A little smile played across her lips. “I see us spending the night up here.”
I came down on her, taking her face in my hands and heading for her mouth.
Hell yeah.
Damon
Present
Slamming the car door, I clicked the lock and walked around, jogging up onto the sidewalk as I shivered.
It was going to snow soon. I could feel it.
I yanked up the zipper of my pullover and stuffed my hands into my jean pockets as I opened the door to the theater and walked inside. Warmth hit me, and a couple of employees made eye contact, but looked away again when they realized it was me.
I’d been coming every day to drop Winter off and pick her up, so they knew why I was here.
Plus, the whole town knew what really happened at the tavern last week, and even though no one was crying about it, they still moved to the other side of the street when they saw me coming. They put their heads down, stayed out of my path, and answered extra polite with one- or two-word sentences when I ordered food or got gas in my car.
In fact, I’d noticed they were doing the same thing when they saw Will or Rika or Kai, too. All of us, in fact.
It was like the town had a changing of the guard or something and people weren’t sure if they should be scared.
I headed past the concessions and the stairs leading to the mezzanine and gallery levels, and opened the double doors, heading into the ground floor of the theater.
Music filled the room, while Winter moved about on stage, sliding and turning, her whole body in every move she made like it was all a single unit instead of individual parts.
I descended the small pathway toward the orchestra section, watching her, the long, gauzy gray costume flowing in layers around her legs and her hair flying around her as she spun and bent backward. There were no words to describe how beautiful she was.
But everyone was soon going to find out. Michael and Rika were sponsoring a small tour for her as an opening dance at other theaters and festivals, and if it went well, we’d go from there. Her twenty-minute show would take a couple more months to get ready, but she was already rehearsing and outlining the performance.
And while it was good, she deserved everything coming to her, and I wouldn’t stop anything or do anything to discourage her. I wondered what the hell I was going to do now, too. The only thing I was ever good at was basketball, a
nd that ship had sailed. I didn’t have the temperament to work well with others, and I wanted absolutely nothing to do with my father’s money or his businesses. Banks had it, so it was staying in the family. That was all I cared about.
I wasn’t taking his money, and I wasn’t fucking asking my friends for anything. Everything Winter and I built would be ours.
“Damon, are you here?” I heard Winter call out.
I looked up at her, not realizing the music had ended.
“Coming,” I told her.
I climbed the few steps off to the side of the stage, and walked over to her, picking her up and wrapping her legs around me like I’d done every day the past week when I picked her up from rehearsal at five.
She smiled down at me, threading her fingers through my hair, and kissed me.
“Lookin’ good,” I said.
“Yeah, you’re prejudiced.”
“I don’t lie.”
She snorted, and I carried her backstage, toward the dressing rooms, so she could get her things.
She started kissing my cheek, leaving little butterflies across my face, to my ear, and down my neck. I wanted to get her home and in the shower with me. Right now.
“How was your day?” she asked, nibbling my ear.