Page 80 of Essence of his Soul

"Damn," he muttered under his breath. He knew Kelly was home.

For days, he'd been trying to reach her. Since that night, he'd left her apartment, hot and frustrated, with more questions than answers. He'd called her house, reached out to her parents, and even tried the cell number she gave him. No answer. Kelly was straight-up avoiding him. And honestly, he couldn’t blame her.

He'd messed up. Big time.

Sitting in his car, he shook his head, wondering how he let it get this far. Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was her—those soft, full lips and that innocent, questioning expression that made him feel like the biggest idiot alive. But it wasn’t just that. No, it was how his chest tightened whenever he thought about her. This wasn't supposed to happen. Kelly—Mark’s little sister—was off-limits. Always had been. She deserved better than a guy like him.

But that kiss? Man, that kiss had flipped everything upside down. He could still taste it. No woman had ever made him feel like that before, and it scared the hell out of him. He didn’t like losing control, especially not over someone he wasn’t supposed to be thinking about inthatway.

But here he was, sitting outside her building, knowing he had to make things right. He couldn’t leave Delaware without trying to fix this mess.

"Maybe you should just let it go," he muttered, hand hovering over the keys. But then he killed the engine and grabbed his phone one last time. He hit redial, waited for Kelly’s voicemail to pick up, then hung up before he could leave another message she’d ignore.

Enough was enough!

Diamere climbed out of the car and slammed the door shut. He wasn’t playing these games anymore. He jogged up the steps, his heart pounding harder than expected, and knocked on her door. Faint music played from inside.

"Who is it?" Kelly’s voice, sharp and clipped, came from behind the door.

"It’s Diamere," he said, his tone a little softer than intended.

"What do you want?" she snapped back, not bothering to hide the irritation in her voice.

“I need to talk to you," he said, leaning against thedoorframe. There was a long pause. When she didn’t respond, he played his last card. “Kel, if you don’t let me in, I’m gonna tell your brother everything.”

The door swung open a crack, and Kelly’s face appeared, eyes narrowed. “No, you won’t.”

Diamere couldn’t help but smirk, even though he knew this wasn’t a game. “And why wouldn’t I?”

“Please,” she scoffed. “With the reputation you got, Mark would kick your ass."

He chuckled. She wasn’t wrong. Mark would kill him if he knew what went down that night. But right now, the only thing on Diamere’s mind was Kelly—how much he wanted to see her, talk to her, and maybe... kiss her again.

“You’re right, he probably would,” he admitted, grinning despite himself. But he didn’t move. He just stood there, staring at her through the narrow slit of the door, waiting.

Kelly rolled her eyes and pushed the door wide open. She stood leaning against the frame in a long-sleeved yellow shirt that hugged her curves and flannel boxers that showed off her toned legs. Her bare feet and how she casually leaned against the door had him all kinds of twisted inside. He swallowed hard, trying not to let his gaze linger too long.

“You just gonna stand there, or you coming in so we can talk?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Diamere knew better. Staying in the hallway was safer, but after hearing a door down the hall creak open, he decided it was better to handle their business inside. As he passed, he stepped into the apartment, catching a whiff of her sweet fragrance. His heart was racing now, and he had no clue what to say, but he didn’t sit down. He waited for her to close the door and turn to him.

“I came to apologize,” he started, running a hand over his face. “For the other night.”

Kelly crossed her arms, shifting her weight as she glanced at the floor. “There’s no need. We’re both grown. You didn’t do anything I didn’t want to happen.”

Her words hung in the air, and it took everything in him not to reach for her. She looked up at him, and he had to force his gaze away from her mouth. “Still,” he said, voice tight. “I was wrong. We’ve been friends too long for me to cross that line. I don’t want to mess that up.”

Kelly studied his face. The tension between them felt even thicker. Her voice was soft when she finally asked, “Then why’d you kiss me?”

Diamere blinked. “Why wouldn’t I?” he said, laughing lowly. “You’re fine as hell. If I’d known you were gonna look this good, I would’ve taken your crush more seriously back in the day.”

She straightened up, folding her arms tighter, trying to play it cool. “Well, I got over you years ago.”

“Are you sure about that?” He leaned in just a little, watching her body stiffen.

“Positive,” she said, but he could see right through her. Her palms shook, and he could tell her heart was racing like his.

Diamere sighed, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “I’m leaving for Colorado in the morning.”

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