I want to thank everyone for their support and encouragement. It is appreciated and invaluable
And once again, I have to give credit for the title and teasers to the great song by X --
Thank you --
W
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"So what do you intend to do now?" Darian asked his brother.
"I don't know." Damien was in his aunt's kitchen, leaning against the counter with a cup of coffee in his hand. He had spent a restless night on his aunt's sofa and had decided to call his brother to talk about what had happened with Charlie. "I need to find out what went wrong last night."
"What do you
think
went wrong?" his brother asked.
"Nothing," Damien said with a sigh. He could hear Eva in the background.
"Eva says you should gently force her to open up to you, demand she tells you about the scars you felt."
"Oh?" Damien asked. He was thankful for advice from his brother and his mate, feeling totally out of his depth.
"Yeah. She thinks they're the root of the obstacle."
"Huh." He took another drink of coffee. "And how does she recommend I gently force her to open up?"
"She says be kind. Let her know your love for her is unconditional. That nothing she can say will change how you feel for her. But, you have to be persistent, keep after her until she tells you. She may get angry at first, but she'll feel better when she's done."
"I don't think anger will be an issue," Damien said, smiling. "But...my love for her? Won't that freak her out more?"
"Good point. Don't use those words. Just allow the sentiment."
"You know, brother, while I'm sure the advice you two are giving is spot on, I am no clearer on a course of action."
"We know," Darian laughed and paused, listening to Eva. "She says trust your instincts and you'll be fine."
"I hope so."
"Go. Go woo your mate."
"I'm going."
"Good luck." With that Darian hung up the phone.
Damien dumped the rest of his coffee down the sink and washed his cup, placing it in the drain. He turned around to see his aunt in the kitchen doorway, smiling at him. He raised his eyebrows at her expectantly.
"Where are you off to this morning, Damy?" she asked.
"Charlie." He stepped past his aunt, nodding a good morning to his uncle behind her and heading out to the covered porch. He knelt down to put on his shoes, tying them quickly before bounding down the steps to his truck. He glanced at his reflection in the side-view mirror and ran his hands through his hair, smoothing it some before he climbed in. He backed down the driveway, turning to back in to a space in front of Charlie's room. He jumped out, striding to her door and pausing just before knocking when he heard her.
She was singing.
She was, in fact, singing her heart out
.
His heart swelled as he listened to her beautiful, sultry voice ring with such passion. He smiled, amazed that someone that seemed so frail and small to him could have a voice that big, and he closed his eyes, laying his forehead on her door, imagining her singing to him as he danced with her under the moon.
And I found a dream that I could speak to
A dream that I could call my own
I found a thrill to press my cheek to
A thrill that I have never known
Oh yeah yeah and you smile, you smile
Oh then the spell was cast
And here we are in heaven
For you are mine at last
He waited a moment, wanting to see if she started singing another song, but she didn't. He stepped back and listened to her moving about, unable to decipher what she was doing, and raised his hand to knock. Just as he was about to rap on her door, she opened it. She jumped back with a yelp and tripped over her own feet, falling hard on her butt and mumbling curses under her breath.
Damien looked at her and smiled, feeling a bit lightheaded as lavender and chamomile washed over him again. His mouth watered, remembering her taste, and he clenched his jaw. She was wearing well fitted cargo shorts in tan that stopped mid-thigh and a snug black t-shirt. Her dark brown hair hung loose around her shoulders.
"Holy fuck, Damien! You scared the shit out of me," she glared at him as she accepted his outstretched hand and let him pull her up.
"Sorry," he said, trying not to laugh.
"Right. I can tell you are." She pulled her hand out of his and stood in front of him, hip cocked, hands on her waist. Damien thought she looked adorable.
"Are you alright?" he asked, brushing his hand across her cheek.
"Yeah," she shrugged and brushed her hands over her ass. "Just standard Charlie Bell clumsiness."
"I didn't mean to startle you."
"Mmmhmmm." She smiled at him, shaking her head. "It's okay, I was just going to ask your aunt to call you, so to have you just show up was a bit disconcerting." She looked at him closely. "You're in the same clothes you had on last night."
"Yes." He smiled as he realized what she had said. "Why were you going to have my aunt call me?"
"You didn't go home last night?"
"I stayed at my aunt and uncles' house," he said, nodding his head towards the house behind the motel. "And stop trying to evade the question. Why were you going to have my aunt call me?" he repeated.
"Oh. Right," she looked down, crossing her arms over her abdomen in a move Damien didn't think she was aware of. "I wanted to apologize for last night."
"What happened?" he asked softly, but she just shook her head. He watched her for a minute, thinking about his sister-in-law's advice. He put his finger under her chin and raised her face. "Alright. We'll let it go.
For now
." He bent down and kissed her softly, nuzzling his nose to hers briefly. "We should go."
"Where are we going?"
