Chapter Five #4
They played for a half hour, with each member of the trio getting their chance to shine with a solo performance. But it wasn’t about outshining the others. They grooved together, cheered each other on.
When they brought the jam session to a close, the crowd responded with as boisterous an applause as a group this mellow could muster. There were even a few whistles.
Damien just continued to stare at the woman he’d known since the tenth grade. At least he thought he knew her. But after seeing this side of her, it made him doubt everything he’d ever known about April Knight.
He stood as she made her way over to him.
“So?” she asked, her brow arched in amused inquiry.
Damien held his hands out. “I’m speechless.”
“Uh-oh. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
“A very good thing,” he said. “Honestly, April, I don’t know what I expected when I walked in here tonight, but it wasn’t that. That was the coolest thing I’ve ever witnessed in my life.”
The smile that broke out across her face was bright enough to light up this dim lounge.
“Thank you,” she said. “I love playing here.” She gestured with her head. “Let’s go have a drink. Since you’re a guest of mine, it’s on the house.”
They walked over to the bar at the rear of the room. Instead of the standard mirror, the wall behind the bottles was covered with sheets of brushed bronze metal.
April ordered two glasses of red wine.
“When did you start playing with this group?” Damien asked.
She tilted her head to the side. “About a year ago maybe? I’ve known Evelyn and Rolando for years. They’re both classically trained, as well. They still play with orchestras, but when they’re home, we try to get together for a show.”
The bartender handed over their wineglasses, and once again, April motioned with her head for Damien to follow her.
He walked a couple of paces behind as she led him toward a tufted chaise longue tucked away in a corner.
He stared at her ass in unabashed admiration, completely drawn in by the way the soft denim cupped the delicately rounded cheeks.
Damien tried to summon a measure of guilt for staring at April this way, but guilt was the last thing he felt at the moment. He was intrigued.
And turned on.
There was something about discovering a mysterious new side to a woman he thought he knew so well that aroused his curiosity. And his libido.
And after witnessing that scene play out between April and Jason at the picnic earlier today, Damien’s curiosity was definitely aroused.
Neither he nor April had mentioned it, but it had been on his mind ever since Jason spoke.
He’d had an inkling about the way April had felt about him back in high school.
He wasn’t conceited, but Damien knew he’d inspired crushes in a few girls back in those days.
He played football. He was popular. Of course girls crushed on him.
With April, however, it had felt different. Damien was sure her infatuation stemmed from something deeper. She’d admired the work he did in the classroom over the way he performed on the football field. The better he did in class, the higher her regard for him.
The thought that she pined for him, though? In the same way other girls had?
He’d hoped for it, but honestly, Damien never thought he was good enough for her. So he’d never bothered to pursue anything that even remotely resembled a romantic relationship with April.
Today had been a day of discoveries. He was eager to see what else lurked just beneath the surface.
When he sat next to her on the cushioned chaise, Damien deliberately sat closer than necessary, so that their thighs rubbed against each other. It was a test of sorts, to see if he’d read her vibe correctly, or if he was completely off base.
He wasn’t.
Instead of moving away, April leaned against him as she sipped her wine.
“Is this why you’re okay not playing with an orchestra?” Damien asked her. “You can get your fix here?”
She shrugged. “I never thought about it that way, but I guess you’re right. I miss the live shows, but I don’t miss the hassle. Traveling from city to city takes its toll on you.”
“You look no worse for the wear,” he said, allowing his eyes to travel the length of her. His mouth watered at the sight of the smooth expanse of thigh peeking through the rip in her jeans.
When his eyes met hers again he noticed the subtle heat staring back at him. Damien traced her bare arm with the backs of his fingers, the caress hovering somewhere between a friendly stroke and something...more.
“Do you ever think about going back out there? Joining another orchestra?”
April’s eyes slid closed. Damien wanted to think it was so she could concentrate on his touch. She took a sip of wine before answering.
“Only on the rare occasion,” she said. “There are some things I miss about the road, but I like being back home. I like being close to my family.” She looked up at him. “And to you. I’ve missed you, Damien.”
He swallowed. “Yet, in the two years since we’ve both been back home, I can count on one hand the number of times I saw you before I drove out to the center last week. Why is that, April?”
She shrugged her delicate, bare shoulder.
“Life has this habit of getting in the way. If something is important, you have to make time for it. If not, something else will always come first.” She caught hold of the hand that he’d been running up and down her arm.
“We have to decide that our friendship is important enough to both of us.”
Damien’s chest tightened as he debated whether or not to speak the words resting on the edge of his tongue. He decided to go for broke.
“Is it just friendship you’re looking for?” he asked.
April’s eyes flew to his.
“Based on what Jason said, I wondered if maybe—”
She shook her head. “Forget about what Jason said.”
The hell he would. But just as he was about to demand they talk about it, she looked over at him with imploring eyes and said, “Please, Damien.”
The multitude of questions that had been swirling around in his head all afternoon demanded that they talk about what her brother had started to reveal, but those two words, spoken with such earnest appeal, stopped him from pressing her on it.
“It’s been a long day,” April said. “I just want to enjoy my wine and the music and your company. But please.” She put her finger to his lips. “No more talking tonight.”
Damien stared into her soulful brown eyes, everything within him clamoring for him to ask her if there was any truth to Jason’s words.
But he tamped down the urge. There would be time to discuss it later.
For now, he’d enjoy this rare evening with this woman who seemed to surprise him at every turn.