Rough: Daunting Temptation (Coral Gables Series Book 1) (27 page)

"Kieran. He ..." I stammer.

"There was this insane asshole, who kept shoving her against the wall. I don't think he's going to bother her again, because I showed him what it feels like to kiss the wall," Delsin interrupts. "I'm going to take Camille home, I mean, to my dad's house. Thally, could you drive Hailey and Steve home?"

She nods slowly. "Of course. Stay with Camille and take good care of her. She ... she is extremely afraid of Kieran," she whispers to Delsin, but I can hear it anyway.

"I'll stay with her, of course. See you soon," he says, before helping me get into the car.

***

We were on the road for almost an hour, before Delsin turned into a driveway and parked the car. He brought me into a bedroom that almost made me hyperventilate. A king size bed sits in the center of the room, with stylish nightstands on both sides and a ceiling full of mirrors. The windows go all the way to that ceiling, and one wall sports a huge flat screen television. I am completely overwhelmed by it all.

"Would you like something to drink?" Delsin asks softly while pulling the boots from my feet.

"Maybe a glass of water," I say weakly. My voice is still shaky, so are my hands, and my head is spinning.

"Do you need an aspirin? I think your head hit the wall, didn't it?" He looks at me with concern.

I nod and pull my legs up on the bed.

"Do you want to tell me what this was about?" he asks, his voice rough.

"Kieran is my ex-boyfriend," I say meekly. "He was always saying I was provoking him, whenever I talked back or merely had a different opinion. And then he hit me. Today was the first time that he hit me in the face, though. He used to punch me in my stomach, or kick me," I explain, feeling ashamed.

Delsin's hands form into fists that he tries to relax, but they keep flexing, as if on their own account.

"What a bastard," he growls.

I don't say anything to that, because he is right, but also because I don't want to tell him that I was so much in love with Kieran that I didn't want to lose him, even though he was bad for me. It took me a long time to find the strength to leave him.

"Why did you stay with him?" Delsin asks.

My sigh is deep. "Love? Or what I thought was love anyway. I simply didn't want to lose him," I whisper.

Delsin kneels on the floor in front of me and pulls my head against his shoulder. "Now I finally understand why you are so afraid of getting involved with me, of opening up," he murmurs.

Tears sting my eyes and blur my sight. I haven't looked at it from this vantage point yet. Now the scales fall from my eyes, as they say.

"I won't ever do something like this to you, Caramel. I swear I will never hit you, much less hurt or injure you. You deserve so much more, for you are such a special person," Delsin whispers.

I sniffle and pull my head back to look him in the eyes. "I thought he was right ... I believed him then."

He shakes his head. "Men who hit women are cowards. This Kieran guy should be in jail."

"I'm through with this, Delsin. I simply don't want to have to see him again. I want him to leave me the hell alone," I say with unusual force.

"Maybe it would be better to come back to Miami with me then, after all. He could not hurt you there," he says and gets up. "Think about it, Caramel."

I watch him leave the bedroom. He's probably going to get me the water I have asked for earlier. I get up and take off my skirt and blouse. I am still wearing my top when I slip under the covers. I am still dizzy and also a little nauseous, probably due to the blow to my head.

While I am still sitting and musing, Delsin comes back into the room. "I also brought you some ice for your cheek. The guy hit you badly," he says softly and hands me a glass of water. Then he holds the icepack gently against my cheek.

"Ouch," I hiss and close my eyes. "Thank you, Delsin," I whisper.

"Stop thanking me for everything, Camille. No need." He leans down and kisses my forehead.

I take a sip of water and look at him. "I hate how he goes and spoils it all for me."

"This Kieran guy? I am sure he'll get what he deserves some day," Delsin says warmly and gives me an encouraging smile.

I put my hand on his cheek. "I feel dizzy."

"Then we should go to the hospital," he decides.

I shake my head. "I should go to sleep, that's all. But first, I have to call my mom."

"I've already taken care of that when I was in the kitchen. I didn't know whether you wanted to tell her the truth, so I said you had a migraine attack, and we were around my dad's place," he explains. "And now I guess you should really just lie down and try to sleep."

"Aren't you getting in with me?" I ask shyly.

"I am, but first I have to call back Ave, because I ignored his call earlier. After that, I'll be at your side."

"You can call him from here," I suggest.

"No, I can't, because I'm sure he wanted to talk about your birthday present," he smiles and pushes me gently back into the pillows. "I'll be with you in a minute, I promise."

"Okay." I turn on my side and close my eyes as Delsin walks to the door. I struggle to suppress the image of Kieran staring at me and then pressing me against the wall. He frightened me badly tonight - like so many times before. I ponder the option of reporting him, pressing charges for all the things he did to me. But I doubt he will be prosecuted, because apart from tonight, it all happened more than a year ago. I ought to have been strong right then, not now. I sink into a fretful sleep, haunted by these thoughts.

Chapter 13

For an entire week, Delsin has been working hard at showing me what type of guy he really is, that he is worth being with. We have spent that whole time in his father's house, where he served me breakfast in bed, took me shopping and drove me to the U of T campus to take a look around. By that time, however, I was already certain I would go back to Miami. This saved me from sitting through the college discussion with my parents, and from confronting my dad at all. Ever since he remarried, it seems he isn't really interested in me anyway, so meetings tend to be awkward and disappointing. He has new kids now, after all, even if they're not his own.

For three days, my head hurt like hell, so I just stayed in bed and stared at the ceiling. Delsin wouldn't let me get up and run around. Turned out I did have a slight concussion, so he was probably right with his concern. At his insistence, I finally went to the doctor. I'm not particularly fond of doctors, not since my accident. They're monsters dressed in white, armed with long needles.

Now it's morning again, and I study the sleeping Delsin next to me. My heart beats wildly in my chest when I look at him. He smiles in his sleep and I caress his cheek lightly with my fingertips. "Let me sleep a while longer, Caramel," he grumbles softly. "Last night was exhausting."

I fight the grin that wants to spread over my face. Last night, we were more active than ever before. I blame it on the sparkling wine he had served me. It made me act rather uninhibitedly; a facet of myself that surprised me a little. I lean down and breathe a kiss onto his lips. He returns is sleepily and I snuggle closer. Delsin puts his arm around me and strokes my back. "Let's stay in bed for a while longer," he murmurs.

"I didn't mean to get up just yet," I whisper and bury my face in the crook of his neck. His scent envelopes me, and I revel in it, for it relaxes and soothes me. I didn't have nightmares about Kieran the way I used to, merely because I feel so much safer when I'm with Delsin. By now, I'm certain that I have fallen in love with him, and that this can really develop into love, real love. I won't be saying the three magic words yet, because I don't want to say them casually. I'm glad that Delsin doesn't pressure me by saying them first. At the moment, things are simply easy and relaxed between us.

"Delsin?" I whisper.

"Hrmpf?"

"I'm giving you another chance," I murmur into his ear.

He pulls me closer. "Yay."

I giggle, but then I am quiet and relax, for I want to let him sleep for another while, if that is what he needs. He's not an early bird like me, after all.

***

Two hours later, Delsin is still sleeping. I want to get up, for it is already eleven a.m. I slip out of his embrace and sit up.

"Where are you going?" he asks softly.

"Bathroom," I say. "It's past eleven and my back is starting to ache. I just cannot lie on it anymore."

"Are you taking a shower?"

"Yes," I smile.

"I'll be with you in five minutes," Delsin yawns and rolls over to lie on his stomach.

"I'm going to believe it when I see it," I giggle, get up and walk into the en-suite bathroom. I take off my nightgown and step into the giant shower basin, where I turn the water on. It amazes me how rich people tend to exaggerate their needs. This shower would fit at least five people, and I haven't seen anything like all this black marble before. With a luxuriant sigh, I grab the shower gel and start getting soapy.

"Ah ... I love the look of your naked body," Delsin smiles as he enters the shower.

I smile back at him. "That is plainly visible right now," I counter and lower my eyes to his crotch.

He laughs and embraces me. "Is it bad that I am hot for you?" His hands slide around my behind. I look into his eyes. "Nope."

He massages my butt cheeks, lifts me up and puts his lips around my nipple.

"Delsin, didn't we merely want to take a shower?"

"Yes, we did, but I like this even better," he murmurs. His tongue circles my nipple.

I tilt my head back, reveling in the feel of his mouth hot on my breasts, and then I utter another sigh. Suddenly I feel his cock against my crotch. I bury my hands in his hair and pull his face away from my breasts and up, so I can kiss him. His tongue immediately invades my mouth, enticing mine to a passionate duel. The tip of his penis enters me and I moan into his mouth. He slips it in further, bit by bit, moaning loudly and nibbling my lower lip. The moan becomes a growl, which sends shivers down my spine despite the warmth of the water. His body pushes mine against the tiles as he pulls back and thrusts in again.

"You are mine, Caramel," he moans. "I'm not letting you go again. Tell me you are mine."

"I'm yours," I gasp and stare into his dark green eyes.

He thrusts harder, he presses me against the wall, and then he spills his seed inside me. He keeps thrusting, even though he climaxed, in order to make me come as well.

I claw my fingers into his shoulders, which I have held on to for balance, and only moments later, I come. He mutes my scream with his kiss, drawn-out and passionate, before he sets me down on my feet again.

When I stand face to face with him, he braces his hands against the tiles on both sides of my head. Then he leans down and kisses me with exquisite tenderness. "Thank you for giving me a second ... or rather, a third chance," he says softly.

I smile at him, breathe a kiss onto his chin and slip away from him.

Delsin turns around after I have positioned myself behind him. "I have a little surprise for you later."

"What is it?" I ask with curiosity while shampooing my hair.

"If I tell you now, it is no longer a surprise," he grins and starts lathering his body.

I watch him rub soap across his muscular chest and arms, while I wash the shampoo from my hair. "You cannot make me all curious first, and then refuse to tell me what it is about," I pout.

He laughs softly. "That is the way I am."

I pick up a sponge and throw it at him. "Stop blaming it all on your silly name," I laugh.

He ducks the wet missile. "Nope." After he has washed his hair, he washes the lather from his body and turns off the water.

We towel each other dry and Delsin wraps a towel turban around my hair. Then he breathes a kiss on my collarbone, before we go back into the bedroom and get dressed.

"What do you want to do today?" I ask him.

"I have to get something done, so why don't you spend the day with your friends," he suggests while checking the look of the red baseball cap on his head.

"Okay, I'll call them," I say with a smile and grab my phone from the fancy nightstand. "Can I invite them here?"

Delsin nods. "Yes, you sure can."

"Awesome." I place another kiss on his chin before I proceed to call Thally.

While I'm on the phone with her, Delsin kisses the crown of my head and gestures to tell me he'll be on his way. I nod and continue to speak to Thally. She agrees to call Hailey and bring her along so we can spend the day at the pool. It's a hot day, so the pool will be a welcome place of refuge. And I realize that I haven't been swimming in ages, so I look forward to that. I hang up and walk into the spacious kitchen to prepare a few snacks. Delsin and I have bought a bunch of groceries, which we could never eat on our own.

***

The girls have arrived and we are now lying next to each other in deck chairs in the sun.

"So are you and Delsin back together again, or is that still undecided?" Hailey asks and studies me through the tinted lenses of her shades.