Crossing the Line (Love on Sirona Isle #1)

Chapter One Kelsie

Hangover headaches were a serious pain in the ass. I hadn’t even opened my eyes yet, and the pounding in my head had already started. Still, a smile stretched across my face as I remembered how last night had ended.

My eyelids fluttered open, and I took in the sight of the hotel room. It wasn’t mine, that was down the hall, but it looked exactly the same. Beige walls, generic artwork, and a dark blue comforter on the bed that matched the curtains.

There was a sitting area by the window, and the sundress I wore to the bonfire last night was tossed over the back of a chair.

My panties were on the floor next to a button-up shirt that didn’t belong to me.

I’d ripped the thing open last night, and there were probably buttons scattered all over the place, but I was sure that Damien wouldn’t care about that.

His warmth was pressed against my back, and a heavy arm was tucked around my waist. Small strands of my hair fluttered every time he exhaled, and I could feel his erection pressed against my bare ass.

I was already deliciously sore from the rough way he took me last night—twice—but I still felt a rush of desire.

It overpowered my headache, and I turned to face him.

Damien’s lips were parted as he breathed deeply in his sleep. His face was completely relaxed, a strand of his thick brown hair falling across his forehead. I stared at him for a moment.

How many times had I admired his handsome features over the last two years?

It had happened more and more as we got to know each other, starting off as acquaintances and becoming best friends.

He was good-looking in a way that turned heads, including mine.

From the very beginning, I wanted him, but things hadn’t moved beyond friendship until last night.

We both arrived at this beachside resort yesterday, along with the rest of the bridal party and family members that came here for my cousin’s wedding taking place at the end of the week.

She was marrying a good friend of Damien’s, a fellow firefighter named Ryan.

It worked out that Damien was the best man in the wedding while I was a bridesmaid.

Last night, we all went to a party on the beach.

The resort built a bonfire for us, and there were drinks and music.

I had a blast, dancing in the firelight and sipping on frozen margaritas with my friends.

When the party was winding down, Damien and I headed back to the hotel with the bride and groom.

Leanne was wasted, giggling at everything and nothing as we rode in the elevator.

She was so happy to be getting married that the joy practically radiated out of her, even while drunk.

I stepped out of the elevator with Damien when we reached our floor since she and Ryan were staying in a penthouse suite.

That’s when it happened. We reached his room first, and he dropped his keycard. I bent to pick it up at the same time that he did, bringing our faces within inches of each other. I couldn’t say who moved first, but the next thing I knew, we were kissing.

Finally, after all this time, Damien’s lips were on mine. He wanted me the way that I wanted him. My heart leapt as my body came alive.

The sex was mind-blowing, and now I was watching him sleep with a goofy grin on my lips. Reaching out, I cupped his face, running the pad of my thumb over his cheekbone. Damien stirred, leaning into my touch just before his eyes opened.

For a second, he looked at me with no expression, still waking up. I was about to lean in for a kiss when confusion flickered across his face. He sat up quickly, groaning and clutching his forehead.

“Oh shit…” he mumbled. “How much did I drink last night?”

I sat up too, holding the sheet against my chest. Maybe it was silly to cover up now, after what we did last night, but it was a little different to be exposed like that in the light of day while completely sober.

“You have a headache?” I asked, placing a hand on his back.

Damien jolted and whipped his head around to look at me. The shock and horror on his face made my heart drop.

“Kelsie? What the fuck?” He scrambled out of the bed, his eyes widening as he looked down at his own nude body. “I’m naked!”

His eyes scanned the floor until he spotted his boxers, and he rushed around the foot of the bed to grab them, getting dressed in jerky motions as I sat there, dread curling in my belly.

“You don’t remember what happened last night?” I asked uneasily.

His gaze flickered over me, and I felt my cheeks heat. Sheet or not, there was no denying that I was naked with my clothes strewn around the room.

“It’s coming back to me,” he said, frowning. I flinched, but he’d already redirected his attention to picking up his pants from the floor. He grumbled under his breath as he pulled them on. I couldn’t make out the words, but he didn’t seem happy.

“Are you okay?” I forced myself to ask, even though I was starting to suspect that I wouldn’t like the answer.

“Am I okay?” He let out a scoff and ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. “I can’t believe that this happened.”

I couldn’t believe it either, but I had a feeling that he didn’t mean it in the same way. I’d never been happier, but he looked…

Oh God. He regrets it.

“We crossed a line last night,” he said, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

He didn’t answer or look at me, and I was glad. There was no way that I could keep the hurt I felt from showing on my face as I registered the distress in his voice and body language.

“Shit, Kels,” Damien said, tension making his muscular shoulders bunch. His eyes finally met mine, and there it was. The regret I was afraid of seeing shined in his blue eyes. “How could we make a mistake like this?”

Mistake.

That word echoed in my mind, and I didn’t think that I’d ever felt so humiliated in my life. I thought we were finally getting together, that what happened was a step forward. I was such an idiot.

I didn’t know if he expected an answer from me, but I was saved from having to come up with one by someone knocking at the door.

“Damien, you awake?” It was Ryan, the groom-to-be. “The boat leaves in an hour.”

I’d forgotten about the boat excursion that Ryan planned for the guys in the wedding party. It was supposed to be a fun activity to thank them for being in the wedding. Leanne was taking the women to the spa in a couple of days for the same reason.

Damien finally looked at me again, but he placed a finger to his lips to tell me to be quiet as he moved to the door.

The layout of the room meant that Ryan wouldn’t be able to see me from the doorway, and the realization that Damien wanted me to be quiet so that his friend wouldn’t know I was here finally allowed me to shake off the shock of his unexpected reaction to what happened between us.

He regretted what happened, didn’t want anyone to know about it. Oh God. I’m a shameful secret.

I listened to the guys talk as I got out of the bed and silently pulled my clothes on.

As much as a petty part of me wanted to tell everyone just to spite him, I was too embarrassed by this to go that route.

The last thing I wanted was for everyone to know that I slept with him, and he regretted it.

My pride could only take so many hits before I fell apart.

I was foolish, and the only saving grace I had was that I didn’t tell Damien how much I’d always loved him before he made it clear that he didn’t feel the same.

Still, my chest ached, and I wanted to crawl right out of my skin.

He was right; this was a mistake. I made a mistake believing that he wanted more from me.

A huge, stupid, fucking mistake.

I was fully dressed by the time he returned alone, slipping on my sandals. I used every bit of willpower I possessed to wipe my face of all emotion. I couldn’t stand the thought of him seeing how much this hurt. When I met his eyes, he looked uncertain.

“I’m sorry, Kels.” God, I hated that the sound of the nickname that only he used made my stupid heart flutter. “I don’t want this to ruin our friendship. It was just a drunken mistake.”

There was that word again. It hit me like a fist to the gut. But it turned out that he wasn’t done eviscerating me.

“I never would have slept with you if I’d been thinking clearly,” he said, like it was a reasonable excuse for what happened instead of a devastating truth.

“Just forget it ever happened,” I said, grateful that my voice didn’t waver, didn’t betray my feelings. I sounded calm instead of being moments away from bursting into tears.

But I couldn’t look at him for another moment. I had to get the hell out of here. Eyes on the floor, I darted around him, heading for the exit.

“Kelsie, wait,” he said, but I couldn’t. I reached the door and ripped it open.

As I rushed down the hallway, I couldn’t resist looking back to see if he was following.

It didn’t surprise me to see that he wasn’t, but it hurt just the same.

I managed to hold back my tears until I reached my room, but not a second longer.

Slamming the door behind me, I pressed my back against it and slid down to the floor.

Then, I cried. I didn’t know how long I sat there. Time didn’t matter as I fell apart.

Face buried in my hands, I let out all my pain and all of my hope for a romantic relationship with Damien. I had to move on. He wanted to be friends—only friends—and I’d do my best to make that work because I couldn’t imagine my life without him in it.

Platonic friendship was all that I’d ever get from him. That and the memory of last night.

It would have to be enough. I couldn’t make him love me, and if he didn’t want to be with me after sleeping together, I’d just have to accept that it would never happen.

But it hurt so badly that I could barely breathe.

I knew then that the romantic feelings that I had for him had to disappear. I couldn’t let myself feel this way ever again. Somehow, I had to find a way to protect my heart from Damien Hawkins.

He’d never hurt me again.