“Ouch.” He patted her hand. “Let’s not forget blunt and honest.”
“Oh, look. The car’s here.”
“Nice change of subject.”
“Thank you.”
The car pulled to a stop and they climbed in. After about ten minutes of tense silence, and a lot of anxious fidgeting on her part, the car took the ramp off the highway.
“Hm. Interesting,” she mumbled. Ducking her head, she scanned the signs on the exit ramp.
“Figure it out yet?” he asked. She looked at him, only to find he’d moved closer to her. His eyes were mere inches from hers. Had they always been so gorgeous?
She swallowed a large gulp of air. “Well, there’s a mall, a hospital, and a museum. I’m guessing we’re going to the museum.”
“You’d be correct,” he answered. He ran a finger over her jaw line and then touched her nose. “You’ve got beauty and brains. The whole package.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yep. That’s me.”
The car stopped at the Museum of Science. When the driver opened the door, they climbed out, and Damon pulled her close to his side. She shot him a dirty look, and he blinked innocently. “What? I’m cold, not in love.”
Her lips quirked against her will. “You’re ridic—”
He touched a finger to her lips. “—ulous,” he finished, his voice husky. “Yes, I know. You’ve told me.”
She swayed closer. Her chest brushed against his, snapping her out of her trance, and she pulled away.
“So what are we doing here? Art? Science?”
“Constellations,” he said.
“What?” She groaned. “You just want to make fun of me again, don’t you?”
“I wouldn’t do that.” He paused. “All right, maybe I would. But this is different. It’s a program that shows you the constellations in the sky, and shows you how to find them.
It even customizes it to what is in the sky tonight—not just any time of year. After this, you’ll be able to walk out and see them.”
She blinked. “Wow. Okay. You seem awfully excited about this.”
His ears turned pink. Good God, even when the man blushed he was adorable.
They got in line and he shuffled his feet. “Yeah. I thought you’d like it. If you’d rather do something else, we can.
Movie? Dinner?”
“No,” she said. “It’s perfect. I love it.”
His eyes lit up. “Good. Come on. Let’s go learn about the stars.”
…
Damon practically dragged Johanna out the doors. She’d been silent through the whole presentation, concentrating harder than everyone else in the room combined. Her attention had never wavered from the fake sky. Each time she’d found a constellation, a smile had tugged at her lips— and tugged at his heart.
Hell, he’d barely heard a word the presenter had said. His gaze had been firmly on her.
Her head tilted up to the sky as they left the building.
“Oh,” she said, a wondering smile lighting her face. “I see it. I see Puppis.”
He followed her eyes and nodded. “Yes, that’s it.”
Her head brushed his arm. “And Cancer. I see that, too.”
“Mmhm.” His gaze locked on her face. “It’s gorgeous.”
“It is,” she breathed. Her gaze slid to his and she froze.
He tried to say something witty or light. But seeing her here, outside under the stars, took all conscious thought away.
If he tried to speak, he’d sound like a blubbering idiot.
Instead he cupped her cheek, tugged her close, and pressed his lips to hers.
He kept his touch light. She resisted him at first, pulling back, but then she fisted her hands in his jacket and drew him closer. Tonight was not about seduction or sex. No, he had a larger goal in mind—and hopping into bed was not it.
Somehow, he tore his lips from hers. She moaned low in her throat, and he almost succumbed to the temptation to kiss her again. He ran his thumb over her damp lower lip, aching to taste her one more time.
“Hungry?” he breathed softly.
“Huh?” She blinked up at him. Her breaths escaped into the cold air like smoke.
He smiled down at her. “I said, are you hungry?”
“Mm.” Looking up at the sky, she sighed. “We shouldn’t be doing this. It’s a mistake.”
“No, a mistake would be not doing this. I want this. I want you.”
“You don’t. Not really,” she whispered. “You don’t even know me. You just think you do.”
He tugged at her hand. She met his eyes reluctantly.
“Then tell me about you. Tell me what I need to know.”
“There’s no point. This is business, not pleasure.” She yanked her hand free and strode to the car.
He shook his head and followed her in grim silence.
When he slid into the car, he started to speak, but his phone cut him off. When he heard the ringtone, his mouth went dry.
He pulled the cell out of his pocket, brought it to his ear, and said, “Hello?”
At the sound of the voice on the other end, he forgot all about Johanna.
“Damon?”
…
Johanna watched Damon’s car disappear down the driveway. Once she couldn’t see it any longer, she sighed and headed to the kitchen for more coffee. He’d gone for a “meeting” with the person who’d called him last night.
The person who had made him smile, and caused his eyes to light up. At least, he’d been excited until he saw Johanna watching him. Then he’d completely shut down. Which probably meant the caller was a woman.
When she wandered out into the foyer, the butler entered from the opposite direction.
He paused and bowed. “My lady.”
“Johanna,” she corrected for what had to be the hundredth time. “Sorry to bother you, but does Damon go on these meetings often?”
“Yes, my lady. Every Sunday.”
“Oh.” She tightened her grip on her coffee mug. “Do you know how long he’s usually gone?”
The butler gave a terse nod. “Usually about two or three hours, my lady.”
“Oh.” She hesitated. Was she so desperate for information that she’d bug the butler? “Tell me, do you know where he goes?”
He backed up and pinched his lips tightly. “I’m not certain, my lady. If you’ll excuse me, I hear a maid calling me.”
The butler fled. Please, the man knew when Damon missed a shave, for the love of God. Surely he knew where he went every single Sunday.