"How lucky are we, Bro? We finally have a sister to blame all our shit on. Why is the toilet seat up? Bethany. Why is the milk empty and in the fridge?" Matt paused as Damon piped up.
"Totally Bethany. Ugh, girls."
She glanced at him, his facade a good one, or perhaps the sly, sensual side of him was the facade, and this was his real nature. Without a doubt, she would be finding out soon.
"Let's go watch the sun go down on the balcony." Matt moved toward the back door, holding it open as Damon and Bethany moved out in front of him. Bethany looked over as Damon asked his brother to grab them a few beers from the kitchen, her heart contracting painfully in her chest.
"I'll get them. I'm the girl." Bethany smirked and moved toward the door, Damon's hand reaching out to grab her forearm as he laughed.
"You’re a brilliant girl and our guest. Matt?" Damon smiled with warmth she didn't know someone could fake so well.
"Yeah, of course. Be back in a few minutes. I'll get us a plate of something to munch on too." He walked into the house as the smile slid from Damon's face. He turned toward her, using his hold on her to tug her away from the glass doors.
"You didn't answer my question." His tone was deadpan, his face a mask of indifference.
"What question?" Her voice was soft and unsure. She growled internally at letting herself be pulled under his spell. He was no better than the frat boys at school. Hit it and ride on. She wasn't interested, right?
"Did you enjoy watching me this afternoon?" He reached out and pulled her toward him, his hand a vise grip on her waist. He pressed her to the wall of the house, one hand sliding down over her hip and around to the top curve of her rear as his other hand slid along her jaw, pulling her to look up at him as he shifted his hips, his body tucked into hers from the waist down. She closed her eyes and groaned softly, her body betraying her.
"Did you like it, Beth? Was that you under the desk? You with your beautiful mouth licking and sucking pleasure from me?" He leaned in, lifting her chin slightly as he dragged his nose along the column of her neck.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she whispered, reaching out and sliding her hands along his waist. Soft panting gave way to embarrassment, warmth coating her neck and cheeks. She had to get out of there. Where was Matt?
"Of course you do. I had my eyes closed for most of it, my hand gripping her silky hair, my body reacting violently for one reason."
Bethany opened her eyes, her chest rising and falling much too fast as air seemed in short supply. He leaned in farther, his body flush against hers as he rolled his hips again.
"What reason?" she whispered, looking up into his eyes, needing his kiss beyond anything she remembered wanting.
"I just let her be you, and I came harder than I have in ages." He nipped at her mouth as the door opened and he moved back with ease, a soft laugh leaving him as he turned to Matt.
"What?" Matt asked, walking out with drinks and food balanced in his arms and against his chest.
"Just listening to Bethany tell me a few stories of the intern. You know that crazy one that's always trying to get into my pants?"
"Oh, God. The redhead?"
"Yeah. She's after the new guy now. Right, Beth?" Damon looked over his shoulder, the guy before her not the one that held her captive against the wall at all.
"Yep. Sadie is a total bitch." Bethany steeled herself, moving from the wall and brushing her shirt down in hopes of it hiding her budded nipples. She reached for a beer, lust rushing across Damon's gaze once more before he seemed to effectively hide it for good.
"Well, steer clear of her, Bethany. I think Damon's had more horror stories on this one than any before." Matt popped a piece of cheese in his mouth as Bethany took a long slow drink of her beer, wishing it were something much stronger.
She listened to the two guys talk about how crazy girls were, their laughter causing a smile to lift the side of her mouth. A soft tick pulsated along her neck; her blood pressure elevated, her heart racing at the idea of belonging to the alpha before her. It would never happen. The taboo alone would leave them both unable to be anything more than a fantasy of incredible sex and longing, most likely only on her part.
Damon seemed to be perfectly fine with having a different woman every day, his appetite varied and more focused on lust than love. Perhaps he had it right. Maybe the way through life was to taste and try lots. To not stop and focus on one person but to enjoy many. She looked away to roll her eyes, her thoughts ridiculous. He was teasing her, playing a dangerous game, and yet she loved it. It had been far too long since anyone grabbed her sensitivities and demanded control of her desires. She glanced over at him, Damon's dark gaze shifting to her as Matt laughed about something.
A shiver ran through her, and he seemed to take notice, his tongue darting out to lick at his lips before he took a drink of his beer. The door opened behind her, the sound of her mother's voice catching her attention.
"Dinner's ready, guys. Come on in and let's eat."
Bethany started for the door, Damon's hand softly wrapping around her wrist, stopping her.
"Matt, go ahead. We'll get all of this stuff and be right in. I wanted to talk to Bethany about something really quickly anyway."
"What?" Matt tilted his head, his eyes shifting between the two of them.
"The balance sheet audit for a small manufacturing company and why the debits didn't exactly ...”
Matt cut him off, throwing his hand in the air. "Okay ... don't bore me with that shit. I'll be inside."
Bethany smirked as Matt walked away. Bethany gathered the dish they had been sharing; her eyes averted from Damon completely.
"What did you want to ask me?" She looked up. Mistake.
His stance whispered confidence, his eyes hungry with unfulfilled lust. Bethany swallowed hard and took a small step back, stopping herself before taking another. She would not appear weak in front of him, no matter what.
"I didn't want to ask you anything. The taste of you on my tongue has been driving me wild." He licked his lips again, his fingers coming up to brush by his mouth.
"Yes, well, I'm not a blonde." She shrugged and turned to walk toward the door, Damon moving in to walk just behind her. She kicked herself internally for such an ignorant response. She sounded jealous and petty, namely because she was.
"I find it funny that you think I like blondes." He held the door open as she stopped beside him, finding a bit of courage as she looked up at him.
"You don’t? Seems odd that one was crouching beneath your desk today, one answers your phone and the pictures in your office highlight a different one altogether."
"Are you jealous, Beth?" The smirk on his mouth caused her heart to skip a beat, the sweet aroma of him wafting over her as the wind blew.
"Nothing to be jealous of. I'm your sister, remember?" She lifted her eyebrow, shrugged and walked in, his voice nothing more than a sensual whisper.
"Not yet you're not ..."
Chapter 12
"So you know we have the Barrington Corp audit committee meeting coming up next week?" Kent turned to Damon, Bethany's eyes on her soon-to-be stepfather as he turned the conversation at dinner from something more casual to business.
"I do. I've prepared a few things, but I thought we could meet tomorrow morning to discuss the fullness of what you want to be presented." Damon shifted his dark gaze from Kent to Bethany as he lifted his napkin and wiped his mouth. "I'd like to involve Beth if you're okay with that."
"Beth?" Kent looked over to Bethany. "Do you go by Beth? I thought you went by Bethany."
"I go by either. Most people call me Bethany, but Damon has taken a liking to the nickname I guess." She shrugged, smiling as the rest of the members around the dinner table chuckled.
"Short and sweet, just like my new sister." Damon lifted his eyebrows in comic challenge.
"Hey! I'm not short," Bethany grumbled as everyone laughed. Damon had far too many sides to keep up with, and tryin
g to discern which was truly him, or if they all were, would be a full-time job. She focused on her plate, the dinner delicious, the company rich in many more ways than she had imagined possible. Asking her mom to move things up with Kent was a bit selfish, but it was working out beautifully.
"I'd love for Bethany to be there." Kent picked up his fork and stabbed at the chicken on his plate, his eyes moving between Bethany and Damon.
"You guys know that she will be starting school again soon," her mother spoke up. "Have you thought through the schedule for her so that she's able to focus on her master’s as well as doing a good job for you guys?"
Bethany laughed. "I'm right here, Mom."
They all chuckled, Damon taking up the conversation as Matt lifted his wine glass in the air and studied the contents as if an experiment. Bethany stifled a smile at the silliness of her soon-to-be brother. He was convinced that if he didn't make himself out to look crazy, then responsibility and demands would soon take freedom from his days.
"We can talk about her schedule more soon. When do you go back, Beth?"
"I have all of next week off, and then I need to be on campus a few days a week to help prepare for the semester starting in late August."
"Prepare how?" Damon's voice was soft and conversational, not at all the tone he'd used with her in the office or when pressed against her on the patio. She glanced down at her plate, her cheeks warming at how much she wanted another encounter, something longer and leading to more.
"I'll be a teaching assistant for one of the accounting professors." She glanced up, the slight lift of his wicked mouth telling her quickly that he too was lost in thoughts of depravity.
"Be careful," Matt mumbled, setting his glass down and looking over at Bethany as she sat beside him.
"Be careful?"
"Yeah, I hear those old teacher dudes love to convince their pretty TAs to sleep with them. Power corrupts, right?" Matt smiled and reached for another dinner roll.
"Matthew!" Kent shook his head as Bethany's mother reached over and patted Kent on the arm.
"It's true. I've heard a lot of those stories too, but Bethany isn't that kind of girl. She'd probably head butt anyone who got too close that she didn't invite, right, baby?"
Bethany looked up and laughed, turning her gaze on Damon as her smile faded. "Yes, that's right. Uninvited attention isn't what I want at all. I want to finish my degree and get on with my life."
"I'm with Matt. You're far too pretty and intelligent for the old coot not to try." Damon shrugged, seemingly ignoring the conversation that moved silently between them. She wanted him in her bed, but her life was off limits. Not that he would be interested either way, but it would be smart to lay the ground rules for anything that might happen between them from the start.
"Yes, well that's enough about me. I'll talk with you guys about my schedule next week if that's okay." Bethany sat back, laying her napkin on the table. "I think I'm going for a swim and then bed. I have a slave driver of a boss, and tomorrow is going to be busy from morning to night."
"Why into the night? Did you get too much put on your desk?" Damon's eyebrow lifted, his head tilting slightly as Matt got up and stretched, heading into the kitchen. Kent and Bethany's mother started their own conversation, the tension in Bethany's stomach moving into her chest.
"No, I just have that intern happy hour tomorrow night too. What time do you want me in the morning?" She stood up and picked up her plate, her eyes catching Damon's as he dragged his gaze slowly down her, pausing just below her waist. She moved back from the table and shook her head. "What time?"
"I'd say I want you all morning long, but I have too much on my calendar to truly enjoy you the way you deserve." He spoke plainly, no one seeming to notice. Bethany looked down the table; her mother lost in conversation with her newest obsession.
"Wow. That was bold." Bethany pushed the chair in and walked toward the kitchen.
"That's my style, Beth ." Damon's voice followed her as she dropped her stuff in the sink. Surely he would call her in the morning when he wanted to talk about the audit committee stuff. The nerd in her was more than excited to sit in on such a special project, but the woman within her that needed affection was far more interested in how many ways they could take each other over the course of a four-hour love session.
She walked to her room, avoiding the dining room and Damon altogether. He was nothing but trouble, and her curiosity was going to land her bent over the desk, not of a professor, but of a cocky accountant.
***
The water was warm, the night sky filled with the brilliance of a million stars. Bethany sank into it, her bathing suit a small bikini, her full-piece lost to her last skinny dipping adventure in college. The sound of a car starting brought a mixture of peace and disappointment. Damon must have left, which was a good thing, and yet...
She slipped under the water, her long hair billowing out around her. She twisted, looking up through the blurry liquid to see someone hovering just over the edge of the pool. She pushed against the bottom, moving up and lifting her chin to the sky to force her hair from her face. Wiping her eyes, she opened them in time to see Damon slipping into the water, his bathing suit black and tight.
Oh fuck.
"I thought you left," she whispered, her voice much too sensual for her liking. His smooth chest was lined with muscle, his abs holding all eight curves for perfection. She moved a step back as he sank into the water, a smile on his lips.
"No, Matthew left. He said to tell you that he would see you Friday." Damon stretched out his strong arms and pushed the water away from him, his body moving back from her. She stood and looked up at the sky, her torso above the water’s edge.
"It's beautiful out here."
"I couldn't agree more." The thickness of his voice gave his needs away. Bethany turned and watched him, his gaze locked on hers as if they waited to see who might make the first move. They played a dangerous game, Kent and her mother just inside. Bethany steeled herself, realizing what a mistake it would be to do or be anything with this man. He was sex incarnate, dominance and power, everything she could imagine in the wettest of her fantasies. She was a simple girl and knew she would be in way over her head much too quickly.
"What are you thinking about so intently?"
"I was just working through my schedule in my head. The wedding is in a few weeks too, so I have a lot to balance." She shrugged and sank back down in the water as he moved closer. She pressed her feet to the bottom of the pool, forcing herself to stay still and not run from him. He was a predator, and though she would love to protect herself fully, they had a long life together ahead of them in some capacity. He wouldn't be dominating her for any of it, at least not if she could help it.
"Your schedule? That's what you're thinking about?"
She laughed and reached out, pressing her hand to his chest to stop him. "Don't come any closer, and yes, my schedule. What are you thinking about?"
He smiled and pulled her hand along his side, Bethany moving through the water to press against him from his efforts. He smirked as she gasped, his hands sliding around her waist and locking her to him.
"I'm wondering how to get you out of your bathing suit. I'm imagining the taste of you on my tongue and the sound of your desperate panting."
Bethany took a shallow breath, resting her hands on his thick shoulders, the water making each movement intensify as their skin slid against each others.
"You have no modesty." She laughed and tried to move back. He pulled her closer, one hand moving up her back and into her hair. She groaned softly, hating herself for allowing the noise to leave her.
"Tell me to stop and I will, but you have to mean it." He leaned in, pulling her hair back and running his nose along the column of her neck.
"Stop," she whispered, pulling him closer as her body lit on fire.
"Not good enough, Beth." He pressed his teeth against the side of her neck and tugged softly, his other hand sliding d
own to cup her rear, his fingers playing along the edge of her suit. She groaned again, her mind splintering on what to do.
"Stop, Damon." She pulled back a little, tugging against him as he smiled. He released her hair and slid his hand along the side of her face, his finger gripping hard at the base of her head as he pulled her down toward him. He paused before kissing her; his eyes filled to the rim with lust.
"I don't think you want me to stop, do you?"
She whimpered, her resolve draining as she tightened her arms around his neck and moved to wrap her legs around his waist in the water. The painful throb of need drove into her, another sound of desire leaving her lips as she closed her eyes and rocked her hips against the fullness of his arousal. He was magnificent, huge and cocky, strong and so incredibly beautiful.
"Yes. Stop, please."
He pulled her in as she opened her eyes, his other hand sliding down to cup her breast and knead it as their lips touched. He murmured his pleasure against her mouth, pressing her closer with the pull of his hand on her ass. His tongue rolled over hers, his lips so soft and warm. He rocked himself against her, subtle groans sending her into a dizziness she had never experienced. He broke the kiss and licked at her mouth, sucking the edge of her chin before burying his face against her neck.
She moaned loudly as he moved both hands to grip her ass tightly, using his hold to roll her softness against the hardness he offered her. He licked up her throat, his mouth pressing a sensual kiss to her ear. She panted softly; her hands lost in his hair as a frantic feeling to strip him and consume him washed over her. She moaned against him as he spoke softly against her ear.
"I don't like blondes at all. I like brunettes with green eyes and large breasts. With intelligence and wit, with strength and the ability to hold their own. I like women who know what they want and take it. The ones that won’t hit their knees for you until they've forced you to hit yours first. What kind of girl are you, Beth?"
She rolled her body against him once more, moving back and letting her gaze lock onto his, something inside of her bursting open with desire for the bastard who taunted her so well. She smiled, her eyes narrowing sensually as she let her legs drop from him, her hand sliding down his strong chest and abs as she slipped her hand into his shorts. She wrapped her fingers around him, not showing the shock at how large he was but keeping her facade perfectly in place.
Mister Big Stuff: A Single Mom Friends to Lovers Novel Page 32