Page 35 of Twice as Tempting

Chapter 12

After their meal of pasta, salad, and bread, Kelly suggested that they walk around the Rochester Village Mall, which was where the Italian restaurant was located. It was an outdoor mall featuring upscale stores, but she wasn’t interested in shopping. One, she wanted to walk off their heavy meal, and two, she wasn’t ready to go home just yet.

Damian didn’t seem in a hurry to leave either, so they strolled side by side down the sidewalk, along with the other shoppers who were out enjoying the glorious late-summer weather.

“So, in the spirit of getting to know each other better, what are your parents’ names?” Damian asked with a smirk.

“Frank and Maria,” she replied, smirking back at him.

“Any siblings?”

“No. My mom had trouble getting pregnant, and she didn’t have me until she was forty-two. The doctor discouraged her from trying again after that.”

“Plus, how could she top you?”

Kelly darted a look at him to see if he was teasing, but he wore a serious expression.

“So, what was it like growing up as an only child?”

“It was great! I didn’t have to share my toys, and I always got my parents’ full attention. I know I’m not supposed to say that, but there it is. I never felt like anything was lacking in my life, plus I have tons of cousins, so I always had playmates.”

“When did your parents move to Florida?”

“After I graduated from college and got my first ‘real’ job. My mom wanted to move to a warmer climate, and my dad likes to make my mom happy, so there you have it. They live in Naples now.”

Kelly halted in front of a woman’s clothing store to admire a beautiful gown in the window. “Oh my gosh. I think that’s it. I think that’s the one.”

Damian looked baffled. “The one?”

“Yes, my maid of honor dress for Emma’s wedding.”

Damian leaned over her shoulder for a closer look, which momentarily distracted her from the dress. He smelled fresh and clean, with a hint of raw man.

“I would have thought you’d already picked out a dress by now,” he said gruffly.

Kelly felt his breath on her neck. If she turned her head slightly, they would have bumped noses. “Emma said that I could pick one out myself as long as it wasn’t too sexy. I’ve been looking, but I haven’t found anything yet.”

“Why don’t you go in and try it on?” Damian suggested.

“Really? I could come back another day so you don’t have to wait for me.”

He had taken a step back, but he was still standing close enough that she could see the gold flecks in his eyes. “I don’t mind,” he said.

“Ok.”

The minute they walked into the store, a saleswoman approached, and Kelly pointed at the dress in the window. When she gave the woman her size, the woman looked pained. “I’m afraid the only size eight is the one on the mannequin, and we don’t typically like to undress them. Perhaps I can order one for you.”

Damian spoke up before Kelly could respond. “That’s a bunch of crap. Why can’t you put another size on the mannequin?”

Kelly watched the saleswoman’s face turn crimson, and while she wanted to feel bad for her, she couldn’t. Damian had a valid point!

“If you don’t want to undress it, I will,” he added, and he was about to take the matter into his own hands, literally, when another saleswoman approached.

“Is there a problem here?” she asked, looking down at them through the narrow glasses that were perched at the end of her nose.

Kelly was beginning to feel uncomfortable. She had simply wanted to try on the dress, not make a spectacle of themselves. “No, there’s no problem. I was interested in the dress in your display window…”

“But”—Damian glanced down at the first saleswoman’s name tag—“Elaine doesn’t want to strip the mannequin,” he finished.