Page 7 of A Secret Crush Valentine's

Right now, staring down at the woman before him, he was both the happiest guy in the world and knee-deep in crap.

It was her. It was Julia Reel.

She’d definitely changed in the 16 years since he’d last seen her. Her red hair was longer than he remembered, her face a little less round, but there was no mistaking those blue eyes. The last time he’d gazed into them, he’d been awestruck. Even then, she’d been a breathtaking sight. He could see that time had been more than kind to her. He tucked in his wings, gazing silently at her.

And then his gaze dropped from her face. She must have lost her clothes when she shifted, he realized. She stood stark naked before him, shivering violently in the cold. For a moment, Damon could do nothing but stare. She was a bit taller, her red curls falling past narrow shoulders and settling just above her perky breasts. Her nipples stood to attention in the cold, and as she shuddered…

He let his gaze travel even lower, taking in the curves of her hips. A sprinkle of red hair traveled from her tiny navel toward the apex of her rather luscious thighs, and—

“P-please,” she whimpered, “don’t kill me.”

When he returned his gaze to those wide eyes, Damon could have sworn he felt his heart shatter.

He backed away from her, the red dragon scales fading into flesh as he did. Soon, he, too, stood naked before her, completely human, the brown leather bag slung over his shoulder. Thinking quickly, he pulled out a pair of trousers and slipped them on, then handed her some clothing as well.

Now fully clothed, she continued to stare at him.

Eternities could have passed between them, and he could care less. His heart thudded frantically in his chest, and he couldn’t seem to find his voice. Julia was staring at him as though she’d seen a ghost. If only she knew just how similarly he felt.

Finally, she spoke. “Damon?” she asked.

Damon found his voice. “Red,” he replied.

Her voice quivered. “You… you’re…”

He had barely enough time to nod before she rushed at him, throwing her arms around his neck. Damon thought he heard a sob as he wrapped his arms around her, cradling her head to his chest. He wondered if she could hear his heart thundering in his ribcage. He stood there, unable to believe this was really happening.

Julia pulled away then, blinking rapidly at him. “I… I thought I’d never see you again. When the ice broke, I—”

He managed to crack a grin. “This is one hell of a high school reunion, isn’t it?”

She didn’t laugh. It wasn’t hard to guess the thoughts going through her mind. He could remember the details of that afternoon just as well. Sometimes, when he closed his eyes, he could hear the ice cracking seconds before it split open under him. He could see the air bubbles escaping his mouth as he tried to claw his way back to the surface from the murky depths of the lake.

When he broke through the ice again, she was gone, along with the rest of his world.

It had all been his fault. If he’d never asked Julia to cross the lake with him, he wouldn’t have ended up here.

But he’d been hoping to spend more time with her, even if it meant taking a detour as he walked her home. To be honest, he’d never imagined she would ever want to be with a guy like him. Girls like her always thought guys like him were dimwitted jerks, but he’d always found her fascinating.

He never missed a chance to read whatever she’d written in her newsletter. He’d spent time perusing her articles and poetry at home or in the locker room if it was empty, all in hopes of getting to know her better.

That day in January, he’d decided to stop hesitating and ask her to the Valentine’s Day Dance. And thenithappened.

Damon never got to that dance.

He’d thought he would never see her again. But here she was now, standing before him, those beautiful blue eyes tugging once again on his heartstrings.

“Red…” he muttered.

“You… you look different,” she said, glancing at him from head to toe.

“In a good way, I hope.” He grinned. “You’ve changed a lot, too, Red. What’s with the accent?”

“I was in England for a while.” She was still staring at him like he’d come from outer space. “So… you’re a shifter?”

He nodded. He’d never mentioned that fact to her, never even thought to out of fear of scaring her off. But now…

“So are you,” he replied.

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