has been turned upside down since you came here.”
“All right,” he said. His face moved away.
“All right?”
“Well, there’s nothing I can do about that,” he said. “Except leave.”
I sat up. “You’re leaving?” Now I couldn’t decide if I wanted him to leave or stay.
“I’m not leaving.” He took his eyes off the box to frown at me. “I’m not a piece of furniture. When I come into your life, there will be complications. I can’t help that. I’m a human being. More or less.”
“More or less?”
He set the box aside, turned to me, and pulled me down on the mattress with him. We lay there on our sides, staring at each other. He brushed my hair out of my eyes, and then kept his hands to himself.
“I’m in your face,” he said gently, “that’s what it is. I barged in.”
“Well….”
Suddenly, lying with him on the bed where I could feel his warmth and energy, I wanted to touch him again. His eyes truly were beautiful. And his lips… when he flicked his bottom lip with his tongue my own lip tingled.
“It’s about this afternoon when I told you how I feel,” he said. “That scared you.”
“Well….”
“It feels like I’m stuck to you now, and you can’t scrape me off. You’re afraid I’m going to ask you to marry me. Or worse, just take over your house and run your life. You think I’m manipulative, and maybe I only said I love you to try to bend you to my will. Or maybe I’m just evil and I’m trying to get you fired, screw up your life and rob you blind before I take off to do it to somebody else.”
Frankly, I hadn’t thought of any of those things. Until now. I sat up, a little alarmed. “Well—”
“I’ll be straight with you,” he interrupted, sitting up. “I’ll show you why I’m here. Then you’ll either trust me or kick me out.”
“Okay. Good.” Yeah, this was what I needed, something solid to focus on. A decision based on physical evidence. Not pesky little emotions that ran crazy like tripped-out mice in a cage.
I sat up and got comfy to listen. He sat cross-legged in front of me, then grabbed me beneath the knees and slid me closer.
“Okay,” he said. “About a year before my granddad died he started acting really suspicious. I knew he was hiding something but I couldn’t find out anything until after he’d died.”
“Really? What did you find out?”
Damon stopped, apparently liking my interest, and smiled at me. He pulled my head closer and gave me a heated kiss, with parted lips, tongues and moisture. A kiss that would have led to much more if he hadn’t pulled back.
He cleared his throat, gave me a wicked half-smile, and continued. “The month before he died he put a box in his trunk and brought it here to Polar. I lost him when some idiot pulling a horse trailer turned right out in front of me. By the time I got around it, Granddad had turned off and I couldn’t find him. When I got home he was already back and the box was gone.”
“Wait a minute,” I said. “You followed your granddad here? Without him knowing?”
Damon nodded, waiting for my point.
“Why didn’t you just ask him what he was doing?”
“Because he was trying to outfox me.”
I was a little amused. “You really do think you have the right to know everybody’s business, don’t you?”
“This is important,” he told me sternly. “I found the box.”
“You did?” Now I was guilty of being a busybody, but I didn’t care. I was curious. “Where was it?” I nodded to the box on his lap. “Is that it?”
“This? No,” he said. “This is some of the stuff I found down in your cellar. Granddad’s box was in the drugstore.”
“He gave it to Chester?” Now I was anxiously curious. “They said they’d lost touch with your granddad. How did you get it?”
“I found it upstairs, in the back of a cabinet.”
“In the storeroom? When?” I wanted to see this box. I’d been in the storeroom a thousand times and hadn’t noticed
“All right,” he said. His face moved away.
“All right?”
“Well, there’s nothing I can do about that,” he said. “Except leave.”
I sat up. “You’re leaving?” Now I couldn’t decide if I wanted him to leave or stay.
“I’m not leaving.” He took his eyes off the box to frown at me. “I’m not a piece of furniture. When I come into your life, there will be complications. I can’t help that. I’m a human being. More or less.”
“More or less?”
He set the box aside, turned to me, and pulled me down on the mattress with him. We lay there on our sides, staring at each other. He brushed my hair out of my eyes, and then kept his hands to himself.
“I’m in your face,” he said gently, “that’s what it is. I barged in.”
“Well….”
Suddenly, lying with him on the bed where I could feel his warmth and energy, I wanted to touch him again. His eyes truly were beautiful. And his lips… when he flicked his bottom lip with his tongue my own lip tingled.
“It’s about this afternoon when I told you how I feel,” he said. “That scared you.”
“Well….”
“It feels like I’m stuck to you now, and you can’t scrape me off. You’re afraid I’m going to ask you to marry me. Or worse, just take over your house and run your life. You think I’m manipulative, and maybe I only said I love you to try to bend you to my will. Or maybe I’m just evil and I’m trying to get you fired, screw up your life and rob you blind before I take off to do it to somebody else.”
Frankly, I hadn’t thought of any of those things. Until now. I sat up, a little alarmed. “Well—”
“I’ll be straight with you,” he interrupted, sitting up. “I’ll show you why I’m here. Then you’ll either trust me or kick me out.”
“Okay. Good.” Yeah, this was what I needed, something solid to focus on. A decision based on physical evidence. Not pesky little emotions that ran crazy like tripped-out mice in a cage.
I sat up and got comfy to listen. He sat cross-legged in front of me, then grabbed me beneath the knees and slid me closer.
“Okay,” he said. “About a year before my granddad died he started acting really suspicious. I knew he was hiding something but I couldn’t find out anything until after he’d died.”
“Really? What did you find out?”
Damon stopped, apparently liking my interest, and smiled at me. He pulled my head closer and gave me a heated kiss, with parted lips, tongues and moisture. A kiss that would have led to much more if he hadn’t pulled back.
He cleared his throat, gave me a wicked half-smile, and continued. “The month before he died he put a box in his trunk and brought it here to Polar. I lost him when some idiot pulling a horse trailer turned right out in front of me. By the time I got around it, Granddad had turned off and I couldn’t find him. When I got home he was already back and the box was gone.”
“Wait a minute,” I said. “You followed your granddad here? Without him knowing?”
Damon nodded, waiting for my point.
“Why didn’t you just ask him what he was doing?”
“Because he was trying to outfox me.”
I was a little amused. “You really do think you have the right to know everybody’s business, don’t you?”
“This is important,” he told me sternly. “I found the box.”
“You did?” Now I was guilty of being a busybody, but I didn’t care. I was curious. “Where was it?” I nodded to the box on his lap. “Is that it?”
“This? No,” he said. “This is some of the stuff I found down in your cellar. Granddad’s box was in the drugstore.”
“He gave it to Chester?” Now I was anxiously curious. “They said they’d lost touch with your granddad. How did you get it?”
“I found it upstairs, in the back of a cabinet.”
“In the storeroom? When?” I wanted to see this box. I’d been in the storeroom a thousand times and hadn’t noticed
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