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“Good luck with that. I’ll see you in the morning.”
When Kyle left, Damian removed his shirt and shoes, then sat on the bed. Picking up his cell, he called Karen.
“Hello.”
“Hey, baby. I miss you. I wish you were here with me.”
“I hear you. It’s getting harder and harder to sit in those meetings pretending I don’t know you.”
“It’s not working for me, either. So, what are you going to do with the rest of your night?”
“Right now I’m going to take a long, hot bubble bath. Then I’m going to hop into bed and read for a little while.”
He groaned. “I didn’t need to know all that.” An image of her naked, soap-slicked skin flashed in his mind, and Damian waged a war within himself whether to hang up, jump in his car and drive over.
Karen laughed. “Hey, you asked.”
“I guess,” he grumbled. “I need to talk to you about something.”
“What’s going on?” she asked with concern.
“Nikki saw us kissing this afternoon and called your school district’s office.” He told her about the confrontation between him and Nikki.
“What?” she practically yelled. “We can’t do this, Damian. We have to stop seeing each other. I can’t jeopardize my career, and you can’t, either.”
“Calm down, Karen. We aren’t doing anything wrong. We can’t let this woman intimidate us.”
“That’s easy for you to say. You’re going back to your cushy little office in North Carolina, but I have to work with her. Our reputations are on the line. Don’t you know that this could spell disaster for your company? Her little stunt could ruin your business.”
“Not when her claims are baseless. I’m not that concerned, because she’s lying. Nothing inappropriate is going on, and you know it.”
“Well, I am concerned. I can’t risk her doing something to ruin my chances of getting that principal position.”
“What does that mean, Karen?”
“Maybe we need to back off a bit—starting now,” she answered softly.
“Baby, wait—” He heard a soft click in his ear and cursed under his breath.
Needing to expend some energy, and to keep himself from charging over to Karen’s apartment, he changed into shorts, a T-shirt and his running shoes and went down to the hotel’s gym. He got on the treadmill, started at a slow jog and increased the pace until he was at a full sprint, hoping the exertion would cool the fury racing through his body. He wasn’t worried about Nikki. He’d told the woman all she needed to know and had no doubt Troy would take care of the issue.
As he adjusted the incline, his mind went back to Karen. Somehow, in the short time he’d known her, she had woven herself into the very fabric of his being, and he found himself wanting to wake up beside her each morning. Damian stumbled with that realization. He wanted her in his life permanently. He had spent a month thinking he would never see her again, and if Karen thought he was going to back off, he had news for her.
Now that he had her back, he’d be damned if he let a lie tear them apart.
Chapter 15
Damian met Karen at her car the next morning. “What are you doing here so early?” she asked, glancing around the lot to make sure no one saw them. She figured after their conversation last night, he would keep his distance.
“I couldn’t wait to get my kiss.”
Apparently not. “Damian, we can’t—”
He cut her off with a scorching kiss, inhaling the words right off her tongue. “Yes, we can.”
She pushed against his chest and backed out of his hold. “I won’t jeopardize my job.”
“Karen, I keep telling you we aren’t doing anything wrong. I’m sure there are several married teachers in this district. When I taught, we even had one couple at the same school.” He took her tote from the trunk, gestured toward the office and followed her across the lot.
Inside, after greeting the office staff and checking her mailbox, Karen reached for the tote.
“I got it.” He moved it out of her reach.
She looked up at Damian’s face. His mouth curved in a sensual smile, and his eyes held a wicked gleam. Her body heated. “Damian...”
“I’m just going to walk you to your classroom, that’s all.”
She eyed him, not believing him for one second. Shaking her head, Karen led him out the back door. As soon as they entered her classroom and she closed the door, Damian snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her against his body.
