I looked through the peephole and froze. What was Damon doing here?
“What do you want, Damon?” I called through the door.
“Can we talk?” His deep sexy voice drifted through the wooden door.
“No,” I said, “it’s late. Please, go away.”
“Won’t you at least tell me why you just left and have blocked my calls?” Damon asked.
“Why don’t you go ask Celeste?” I couldn’t keep the hurt and anger from my voice. “She couldn’t wait to send me pictures of your happy reunion.”
“I’m not back with Celeste and nor will I ever be,” Damon called to me through the door. “Please, open up and let’s talk.”
I swallowed as images of the previous night kept haunting me. Against my better judgement, I opened the door and there he was staring at me.
“Carla,” Damon breathed and before I could stop him or myself, we were locked in a passionate embrace.
He walked me into my house with our lips together fueling our desire. He stopped and closed the door, but when he turned back he froze. I watched his Adam’s apple bobbed as I slowly slid off my gown to stand there completely naked in front of him. I watched his passion for me strain to be released. He took a few paces toward me, grabbed me, and pulled him to him before picking me up and carrying me to my bedroom.
I lay back on the bed and watched him undress before he dropped on top of me and started to tease me with his lips and tongue. I reached down to touch his skin and run my hands over his muscled back, but all I grabbed was air. There was a loud noise that pierced the air and gave me a headache.
***
My eyes flew open and I looked around the room confused. I was still on my couch and my alarm on my phone was going off, letting me know it was morning and time to go for a run. I needed a cold shower more than a run right now. But I went and got dressed to go for a run; my neck was stiff from sleeping awkwardly on my couch.
As I let the fresh early morning air fill my lungs, I pondered on the vivid dream I’d had about Damon the previous evening. I was just thankful I didn’t have to work with him or see him again. I had to stop watching romantic movies before bed as well. They had obviously encouraged my dream about Damon last night.
By the time I’d finished my run and got home, I felt better again. My life was falling back into its normal routine after the chaos of the last week. I had a lot of work to do and things that needed my attention before my bus tour in nine weeks’ time.
CHAPTER 26
Damon
I slowly woke up and stretched out to pull Carla close to me but all I felt was cold sheet. I opened my eyes and sat up. I knew instantly that she was gone. Not just left the room for a few minutes or in the shower gone. But gone.
I looked at the time on my phone and realized it was quite late. I still had to pack and attend to some unfinished business on the island before the flight this afternoon. I wondered where Carla was and why after the night we’d shared she’d just left.
My heart felt heavy in my chest as I pushed through a shower and breakfast, and when I went to check out, Garry confirmed that Carla had left earlier. She’d changed her flight the previous day to an earlier one.
Why hadn’t she told me she was leaving early? So much had happened in the past week that it felt strange leaving the hotel knowing I was not coming back later. I got into the Ferrari and drove toward Celeste’s father’s estate. I had the last of the documents for her father and her to sign, making sure she never has contact with any of us again. It was the condition in which the florist, Drew, and Hayley insisted on in exchange for not filing charges against Celeste.
Celeste, however, was not taking this restraining order seriously. She had already bombarded my phone with hundreds of calls. I kept meaning to block her number but I’d been so distracted with the wedding; it was the furthest thing from my mind. I had deleted all traces of Celeste’s messages and blocked her number before I left the hotel.
***
I boarded the plane with my head full of Carla and that very uncomfortable confrontation at Celeste’s father’s house. I’d asked her father to make sure she was not there when I got there. But she was. And worst, she had basically thrown herself at me with total disregard to the restraining order I had on her.