Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 87091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Damien had to look away. Their connection was so intimate, so intense. He felt a little sorry that he didn’t have that himself. Maybe it was time. Maybe he was ready, after all these years of playing sold-out concerts around the world and having pretty much everything he wanted with the snap of his fingers. He envied this thing that so many people around him seemed to have and which he’d never yet experienced.
A real partner. The kind of love that lasted a lifetime.
Jay approached them and immediately slung an arm around Erin’s shoulders. He nodded to Damien. “How’s it going, bro?”
Damien nodded back. He still wasn’t used to seeing Jay and Erin together, but at least now he understood it. “Good,” he replied, although the true answer was: Mixed up.
Erin grabbed her phone from her pocket. “I just got a text from Crystal,” she said, sending a significant glance at Damien.
He was about to say, “Don’t tell her you saw me.” But this was Erin. She would never betray a confidence. So he kept his mouth shut, and simply nodded.
Erin said, “I’m going to head over to her place. Why don’t you two hang out for a while?”
Jay glanced over her head at Damien with a fake tough-guy expression. “Well, that depends on whether you’re going to try and beat me up again.”
Damien had to chuckle. “I admit I was a little overprotective of my sister.” Then he said to Erin, “Are you absolutely sure he treats you right?”
She nodded, amusement dancing in her eyes. “I am absolutely convinced he treats me right. In fact, he couldn’t treat me any better if he tried. Which he does. Frequently.”
Damien pretended to give it some thought, then grinned at Jay. “Then I won’t try to beat you up.” He raised a finger. “But if you ever hurt her…” He left the rest of the sentence hanging.
Jay raised his eyebrows. “Fair. And same goes. I don’t care if you’re her brother. If you ever hurt her, you’ll be hearing from me.”
Erin shook her head at the two of them, but Damien could tell she was pleased that they’d agreed to spend some time together. “I’ll leave you two to play testosterone Ping-Pong. I’ve got to go.”
They walked up to Jay’s house, where Erin got into her car.
As they waved goodbye, Jay said, “I think we’ve got some sort of weird plant-based green tea thing I could make you.”
Damien raised an eyebrow and then laughed. It was time he got to know Jay better—for his sister’s sake.
Chapter Fifteen
Crystal was a mess. She couldn’t believe what had happened between her and Damien. She paced the entire length of her small house, again and again, hardly able to think of anything but that kiss. His soft but insistent lips. The sandalwood scent of his skin and the feel of his hair as she curled it beneath her fingertips. The sound of his gentle moan as he pulled her body close to his.
In the minute they had stood in that sexy embrace, everything had changed. She felt electric, as though her body had finally awakened from a deep slumber and was ready to go, yet also as though she had just blown up one of her most cherished friendships.
Why had they gone dancing? Everything would have been okay if they hadn’t. Sure, she had feelings for Damien. She’d always had feelings for Damien. For years, she’d managed to tamp them down and enjoy their friendship. And now, just because he said he was going to stay for a while and they’d been dancing so close, she’d let down her guard.
To truly dreadful consequences.
Because she had been ignoring his calls. His text messages. He’d even sent her an email. She couldn’t bring herself to talk to him right now. In all their years of friendship, she had never once screened a call or not replied to a text. It worked both ways. Even when Damien was in the middle of a busy tour, if Crystal wanted to talk, he would find a quiet moment and sneak away from the band to call her. He had always made her feel that the miles between them were nothing.
She groaned out loud, still pacing. She wasn’t sure who she blamed more—herself or Damien. Yes, she should have been more vigilant and made sure her unwavering attraction, that torch she’d been carrying for Damien all these years, had remained hidden. But she blamed him too. He had made the first move. He had crossed the line she’d so painstakingly kept drawn between them.
Because she had been there all the time.
She’d been there since they were kids, and only now was he seeing her—really seeing her? But when she’d made it clear that she wasn’t willing to just be another girl to him, treated like one of his groupies with whom he was happy to spend a little while before he moved on? Then he became defensive and unsure about what he was doing.