Chapter 13

Chapter 13
-MILLIE-
After that scorching kiss in front of my apartment, a constant buzz has been wheezing in my head. This felt like an out of my body experience, an astral projection, and I had no idea how to navigate this reality or to return to my body.
I couldn’t help looking at Damian’s elegant long fingers clutching his burger; my eyes were glued to his mouth with each. bite, practically salivating as he licked off the tiny smear of cheese from his lips. I remember how that mouth tasted, how those lips felt, and how those fingers grabbed me as if he owned me, how he ‘marked his territory.
Damian brought me to a popular rooftop bar in the city. We were treated as VIPs as soon as we entered the premises. 1 learned later that Damian and his team designed the renovation of the establishment, and he personally knew the owner.
Star-like lights hung above us, dangling with each whisper of the wind. Lanterns littered the floor, creating the illusion of an enchanted walk path. Tiny candle-shaped LED lights were atop the tables, matching the glowing lamps sc attered around us. Soft jazz music crooned from the speaker. The summer night temperature pleasantly caresses my hair.
We each finished a burger. A glass of beer, a medium basket of fries, and a plate of greens remained on our table.
“This place is cozy,” I commented, looking anywhere but at the man across from me. I’d avoided eye contact with Damian, only looking at him when he spoke. The butterflies in my belly were relentless, zapping my insides with their tiny wings cach time we locked gaze. It’s throwing me off my equilibrium.
It doesn’t help that Damian looked devilishly handsome in faded jeans and an ocean-hued button-down shirt, the first three buttons were undone, the sleeves rolled up his forearms, and the fabric stretched to accommodate his toned muscles. His hair was a crown of a beautiful mess, framing his stubble-covered jaws.
If we were in a different scenario, tonight would’ve made my top five romantic dates.
“It’s a good place for business talks, Damian replied, reminding me that this wasn’t a date.
Unlike me, he’d been watching me all night. If his eyes could shoot fire, I swear I would suffer from third-degree burns by now, I don’t know what his game was, but I already said yes to his deal. The more time I spend alone with him, the stronger this urge to rise and leave and hide in my apartment gets.
He doesn’t make me feel uncomfortable. Damian was the perfect gentleman all night. It’s my heart I couldn’t control. It’s been drumming wildly. If my date would investigate, he’d see the pulse on my neck drumming
“Cool,” I said, reaching for my untouched beer, finally taking a few sips. I promised never to get drunk, so I am careful with my alcohol intake. “Then let’s talk business.”
The quicker we finished this meeting, the sooner I’d be able to breathe. No matter how many deep breaths I pull in and puff out, there’s a tension in my body that won’t go away.
“I wouldn’t have brought you here if I knew you’d say yes,” he stated as a matter of fact.
My gaze darted to him from the perspiration on my glass.
He thought I’d decline? At least he wasn’t as self-assured as he appeared.
He sinirked. “I thought this was a business meeting.”
“Isn’t it?” My brows curled, throat going parched under his intense stare. What is it with him tonight? He’s been extra intense. I don’t remember him being like this back in high school. But I do remember this same heat from him on Saturday night.
“You said yes.” He leaned back on the leather seat, his powerful thighs spread wide under the frosted glass table. “So this is a date.
I choked on the brew I was sipping, hands darting to pluck a napkin from its wooden holder.
His point made sense. Technically, we’re together now. I wondered where he took his dates. The question, fueled by my
was o curiosity, on the tip of my tongue, but I bit it back. Diving into those romantic details will do me no good.
Business. This is a business meeting. I had to remind myself of that.
In the public’s eyes, yes,” I reiterated, gathering myself together “How do you propose we do this?”
Throwing questions was the safest route for me. I didn’t want to seem too eager.
He leaned forward, parking his corded forearms on the table. The tables were far enough so we could discuss the clauses of our deal, but Damian still spoke in a low voice. “You’d be my girl for a year.” Emerald gaze held mine captive.
My breath hitched, I’d be his girl..
“I know you loved working, so you’ll continue working here in Manhattan. I’ll come visit you twice a month and take you out on dates. More if my schedule permits, out-of-town if our schedule allows. Are you cool with that?”
I can’t help but smile. He put so much thought into this deal. “Yes, I loved working, but we’re moving Effortless Event’s main office to Roslin City
His eyebrows curled, so I explained. “Candice will be moving to Roslin City with Aaron, and since Hunter and I were engaged, we decided it was best to move the office to Roslin City”
“You were ready to settle down with that as shole,” he s
stated.
“I was,” I said, scowling. The pain of Hunter’s betrayal resurfaces. “He didn’t even know that I was working on moving cities. for him. He thought I was too busy with my work.”
Damian blew out a breath, leaning back on his chair. “He’s an idiot for letting you go. He’s realizing that, trust me.
I smiled, grateful for his sympathy.
“I hope so. I want him to drool over me,” I was half kidding.
“We’ll make sure he does.” Damian chuckled. “I’m working on buying my own place in Roslin as well.”
“Yeah?”
“I think you’ll like that one. Remember Maynard Sten?”
“The beach house?” he nodded. “Wow. That place is gorgeous, D”
“It is.” He told me how he planned to renovate the place once the sale was done, then he shifted to a more impor “How sure are you that you told Felicity we were engaged?”
Distorted images and clips of my conversation with Felicity in the ladies’ room were my only basis. I might or mig have said it, but Damian already knew that. “60 40,” I sighed. “I hate not remembering.”
Damian’s shoulder tensed for a beat as he lifted the glass to his lips. “About that. I don’t want you drinking without m sounded genuinely concerned about my welfare.
“I can do that, and I promise never to drink beyond my limits again, no matter how pi ssed I am, anyway.”
“Good” his words were cut off by the simultaneous buzzing of our phones on the table. We frowned at each other. Nancy face blanketed his screen device while Mom was on my cell
Nancy was Candice’s mom.
“Hey, Nancy Damian surprised me by answering his call in front of me. Hunter always took his calls privately, no matter who was calling him
III
09:19 Sat, Feb 10
Chapter 13
I answered mine, too. “Hey, Mom.
“Hey, honey. Are you with Damian?” she asked in her familiar sweet voice. My frown deepened, gaze locking with Damian, which tells me that Nancy likely asked him the same question.
“She’s with me,” he answered.
“Yeah, I responded to Mom.
“So it’s true?” There’s a hitch in Mom’s voice that unsettles me
“What?”
“You two are dating?” The accusation in her tone didn’t sit well with me. But under all that was curiosity and a pinch of excitement missing in our last conversation. The night she learned of Hunter and Natalie. “Since when?”
“It’s still pretty new, mom. I stood up and leaned on the railings, needing air in my lungs. Nerves were wracking my insides. We haven’t even touched down discussing how we’d play this in front of our families,
“Oh, that’s wonderful news,” I can hear Nancy’s hushed voice in the background.
1 felt a brewing scheme was about to come, and it did. “Nancy and I will be in Colorado for the weekend, she murmured. “Let’s have dinner and catch up.”
Catching up meant she’d interrogate me about Hunter and Damian.
“Will you be a doll and ask Damian to come with you? I haven’t seen him in forever.”
“Mom…” I groaned, picturing a dinner disaster with Damian and me in the center of the storm.
“Come on, honey. It’s not like we haven’t done this before. But Nancy and I are ecstatic to learn about this news” I thought she’d be crying over my failed engagement with Hunter.
I threw a glance at Damian. He’s already finished talking to Nancy with a serious look. He said yes, d amn it! He’s always been a s ucker for Nancy. Sometimes I wonder if Damian was Nancy son’s in another lifetime, really.
“I’ll ask him, okay? But no promises.”
“Of course, honey, she breathed, conceding, but then she said. “See you this weekend.”
“You said yes?” I asked Damian, my tone accusing as I plonked back in my seat.
“Have you met Nancy?” he grumbled, tossing his beer down his throat.
“We need to get our stories straight.”
Mom and Nancy’s tandem was a force to be reckoned with.
Damian pinched his eyes shut. “We do. But before we go on, I have to tell you something… about Saturday night.” 1 straightened my spine, the tiny hairs on my nape perched up. “You told me some very personal stuff,” his contemplation made my heart pound.
“What?” My voice was so small I didn’t think he heard me.
He leaned closer, eyes searching my face. “Things you’ve written in your journal.”
It felt like he emptied a bucket of iced water over my head. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole.
“And vivid details about your intimate relationship with that creep.”
“Oh, my Go d.” I gasped, hands coming up to hide my face from him.
09:20 Sat, Feb