Ten minutes later, he wiped his mouth with a paper napkin and shoved the plate away. Grabbing his beer, he wandered over to the pool tables and slapped his money down to be next player.
He leaned one shoulder against the wall and sipped from the icy cold bottle while he waited. Being Thursday, Gus’s daughter stepped up to the small stage and fiddled with the microphone and Karaoke machine for the evening’s entertainment. Screeching from the mike had driven him away more than one Thursday night.
“You’re up.” Gil Meyer, lanky cowboy and longtime bar buddy, nodded in his direction, and then returned his cue stick to the worn frame on the wall.
Damian chalked up and set the rack on the table. Had it only been a few weeks since he and Kerry had played at this very table? His stomach clenched, and his blood raced to his groin at what had taken place later that night. How could she just walk away?
He leaned over and slid the stick between his fingers, back and forth, before knocking the cue ball, scattering the others, and driving the number nine into a corner pocket. “High balls.” He directed his comment to his opponent, Manny Davis.
The game ended quickly, with Damian running the rack, and then facing a new challenger for the next round.
Well into his third game, he glanced up from where he concentrated on his next shot and his heart dropped to his feet. Unsure he wasn’t dreaming, he stood slowly as Kerry, dressed in messy scrubs, her gaze darting frantically over the crowd, spotted him. She licked her lips, then headed in his direction.
Oh God, what am I doing? Sweaty hands fisting on her shoulder bag, Kerry took a deep breath and wended her way through the crowd. Her heart thumped so loudly it blocked the wailing coming from the microphone where a drunken young woman attempted to sing a Taylor Swift song.
Damian slowly rose from his position over the pool table, his face a mask. Was he in shock? Or not happy to see her? Her heart thundered in her chest, causing black dots to dance before her eyes. Wonderful. She would probably reach him and pass out at his feet like some romance novel heroine. Maybe she should have thought this through. This trip might not have been such a good idea after all.
He laid the cue stick on the table, and never shifting his gaze from her, said something to the other man he’d been playing. Between the noise of the honky tonk and her own heartbeat, she couldn’t hear what he said.
Tears welled in her eyes as she savored the sight of him. His hair had grown longer and lines bracketed his mouth she hadn’t noticed before. But everything else was as she’d remembered. His tight fitting shirt and snug jeans. Strong hands that had skimmed over her heated skin and brought such pleasure to her during their one night together.
He moved around the pool table and stopped in front of her. “Kerry? Are you really here, or has my mind finally snapped?” His lips tilted into a half smile.
Unable to speak with the lump in her throat stealing her voice, she merely nodded. She wanted so badly for him to take her in his arms, but at the same time afraid she would dissolve into a blubbering mess if he so much as touched her.
“Is everything all right, darlin’?” He kept his hands at his side, but looked
her up and down.
Again, she nodded. Slowly, she touched his arm. In an instant, he grabbed her, and as feared, she burst into tears.
“Come on. Let’s get out of here. It’s too noisy.” He slung his arm around her shoulders as they headed to the front door.
As they left, two young women entered, giving Damian a blatant once over. But he didn’t seem to notice and simply ushered her to his truck and opened the door to help her in.
Once settled alongside her, he reached into his glove compartment and retrieved a box of tissues. Kerry pulled out several, wiped her eyes, and blew her nose.
Damian rubbed her shoulder until she composed herself. “You want to tell me what’s goin’ on?”
“This is difficult.”
He crossed his arms and leaned back on the seat, studying her from underneath the brim of his Stetson.
Kerry wiped fresh tears from her eyes. “Say something.”
“It seems to me I said a lot before you left Amarillo. Now it’s your turn.”
“I was wrong.”
He nodded. “Good beginning.” His features remained stiff, his eyes watching her every move carefully.
Oh God, he’s not going to make this easy. Perhaps she deserved it after allowing him to make love to her, and then running. And she had run. From him, her feelings, and the chance to have a powerful love. Her heart beat so hard it hurt her chest. What if this had been a terrible mistake?
After a couple of deep breaths, her voice returned. “I want to ask you a question.”
His lips moved into a slow, lazy smile. “Okay. I guess it must be a pretty important question, or you would have called instead of driving all this way.”
Encouraged by his smile, reminding her of the Damian she’d fell in love with, she continued. “It is.” She wadded the tissues in her fist, then shredded them.