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Their gazes fused, and his eyes widened in surprise. The corners of his mouth inched up in a brief smile before he continued with his presentation. Not wanting him to know how much he affected her, she met his stare with a frosty one. As soon as he turned away, Karen lowered her head and breathed in deeply in an effort to slow her pounding heart. He wore a dark suit that caressed his tall frame as if it had been made expressly for him. With his height, build and that black-magic voice, he commanded the room with ease. Every woman had her eyes glued to him. She forced down the surge of jealousy that rose within her.
“Are you okay?” Melissa whispered.
No! She nodded quickly and tried to focus on the information and not the timbre of his voice. She tried not to remember how it sounded close to her ear. She glanced down to read the note Melissa slid in front of her.
Did we get lucky or what? Those brothers are fine, fine, FINE! And they’ll be coming to the school after the holiday for at least a week to work CLOSELY with us. And isn’t it funny that his name is Damian, too? Just like the guy on your cruise. What are the odds?
Yeah, what were the odds? Karen reached for the pitcher of water and poured herself a glass. Her hands shook so badly, she barely avoided a spill. Bringing the glass to her lips, she took a hasty sip. She had to see him not only these next two days, but another week after the holiday, too. She managed to get through the morning and felt a sense of relief when he announced the lunch break. Karen had hoped she and Melissa could make a quick getaway, but Melissa had other plans.
“Hold on a minute, Karen. I want to speak to somebody before we leave. I’ll be right back.”
She groaned inwardly. Searching the room, she spotted Damian and one of his friends she remembered from the cruise talking with a small group of people. She kept one eye on him and the other on Melissa, hoping the woman would hurry up. Her shoulders fell in disappointment when someone else snagged Melissa’s attention. Karen glanced quickly to the front to make sure Damian was still there. Panic flared in her gut upon not seeing him. And then behind her, she felt him before she heard him.
“I never thought I’d see you again,” he said softly.
She slowly turned to find him staring at her with a blazing desire that sent heat skittering down her spine. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Yes, it does.”
“Why? You obviously found something else to occupy your time.” She cut him off as he started to speak. “You don’t need to explain. We had a great time, but it was nothing more than a physical attraction. We got caught up in our surroundings and acted on it. It happens. No regrets. So let’s leave it at that and be professionals.”
His jaw tightened, and his nostrils flared. “Is that what you think?” His tone was hard.
She lifted her chin defiantly, but he didn’t give her a chance to answer.
“You’re wrong. Give me a chance to explain.”
“There’s no need. What we shared is over. If you’ll excuse me, I need to get some lunch.” She stepped around him and rushed over to where Melissa stood talking. “Excuse me. Melissa, we’d better get going. We only have an hour.”
Finally, Melissa said her goodbyes. On the way out, Karen noticed Damian watching her with a grim expression. She had never considered how she would respond if she ever saw him again. Part of her wanted to turn cartwheels, but the other part was decidedly wary and reminded her that he stood her up.
During lunch, she toyed with the food on her plate and thought about her encounter with Damian. He seemed upset by her description of their time together as insignificant. Could he possibly have thought of it as more? Should she have given him a chance to explain what happened? No. She was just imagining things. Clearly, she was the only one who considered their time special. The one who, despite her protests, wanted more.
Several times during lunch, she started to mention it to Melissa, but changed her mind. Karen wanted to keep their prior relationship a secret, especially since she and Damian would have to work together. When they returned from lunch, she lingered in the bathroom until it was time for class to start. And she left as soon as he dismissed class.
Karen did the same thing the second day, hoping to avoid another confrontation. With Kyle leading most of the presentation, Damian stood off to the side. He appeared to be listening, but every time she glanced his way, he was staring at her.
During a group activity, he came to her table. “How’s everything going? Do you have any questions?” He leaned close to read the answers the group had come up with and brushed his hand across her shoulder. Their eyes met. “Looks very good.” With one more pass of his hand, he moved on to the next table.
