Page 29 of Damien
By the timeDamien walks me to my door, I swear I’ve been living in an alternate reality. Things like this don’t happen to me. I don’t make the first move, and I certainly don’t have a guy’s full attention for an entire evening. Don’t get me wrong, I know I’m worthy… I’m just not used to being the focus of their attention. From the day I found out I was pregnant with Julia, I’ve known that I was no longer the center of my world.
“Can I see you again?”
I’m barely able to nod in agreement before his lips slant over mine, and I’m lost in the moment.
The way his tongue dances with mine sends sparks of electricity zipping through me. My stomach flitters as if a swarm of butterflies are dying to escape as my pulse skyrockets. He manages to control the kiss so that I’m on the brink of being completely satisfied, yet when he pulls away, I’m left wanting more.
Before I can say anything, he says, “Goodnight, Vanessa. I’ll see you in the morning.”
With that, he turns and walks away.
I guess the girls were right. Datingisjust like riding a bike. I may be out of practice, but I certainly remember how. Though let’s be honest, I’ve never kissed a man like Damien. Holy shit, he can kiss.
I swear I could feel the heat from my toes to the tips of my hair as the energy that flowed between us caught fire. I’ve never been so consumed by a kiss that I forgot my name when I came up for air. Maybe it’s because he’s older and knows what the hell he’s doing, but I’ve never experienced this kind of whole-body kiss. What’s weird is things never moved beyond the basics. It was only a few kisses. Nothing more. Yet I feel as if I’ve had an out-of-body experience. I can’t even find words to describe it.
Damien drops me off a little before ten. Thank goodness, Julia’s sound asleep, and Vince and Sydney are busy watching a movie when I come in, so I can excuse myself to my room without any fuss. The knowing look on Sydney’s face tells me she’s dying to know what happened, but she’ll wait to ask when Vince isn’t around.
My mind is a muddled mess as I replay the events of this evening on a loop. Knowing I have an early morning, I hop into my jammies, getting ready for bed on auto pilot. I brush my hair and teeth and check on Julia one last time before I make the final descent onto my mattress.
Peeking through the door, I see she’s conked out and won’t be any the wiser of my presence. Her hair’s strewn about her pillow, and her arm rests above her face as if it’s blocking the light. One leg is kicked out, and her blankets are already a rumpled mess. She’s freaking adorable when she’s in dreamland. I can’t help but close the distance between us to give her the goodnight kiss I missed this evening.
God, I hate being away from her, but I’ll admit I totally enjoyed my time with Damien tonight. After tucking her in, I can’t help but stop and stare. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Sure, she wasn’t expected, but I’ve come to learn that the best things in life never are.
Rubbing a finger over my swollen lips, thoughts of Damien drift through my mind.
Knowing I can’t stay up much longer, I force myself to end my fantasizing and return to my bedroom. Four forty-five will be here whether I want it to or not. Even though I’m eager to see Damien again, I’m not one who functions well on zero sleep.
Drifting off to sleep, I’m reminded of the soft musk of his cologne, the way he held my hand, or guided me as we walked with his hand at the small of my back. I was so in tune with him, it was crazy. I swear, before he touched me in any way, it was as if my body sensed it as a premonition. Like a slight tingle would prick at the base of my spine and tingle through my limbs. Then when he made contact, I would be grounded and calm in that same instant.
Maybe I’m just overthinking this and being ridiculous, but I’m dying to know if this is just a one-off or will it be like this every time I’m with him. I do know one thing for certain. I can’t wait to see him again.
Oddly enough,when my alarm goes off, I don’t even feel the need to hit snooze. I practically bounce out of bed, rushing though my morning routine. Somehow, I manage to make it out the door earlier than usual for my shift. I know I’ll likely crash early this evening, but I’m eager to see if what happened between Damien and I is real—or just a figment of my vivid dreams in the night.
Knowing Damien usually doesn’t show for a while, I busy myself by cleaning unnecessarily between customers and restocking what I can from the already full shelves to prepare for a rush.
“What’s got you actin’ like a long-tail cat in a room full of rockers, Vanessa?” Jack asks as he sips his cup of coffee. “You look at that door one more time, you’re gonna wear the paint off it.”
“What?” I scoff, realizing he’s caught me redhanded, indeed looking at the door again. “I’m just waiting on the daily rush,” I attempt to pass off.
But he’s not buying it. “Uh, huh…” he slowly draws out as a grumble. “You keep tellin’ yourself that.”
Not knowing what to say, I just stop my bustling and stare at him.
“I’m thinkin’ it might have somethin’ to do with that young fella who finally got the nerve to ask you out.” He sucks in a deep, exaggerated breath as he glances at his watch. “If I’m not mistaken, he’s due any moment…” Then he looks to me. “I take it you had a good time, or you’d be avoiding the front counter. Am I right?”
Not that I want to divulge my personal life to the patrons in the diner, but this is Jack, and he’s the only one at the counter at the moment. So I allow my excitement to show. “Yes. We had a great time—thank you very much,” I tack on at the end, sounding sarcastic, so he won’t read too much into it.
Jack’s light-blue eyes dance with delight, and his genuine happiness can be felt from where I stand. “Good for you, honey. You deserve every ounce of happiness offered to you. Damien seems like a good-enough fella, but if you find out otherwise—or if he ever hurts you—I know a guy who will take care of him, and we’ll never see the likes of him again. You just say the word—ya hear me?”
Oh. This man.
My heart pangs when I realize just how much he cares. Sure, he teases like crazy, but over the years, he’s become the long-lost grandparent I never had. He’s so easy to talk to, and he’s gotten me to open up in ways I never imagined I would with a stranger. I love that he cares enough to threaten bodily harm—though I doubt it will be necessary.
“Oh, Jack.” My voice fills with emotion. “Thank you.”
He cocks a thick brow in my direction, and his once-teasing features turn serious. “He already do somethin’?”
Swatting that thought away, I quickly assure him, “No… No… Damien’s been nothing but a gentleman, but it just feels so nice to have someone looking out for me. That’s all.”
