Page 56 of Lumi

“I guess it started early this year.”

“So, about eight months ago?”

“Yes. I first noticed it after my trip to Spain with River and Storm.”

“Ah, so maybe bein’ around one of the sexiest men alive made you doubt your own manhood.”

Nathan snorted. “Storm Johnson is a pompous ass. I would be insulted if anyone compared me to him. You should have seen him on the survival trip. He was afraid of a harmless frog.”

Damian chuckled. “An action hero who is afraid of frogs. That’s funny.”

“More like pathetic. Storm is starring in some big apocalyptic movie where he and Serena Star play survivors of a world war. It’s a joke filming him fighting off all sorts of crazy dangers when in the real world, he can’t even make a fire without burning his hair off.”

Damian laughed.

“No, I’m serious. I was so excited when River asked me to join them on a survival trip because it’s right up my alley with all my military training, and I love nature.”

“And you’d get to meet Serena Star.”

“Exactly. But listening to Storm whining like a baby about how tired his feet were, and how many mosquito bites he had, and how his backpack weighed more than ours… geez.”

“But still, I can’t believe ye got to meet Serena Star.”

Hearing Damian talk about Serena made me turn up the volume, but I could still hear them talk.

Nathan scoffed. “Honestly, she was everything I hoped she would be. She had a great sense of humor, and she was as tough and brave as in the movies she plays. I would have described her as my dream woman, but then it turned out that she’s a bitch.”

“Awk, ye mean because she hurt River?”

“Yes. The way Serena hooked up with Storm when she knew he was with River was fucking cold. River was nothing but nice to Serena on the trip, and they got along great. And you know what blows my mind even more?”

“What?”

“I thought that there was chemistry between Serena and me. I never got the impression that she was interested in Storm, but I guess I saw what I wanted to see.”

“Huh. So there ye have it, my friend. Ye came home from that trip, infatuated with Serena Star, and it sucks because most women will have a hard time comparin’ to her.”

“You think that’s the problem?”

“What else would it be?”

“But I’m pissed at Serena for hurting my sister. If I saw Serena again, I wouldn’t give her a second of my time, except to tell her what I think of her.”

“Women can be frustratin’. Sometimes I get pissed at the woman I love too, but the feelings are still there.”

My eyes widened. I wanted to turn and ask Damian what woman he was talking about, but I didn’t want to interrupt their conversation.

“It’s different for me. I don’t love Serena. I mean, on the survival trip, I thought she was fun and cool to hang around, and physically I was extremely attracted to her, but it was a four-day trip, and then I haven’t talked to her since.”

“Hmm… I still think yer infatuation with Serena is the reason no one else excites ye. What else could it be?”

Nathan groaned. “I don’t know, but I sure as hell hope I get my mojo back soon. I feel like a freaking monk.”

Damian laughed. “Join my world. I’ve been celibate for so long that I wonder if my equipment still works.”

Damian’s admission surprised me and made my heart beat faster. I had assumed he had a list of women to satisfy his needs. And what about the woman he’d just mentioned? Had I misheard him saying there was a woman he loved? I turned the music down a little while my brain cells were analyzing every word he’d said. It couldn’t still be Siobhan that he loved, could it? Maybe he had spoken about me and referred to a platonic kind of love.

“You know what we should do, Damian. Once this nightmare of being chained to my sister is over for you, we should go out and meet some women. I’ll go in with an open mind, and you’ll suspend your search for the right woman for one night and settle on testing out if your equipment still works. Do we have a deal?”