off the hook tonight.
He dismissed me at the restaurant, but I won’t let him ignore me now.
He walks me to my door like he’s walking to a hanging—his. Before he can turn around and leave, I drop the box and pull him to me for a kiss. I give him everything I have to offer in that kiss; my loyalty, affection, and maybe a piece of my heart.
He doesn’t respond at first, but as I part his lips with my tongue, he gives in and kisses me in return. His passion pours into me, and I have no doubt that he feels something for me.
“I care about you,” I whisper against his neck as I settle into a hug.
“You shouldn’t.” He gently pushes away until our eyes connect. “I’m not good for you.”
“Let’s take it one kiss at a time, okay?”
He shoves his hands in his pockets and looks down at the ground like an uncertain kid. “I’ll see you Saturday at six.”
I pick up the box, close the door behind me, and watch him walk to his car and drive away.
“What’s in the box?”
I jump several inches at Em’s voice.
“Shit, Em! You scared the living daylights out of me.”
She looks out the window at Damon’s fading taillights. “I see things are moving forward with Mr. Noble. That was quite a kiss on the porch.”
“Were you spying on us?”
She was because Em doesn’t like to be the last to know about anything.
“How else am I going to find out what’s going on around here?”
I move to the couch and set the box on the cushions. “You could stay home occasionally, and then you’d have the 411.”
She reaches for the box top and flips the lid off. We both look at the ice-blue gown carefully placed within the tissue. I pull it out and let it unfold. It has a round scoop neck and beading that goes all the way to the floor with a slit that rises to mid-thigh. The color is familiar, it’s the same as Damon’s eyes.
“Did he buy you this dress?”
I hold it up to me and turn around. The beaded fabric feels heavy in my hands, but it’s too beautiful to put down.
“No, his mother picked it out and thought it would look nice on me. I’m attending the Philharmonic on Saturday with them to pay tribute to Roman.”
“Hmm. Now you’re dining with the parent. Wow, you move fast.” She touches the scarf hanging around my neck. “Where did you get this?”
“Don’t you miss anything?”
“Nope, but I can figure out the connection. First, it’s the book, then the scarf. It sounds kinky.”
A shiver runs up my spine. “You have no idea.”
“I might,” she says. “Listen, Anthony and I are going to Catalina on Friday, and we’ll be gone until Sunday. I worried you might get lonely, but now that I know you’ll be with Damon, I feel better about leaving.”
“Even if I didn’t have plans, I’d be all right. This is my last weekend at Java Joes, so things won’t be so crazy.” I set the dress back into the box and run my fingers down the beads. “How are things going with Anthony?”
A big smile spreads across her face. “It’s almost too good to be true. Things are dreamlike. What about you and Damon?”
“Damon is … complicated. He’s convinced he’s bad for me, and he keeps cautioning me, but I see something good in him.”
“Just be careful, okay? If someone likes you enough to caution you about themselves, you should at least consider their warnings.”
“I will.”
I give her a big hug and take the dress to my room.
I feel like Cinderella on her way to the ball.
Chapter Eleven
Thursday and Friday pass without a word from Damon, but it’s no surprise with the way he acted the other night.
One minute he’s playful, and the next minute he’s distant. I don’t understand what to make of it, so I let him have his space. Not knowing if he’s still picking me up for the concert, I send him a quick text.
Are we still on for tomorrow? I need to know if I should make other arrangements for transportation.
Within seconds he texts back, confirming he’ll arrive at six. That was it. Just a verification. No hello. No how are you? Nothing.
Saturday zooms past, and I rush home after work to shower. I have less than an hour to put myself together. Just as I’m applying my lipstick, the doorbell rings. I hop on one foot to the door,