Sweet Persuasion (Sweet #2)(85)

Faith squeezed her leg and got up from her chair. Serena glanced up to see her check her watch and exchange glances with Julie.

“We’ve got to run to the store to stock up on supplies,” Julie said. “Why don’t you stay here and hang out in the sun. We won’t be gone too long.”

Serena nodded. “Thanks, guys. Really.”

Faith leaned down to hug her. “We just want you to get better.”

“If you had a rewind button, that would be cool,” Serena said with a crooked grin.

Faith looked at her with serious eyes. “Would you really go back and erase what you had with Damon if you could?”

Serena stared out over the water, watching as the waves rolled into shore and then retreated. “No,” she said honestly. “I wouldn’t trade that week for the world.”

CHAPTER 35

Damon pulled up to his beach house and cut the engine. As he got out, he saw Julie and Faith coming down the steps of the house. They looked grim and worried.

Faith came to him immediately and gave him a hug. “She’s not doing well, Damon. She needs you.”

Did she? He sure as hell needed her. He wanted her. But he had no idea what Serena wanted.

“Where is she?” he asked quietly.

“We left her on the deck,” Julie said tersely. “She’s a mess. She’s talking about selling her business. It’s like she’s given up.”

Damon closed his eyes. Had he done this to her? Made her so desperately unhappy?

“Go to her,” Faith said softly. “Convince her, Damon. She’s so afraid.”

He almost laughed. Afraid didn’t even come close to describing his feelings. He was absolutely terrified. Terrified that he’d fail, and that he’d leave without her.

“We’re gonna go,” Julie said. “Call us if you need us, okay?”

“Thank you,” he said to them both. “You’re good friends to Serena. She’s lucky to have you. If I have my way, she’ll be leaving with me.”

He watched as they got into Faith’s car and drove away, and then he turned back to stare at the beach house. Faith had told him on the phone that Serena was exhausted, hadn’t eaten and looked like hell. He wanted to walk in, turn her over his knee and spank her ass for not taking better care of herself, but that wasn’t going to win him any points in his pursuit.

Instead he was stuck walking on tiptoe until he could find a way to persuade Serena that she belonged to him and they belonged together.

He squinted against the sun and mounted the steps. He let himself in the front door and headed for the back deck. When he got to the glass doors, though, he didn’t see her in the lounger.

He opened the doors and stepped out, scanning the beach. His pulse leaped when he saw her, standing in the distance, her back to him as she stared out over the water.

He crossed the deck and made his way down the wooden walkway over the dune and then stepped onto the beach. As he neared her, he slowed his pace.

There was a fragility to her stance. Her arms were hugged tight around her body, and she was huddled in a jacket as though the wind blowing chilled her to the bone. Her hair whipped like streaks of midnight, and then she turned, ever so slightly, and he caught a hint of her profile, the softness of her face and the sad set of her lips.

Faith was right. She looked tired. She looked worn out, but she was still beautiful.

Serena mine.

He didn’t know whether he should stay where he was or go to her or wait for her to turn and see him standing there. The waiting was agony as he readied himself to fight a battle he wasn’t prepared to lose.

And then she turned, and those beautiful, expressive eyes widened in shock.

Serena stared in bewilderment at Damon, who stood just a few feet away. He was dressed for a day in the sun. Khaki shorts, polo shirt and brown sandals. Sunglasses were shoved to the top of his head, messing his hair slightly. He was heart-stoppingly gorgeous, and he stood there watching her, his liquid brown eyes bright with concern. But he was here.

Joy, pure and unfettered, flooded her body until she feared she’d fall to her knees. She swayed and threw her hand out only to catch air as she tried to steady herself.

He stepped forward to catch her, but she righted herself and blinked away the shock of seeing him so close after so many days.

“What are you doing here?” she asked faintly.

“I came for you.”

A shiver worked over her body.

He frowned, concern brightening in his eyes. “Are you cold?”

“I’ve been cold since the day I left your house,” she whispered. She wanted to cry. But more than that, she wanted to be warm again.

He held out his arms, and she walked into them, unable to deny the comfort of his embrace. He tucked her head under his chin, and she laid her cheek against his chest. She closed her eyes as his warmth bled into her.

Slowly the ice began to melt. A low throb began, and sweet relief whispered delicately through her veins.

He lowered them both onto the sand, arranging his body around her as he positioned her between his legs. He kept firm hold of her, absorbing the trembles of her body as the cold gradually eased, and she could feel the sun once again.

“What happened, Serena mine?” he asked against her hair. “Why did you leave?”

She buried her face in his neck and tried to keep the tears at bay. “She died, Damon,” she said hoarsely. “Michelle, the girl I told you about. She died during the cruise I arranged for her.”