Page 31 of A Secret Crush Valentine's

“You had a right to be.”

She shrugged. “It felt like you walked into my life, lit it up, and just… left. You left me out in the cold. That’s how it felt for so long. You’d finally come into my life after wanting you for so long, and thenthathappened.”

Damon frowned. “A long time? I don’t think I understand… what—?”

Julia couldn’t help but chuckle. “Damon, I’ve had a crush on you since the seventh grade.”

The silence that followed was almost deafening.

He sat up straighter and blinked at her, shock flickering across his face. “Tell me you’re kidding.”

“Why would I kid about something like that?” She tried to sound as casual as possible as if she wasn’t suddenly a nervous wreck. It hadn’t really dawned on her until now that she’d just blurted out one of her biggest secrets. “Lots of girls had crushes on you back in high school. YouwereMr. Popular, after all.”

He suddenly looked sheepish, which surprised her. “I never… I guess I didn’t think someone like you could ever like someone like me.”

“Why, because I was a nerd?”

“You ran a newsletter. You were brilliant, creative… and beautiful. I was just a jock. And more than half the guys on the team were jerks. You know what they say about bad apples.”

“Fair enough.” She suppressed a smile. “Why did it matter, anyway? It’s not like…” She trailed off, realization dawning on her. “Oh, my God.”

He nodded. “Yeah, since the sixth grade.”

She felt like her heart was trying to pound its way out of her ribcage. Damon scooted over, sitting against the wall next to her, and she made a conscious effort to breathe.

“You never told me, Damon.”

“I never got a chance to,” he said. “I was going to ask you to the dance that afternoon. I guess I ruined things for myself when I asked you to cross the lake with me.”

More silence passed between them. Julia found herself grinning. “And what about now? You still have a crush on me?”

She held her breath as she waited for his answer.

Damon turned to face her. “That hasn’t changed in 16 years, although I wouldn’t call it a mere crush anymore.”

“I feel the same way.” Her voice came out a few pitches higher than she’d intended, but all she cared about was the man gazing back at her, those lips of his just inches away.

His eyes lit up. “I was hoping you did.”

She’d been mad at him since they’d crossed the lake. The anger had pretty much solidified in her chest like an iceberg. When Damon kissed her, that iceberg melted.

Chapter Thirteen

Mr. Popular

The cave was spacious enough to house three fully grown dragons, but Damon was finding it difficult to pull air into his lungs, and it was all because of Julia. Her mere presence took his breath away. Kissing her was another matter entirely. He’d fantasized about doing it since high school, back on earth, but not even years of longing and imagination had prepared him for this moment.

He half-wondered whether she might object and felt a thrill as she kissed him back. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer, the heat of his desire growing in the depths of his belly and even deeper, consuming his senses until she was all he was aware of.

He could feel his pulse throbbing in his extremities in sync with his heart. Even as he kissed her, a small part of him struggled to comprehend the stark reality of it. He could accept Frost Mountain, a magical mountain from which no one could escape. But kissing Julia was even more unbelievable.

His tongue found its way into her mouth, meeting hers, exploring her mouth with an excitement he’d never felt. He cupped her face, then her breasts, kneading them. She let out a soft moan that was powerful enough to stop a dragon in its tracks.

And it did. Damon pulled away, blinking at her as the rest of the cave slipped from his vision. Those blue eyes returned his gaze. Chest heaving, hair half-disheveled and covered with snow, she was the single most beautiful thing he’d encountered in 16 years of life on this mountain.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, sounding just as breathless as he was.

The sight of those lips moving was an impossible challenge for his self-restraint, but he managed to hold back. “You know where this is headed, right?”

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