Page 27 of The Only Shot that Mattered

His response was so immediate, it almost startled Kenna. The way he looked intently into her eyes caused nerves toricochet through her body, though she couldn’t call them bad nerves. For the first time in a long time, her anxiety came from a good space within her. Taking her shot at flirting, Kenna squared her shoulders and matched his gaze. With a lifted brow, she asked, “Any takers?”

“I might have someone in mind. I have to see how it plays out though.”

By this point, Kenna was absurdly hot all over. She reached over and grabbed her glass of ice water, wishing she could press it to her forehead without looking crazy. Instead, she took a big gulp before she continued eating.

The silence between them felt nice. While she wondered about the nature of their budding relationship, Damien simply ate and kept his eyes on her.

By the time her plate was cleared, she was stuffed. She sat back, rubbing her flat stomach. “That was so good.”

“You full already? We still have dessert.” Damien nodded at the chocolate lava cake sitting in the middle of the table, and Kenna groaned.

“I don’t think I can eat another bite. You go ahead without me.”

Damien chuckled. “How about I have it boxed up for you for later?”

Kenna eyed the cake. It did look good. Chocolate was definitely her guiltiest pleasure. She could eat it by the pound any other day, but the way her stomach was one step away from busting wide open stopped her now.

“What about you?”

“If I can’t share it with you, I don’t want it.”

“Well, that doesn’t seem fair.”

He grinned before leaning forward again, in that same sexy manner he did earlier. “I’m hoping I’ll get more opportunities to share cake with you, Kenna. Will I?”

“Yes.” Her response slipped out of her mouth quicker than she could catch it. She hated how eager it sounded, but that was the truth. If Damien kept it up, he would have many opportunities to share more than just cake with her. It felt wild to her because she’d never been in the position to host these kinds of feelings before. Not in a grown woman kind of way, yet here she was.

Before Damien could respond, a crash resounded just behind the curtain of the room they were in. Kenna’s heart hammered in her chest as she instinctively stood up, ready to bolt for the exit, but a strong arm stopped her.

Damien had stood almost as quickly as she had, seeing her panic and ready to step in and save her.

“You’re good, baby. It’s okay. A server must have dropped something. You’re safe,” he assured as he smoothed her hair back while holding her into his chest.

Tears filled her eyes as embarrassment filled her. This right here was exactly why she didn’t go out and do things. The wrong smell, sound, sight… anything could send her back to that day. It felt much safer at home in her safe little cocoon.

Correction… It had felt much safer in her cocoon. Damien’s arms provided the ultimate safety net though. She’d noticed it the day they met when he carried her out to the car and insisted she stayed in his lap for the drive to his house. Right now, that familiar calmness washed over her as she took in deep breaths.

Finally, she pulled away and looked everywhere but at him. “Sorry.”

Using his index finger, he lifted her chin, so she looked right into his eyes. “Never apologize for your trauma unless it’s harming someone else. Do I look hurt to you? I thought I looked good tonight.”

It surprised Kenna when a giggle fell past her lips. She wiped her tears and nodded slowly. “You definitely look good.”

He stared down at her for a moment longer before grabbing her hand. “Let’s get you back to your room.” Disappointment filled her, but she knew the mood was ruined, and it was because of her. As if he could read her mind, Damien stopped her. “I don’t feel comfortable keeping you here. You’re shaking.” He placed his warm hand on her arm, and she stilled. She hadn’t even realized she’d been shaking. “And I would invite you to my room,” he bit his lip, “but I don’t think either of us will get any sleep if I do, and I have a game to win tomorrow.”

Kenna knew her skin had to be crimson red as she nodded her understanding at him and whispered, “Okay.”

“Don’t worry, Ken Ken. We’ll do this again really soon.” He pinched her chin before leading her out of the room and through the busy restaurant and hotel lobby, ignoring the fans calling his name and snapping photos.

Once in the elevator, Damien pulled her close by her waist. They didn’t speak. She simply pressed her head against his chest and listened to his heartbeat until they made it to their floor. Her room was only a few doors down from the elevator, and when they stopped in front of it, she turned to look up at him.

“Thank you for everything tonight. Nobody has ever spoiled me so much. It meant a lot to me.”

Damien stepped closer to her, causing her chest to press up against his stomach. “This was light work. I can’t wait to spoil you more.”

And then, without waiting for a response from her, he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. Kenna leaned into him, now shivering for entirely new reasons. Their tongues danced together as she stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck. Damien surprised them both by picking her up from under her thighs and pressing her against the wall.

Kenna felt like a teenager again, making out with a boy she really liked. Except, this was no boy. Damien Blaze was all man,and the urge to explore him took over as she moaned into his mouth. She was completely inexperienced, and normally, that would make her feel insecure. At the moment, though, she didn’t care that the last time she had sex was in high school. Damien made her feel confident, like she could keep up with him, and she wanted to put that to the test.

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