Page 2 of Whispers of Wisteria
“Hey, Damen?” I put my phone back in my purse and walked, knowing he’d follow.
He was still sulking as he stepped beside me but hummed in response to the sound of his name.
“What’s the most romantic restaurant around here?” I asked.
Damen’s lips twitched, almost amused, but he touched my waist. “If you wanted a date, baby, all you had to do was ask,” he said.
I wanted to.
I stared up at him, unable to respond. However, our last date had ended rather badly—considering he took me to Colette’s restaurant and I’d found out they used to be an item—so I wasn’t sure this was a safe topic.
Besides, I couldn’t give in. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but there was something off about how he and the others had been treating me since we’d returned.
It was almost as if they were waiting for something to happen. But what?
I missed the way it was before, despite how flustered I’d been when he tried to seduce me. I didn’t like these random bursts of affection.
I wasn’t going to give in until he figured out what his problem was.
“No,” I told him. “I’m going to take Miles.”
Damen frowned. “But,” he began, leaning closer to me. I could smell his cologne, and a shiver shot down my spine as he spoke directly into my ear. “If you go out with me, I’d be sure to make it worth your while.”
My heart fluttered despite myself, though my logical side warned me not to fall for it.
Did this even count as a proper way to ask?
“Can you feel what’s happening between us?” Damen said, running his touch down my arm until he reached the tip of my finger. He leaned in, trapping me against the wall, and said, “You already have me. Let me show you what that means.”
Well, I would—let him, that was—if he’d stop being so moody.
“Mr. Damen.” Dr. Stephens’s stern voice drifted toward us. He stood in the doorway. “I’ve asked you to stop bringing your conquests here.”
Damen stiffened, but the older man continued, “In fact…” Dr. Stephens began, but then paused when he spotted me. “Oh, my mistake. I didn’t realize it was you. Apologies, then, for the interruption. I must have misunderstood. After all, there’s no way Mr. Damen would be propositioning my great-niece in front of my office. He isn’t that reckless.”
Damen gaped at Dr. Stephens, completely thrown, while I glared at him.
Conquests?
I should have known. At our first meeting, Dr. Stephens assumed that I was looking for Damen. How could I have forgotten?
How many women had he ravaged against this very wall?
I slipped out from Damen’s embrace.
“Don’t listen to him, baby,” Damen protested as I moved toward my uncle. “He’s only trying to mess with me!”
Dr. Stephens would never resort to such tactics! He was only ever proper and very stern. The man hadn’t a mischievous bone in his body.
The man in question shifted his weight and studied Damen. “I’m very disappointed you’d think that of me,” he said, sounding quite so. “And after everything I’ve done for you.”
“Well.” Damen stood straighter, his composure slowly returning. “That’s not to say… I do appreciate that, but—”
“Good.” Dr. Stephens petted Damen’s shoulder. “Now that we’ve cleared that up, you can go to the teacher’s lounge and pick up some blank scantrons.”
“Why?” Damen looked between us before settling his focus on Dr. Stephens. “We don’t even have class until tomorrow afternoon. Why do you need them now?”
“Goodbye!”
