for me to cross the threshold.
In defiance, I stopped and stared at him, annoyed by the chivalrous act.
My annoyance seemed to amuse him because he gave a slight smile that reached his eyes. He had very strong, masculine features, eyes full of warning and a jawline so sharp it could cut glass, but when he smiled like that, he had a boyish innocence.
I stepped outside and joined him on the sidewalk. “Thank you.” I forced out the sentiment because it would be unacceptable to be impolite. I was annoyed that he was following me around, but at least he was being a nice guy.
Damien moved beside me and joined me on my walk to my apartment. He slid his hands into the pockets of his slacks, sticking out compared to all the casual people on the sidewalk. He looked like a man who didn’t walk anywhere because he had a private driver at his beck and call. “Want a ride home?”
I stopped in my tracks and stared at him. “Damien, how can I help you?” I had only had one interaction with him that was strictly professional, and now he was trying to take me home. “I used your services at the bank under the assumption you would respect my privacy. Instead, you come to my place of work, and now you’re walking with me as if we know each other. It’s inappropriate.” Maybe I was being harsh, but he’d abused his power.
With his hands still in his pockets, his body pivoted toward me, and he stared at me with a cold expression. His boyish charm was gone, and now there was a terrifying coldness about him. His eyes didn’t blink as they looked into mine, and he held the silence like he thrived in it. “I’ve never done this before.”
“Why don’t I believe you?”
He slowly raised an eyebrow, and that serious expression deepened into a terrifying one. “I can get a woman anywhere, anytime. I don’t need to follow a client like this to get a date.”
“So, I’m supposed to be flattered?” I asked sarcastically.
“A little.”
I rolled my eyes before I started to walk again.
Instead of that being the end of our conversation, he caught up with me. “Annabella.” My name rolled off his tongue so well, so elegant when spoken in his masculine tone.
The sound got me to stop walking, but I didn’t know why. “It’s Anna.”
He faced me again. “I prefer Annabella. Why would you want to shorten such a beautiful name?”
My mother had been the only one who liked to use my full name. Everyone else preferred the nickname. “I should get going. I’m already late.”
His eyes darkened like he knew I was lying. “I know what you’re going to say, but I’m going to ask anyway.”
When he’d dropped by the restaurant, I was annoyed because Liam had done that so many times. He assumed if he pestered me enough times, I might change my mind. Seeing another guy do the same thing brought back all those feelings of frustration. I had to remind myself that Damien wasn’t my ex-husband, that he couldn’t possibly understand where I was coming from.
He paused as he stared at me, taking in my features for a full minute before he continued speaking. “Let me take you out.”
I probably should have been flattered that a handsome, tall, muscular, rich guy came all the way down to my waitress job just to ask me out, but I wasn’t in the headspace to be flattered. I was still a mess from my divorce and particularly bitter about it. I was in my midtwenties and already divorced—my life wasn’t going well. “I’m not interested in dating right now.” I thought about giving him more of an explanation, but that shouldn’t be necessary. He knew I was divorced.
“Are you interested in fucking?” He asked the question with such confidence, it was obvious he had asked the same question before. With his straight shoulders thick and powerful, he held his body like a strong man who was nothing but muscle underneath that suit. He didn’t even blink as he asked something so blunt, like he had said worse things in his life.
“You just said you have no problem getting women, so you don’t need me for that.”
He took a step closer to me, bringing our bodies just inches from each other. His green eyes slightly shifted back and forth as he looked into mine. “True. But you’re the woman I wanna get.”
I’d been with other men