A Texas Soldier's Family. Cathy Gillen Thacker

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СКАЧАТЬ more than happy to offer you some pointers on how to attract a woman,” he added, trying to lighten the mood.

      Damian chuckled. “Yeah, I bet.”

      “We need to get this party started right. I’m going to get a drink,” Kyle said.

      Troy nodded. “Good idea. Let’s go.”

      “I’ll wait for you guys.”

      “You want me to bring you something?” Troy asked.

      “Yeah. Bring me a beer.” He watched them saunter off and flirt with two passing women.

      He leaned against the railing, shoved his hands into his pockets and contemplated his friends’ words. He hated to admit it, but they were right. He’d immersed himself in his job, staying at the office way past normal hours, working out at the gym to the point of exhaustion, then going home to an empty house and losing himself in thoughts of what could have been, what should have been. Damian rarely did anything that could be considered fun and hadn’t thought about taking a trip. Even when Joyce was alive, she preferred a quiet evening at home to going out or leaving town, so they’d never traveled far. When they did, they only went on occasional weekend getaways.

      He took in his surroundings. Boarding passengers streamed past him, their animated chatter and excitement filling the air. He couldn’t remember the last time he had taken a real vacation. Maybe he needed this cruise after all.

      “Here you go.”

      He accepted the beer from Troy. “Thanks.”

      Kyle held up his bottle. “I’d like to propose a toast. To a week of great music and endless pleasures.”

      “Hear, hear!” Troy said.

      They looked at Damian expectantly. Sighing, he clinked his bottle against theirs, then tilted it to his lips.

      Kyle smiled. “Now, the first lesson when picking up women is to find one who wants no attachments beyond the week and is just out for a good time.”

      “Usually, she’ll be with a group of women, make eye contact and check you out from head to toe,” Troy added.

      Kyle nodded. “She’ll find a way to cross your path at least twice, be wearing an enticing little number and give you a smile that says she’s up for whatever you want.”

      “If you’re interested, return her smile but don’t approach her right away.” Troy leaned closer. “Continue to flirt from a distance, maybe send her a drink. You know, heighten the desire.”

      “Now you’re ready to make your move,” Kyle said, clapping Damian on the shoulder.

      “And, because we knew you wouldn’t, we slipped a couple boxes of condoms into your bag,” Troy finished with a smug smile. “Think about it, this’ll be the perfect way to make that first step back into the land of the living.”

      “I’m thirty-three years old. I don’t need you to tell me how to approach a woman,” Damian gritted out. Kyle and Troy laughed. “What?”

      “Man, you’ve been out of the game so long you wouldn’t know what to say, even if she held up a sign saying ‘Unattached and Available.’” Kyle paused thoughtfully. “Actually, you never really dated at all, since you and Joyce sort of hooked up in college.”

      He skewered Kyle with a look.

      “You know I’m right. Yeah, you dated a few women back then—and I use the term dated loosely—but you and Joyce always circled back to each other.”

      Rather than responding and risk knocking Kyle out, he took another swig of his beer.

      “Lay off Damian, Kyle. Give the brother a chance. We’ve only been on the boat for forty-five minutes, and we haven’t even left the dock yet.”

      “Yeah. Lay off. I’m perfectly capable of deciding whether I want a woman or not.” Though he mostly subscribed to the “or not” category. He had gone out a few times since his wife’s death, but never progressed past a couple of dates and a few chaste kisses.

      Kyle gave him a sidelong glance. “You sure? Because I can’t have you embarrassing me and ruining my reputation with some lame pickup lines.”

      Damian shook his head and laughed, giving in to Kyle’s wack sense of humor. “Man, I don’t know how we’ve been friends all these years.”

      “Hell, you need somebody to keep you straight. Leaving you to your own devices, we might find you living as a monk with no sense of humor.” They all laughed.

      “Whatever.”

      Out of his periphery, he noticed a woman staring his way. She was standing in a group with two older couples, a younger couple and two other men. Their eyes locked, and he felt a kick in the gut. An embarrassed expression crossed her face, and she turned away. He willed her to look his way again, wanting to know if he’d imagined the spark of awareness. When she finally glanced back, he felt it again. A slow grin made its way over his face, and he saluted her with his bottle.

      “Earth to Damian.” Troy waved his hand in front of Damian’s face.

      Damian jerked back. “What?”

      “Are you listening? What are you looking at?”

      “Nothing,” he murmured. He idly sipped his drink while scanning the woman from head to toe. She had flawless mocha skin and a strikingly beautiful face. The strapless gray dress she wore clung subtly to her lush curves and gave way to long, toned legs and stirred a desire he had never experienced, or at least hadn’t experienced in a long time. He frowned, not liking the direction of his thoughts.

      “Whoa. Hold up. I know you’re not staring at the woman in the gray dress,” Kyle said. “Didn’t you hear anything I just said?” He shook his head. “Nah, bro, don’t even go there. Nothing about her says ‘I just want a good time.’ She has permanent and keeper stamped all over her. She’s standing with old people, for goodness’ sake!”

      Damian ignored Kyle and continued to observe the woman as she hugged the older couples and then weaved her way through the crowd. A few men tried to stop her, but she shook her head and kept walking. One man couldn’t seem to take no for an answer and reached out to grab her. He handed his bottle to Troy.

      “I’ll be right back.” He moved with determined strides toward the woman.

      As Damian approached, he heard the man say, “Hey, beautiful. How about you keep me company this week? I promise to show you a good time.”

      Clearly he’d had too much to drink if his slurred voice was any indication.

      “No, thanks.” She gasped sharply when the man grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him.

      “Aw, come on.”

      A scowl settled on her beautiful face. “You have about one second to remove your arm or—”

      “You heard the lady,” Damian interrupted. “I’m sure you don’t want your cruise to end before the boat СКАЧАТЬ