Page 24 of Twice as Tempting

Chapter 9

“Where are you taking me?” she asked. He had tied a bandanna around her eyes so she couldn’t see, and now he was leading her down the hall.

“Patience,“ he replied.

The blindfold was something they hadn’t used before, and she kind of liked the idea of relinquishing control to him.

The apartment was small, so she knew that he was leading her to his bedroom, but she decided to be a good sport and played along.

He backed her up to the edge of the bed and gently pushed on her shoulders to get her to sit.

“Can I take the blindfold off now?”

“Why don’t you lay back first?”

She thought her heart might pound right out of her chest. His little game was starting to feel like something more, but she lay back and sank into the soft mattress. She didn’t have to see it to know that it was the same mattress that they had tried out in the furniture store.

Suddenly the bed dipped on her left side, and she felt Damian’s presence surround her.

“Do you like it?” he asked, his voice low and breathy.

She nodded, unable to trust her voice.

“Do you want me to take the blindfold off now?”

His voice came from above her, and he was so close that she felt his breath against her cheek.

“No,” she whispered.

“What do you want, Kell?”

“I want you to kiss me,” she said.

And the next thing she knew, his lips were on hers—warm, hard, demanding. His hands entangled in her hair, and he had lowered himself over her so their chests rubbed together enticingly. Her hips automatically arched up to meet his, and then…

The sound of her alarm clock broke through.

Kelly reached an arm out and swatted at the clock until she found the off button. “Ugh!” she yelled to the empty room. She pounded her fists against the mattress a few times to release her frustration. “This has got to STOP!”

She sat up in bed and took a few deep breaths. Thank goodness she had a full day ahead of her. First, she had to work, and then she was going out with Ken. Anything to take her mind off Damian, which was easier said than done.

The first thing she did when she left the apartment was glance at his parking spot, which was already empty. Damian had mentioned that he worked at the car shop on Saturdays, so she figured that was where he was. She tried not to think about the gentle kiss that he had given her last night, or the way he’d held her hand at Depot Park. He had been about to tell her something, but she had cut him off. Now Kelly wondered what he had wanted to say.

When she pulled into the parking lot of A New Chapter, there was Mrs. Simmons standing outside, waiting for the store to open.

“Did you run out of books already?” Kelly teased as she unlocked the door.

“No. I came to see if you picked out a book for our romance club yet.”

Mrs. Simmons was a widow, and Kelly suspected that loneliness was often what brought her to the store. She came in at least three or four times a week, sometimes just to browse, but she bought a lot of books too. She also supported the store by telling all her senior friends about it, so Kelly and Emma did their best to please her.

“I haven’t chosen one yet, but I’m getting closer. Do you want to see which ones I’m considering?”

“Love to,” she replied.

Kelly pulled a stack of romance novels out from behind the counter and showed them to Mrs. Simmons. Since Kelly had already read them all, she gave Mrs. Simmons a synopsis of each, and then listened to her opinions. Kelly’s back was to the door, so when it chimed, she didn’t see who had entered, but Mrs. Simmons did, and her eyes grew wide.

“What?” Kelly whispered.