Trust Me (14 page)

“Alli, wait. You’re still soaking wet, baby.”

Taking the towel from me, he dries me off more completely, and then I follow him to the freshly made bed. This time, satin sheets are on the bed, and I love the feeling of the material on my bare skin. He pulls me to the middle of the bed until I’m against his body. We are two puzzle pieces that fit together perfectly. I feel safe and complete with Damien, and I haven’t felt like this since my parents were alive.

He flips off the lamp, and I wrap around him.

Softly, I murmur, “Thank you, Damien, for the most magnificent night of my life.”

“Baby, I will cherish this night forever. Thank you for giving me that special part of you.”

I close my eyes, draped in my Damien blanket, and drift off, feeling content.

The world starts to fade in, and I’m momentarily startled when I don’t remember where I am. Then, the floodgates lift, and the memories come pouring back. Damien was incredible. My face is buried into his chest, and I breathe in his scent. It’s manly, indescribably manly. When I start to shift, he automatically tightens around me.

“Good morning. Where do you think you’re going?” His voice is deep and rough with a sexy, irresistible tone.

“Nowhere. Why? Did you have something in mind?” My body moves against him.

His eyes slowly lift open, and he meets my gaze.
How can he still look like God’s gift to women after sleeping?
I, on the other hand, am a different story. I probably look like I’ve gone three rounds with some beast, and I was the loser.

“Are you sore, Alli?”

I take stock of my body prior to responding. It feels like a rarely used muscle got an excellent workout. In fact, that muscle would like another workout right now. “A little, but a good kind of sore if that makes sense.”

“Good. I’ll still have to restrain myself from you for the next few days.” His hand drags lazily up and down my arm.

Shooting up, I totally shock even myself as I screech, “You mean, no sex? That’s a little over the top, I think!”

He pulls me back down and kisses me.

He drags his nose across my jawline. A need to have him inside me arises again.

“We just have to space it out, baby. We need to keep you from getting too sore. Otherwise, we will have to stop altogether.”

His words make me blush slightly as I think about how brazen I was.

“There’s no reason to be embarrassed, Alli. We will continue to get to know each other in every way possible.” The dominant tone in his voice is undeniable.

His need for a deep emotional connection is as palpable as mine. I know what caused mine, but I wonder what happened to him to create that need. Then, I remember that he completely sidestepped my question about me leaving him last night. Just as I am about to delve into that, Damien changes my train of thought.

“Let’s get dressed and have some breakfast on the terrace. If we stay in bed too much longer, we won’t leave for a while.”

There is no way I am going to survive the morning without some relief. “I’m not hungry.” My finger starts drawing on his chest, slowly making its way down his stomach.

“Alli, we have to eat. We didn’t have dinner last night.”

He begins to push the covers aside. He is slightly turned away to get out of bed when I reach around and grab his already semi-stiff erection. My touch makes him hard immediately. I have no idea what I’m doing, but a smile creeps up on my face. I squeeze him slightly and move my hand up and down. He emits a groan from deep within his chest.

When he twists back to me, he practically tackles me, and I laugh.
Mission completed.
I’m about to get exactly what I want. The moment his lips touch mine, the world falls away.

Lowering one hand, he pushes a finger inside me. He moans, “Fuck, you’re so wet.” Seemingly satisfied with my state of arousal, he positions himself between my legs, and he leisurely starts to push inside me.

Breathlessly, I whisper, “I need you all the way in.”

He complies as he just stares at me, and I revel in how perfect he feels just like this.

“You are going to be the death of me,” he murmurs.

Then, we are both lost in the sensations of each other as our bodies become one once again.

The terrace looks like something from an old movie. This is what I imagine it would feel like to live on Tara, the antebellum house, from
Gone with the Wind
. When the light breeze shifts the air slightly, I get a brief whiff of a nearby honeysuckle patch. I close my eyes and just listen to the sounds of the birds.

This moment is perfect. Being here with Damien feels more right than it should at this point. It’s a lot for me to process.

A hand grazes my shoulder before setting a coffee cup in front of me. “Breakfast should be out in a few minutes. Penny for your thoughts?”

Wearing only his black silk pajama pants hanging low on his waist, Damien takes a seat beside me, and his abs naturally flex with the movement. I’m wearing a matching black silk robe and nightgown that he’d bought for me before I came over last night.

I pick up the cup, savor the aroma, and then take a heavenly sip of the dark and strong coffee. “Just thinking about how fast this is all going or at least how fast I think it’s going.”

To get my mind off of what I want to do right now, which is beg him to make love to me again, I look out onto the perfectly manicured lawn. I see a stable off in the distance, and it reminds me of home.

He’s watching me intently. “Did we rush this? Alli, I won’t…I can’t let you go. Last night…well, it was incredible. We can slow down if that’s what you need.”

The serious note in his voice causes my head to snap in his direction as two breakfast plates are put in front of us.

Shit, that did not come out right.
I can tell exactly how he took it. “No, it’s just fast, not wrong but fast, especially since I’ve spent the last year emotionally secluded. I don’t regret last night at all. Please don’t ever think that. I like where we are.”

As I reach for his hand, he moves it quickly to the back of my neck. Pulling me toward him, he starts kissing me. Just as I’m about to climb into his lap, his lips move away from mine.

“Let’s eat. Regardless of how fast this might seem to you, remember what it’s like when we’re together. It feels right, and that’s all that matters.”

Words evade me, and all I can do is nod. With all the nodding I do when I’m around him sometimes, I feel like a bobblehead. Trying to restart my brain, I turn my focus to my plate and take a bite of the omelet. The burst of flavors from the fresh vegetables, cheese, and ham is delicious. “Mmm. Oh my gosh, this is fantastic.”

“I’m glad you like it. What is your schedule like this week?”

I’ve just taken another bite, and my eyes go wide as I recall the plans I completely forgot about. When I try to sputter a response, I start choking. Damien gets up and pats my back.
Will I ever stop embarrassing myself around him?
When I’m through the worst of it, he sits back down, still eyeing me as I take a sip of orange juice. I have no words to describe how flustered I feel from my unladylike behavior.

“Shit, Alli. Are you okay?”

I wave my hand, signaling that I need just one more minute, as I take another drink. “I’m fine. I just…I totally forgot about my plans this weekend.”

He looks at me, waiting for me to continue.

“Oh, right. I’m heading to Homerville tonight, and I’ll be back Tuesday morning. It totally slipped my mind since you weren’t supposed to be back until Tuesday also.”

“When do you have to leave today?” The domineering voice is back.

“Sometime this evening. Why?”

I can tell he’s taken aback because I’m leaving so quickly. Knowing he wants me around would make me smile if his jaw wasn’t set tightly and his eyes weren’t pinning me to my seat.

He rubs his forehead, and his brows crinkle in thought. “When will you get back? I wanted you to accompany me to a benefit this next week. When Sam texted you this morning, did she say when her sorority thing is?”

“I’ll get back Tuesday morning. Um, Sam’s thing is Tuesday night. What’s the benefit?”

He picks up his phone and starts typing a message as he talks to me. “With some adjustments, I can leave for Vegas tomorrow to handle some meetings earlier than planned and come back Tuesday in time for Sam’s event. Afterward, we could fly out later that evening for Vegas. That way we could attend the sports benefit on Wednesday evening together that I am sponsoring.”

I’m working through all the logistics in my head. With today being Friday, it’s going to be difficult to be apart from each other until Tuesday.

He continues, “Please say yes, Alli, because I don’t know how I’m going to survive not having you for four fucking nights.”

Wow, this is hard.
Right now, it’s difficult for me to go a couple of hours without him. However, I cannot lose that part of myself I have started to find since meeting Damien. He is a powerful force, and I need to find my strength to withstand him.

“That should work. I just want you to know that if this wasn’t really important to me, I would cancel.”

He rubs his hand down his face. Being apart from me seems to stress him out, which causes my heart to do a happy dance.

“Knowing this will make you happy is the only reason I’m able to let you go. What are you going to be doing there? Where are you staying?”

“With Sam’s parents. I’ll tell you what it’s all about when it’s over. If it doesn’t work out, it will be easier to tell you afterward.”

“Alli…”

The inflection in his voice incites my irritation.

“Don’t take that tone with me, Damien. You’ve been evasive with me, too, because you aren’t ready to share. If we want to bare all to each other right now, that’s fine.” It shocks me how much I sound like my mother.

The muscles in his arms go taut, and his jaw looks like it might snap in half. “It’s not the same fucking thing. If I don’t know what you’re doing, then how will I know you’re safe?”

“Why are you so concerned with my safety? I’ve managed all these years without you just fine.”

He doesn’t respond as he continues to stare at me. His knuckles are white from grabbing the wrought iron arms of the chair.

“See, there’s another question you won’t answer. You’re creating double standards here. This is a two-way street, Damien.”

He releases his hands, opening and shutting them, probably to get the blood flowing again. “How long is the drive?”

“A few hours.” I am starting to shift impatiently in my seat. With the tension building between us, this arguing has worked me up both emotionally and sexually.

Substantially softening his tone, he asks, “So, to avoid wasting time in a car today, if you need something from your apartment, can Sam gather it for you? I’ll have my second-in-command, Ben, pick up your belongings and your car and bring them here. I’d rather you get on the road this afternoon, so you aren’t driving late.”

It seems like a reasonable request, and I want to compromise. There’s always a middle ground. “I’m sure Sam won’t mind. I’ll ask her what time she can get my things together for me.”

He sits there with his phone in hand, appearing to think things through. He’s like a caged tiger, waiting to escape.

I text Sam, hoping she can help me out.

Me: Hey, could you do me a favor?

Sam: First, has the deed been done?

Me: Yes.

Sam: And?

Me: A girl doesn’t kiss and tell.

Sam: Oh, you will tell me. What do you need?

Me: Can you get my bag ready to take home?

Sam: I’m glad you’re still going.

Me: Me, too. I need to do this. I owe it to myself and my parents.

Sam: Good. I like Wales, but I agree. Of course I will.

Me: What time? A guy named Ben will pick up my bag and take my car.

Sam: Ten? Ben?

Me: Ten works. Damien’s guy.

Sam: Okay. Must be nice. Just kidding. I’ll call you later. xoxo

Me: Okay. Thank you. xoxo

Sam’s been worried that I wouldn’t go through with the interview because of Damien, but this is an opportunity I can’t pass up.

I look up and realize Damien has been watching me exchange texts with Sam. “She said she could be there at ten if that works.”