“I bet they were just adorable when they were younger,” Jules said softly.
“Take some air with me?” he asked suddenly, needing the cool of the spring air outside.
“Sure.” She followed him through the crowd to the wall of French doors.
The moment he stepped out on the patio with her by his side, he felt more at ease. He hadn’t realized how stuffy the massive room had gotten.
“Better?” Jules asked as he stepped to the low banister at the edge of the patio. It was dark, but the pool lights in the distance showcased that there were still guests enjoying the larger pool. Beyond that, he could just make out the lights at the docks where his sailboat, theWind Chaser, was harbored.
“Much.” He glanced over as she leaned against the railing and looked out over the darkness beyond.
“It gets stuffy in there with so many bodies,” Jules said as she set her dinner down on the balcony.
“It can,” he agreed. “I didn’t mean to keep you from your dinner.” He motioned to the food.
“It’s fine.” She sighed and then turned suddenly. “Maybe I’ll just enjoy it out here before heading home?” she suggested with a giggle.
“You should. I might sneak some food away for myself and join you.”
“Oh, do,” she said quickly. “Eating alone is so…”
“Depressing?” he asked.
“Lonely,” she corrected.
CHAPTERTWO
Jules should just shut up. She was allowing her mouth to rattle on unchecked, something her mother always claimed would get her in trouble.
Out of the grace of his kindness, Damion agreed to grab some food and enjoy it out on the veranda with her so that she wouldn’t be lonely. Her words, not his.
Now she was going on about… God, she didn’t even know what she was talking about.
“And that’s why the book was better than the movie,” she heard herself finishing up.
“I’ll keep that in mind when I pick out the next book to read,” Damion joked.
“I think we both know that you probably don’t spend a lot of time reading,” she said and felt mortified at her words. She really should shut up soon.
“You’d be surprised,” he replied with a smile.
Over the years, she’d come to learn each of Damion’s moods. Right now, he wasn’t acting offended or bored. Then again, she hadn’t stopped talking or gained control over her mouth yet.
No matter how much she tried, she just couldn’t stop herself from babbling around him. It was probably due to the fact that her heart rate was always elevated when he was around.
She knew from her online first aid classes that that meant her brain was flooding with endorphins, causing the nerves, and her mouth, to go on a rampage.
“You must not have been that hungry,” Damion pointed out.
“Hm?” she asked, trying to physically bite her lips and hold them together.
“All you’ve had of that chicken salad is two bites,” he pointed out.
“Oh.” She looked down at her forgotten food. “Right.” He was politely telling her to shut up and eat. She took a few more bites. And then he did something stupid. He asked her another question.
“How are those online classes coming?”
“Good,” she said, telling herself to leave it at that.