But when Damien delved deeper, it was. And she was the only reason he was meeting a charity representative personally for the first time.
He closed her resume and then pulled up another document, one not of a professional nature. A report from Paul, a vampire detective Damien had hired to gather information on her.
Iris had surprisingly little contact with her father, considering how big a part of her life he had been—how she’d always wanted to impress him—damn, he was the one she went running to when Damien told her the truth about himself. These days, she was rarely seen in public with Bill…a ploy to fit the public persona of her not taking advantage of her father’s position, and to emphasize how she had made it on her own?
According to the information, there was no boyfriend or significant other in her life. That shouldn’t have brought Damien the satisfaction it did. She was out of his life, a part of his past he should leave there, but when his mobile indicated a call from his assistant Rahul, his chest tightened into a million knots. He swallowed as he glanced at the time on his mobile. 9.50.
“She’s here,” Rahul announced.
Calm the fuck down, Damien told his dumb heart. It had been years…he was over her, and come on, he was meeting her on a more equal footing. In fact, as far as the criteria went that humans used to measure success, he’d achieved enough to take on her pompous father, too. Yet, his damn heart beat as if it wanted to pound out of his chest.
He cleared his throat. “Send her in.”
He then flicked his mobile setting to release the security doors and allow her to enter this floor—the whole of which he kept for himself, craving isolation. Gluing his eyes to the laptop, he pulled up a financial sheet, forcing himself to amend figures.
I won’t let her know she still affects me…
When the door opened, it was a surprise that he hadn’t already sensed she had arrived on the floor. When they were teenagers, he could pick up her scent as soon as she was within a few meters, but perhaps he wasn’t as affected by her as he’d thought. A relief…
Still, it took all his willpower to keep his eyes on the laptop. Pressure built in his mind, but he didn’t look up, not even when the door closed.
“Thank you for agreeing to see me.”
He would recognize that soft-spoken voice anywhere. And had he just thought he was no longer affected by her? His heart wanted to burst through his ribs as his gaze went from the thick carpet to a pair of flat shoes—no more designer heels for her, then? Her legs were the way he remembered under that knee-length skirt, long and shapely, but her hips were wider...and not just her hips. She had filled out that slim teenage figure, her breasts straining against her smart blouse. Taking a deep breath, he met her eyes…
Her blond hair was tied back in a neat pony tail, and those blue eyes were still bright, but she didn’t face him with the confidence of her teenage self—the girl who had a successful future ahead of her. Her smile was forced and expression tired, as if she had also faced struggle, but unlike him, didn’t quite reach the other side. It should have pleased him, seeing the once designer-clad mayor’s daughter in clothing off the rack, but his wolf growled, wanting to make sure she was all right.
“Take a seat,” he said.
When she did, placing her briefcase on the floor, neither of them spoke for a few moments. She had changed physically, but her aura was the same—all vanilla and musk. But wait, there was a slight change in her scent…something that pulled his wolf…still, she was the same Iris.
If he closed his eyes, they could be back in that hotel room where he watched, heart cracking, as her affection for him changed to fear.
“Thank you for seeing me at such short notice,” she said. She glanced between the desk and him. “It’s a privilege, considering your schedule—” His staff had been surprised, too, but knew better than to ask questions. When he didn’t respond, she asked, “How have you been, Damien?”
“Just great, as you can see.” He glanced around the office. “Things have changed since we last met…”
She bit her bottom lip, dragging his eyes there, and he was reminded of how sweet they once tasted as she whispered soft promises against his mouth. And something inside him stirred…how would it feel to kiss the woman she had become?
“About that time,” she murmured. “It’s been years now…maybe you’ll understand. When you told me who you were, it was a shock…but I could have reacted better—”
Damn right, she could have. And now, in an instant, everything came back…his parents being treated as outcasts, mother’s cries and father’s fear, Linda’s bruised face…
“Being forced to leave your town is the best thing that could have happened,” he said, “Look where I ended up.”
“I’m happy for you, Damien. You deserve this.”
But he hadn’t deserved the way her townsfolk treated them…neither had his family. They hadn’t deserved any of it. The only saving grace was that the experience had given him the push he needed to reach where he was now. Without that, he would have been Iris’ lapdog for the rest of his life, wouldn’t he? Following her wherever she went...going along with what suited her.
“I’m surprised you were willing to meet me,” he mentioned. “I know Bill and you have switched sides, at least on the surface, but I know firsthand how you both feel about my kind.”
“People change.”
“True…but what about our past?” Something he had wondered about since this meeting was arranged. “Isn’t it awkward coming to your ex-boyfriend for funds? After what we shared?”
Her cheeks flushed, eyes brightening at the reminder of how they once couldn’t get enough of each other. All those times she had lied to the dad she idolized and dragged Damien to a hotel room, so they could spend hours fucking…
Her lips parted under his gaze, pupils dilating. And the scent of her heat filled his nostrils.
She still wants me…
He tried to control the images that rushed through his head, fantasies of taking her in this office, testing if she would respond to him with the abandon she once did.
“What we had is gone,” she murmured. She now kept her eyes firmly on the desk, her words pissing him off, because she appeared to have more control over her emotions than he did. “This is business—”
“It always is for people like you, isn’t it?”
“Damien…I know we have a history—but can’t we be professional?”
So what was it? She expected a hefty commission if she got the funds out of him?
“Fine,” he said. “Go ahead with your proposal.”
She pulled some documents out of the briefcase by her feet, placing them on the desk. At first, he was thrown, expecting a laptop. An old-fashioned way of doing things…perhaps this organization really did need assistance…
Damn, he’d fallen for it, hadn’t he? She knew him well enough to guess he’d be moved by an impoverished charity…
“Go on, Iris. Talk me through it.”
“You’ve seen the proposal I emailed you?”
“Like you said, I’m a busy person. What’s the point of meeting with you if I’m expected to do everything myself?”