Page 38 of Twice as Tempting

Chapter 13

She fisted her hand in his shirt and pulled him inside the dark apartment. The dress bag clattered to the floor, but she didn’t care. She backed them up until she bumped into the couch, and then tumbled backward, taking him down with her.

His mouth was everywhere—on her lips, on her neck, insistent, demanding. Her body arched into his, and her dress crept up, exposing her bare thighs.

Then his warm, thick hands cupped her face, and he gazed at her with desire burning in his eyes. “Are we doing this?”

And then…

“Rise and shine, metro Detroiters. It’s another beautiful day in the Motor City.” The radio DJ’s voice broke through, and Kelly reached over to shut off the alarm.

The dream came as no surprise this time, especially after the kiss they had shared the night before! Kelly was proud of herself for not inviting Damian in after that, but boy, how she had wanted to. Damian had kept himself in check too, and she smiled when she thought about how seriously he was taking her rules.

She hummed a tune from the Backstreet Boys during her shower and while she got dressed, and then she headed out to the kitchen in search of breakfast. On her way past the front door, she noticed a piece of paper that had been wedged in the crack. Flyers were often shoved in the apartment doors, so she almost passed it by, but it looked like a plain piece of paper rather than a colorful ad, so she decided to investigate. She yanked the sheet of paper out, opened it up, and read: Your breakfast is served. Open your door. D.

He brought me breakfast? Kelly hurriedly pulled open the door, and there, sitting on her doormat, was a bag from the Clarkston bakery. Her mouth watered just looking at the bag, and she brought it up to her nose and inhaled deeply. “Perfection,” she said aloud and then glanced around to see if any neighbors were about. Nobody, thank goodness!

Kelly carried her treasure into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee, which she had programmed to brew the night before. When she bit into the Bavarian custard donut, she sighed. What a great way to start the day! When she was finished, she unplugged her phone from where it had been charging on the kitchen counter and fired it up. She tapped her fingernails on the kitchen table while she thought about what to write, and then she typed: Thanks for breakfast. What a nice surprise! K.

She didn’t expect Damian to answer right away, because his head was probably under the hood of a car, but a couple minutes later, her phone pinged. Wish I would have been there to see you eat it.

Oh boy. She knew what that meant. When she and Damian had been together the first time around, he had often commented on how he liked to watch her eat. Especially when it was something that she loved, like donuts or ice cream. If she recalled correctly, he had said that watching her eat turned him on! She thought for a few minutes and then replied: Flirting? This early in the morning?

Seconds later: There’s no wrong time to flirt!

Kelly glanced at the kitchen clock and realized that she had to go. She hurriedly typed: Have a good day and then shoved the phone in her purse.

When she pulled up in front of A New Chapter, there was Mrs. Simmons waiting at the front door, leaning on her cane.

“Hello, Mrs. Simmons,” Kelly called as she crossed the parking lot, and then she unlocked the door.

Mrs. Simmons skipped the pleasantries. “I’m on my way to the senior center, and I want to give the ladies a date for our book club meeting. You’ve had plenty of time, missy, so what’s it going to be?”

Kelly knew that she couldn’t put it off any longer, and she had given the book selection a lot of thought. She pulled the book out from behind the counter and held it up. “What would your friends think about a tale of forbidden love?”

“Keep talking,” Mrs. Simmons replied, looking intrigued.

“This is a story about an executive who falls in love with his assistant, although he’s determined not to act on it.”

“But eventually they do act on it, right?”

Kelly giggled. “Yes.”

“Is there a happily-ever-after ending?”

“Of course.”

“It’s perfect. The ladies will love it!”

Kelly was encouraged by Mrs. Simmons’s enthusiasm. “How long do you think they’ll need to read the book? It has three hundred and fifty pages.”

“Ha! That’s nothing for us retired folks, but of course, some of us don’t see very well, so it might take longer…”

“How about three weeks from now? I’ll order the copies today, and they should be here by tomorrow afternoon. That will give everyone enough time to read, don’t you think?”

“Yes, dear. Now, I know some of the ladies love to bake. Is it alright if we bring snacks?”

“We usually provide the snacks, but if you’d rather ask your friends, that’s fine by me.”