Page 28 of California Love Songs
As Damien lost all sense of time, his body given over to music and to Crystal, he had just enough awareness to realize he was happy. Happier than he’d felt in months.
He’d been battling with his desire to branch out into the world of jazz, to leave behind the grueling schedule of touring worldwide that had been his normal for his entire adult life. He’d made the huge step of announcing to his family that he was going to stay in town for the foreseeable future. Now, here he was with Crystal. Who’d known him forever. Who lived in Carmel. And who would now be only a short drive away. The thought thrilled him. She thrilled him. He felt both at peace with his life and excited for what the future could hold. If he played his cards right, Crystal would be in it.
They danced without stopping for what felt like hours. Crystal was the expert dancer, but this only served to make Damien move more intuitively. She made him look good. She made him better. When they finally parted, sweating and exhausted, they grinned at each other. He looked around to see the club had half emptied. It was obviously getting near to closing time. “Shall we head out?” he asked.
Crystal nodded. “I think my feet will drop off if I dance another step.”
“I’ll drive you home.”
Crystal looked disappointed. “I have my car.”
“I’ll follow you in mine, then,” he said quickly, “just to make sure you get back safely.”
Crystal looked as if she was about to say something, but stopped herself. “Okay,” she said quietly, and they headed out into the cool night air.
The moon was high in the sky and cast a silvery glow on their skin. The air cooled his sweat and he was grateful to be coming back down into his own, familiar body after feeling near drunk with the pleasure of holding Crystal’s shimmying body all evening. It took every ounce of self-control he had not to take her hand in his. They walked in silence to her car and when she was safely inside, he headed for his own and followed her lead as she pulled out of the parking lot. His heart was pounding in his chest as he drove through the familiar streets, Crystal’s taillights like a beacon of hope ahead.
When they got to her place, Damien pulled up behind her in the driveway and switched off the engine. He wasn’t exactly sure what to do next. All he knew was that he didn’t want the evening to end—the way he’d felt at the end of their hike. Leaving her side suddenly felt unnatural.
He got out, then went to open her car door for her. She took his offered hand as she stepped out. Now that they were face-to-face, she gave him a searching look. He held her gaze, feeling himself fall into her dark, expressive eyes.
Finally she said, “You did really well at salsa tonight.”
“I had a great partner.”
Silence fell. The tension between them was undeniable and he couldn’t hold back any longer. No more deliberation. No more overthinking it.
He murmured her name as he leaned down and took her cheeks in the palms of his hands. Her skin was like silk. “Crystal,” he murmured again, and then he closed his eyes and did what his whole body had been yearning to do all night. Softly, slowly, he pressed his lips to hers.
She responded immediately, her fingertips reaching up and running through his hair until he shivered with pleasure. She tasted like honey. And he couldn’t get enough.
Chapter Twelve
Crystal pulled away, her lips still tingling from Damien’s unexpected and seriously sexy kiss. Oh, she’d been kissed, but never anything like this. For all the years she’d fantasized about Damien kissing her, she now realized how far her fantasies had fallen short. The guy she’d been dreaming about was actually a way better kisser in real life. When did that ever happen—that the reality outshone the daydream? It was as though all her fantasies had suddenly rolled into one burning core of need.
Her head spun and she couldn’t seem to catch her breath. She gazed at him, still wondering if she’d just imagined that earth-shattering kiss. But as she took in the stunned expression on his face, she knew that it had been real. Damien Davenport had kissed her.
Every part of her was melting for him. It was as if her body had turned to molten gold and she was begging for his hands to shape her. She yearned for him, to rip off his clothes right here, right now, in the driveway, and enact every fantasy she’d ever had without a thought for what the neighbors would think. She wanted to invite him in so badly, to finish what they’d so spectacularly begun.
But something stopped her. She opened her mouth to speak and then closed it again. Just two tiny words. Come inside. But the words wouldn’t form themselves.
Maybe it was all the years of friendship between them—all the times she’d longed to be the girl in his arms and had been treated once again like a friend. Or, in the very early days, as though she was a slightly annoying appendage to a slightly annoying kid sister. Despite the true friendship that had grown between them since, she suddenly felt like a starry-eyed teenager again.
She had to be careful. Had to take care of her heart.
Panic gripped her and she felt torn in two. There was the voice in her head, trying to sensibly command her body, and then there was her heart, pulling her toward him. His hands were still looped around her waist as he gazed at her, and they began to caress her back. Even through her dress, every inch of her that he touched burned with need—need for him, need for everything he could give her. And yet, she had to be sensible. She had to think about everything at risk should she give in to a wild night of passion.
She shivered as Damien’s lips found her neck. She blamed the salsa. How could she dance so close to him, move with his body and his spirit in that uniquely connected way, without ending the night feeling like this? And yet, she danced salsa with men all the time. Sure, it was always fun, but she had to be honest with herself—dancing with Damien was not like dancing with anybody else. They weren’t just two bodies moving together in a shared rhythm. They were perfecting a dance that they’d been rehearsing for fifteen years.
She closed her eyes and concentrated on Damien’s soft lips as he teased her earlobe, murmuring her name. It had never sounded so sexy as when he whispered it. She shivered again, pleasure coursing through her body as she yearned with every cell of her being to have him inside her house, her bed, her body, her heart.
Was she completely out of her mind?
Through the fog of desire, she knew that this was a pivotal moment in her relationship—not only with Damien, but also with the Davenports, who felt like her extended family. If she took him to her bed tonight, as she so badly wanted to, it would change everything. Everything. Part of her longed to do that—to give in to the needs that she’d harbored for so long. But the more sensible part of her realized it could all go terribly, horribly wrong.
His lips left her earlobe and he pulled away, his eyes searching hers. The raw passion that had been there before was now giving way to something resembling speculation. He was leaving it to her to take the next step. On the one hand, she appreciated his being a gentleman. On the other, she wished he’d take the decision out of her hands and just pick her up and carry her inside. Instead, he was waiting for her to decide whether they should take this dance to its logical conclusion. As she held his gaze, her heart beating wildly, she could see he was moved by her, that he was just as dazed and overwhelmed as she by this moment.
And yet, as she opened her mouth to speak, the words that tumbled out revealed her worst fears. “Oh, Damien,” she said, “I’m not going to be one of your groupies.”
