Complete Me (Stark Trilogy, #3)(48)

Then again, I got myself into this mess. It may have been Jamie’s idea to start out with, but I adopted it fully. I should have known he’d find a way to turn it around to his full advantage.

I draw in a breath, drop my hand, and lean back in my chair as Damien continues speaking.

“So I’m going to go with a serenade.” He looks right at me. “For you, baby.”

I brush away the tears that have welled and give him a shaky, happy smile. The music starts, and I’m enough of a fan of big band music and the Rat Pack that I recognize the song right away. The tears that I’d brushed away return immediately as Damien begins to croon the lyrics to Dean Martin’s “You’re Nobody Until Somebody Loves You”. It’s not a perfect voice, but it’s strong and on-key, and he has captured the audience.

Then he’s stepping off the stage, the mic in hand, and coming to our table, his voice filling the place, even rising above the claps and catcalls from the patrons who are loving every second of this spectacle. Half of them are holding up smartphones, and I’m certain that this will be all over the Internet by tomorrow, but when Damien reaches his hand out for me, I suddenly don’t care. I take it, the world falling away. He’s casting a spell over me, and for a brief, wild second, I think that Sinatra’s “Witchcraft” would be more appropriate, because I am completely enchanted.

I’m not sure how it happens, but suddenly I’m standing up, and Damien’s eyes are fixed upon mine, and everyone else in this pub has been swept away. It is only Damien and the music and me. He’s singing as if he means it, and as the famous lyrics come out of his mouth, I melt.

Then it’s over and I’m crying and the crowd is applauding. Damien’s arms close around me and I’m vaguely aware of the applause and the camera flashes and the cheering. None of that matters, though. All that matters is Damien.

Beside us, I see Jamie smiling tremulously, her eyes wistful but happy. He’s a keeper, she mouths.

I nod in reply and cling tight to Damien. I know, I think. I know.





Chapter Twelve

It’s late when we get back from the bar, but the cool night air and Damien’s terraced stone patio are too enticing to resist. It looks out over a manicured lawn leading down to a private dock and the smooth surface of the lake. The sky is clear and the moon is full. It reflects off the sails and hulls of the various boats dotting the shore, adding a wash of muted color to what would otherwise be a gray tableau.

Jamie immediately flops down on the huge daybed. The waitress had suggested flavored vodka in response to Jamie’s query as to what would be fun, and now she is in a whipped cream vodka induced fog. I glance at Damien, then head into the house to get sparkling waters for all of us. When I return, Jamie’s humming “Come Josephine, In My Flying Machine” and staring up at the stars as Damien looks on, bemused, from where he sits on the nearby love seat.

I meet Damien’s eyes. “She loves Titanic,” I say, by way of explanation.

“I hope this doesn’t mean you’re drowning,” he says to Jamie.

She just smiles and slowly shakes her head back and forth. “No, I’m in a happy place. This is so nice. Y’all are so nice.” She pushes herself up on her elbows. “Maybe we should go clubbing.”

“Great idea,” Damien says, as I gape. “But I’ve got a better one. How about we stay in?”

She cocks a finger at him. “Yes. Yes.” She looks at me. “He’s so smart. And gorgeous, too,” she adds in the world’s loudest stage whisper.

“I know,” I say, half-embarrassed for my friend and half-amused by her.

She squints at Damien. “I bet I can totally whoop your ass at poker,” she says.

Damien grins at me. “Who am I to decline a challenge like that?”

“She’s good,” I warn. She and Ollie and I spent a lot of long nights playing poker. “Of course she’s better when she’s sober.”

Jamie’s grin is lopsided. “Maybe I am sober. Maybe this is all just one big bluff.”

After four hands of five card draw, it’s starting to look like maybe Jamie really is sober. I’m losing spectacularly, Damien isn’t doing much better, and Jamie has a huge pile of chips in front of her.

“You should know that all of my illusions are shattered,” I tell him. “I don’t know if I can stay with a man who loses at poker.”

“But I do it with such charm,” he says.

Jamie lifts her hands in a what-can-you-do gesture. “I’m just that awesome,” she says. “Don’t say that I didn’t warn you.”

Damien leans back on the small love seat that he and I are sharing, his feet kicked out in front of him and his cards face down on the small glass table. “You both do realize that poker is a game that develops over time. It’s not about just a few hands.”

Jamie and I exchange glances before she looks back at Damien. “In other words, you’re sizing me up.”

I raise my brows. “He better not be,” I say archly.

We all laugh, but Jamie tosses down her cards, then flops backward onto the chaise. “Yeah, well, then the joke’s on you, because I think I have to pass out now.”

I wait, expecting her to say something else, but all I hear is a soft snore.