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My throat tightened, and for a moment I couldn’t breathe, let alone keep myself from admiring his beautifully carved muscles as they flexed beneath the surface of his tanned skin. A tattoo of intricate patterns, runes, and black smoke stretched down from his right shoulder down to his elbow, circling and stemming out from a crescent moon on the corner of his chest. I was captivated by it, and my eyes started to wander farther.
I averted my gaze, turning my back to him before he caught me staring. I’m sure my cheeks would’ve been horribly red if I wasn’t freezing. By this point, my lips were numb, and I huddled into myself.
“Do you have a tank top or anything under that shirt?” he asked urgently, gathering his shirt and jacket.
If I wasn’t blushing then, I was now. “N–no…”
“We need to get you into some dry clothes. Here, you can change into my shirt till we can get you back to the car to warm up.” He handed me his shirt and immediately turned to step away, gathering my bag and jacket as he gave me room to change.
Embarrassed, I crouched behind the rock as I quickly removed my shirt and bra, and slid his on. It hung loosely around me, but I wrapped myself into the remnants of his warmth in the fibers. I bundled my bra into my shirt, squeezing out some of the excess water.
“I’m done.” I called, my hands shaking as I wrung my hair out over my shoulder.
“Here, put this on too.” Damien threw his jacket over me, the hood falling over my head, and he turned his back to me. “Get on, I’ll carry you back.”
I hesitated. “Are you sure?”
“Do it. I don’t want you to get sick on our first date. Your dad would kill me.” His joke helped lighten the mood a bit.
“O–okay.”
“Did you hurt anything?” he asked, a worried expression on his face as he knelt next to me.
I smiled, hoping to ease his worry. “I’m f-fine, I already feel a bit warmer. T-the jacket is helping a lot. Thank you.”
He smiled back and the butterflies continued their little dance in my stomach. There was something about his smile that had a way of getting to me.
These feelings were so foreign to me, and I was struggling just to deal with them, let alone keep them hidden. He helped me onto his back, and I prayed he wouldn’t feel how fast my heart was racing. The closest we’d ever been, was when he’d kissed me, but we’d never even hugged. Yet here I was, chest pressed against his back, feeling every firm part of him shift and flex against me. I inhaled the lingering scent of him from his jacket, his hair. Cedarwood. Cedarwood and... leather?
My eyes closed as I focused on the gentle sway as he carried me, the heat of his skin. So warm. For a moment, despite the rush of emotions I was swimming in, I was sad our time here had ended so abruptly. It hadn’t been nearly long enough.
“Why am I such a klutz?” I muttered.
He chuckled. “Don’t blame yourself. It could happen to anyone.”
“Yeah, except it always happens to me, and I ruined your plans...”
“No, you didn’t, Cas. Give yourself a break. Hey, you got to draw me at least.”
I smiled, and rested back against him, focusing on his warmth.
By the time we neared his car, my jeans had soaked through onto his. “I’m s–so sorry, I got y–you wet too.” He lowered me down next to the car.
“I’m fine, don’t worry about me.” He lowered me down next to the car and helped me in, then closed the door and hurried around the front to start the engine.
Once the car warmed up enough, he reached over to turn up the heat, setting the vents on me. I stretched out my quivering hands, reaching for the heavenly warmth that began to emanate from the vents. As he reached for the shifter, my eyes caught sight of the bandages that wrapped his forearm.
I stopped breathing.
“I live right around the corner from here. I could take you there to dry your clothes.” He paused. “If you’re comfortable with it, that is.”
I glanced over at him, taken aback by his suggestion. “Are you sure? I… I don’t want to impose.”
“Cas, you’re not imposing. I should’ve been more careful. It’s my fault this happened. Let me make it up to you. Instead of going out, we can cook dinner and eat in. How does that sound?”
I smiled. “Only if you’re okay with it.”
His smile made it clear that he was more than okay with it, and he started down the road.
