I don’t know yet, but I’m going to start out by taking a warm shower. I smell like lake water.”
Damian swallowed hard again. “Ok. When you’re done…if you want to get together…I mean…”
“I know where you live,” Kelly said and then leaned forward to kiss his cheek. “Thanks for a fun day,” she called over her shoulder, and then she sashayed away without a backward glance. When she got into her apartment, she leaned her back against the door and breathed a heavy sigh.
Kelly argued with herself while she took a shower, re-dressed in a tank top and loose knit shorts, and assembled her hair in a messy bun. What would be the harm in inviting him over? They could play some more “getting to know you” games. Ha! Remember what happened the last time? But Damian was right—it was still early. Too early to get in bed, unless…no, don’t go there!
Kelly was walking from her bathroom to the living room when she heard the first rumble of thunder. She peered out her front window and eyed the line of dark clouds that was headed their way. So much for the perfect weather from earlier. Typical Michigan, she thought and went into the kitchen to dig up a snack. Her head was buried in the refrigerator when the next roar of thunder came, and that time, it shook the floor beneath her.
“You’re ok, you’re ok,” she chanted, and peered out the window again. She saw the bolt of lightning flash in the sky and decided that was it! She picked up her phone from the kitchen counter, but before she could dial, it rang.
“Hello?” she answered in as calm a voice as she could muster under the circumstances.
“Guess what’s on TV tonight?”
“Tell me.”
“Die Hard!”
BOOM! There went the thunder again.
“Well, what are you waiting for? Come on over.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Right now!” she said urgently as the wind rattled her window pane.
“Ok, ok. I’ll be there in a sec.”
She watched for him out the window, and he made it across the road just before the sky broke open and let out a deluge of rain. His feet were barely in the door when she launched herself into his arms.
“Whoa, I didn’t expect this. Not that I mind…” Damian said and hugged her tight. After another minute of her clinging to him, without speaking, Damian pulled back. “Kell? What’s wrong?”
“I’m kinda…sorta…afraid of storms,” she admitted with a grimace.
Damian pulled her back into his arms. “Well, this one sounds like a doozy, so you better hold on to me a while longer,” he said, nuzzling her neck.
This time, she pulled back. “Nice try. You came over to watch Die Hard, remember?”
“Oh, yeah, that’s right.” Damian stepped around her and picked up the TV remote from her coffee table. “Got any popcorn?”
“Only the microwavable kind.”
“That’ll have to do.”
Kelly went into the kitchen to prepare the popcorn while Damian cued up the movie. When she joined him a few minutes later, he had turned off the living room lights and closed the curtains.
“To create the true movie-theater experience,” Damian explained when she raised her eyebrows at him.
She settled in on the couch but placed the bowl of popcorn firmly between them. Some barrier!
They munched on popcorn and watched the movie in silence for a while, and Kelly became more relaxed as time went by without any hanky-panky. She got so engrossed in the movie, in fact, that she didn’t notice when Damian transferred the empty popcorn bowl from the couch to the coffee table and moved a little closer to her. It was only when he placed his warm hand on her bare thigh that she sat up and took notice. Instead of removing his hand like she should have, she watched, mesmerized, while he rubbed his thumb back and forth against her skin.
Suddenly she felt very warm, even though she wasn’t wearing that many clothes. She peered at Damian’s profile and realized that he was genuinely engrossed in the movie and probably wasn’t even aware of what he was doing. Kelly’s legs were cocked to one side, and she was starting to get a cramp, but she didn’t dare move. Instead, she kept a close watch on Damian’s hand and tried to keep her breathing steady.
After a few more minutes of this, Kelly had to stretch her legs. She started to move, which caused Damian to look up from the TV screen. “Uncomfortable?” he asked.
“My legs. I need to stretch them out,” she said, but the words came out in a raspy whisper. She stood up for a moment to shake her legs out, and Damian took the opportunity to stretch out himself, as in across the entire couch.
“Ahh. Much better,” he said and crossed his arms behind his head.
“Hey, wait. What about me?”
He scooted himself against the back of the couch as far as he could go and patted the empty space beside him.
Kelly looked down at him and warred with herself for about two seconds before lying down on her side with her back to him.
“There,” Damian said and placed a hand casually on her hip. “Now, stop interrupting the movie!”
Kelly rolled her eyes, even though he couldn’t see her, and then redirected her attention to the TV screen. It was an intense scene, where Bruce Willis was being chased by the bad guys, and Damian’s hand tightened on her hip as if he were in the scene too! Kelly had to admit that this was nice. Lying here with Damian, touching but not touching, on a dark stormy night, just the two of them…and then, there went his hand again, drifting, just barely, under the hem of her tank top, his fingers tracing lazy patterns across her skin.
Her nerve endings were on high alert, and she willed his hand to move just a little bit up or down. Either way would do. There we go. That’s the ticket. His hand travelled up, slowly but surely, and her heart started to pound double time. She stayed perfectly still, not encouraging but not discouraging ei
ther. And now he had reached her bra. He stopped for a moment, as if waiting for her reproach, but when none came, he continued, gently squeezing, first one breast and then the other.
Oh my God! She was burning up. It’s got a front hook—easy access, she told him in her mind, and somehow he got the message. The click of the bra clasp opening sounded extremely loud to her ears, even with the noise of the movie in the background. And when he twisted her nipple between his thumb and index finger, she moaned. He plucked and played with her for a few more minutes before she turned into his arms and threw her arms around his neck.
How does he always know exactly what I need? she wondered, right before his lips crashed down on hers. It was spontaneous combustion, and they went at it like two teenagers exploring each other on the couch, fully clothed, and unable or unwilling to stop. Damian hooked her right leg over his hip and pressed his erection against her center. As their kissing intensified, so did their movements below, and it felt almost as good as if they were naked. In fact, they were both coiled so tight and the friction was so perfect that…
“Kelly, I think I’m going to…”
“Me too.”
Then his tongue was back in her mouth, and he was thrusting, and her hips were arching to meet him. Kelly wrapped her legs around his waist, opening herself up to feel even more, and a few minutes later, Damian groaned against her lips, and his whole body shuddered. She was right on his heels, her fingers digging into his biceps as she writhed beneath him.
Damian buried his face in her neck and kissed her softly as she floated back down. And then he popped his head up and searched her eyes, for what, she wasn’t sure. She wasn’t angry. How could she be? She had been just as eager as he had been, maybe even more! Kelly reached her hand up and cupped his face, that rugged face that she loved to touch, and smiled softly.
“It’s ok,” she whispered.
“We’re good?”
“We’re very good.”
“I was trying not to break the rules, but technically, we still had our clothes on.”
Kelly giggled. “True.”
“I kind of need to clean up,” he said, and when she nodded, he heaved himself off the couch. “Be right back.”
Twice as Tempting Page 12
