“Yes, that does sound wonderful. We’ll take the first car, and we’ll see you all for breakfast in the morning.” Danforth smiled to each of his sons, and to Daniel, he patted him on the back and then shook his hand. There was something of a stronger bond between the two of them, and the look on Damien and Dax’s faces showed me just how much they envied that relationship. “Give the hotel your name and show them your ID, they’ll give you your pass cards for the week.” Danforth turned to me as his eyes softened. “I am truly grateful to finally have a daughter. One as lovely as you.”
I wasn’t exactly sure how to respond to that. Having a bigger family sounded nice, especially one as lively as the Rolsoms, but having another man call me his daughter hit me a little deeper than I expected. At that moment, all I could think about was my dad and how much I missed him. It was true that Danforth was trying very hard not to overstep any boundaries, but it was also true that I was indeed his daughter now. He had every right to say it, but that didn’t take away the pain I was feeling and the regret I had for not being able to spend more time with my dad.
“Thank you, I really appreciate how open you guys have all been to welcome us into your family.” My eyes drifted over to Damien for a pause, and he flashed those dimples and gave me a sly look. I felt a bit gross for thinking so, but damn was he hot. Of course, we weren’t blood siblings, but just as much as I was Danforth’s daughter now, I was also Damien’s sister.
Dax ran a hand through his hair, then he looked up from beneath his brow and caught my eyes. It was hard to find Damien attractive and not find Dax attractive as well. They were so similar physically, but thankfully, they had different personalities.
“I think I’m going to hang out here for a bit to make sure all the luggage comes out properly,” Daniel said to his father. He turned his gaze to me, and with a smile, he explained, “We’ve had one too many mishaps in the past.”
My mom chimed in. “Oh, Daniel, that is so thoughtful of you.” Danforth was holding her tight up against his body, and the palm of her hand was pressed against his chest. “I guess we’ll see you all in the morning.”
My mom and Danforth walked outside and got into a sedan, and Dax took off to follow Daniel to handle the luggage. As I turned around, I realized I was alone with Damien once again. In that moment, I started to feel my hands begin to shake, but I wasn’t nervous. Not really. I was excited.
He grinned. “I guess it’s just you and me, sis.” I felt a chill travel at my back and down over my shoulders. Okay, I was starting to get nervous. My hands trembled a little more as he stepped up closer and peered down into my eyes. Hot wasn’t even the right word anymore. Damien was on fire. I’d always been drawn to a man’s eyes before anything else, and those smoldering, gorgeously rich blue eyes had captivated me from the first second we met.
“Come on.” He reached for my hand. “Let’s get to the hotel so we can get comfortable.”
I followed him outside to the car, a sleek gray sedan that was much more intimate than the one my mom and Danforth took. Damien opened the door for me, and I got inside, then I slid over to make room for him. After he got in and shut the door, we were completely alone. That nervous feeling went to max, and I could feel my heart pounding. It wasn’t just the excitement of being in a new place, but it reminded me of the night at the jazz club when Damien and I first met. The private feel of it all, the darkness, his body closer to mine than it should have been…
There was a partition between us and the driver, and it was tinted just enough to where we could make out the outline of the driver’s head but nothing more. Damien didn’t bother to say anything to the driver, he simply knew it was time to go, and so we headed off into the city toward the hotel.
Damien moved a little bit closer to me, and then he crossed his leg over to where it was touching mine. “So, now that we’re finally alone, do you think it’s time we finished what we started?”
Finished what we started?
“Damien, we’re related now. We can’t do that kind of stuff.”
Not that I was against it, especially sitting there so close to him. It took everything I had not to reach over and grab hold of him and kiss those perfectly contoured lips of his.