But that impulse had nothing to do with Damian.
Seriously, nothing.
The second I stepped into the dining hall, Mara ran up and hugged me. "Heidi, you look beautiful this morning." She stepped back, grasping my upper arms. "Are you wearing makeup?"
Yeah, maybe I had put on a teeny bit of eye shadow and mascara, and my lip balm had a slight tint to it that made my lips look pretty. For about half a second, I wondered if Damian would like the way I looked today, then I resisted the urge to smack myself on the forehead for thinking about that—about him.
So of course, Damian walked into the dining hall right then.
He had to squeeze past me since I was standing a foot inside the threshold, but he didn't stop to flirt with me. He nodded and said hello to me and Mara, then he wandered off toward a table where some of the Silver Foxes were eating.
Damian wanted to eat with the senior citizens?
"Are you okay?" Mara asked.
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine." The fact that I'd kept staring at Damian until she asked me that question didn't mean a thing. I was confused by his decision to dine with the seniors, that was all.
Mara glanced toward the self-proclaimed Ludar prince. "If you like Damian, go for it. You don't need anyone's permission, and he's a good man."
"Not interested in Damian. He's weird. Besides, I barely know him."
"That didn't stop me. I slept with Ollie the day after we met." She grinned. "And look how that turned out."
"Uh-huh." I couldn't think of anything meaningful to say. Why did my eyes insist on making me look at Damian? I'd done it again when Mara told me he was a good guy, and I was doing it again right now.Get hold of yourself, woman. No man is so hot you can't keep your eyes off him.
Except Damian kind of was.
I ate breakfast with Mara, Ollie, Val, and Eve. They did not pester me about Damian, thank goodness, and kept the conversation limited to everything else not related in any way to the gypsy who had the softest lips I'd ever felt.
After breakfast, I headed outdoors to hang out with the Kitten Brigade. Every single one of them was naked. They had decided to play miniten, Kittens versus Kittens. Shelby tried to talk me into playing, but I wasn't up for that yet. Sure, I felt better. Not better enough to strip naked and shove a wooden box over my hand. Nudity was required for miniten, at least according to my friends. So instead, I relaxed on a chaise and watched them having a good time.
The first game ended with Shelby and Allison beating Jane and Heather. Leah rushed over to me, pleading for me to join them so the other Kittens could play a match, but they needed one more person since each side had two players.
"Not a nudist anymore," I told Leah. "Get Mara or Eve. They love miniten."
"But we want you, Heidi. You're the best player, our reigning champion."
I'd won my fair share of miniten matches, but I couldn't participate now. Maybe never. At least, not until I figured out why I kept screwing up my life.
Leah glanced past my chair, and her lips stretched into a slow, sneaky smile. "Oh, I've got a fabulous idea."
She ran away before I could ask what her idea was. Honestly, I doubted I wanted to know considering her sneaky smile. She and the rest of the Kittens gathered in a huddle like they were football players or something. After a minute, they pulled out of the huddle.
Leah shoved two fingers into her mouth and whistled. The sound echoed off the buildings and the trees. "Listen up, naturists. We're playing a miniten mixed doubles match. We need two hot guys to volunteer. Come on, studs, man up! Or are you afraid the girls will make you look like wusses?"
Sylvester Norris, one of the Silver Foxes, jogged up to Leah. "I'm in. But you know I like to play aggressive."
Leah laughed. "Oh yeah, we all know how you old farts get about miniten." She looked at someone further away, someone I couldn't see. "Come on, join the game. You know you want to."
Damian traipsed past my chair, flashing me a sexy smirk and winking. He stopped in front of Leah and stripped naked.
Her jaw dropped. Not an exaggeration. Her eyes bulged, and her mouth fell open while she ogled Damian's body, making no attempt to disguise her appreciation.
Sylvester was already naked, but Leah hadn't gaped at him like that.
I could see only his backside, but wow, that man had gorgeous glutes.
He turned sideways to follow Leah's hand movements while she explained something. Probably which team would take which side of the grass court.