But then I sensed her gaze on me.
I knew it was her without seeing her. There was something about her aura that resonated with mine. Her unexpectedappearance caught me off guard, and I was already fighting to keep my head above water.
Fuck.
My mood instantly plummeted. Something about this girllit me up like Fourth of July fireworks. I plastered on a charming expression to hide the unease that swirled inside me.
“Damien! Hi! We made it.” Jade was all smiles as I walked out from behind the table and pulled her into a hug.
“I didn’t realize you’d be here.” I let her go, and she automatically stepped back—next toher.
“Honestly, we weren’t sure we would make it in time. Traffic was a mess. But you know we wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
I finally turned to acknowledgeher.
Cadence.
Of course, I remembered her name. Even though I tried hard not to.
She was beautiful, but in a way that made you wonder if she knew just how beautiful she was. Petite, but feisty. Clearly, she had no problem holding her own. Despite a slim waist, her shorts hugged her curves, and there was definitely enough of her to hold to. But her most striking feature was her honey-colored eyes. They had pulled me in from the very first time I’d held her gaze across the bar back in Charleston.
There was electricity behind them, passion. And I’d sought that light the rest of the night.
Idiot.
She couldn’t know she’d left an impression on me. That of all the women who had propositioned me since that night didn’t hold a candle to the fire that burned within me for her. Something like that would only make me vulnerable, and the last thing I needed was another groupie to get the idea that I wanted more from them. I wasn’t that kind of guy anymore.
Always so full of yourself. She already has a boyfriend, fuckface. She doesn’t want you, anyway.
Whatever.
As soon as I’d found out she had a boyfriend, it was like theproverbial ice bucket had been dumped over my head. I didn’t usually fuck around with other guy’s girls. And if I needed to keep telling myself that to keep my thoughts on the straight and narrow—to stop from imagining myself peeling off every piece of fabric covering her skin—that’s what I’d do.
“I didn’t think I’d be seeing you again…” I paused. “Cassie?”
God, I was an ass.
She crossed her arms over her chest, giving me a better view of her cleavage, an adorable pout forming on her mouth. “It’s good to see you too, Derek. I mean, Damien.”
I bit the inside of my cheek, fighting excruciatingly hard to keep the smirk from my lips.
Tou-fucking-ché
Jade giggled. “Damien. You remember my sister, Cadence.”
“Ah. Right. Cadence. My bad.”
I looked away from them, deliberately steering clear of Cadence’s penetrating gaze. Even though I was deep in my own denial, I couldn’t shake the remnants of what echoed inside me the last time I’d been caught there.
Undeniable desire.
Profound hunger.
Insatiable need.
I needed to get out of here.To escape that magnetic pull of her presence.“Enjoy the show. I’m heading to the bus.”
Moving away without sparing them another glance, my lungs burned, my muscles ached.I knew I was being a dick to Cadence, but I didn’t know how to be anything else.
