“That if this isn’t working for you, or you get bored, or anything . . . that you’ll be honest with me. You won’t just stop talking to me, or pretend you’re happy when you’re not.”
The words he’d used describing his relationship with Lena flew back at him. He wished he could take them back. “You have my word.”
“Even if it’s painful.”
“Even if it’s painful, Grace. I respect you too much to consider any of those things.”
The line was silent.
“Thank you,” she finally said.
“No . . . thank you. For trusting me with that story.”
“It feels good to say all of that out loud.”
“Is this the first time you did?”
“My family knows what happened, but yeah. I don’t talk about it with them. Erin could have died. She was in the ICU for days. Seemed my brush with her ex was nothing in comparison.”
Dameon rubbed the tension settling in his shoulders. He wished he was there, holding Grace as she told her story. “I’m not a therapist, but I’m guessing they might point out that watching someone get shot and being the one who is shot can have long-lasting effects on both people.”
“I-I never thought about it like that.”
“I do.” And since Dameon had an insane desire to lift Grace’s mood, he told her something he thought she’d want to hear. “I told my mother about you.”
“You what?”
“Yeah. Right after we met. You hadn’t agreed to date me, but I told my mom that we already were.”
“You were that sure I’d cave?”
“I was that sure I wasn’t going to let you slip away without trying everything I could to give me a shot.”
“Really?”
“Really. Now that we have that out of the way . . . What the hell is a catfisher?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
New Year’s Eve was meant for sequins and sparkle and dresses that hugged your curves and high heels that made a man take you in from the tip of your head to the bottom of your toes.
So when Dameon showed up at her condo to pick her up, she opened the door to a bouquet of white roses and a man who couldn’t find his tongue.
He blew out a slow whistle. “Whoa.”
“Is that approval?” She knew it was, but asked anyway.
Dameon held the flowers to the side and walked through her door. “We can pretend we went and just stay home instead.” He slid a hand around her waist and wiggled his eyebrows.
“It took me forever to get ready.”
“It will take me less than ten minutes to mess it all up,” he teased.
She ran her hands up his suit and fiddled with his perfect tie. “Hi,” she whispered before reaching up for a kiss.
He kissed her thoroughly and moaned when she moved away.
Grace wiped the red lipstick off his mouth. “This isn’t your color.”
He licked his lips and smiled.
She glanced at the flowers in his hand while he stared at her. “Are those for me?”
Dameon lifted the roses toward her. “You make me forget my own name.”
“They’re beautiful.”
“You’re stunning.”
Yeah, that didn’t suck to hear.
He walked behind her while she gathered a vase to put the flowers in. Dameon’s strong hands held on to her waist and his lips kissed the side of her neck.
“You’re making this hard,” she said.
“I’ll stop.” Only he kissed her neck a second time before placing his lips to her ear. “I want to show you off.”
Because Dameon had told her they were going into the city, she’d packed an overnight bag to stay at his place. So with that in his hand, and a coat on her shoulders, they headed out for their first official date.
He led her to a Cadillac sedan and opened the door. “When did you get this?” she asked. She thought she’d be hiking it up in his truck instead of sliding into luxury.
“I have more than one car,” he told her.
“Of course you do.”
He closed the door, rounded the car, and got in on the driver’s side.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going now?” she asked.
He pulled away from her complex and onto the main road. “Since my dad died, I’ve helped sponsor a Heart Association New Year’s Eve event.”
“Sounds fancy.”
“Don’t be too impressed. I’m one of many sponsors. I buy a table, invite some of my senior staff to join in. It works for charity and employee morale.”
Which meant she was going to meet people he worked with. That made her nervous. “I’m glad I dressed up.”