Damaged (9 page)

An animalistic groan purred from her throat that made his nostrils flare in satisfaction. Sweat rolled down his neck as the heat in the room seemed to rise. Every sound she made went straight to his head like a drug
, ramping up his adrenaline until he had his lip pulled back over his teeth in a masculine snarl. He let her take the lead for as long as he could stand it, but when she cupped her breasts, pinching her nipples between her fingers, his control snapped. Gripping her small waist, Seth assisted her thrusts, bringing her back down on his cock harder as he lifted his hips to meet her half way. Monica whimpered and threw her head back, allowing him to take the lead. God, she was gorgeous like this. Hair tousled, hanging over her shoulders in thick dark waves, eyes heavily lidded, laced with lust. Everything about her screamed feminine power and beauty, and she didn’t even know it.

Within moments
, she came apart, bucking her hips and falling forward to bury her face in his shoulder to muffle her shattered cries. Every pulse of her core pulled him closer to the edge until he was teetering on the precipice. Holding back was impossible. The way she wrapped her sweat-slicked body around him drove him to his limits, until his cock kicked inside her as he took his release. Seth grunted against the top of her head with every spurt, holding her to him as tightly as he could while he emptied into the condom.

When they stilled, Seth closed his eyes, stroking his hand up and down the length of her back soothingly. “
Are you all right?” She didn’t respond, but he caught the sound of her soft sob against his shoulder, and his heart sank. “Monica?”

Chapter Nine

I can’t do this
.

Monica shook her head, ashamed that she’d let herself lose control like that. She barely knew him, and she’d given it up like it was nothing.
Wiping the tears from her face, she climbed from his lap and scrambled to put her clothes back on before he could start asking questions. She needed to get out of there, go somewhere she could clear her head. She’d sworn that she’d never let another man manipulate her, and she’d shot that all to hell the second Seth had kissed her.

“
Monica, stop, wait,” he pleaded behind her as she bolted through the door, half dressed. She couldn’t stop. The tears streamed down her face as she ran, desperate for the solace of the bedroom she was staying in. Pushing through the door, she slammed it shut before flipping the lock on the knob and backing away from it.

Seth’s heavy knock came moments later. “Monica…open the door. Please.”

Monica shook her head. Her chest ached with the force of her sobs. “Leave me alone.”

“This is my house, Monica,” he said quietly. “I have a key, so either you unlock it, or I’ll do it myse
lf, but either way, I’m coming in.”

She remained silent, holding her face in her hands, too upset to even respond. Not surprisingly, the sound of keys drifted through the door, announcing that Seth had
indeed made his decision. When he stepped into the room she moved to the far side needing to distance herself from him. From the things he made her feel.

He had
pulled his jeans back on, but left them unbuttoned, and he was shirtless. She thought she’d hardened herself against her emotions, but the man who was steadily prowling across the room toward her shattered the walls she’d built effortlessly, and it scared the shit out of her.

“Please go away,” she whispered, holding her hands up while she backed away.
“I can’t do this, I’m sorry.”

He stopped a few feet away, propping his hands on his hips. “Do what? What the hell did I do?”

Monica wiped her face with the back of her arm. Her eyes stung from the tears, but she held her head high. “I should have known this wouldn’t come without strings attached. I appreciate you offering to help us, but I refuse to use my body to thank you for your kindness.”

Seth’s arms dropped to his sides, a look of pure rage flashing across his features. “What? You think I offered to let you stay here in exchange for sex?
Is that seriously what you believe?” His stare burned into hers, his jaw clenched tight.

Monica shrugged
, unable to make eye contact. He was furious, and it made her uneasy. “It’s the only thing that makes sense,” she whispered.

Seth began to pace. She could feel the anger vibrating off his big body. “Look, I don’t know what the fuck happened to you that closed you off from affection,” he growled, his voice low. “But I can assure you, what just happened didn’t come with any strings attached.” Stopping near the bookshelf by the window, he turned back to face her slowly.
“I like you, Monica. More than you know, and I’d die before I would do anything to hurt you. I don’t understand why that’s so hard for you to accept.”

She felt faint, overwhelmed by the entire situation. Why was he so insistent on expressing his feelings for her? It would last for a month or two, and then just like everyone else in her life, he’d be gone when he realized she had nothing to offer.
“Because!” she yelled, quickly losing her patience. “It would never work, dammit!”

Seth went still. Very still. “Why not, Monica? Because you’ve got some secret past? I assure you, nothing you could ever tell me would scare me away.”

“That’s doubtful. Besides, you’re not just getting me, you’d be getting two teenagers,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around her midsection.

Throwing his hands up, Seth
began to pace again. “You push me away every time I get anywhere close to getting to know you. You can’t tell me that you don’t feel it too, Monica. When you were shaking in my arms just minutes ago, you were relaxed, free. What the hell happened that keeps you at arm’s length?”

Monica cringed.
“I don’t talk about it.”

“Well
, maybe you should!” he shouted. Apparently even he was shocked by the way he let his voice rise, judging by the way he cursed under his breath as he turned back toward her. “Shit, look, I’m sorry. I just want to help you, and you won’t fucking let me in.” Seth held up his hand, stopping her when she opened her mouth to protest. “I know, you don’t want or need my help, but I don’t give a shit. I care about you, and I won’t allow you to self-destruct.”

God
, she needed to get away from him. He was wearing her down, no matter how hard she pushed back. She was dangerously close to spilling her past to him, and that was one trip down memory lane that she never wanted to revisit. “I’m tired and I don’t want to talk about this right now. You can take us back to the apartment tomorrow. I think I’ve made a terrible mistake and given you the wrong idea,” she sighed, motioning to the door. She was on the verge of tears and she hated crying. Crying showed weakness.

Seth scrubbed a hand down his face, and she knew he wasn’t going to drop it. “You’re not going back to that apartment,” he informed
her, shaking his head and slashing his hand through the air. “You can stay here until you get back on your feet, just like I promised. You can kick, scream, and hate me for the duration of your stay, but I cannot allow you and the kids to go back there.”

She trie
d to argue, but the pager on Seth’s pocket sounded with three steady beeps, interrupting her response. He pulled it free, checking the screen before cursing and shoving it back into his pocket. “Dammit, I have to go. I’m needed at the station,” he said, moving toward the door. “We’re not done talking, so don’t think you’re off the hook. You guys are welcome to anything in the house, so make yourselves at home. I shouldn’t be gone long.” He didn’t even turn around, leaving without another word.

Monica
slumped down onto the bed before falling back with her arms over her head as the door closed behind him. The man pushed her to her limits, draining her of her defenses. If he hadn’t gotten that call, she probably would have given in and told him everything. No matter how much she fought him, something pulled at her. Did she want to believe him? Of course, but history had already proven that no one was to be trusted. Her own family had destroyed that notion years ago. Now that he was gone, though, she was starting to feel bad about the way she’d treated him.

Seth made her feel things that she hadn’t allowed herself to enjoy in years. Her body tingled as the memory of his hands on her, the way he felt filling her, swept across her mind. It had felt good. She had enjoyed it, and that was the problem. Her control was slipping.

Rising from the bed, Monica made her way to the bathroom that connected to her room, staring longingly at the big claw-foot tub in the center of the room. She hadn’t enjoyed a hot soak in ages, and the little bottles of bubble bath that lined the shelf near the sink beckoned to her. It was a rare occasion that she indulged.
Just this once
, she thought to herself as she closed the door and pulled her shirt over her head. Tomorrow they could leave while Seth was at work, and go invisible again.

Twisting the knobs, the water poured into the tub, crisp, clear and inviting. Nearly moaning as the steam rose
into the air, Monica looked through the pretty bottles of soaps, smelling each one until she settled on the bottle labeled Peaches and Cream. A thick froth of bubbles boiled from the water as she poured, filling the bath with the sweet luxurious scent. It was torture waiting for the huge tub to fill, but when it did, Monica wasted no time shucking the rest of her clothes and putting her hair up before turning the water off to step in.

With a sigh, she sank down into the decadent heat until every inch of her flesh was submerged to her chin. Monica groaned, letting her head fall
back against the cool porcelain. It had been so damn long since she’d had a hot bath, she’d forgotten how wonderful it could be. A soft smile played at her lips while she soaked, letting the steam relax her aches and cares away. The world slipped into a fog as her eyes closed and a deep sigh fell from her lips. She could worry about the issue with Seth in the morning. Right now, her only concern was re-warming her bath over and over as it cooled.

Monica startled when she heard the click of the bathroom door opening. “Sarah? Is that you?” she asked, unable to see who had entered over the high side of the tub.

“It’s me.” Seth’s deep voice echoed off the tile walls and her body responded, sensitizing with just the sound of it.

Monica closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I thought you had to go to work.” She heard him move across the room, approaching the tub. On instinct, she covered her breasts, even though the bubbles obstructed most of the view anyway.
“That didn’t take very long,” she muttered. Dammit, it didn’t matter what she did to push him away, he just kept coming back. But…she couldn’t deny that she was starting to like it, and it pissed her off.

A chair scraped across the floor, stopping behind the tub. “I just had to fill out
some paperwork, nothing serious. Besides, I was gone for an hour,” he said quietly.

Shit, had she been in the bat
h that long? Seth continued shuffling around behind her, and it was starting to make her nervous. “What are you doing?”

Seth’s chuckle was rough, sexy
. “Just relax, okay? You’re always so damn tense.”

“I’ll spare you the ‘I don’t trust anyone’ speech, since you’ve heard it already,” she quipped.

“Sit up,” he ordered.

Monica went still
, a flash of anxiety holding her in place. “Why?”

“Because,” he replied. She could practically hear the eye roll in his voice. “Just sit up. I’m not going to do anything crazy, I promise.
Please.”

She hesitated, but slid up to a sitting position, hugging her knees for cover. Glancing back over her shoulder at him, she watched him reach for a bottle and a bath pitcher, placing both on the floor at his feet. His expression was
unreadable. He appeared to be relaxed, yet his jaw was clenched, making the muscle near his ear twitch every so often. His hair was in disarray, as if he’d been running his hands through it in frustration, and it was undeniably sexy on him.

When he turned his head to meet her gaze, his bl
ue eyes simmered with intention as he reached for her hair, tugging the elastic band that was holding it free. That one simple act sent shivers down her spine.

A smirk tilted the corner of his lips.
“Head back, sweetheart.”

Monica swallowed nervously before looking away and letting her head fall back. A small gasp fell from her lips as a warm rush of water poured over her hair, soaking the locks and making them heavy against her back. Another deluge washed over her scalp, and Monica moaned in pleasure. It felt amazing. A cap was popped open, and then his hands were there, massaging a sweet
-scented shampoo into her hair. His touch was firm, experienced…tender. Seth took his time working the soap into a full lather over every inch of her head, and it could only be described as heaven.

When he finished, he rinsed it out, careful to block soap from getting into her eyes. No one had ever done anything like that for her before, and she soon found herself fighting tears.
She had to be dreaming. There was no way this was real life. This man had entered her life out of nowhere, and wrecked her.

There was no warning.

There was no running.

Just the overwhelming urge to put her trust in someone else for a change. To finally be free of life’s burdens and let someone else take the reins.
When the tears had begun to fall, she didn’t know, but by the time he finished rinsing her hair, her chest burned with the force of her sobs. Could she let go? Could she put her trust in someone else and survive? Seth made the thought seem possible.

Her eyes came open as his hands cupped her face. He was kneeling next to the tub, concern creasing his brow. The emotion she saw in his gaze made her heart clench. “Seth, I…I’m so sorry,” she whispered, gasping for breath.

He didn’t say a word. Seth lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers, lingering for a long time until he pulled away and wiped her tears away with his thumbs. “Ready to start this over? No secrets?” he asked.

Monica nodded, barely able to see him through the blur of tears as
the cries wracked her body. “Y-yes.”

“Good. My name is Seth Jackson,” he said gently. “And you are?”

“Monica Cassidy,” she whispered.

A smile curled his lips. “It’s a pleasure to
finally meet you, Miss Cassidy.”