Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
A fter their delicious meal, Damon didn’t want the night to end. He wanted to prolong his time with Audra and invited her to go for a walk. Thankfully, she said yes.
He grabbed an unmarked cap and sunglasses from his vehicle—a “disguise” he kept for when he wanted to go incognito. He pulled the cap low on his forehead before they set off down the sidewalk.
They walked in comfortable silence for a while. Occasionally, cars passed by, and every now and again a pedestrian approached, nodding a greeting as they walked by.
“Do you miss being anonymous?” Audra asked.
“Sometimes,” Damon admitted. “But then I remember how blessed I am. I mean, I get to play baseball, a sport I took up when I was a kid—and make a ton of money doing it. Being recognizable is a small price to pay for the privilege, and most times it’s not too bad. Like right now, no one expects to see me walking down the street, so even if they recognize me under this cap and behind these sunglasses, they’ll think they made a mistake.” He paused. “The worst part isn’t the fans, although they can sometimes become outrageous.”
“Outrageous how?”
“Doing anything to meet me, which includes hiding in my hotel room or something else crazy.”
“My brother Ignacio is an actor, and as he becomes more famous, the stories become more outrageous, so I know what you mean. My father was an actor too, and boy, does he have tales to tell!”
“You understand where I’m coming from.”
“I do,” Audra said with a nod. “So what’s the worst part?”
“The media, or what they call media nowadays. Every person with a camera and a mic is a journalist now, and the real journalists have become sensationalists to keep up. Stories from anonymous sources, hearsay, and plain old gossip about shit they don’t know.”
“Jumping to conclusions without the facts,” Audra said.
“Exactly. Shit is exhausting sometimes. Mostly I ignore the stories, unless it’s something so bad I need to get my PR team involved. Other times, we use them, creating our own publicity for whatever we want.”
“Sounds sneaky.”
He shrugged. “I call it making lemons out of lemonade.”
As they continued walking and talking, Damon realized he was very relaxed. Being with Audra was low pressure. He didn’t feel the need to perform and didn’t have to be “The Flash,” the way he did with other women. He could simply be Damon.
Every now and again, their arms brushed, and awareness seeped through his shirtsleeves and rippled over his skin. He wondered if she experienced the same sensation.
“I have a question for you,” he said.
“Okay.” She dragged out the word, sounding cautious.
“Don’t sound so worried. It’s a simple question. You dissed my house when you were there, so?—”
“I didn’t diss your house,” she said, sounding appalled.
“You said it was colorless and cold. Is that a compliment?”
“I mean…”
“That’s what I thought. So, you dissed my house,” Damon continued. “What would you change?”
“Are you asking me for decorating tips?”
“A little. I don’t know anything about decorating. I thought about hiring someone to help me, but I figured I could do okay on my own. I’m kinda frugal. We didn’t have much when I was growing up, and I know I won’t play ball forever. Hell, I could get injured this year, and my career could end, so I’m really careful with my money.”
“Which means you want me to help you for free?”
“Yes,” he confirmed.
She laughed—and once again, he was smitten by her beauty when she did. The tightness in his chest—an unfamiliar stirring—suggested he felt more than attraction, but he didn’t want to delve too deeply into his innermost thoughts at the moment.
“Your place isn’t bad, but you definitely need more color and different textures. Everything is hard and white.”
“I was going for a clean, finished look.”
“You can still achieve that with a few changes. What you have now could be the baseline, and then you layer in the changes.” She spoke with her hands as she explained. “That’s my opinion.”
“Okay,” Damon said, nodding.
“I’ll text you some suggestions and examples of pillows and furnishings you can add. They’ll be nice pieces that aren’t expensive. Nothing drastic—if you’re really open to change.”
“I am, and that would be great. Thanks.” He saw this as a good sign that she was interested in communicating with him in the future, and if her voice was any indication, she seemed excited about pulling together items for him.
They approached the restaurant again, and Damon felt disappointment trickle through him. They came to a stop near the door. “If you like, I can drop you at home instead of you having to call another car,” he suggested.
She gazed up at him. “I don’t want to inconvenience you. I live far from here, south of the city.”
“I don’t mind at all. Besides, it’ll give us a chance to talk some more about how you can improve the decor in my condo. Now there’s a word I never thought I’d hear myself say— decor .”
One of her pretty smiles lit up her face. “If you don’t mind, I don’t mind.”
“Right this way.” He extended his arm, and she took it.
He escorted her to his SUV and helped her climb into the passenger side. He went around to the driver’s side, removed his hat and sunglasses, and placed them in the back.
On the ride to her house, they talked more about their work lives. He told her about baseball, though it was obvious she knew very little. She told him about the work she did at her stepfather’s company as an administrative assistant. She mentioned wanting to move up in the company, but he suspected her heart wasn’t in it. She didn’t become animated the way she did when she talked about changing the decor of his place.
She also talked more about her family and her daughter. She never once mentioned her daughter’s father, though. Was he in the picture, and how much of a problem would he be if he was?
They both fell silent as he took the long, tree-lined driveway toward the impressive mansion she called home. Her parents’ money was obviously long.
He parked in front of the stairs leading to the double front doors. “Home sweet home,” he announced.
After he helped her down from the SUV, they slowly climbed the stairs.
Audra took a deep breath. “Well, I had a really nice time tonight. Thank you for a delicious dinner.”
“And great conversation,” Damon added.
She laughed briefly. She seemed nervous all of a sudden, which he thought was adorable. She was like a breath of fresh air, with no agenda.
“I enjoyed the conversation too,” she admitted.
Damon looked around the property. “This place is huge. I feel like you’re out of my league.”
“Believe me, I’m not. This all belongs to my parents, and I just live here for the time being. My father built this place to accommodate all of us.” She cleared her throat. “So, I?—”
“Audra, I want to see you again.” He looked into her eyes so she’d know he was serious.
“As friends?” she asked in a teasing tone.
Damon didn’t smile. “Nah. More than friends.”
She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off. “I know you think my lifestyle is a bit intimidating, and I understand. Being in the public eye definitely has its drawbacks, but no one has to know about us right now. We can keep things low-key, get to know each other without all eyes being on us. Unless…”
“Unless what?” she prompted.
“You and Kerilyn’s dad are still…”
Her eyes widened, and she shook her head so vehemently her hair fell across her face. “No. Absolutely not.”
She was so adamant, he almost laughed. Damn. Her ex must be a real jerk.
“Okay, so I don’t have to worry about him.”
“He and I are done and have been for years. His name is Kerry. Yes, I named my daughter after him.” She rolled her eyes in disgust at her own decision-making. “Anyway, let me repeat—he and I are done.”
Damon stepped closer. “In that case, we can see each other again.”
She frowned slightly. “You can have any woman you want,” she said, sounding perplexed.
“Except you?”
Uncertainty flickered in her eyes. “I’m not looking for a serious relationship right now, and I know you aren’t either—obviously.”
“Obviously?”
“You’re a serial dater. You don’t stick to one woman very long, and there’s nothing wrong with that,” she added hastily. “I enjoyed myself with you, but I have to be honest. I’m not sure dating you would be a wise decision, and I make terrible decisions.”
He didn’t particularly like her assessment of his dating life, but she was right about one thing—a serious relationship wasn’t in the cards for him right now. He was young and rich, and though he did want to spend more time with Audra, he didn’t know how long his interest would last and didn’t want to make her any promises he might break.
She wasn’t like some of the other women he dated. She didn’t seem like the type looking to get pregnant and be set for the next eighteen years. Nor was she an up-and-coming celebrity or model seeking free publicity by being on his arm. From everything he’d learned about her tonight, she seemed like a regular person, and right now, he wanted regular. He craved it in a way he never thought he would.
“We can take things slow if you like. I enjoyed myself tonight, and you enjoyed yourself. We can kick it and see where things go.”
“Just kick it, huh?” Audra said, uncertainty remaining in her expression.
Damon took her hand and gazed into her eyes. “You have to at least help me decorate my place, right? Might as well get the perks of dating me too. What do you think…?”
“You’re persistent, I’ll give you that,” Audra said with a short laugh.
“Does that mean I’ll see you again, Audra?” He held his breath, his belly oddly tight with the stress of worrying that she’d answer no.
Finally, she smiled. “Yes. I look forward to it.”
He grinned. He wanted to pull her into a kiss but suspected that would be too much for her at the moment. He carefully brushed her hair away from her face, and for a moment, his eyes dipped to her upturned lips. Full, lush, temptingly red.
Using monumental self-control, he kissed her cheek instead. Her skin was soft, and she smelled like heaven. Biting back a groan of hunger, he stepped back.
Audra seemed surprised.
“Good night,” he said.
“Good night, and thank you for a great evening.” She studied him for a moment, as if trying to figure him out. Then she disappeared inside the house.
Grinning, Damon jogged down the steps and climbed into his SUV.