Page 36 of Passion’s Song

She shrugged. “I never thought about it that way, but I guess you’re right. I miss the live shows, but I don’t miss the hassle. Traveling from city to city takes its toll on you.”

“You look no worse for the wear,” he said, allowing his eyes to travel the length of her. His mouth watered at the sight of the smooth expanse of thigh peeking through the rip in her jeans.

When his eyes met hers again he noticed the subtle heat staring back at him. Damien traced her bare arm with the backs of his fingers, the caress hovering somewhere between a friendly stroke and something...more.

“Do you ever think about going back out there? Joining another orchestra?”

April’s eyes slid closed. Damien wanted to think it was so she could concentrate on his touch. She took a sip of wine before answering.

“Only on the rare occasion,” she said. “There are some things I miss about the road, but I like being back home. I like being close to my family.” She looked up at him. “And to you. I’ve missed you, Damien.”

He swallowed. “Yet, in the two years since we’ve both been back home, I can count on one hand the number of times I saw you before I drove out to the center last week. Why is that, April?”

She shrugged her delicate, bare shoulder. “Life has this habit of getting in the way. If something is important, you have to make time for it. If not, something else will always come first.” She caught hold of the hand that he’d been running up and down her arm. “We have to decide that our friendship is important enough to both of us.”

Damien’s chest tightened as he debated whether or not to speak the words resting on the edge of his tongue. He decided to go for broke.

“Is it just friendship you’re looking for?” he asked.

April’s eyes flew to his.

“Based on what Jason said, I wondered if maybe—”

She shook her head. “Forget about what Jason said.”

The hell he would. But just as he was about to demand they talk about it, she looked over at him with imploring eyes and said, “Please, Damien.”

The multitude of questions that had been swirling around in his head all afternoon demanded that they talk about what her brother had started to reveal, but those two words, spoken with such earnest appeal, stopped him from pressing her on it.

“It’s been a long day,” April said. “I just want to enjoy my wine and the music and your company. But please.” She put her finger to his lips. “No more talking tonight.”

Damien stared into her soulful brown eyes, everything within him clamoring for him to ask her if there was any truth to Jason’s words. But he tamped down the urge. There would be time to discuss it later. For now, he’d enjoy this rare evening with this woman who seemed to surprise him at every turn.

Chapter 6

The clinking of expensive bottles of champagne could be heard ringing throughout the famous Blue Room of the Roosevelt Hotel. Damien trailed his gaze around the opulent space, trying not to be overwhelmed or intimidated by the sea of wealthy partygoers. He wasn’t some interloper. He’d paid handsomely for the opportunity to be there that night. He deserved to sip expensive bubbly and nibble on food he couldn’t pronounce as much as the next person.

Yet, if someone offered to pinch him, Damien wouldn’t turn them down. Who would have ever thought that the knucklehead who used to run the streets of the Ninth Ward would even be allowed to darken the doorstep of one of the Crescent City’s most illustrious hotels, let alone rub elbows with such an elite crowd?

Damien had gladly handed over the one thousand dollars it cost to attend this charity function for a local children’s cancer foundation. It was obvious that the foundation’s director, the daughter of a former governor, knew exactly the kind of people to target for tonight’s event.

There were businessmen and businesswomen representing every industry—from movers and shakers in the petrochemical sector to elites in the robust movie industry. Members of New Orleans’s most prominent families bustled about, posing for pictures with each other, as if they had not seen the same faces at whatever society shindig they all attended last week. There were even a few professional basketball players from the city’s NBA franchise towering above everyone else in the room.

While Damien enjoyed an exciting game of round ball every now and again, that wasn’t the sport on his radar tonight. It was the owners of the city’s local minor-league baseball team that he was most interested in rubbing shoulders with. Three of the four men who made up the McGowan Group were in attendance at tonight’s banquet. He’d had a few minutes of Michael Berger’s attention during last week’s street fair, but his goal tonight was to get some serious face time with the men who could help turn his dream into a reality.

“This looks like the place to be for the rich and famous,” April said as she returned to his side after a trip to the ladies’ room.

Damien felt his breath quickening once again at the sight of her. He’d mentioned at the last minute that tonight’s event was black-tie, but he knew April would be able to pull it off. The venues where she’d played in the past often required that she dress like this.

What he hadn’t expected was for April to outshine every woman in the ballroom. But she did. She looked stunning.

Her muted silver gown wasn’t flashy like many of the others being paraded around the ballroom, yet its simplicity made it even more alluring. The silky fabric trailed over her curves with just enough give to not be considered slinky or inappropriate.

To be honest, Damien would have been okay with a little inappropriateness where her dress was concerned.

That thought would have shocked him just a few weeks ago, but it was par for the course when it came to his feelings about April lately. There would be no further denying it. Something had shifted between them. He wanted her in a way he’d never allowed himself to think about her before.

It started the night of the street fair, when he’d broken her fall on the crumbled sidewalk as he walked her home. He couldn’t stop thinking about the way she’d looked into his eyes, or the faint shudder he’d felt as he’d held her close. It wasn’t as if he’d never experienced such feelings before, but never with his longtime friend.