Kelsey cursed her inability to open her mouth when it really mattered. Then again, she had the rest of today and tomorrow to speak with Damon. She would surely have another opportunity to speak with him privately at some point over the weekend. But would he be emotionally available enough to consider trusting her with his feelings?
* * *
In the kitchen, as he filtered some dog food into Max’s shiny iron bowl, Damon spotted Cassandra entering the kitchen. “Thanks again for coming this weekend.”
“No problem.” She leaned against the U-shaped countertop that stretched around the room. “Hmmm, considering that I saw you talking with Kelsey a minute ago, I sense a little…less uncertainty on your part than before. Something happened between you two. What gives?”
“It’s personal.”
“I’m doing this for you, remember? In exchange, all I asked was regular updates about you two. So go on: spill.”
“We had a…” He smiled. “We made a connection.”
“What did you say? ‘Kelsey, you’re the most beautiful woman…in the history of women? You’re intelligent, fun to talk to, and you have a great sense of humor?’”
He smirked. “Do you want me to scare her away?” Seeing misunderstanding line her face, he said, “Has any man ever said something like that to you?”
“All the time.” She paused. “In my dreams. But it would be nice to hear in real life.”
“No, it wouldn’t. If you’re like most women, and a guy you just met told you that, it would scare the hell out of you.”
Shaking her head, Cassandra said, “Oh, of course. Very few women would want to hear a compliment.”
“You’d want to hear compliments from a man you’re in love with. Not from someone you don’t know too well, at least not the overdose of praise you just suggested.”
“I’m taking advice from a man about what women want? Then why am I even here?”
“To have fun.”
“And to find out if you score with the woman of your dreams.”
“I can care less if I score. I want….”
“Yes,” she prompted, hanging on his every word. “You want…”
Alex entered the kitchen. “To get his trunks on. It’s water park time!”
Damon grinned at Alex’s perfect timing, saving him from revealing more about his feelings for Kelsey than he intended. Those thoughts were fresh and exciting (and somewhat terrifying), and even though something told him that he could love Kelsey forever if she gave him a shot, he didn’t want to put any undue stress on himself by revealing his feelings: saying it out loud would make it real. Besides, he never really had a sounding board when it came to disclosing private matters. He dealt with that by pouring those emotions into his novels.
But Damon couldn’t deny that he wanted to tell Alex how much he cared for his sister. First, he wanted to earn the respect he felt he deserved: to prove that he had integrity. Second, he wanted Alex to realize that he would treat Kelsey better than any other man she’d ever met. And third, he wanted a closer bond with his best friend. Right now, as much as he considered Alex his most valued friend, if he could tell him everything (not that he would, but he wanted that option without being judged), Damon would finally feel like he had a true confidant, someone who would be there for him in times of despair or need.
An hour later, Damon walked through the entrance of the water park with a beige towel strung over his left shoulder, clad in a pair of navy blue trunks and wearing a pair of sandals. He walked alongside Cassandra toward the entrance of the Kalahari Resort, the largest indoor waterpark in the country. At 125,000 square feet, it consisted of 15 different aquatic attractions.
He needed only one look at Cassandra to realize that he should maintain eye contact until she changed out of the pink two-piece bathing suit that emphasized all the right places. But when his eyes traveled of their own accord, by checking out her breasts, he experienced something that hadn’t happened in over a decade: despite her perfect curves, he wasn’t the least bit interested in her. Unfamiliar with this reaction, he glanced at her chest again, just in case he misinterpreted his initial response or, in this case, his lack of a response.
“Get a good look, Romeo?” Cassandra asked with a curious expression. “I’ve caught guys looking before, but not like they’re studying an abstract piece of art.”
“This is great,” he said, smiling as he met her gaze. “I’m totally not into you.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Prince Charming.” She looked a little disappointed, not that she wanted Damon to find her sexy, but that she wanted men in general to recognize the effort she put into looking good.
“Oh, come on; if I was a student at your school, I’d be Hot for Teacher.”
She blanched. “You really know how to charm a girl; what middle school teacher doesn’t want her hormonal pre-adolescent students thinking of her while…” Disgusted, she shook her head to clear the thought from her mind.
“Hey, how’s it going?”
Damon didn’t have to turn around to know that Paul approached him from behind. Expecting Kelsey to walk alongside him, he spun around, eager to see what she looked like in a bikini.
Seeing her red and white striped halter top and a side-tie bikini bottom that showed off a toned figure, Damon immediately grew hard. He couldn’t help himself from checking out breasts that strained against her bikini top, noticing how her hips swayed as she walked toward him, how her wavy hair bounced on her tanned shoulders with every step. To shield the burgeoning muscle from flexing down below, he lowered the towel on his shoulder until it concealed his erection.
To discourage himself from gawking, Damon turned his gaze upon Paul, and he had to give the man credit: although bony and angular, he had an impressive six-pack and well-defined chest and arm muscles. But because he lacked significant weight, Damon got the impression that if he punched Paul in the chest his fist would rip straight through and exit through his back.
While glaring at him, however, Damon discovered something much more interesting: Paul’s eyes locked on Cassandra with wide-eyed excitement, making it obvious that he’d forgotten that Kelsey walked alongside him.
Anger flared through Damon; Kelsey deserved someone who had eyes only for her, not to mention a great personality and sense of humor. How had Kelsey failed to notice Paul’s obvious interest in Cassandra? He risked a glance her way.
And found her staring into his eyes.
Damon’s heart throttled as if he were fourteen and got caught looking at a stash of dirty magazines. He almost looked away, but the way she held his gaze made his breath quicken in such a way that he couldn’t have moved even if given the chance. Since he prided himself on approaching women with the utmost confidence, he never expected nervousness to cling to him.
So he stared.
And she stared back.
This private, unspoken conversation gripped him to such a degree that he feared looking away. He wanted to experience this closeness, this captivating sensation that made him feel in touch with his most fervent desire to touch this woman, to feel her in his arms and never let go. To his surprise (and relief), his erection faded because this connection felt more intimate than any sexual interlude he’d ever experienced.
“It’s going all right,” Cassandra said with a knowing smile in her voice as she answered Paul’s habitual question upon greeting someone: Hey, how’s it going?
It broke the connection Damon shared with Kelsey. Now that he could once again breathe, he measured every intake of air and did his best to breathe regularly to avoid giving away how much that unspoken connection had rattled him.
Kelsey turned her attention to Cassandra. “You look so…amazing.” Although her voice sounded enthusiastic, her expression looked strained, as though she felt inadequate next to her.
“You’re one to talk,” Cassandra said in disbelief. “You don’t have an ounce of fat on you.”
Damon, disinterested in a discussion
that would delve into the ladies’ workout and dieting regimens, stepped forward to take control of the conversation. “Have you seen Alex and Marisa?”
“Right behind you, buddy.” Alex said. He carried a brown towel in one palm and Marisa’s hand in his other. He wore checkered trunks and although muscular, his skin looked pale, as though he applied sunscreen every time he stepped into the sunlight.
Marisa’s olive skin tone clashed with Alex’s and lent the impression that she spent her summer days languishing poolside. With a stunning figure in a black and white polka dot push-up halter top and double string bottom, she looked like she would fit in perfectly as one of the Kardashian sisters.
“Who wants to start with the Lazy River?” Kelsey asked.
“Sounds good,” Paul said, dragging his gaze off Cassandra and onto his date.
“Me too,” said Marisa.
“Cool,” Alex said.
“Are you kidding me?” Damon asked, shocked. “We could do that at any waterpark back home. “They have the ‘Flowrider’ here.” He referred to a section of the building where people could surf as 50,000 gallons of water flowed under their board each minute to create a five-foot wave. “You could go 40 miles an hour in an inner tube on the ‘Tanzanian Twister.’ They’ve also got the ‘Zipping & Dipping,’ where you can zip-line across a huge pool. And you want to do the Lazy River instead of trying all that fun stuff first?”
“Yes, I do,” said Kelsey, clenching her jaw and standing firm. “It’s relaxing. And I came here to relax.” She stormed away, giving him an incredible view of her backside as she headed off in the other direction.
Paul beamed a self-righteous smile at Damon before going after her.
Marisa gave Damon an empathetic look and then trailed after her friend.
Alex shrugged and followed her.
Cassandra placed a hand on Damon’s shoulder. “Tough break.”
“Oh, yeah?” he asked with a grin. “I’ll bet she tries everything I mentioned before we leave.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Kelsey might need to relax, but she also needs something to shake up her world.”
“And let me guess…that would be you?”
“Yes.”
“Just like she’ll eventually pick you over Paul?”
“You got that right.” Damon just wished that he felt as certain as he sounded.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Although Kelsey truly wanted to start with the ‘Lazy River,’ she had to admit that the rides Damon mentioned sounded fun, but she didn’t want to give him the idea that they thought alike. And she didn’t like how he affected her. His low-pitched confident voice made her thighs quiver with the prospect of him whispering sweet (or naughty) nothings in her ear. And maybe nibbling on her earlobe. And afterwards…
Just seeing him stand opposite her with that chiseled chest and those abs that made her want to run her fingers along their ridges and valleys, Kelsey did everything she could to prevent his body from mesmerizing her. She claimed victory on that count, forcing herself to look into his blue eyes instead, although they, too, mesmerized her, so in that sense, she ended up failing.
Paul, on the other hand, had a rather scrawny musculature that, while defined, didn’t really make her want to clench onto him and feel those arms around her with the same strength and passion that she envisioned when Damon’s image haunted her mind. Besides, looks would eventually fade, so she put more faith into the emotional, spiritual, and intellectual characteristics she shared with any given man – at least, she wished her brain worked that way. All too often, she became a prisoner to desire as evidenced by her kiss with Damon on her parents’ porch. This time, she was determined not to spend more time than necessary in his presence.
But their connection came so naturally…the same way that had always affected her in past relationships. Which made it that much more difficult to justify seriously considering him as a romantic match.
“What’s the matter?” Marisa asked, coming up beside her. She nodded to Alex and Paul. “You two go ahead. We need some girl time.” When both men started picking through the inner tubes beside the roped-off sections that led to the opening to the current, Marisa gave Kelsey her full attention.
“I’m scared.”
“About what?” Her expression hardened, looking angry as she examined Kelsey. “Did Paul say something? Or did he do something?”
“No, why would you say that?”
“I don’t know.” Satisfied that she hadn’t found any bruises anywhere on Kelsey, Marisa said, “This squeamish feeling came over me back at the cabin when Paul was talking with Damon. We obviously didn’t hear what they talked about, but Damon changed in a way that didn’t seem natural for him.”
“How? Was he scared?”
“Yeah. But not like he was scared of Paul. He just looked scared of…” She shook her head, puzzled. “I’m probably reading into something that wasn’t even there.”
Nevertheless, Kelsey wanted to know more about why Damon had been so bothered, and what Paul could have said to trigger it. Her curiosity put her on edge, especially since she’d admitted that she had an increasingly difficult time trying to ignore the affect he had on her.
“So what are you scared about?” Marisa asked with a little hesitation.
“Damon. He gets to me. Those eyes. That flirty little smile. He’s playful but really deep – at least he is in his books. And come on, no man deserves to be that sexy. I can’t help but wonder if we—”
“Get together? You’ll just find out he only wants you for one thing.”
“But his books…Have you read them?” Since Marisa didn’t attempt to answer, Kelsey said, “Then how could you know his soul?”
“Whoa. Where’s this coming from? I don’t have a problem with Damon. But it sounds like you do.”
“I don’t know who to trust. Ever since I met Paul, I’ve felt like something has been off with him. He’s shy one minute and confident the next. He’s speechless one moment then talkative a few seconds later. But he’s been nice and respectful the whole time. Because of that, I’ve been trying to like him, trying to feel that there could be something between us...but it’s just not happening.”
“Have you had a real conversation with him yet? Have you talked about things that matter? Family, friends, your career? That you want to get married? That you want kids?”
“Oh, of course! Because talk of marriage and birthing babies will totally win him over on a fourth date!”
Birthing babies?” Marisa chuckled but turned serious a second later. “I’m just saying, you should get personal enough to—”
Kelsey slammed a fist into her open palm. “You’re right; I should have mentioned the diamond ring on our second date. But I definitely should have talked about having 2.5 kids during our third date.” She twisted her face into mock horror. “Do you think he still likes me?”
“How do 2.5 kids work, anyway?” asked Marisa. “Have you ever seen half of a baby in public?” She shivered.
“No, parents lock them away in asylums across the country. It’s very hush-hush.” She appreciated that they’d found a dash of humor in such a serious topic. But she didn’t want to let the conversation get away from her. “But seriously, dating Paul feels very generic. Almost sanitary. He hasn’t really talked about hobbies or things he’s passionate about.”
“Well, hello,” she said, raising a hand, pretending to knock on Kelsey’s head. “Then ask him. What do you know about him so far?”
Kelsey couldn’t look in Marisa’s eyes. “Nothing.” And she hadn’t made a real effort to find out. But she got the impression that Paul wanted to keep things simple and take his time with the relationship, if she could call it that. After all, it’s not like they were exclusive. Despite talking about Paul, her thoughts diverted to another man. “But with Damon, I feel everything. And I want to do more than just feel it, you know? Besides, even you said we had great chemistry.”
&n
bsp; “And that’s no lie, sister.”
“I feel like he really wants to find his soul mate.”
“And you think that’s you?”
“Maybe. I don’t know.” She shook her head. “Alex knows him better than anyone.”
“Yeah,” Marisa said. “But that was years ago. Times change. People change.”
“Exactly. Besides, Alex hasn’t read Damon’s novels,” she said with a small measure of pride. “Does Damon seem like the kind of guy to express deep feelings?” Not waiting for an answer, she said, “So if you want to find out what he’s really thinking and feeling, you should read his books. He’s thoughtful and witty and sensual.”
“And how would a man write that…if he didn’t feel it?”
“It sounds like you’re on Damon’s side.”
“I’m not on Damon’s side,” Marisa said. “And I’m not on Paul’s side. I’m on your side. ”
* * *
After shooting through the air on a zip line before letting go and splashing into the four-foot- clear blue pool of water below him, Damon came up for air, rejuvenated as he cleared the water from his eyes.
Hundreds of people of all ages chatted, laughed, or shouted to each other inside the enormous pool which, despite all of its activity, appeared almost empty due to its sheer size.
Damon glanced around and spotted Alex, who’d had a turn just before him, about ten feet away with a smile on his face. “Pretty kick-ass, right?”
“I’m ready to go again.”
A multi-colored beach ball plunked right between them. A moment later, a skinny, ten-year-old girl with thick blond hair that covered her head like a bowl giggled as she leaped toward them, landing on the ball and spraying water across their faces. Regaining her balance after wincing as though farsighted, the girl cradled the ball in her right hand and whipped it fifteen feet behind Damon, then swam away as though chased by sharks.
One Last Promise (A Bedford Falls Novel Book 2) Page 18
