Page 25 of Falling for Her

“Shit,” I mutter and rush towards her.

I round the broken counter, glass crunching underneath my boots and gently I cup her jaw, making her look up, and my heart breaks seeing the sadness in her beautiful brown eyes.

“Damian, I’m sorry, I forgot….” She hiccups. “May-maybe we should re–”

Her words cut off as I gently rub my thumb over her bottom lip, doing what I’d had hoped, and without a second thought, I lean down and press my lips against hers, making her gasp as so many little electric shocks vibrate through me.

Like fuck am I letting that woman ruin our date.

The kiss is light, with no tongue, but so fucking perfect as I gently grab her hands with mine and remove them from her face before I pull back. Her eyes race between mine, and I whisper, “I’ll help you clean up, then we’ll head back to mine, dinner is simmering.”

A few of her tears fall, and I quickly kiss them away before kissing her forehead, then I turn to the counter.

The glass is smashed, but with Acid’s help, I should be able to get it replaced. This kind of shit is his domain, it just means either telling him what it is for and making sure he doesn’t speak to the rest of the club or lie through my fucking teeth.

Fuck…

I feel Essy’s eyes on me as I bring the water to boil and grab the pasta. After helping her clean up, which took forty minutes, I sent a text to Acid, deciding to lie through my teeth for now, then, I guided Essy to my truck, helped her inside, and brought her to my apartment, using the backdoor just in case Bethany was still in reception, promising to show her where I work another time.

I did see a few bikes out front, and one looked like Butchers, but Hammer knows to keep them away from my personal space, fuck he packed my room for me back at the club, not that there was a lot there, but it made the brothers realize I meant it when I handed in my cut or so Hammer stated who still doesn’t know why I walked away.

“So you live above a tattoo shop and can cook?” Essy says from leaning against the curved archway leading from the kitchen to the living area, and I chuckle.

“I also tattoo downstairs,” I admit, and she hums.

I look her way to see her eying up the tattoos on my arms, and I smirk, happy I rolled my sleeves up before weighing out the pasta and then placing it in the boiling water.

She’s still in her jeans and a black t-shirt that hugs all her curves that are in the right places nicely, but she has let her hair down, which reaches the middle of her back and fuck me, she looks beautiful.

“Spaghetti and meatballs?” she confirms, and I hum. She chuckles, “Let me guess, my dad?”

I look her way and admit, “Apparently, Lady and the Tramp was your favorite movie?”

I quickly lift the lid on the pot before the water boils over, balance it, and then set the timer.

“And my mom’s,” she whispers, and I look her way, giving her my whole attention.

This is the first time since meeting her that she has brought her mother up.

She smiles a little and says, “That counter at the bakery, Dad said she spent three weeks designing it.”

Sadness surrounds her, and my heart hurts as I realize her mom isn’t in the picture, I mean, I kind of figured I just didn’t want to bring it up.

Essy sighs and walks into the kitchen before leaning against the counter beside me, looking at the food. I turn to ensure the sauce isn’t sticking before she mumbles, “Mom died three years ago while giving birth to Aiden.”

I look at her in shock because fuck me I didn’t expect her to say that, but she doesn’t look at me. She focuses on the food and explains, “I was in the waiting room when Dad walked in looking lost with a baby in his arms.” She looks at me, “My whole focus has been to help my dad with Aiden, and I’m supposed to be taking over her legacy, but I can’t even stop my employee from starting fights and smashing something so precious, something she knew was precious.”

Ah fuck….

I sigh and move into her space, pushing her up against the counter as I cup her cheek. We lock eyes, and I whisper, “I have a friend. He’s currently having a new glass made with the measurements I sent him. It’ll be fitted tomorrow morning before the bakery opens.”

Her eyes water, and I can’t help but react. I lean down and press my lips against hers, but this time, she doesn’t gasp. Instead, she licks the seam of my lips, and I open, tangling my tongue with hers as I wrap my arm around her waist, holding her close as my whole body lights up and everything in me settles.

Yeah, she’s definitely the one.

Chapter 10

Esmerelda

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