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The Perfect Temptation, Part 12

Damien stared at Angelina's stricken expression. Intense anger and guilt rushed through him. "Angie…"

Angelina whirled on her heels and sped out of the office. Her heart was thumping in her ears and tears were pricking at the backs of her eyelids. Half of her wanted to go after Claudia and pound her into the ground, and the other half wanted to curl up in a corner and die. She heard him say her name, but she didn't heed it and kept on walking. Then she felt hands slide around her waist and pull her to a halt. Looking over her shoulder at him, she glared. "Let go of me," she hissed.

"No, not until I explain," he stated as he looked deep into those silver eyes of hers. He could see the tears shimmering in their depths as well as the fiery anger that she was containing inside of her. "Please?" he asked.

"Go to hell," she snapped as she struggled against the grip he had on her.

"Well that's too damn bad because I'm going to explain to you whether you like it or not," he shot back as he bent down and tossed her over his shoulder. Jeanette passed him a shocked look as he carried a cursing Angelina back to his office. Her fists were making his back sore. Kicking the door closed with his foot, he turned and locked it. "Dammit, Angelina, you're going to give me a backache if you keep that up."

"Then put me down," Angelina snarled as she leaned up a bit to look at him.

"You asked," he said as he dropped her, unceremoniously, onto the buttery leather couch he had in his office. "Now, stop with the screeching and listen to me."

"I'm not going to believe one word you say, Winner, So, get the hell out of my way!" She stood up, only to be pushed back down.

Damien kept his palms on her shoulders to keep her from getting up again. "Dammit, this is important that I do this, so don't be a brat. Stay down and shut up."

Surprised at his firm tone and the resolute expression on his face, she crossed her arms and regarded him with a level stare. "I'm waiting, but don't expect me to believe a word you're saying," she snapped.

His lips tightened in a thin line at her response. She made it so hard for him not to lose his temper and explode. It made him want to strangle her. But she looked magnificent when she was angry. Those eyes of hers were flashing like polished silver, her pink lips drawn into a pursed pucker, and her creamy complexion flushed red. He didn't know if it would be more expedient just to kiss her and get it over with. And he wanted to kiss her. He was surprised by how much. With a deep breath he tucked his hands behind him and held her eyes with his. "Now I want you to understand that I did nothing with Claudia. She came in here with a mind to seduce me. I didn't ask her to come. She came onto me and I tried my best to get her to leave, but she wouldn't until I proved her wrong," he explained, slowly and concisely.

"Why did you have to prove her wrong?" Angelina asked, as she didn't break his look.

"She wanted me to kiss her."

Momentarily shocked by his straightforward answer, she searched his face to see if he was telling her the truth. Those lips of his were drawn in a firm line and he was gazing at her steadily. He wasn't lying. "And did you?" she asked, not taking her eyes off of him.

"No. When I didn't comply, she kissed me," Damien replied. He saw her eyes grow cold again. She was drawing back into herself and putting up barriers. He was beginning to recognize it very well. "I didn't have much of a choice. If it got rid of her sooner, then fine."

"And did you like it?"

"No. I didn't."

Relief flooded through her, but she didn't let it show. Uncrossing her arms, she pushed herself off the couch and slowly began to walk about his office. On his desk were a half eaten bagel, but not one crumb. She smiled inwardly. He was as much as a neat freak as Chris complained that Victoria was. "And I'm sure, she wondered why you didn't."

"Because, I don't love her anymore. All of what I had of her, were pleasant memories. She was the first woman that I loved, and who loved me. It was a nice kiss, but I didn't feel a thing about it," he said as his eyes followed her about the office. Strands of her hair were falling out of the messy bun to caress her cheeks and her clothing was neat, but comfortable. The slim fitting black capries looked a bit wrinkled, as did the body hugging black top with its draped neckline. The total opposite of Claudia in every way. She looked more touchable than his ex ever did and he wanted to reach out and touch her, to see if her skin was as soft as he imagined it would be. "Angelina, that's the truth. I don't want her back since I know what she's capable of. She hurt me once and I wouldn't let her do it to me again."

Angelina turned back to look at him. "You honestly think that you turned her away this time, that she'll take no for a answer? No, she'll come after you any way that she can. Now that she's determined to have you, she'll dog your every step."

The morning sun brought out the copper in her hair, making it look like a halo about her head. The brilliance of the light was almost blinding to him, but he didn't turn away from the angel like vision she presented. Her name did suit her to a point. "Maybe, but I know what to expect from her now. She won't get what she's looking for, no matter what she says."

"Maybe that too. Beautiful women sway most men, especially if they are seducing them. And if she can make you remember anything at all, she'll use it to her advantage. And if you're hot for her, you'll fall right into her arms and her bed."

"Unlike my cousin, Miles, or even of the two Maxwell boys, I don't fall prey to the same weaknesses as they do. I didn't have their luck with the girls and I was never interested enough to chase after women in the first place. It's not me at all, so she can try to seduce me all she likes, I'm not going to hop into bed with her."

"That's what they all say," she snorted as she faced him fully, her hands coming to rest on her curving hips. "You men are all alike, you say you won't but deep down, all of you will. It's instinct. You're sexually attracted to any woman that shows you the least bit of encouragement."

Frowning, he crossed his arms. "You certainly have a low opinion of men, Angelina. Is there a reason for that?" he asked, his eyes trying to catch hers. She was adroitly avoiding them and she wasn't answering his question. With a frustrated sigh, he walked over to her and threaded his fingers through her hair so she would look at him in the face. "Is there a reason you have such a low opinion of us? Answer me."

The way he was looking at her, coupled with the feel of his hands holding her so close, made it impossible for her to avoid replying.  "I've dated before. I've seen what men do when there's a beautiful woman in the vicinity. They're drawn to her and they forget about the one that they're supposed to be with. She doesn't mean a thing to them; she was just a cure for their loneliness. I was just a means to see my beauty queen mother. They never wanted me, they wanted her," she replied, her voice shaking with resentment and hurt. "And you're not that much different. You don't want me either and you even said that you would pity any man I was with. You're right, you should pity the man that gets me because all he's getting is a poor imitation of the mother. I have only the brains, but never the looks. And brains don't get love, beauty does," she finished in a painful whisper. "So, you were right."

Guilt sliced through him from his words that he had flung at her. He didn't say anything, but continued to look into the tear-brightened eyes. They looked like liquid silver. Her lower lip was trembling ever so slightly, trying valiantly to hold back her tears. He was at a loss for words. He was also angry. Furious with all of those boys who had dated her only to be close to the mother, who thought her own child was not pretty enough to find someone.

When he didn't reply, she tried to pull away from him. He didn't let go. Her hands came up over his, tugging at them. "Let me go, Damien. Just let me go," she burst out as a few tears managed to trickle down her cheeks. "Please…"she whimpered, her voice broken.

Damien could see that she was losing the battle with her tears as they slipped one by one down her cheeks. Like most guys, he had a hard time dealing with tears. He never knew what to do when a woman would start crying. "What could I possibly do? I'm partly responsible for this and I don't know how to stop it."  He touched his forehead to hers, stroking her wet cheeks with his thumbs. "If you need to cry, just cry, Angelina. Don't hold it back. I don't know what else I should do or say to you, but don't let your pride get in the way of what needs to get out."

Maybe it was what he said or the way he said it, but the dam inside of her broke and all the hurt, the pain, the anger, came flooding out. Angelina collapsed into his arms, her hands twisting in the front of his shirt as she cried in loud, body wracking sobs. She didn't feel his arms finally come to wrap around her as she cried against his chest.

He had never heard someone cry like this before. It felt like a knife was twisting in his heart with each gulping sob she made. He held her tight as her body shook. He ran his fingers up and down her back, hoping it was in a comforting manner.

Her legs could no longer support her, as she slumped against him. The tears that had been stored up since childhood were pouring out of her with each breath. She was dimly aware of his hands moving up and down her back. His touch felt awkward, like he wasn't sure if he was doing the right thing. His attempt at comforting her, however, made her cry even harder.

He slowly lowered the both of them to the floor, keeping her securely tucked in his arms. She felt boneless in his arms. One hand trailed up her back and rubbed the back of her neck, while the other one massaged each vertebra. She was practically sitting on his lap, her head curled against the side of his neck. He could feel the hot tears sliding down the collar of his shirt. The sheer force of her anguish was lost on Damien. "She's going to make herself sick if she keeps crying like this. All these tears, she's must have held back for a long time and it only took me to bring them about." Now, he had to figure out a way to make her stop. Telling her would not be an option in this case for she certainly wouldn't hear him. He closed his eyes, turning his head against the satin of her hair. "Angelina," he murmured.

Angelina heard him say her name. Her fingers loosened their grip on his shirt as she lifted her head away from his neck. She felt his legs under hers. Finally looking up, she met those crystalline aquamarine eyes of his.

He was surprised that she had heard him. Her eyes were still shimmering with tears. They made her eyes look like mercury. Her face was splotchy and pink, her lips red and wet. "Don't cry anymore."

"I can't."

He smoothed a thumb over her one cheek. "Yes, you can."

"I can't…stop…" she whimpered before her features crumpled once again.

Now at a total loss of what to do, he had to think of something fast. More tears were raining down her cheeks. "What would Vaughn do? What would Jonathon do? They never seem to have any trouble comforting a crying woman. What can I do to at least calm her down?" he thought frantically. Then it came to him as he looked down into her face. Not one hundred percent sure that this was the right thing to do, he decided it was better than nothing at all. He touched his lips to hers.  

Angelina choked off in mid sob as she felt his lips on hers. They were gentle and soft against her mouth. Her hands relaxed against his shirt. She instantly knew what he was trying to do and with the soothing stroking of his thumb on her cheek and the consoling pressure of his mouth on hers, her cries died in her throat.

Damien lifted his head away from hers and looked down into her face again. He cupped her cheek in his palm. He rolled his lips inwards, tasting the salt from her tears. Her eyes fluttered open to look at him. He could see her confusion. He could feel his own. The action he had just done, baffled him. "Angelina?"

"Yes?" she replied, as she took a deep breath to steady her voice.

"You feel better?"

"Why did you kiss me?"

"Because it felt like it was the right thing to do."

"Is that the only reason?" she asked, her voice soft.

"…Uh…um…I…" he replied; now definitely not knowing what to do or say. "And how can I answer her when I don't even fully understand why I did it myself." He wished her eyes weren't searching his like they were. He wished she didn't make him feel like he was twisted into thousands of knots. He wished he wasn't still thinking of kissing her. His hand fell away from her face as he eased her away from him. He couldn't think straight with her being so close.

"Damien, was it the only reason?" she prompted as she looked into his eyes. The loss of his body heat made her shiver slightly, but she could still feel the warm imprint of his mouth on hers. That alone still made her insides tingle. She watched him look away. The uncertainty was written in his eyes. "Damien?"

"I don't know, I honestly don't. I wish I could give you an answer, but I don't have one. I need to think about it because it was meant to stop you from crying, but yet…" His eyes fell away from hers again, but he brought them back. "Would you be willing to go out to dinner with me?" he asked, shocking himself even more.

Her eyes widened several degrees. "You want me to go out to dinner with you? Why?"

"Because then I might have an answer for you. I'm not good in situations like this and I don't want to set you off again by saying the wrong thing."

"All right," she answered slowly. "When do you want to take me to dinner?"

"This Friday because hopefully, by then, I'll have this all sorted out." He lifted his fingers one again and touched her cheek again. "I'm sorry."

She reached up and touched her fingers to the back of his hand. Healing warmth trickled through her. She didn't say anything as they both dropped their hands away. She stood, wiping the remnants of her tears with the back of her hands. "Friday then," she said as she backed away from him. She turned to open the door, but she paused. "Thank you," she said quietly as she opened the door and left. She climbed into Hilde's SUV that she borrowed and bent her head over the steering wheel. "Friday. I wonder what he'll say. Will it be just because he was stopping my tears or was he motivated by something deeper?"

Damien stared after her, hearing her faint words. He leaned against the edge of his desk and stared at the floor. His brow was knit in thought as he rolled his lips inwards once again. He could still taste her there and the fragrant scent of lime clung to him. Glancing at his monitor, an odd smile crossed his lips. "I guess I really didn't need that at all." He returned his eyes to the floor. It was now time for him to review his jumbled emotions. He had four days to give her a clear answer on why he really kissed her. And four days to understand exactly what he felt.

A/N: I know it's been awhile, but here's the next installment. I hope you all enjoy! XOXO!!