Chapter 2

2

ALLIE

W aking up super early isn’t so bad when you’ve actually slept for a solid eight hours.

As I get ready for my new, earlier shift at the diner, I can’t believe my luck. I’ve bounced around from town to town, never dreaming of a place like this where everyone seems hell-bent on taking care of me. Gina, my boss of just one week, was horrified that I was overheating in the kitchen and immediately switched my shift to the earlier one since mornings are cooler. She also said she’s working to set up an extra exhaust fan.

And Damon… I tie up my hair while remembering how he cradled me so gently in his arms. I melted from the way he held me – not inappropriate or anything. But it felt different . New. Pointing out that I’ve lived my entire life not knowing that I was, in fact, meant to be in his arms.

I can’t believe that he walked me home yesterday with his arm around me, and I noticed that he gave a nod to a few guys driving by. Was it just to keep me steady, or… It’s a wild thought, but it almost felt like he wanted to be seen with me.

When we arrived at my apartment, Damon examined the layout, checked the outlets, and disappeared for twenty minutes before returning with power bars and two powerful fans, one blowing in the side window, and one blowing out the window beside my bed.

This setup flushed the heat straight out of the attic, creating a perfect sleeping environment. And then when I tried to thank Damon and pay him for the fans, he simply handed me a few bottles of various sports drinks and disappeared. Could a man that gorgeous actually be shy?

I slip out of the apartment quietly, hoping not to wake Mrs. Meno, who owns the house. As always, I pause for a moment to listen in case she calls out to me. A few times now she’s needed help – moving a piece of furniture, climbing up onto a chair to get something from the cupboard over the fridge. She’s very self-sufficient for a lady her age, but I think it’s good that she has someone around.

That’s part of why I like my old-fashioned miniscule apartment. I wonder if Damon was aware that his hulking presence took up half the space. With anyone else, it would’ve made me claustrophobic. Yet he generates a very different kind of heat. This one feels…nurturing? No. More like…sensual. Downright sexy . That’s it.

Damon is the sexiest man I’ve ever seen. It’s not just that he’s tall and muscular, with vivid brown eyes and perfect bone structure. Not to mention full lips that I completely fantasized about kissing when I was on the floor in his arms.

But as well as being gorgeous he’s also unbelievably tender, and the way he took charge of the situation made me feel protected.

Not so completely alone in the world.

The air is blissfully cooler as I walk to work, and when I get there the kitchen hasn’t been heating up for hours, so I’m able to prep for the day more comfortably and efficiently. I get through the morning without incident, and I suddenly realize I only have an hour left in my shift.

Maybe I can go to the library this afternoon and sit in the air conditioning. Of course, what I’d really like to do is run into Damon again. He mentioned that he’s a contractor, which means he’s probably driving around to different jobs.

There has to be a way to casually cross paths with him again. It’s a small town. I need to find a way to thank him properly, but I don’t want to seem like I’m just being polite. I have to explore this craving that feels like electrical sparks just from being near him. The rumbling in my lower belly is like a forest fire catching hold. Every single part of me wants to delve into this brand-new heat, but only with him.

As always, there’s a lunch rush right at noon, and my full attention is taken up by getting the orders out as quickly as possible. When I can’t pull my eyes from the stove to peek through the window, I listen for how often Gina greets people on their way in, to get a sense of how slammed it’s getting.

“Yes, she’s working the morning shift now,” I hear her say. “You can go back, but she’s pretty busy.”

“I’ll only be a second.” The familiar deep, slightly rough voice sends a welcome chill straight through me, just as I’m starting to overheat from being by the grill. I can sense Damon lurking in the entrance, but he politely waits until I set an order in the window and ring the bell before clearing his throat.

“Hi.” I spin to face him. Wow, he really is tall. At least six foot three. And his shoulders practically fill the entire doorway.

Damon grins back at me, holding a blue tube in his hands. “Hey, Allie. Sorry to interrupt, but I had a job in West Stoneburg this morning, and they have a big sporting goods store.”

He comes into the kitchen and sets the soft, squishy tube around the back of my neck, pulling down my t-shirt to get as much contact as possible. There it is again: that electrical current flowing between us every time his fingertips touch my skin. Does he feel it as well?

Then I register the wonderful cooling sensation spreading across the back of my neck and collarbones. “Wow…that’s… What magic is this?”

“A cooling scarf. There’s some sort of gel inside. You throw it in the freezer for a bit, and it’ll cool you down for hours.”

Everyone in this entire town is so darned thoughtful. Gina switching my shift at a moment’s notice. Damon going out of his way to make sure I’m comfortable over the grill. It takes me a moment to swallow and find my breath. “Thank you. This is incredibly sweet.”

He grins. “I’m glad that Gina put you on the earlier shift.”

“Yeah. Oh – sorry!” I hurry to flip three burgers, placing a thick cheese slice on two of them.

Damon takes a step back. “I won’t get in your way. Just wondered if I could take you to dinner tonight? Somewhere with plenty of air conditioning, of course.”

“Oh!” The spatula almost drops out of my hand. “Sure. Thank you. Um, what time?”

“How about I pick you up at your place at five-thirty? You can turn on the fans in your windows as you leave, then your apartment will be nice and cool by the time we get back.”

“Good thinking. Sure.”

I expect him to leave, but instead he steps closer again, holding the back of his hand against my cheek for a moment. Then he smiles. “Much better than yesterday.” He tips my chin up with his finger, looking deeply into my eyes. For one slow, heart-stopping moment, I think he’s going to kiss me.

Yes, it’s totally inappropriate in my workplace, especially when the burgers might overcook. But I’ve never wanted anything more in my entire life than for Damon to kiss me…

And then he doesn’t.

He simply smiles and steps back. There’s no missing the way his gaze wanders across my breasts and down my hips, though. I’ve heard of men who prefer curvy women. Could he really be one of them?

“See you tonight, beautiful.”

The second he disappears, I zoom back to the burgers, then slip them into the waiting buns. I place them in the pass-through and ring the bell. Then I look out the front window of the diner, where Damon is standing in front of a big truck, chatting with several people walking by.

He’s probably one of those guys who has lived here forever. Maybe he’s interested in me simply because I’m someone new.

But I want to believe that there’s a chance Damon and I could truly click. My mind already finds him fascinating. My body finds him unbelievably desirable.

And my heart… My heart is filled with so much hope.

Maybe, just maybe, Damon feels this too, and we can explore this wild heat together.