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eyes finally met hers. Ok.
And as she walked away, Steve felt his soul being shattered into a million pieces.
Chapter 10
Lily sat at the end of the guest room bed in Kevin and Andi s new house. The sound of the
Grandfather Clock in the foyer echoed through her empty heart. The ticking reminded her of all the
seconds she was wasting feeling lonely. The chimes alerted her to another half hour gone. Or was it
an hour? She didn t know.
It had been three days since she had spoken to Steve. She had packed an overnight bag the morning
after their talk and had shown up at Kevin s doorstep after an emotional day of teaching. Andi had
welcomed her with open arms, feeding her dinner and insisting on a girl s night. Kevin had been
quiet, watching her every move and giving her time to open up about what happened. She admitted her
feelings about Steve and talked about how torn she was between letting her heart or her head win.
The only time she had laughed was while she talked on the phone to Damien. They had spent hours
talking every night. His band rehearsal was going well and her teaching assignment was coming to an
end as summer quickly approached. He told her stories about his band mates and they laughed about
childhood memories with her sister. She felt at peace during their calls and realized that he not only
deserved a chance¸ but that he was willing to follow her to the ends of the earth to get it.
She pulled her white sundress from her bag and let her hair fall in waves to her mid-back. She smiled
in the mirror as the first wave of excitement hit her. This was their first official date and she was
happy she had made the choice and said yes. It s ok to feel something. She whispered to herself in
the mirror.
A soft knock sounded at the door and Kevin stuck his head in. He smiled at her and whistled. Your
date is here. Make sure you re home before midnight, young lady.
Watch who you re calling a lady. Kevin laughed as Lily smiled at him. Thanks, dad. I ll do my
best.
Lily walked down the hall and stopped short when she saw Damien. Hi.
Hi. Damien grinned. His dark hair was spiked on top and his piercing blue eyes drew her in. Slight
stubble lined his jaw. She longed to touch it. His smile made her heart flutter.
She knew in that instant that moving forward with him had been the right choice. Her distance from
Steve had been good. She knew she loved him more than she could ever explain. But his choice to
move forward, without giving her a chance, was one she would have to live with. Damien was a good
man and she knew he could make her happy.
He had chosen a restaurant in a high rise in Santa Monica Beach. Getting off the elevator at the
eighteenth floor, Damien took Lily s hand. She gasped as she took in the view. The floor to ceiling
windows were framed in white cascading curtains that gave it a romantic feel. The sunset in the
background took her breath away. He led her to the white couches surrounding their table. Candles
danced and the chandelier sparkled. The waiter brought them a bottle of champagne and left them
alone.
This is so beautiful. Lily was breathless.
Damien s eyes roamed her body and his heart began to thunder in his chest. You are beautiful. He
handed her a glass of champagne and motioned for her to sit.
Lily s eyes remained glued to the sunset. Thank you for this. I don t know what to say.
Thank you for saying yes. He ran his hand down her arm and she leaned back into his chest.
Her skin was soft and warm and he wanted more. He leaned in to kiss her neck and she moaned. His
pants were getting impossibly tight. His hands massaged the tight muscles in her shoulders and as she
relaxed, he smiled. She pressed her back into his chest, looking over her shoulder and smiling. He
was suddenly nervous.
He could stand up in front of thousands of people, singing and dancing and didn t have a care in the
world. But sitting here in this small booth, surrounded by romance, his palms began to sweat. He
chuckled and she turned to look at him. I m suddenly nervous.
She giggled. Me too.
As the appetizers arrived at the table, Lily s nerves were beginning to disappear. By the main course,
all her nervousness was completely gone. She laughed at Damien s jokes and had to wipe the tears
from her eyes several times. He was full of personality, his face animated when he would talk about
something he was passionate about. The conversation flowed with no awkward pauses. It was as if
they had known each other forever.
A group of women came up to the table and asked for his autograph. He smiled as he signed their
napkins and they giggled. Lily knew it was only the beginning. As their song hit the top of the charts,
there would be groupies in every city. A pang of jealousy hit her and she smiled knowing that the
feelings she was developing for Damien were real.
She saw a lot of Steve in Damien. They had the same mannerisms and the same big eyes that she
could drown in. The differences were also very apparent. Where Steve was closed off, Damien was
wide open to the idea of a relationship. He welcomed it and she was drawn to that. He leaned into
her as they talked, capturing her complete attention. There were moments she felt guilty, like she was
cheating on her heart. But her head knew better. The undeniable truth was that Steve wasn t ready,
and may never be. Damien looked at her like she was the only woman in the world. That did amazing
things to her heart. Her grin was so big, her face hurt.
So, tell me more about the tour. Lily took a bite of her cheesecake and sighed. He watched her
mouth and couldn t help but groan. Watching her eat was one of the sexiest things he had ever seen.
It s a 36 city tour. We ll be opening for the band Ripping Pages. Ever heard of them?
Lily s jaw dropped. Hell yes! I have the biggest crush on their lead singer, Van Whitaker.
Van s cool. Damien chuckled. We ll kick off their nationwide tour. We ve got a twenty minute set
before they go on. It s a huge opportunity for us. They ll go on to finish the tour and we ll be back in
the studio to record our second album. We leave mid June.
I m so excited for you. Her smile melted his heart.
I ll miss you Lily. Would you be willing to come see me on the road? It ll be crazy but I can t
imagine spending three months without seeing your face. Damien held his breath as her eyes
searched his.
She put her fork down and took his hand. I would be honored to come see you. I ll be done with
classes and I ll have the whole summer free.
He rubbed circles on the back of her hand with his thumb and she shivered. What would you like to
do next, beautiful? We could go out to a club, go see a movie, walk the beach. You name it.
Is this where they ve got you and the band staying? Her cheeks pinked when she asked and Damien
wanted to grab her and kiss her. Her no kissing rule was his enemy. Their chemistry and flirting at
dinner made him want to pin her to the couch cushions and have his way with her.
We have a suite down one floor. He cleared his throat, suddenly aware of the change in
temperature in the room.
Let s go curl up on your couch and watch a movie. I ve enjoyed being alone with you. I d love it if I
didn t have to share you with anyone else.
Let s go. Damien led her out of the restaurant. His hand came to rest of the small of her back and it
was a surprisingly intimate gesture. She melted into him and at that moment, he would have done
anything to make her happy.
Their suite was on the seventeenth floor overlooking the beach. His band mates were all out for the
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